Rotary Club of Oakland

As we kick off LGBT Pride Month, join us this Thursday to hear from Bernie Schlager who is the Associate Professor of Historical and Cultural Studies at Pacific School of Religion and Executive Director of the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion. He will describe issues of LGBTQ liberation before Stonewall and how they continue today.

Make sure to join us for our Civic Thursday on 5/20 to hear Bruce Quan whose family has been rooted in Oakland since the early 1900's when his great-great grandfather founded the Pacific Coast Cannery in west Oakland in 1905. It was the largest employer in Oakland by 1910. The speaker will share some history of Oakland from the perspective of his family.

Live, from the California Ballroom, President Ces Butner called the 5,341st Civic Thursday meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland to order at 12:30 p.m. Rotarian Kristine Watson recited the Memorial Day Pledge followed by the thought for the day by sharing a quote from Frederick Douglass.- "The American people have this to learn: Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is in an organize...d conspiracy to oppress, rob, and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe." President Ces announced that Rotarian Nancy Williams Rotarian has transitioned from Red badge to Blue badge. Nancy also gave her 3 minutes of self-introduction to the club. Rotarian Ahmad Anderson introduced the Civic Thursday Speaker for the day - Mack 'Shooty' Babitt. Mack 'Shooty' Babitt, was Oakland A's second baseman and longtime local resident/community leader. He shared his 30 years of experience in Major League Baseball. Missed our meeting but interested in checking out the next one? Click here to learn more: https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar #serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

This weekend join the Adventure Club for an easy-peasy bike ride! The ride will start in the newly developed Brooklyn Basin at Rocky’s Market Brooklyn Basin - meeting time is 8:15 on 5/29. From there we will follow a route that will lead us into Alameda via Bay Farm Island and return. The ride is flat with an elevation of only 204 ft and will be broken into segments. Register today!

Make sure to check out this week's Civic Thursday on 5/20 to see our speaker Bruce Quan whose family has been rooted in Oakland since the early 1900s when his great-great-grandfather founded the Pacific Coast Cannery in west Oakland in 1905. It was the largest employer in Oakland by 1910. The speaker will share some history of Oakland from the perspective of his family.

Meet celebrity auctioneer, Liam Mayclem! He’s the star of CBS’s Eye On The Bay and The Foodie Champon KCBS radio. On May 22nd, Liam will be auctioning off some incredible items at our 1st ever virtual gala featuring casino games, live entertainment, and a mixology class. Registration is now open! Get your tickets today at: https://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/home.cfm?auctionID=21317 Tickets $100 (25chips) Zoom "doors" open at 6pm to help you get familiar with the various Zoom rooms and entertainment options.

Rotary Oakland's May 13 hybrid (both in-person and on Zoom) meeting featuring Reshma Saujani speaking about her 'Marshall Plan for Mothers'.

The weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland

Join us this Thursday, 5/13 to hear Reshma Saugani, founder of Girls Who Code speak about the urgency for a Marshal Plan for Moms. A plan to pay our mothers for their unseen unpaid labor. Other countries have social safety nets. America has moms. It’s time to compensate moms for all they do to keep our economy, our country, running. Don't miss it.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to The Rotary Foundation! We are close to meeting President Ces Butner's challenge of 100% participation. If every member of our club donates by December 31 President Ces will give $50,000 to the Rotary Foundation! If you haven't donated yet please do so soon and make a difference in people's lives around the world. You can go to rotary.org/en/donate - make sure to login to your My Rotary account first. Then pick Annual Fund. Or mail a check made out to 'The Rotary Foundation' to the Oakland Rotary office.

President Ces Butner called our 5,321st Civic Thursday meeting in order and welcomed all of our Zoom guests. Rotarian Lorie Alemania shared 'Thought For The Day' with Traditional Irish Retirement Blessing for Pat, ''"May you always have work for your hands to do. May your pockets hold always a coin or two. May the sun shine bright on your windowpane. May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of a friend always be near you. And may God fill your heart wit...h gladness to cheer you." This week's Civic Thursday meeting is very special as we celebrate the retirement of our beloved Executive Director Pat Williams. To honor this special day, 7 of our past presidents joined today's meeting to say hello to Pat Williams. Rotarian Jason Wizelman introduced our guest for today's meeting Theodore Ellison, Renowned Glass Artist. Ted brings a historical perspective to his work in stained glass and mosaic. His firm, Theodore Ellison Designs, is a nationally-renowned boutique firm specializing in crafting exquisite custom mosaic and leaded glass. Ted gave a close look at some of the Bay Area's best glass installations as well as the historical context that informs his original designs for new construction and historic homes all over the country. Missed our meeting check out the next one? Click here to learn more: https://lnkd.in/ep94NTQ #serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

Come ring in the holidays with President Ces at Holiday Cocktails, December 17, from 5:30 to 6:30 pm via Zoom. Bring your own drink, and dress for a party! Ces will award prizes for the most festive attire. We will break into small groups and banter over holiday trivia. Join in and enjoy a big dose of holiday cheer. Look for the Zoom information in your email.

