DeAnna Pursai is a new member to the Saratoga Rotary Club, as well as being a member of the San Jose Rotary Club. She has served on the San Jose Rotary board and has been active in the Rotary PlayGarden, Climate Action, and SJSU & International House Committees. This year she will serve as the District 5170 Climate Action Council Chair brining climate action committee chairs together to share best practices and community project ideas. She is a schoolteacher by trade, teaching in Seattle Public Schools, Evergreen School District, and San Jose Unified School District. In 2009 she co-founded College of Adaptive Arts with Dr. Pamela Lindsay, who received her doctorate in 2019 in curriculum and instruction in higher education and adults with intellectual disabilities. She has been named an Architect of Change by the Maria Shriver blog and was recently named a CNN Hero in April of 2022. Her long-term vision is to show how an expanded layer of higher education can live on every campus of higher learning around the world to be as accessible and widespread in Education that Special Olympics so effectively provides for lifelong athletic opportunities.

Violin concert master and collector of rare violins

When San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Herb Caen described Joseph Gold as a "giant on earth," he was referring to that 'something extra' which he carries into every violin performance. 

Growing up in Southern California, the son of Russian emigre parents, he began his violin studies at the age of eight.  He went on to graduate from the University of Southern California and holds a Master's Degree as well as three teaching credentials.  

He now makes his home in San Francisco, is an enthusiastic proponent of the "romantic revival" of Nineteenth Century violin music. His two favorite virtuoso composer-performers are Paganini and Sarasate. Numerous publications include his book, Paganini's Art of Violin Playing, as well as many transcriptions and original compositions.

For more info visit his website https://jgoldviolin.com/index.html 

We will be showing a documentary video called “Hakone Gardens and Executive Order 9066”.  It is a series of very personal stories of how the Japanese concentration camps of WWII affected the lives of the people of Hakone Gardens.  Reiko Iwanaga, Bev Harada and Patti Workman, three of the trustees of the Hakone Foundation will share their experiences.

Trying somethig new this year. We care combining fellowship activity as well as a service activity at our regular meeting time. We have reserved the Bocce Ball court outside our meeting room and after a brief history and explanation of how to play, you are welcome to play Bocce. (Get some practice in for our Bocce Ball Fellowship event on August 18!) Thanks to generous gift from SRCF, we will also be packing backpacks with the  school supplies for students that Terrance’s nonprofit serves. You may participate in either or both – it is a day to socialize with fellow Rotarians at work and play.

My name is Paige Brown, I am the Outreach Coordinator for West Valley Collection & Recycling and am a passionate advocate for eco-friendly education and finding sustainable ways to reduce landfill-destined waste. I love using my presentation opportunities to help others, especially when it comes to finding creative and effective solutions for recycling, composting, and waste-reduction. My career-goal is to help the communities I work with reduce the waste they are producing and work to create a more sustainable, eco-friendly home and/or business that is kind to the planet.

Play Bocce and munch on pizza and salads

Jane Mark has been Planning Manager with the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (otherwise known as Midpen) for 8 years.  Jane has over 25 years of environmental planning and public agency experience working for Midpen and previously with Santa Clara County Parks.

Jane has worked on projects such as the landscape restoration, public access improvements and eventual opening of Mount Umunhum summit which is in Sierra Azul Preserve, completion and opening of a portion of the San Francisco Bay trail in Ravenswood Preserve in East Palo Alto, planning and design for new public trails and trailhead parking at Bear Creek Redwoods Preserve in Los Gatos, among a handful of planning projects that have been funded by Measure AA. She looks forward to sharing information about these projects at the August 19, 2022 Rotary Club luncheon, and to share with audience useful tips for an enjoyable outdoor experience.

Before joining Midpen, Jane worked as Principal Planner at the Santa Clara County Parks and Recreation Department for close to 15 years, where she worked on a 20-year Strategic Plan for the regional parks system, Master Plan for Martial Cottle Park and other park plans.  

On a personal note, Jane is a transplant from New York City where she started her residency in Berkeley, pursuing and eventually completing her Masters degree in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and Masters degree in City and Regional Planning.  Prior to moving to California and beginning her studies at the University of California at Berkeley, Jane lived and worked in New York City as an urban designer.  Jane currently lives in San Jose with her husband and her two sons and loves how her work will be enjoyed by her children and others now and in future generations.

