feels it is a natural occurrence since there are a number of highly ...

PO Box 943Lafayette, CA 94549info@rotarylafayette.orgMeetings:Thursdays 12:15 pmOakwood Athletic Club4000 Mt. Diablo BlvdLafayette, CAOfficial Weekly Bulletin of the Rotary Club of Lafayette19 MARCH 2009 VOL 63 ISSUE 36President John Sherry opened the meeting.John shared some St. Patrick’s Day trivia andinformed us that St. Patty was actually Britishbefore being kidnapped by the Irish in 1600’s.Visiting Rotarians: Thomas Peak, President-electnominee of Lamorinda Sunrise.Don Anderson reminded us of the Spring EggScramble on Apr 11, 10am Town Plaza. Meet at 9:30am at Bankof the West. For Rotarians at Work Day, Apr 25, bring gloves,rakes, and gardening tools to clean-up the Lafayette CommunityCenter.Bob Shusta distributed raffle tickets for the Concert at the Res.Bob Aguilar has five spaces open for the Rotary Wine Tour onApr 18. Contact him to sign up -- $130.00 per person. Meet atBank of the West at 10:30AM and leave at 11:00AM sharp.Geoff Zimmerman said that twenty-two have signed up for theRotary Town Hall Theatre Night on Apr 9. Meet at Bob Shusta’sat 6:30pm for pre-show refreshments.Troy Fedderson reported that the Interact club at Bentley schoolmeets on their lunch break every Wednesday. They will help atConcert at the Res and will be looking to assist on future projects.They are having an E-Waste Recycling Day at Bentley on Sat.,Apr 4, 9-4pm.Mike Henn needs more volunteers for the polls for the SpecialElection on May 19.John Sherry reminded us of the District Assembly on Apr 11, theWine Valley Cycle for Sight & Rotary Ride for Veterans on Apr 18,Dist. Gov. Jim Campbell’s East Africa Trip on May 2, andannounced the Rotary International Conflict Resolution workshopon Apr 26 at UC Berkeley.Jay Lifson said that Larry Duson is feeling much better afterexperiencing a minor stroke. He will return to work on Monday,and hopes to attend our next meeting.Sandy Mitchell invited us to attend a Visioning Workshop withDist. Gov. Candy Pierce. We need at least fifteen people toattend. Possible dates are May 21, Jun 2 or 4. It will be from5:30 to 9pm with dinner. See Sandy for details.Geoff Zimmerman recognized members: Alan Mac for his 52 ndbirthday; he contributed $50 even though he has immunity. BarryToomajian gave $110 for his birthday even though he is not 100.Larry Blodgett’s son shot a 37 at Boundary Oaks in a recent highschool match. Bill Ames for his fourth grandchild being acceptedto college. Ed Stokes reminded us that St. Mary’s men’sbasketball is in the NIT and will be hosting Davidson College onMar 23 at 8:30pm. Sandy Mitchell said her husband made it tothe final table in a Las Vegas poker tournament.SPEAKER: Tapan Munroe, Ph.D., is arecognized author, speaker and consultant forregional economics and the high tech industry.He was a professor in the EconomicsDepartment at University of the Pacific andserved as Chief Economist for PG&E for 16years. His third novel was published this monthand he writes an article in the Contra CostaTimes every Sunday.Dr. Munroe discussed the state of our economy and how itcompares to past downturns. His latest book analyzes the Dot-Com boom, how it went bust, and the economic resurgenceafterwards. Times like this produce innovations for tomorrow.Some of our greatest companies, such as IBM, Microsoft, HP,GE, and Kraft, were developed during economic downturns. Hefeels it is a natural occurrence since there are a number ofhighly intelligent people available for hire during times likethis. Recession is the “Mother of Innovation.”Tapan feels that our economy will begin to recover in the 3 rdquarter of 2009 at best. The stock market normally is a leadingindicator as it normally recovers 4-6 months ahead of theeconomy. He feels the stimulus package was necessary and wecan’t let our banks fail. He feels this recession will produce threepositive outcomes in our economy:1) We will learn to live within our means2) We will have better banks3) We will be energy independentThe new economy will have much more government involvementthan in the past. He also sees AIG broken into a number ofsmaller pieces and will not resemble the AIG of old. Tapan’soverall outlook was positive, and he was very helpful in answeringa number of tough questions from our members.

