The Weekly Meeting Summary of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley
November 12, 2024
OPENING THE MEETING
President Beth McCormick called the meeting to order at 8:15 AM
Suzanne Richerson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Bob Tucknott reviewed the Four Way Test
Roy Porfido made us question reality with his magic card show
Song of the Day - Jerry Hawkins led us in singing King of the Road
VISITING ROTARIANS & GUESTS
Visiting Rotarian
Marty Roberts introduced Bob Tucknott from the Dublin Club
Guests
Sarah Palmer introduced our speakers this morning: Jovan Pierre, Brandaon Carson, Stephanie Wise, & Edgar Reyes
Mony Nop introduced Mike Bass, an engineer who lives locally
Mony Nop introduced Dr. Cathia Walters, a clinical psychologist
This Month's Celebrations
Member Birthdays
Richard Fields
January 2
Leslie Lemieux
January 8
Anniversaries
Mony Nop
Sophie Mao
January 15
Richard Fields
Linda
January 26
Eric Dillie
Kala Dillie
January 28
Join Date
S. Ward Eccles
January 1, 1994
31 years
Marty Roberts
January 10, 2023
2 years
Eric Dillie
January 12, 2016
9 years
Dennis Gambs
January 31, 1999
26 years
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The 2024 Annual Turkey Giveaway will be in collaboration with Tri-Valley Haven. As a reminder, money earned through our sports games (Football Follies, World Series Pool, Super Bowl Pool) fund our purchase of turkeys and groceries. We have multiple opportunities to help:
Thursday, November 14 from 10 - 2 - Bag Food
Friday, November 15 from 1 - 5 - Bag Food
Give away turkeys on Monday, November 25 -
8:30 am - 12 pm
2:30 pm - 6 pm
Please email Leslie Lemieux to volunteer for a time slot!
We are also invited to contribute to the turkey dinner provisions that will add to what we are able to donate with Tri-Valley Haven, by participating in the Annual Mony Nop Turkey Drop:
We are proud to welcome Terri DeLima to our club! Terri is the mother of 3 adult sons, and grandmother to seven children! She is recently retired from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, where she served as the Operations Manager for the Bioengineering Group.
While at LLNL, Terri had the opportunity to mentor many high school students. She is appreciated for her groundbreaking work in this area, supported by the Livermore Lab Foundation and by a grant from the Rotarian Foundation of Livermore.
Welcome Terri!
ELECTION OF 2024-25 PRESIDENT ELECT
Today, we voted unanimously to install Mony Nop as the 2024-25 President Elect of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley! Mony will serve in that role next year, while Sarah Palmer transitions to the position of Club President.
TODAY'S PROGRAM: VETERANS PANEL
Today we welcomed four veterans who have been supported in their continuing education by the Las Positas College Veterans First Program
Stephanie Wise, USMC Gold Star Spouse, is studying Fire Science at LPC. She shared the challenges of navigating the educational system, especially as a student with a family who has been out of the system for some time. She found tremendous support and felt a familial welcome by the Veterans First Program. Stephanie expressed gratitude at the generosity of the community that supported her childcare expenses and her family.
Brandaon Carson, US Army Veteran after serving 13 years active duty, until 2022. Leaving the army was a huge transition. Brandaon shared that his experience at Las Positas College has been one of support and community. The Vet Center is a fantastic support. In addition to being a student, Brandaon works as an instructor at Camp Parks.
Jovan Pierre, US Army Veteran. After serving 14 years in the Infantry, Jovan was determined to pursue a college education. He started at Midland Technical College in South Carolina where his classes were selected by a counselor. The Vet Center was a small, dark room with 4 computers. He managed to complete a semester, and then moved home to his family in California. Jovan attended several other schools without finding support for veterans. By contrast, his first visit to the Vet Center at LPC was incredibly welcoming. Operation Gateway, job fair, and the sense of community he felt offered a tremendous circle of support. Jovan commutes an hour and a half daily to be part of LPC community. He is majoring in Welding and Engineering.
Edgar Reyes, US Marine Corps. Edgar shared that as veterans, they have spent some of the most important developmental years of their adult personalities in chaos. As a result, when they get out, they find it hard to blend in. Being a veteran can be incredibly isolating. Edgar praised Evelyn Andrews. She empowers the veterans to take the next step on their own. Edgar completed his coursework at Las Positas College, then graduated from San Francisco State University. He is currently pursuing a license in clinical counseling at San Jose State.
Thank you to our speakers for sharing their stories and inspiring us to help support the Veterans First Program at Las Positas College.
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER
Next week we welcome Roland Williams, from Castro Valley Sanitary District, who will share with us the role of special districts.
We will also welcome Granada High School Principal Clark Conover and the November Student of the Month.
