The Weekly Meeting Summary of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley
July 23, 2024
OPENING THE MEETING
President Beth McCormick called the meeting to order at 8:15 AM
Jeannette Albiez led us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Jeannette's little known fact: she was Miss German America Philadephia when she was in high school!
Song of the Day - Jerry Hawkins led us in This Land is Your Land - this time with lyrics so we could sing all of the verses!
Joke of the Day - Dick Fields shared that his kitchen flooded this morning - no joke there! Sticking with the kitchen theme, Dick asked how long fish should be cooked. Um, the same as short fish.
Thought of the Day - No thought today. Clear your mind and try to stay cool!
VISITING ROTARIANS & GUESTS
Visiting Rotarians
Beth introduced Gary Harrington from the Pleasanton Club. Gary was here today to invite our support for Christine Tanis, wife of a fellow Rotarian, Mark Tanis. Christine is in need of a prosthetic hand after having her hands amputated because of a septic infection she developed in the hospital. The cost is $45,000, and Christine does not have health insurance that covers this. The Tanis family needs our help. Please consider donating to the Rotary Club of Pleasanton Foundation: Give A Helping Hand. If you prefer to send a check, please send your check to
Rotary Club of Pleasanton Foundation - A Helping Hand
444 Cabonia Ct
Pleasanton, CA 94566
Donations made by July 31 will be matched up to $10,000.
Please feel free to send an email to Gary at ggaryharrington@gmail.com or call him at 925-922-5791 if you would like more information.
Roy introduced Bob Tucknott from the Dublin Club
Guests
Sherri introduced her husband Stu Simoni. She also introduced her son Keaton and his girlfriend, Sage, visiting from Idaho
Sarah introduced Melanie Henry, Founder and CEO of Driver Cognitive Assessment Center, and our speaker today
Beth introduced Jean O'Neil Opipari, STEM Coordinator at Las Positas College and helping us out with the AV
Beth also introduced Terri De Lima, recently retired as an Operations Manager and Supervisor at LLNL
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Graham and Pat Scott will be moving to Sparks, Nevada next month! Tuesday, August 6th will be Graham's last club meeting with us.
Roy shared a note from Javier Perez who is recovering from a stroke. We were glad to hear that Javier is anticipating a return to normal in a few months!
Remember that there will NOT be a morning meeting next week. Instead, we will have the first of our monthly "Last Tuesday" Club Socials. We will meet at Buzzin on Hops at 6:00 pm. Click here to register online if you plan to attend. Guests are welcomed, and attend for free!
Additional Grapevine editors!! Beth put out the call for expanding the Grapevine team. Today, Mony Nop, Kevin McCallum and Sarah Palmer agreed to join the team! (Jeannette Albiez, Lori Souza, & Philomena Rambo are also on the team)
Mark your calendars for the Kevin Drake Scholarship Fundraising Event on Saturday, October 19, from 2:00 - 6:00 pm at the Bedford Ranch. Please send an email to Mony Nop if you can help with gift baskets, auction items, and other fundraising fun!
We had a very informative program today, as Melanie Henry, CEO of Driver Cognitive Assessment Center, shared about resources available as drivers age.
Melanie shared some important facts that made us all sit up and pay attention:
The rate of fatalities in driving accidents after the age of 75 increases because the body is less resilient
In 2022, 5,626 people aged 70+ died in crashes
A driver with cognitive impairment is most at risk and more than 3 times as likely to cause a collision
5.8 million Americans are living with dementia, and an estimated 30% - 40% of them are driving. That translates to about 2 million drivers with dementia. (source: Alzheimer's Association)
Melanie is a Licensed Driving Instructor and a Driver Rehabilitation Professional (DRP), whose goal is to support drivers as they encounter challenges that arise due to aging, illness, or other factors that may interfere with their previously sharp driving acuity.
How do we know if we are becoming cognitively impaired? We can take a Driver Cognitive Assessment, we can download and use the DRIVEFOCUS app, and we can use AARP resources including AARP SafeTrip and the AARP Smart Driver course.
We may know someone whose driving has changed, and/or whose health has changed in a way that may impact their ability to drive. Melanie identified factors such as stiff joints, weakening vision, slower reflexes, medications, and medical conditions leading to cognitive decline, as indicators that it's time for a conversation about that individual's capacity as a driver.
Taking steps now can prevent accidents and save lives. Over 100 storefront crashes take place in our country every day! Ballards can help prevent those accidents, and driver cognitive assessment can help prevent those and others.
Melanie also shared some resources (available via the links provided) that can assist us in the car:
A huge thank you to Melanie for sharing this information and these resources! Please reach out to her if you have questions or would like to have her present to another group.
NEXT SPEAKER - August 6th - RYLA Students
At our next Tuesday morning meeting, we will hear from students who participated in RYLA this summer. For a preview of what RYLA offers, check out this 2-minute video:
meeting next week. Instead, we will have the first of our monthly "Last Tuesday" Club Socials. We will meet at Buzzin on Hops at 6:00 pm. 
Today, Mony Nop, Kevin McCallum and Sarah Palmer agreed to join the team! (Jeannette Albiez, Lori Souza, & Philomena Rambo are also on the team)
