Palo Alto Rotary President’s Message for 2009-2010

Ralph Adams

Dear Palo Alto Rotarians, Fellow Rotarians from all over the World, and Interested Visitors,

Welcome to Palo Alto Rotary!

Sixteen leaders of the Palo Alto business community chartered Palo Alto Rotary in 1922. Sixteen who believed and adopted the Rotary Motto of “Service Above Self.”

As we enter our 88^th year, “Service above Self” remains our guiding principle. Our members have accepted a personal commitment to support this concept, both financially and with the gifts of time and leadership. Some examples of our local projects have included members working to feed the homeless, refurbishing and repainting local community facilities, and helping to create entry “gateway” gardens at various places in Palo Alto. We have also provided clean water to villages in India, fuel-efficient stoves in Guatemala and Honduras, wheelchairs to Macedonia, and many other service projects.

Service is expressed through Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, and International Service. In 2008 members donated almost $10,000 to Rotary in support of my climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro (see photo above). I invite you to browse our website to learn more about Palo Alto Rotary at work.

But, “All work and no play…”   Good Fellowship, is the hallmark of all our activities. We have meetings each Monday that include table talk, a chance to network, possibly a little humor from the podium, and always stimulating and sometimes challenging speakers. We also have many other functions ranging from a committee’s working breakfast to our annual fundraiser where good will and fun rule. This year I hope to see Palo Alto Rotary continue this tradition.

A small group of members is at work on our website, making it even better for this year and the future. It will be the first resource for our members; and it will give visitors a quick view of who we are. We continue to strive to attract new members from our community leaders and to make their experience especially meaningful. This year we are also taking a fresh look at our fundraiser, in light of today’s economic realities.

If you are a fellow Palo Alto Rotarian, Thank you! Thank you for your service and support. “The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands.”

If you are a visitor, and would like to attend a meeting to see first hand what it’s all about, Welcome!

Ralph Adams

Palo Alto Rotary President’s Message for 2008-2009

Mike Couch

Dear Palo Alto Rotarians,

We are about to begin our Club’s 87^th year as the Palo Alto Rotary. This will be a year with an emphasis on youth, which is consist with Rotary International’s President D.K. LEE, whose theme for the year is Make Dreams Real.

We are not going to raise the dues for the fifth year in a row. We will continue to supply books to Green Oaks School with the surplus from lunch proceeds. The budget is quite similar to last year; we project a small surplus in operations. The charities budget will be $100,000 with the breakdown being similar to pervious years, approximately 80% going to local charities and 20% to international. Matching grants from Rotary Foundation monies bring potentially another $25,000. You can see both budgets in greater detail on the website.

We will have a Spring Gala, which is the main source of the funds for local charities and grants. Since this event is so essential to our mission we encourage you to attend. It’s a fun event and the more participation the greater success for the entire Club.

Enclosed is the bill for your dues, including optional contributions for the President’s Club, Rotary Foundation, and the Palo Alto Club’s Endowment.

I encourage you to become involved in our club activities for only with your help can we make the world a better place and Make Dreams Real.

Sincerely,

Mike Couch

Palo Alto Rotary President’s Message 

for 2007-2008

                                                           Rob Lancefield


July 12, 2007


Dear Fellow Rotarians,

As we start the 86th year of our Palo Alto Rotary Club, it is my honor and privilege to be your President. I look forward to a challenging and rewarding year to keep our programs and activities inspiring, while we also adapt our practices to encourage "GenX'ers" to take leadership positions in our club. To do this, we will build on our 2005-08 Strategic Plan, and adapt to new realities as necessary.

I am pleased to say that for the fourth year in a row, we will continue the dues at $285 per member.  However, the price of our lunches will rise $1, to $15, as of July 16th. This is still $2 more than the actual Ming's charge.  As per the last two last years, the surplus meal revenue will be used to cover meeting related costs such as guest meals, facilities improvements and speaker gifts. The balance of the meal revenue (±$3,000/year) will be used for our "Dictionary Project" at Green Oaks School. The operations budget will be balanced on projected revenues over $40,000 and a surplus of $77. Our reserves are ample. On our website, the budget is posted in Club Planning in the "members only" section.

Due to the huge success of last year's fundraiser, the charitable budget will again be roughly $100,000!  At present, we have not adopted the Annual Charities budget. However, I expect we will continue last year's allocations: roughly 50% for charitable grants, 19% for international projects, 12 to 15% for vocational scholarships, 6% for youth activities, 4% for the community "hands on" projects and 3% for the Dictionary Project. Our board and our committees will be especially careful to donate this money to the most worthy of causes.

Planning for our major fundraiser in the March, 2008, time period is well started. We will hope to continue the pattern of financial success established by our last two fundraisers. Even more important is to find ways to earn the full support and participation by all our Club members.

This year's Rotary slogan, established by Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson, is "Rotary Shares".  We have a strong record of sharing-helping others-in Palo Alto and around the world. We are part of 1.2 million Rotarians who want to make the world a better place. But to do this, we need all of you to help- by signing up for a committee or taking a leadership role with other like-minded people.

I look forward to working with all of you in the year ahead.  Let's have some fun, a song and a laugh, too!

Best regards,


Rob Lancefield
President 2007-2008

Palo Alto Rotary President’s Message

for 2006-2007

                                                                Art Stauffer

      Palo Alto Rotary was founded in April 1922, and has continued as a vital force in the community since then.  It is a unique Club, offering great tradition and lots of fun.  It is composed of roughly 150 professional and retired community leaders, both men and women, who live and work in Palo Alto and are interested in giving back to the local and global community.  The key elements of the Club are as follows:

• Camaraderie and networking of its members -- enhanced through numerous social functions and interaction between the members of its various committees.
• Outstanding programs that touch on local, national and international issues at its meetings each Monday.
• Dedication of the members to work together as a team to “give back” to the local and global community by pursuing the Rotary slogan of                                 “Service above Self”.

      Palo Alto Rotary Annual Charities, Inc (an affiliate of Palo Alto Rotary) is the philanthropic body of the Club.  Each year, money is collected through a major fund raiser in the March time frame and enhanced through membership donations and contributions from the Club.  The money is then donated to a variety of carefully chosen charitable causes.  This year we will donate roughly $100,000 to local community charitable grants, vocational scholarships, international projects and various community youth and “hands on” activities.  In addition, the Club will make a substantial and additional donation to the Rotary International Foundation, which is the source of such Rotary International programs as Polio Plus.

      The group energy and effort to raise this money and distribute it to the most worthy causes is the essence of Rotary.   The involvement of the members builds lasting friendships and business relationships, while at the same time providing a significant contribution to the local and global community.

      We invite you to browse our website to find out more about Rotary and our Club.

      Art Stauffer, President