Wednesday, December 7, 2005 -- Chartered 1979 -- Publishers Jeff Kasper & Joe Bechelli

“With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility” –Ben Parker

CLUB DASHBOARD		UPCOMING SPEAKERS
December 8^th	Cambridge Wrap Party @ Al & Betty Browning’s home	12/7	Jeff Kasper, 3-H Grant to Ecuador
December 10^th	Cambridge Family Gift Deliveries	12/14	Pearl Harbor Heroes – Live & in-Person!
December 14^th	Club Elections	12/21	OFFSITE, Cambridge Community Center, 1146 Lacy Lane, Concord
December 17^th	Salvation Army Bell Ringing	12/28	CLUB DARK
December 21^st	Cambridge Offsite Holiday Gifts	1/4/06	TEPO / The Ethiopian Philanthropic Organization
December 28^th	CLUB DARK	1/11/06	Sally Shoal - Kenya Water Wells
Jan. 8-15, 2006	Wakayama Reunion - Maui, Hawai’i	1/18/06	Club Assembly
Jan. 22-23, 2006	Reno Train Trip

CLUB ELECTION SCANDAL!

No DRUGS! SEX! BRIBES! REPORTED!

In a shocking announcement at the meeting of November 30^th, President-Elect Matt Chan announced the slate for the Club’s officers, set to be voted on December 14^th.

The individuals who stepped up to the plate weren’t necessarily a surprise, but rather that the announcement was made on-time, and according to the Club’s bylaws. Something that hasn’t happened in years. What’s more, most of the nominees were in attendance! If that wasn’t enough, none of the nominees had a stunned look on their face when their name was announced.

The most stunning announcement was that long-time member Greg Grassi has agreed to serve as President in 2007-2008! A round of applause erupted from the members in attendance. The applause was drowned out only by the sigh of relief of Dean Hart, as he had dodged another bullet! As luck would have it, Greg found out that the convention for his year had been moved from New Orleans to Salt Lake City…

PROPOSED
2006-2007 Officers and Directors

President Matt Chan

President-Elect Greg Grassi

Past-President Sam Vesser

Secretary Nancy Glenfield

Treasurer Beri Kasper

Sgt At Arms Phil Winslow

Community Service Theresa Azevedo & Kathy Lafferty

Club Service Jeff Kasper

Vocational Service Heather Hougey

International Service Dan Peterson

Membership Scott Singley

BLOOD DRIVE AT MDHS NOVEMBER 17^th

MORE BLOODY THAN EXPECTED!

Don’t forget to check if you signed up to assist with the blood drive at Mt. Diablo High School on Thursday, November 17^th. It’s very important to the Red Cross that we meet our commitment to assist them in helping the students and faculty give blood.

RING MY BELL!

Start warming up now, as we’re planning to ring the bell for the Salvation Army on December 17^th. Scott Singley passed around a sign-up sheet at the meeting of November 30^th. If you didn’t get a chance to do so already, please let him know what time slot you would like.

SHOP ONLINE AND BENEFIT THE ROTARY FOUNDATION

If you like to shop online, don’t before visiting the CareClicks.com link at Rotary International’s web site: http://www.rotary.org/shopping/careclicks.html

By using this link, Rotary will get a percentage of your purchases, without it costing you a dime!

OPERATION “SAM” A SUCCESS!

Thanks to everyone who contributed to Operation SAM – the cards, DVD’s and everything else are greatly appreciated and will make some service men and women’s holidays special, even if they can’t be home with their families.

250 FAMILIES HAVE A BETTER HOLIDAY THANKS TO CONCORD-DIABLO ROTARY!

At today’s meeting, we’ll be presenting Kathy Lafferty with 250 Albertson’s Gift Cards! These cards will be distributed directly to families in the Cambridge neighborhood who can really use the help this time of year. The cards will give the families the freedom to purchase whatever food they would like to have.

BILL ME, BILL YOU

You should have received your two bills for your Rotary dues and lunches. Please pay them as soon as possible.

ALL WRAPPED UP ON DECEMBER 8^th

Mark your calendar for December 8^th, which will be our annual Cambridge Christmas Present Wrap Party. The party will be held at Al & Betty Browning’s new home in Concord. See your roster for their address. Also, please RSVP on the signup sheet as soon as possible.

