Posted by peian harness
In the Beginning  ~~~~~~
President Jorg rang the bell to start the meeting. Larry Harrison led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and George  Estes presented the “Thought for the Day” with a nice prayer.
Visitors & Guests ~~~~~~
The only visiting Rotarian was Dean Moser from  the Ignacio Club. Guests of Rotarians: Alan Dunham introduced past Club member - Mark Sander; Jim Spilman introduced the love of his life – Diane; Don Violin introduced his darling wife – Gloria; and last but not least Camie Studley introduced her caregiver – Joy.
Changes in Rotary ~~~~~~
President Jorg started the meeting by emphasizing the world is changing around us, and Rotary has changed it’s rules to make it easier to fit Rotary into member’s lives. Rotary Clubs in our District are taking advantage of this new freedom since many new and existing members are often having hard time following strict attendance rules.
In order to be fit for the future, the Club Board has had intense discussions regarding several changes to our Club. The details are in the handout which will be provided to members at the end of the meeting. Next week, the Club will have detailed discussions about these changes. 
In the Beginning  ~~~~~~
President Jorg rang the bell to start the meeting. Larry Harrison led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and George  Estes presented the “Thought for the Day” with a nice prayer.
 
Visitors & Guests ~~~~~~
The only visiting Rotarian was Dean Moser from  the Ignacio Club. Guests of Rotarians: Alan Dunham introduced past Club member - Mark Sander; Jim Spilman introduced the love of his life – Diane; Don Violin introduced his darling wife – Gloria; and last but not least Camie Studley introduced her caregiver – Joy.
 
Changes in Rotary ~~~~~~
President Jorg started the meeting by emphasizing the world is changing around us, and Rotary has changed it’s rules to make it easier to fit Rotary into member’s lives. Rotary Clubs in our District are taking advantage of this new freedom since many new and existing members are often having hard time following strict attendance rules.
In order to be fit for the future, the Club Board has had intense discussions regarding several changes to our Club. The details are in the handout which will be provided to members at the end of the meeting. Next week, the Club will have detailed discussions about these changes. 
 
Announcements ~~~~~~
Program Committee Meeting ;  Frank Bruno announced that there will be a Program Committee Meeting on April 12, right after the Club meeting. They still need 3 more volunteers who will be willing to take care of Club programs. 
 
Sunshine ;  Jim Spilman mentioned that Peter Fulchiron is recovering and plans to be back home sometime this weekend. Please keep him in your thoughts, prayers and love. 
 
Larry Mazzotta mentioned that Jay Wayne is back home now after major heart surgery. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
 
Bocce Social Event ;  Peian Harness announced there will be a Bocce Social Event on April 13 hosted by the three Rotary Clubs in Novato. The event takes place in San Rafael and welcomes both players and non-players. $10 per person (kids free). 
 
Every Rotarian Every Year ;  Patti Hurst mentioned that about 48% of our Club’s members participate in “Every Rotarian Every Year”. She would like to see more people sign up and contribute.
 
Job Shadow Day ;  Phil Brown and Dave Jones took the opportunity to thank all the Club members who participated in helping with the job shadowing event (this includes hosts, committee members and drivers.) Participation in this program has grown - the first year we had 50 students signed up, the 2nd year we had 65, and this year we had more than 80 students. The challenge is to get enough drivers. The drivers need to go through an approval process, which requires some work, but the result is quite rewarding. The Club gave a big applause to the members who participated. 
 
Poker Tournament ;  Dean Moser from the Ignacio Club announced a a “Texas Hold’Em Poker Tournament Event” on April 18, at 7PM at the Marin Country Club. Cost $120.
Email Steve@Ethis.com for details.
 
Blue Star Mom Packing Event ;  Larry Harrison announced a “Blue Star Moms” packing event on April 6 at Nova-Ro 2 from 10-12PM. Larry and Donna Falzon are looking for volunteers to write notes to put inside the boxes to send to the troops. 
 
Child Sex Trafficking Prevention ;  Mark Sander announced there will be a child sex trafficking prevention event hosted by the Marin DA office and Lori Frugoli at Dominican University on March 23 from 3-6 pm. Mark also mentioned that he is starting a Rotary Club in Arizona, with potentially 20 members (Way to go, Mark!).
 
