who was known for his advocacy
MORAGA
ROTARY
NEWSLETTER
January 29, 2019
Next Celebration: February 6th, 2019
Rossmoor* 12:00 noon luncheon
meeting
(*located at the Rossmoor Event Center,
1021 Stanley Dollar Drive)
Program: Fab5 Special Program
Upcoming Programs:
* Feb 12 – David Behring, Wheelchair
Foundation
Feb 19 – John Donnelly, President
Orinda Rotary Club
**Feb 21 – Moraga Rotary Business
Group – Stephanie Gray, Viva Moraga
Feb 26 – Captain/Paramedic Lucas
Lambert, Moraga Orinda Fire District
Mar 5 – Red Smith, Kirsten
Technologies
Mar 12 – Adarsh Gupta, Film Maker/
Communications Design
* Dinner Meeting at 6PM
** Business Group Meeting at 11:30AM
at the Serbian Church
President, Ron Mucovich opened
the meeting and Gary Irwin
provided the invocation with
sayings from Voltaire, French
writer, historian and philosopher
of freedom of religion, freedom of
speech and separation of church
and state. After quoting Voltaire,
Gary led us in the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Along with today’s speaker,
Stacey Appel, we had two guests
with us today – Jennifer Brophy
and Adarsh Gupta who are
considering joining us here in
Moraga Rotary.
~~HAPPY BUCKS~~
Alka Mulakaluri had a $5/High
Five because her son got married
this past week. What a fun event
the family had!
Debbie Roessler just got back
from a cruise to Cuba where she
celebrated a birthday. Debbie says
she had two birthday cakes – one
on the ship and one ashore.
Debbie remarked on the “old”-
classic cars there in Cuba. She
said one of the cars she toured in
had to be “hot-wired” to start.
Debbie had the Fine-Free Hat and
escaped a birthday/trip out-of-
state fine.
Dianne Wilson had a working trip
to Washington state. The family
sold the old ranch and dealt with
65 years of Dianne’s father’s
collections. Dianne spun the wheel
and landed on the “line” between
$10 and $25. After discussion, she
paid a $25 fine.
 ~~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~~
Tony Schoemehl reminded
everyone that the annual Moraga
Rotary Field Day is coming up on
Wednesday, May 8th at the
Joaquin Moraga Intermediate
School athletic fields. Tony
reminds us that last year we had
difficulty staffing the events and
asks that Moraga Rotarians
please be available for this years
Field Day.
President Ron told us the
Employee of the Month Program
will restart next month.
The Rossmoor Rotary Club is
hosting a speech contest and
requests that we take part. Prizes
of $300, $200 & $100 will be
awarded. Alka Mulakaluri
volunteered to contact the
Campolindo High School Interact
Club to see about interest in the
competition.
Frank May told us there will be a
“Nite at the Races” meeting next
Monday at 5:30 pm at Moraga
Royale. President Ron said
Moraga Rotary members are
urged to provide items worth $200
or more for the “Nite at the Races”
auctions.
Angelo Costanza reminded us
that he has Horses for sale for the
Nite at the Races. $25 per horse
and they are all winners.
President Ron reminded us of the
annual Serbian Church Crab
Dinner this Saturday, February 2nd
and he has arranged for a Moraga
Rotary Table for anyone who
would like to be seated there. Just
let Ron know that’s where you
want to be.
~~ Moraga Rotary Business
Group~~
Mike McClure provided these
notes from the Business Group:
“We had a very nice turn out on
Thursday January 24th to hear the
founder of Viva Moraga, Stefanie
Gray, talk about her group and
efforts to promote economic
growth via attracting new retail
businesses to Moraga.
John Erickson recited the story of
an old Viva Moraga flag going
back 50 years so it’s a small
world!
We also had an open and
productive discussion regarding
attracting employees for Moraga
Businesses which is a universal
challenge given geography. One
idea was the creation of a van to
and from Bart during commute
hours. More work to be done on
that.
We also discussed ‘Nite at the
Races’ regarding tickets,
donations and more.
Next meeting is February 28,
Thursday 1130 am Serbian
Church with the St Mary’s
Community Engagement AVP
Mary Poppingo.
See you then!
Mike”
~~PROGRAM~~
Evie Michon introduced Stacy
Appel, the Volunteer Coordinator
for the Caring Hands Caregivers
Program of John Muir Health. She
is responsible for recruiting,
interviewing, training and
supporting 350+ volunteers
providing care for a little over 400
recipients. In the recent past Stacy
was the Adult Volunteer Program
Coordinator at the John Muir
Medical Center where she had
650 volunteers. Before that Stacey
deeply involved in hospice care
volunteering.
