Miscellaneous

Repeat from last week or until no longer relevant or until I delete it:

Zoom Meeting Rules

THE LINK TO OUR THURSDAY MEETINGS WILL NO LONGER BE EMAILED BUT ACCESSED THROUGH THE LINK BELOW.

Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise's Zoom Meeting
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7359371916

Meeting ID: 735 937 1916

1) Mute your microphone if you aren't already muted. Background noise is distracting.
2) If you are not engaged in the presentation, turn off your camera.
3) Chat function should only be used to address the speaker, not for Club member remarks during the presentation

4) Unmute when harassing the Sergeant at Arms or taking your turn during Sergeant at Arms.

5)Go Oilers

Please direct any questions to the President or a board member of your choosing and we will discuss any and all questions or concerns during our board meeting. Also please refer anyone who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the club.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE

From Napoleon Hill via Jeannette: “If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.

VISITORS

Nicci Beninger, Moe Leghari, Dick Wagner

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND

CLUB BUSINESS

Elena was awarded the Don Evans People of Action Award, given to Rotarians in District 5040 who make lasting change in the world. Congratulations, Elena!

Judy is still celebrating her birthday.

Sept. 12 is the Tee Cup golf tournament in support of Touchstone. Mary Lou will send out details.

We received a secondary-school-created wooden trophy from the Richmond Firefighters in appreciation of our support for the golf tournament fundraiser.

SERGEANT At Arms Tidbits

Mary Lou is leaving to pick up Oscar, is just back from Toronto where she saw Dalbir, was at Chor Leoni’s fundraiser last night, where they made $400 000.

Danny was in Florida at a convention and also in the Bahamas. He is planning a humanitarian mission in Mexico, in Puerto Vallarta.

Michael was overcome with jealousy last week, for the birthday cruise, Bobby in Palm Springs, and his brother in Sacramento, so he went to Whistler.

Larry couldn’t go to president’s dinner, as he had another accident and injured his injured foot. What’s next? - biopsies answers coming. Larry doesn’t talk a lot about his kids and grandkids, but he was proud to be at the Chan Centre at UBC to see his grandson graduate. He is autistic and didn’t talk for his first 3 years, but he was the valedictorian, and is also going to Japan to study acting. He is very smart. Larry is a proud grandfather and recognizes that his son and daughter-in-law did a great job raising their son and always saying yes.

Elena thanks our club for the Don Evans award, as this is her second. The first was for the Rotary Friendship Exchange bringing Rotarians to the Philippines. She is proud to be in this club and will continue to do the international work. She is just back from 3 weeks in San Francisco, in time for the President’s dinner and Firefighters tournament.

Jeannette announced that her dog is arriving today from the Philippines. She is happy Moe is here.

Moe (our guest) knows Micheal from McNair 30 years ago. He is going to the Chan Centre for his daughter’s graduation, He is looking forward to seeing how can help out.

Blair is still recovering from the cruise, the golf tournament, and from his first day back to work, when reality came back.

Sam says that speech therapists are 98 percent women, but the president is a man! He was in Colorado for a wedding, was sick but it was a good wedding, and they played Mr. Brightside during the dance, which is a white anthem!

Bill got in from Ottawa last night and thanks Nicci for being a fantastic speaker.

Kal says what happens on the birthday cruise stays on the birthday cruise. He did 3 great things: went to Alaska, played golf and danced for the first time in 4 years.

Debbie M. says congratulations to Debbie S. and Bobby for their Paul Harris Awards. She echoes that Nicci is a fantastic speaker.

Judy feels the same and says thanks so much, Nicci. She had a few birthday dinners this weekend, and the twins turned 8 so they are celebrating. She had fun golfing.

Marg says the weather was the worst ever during the cruise and they could only see water and the base of the shoreline. But she had the most fun of any cruise. She went to Guys and Dolls. Nicci’s presentation makes her feel totally inadequate.

Pat agrees it was a great presentation. She is having a birthday get together.

Joyce thanks Nicci for the inspiration. She was presenting at the Chan Centre last weekend, where witnessed the inspiring youth who will raise up our world. It was a great party for CFUW.

Chris M. is loving having Nicci here for a visit. Baby Eleanor is amazing and really knows her but it might be because every morning she gets really close and says “Eleanor, you love your grandma, don’t you?”