District Assembly ;  Ron Harness had three announcements; first he thanked the members who participated in the District Assembly event last weekend and encouraged member to go next year. 
 
Hamburg Rotary Convention Kick-Off ;  Ron’s 2nd announcement was to tell us about the  Hamburg Rotary Convention Kick-off Party to be hosted  by our District. The event is on March 31 and starts 1:30 PM at Rotary Terrace (310 Miller Ave, South San Franscico; free admission).
 
Board Meeting ;  3rd, Ron mentioned there will be a Board Meeting after the Club meeting in the adjacent room. 
 
World Community Service Project ;  After announcements, Jorg invited Phil Dougherty to introduce a new World Community Service Project co-chaired with the Ignacio Club. The project will fund a water filtration system to be built inside a hospital in Guatemala through the H2OpenDoor Program. Phil mentioned that he is planning a trip for members to visit the job site around August or later. More will be announced. Jon Kaufman, who represents H2OpenDoor, will visit our Club on April 12 to give a presentation. 
 
Speaker Program ;  Frank Bruno introduced speaker Paul Fordham
Paul is Deputy Executive Director at Homeward Bound. Paul played an important role in fund raising, social enterprise, program oversight and strategic planning for Homeward Bound. He has led two major campaigns to raise over 15 millions dollars in recent years. 
Homeward Bound is a non-profit organization started in 1974 with one shelter at that time. Now they have five shelters with 175 beds, and 400 more housing units helping families, seniors, veterans and adults. They also provide culinary training to homeless people to help them find jobs. 
Two areas of focus for Homeward Bound – the first focus is the latest housing development in Larkspur called King Street Senior Housing. They spent 1.3 million dollars renovating an old church building into 12 housing units. Tenants pay 1/3 of their income for rent, and meals are provided.
Paul further mentioned more seniors are in need of shelters. At the New Beginning Center in Novato for seniors, there 12 seniors who have been there for over a year now, ages from 62 – 79. Most with fixed incomes.
The second focus is a social enterprise business which not only generates income but also provides training and job skills to homeless people under the program. 
The main businesses are:
* Celebrity Chef Event: A monthly event where chefs provides 3 course meals to paying guests, while people under training can be under the guidance of celebrity chef.
* Community Room (Key Room) for rent. 
* Selling Dog Treats. Made by three full time employees from homeless people who went through training program.
During a Q&A section, Dean Moser asked Paul’s opinions on ideas like tiny house, Park your RV, Tuff Shed  for homeless people. Paul replied tiny house works better for areas like Colorado where land isn’t an issue. 
Park your RV was not safe according to the experience in Santa Rosa. Paul is more interested on manufacturing homes or stacking homes which are better solutions for Marin County.
Frank Falzon asked about drug, alcohol and mental illness related to homeless issues. Paul replied at least 50% of the homeless have drug and alcohol issues; also at least 50% have mental issues. For Homeward bound, 25% are results of poverty and 75% have drug, alcohol and mental issues. Homeward Bound does not have a sobriety rule, but clients need to be in good behavior.
Frank Bruno asked about a homeless woman who lived behind the movie theater. Paul replied that after she went through a lot of difficulty, this lady is in the subsidized housing unit now. After the first night, she said “It was the first time I had a good night’s sleep in five years and be able to sleep horizontally”. 
Pat Eklund highlighted the City’s plan to end veteran’s homeless issue. Paul mentioned they are working with city to build housing units in Hamilton to end homelessness for veterans in Marin County. This is till in planning phase, and he estimates that there are about 50 veterans in need.
 
Final Announcement ;  Before end the meeting, President Jorg mentioned a “Community Violence Solution to Ending Sexual Assault and Family Violence” event on April 10, from 6-8 pm at Pickleweed Park in San Rafael.
Also on April 15, at 7PM at the San Rafael Film Center “The Camp Fire Documentary – Rotarians helping Rotarians”, tickets $20 at rafaelfilm.org.
 
The Winner ;  The raffle prize and three bags of dog treats from Homeward bound goes to Marisa Remak.
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