Evie quoted Rosalyn Carter who
once said, “There are four kinds of
people in the world – those who
have been caregivers, those who
are currently caregivers, those
who will be caregivers, and those
who need caregivers.” The Caring
Hands Program is about a
different level of giving care. It’s
about giving friendship and
helping people age gracefully.
The goal of the program is to allow
people to age gracefully in their
own homes for as long as
possible. When folks can no
longer live independently and
move into hospice or assisted
living/retirement homes, they are
no longer served by the Caring
Hands Program - although by that
time some Caring Hands
volunteers have formed such deep
friendships that they continue to
visit the folks they formerly served.
There are no costs for the Caring
Hands Program and the
volunteers receive no
compensation. No medical
services are given and the
volunteers do not cook meals.
Each volunteer provides 1 to 3
hours per week to the recipients.
Before a person can serve as a
volunteer there is a background
check. A driver’s license is
required and volunteers are shown
how to handle a lightweight
wheelchair.
There’s a three-person office
located in the Shadelands
Business Park from which the
program is administered.

Stacy Appel and President Ron Mucovich
Alka digs for the green marble but it eludes her
Today’s presenter drew the raffle
ticket of Alka Mulakaluri but Alka
could not draw out the green
marble and had to settle for $10
instead of the grand prize of $16…
President Ron rang the bell to
end this week’s meeting.
~~Cliff’s Corner ~~
Seeing the Good Work of
Rotary
Rotary leaders insisted that I see a
special project when I was in
Lagos, Nigeria. We traveled to a
school for blind youngsters. There
were nearly 125 children standing
in long lines to greet a Rotary
visitor. They were about 6 to 12
years of age.
I walked down the rows and spoke
a few words and put my hand on
each child’s shoulder. Then a
youngster, who was about 12
years old, stepped forward. In his
hands he held a tan piece of stiff
paper on which he gently ran his
fingers across the page as he read
the imprinted Braille dots. His little
speech thanked Rotary and the
Rotary Foundation for a “Health,
Hunger & Humanity Grant” of
$200,000 which enabled the
purchase of the very first Braille
printing machine for the nation of
Nigeria, and one of the first in the
entire African Continent.
This moment was particularly
significant to me, because I
remembered that I had personally
approved this grant a couple years
earlier, when I was chairman of Greeter/Invocator Schedule
Rotary’s 3-H Committee and a 2/06/19 – Fab Five Meeting
Trustee of the Rotary Foundation. 2/12/19 – Michele Robbins
2/19/19 – Kevin Reneau
In Rotary, nearly all members
2/26/19 – Marv Ellenberg
generously give financial support
3/05/19 – John Erickson
to the Rotary Foundation, but
3/12/19 –
seldom actually see the end result
3/19/19 – Brian South
of our gifts and the projects they
3/26/19 – Debbie Roessler
support. This “Rotary Moment” in
Moraga Rotary Directors 2018/19
Nigeria was one which every President Ron Mucovich
Rotarian would have been proud Co-Presidents- Debbie Koo &
elect Evie Michon
to see and experience. Past President Dianne Wilson
Co-Secretary Vickie Devlin &
Coming Events: Evie Michon
Treasurer Lad Lynch
• February 6 – Fab5 Joint Meeting
th
Foundation Chair John Erickson
Rossmoor 12 noon Event Center, 1021 Youth Service Rich Render
Stanley Dollar Dr, Rossmoor Chair
• March 9 - A Nite at the Races, Moraga Public Relations Gary Irwin
• March 16th – Orinda Rotary 70th Newsletter Editor Frank May
Community Tony
Anniversary, Orinda Country Club Service Chair Schoemehl
(formal) Co-Chair, Barbara Bruner
• April 13th – Golden Gate Fields, lunch- International
parking-racing Services
• May 17-19: District Assembly for four Co-Chair, Linda May
International
districts at Peppermill Casino in Reno. Services
• March 22nd – Orinda Rotary Trivia Bee, Membership Debbie Koo
Orinda Masonic Hall Chair
• March 23rd – Lafayette Rotary Gala, Director at Large Mary Sue
Oakwood Athletic Club (formal) Erickson
Director at Large Roger Gregory
• June 1-5: Rotary International Director at Large Debbie
Convention in Hamburg, Germany Roessler
• June 25 – Moraga Rotary Demotion Advisor to the Jim Campbell
Party Board
• July 27 Afternoon - Cliff Dochterman Advisor to the Cliff
Board Dochterman
Luncheon Celebrating 60 Years of
Rotary Service at the Serbian Center, District Governor Jon Dwyer
5160
School Street, Moraga President, Rotary Barry Rassin
International