Suriname Project DeliversClean Water to 10,000Joseph Derr, Rotary International News19 Mar 2009 -- excerptThe small SouthAmerican nationof Suriname mayonly have threeRotary clubs, butRotarians therehave made a bigimpact with projectsto improve accessto clean water.Illegal mining hascaused mercuryPhoto: Rotary Club of Paramaribocontamination inmany rivers and streams in Suriname,affecting the lives of thousands.Focusing on the indigenous communitiesof Kajapatie and Abenaston, the RotaryClub of Paramaribo worked with clubs inGermany, the Netherlands, and the UnitedStates on a $73,000 project for a new safewatersystem. These funds helpedpurchase holding tanks, filters, pumps, andother equipment, all powered by solarpanels. The club received Matching Grantsupport from The Rotary Foundation andalso partnered with the Georg FischerBicentenary Foundation, the AlcoaFoundation, and the Canada Fund foradditional financial support.Paramaribo club members have completedseven water projects in recent years,investing a total of $350,000 to provideclean drinking water for an estimated10,000 people. Other projects assisteddifferent communities, including those ofthe Maroon people, who are the descendantsof 18 th century runaway slaves."These projects have been so enormouslysuccessful because in the planning stages,the local populations were actively involvedin all aspects of the clean water facilities.Nothing was carried out without the villageelders' consent and knowledge," saysParamaribo club member Anton Brandon,one of the key organizers for the projects.The clubs also emphasized communityinvolvement to ensure the projects'sustainability. Villagers helped installunderground water mains and were trainedon system maintenance, Brandon says.The Four Way TestOf the things we think, say or do:1. Is it the TRUTH?2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTERFRIENDSHIPS?4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to allconcerned?New Blue Badge MemberDeborah Cooper was bornin San Rafael at HamiltonAirforce Base, and haslived in Concord for overforty years. She has beenmarried to John for 30years, and they havethree sons, two grandchildren,and another on the way. Debbiestarted in banking with Bank of America in1979, working her way up to VicePresident, Branch Manager, until she left in2005 to pursue a career in communitybanking. When her community bank wasclosed in 2008, she joined MechanicsBank, opening their new Lafayette locationin July 2008 as Vice President, OfficeManager. Debbie was elected to theLafayette Chamber of Commerce board in2008. Debbie enjoys vacationing on theOregon Coast yearly, and plans to retirethere someday. She can be found Sundayafternoons watching Nascar and playingwith her grandchildren.Officers & DirectorsDong Kurn Lee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RI PresidentJim Campbell . . . . . . . . . Dist 5160 GovernorJohn Sherry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PresidentSandi Mitchell . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vice PresidentBob Shusta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SecretaryGreg Vaisnor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TreasurerChuck Vogel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Club ServiceDon Anderson . . . . . . . . . Community ServiceMike Kearney . . . . . . . . International ServiceTerry Camp . . . . . . . . . . . Vocational ServiceRon Wake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Past PresidentAndy Scheck . . . . . . . . . . . .Sergeant of ArmsGeoff Zimmerman . . . . . . . .Sergeant of ArmsGive Hope - Give A HandThe Rotary Club ofLafayette donates anLN-4 Prosthetic Hand inthe name of ourspeakers each week.The LN-4 ProstheticHand transforms livesand empowers thosewho have lost hands andlimbs due to land mines, birth defects, andother catastrophes.Upcoming Speakers03/26 Cliff Dochterman, Past RIPresident, 1992/9304/02 Tom Courtright, EfficientWatering for Drought Conditions04/09 Bob Shusta, Arizona Project04/16 Linda Lubitz Boone, FinancialPlanning and Climbing MtKilamanjaro04/23 John Rossell III, Starting a newbank in these economic timesLocal & District Events04/04 Orinda Rotary 60 th AnniversaryDinner Dance04/04 E-Waste Recycling Day, 9-4pm,Bentley School04/09 Rotary Town Hall Theatre night04/11 Spring Egg Scramble, meet atBank of the West, 9:30am04/11 District Assembly, Cal StateEast Bay, Concord04/18 Wine Tour, 10:30am, Bank ofthe West04/18 Cycle for Sight & Rotary Ride forVeterans04/25 Rotarians at Work Day,Lafayette Community Center04/26 RI Conflict Resolution workshop,UC Berkeley05/16 Concert at the Res05/19 Adopt-A-Poll, special election10/01-04 Dist. Conference, Lake TahoeRotary International Events06/21-24 2009 RI Convention,Birmingham, EnglandMake Up MeetingsSee ‘Where Clubs Meet’ for meeting timesand locations of nearby clubs:www.rotary5160.org/clubs/meetings.phpBirthdays03/03 Mo Levich03/08 Lee Deily03/15 Alan Mac03/28 Troy FeddersenGreeters03/26 Andy Scheck04/02 Mary Claire Searby04/09 Steve Snyder04/16 Bob ShustaRotary Motto:Service Above SelfEditor: Dale Turner • Notes: Troy Winkles • Photos: Ron Wake • www.rotarylafayette.org