Sara K. Dean’s experience spans all levels of theatre, from community productions to Broadway.  In 2017, she joined South Bay Musical Theatre as Production Manager, and in 2019 was named Executive Artistic Director. She received her BFA theatre from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, with a focus on directing and arts management. In New York, Sara was a Production Assistant with the original company of Disney’s The Lion King, and worked with Madison Square Gardens on A Christmas Carol and The Wizard of Oz. Locally, Sara was the Company Manager at AMTSJ, and worked for San José Rep and CMTSJ. Sara is immensely proud of the diverse and passionate community of artists at SBMT that have persevered to bring vital, thought-provoking stories to the South Bay and beyond - both on stage and through our eStudio - during this unprecedented era of pandemic theatre-making

http://www.southbaymt.com

Kristine Burke is a Charter member  and Past President of the Assistance League of Los Gatos-Saratoga. Her background in Electrical Engineering has made her an advocate of STEM programs for elementary students and in particular encouraging girls and minorities to embrace science and engineering. She is currently the Co-Chairman of the chapters STEAM Program, bringing hands-on science and technology lessons to  elementary students in several districts.

Nichole King is the Community Librarian at the Saratoga Library. She has been with the Santa Clara Library District since 2005, starting in Morgan Hill as a Teen Librarian for over a decade, followed by a Children's Supervising Librarian at the Campbell Library for about 5 years. During her free time she enjoys hikes around the area with her family which includes 2 sons and a very silly pug.

Bring a dish to share and something to drink social event. Red wine and water will be provided by hosts

A master magician, mentalist, and comic, Jay Alexander is one of the top corporate and society entertainers in the country.  Some of his notable appearances include the Today Show, TEDx Talks, MTV, Good Morning America, and special performances for Robin Williams, the Rolling Stones, and Apple founder Steve Wozniak. At the age of fourteen, Jay was honored to be the youngest recipient of the Society of American Magicians’ Gold Medal of Honor.  For over 25 years, Jay has pursued his passion of creating unique live entertainment by mystifying audiences young and old with miraculous effects of the mind and the hands.

On November 4, Saratoga Rotary will present Santa Clara Rotary Club member Harbir Kaur Bhatia who will talk about her experiences supporting people in the Ukraine.

From the start of the Ukraine war, she has been dedicated to the crisis and has been on regular aid missions with her organization Ik Onkar Bridges and Selectiva Charities, and Rotary. For 4 months, she has led weekly meetings to educate Rotarians and other Institutions about the realities on the ground, the needs assessment, and how to help get more financial support to the war torn regions.

She has met with multiple levels of Ukraine leadership, Rotarians, NGOs, and local citizens to gain a deeper understanding and to provide increased support. Harbir has been hosting Ukraine Rotarian for a month at her home and her family's homes. They have traveled throughout the country to raise awareness and seek support for winter when people will freeze to death.

She has met USAID, Rotary leaders, UA NGOs, American Congressmen, Senators, Mayors, and others to raise the alarm about the upcoming winter and to get more funding for Ukraine. Getting Ukrainian children and elders into proper spaces before winters is her biggest priority at this time. As Rotarians, it is our duty to help, especially to prevent hundreds of thousands of people freezing to death. Rotary is a global family.

About the speaker 

Harbir has served in multiple positions at the Rotary Club of Santa Clara. From the time she and her family migrated to the United States from North India, community service and community building across diverse backgrounds have been a central part of the family. The SIKH principles of 'Sarbatt da bhalla’ (betterment for all) and 'seva’ (selfless service), like the Rotary motto 'service-above-self', have been her guide throughout her life.

Harbir is a technologist, an entrepreneur and community organizer, which make her a civic entrepreneur at heart. She is known for collaborating and mobilizing people to find creative solutions for hate crimes and inclusion, economic empowerment, education, children, and care. Harbir has served on multiple local and national boards and charities. She is a strong proponent of the public and private sector working together to solve the community needs. Over the years, she has been honored and received multiple awards for her community leadership and service. During COVID she launched multiple initiatives to address the urgent issues of the time.

Jennifer Cullenbine - 

Co-founder of the Family Giving Tree, today Jennifer serves as Chief Executive Officer and is known by many long-term supporters and volunteers as the Queen Elf. Jennifer earned her Masters degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University, where the very idea for the Family Giving Tree was born. Jennifer is affiliated with many organizations, including the Entrepreneurs Organization, The Milpitas Chamber of Commerce, and the Rotary Club of Milpitas where she recently served as President. 

Andrea Borch - 

Helping out with the 2007 Holiday Wish Drive showed Andrea and her family the important role Family Giving Tree plays in local communities. The Borch family has been part of the effort ever since, with Andrea volunteering as a Drive Leader for the backpack and holiday drives. Andrea also serves on the Board of Managers for the Southwest YMCA and the Board of Directors for Humane Society Silicon Valley. Other interests include reading, walking the family’s two dogs, and traveling. Andrea has a BS and MS in journalism from Northwestern University.