The Weekly Meeting Summary of the Rotary Club of Livermore Valley
February 27, 2024
OPENING THE MEETING
President Sherri Simoni called the meeting to order at 8:18
Graham Scott led us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Not widely known fact about Graham: he was on the gymnastics team when he was in high school
Song of the Day - In honor of her 25th wedding anniversary, Sherri played Edwin McCain's "I'll Be," the song she and Stu danced to at their wedding
Thoughts of the Day - Jill Duerig led us in remembering and honoring Kevin Drake for all of his work in our community, making such an impact in our schools and in Rotary
Deb Tacker shared a thought from Maya Angelou, "Try to be a rainbow in someone's cloud"
Roy Porfido shared a note of gratitude from Kevin's daughter
Dave Goulart shared Kevin McCallum's (assigned) thought: "Be nice to everyone who has access to your toothbrush."
And Dennis Gambs shared a favorite quote by Kevin Drake - "When all is said and done, more is said than done."
Joke of the Day - Mark Hudson shared Bassant Abdelrahman's jokes:
How did the phone propose to his girlfriend? He gave her a ring!
What do you call two birds in love? Tweethearts.
How do you have a Valentine's space party? You plan-et.
Why don't eggs tell jokes? They would crack each other up.
VISITING ROTARIANS & GUESTS
Visiting Rotarian
James Hays introduced visiting Rotarian from the Dublin Club in the classification of electrical contractor . . . Bob Tucknott!
Guests
Mony Nop introdcued his guest James Marasco, mortgage consultant
Bennie Le Bourvellec introduced her guest Jackie Mirisciotta, wine ambassador at Wood Family
TODAY'S 10-SPOT
Today we began sharing our fond memories of Kevin Drake, who passed away last Wednesday. If you'd like, please send your memories and photos of Kevin to Philomena and we will create a special Grapevine edition honoring our fellow Rotarian and dear friend.
ABOVE & BEYOND
Sherri gave a shout out to our fellow Rotarians who have gone above and beyond this week to represent our club in the community:
Sherri will send a floral arrangement from our club to the Drake Family for Kevin's memorial service
GHS Career Fair is tomorrow, February 28. If you haven't volunteered, please contact Rich Goldstein for more information. Our role tomorrow is to interact with business reps and chat with students.
Dave reminded us of the upcoming SHP Bed Build (see above) - this one is in partnership with the Pleasanton North Rotary Club
Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 11 for the 8th Annual Livermore Valley Craft Beer Festival at Las Positas College - a fundraiser for the Las Positas College Fire Academy. Contact Dave Goulart if you are interested in volunteering for the event.
Today we welcomed Dr. Yolanda Fintschenko, an accomplished scientist, entrepreneur, and marketing expert, who leads the i-Gate Innovation Hub and Daybreak Labs in Livermore. She told us that she is fortunate to have this position as it allowed her passion to become her job. We enjoyed hearing her excitement about the innovative programs she leads.
The Innovation Hub is dedicated to building a thriving start-up community in the Tri-Valley because the highest number of jobs are created during the first 6 years of a company’s lifetime. Having a constant pipeline of start-ups creates a constant pipeline of jobs, and grows our economy in the Tri-Valley. In addition, science start-ups provide the highest quality jobs.
Initially launched in 2010, i-Gate Innovation Hub is a nonprofit that has key partners:
The Daybreak Labs facility, officially launched in 2022, provides work, conference, and lab space. It also provides access to funding and capital, and provides expertise in building out a company. The goal is to de-risk science-based startups that need lab space and equipment to launch.
Startup Tri Valley provides awareness, recognition, and connectivity by creating and sharing content and hosting events. The Startup Tri-Valley podcast already has 3 seasons of speaking with local entrepreneurs.
Many events have been offered at Daybreak Labs recently and more are planned for 2024.
Recently, I-Gate entrepreneurs came together to support Granada High School's ROP Program:
The Eco-Igniter Program is specifically focused on developing energy startups in the Tri-Valley.
For more information on the possibilities for startups at i-Gate Innovation Hub, please visit the website: igateihub.org.
NEXT WEEK'S SPEAKER: Dr. Lars Borg
Next week we will learn about the origin and evolution of terrestrial planets from Dr. Lars Borg, a cosmochemist at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Invite your friends to hear this great presentation!
Sherri gave a shout out to our fellow Rotarians who have gone above and beyond this week to represent our club in the community:
