DSV Rotary Meeting Schedule
June 13
- Speaker – Chris Behring, Rotary International in Melbourne
- Greeter – Mary O’Donnell
- Speaker – TBA
- Greeter – Jim Vlantis
- Speaker – TBA
- Greeter – Mary Whipple
Black Bear Diner
807 Camino Ramon
Danville, CA 95426
LOOKING BACK
May Meeting Highlights
Geoffrey Kasangaki, hailing from Uganda, shared a powerful story with us about Asante Africa. During the world’s longest school lockdown (22 months) caused by Covid-19, 4.5 million students were unable to return to school.
In response, Asante Africa introduced “Community Learning Groups” to provide sustained education outside traditional school settings. Led by local staff, alumni, and community volunteers, these groups taught essential skills like entrepreneurship, leadership, human rights, business planning, health and hygiene, and communication.
Today, even as schools reopen, the Community Learning Groups continue to support out-of-school youth in their transition back to the classroom or into adult life.
Learn more about Asante Africa Foundation at: AsanteAfrica.org
Chris Behring, DSV Rotarian David Behring’s son, presented May 9th about his 543 Mile Hike on the Camino de Santiago Trail in Northern Spain. He started in France in the Pyrenees, walked about 12-18 miles per day, from about 7am – 3pm daily for 35 days. This is a pilgrimage that approximately ½ million people do per year. Chris did this to deepen his Christian Faith. He did this journey solo, although he met many wonderful people along the way.
He stayed in hostiles, ate local delicious meals, hand-washed his clothes along the way, and had to endure blisters and back issues. He learned that your backpack should be only 10% of your body weight. Chris’ backpack weighed 25lbs…Ouch!
The traditional Camino de Santiago hike is 487 Miles, but Chris went an additional 56 miles to the coast at Camino Finestra.
Chris is truly a remarkable young man. His next “journey” will be going back to school to get his master’s degree in education as he hopes to be a guidance counselor helping underserved children in North Carolina.
In a special recognition, Jim Vlantis (left) presented Terry Church with his Polio Plus Pin in honor of his contribution to the Polio Plus program.
Polio, a disease that once plagued humanity, now stands as the second human disease to be eradicated worldwide.
The Polio Plus program, initiated by Rotary International, has been instrumental in this achievement. Through the program, Rotarians in 122 countries have worked tirelessly to vaccinate an astounding 25 billion children, protecting them from the devastating effects of polio.
Together, we are making a lasting impact on global health, bringing us closer to a world free from the threat of polio.
We were thrilled to honor Karen Kolokithas, a dedicated second-grade teacher at John Baldwin Elementary School, for her outstanding commitment to her students. With over 20 years of service, Karen’s unwavering dedication has made a lasting impact. Despite the delay caused by the pandemic, she was unanimously chosen by her fellow teachers and administration to receive this well-deserved award.
Pictured: Daniel Kodam, Joe Romanga, Principal at John Baldwin, Karen Kolokithas, and Terry Church, our incoming President-Elect for our Rotary Club, celebrating this remarkable achievement.
SRVUSD focus/strategic direction is on the following:
- Deep Learning, Innovation & Academic Excellence
- Equity
- Social & Emotional Well-Being
- Stewardship of Resources
- Shared Leadership
- Culture of Responsiveness
With a budget of $450M it staffs approximately 3,000 employees, of which 85% of the budget goes towards personnel/administration. Sadly, we are one of the lowest-funded School Districts in the State of California. Currently SRVUSD has a declining enrollment. There is a Parcel Tax which is up for renewal which will equate to $144/household within our District.
Congratulations, Jennifer!!
Through the tournament, we raised over $100,000 for polio eradication, which is then generously matched 2:1 by the Gates Foundation. It’s incredible to see the impact we’re making together!
Both of our DSV teams performed exceptionally well, making it to the playoffs. At 2 pm, Jack and Sandi headed to one court while Joe and Jennifer went to another. Surprisingly, our opponents didn’t show up, resulting in automatic victories for our teams.
Although we had the opportunity to advance to the next round, we decided to conclude the day as waiting for another 30 minutes with no guarantee of our next opponent’s arrival seemed impractical. With the temperature reaching 89 degrees, we had already enjoyed a great day of fun and camaraderie. It was a successful day for our two DSV teams, winning all of our games.