Chris P. told us about hashtag “Choose the Bear”, and women whose profile changed on FaceBook with their faces changed to a bear. This brings awareness to domestic violence, and the message is ”If a woman is lost in the forest, and has to choose between a man and a bear, choose the bear.” People are starting to follow that hashtag. Next week we will have Mark Glavina from Phoenix Art Workshop, who is putting on the Grand Prix of Art in Steveston, so if we’re looking for a way to donate or participate, he’ll be here next week.

Dick has been trying to join via Zoom since the auction, and thanks the club and to Debbie M. He was at the President’s dinner and congratulates both the outgoing and incoming presidents. It was good to see us, and he likes the Owl, but didn’t hear any hooting. He was expecting to see Peter as president today but forgot it was still June.

Debbie T. thought it was a fantastic talk. Her late son’s fiancé is from Guadalajara, and she is getting a better picture of the area and is considering going to Mexico. Nicci will host! Bob, Peter and Debbie T. are talking about collaborating. Her husband suffers from kidney disease. There will be a memorial golf tournament on July 12. If anyone is interested let Debbie T. know. It costs $120 and proceeds go to Pathways. Drew is out of the hospital, but after a conference needed a ride home, so he is not quite there yet. and is diagnosed with a liver infection.

Sandra says Miller is crawling. John M. is getting his gall bladder out today or tomorrow. Great job Garth at the President’s dinner which was fun.

Debbie S. thanks everyone for the Paul Harris Award as can now speak, no more laryngitis! Everyone has supported her so much in various endeavors, including the succulents, marathons, donating containers back, etc. Succulents have turned out to become a sustainable fundraiser, as they die, people re-donate the containers then buy more succulents. Her success is our success. Big news – she is going to be a nana in September.

Garth says there was a lot of money in that Chor Leoni room, and with Fred Lee as MC, they made $400 000. He supposes that a community problem like that in Oaxaca, wouldn’t get anything from Mexico City, so it’s difficult to make any change - same in Guatemala and same in India, and the language diversity makes education even more challenging.

Bobby thanks Nicci for her presentation and will now look at where his raspberries are from. He is still speechless about receiving the Paul Harris Award and sends congratulations to Debbie and Harvey. He feels fortunate to be part of the club, helping the community. He was in Palm Springs, at a Kidsplay fundraiser, and today is presenting for the Toy Drive and the scholarship on behalf of rotary. We received a thank you letter from SD38 for the scholarships.

Bob congratulates Bobby and Debbie S. for the Paul Harris Awards. He doesn’t want to hear about the tugboat cruise. It was a great presentation by Nicci, and he was given ideas. At the golf tournament, he won a prize, and texted a day later to learn he had won a stationary bike, which took 4 firemen to put it in his truck and it is in the garage right now. He needs a place to store it.

Meanderings

Just so you know what has caused my need for surgery.

Gallstones form when bile stored in the gallbladder hardens into stone-like material. These solid deposits can vary in size, ranging from as small as a grain of sand to as large as a golf ball. Let me break down the process for you:

Bile Composition:
- Bile is a digestive fluid produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder.
- It contains various components, including cholesterol, bile salts, and bilirubin (a pigment produced during the breakdown of red blood cells).
Cholesterol and Bilirubin Precipitation:
- Sometimes, the balance of these components gets disrupted.
- If there’s an excess of cholesterol or bilirubin in the bile, they can precipitate and form solid crystals.
- These crystals clump together, leading to the formation of gallstones
Size and Symptom

Gallstones can be tiny or large, causing varying degrees of discomfort.
Some people may have just one gallstone, while others develop multiple stones simultaneously.
Symptoms include sudden, intense pain in the upper right abdomen, back pain between the shoulder blades, and nausea or vomiting.
Treatment:
- Asymptomatic gallstones typically don’t require treatment.
- However, if symptoms occur, gallbladder removal surgery (cholecystectomy) is often recommended.

Remember, if you experience severe symptoms or suspect gallstones, consult a healthcare professional promptly 1 2

SPEAKER

Nicci Beninger, formerly member of Richmond Sunrise, current member of Lake Chapala, Mexico.

