Events

Joan was a pioneer in sports journalism as one of the first female sports columnists in the country. She covered every major sporting event from the Super Bowl and the World Series to the Olympics and championship fights. Her sports columns and features earned 13 Associated Press Sports Editors Awards, the National Headliner Award, the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Journalism Award, and the prestigious Edgar A. Poe Award from the White House Correspondents Association. Joan has been the senior media advisor to the San Francisco Giants since 2008.

She will discuss team chemistry, the topic of her latest book, which Kirkus Reviews describes as “Nuanced…complex…a mind-opening study that extends far beyond the confines of any ballpark.” 

Host: AB

James Eggers is the Director, Loma Prieta, Sierra Club

Brett Caviness, host

Once per month, we gather for an evening social hour in lieu of the weekly lunch meeting. Join us for fun and fellowship at 5pm. See event listing for details: https://menloparkrotary.org/event/menlo-rotary-book-ish-social-hour-(tgiw)/

Hey there fellow Rotarians! Let's get together for our monthly social hour. Relax and enjoy each other's company from anywhere in the world. This month has a BOOK-ISH theme. Your challenge, if you choose to accept it, is as follows:

1. Bring a book -- any book -- to the social hour
2. Give a 15-second "elevator speech" describing what the book is about
3. Here's the twist -- your elevator speech can be TRUE or COMPLETELY FALSE
4. Then we'll vote on whether your speech is true or not
5. Person who fools the most Rotarians wins the monthly ROTARY BOOK PRIZE
6. We'll also vote on which book we'd like to read (for real) and discuss at an upcoming Rotary social hour

Don't want to bring a book? No problem! Come for the laughs and to cast your votes. Zoom in, bring a friend.

Zoom link (click to register)
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtfu2opj4tEtX52iWhEQ4d2ogPqMb1hu6n

The Spirit of Sarajevo: A Story of Resilience

For centuries, Sarajevo was known as a crossroads of cultures -- a peaceful place that valued a variety of religious traditions and ethnic heritages. It was a vibrant capital city that shone on the global stage and even hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics. But the rise of nationalism within former Yugoslavia led to a brutal conflict that threatened to wipe away the city’s legacy of openness and tolerance. For nearly four years, Sarajevo was under armed siege--the longest one of any city in the history of modern warfare. When it was finally lifted, Sarajevo was left a broken city marked by crumpled buildings … the scars of mortar shells … and shattered families beset by grief. 

Yet still, somehow,   the spirit of Sarajevo never wavered. This book is a story of life under siege, created from unimaginable misery and degradation. It is a story about resilience and determination, which now, more than 20 years after the siege ended, serves as an example for all of us as we navigate a confused, frightened world of being “under siege” during this pandemic.

Host: AB

NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY
AND REQUEST FOR GRANT PROPOSALS

Menlo Rotary Community Foundation
2021 Community Grants Program

APPLICATION DEADLINE: THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021, 5:00PM PDT

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

The Menlo Rotary Community Foundation (formerly the Rotary Club of Menlo Park Foundation), a charitable nonprofit organization in partnership with the Rotary Club of Menlo Park, now seeks grant proposals from community-based organizations to support projects that address designated areas of need.

Purpose and Goals

The 2021 Community Grants Program is intended to meet the following goals:

• Raise public awareness of compelling community needs in the areas of:
  • Youth affected by homelessness and/or food insecurity
       and/or
  • Local COVID-19 recovery efforts
• Provide financial assistance to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations that propose specific projects to meet community needs in one or more of the above designated areas
• Deliver these services in Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, and adjacent unincorporated communities
• Raise awareness of the ongoing services the Rotary Club of Menlo Park (RCMP) and Menlo Rotary Community Foundation (MRCF) provide to local communities

