02. Feb. 10
This is a short summary, for the full Bulletin in PDF, click the following link:
President John opened the meeting by extending a warm welcome to our guests and fellow members.
Acting Sergeant at Arms Charles welcomed:
Visiting Rotarians:
- Rtn. Anita Stangl, RC San Francisco US
- Rtn. Quentin Li, RC Vancouver Centennial, Canada
- Rtn. Ernst Kelting, RC Piruieley
- Rtn. Tom Mack, RC San Mateo
And visiting guests:
- Ms. Enoch Li, guest of Rtn. Gilbert
- Ms. Piper Tseng, guest of Rtn. John
- Mr. Gian-Marc Widmer, guest of Rtn. Curt
- Mr. Graham Brown, guest of Rtn. Curt
- Ms. Currie Sun Min Lee, guest of Rtn. Ruby
- Ms. Helena Hyna Sook Lee, guest of Rtn. Ruby
- Mr. Grey Sy, guest of Rtn. Ruby
- Ms. Pauliul Au, guest of Rtn. Priscilla
- Mr. Roland Arlt, guest of Rtn. Kelting
Banners were exchanged with the following Rotary Clubs:
No banners were exchanged
Reports & Announcements:
Ms. Anita Stangl introduced “Allianceforcesmiles”, a US charity which has set up two treatment centers in China. They differ from Rotoplast in that their emphasis is training and self-suffientcy rather than donated medical treatment. They are in the procedure of setting up a Chinese Rep office in Beijing in cooperation with a licensed Chinese charitable organization and would like to form a closer bond with RC Beijing.
Club president John gave the February board meeting report. This year the Rotary Ball will be on Saturday May 22 at the Sofitel Wanda, tickets will cost 1,000 RMB. Members are asked to take four tickets, even if they can not attend in person. The theme this year is “The World”. Ball Chair Raphael is looking for someone to coordinate sponsorships and corporate donations; he has arranged for a group of interns who are willing to follow up on any leads and e would be grateful for any assistance. James Flanagan, Rotaract’s new VP attended the board meeting and brought people up to date on their clothing drive and new officers. The full report will be published on club website in due course for member’s access only.
The club has approached Rotaract about doing a joint community assessment survey. The effort will have two parts; assessing with the help of some Beijing community members the needs not being currently addressed and assessing the resources and talents we as a club and as individuals can bring to the table. The goal is to create a simple matrix of our capabilities and the needs of the community. We are hoping that it will lead us to areas where our efforts today will create an evergreen solution for the future. Rotaract has agreed to send three representatives who will be part of a six member committee which will prepare the survey and submit it to the board for approval before submitting it to the membership. It is hoped that this effort will finished before the Rotary Ball.
Peter fined himself for not turning off his phone and challenged the board to do like wise for not reminding him to do so earlier in the meeting. There was a deafening silence.
Carl gave a generous donation after being absent for a while and remarked how happy he was to see his good friend Helge back in Beijing. For those brave enough, he is anxious to share some good German discipline. He invites all willing to take up the challenge of a 70 Km triathlon and 100 KM run which will be in March. See the calendar for details or contact Carl.
Thanks were extended to Andreas for his firms help in reviewing our Gift of Life Matching Grant program.
Pricilla, who has been a way for sometime, joined us. Despite her busy work and life schedule, she has been quietly carrying forward her effort to help the Gubeiko students with their job search.
Tom Mack, RC San Mateo, indicated he will be in Beijing for the year and looks forward to joining us for meetings during that time. He made a heartfelt remark that one of his great pleasures in life came though his participation in Rotary.
Alan gave an interesting chat about leadership to the Rotaract Club Monday night. He stressed that ultimately leaders need a strong moral compass. Rotaract is looking for speakers for their every other Monday night meetings (Near By The Tree, Salitun, start 8:30 PM, the first beer is 5 RMB, see the weekly calendar for dates). Those who know of someone, or are willing themselves to give a chat please contact Andree Chenard, cell phone 158-1118-9517, e-mail andree.chenard@rotaractbeijing.org or andree.chenard@hotmail.com . Andree is a Senior Visiting Scholar at Renmin University and Rotaract’s liaison to Rotary.
Deborah Lawrence, Arts Director for Rotarian Magazine, will be in Beijing in May to participate in the Great Wall Marathon. She checked with the magazine and they would be very interested in either do a story about Rotarians joining the Great Wall Marathon and / or present some of our projects. She plans to be in Beijing for a few days after the Marathon. Please contact Charles or Christoph if you would be willing to help.
Due to the Spring Festival, the Feb 16th regular lunch meeting will be cancelled. Ruby is planning to organize a fellowship lunch and will provide details soon.
Speakers Program:
No speaker today