Before updating us on the activities of Lake Chapala Rotary, Nicci advised us to take advantage of Flair Airlines direct flight to Guadalajara twice a week – half the time and half the price.

Walk out the Chapala door and you will run into a need. Like the guy who was helping to park cars in order to pay for his eye operation – Rotary paid for it.

Chapala Rotary Club has 44 members, about half of whom are present for 6 months, and zoom the rest of the time. Nine members are Mexican, but their numbers are growing as young professionals pull in other young professionals.

The Kidney project: There is currently enough money for at least 10 people to have kidney transplants - $111 000 US dollars. Why this? The state of Jalisco has the highest incidence in the world of kidney disease – something must be going on, 40% die before getting into dialysis, only 12.9% will be alive in 10 years. only 1 in 4 patients will have access to treatment, 2/3 of the patients are male, many 24-35 years are dying, the lake has heavy metal, towns don’t have good water sources and water is pumped from the lake to irrigate the crops, wash their clothes, there is no sanitation, and children swim in the lake. Rotary’s focus is on disease prevention and education. They are developing programs to educate about healthy food. Coca cola is cheaper than water and one might regularly see young children carrying a 2L bottle of coke. Patients are local but the process is complex as there is the need for donors, but there is no program in Mexico. There is the need to be registered, qualified medically and psychologically and all that must be paid for. The Renal project is working on funding the pre- and post-surgery costs, including a center for recovery. However it is restricted to people with medical insurance, and Mexico is not a social state, as everyone must be working and contributing to qualify. Many jobs are cash-only, to avoid taxes, but then they avoid insurance as well. Rotary is working on education, nutrition and cleaning up parts of the lake.

The Ojo de Agua Sanitation Project is the project to which we contributed. Water ‘tanakas’ have been installed on house roofs, water is tested water regularly, but water still evacuates down a pipe, into an open ditch and you can smell it as it goes into the lake. A sanitation system which is not complicated in terms of maintenance is the next step. Sustainability is key. In the Ojo de Agua village, a major obstacle has been the family fighting over who owns the land for the sanitation system. Rotary Chapala has been working with CIASES, and Dr. Joshua Green who teaches at the university and who’s mandate is ‘clean water’. Education is also key, and Dr. Green has held classes regularly, including using microscopes for the children to show them what was happening to their water. Today’s children will have the land for 20 years minimum and will be making the future decisions about their community. After years of arguing, the challenging landowner agrees, finally, to sign the land over for use, to clearing the land (unfortunately by burning it). The women’s committee is now a water committee, with the one man elected president, but the women are becoming more powerful, and introduce themselves with a strong voice. Relationships and trust have been built over the years and the Rotarians know why they do the work they do. About 32 clubs have given money to the project and negotiations are under way for contracts, etc.

Other projects include a free dentist program with Rotary paying for supplies and providing education.

The Diabetes Club project is run by a nutritionist/realtor, who meets with villagers once a month, doing measurements, keeping daily logbooks, sensors for young children, testing, blood pressure, registering, and weighing. At least 8 people are now off insulin and being managed by diet.

A new global grant application involves two towns on either end of the lake, who have no refrigeration, and with 35º and no rain, food donation spoilage is huge. They want to purchase two walk-in fridges and are applying for a $30 000 global grant.

Another project called Save a Future through Education, involves about 120 kids in school, where, while education is free, it only means that there is a a ‘teacher’ in the building, and they still have to pay to maintain the building and toilet paper, etc. which amounts to about 3000 pesos per year per child, (but as they may only make 6000 pesos a month they have to choose which child goes to school). Nicci’s club, and others, are responsible for 86 children, some sponsored individually. They have fundraisers (last one with a western theme) but are unable to raise huge amounts of money.

Another global grant will help the village establish a medical triage center, as they now have to drive 20 minutes away, if can find a car. The dream is to have community health for marginalized villages. Chapala Rotary’s new president is a doctor who built triages, and can train with basics, so along with two retired nurses who are also members, this is promising.

Nicci invites us ‘all’ to come to visit, as the Rotarians will welcome us (and they throw great parties).

upcoming events

Friday May 2, 2025 Sunrise Rotary Gala Auction

TODAY'S CHUCKLEs

Angry Trump for Prison Postcard | Zazzle.com