2005-2006 Officers and Directors

President Sam Vesser

President-Elect Matt Chan

Past-President John Newman

Secretary Nancy Glenfield

Treasurer Beri Kasper

Sgt At Arms Phil Winslow

Community Service Theresa Azevedo & Heather Hougey

Club Service Jeff Kasper & Joe Bechelli

Vocational Service

International Service Pat Kievning

Membership Scott Singley

CLUB LEADERSHIP COUNCIL TO BE HELD IN ANTIOCH ON JANYARY 17^th

Mark your calendar for January 17^th, which will be the next District Leadership Conference. The conference is open to all Concord-Diablo Rotarians, and is without cost to you. Please see Sam Vesser if you’re able to attend.

CAMBRIDGE OFFSITE MEETING TO BE HELD DECEMBER 21^st

Once we’ve wrapped the gifts, we’ll hand them out at a special luncheon prepared by the parents of the Cambridge students at the Cambridge Community Center on December 21^st.

This is a great meeting to bring a guest to, as they will see Rotary in action!

HOFFMEISTER NOW A PAST MAYOR

On Tuesday, December 6^th, our own esteemed member Laura Hoffmeister, who has served as the Mayor of Contra Costa County’s largest (and best) city, turned the reigns of power to Susan Bonilla at the City’s annual reorganization meeting. In one of her last acts as mayor, Laura recognized three Pearl Harbor Survivors in the audience, as well as honored the Blue Star Moms.

CAMBRIDGE TOY DRIVE TURNING INTO A GREAT SUCCESS!

Thanks to the efforts of the members of the club, the annual toy drive in preparation of the off-site meeting of December 21^st, Community Service Chair Theresa Azevedo, joined by Beri Kasper ventured to K-Mart in Concord and did some real power shopping to supplement the toys collected by Dirk Wentling at his studio.

The “dynamic duo” arrived at K-Mart and were greeted by two helpers supplied by the store. On top of that, K-Mart provided us with a 25% discount for the program!

That means that they purchased 48 gifts in just under 90 minutes. Theresa reported that boils down to just 1.89 minutes of shopping per gift. Thanks to K-Mart’s generosity, we were able to purchase even higher quality gifts for these needy children and stay within our budget!

So, when you’re doing your shopping, think of K-Mart on Clayton Road in Concord and repay their generosity!

DON’T MISS A MEETING!

If you miss a meeting, here are some nearby Rotary Clubs that can help you keep your 100% attendance and meet new friends:

MONDAY
Danville 12:00 Noon	Brentwood 12:15 PM
TUESDAY
Albany 12:30 PM
Benicia 12:15 PM	Danville/Sycamore Valley 7:00 AM
El Sobrante 12:15 PM	Fairfield/Suisun 12:00 Noon
Moraga 12:15 PM	Pittsburg 12:00 Noon
Vacaville Sunrise 7:00 AM	Walnut Creek 12:00 Noon
Walnut Creek Sunrise 7:00 AM
WEDNESDAY	Alamo 12:15 PM
Berkeley 12:15 PM	Cordelia 7:15 AM
Delta Antioch 7:00 AM	Hercules 7:15 AM
Martinez 12:15 PM	Orinda 12:15 PM
Rossmoor / Walnut Creek 12:00 Noon	San Pablo 12:15 PM
San Ramon Valley 7:00 PM
THURSDAY	Antioch 12:15 PM
Sparks Centennial Red Hawk CC Reno 7AM
Clayton Valley / Concord Sunrise 7:00 AM	El Cerrito 12:15 PM
Lafayette 12:15 PM	Pinole 12:30 PM
Pleasant Hill 12:15 PM	San Ramon 12:15 PM
Vacaville 12:15 PM	Vallejo 12:15 PM
FRIDAY
Concord 12:15 PM	Davis Sunrise 7:00 AM
Lamorinda Sunrise 7:00 AM	Richmond 12:15 PM
Rio Vista 7:00 AM

You can get the details of each club’s meeting place and download a copy at the club’s web site: www.CDRotary.org

TEEN CHALLENGE GIVING TREE GIFTS DUE TODAY, 12/7

You should have already completed your shopping for the Teen Challenge giving ornaments. The gifts, which will help those families struggling to beat drug and alcohol dependence, are much needed and appreciated.