Rotary International Theme 2020-2021	THE ROWEL Rotary Club of Durham		Rotary International President: Holger Knaack Rotary District 5160 Governor: Mark Roberts Durham Rotary President: Jen Liu _____________ Editor: Phil Price Publisher:  Jen Liu
	Dec. 15th, 2020	Crab Feed By solicitation with drawing for prizes by Zoom on Jan 12.

This was our twentieth Zoom meeting.  It was also our first Christmas Party (and hopefully our last), by Zoom.  This time we had about 18 members and spouses, significant others and, in one case, a daughter.  The Meeting   President Jen opened the meeting by asking Glenn Pulliam to lead the pledge, which he did.  President Jen then asked Jim Patterson to give the invocation, which he did.  He then asked Larry Bradley to sing a song, with everyone, but Larry, muted, so it was only Larry’s voice we heard.  He sang Jingle Bells.

FUTURE MEETINGS:

All meetings at BCCC are cancelled until further notice.  But there will be meetings on Zoom as follows:   January 12th Crab Feed Drawing and preparation meeting with Steve Heithecker.   January 26th:  Bruce Norlie   February 9th:  Eric Hoiland   February 23rd:  Brenda Sohnrey.   March 9th:   Kelly Lotti   March 23rd:   Mike Crump

 

Virtual Christmas Party & Gift Exchange

 

It was a virtual Christmas party on Zoom.  Ravi and Mary Saip hosted the meeting and conduct the gift exchange.  Yes, we had a gift exchange.  Jen had collected the gifts from everyone’s homes, which were delivered to Ravi and displayed on a table in his home.   Jen will deliver the gifts to the winners later this week.

 

Mary and Ravi  did a great job in setting the stage and managed to show all the gifts in a panoramic view.  The panoramic view was from an iPad hanging from somewhere.  It is learned that a cast ion skillet was involved in balancing the iPad.

 

Jen emailed photos of all the gifts to members before the meeting.   The gifts each had a number attached so they could be identified.  There were a total of 19.  Initially they were wrapped, but after their first selection they were unwrapped by Ravi and Mary so we could see what the gift was and decide whether to steal it. After the second “steal” (third possession) the gift was frozen and could no longer be stolen.  Eric Holilan had his selected gift “stolen”, I think, 6 times, maybe 7 times.  President Jen had to assure him that members are not conspired against our President Elect.  Anyway, the gift exchange went in until about 7:30 pm.

 

As most of you know, I usually fill the Christmas Meeting Rowel up with photographs taken at the party.  But with the party taking place on Zoom, there are no photographs, so this Rowel will continue with more mundane things.

 

Next Meeting

The next meeting will be a Zoom meeting on January 12th 2021, with Steve Heithecker.  It is the Crab Feed preparation meeting.  See below.

 

The Crab Feed

 

Kristen Cargile reported at the last meeting that things were well on the way for the Virtual Crab Feed

 

She has been working on flyer with Eric Hoiland and Glenn Pulliam.  Some further modifications and additions were discussed.  The tickets will be $20 for a ticket or $100 for 6 tickets.  Tickets will be available at Tri Counties Bank in Durham starting about a month before the drawing.

 

A drawing will be held on January 12^th for several prizes, which will include crab, with the prizes delivered to the winners on January 16^th.  Since the prizes are perishable, ticket holders will have to be present to win and to receive delivery.

 

District Conference

2021 will be here faster than COVID testing at CVS. With the new year comes hope of a return to enjoying the company of our fellow Rotarians - in person!. What better place to do that than our District 5160 Conference,  April 30 – May 2 at the Holiday Inn in Downtown Sacramento.

Rotarians are optimists by nature and the conference committee members are hard at work planning a weekend of fun, connection, and inspiration in Sacramento. If given the green light, a fabulous event awaits.

Dynamic speakers? Yep!

Fellowship and fun? You got it!

Inspirational service project? Check!

Why would you want to be anywhere else the weekend of April 30 – May 2?

Secure your spot with a small deposit of $20 today. This deposit allows the committee to begin to plan activities and meals. This conference train is moving forward and we invite you to grab your ticket before it leaves the station.

All Aboard!  Place your deposit today!   (See the email you received).

 

From the District Governor

To all in District 5160

District 5160 Rotarians:

Brentwood Club President Seana Fippin recently let us know about a disturbing experience. It appears that someone accessed her club's membership info and sent emails to her members using her name. The content was, simply, a scam.

It’s a typical scam – the sender, a name you recognize, asks if you could do them a favor and purchase gift cards for them. You would then give them the gift card validation info in an effort to help someone in need. Of course the sender assures you that you’ll be reimbursed. I'll bet you know how the end of the story goes if you fall for the scam.

Members of the Brentwood club received emails like this, supposedly from Seana, asking for a favor. To the best of her knowledge, most of the members recognized the message as bogus -- not really from her -- and ignored it. The email address used was not recognizable, but if a reader goes too fast, you could see how someone would fall for the scam in an effort to help their club President.

If you get a message like this, please look at the email address from which it was sent. If it’s not recognized, DO NOT respond to the message in any way! Just move the message to your spam folder and delete it. If you really have doubts, a phone call to the named sender can do wonders to solve the mystery. Remember, the spammer is "phishing" for people who do respond. Their objective is to take your money. Please don't give them that chance!

My thanks to President Seana for bringing this matter to my attention. And thanks to all of you for your assistance in this.

Best Rotary Regards,
-District Governor Mark Roberts

Mark Roberts
Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise
District Governor 2020-2021
Rotary District 5160

The Rotary Foundation Donations

When every Rotarian gives every year, no challenge is too great for us to make a difference. The minimum gift to The Rotary Foundation is $25.00.   An annual $100.00 gift is a sustaining member.  Once your donations accumulate to $1,000 you become a Paul Harris Fellow.

It is possible to learn more about The Rotary Foundation on the Rotary web site.  Your gift can be made online or by sending Jim Kirks a check made out to The Rotary Foundation.  Send your check to James Kirks, 1199 Diablo Ave., Apt. 246, Chico, California 95973.

Recognitions

 

None tonight.

Membership

 

When we have live meetings again, bring guests, who you think you can interest in becoming a member, to meetings.  Your dinner and your guest’s dinner will be paid for by the Club.  In the meantime, please invite Durham business owners and/or managers to one of our Zoom meetings.  Actually, you can promote membership by having a guest sit with you during one of our Zoom meetings.  Also, bring a guest to one of our occasional social gatherings in the Durham Park.

Conclusion

Steve Heithecker was asked to say something in conclusion of the meeting.  He spoke about “What is Christmas”.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________

From Rotary International

 

Rotary Foundation receives highest rating from Charity Navigator for 13th consecutive year

By Rotary International

For the 13th consecutive year, The Rotary Foundation has received the highest rating — four stars — from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S.

The Foundation earned the recognition for adhering to sector best practices and executing its mission in a financially efficient way, demonstrating both strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only one percent of the organizations Charity Navigator evaluates have received 13 consecutive 4-star evaluations.

"Your achievement and 4-star rating will enhance your organization’s fundraising and public relations efforts,” says Michael Thatcher, president and chief executive officer of Charity Navigator. "This exceptional designation sets the Foundation apart from its peers and demonstrates to the public its trustworthiness."

The rating reflects Charity Navigator's assessment of how the Foundation uses donations, sustains its programs and services, and practices good governance and openness.