Instructions

1. Grant awards are typically in the range of $3,000-7,500 per award. Grant applications up to $10,000 will be considered
2. The application form is attached to this notice, and is available at menloparkrotary.org
3. Application form must be fully completed, with no sections left blank or only partially filled
4. Completed application form must be no longer than three (3) pages in total length, excluding supporting documents noted below
5. Applicants must attach copies of their organization’s most recent:
   1. Annual report
   2. Financial statements
   3. IRS letter granting the organization tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status.
6. Please do not attach any other documents or materials except those outlined above. Extraneous materials will be discarded without review.
7. Application and supporting documents must be submitted electronically in PDF or Microsoft Word format.
8. Deadline for application: Thursday, March 4, 2021 by 5:00 p.m. PDT
9. Email completed application packets to mprotarygifts@gmail.com with “2021 Application for Funding” in the subject line. 

Additional Information:

• Grant award decisions will be announced on March 19, 2021
• Grant recipients are required to attend the award ceremony, “Rotary Connects” on Wednesday, March 31, 2021
• Details about the Rotary Connects award ceremony, which will be held virtually, will be transmitted to grant recipients by March 24, 2021
• If your organization previously received 2020 grant funds from Menlo Park Rotary, a 2020 Funding Follow-Up Form is required prior to applying for 2021 funding. For more information, contact mprotarygifts@gmail.com
• Grant recipients will be required to submit a 2021 Funding Follow-Up Form by January 31, 2022.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

Host: Amy Boggs

The Civil Grand Jury investigates the efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency of local government agencies – from the Board of Supervisors and city governments, to school boards and special districts – and it issues reports on how they can and should improve. 

Attendees can find out about the San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury, what it does and how it functions, and how they can be civil grand jurors themselves.  Our presentation, packed with stories and behind the scenes anecdotes, is tailor made for service clubs and civic organizations. 

Marvel at the power it has, including the ability to subpoena elected officials, and thrill at the notion that you can be part of improving local government entities, no matter how powerful and above investigation they appear to be.

Introduction by Steven Weiner

Once per month, we gather for an evening social hour in lieu of the weekly lunch meeting. Join us for fun and fellowship at 5pm. See event listing for details: https://menloparkrotary.org/event/menlo-rotary-book-ish-social-hour-(tgiw)/

Nicole Perlroth covers cybersecurity and digital espionage for The New York Times. She has covered Russian hacks of nuclear plants, airports, and elections, North Korea's cyberattacks against movie studios, banks and hospitals, Iranian attacks on oil companies, and hundreds of Chinese cyberattacks, including a months-long hack of The Times. Her first book, “This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends,” about the global cyber arms race, will publish in February 2021. A Bay Area native, Ms. Perlroth is a guest lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business and a graduate of Princeton University and Stanford University.

Host: Amy Boggs and Eric Hartwig

Nick Zoa landed on Kosrae in Micronesia on March 6th, not knowing that he would be the last tourist to come to this tiny South Pacific island in 2020.  Although Nick planned to continue to nearby islands on March 9th, all his flight reservations were cancelled when Micronesia declared a Covid-19 travel ban on March 8th.
Nick soon realized that being marooned in Kosrae isn't such a bad thing.  The island is a tropical paradise with high mountains, dense jungles, a warm ocean and healthy reefs.  With his background in geology, Nick has been in demand by Kosrae's environmental management authority.  The local college offered him a furnished apartment on the beach in exchange for teaching a few classes.  Thanks to the travel ban, Kosrae is one of the few places in the world that remains 100% virus-free.  Life is normal here.  There are no masks.  There's no need for social distancing.  Schools, businesses and churches have stayed open.
Although Nick has visited 158 countries in the past two decades, he's been confined to an island less than 10 miles long for almost a year.  The island life is comfortable and healthy.  The Kosraeans are some of the friendliest and most generous people he's met anywhere.  When this pandemic is over, Nick will resume his travels, thankful for having had the chance to know a place that the rest of the world has never heard of.

Learn about CSPAN's non- profit mission, and neutral approach to covering the government, public affairs and history programming. We also discuss our educational content.