This week renowned glass artist, Ted Ellison, brings a historical perspective to his work in stained glass and mosaic. This presentation will offer an up-close look at some of the Bay Area's best glass installations. We'll also be honoring and thanking our outgoing Executive Director, Pat Williams for her many years of dedication and service. Don't miss this meeting. https://bit.ly/2Kk12aZ

We had another exciting weekly virtual Oakland Rotary Civic Thursday lunch meeting today - on Zoom! Our President Ces Butner called the meeting to order at 12:28 pm, a 5316th club meeting in our 111-year old history. Rotarian Stephanie Casenza shared the thought for the day with us. In order to remain focused, we recited our vision statement: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, across the globe, in our communities, and in our...selves. The use of virtual applications like Zoom and other social media has become inevitable during this pandemic situation. To make sure every Rotarian knows how to use these applications to stay connected with each other, the communication committee prepared a detailed presentation. Isaac Kos-Read and the communication committee members Sandeepa Nayak and Jack Iles divided the participants into separate breakout rooms to educate them on how to use the Zoom application. Joseph Goralka highlighted the good work all the Rotarians are doing by being part of the Rotary Foundation. He further urged to donate for all the causes managed by the Rotary Club. Rotarian Michael Bakal spoke about a project the Rotary Club of Oakland is doing in Guatemala focused on food production, growing an economy, local youth, and improving the environment. Missed our meeting but interested in checking out the next one? Click here to learn more: https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar #serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

This Thursday, 11/5, we kickoff the Rotary Foundation campaign at our meeting with a special speaker. Michael Bakal is the co-founder of Voces y Manos that supports work expanding access to education for Mayan youth in Rabinal Guatemala. With co-workers at Voces y Manos, he develops curriculum focused on the concept of Buen Vivir, an indigenous framework for understanding just and sustainable relationships among human communities and between humans and the natural world. Rotary Foundation has been supporting these projects and Michael will share the impact this work has had on Guatemalan youth, their communities, and the environment.

Rotary Club of Oakland made a grant to The Veterans Community Media Network (TVCMN) to purchase equipment and software for production of their videos and upcoming TV show. Georgia Richardson is delivering the check on behalf of the Club to Diane Williams, Executive Director of TVCMN.

This month Oakland Rotary welcomed Jackie Forrester. Jackie is an Oakland native and owner of Forrester Accounting and Bookkeeping. Growing up in Oakland, Jackie participated in youth and community programs, including the Jesse Owens track and field events, the Oakland Christmas Pageant, and Junior Achievement. Welcome Jackie!

We had another exciting weekly lunch meeting today - on Zoom! Our President Ces Butner conducted a 5315th club meeting. As announced by past president Robert Kidd, Rotarians joined the Weekly Civic Thursday meeting in their Halloween themed masks. Rotarian Jack McAboy shared with us thought for the day in a Halloween spirit. Rotarian C.J. Hirschfield introduced the civic Thursday meeting’s speaker Mr. Jim LeBrecht. Jim is an Oakland-based filmmaker, Sound designer, and disa...bility rights activist. Mr. Lebrecht and Nicole Newnham are Co-producers/ Directors of ‘Crip Camp’ an award-winning documentary co-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. The film tells the story of Camp Jened, a summer camp for teens with disabilities, and its impact on the disability rights movement. This year the film won the audience award at the Sundance film festival. Crip Camp also led the critic’s choice association’s documentary nomination list with 5 nominations. The secret judge reviewed the meeting and declared 'Celeste Gordon' as the winner of the Halloween mask contest. Missed our meeting but interested in checking out the next one? Click here to learn more: https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar #serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

Don't miss this week's Civic Thursday! Our guest speaker is Jim LeBrecht who is an Oakland-based filmmaker, sound designer, and disability rights activist. LeBrecht and Nicole Newnham are co-editors of Crip Camp (2020), an award-winning documentary. The film tells the story of Camp Jened and its impact on the disability rights movement. https://bit.ly/3kAICzU

Tomorrow for our Oakland Rotary Civic Thursday online gathering we host Lee Gelernt of the ACLU speaking on a topic that is in the news today: US immigration policy and constitutional rights. Join us and spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/events/681192215859310