The Weekly Meeting Summary of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley
September 8, 2026
Jeannette Albiez, Editor
OPENING THE MEETING
President Mony Nop called the meeting to order at 8:15 AM
Pledge of Allegiance - led by Terry
Song of the Day - Hem Korubilli chose "So Long, Farewell" to say goodbye to Summer
Thought of the Day - Read by Mony Nop a quote from Ronald Reagan: "The person who agrees with you 80% of the time is a friend and an ally - not a 20 percent traitor."
Joke of the Day - Why does an earth rock not taste as well as a moon rock? A moon rock is meteor!
How much does a rainbow weigh? It's light!
VISITING ROTARIANS & GUESTS
Visiting Rotarians:
Dr. Kim Curtis was introduced by Dave Goulart. She is a Rotarian at Large and Executive Director of Goodness Village.
Guests:
Principal Clark Conover, Taylor Conover and mom
SEPTEMBER STUDENT OF THE MONTH
We are proud to recognize Taylor Conover as our Student of the Month!
Taylor is an exceptionally hardworking and deeply kind student who truly exemplifies leadership, academic excellence, and service to her community. She has earned straight A’s, including many AP classes, and maintains an impressive 4.42 GPA.
A natural and enthusiastic leader, Taylor has served as Class President and as a student representative on the School Board. She is also a dedicated athlete, completing four years of Varsity Cross Country and serving as team captain, as well as participating in track. Her commitment demonstrates her belief that what you put into something is what you get out of it.
Beyond academics and athletics, Taylor has given more than 150 hours of community service, demonstrating her genuine commitment to helping others. She is truly an amazing all-around student who leads by example and makes a positive impact wherever she is involved.
Taylor plans to study biochemistry in college with the goal of becoming an optometrist. We congratulate Taylor on this well-deserved recognition and wish her continued success in all that lies ahead!
TODAY'S PROGRAM: Krassi Maltby
Anil introduced our speaker, Krassi Maltby, founder and president of Empower Communications and a Level 3 RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) provider. Krassi shared her deeply personal journey of discovering new possibilities for communication with her son, as well as her work helping nonspeaking individuals with autism communicate and demonstrate their abilities.
Krassi’s son lost his speech at age three. He had previously been bilingual, making the sudden loss of speech especially difficult for their family. A friend introduced Krassi to RPM, and during a four-day camp in Austin, her family experienced a breakthrough in connecting with their son through communication.
Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) focuses on learning and developing communication skills. The approach addresses four key objectives:
Cognitive — developing and demonstrating understanding
Skill — building communication and motor skills
Tolerance — increasing the ability to participate and engage
Communication — providing a means to express thoughts, needs, and choices
Krassi described a six-step progression for developing communication skills, using tools such as:
Stencils
Letterboards
Keyboards and typing
Activity boards
Handwriting and drawing
RPM is used primarily with individuals on the autism spectrum and can be used across different ages. Krassi shared examples of students making choices, communicating with their parents, and building confidence as teachers learn to recognize and respond to their individual needs. She emphasized the importance of adjusting instruction when a student shows anxiety or difficulty and, most importantly, building confidence by focusing on what students can do.
Krassi’s own son went on to graduate from high school with honors and attend college. She shared that more universities are now researching communication methods for nonspeaking individuals, and that nonspeaking graduates are helping lead the way.
In college, students may no longer have an IEP in the same way they did in K–12 education, but accommodations such as additional time to complete exams may still be available. Krassi’s son is attending Arizona State University online.
One of the most powerful messages from Krassi’s presentation was:
“Communication can reveal the intelligence that was already there.”
Her presentation offered an inspiring reminder that when individuals are given an effective way to communicate, we may discover abilities and intelligence that were present all along.
TODAY'S 10-SPOT
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Check out the "Upcoming Events" listed below for complete details and sign-up information for upcoming club happenings!
Charles and Patty Crohare invite us to add some sweetness to our holidays without having to toil in the kitchen - while supporting our local community. Each year, we are able to enjoy delicious pies purchased through the fundraiser by the Order of the Eastern Star. This organization supports charitable causes in our community.
Pies are $20 each, and are available on November 10. They will be frozen and ready-to-bake in your own oven whenever you want a fresh, hot pie!
Now is the time to support the Livermore Valley Rotary Club's commitment to our community!
This month, the Community Health and Education Foundation (CHEF) is offering a 50% match to any donation to Livermore Valley Rotary submitted via CHEF's ThriveMore with Rotary Campaign.
We invite community members, organizations and businesses who would like to be part of Rotary's giving to get involved today. Your sponsorship, via CHEF, goes further than ever to help:
youth and education
seniors
veterans
families in need
people with disabilities
arts and culture
and other programs that support the quality of life throughout the Livermore Valley
Everyone is invited to join the fun Saturday, September 12, 11 am - 4 pm, at Carnegie Park in Downtown Livermore! We are hosting the Second Annual Community BBQ & Fundraiser to bring our community together and raise funds to support community members in need.
Everyone is invited to join the fun Saturday, September 12, 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, at Carnegie Park in Downtown Livermore! We are hosting the First Annual Community BBQ Bash & Fundraiser to bring our community together and raise funds to support community members in need.
Next week we are going on a field trip to see the water treatment plant. We will meet there at 9am. Stay tuned for further directions from Sarah Palmer.
