Rotary Club
of San Mateo
Spinnings - 1/26/23
Arlene Kace was introduced to our Club by Paul Rogerville and joined in September 2021.  She is a retired psychiatric nurse.
Shortly after Chief Barberini joined the San Mateo Police Dept., he followed former Chief Manheimer's example and became a San Mateo Rotarian in November 2020.
Claudia Ferguson is one of our newest members, receiving her red badge in September 2022, but almost ready to give it up for a permanent one!

JANUARY IS FELLOWSHIP MONTH

As part of President Dick's focus on Fellowship, newer members are having a chance to tell the Club a bit more about themselves by taking the podium at our Thursday meetings.  

Last week Claudia Ferguson shared how she first encountered the Bay Area while serving as a nanny from Germany during a gap year.  She loved the area so much (maybe because she met her husband here?) she returned and has lived on the Peninsula for 3 decades, now serving as Sr. Vice-President of Relationship Banking at Heritage Bank.  

This week Arlene Kace explained she was drawn to join Rotary because of our community involvement and scholarship program.  Now that she's been a member for over a year, she is especially impressed with the wide range of interests and professions among our club members.  

Chief Barberini introduced San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus, but took a detour and extended his thanks to the community for their support of our law enforcement officials, noting, "It takes all of us to create a safe community."  He added he's trying to beat former Chief Manheimer's Red Badge Record! 
Nick Rogers shared the creation of the Tom Thompson Scholarship in memory of Past-President Tom's commitment to integrity, kindness, and hard work. Details are still being worked out, so stay tuned for more information on how to donate. Services for Tom will be on February 19 at 2:00 p.m. at Unity Church in Palo Alto followed by a reception at Par3.
San Mateo Rotarians were delighted to see Carole Groom who recently retired after a dedicated and impactful career as an elected official. President Dick extended our thanks for her commitment to serving the residents of both the City & the County of San Mateo. Based on Carole's smile, it looks as though she's finding lots to savor in retirement! Welcome back, Carole!
Sheriff Christina Corpus provided club members with an engaging and informative presentation about her priorities as she takes on her new role. She decided on a career in law enforcement after she was a victim of a violent carjacking and was treated with kindness, dignity & respect by the officers who responded to the crime. To view her presentation go to:
 
 
News from a Former Rotary Exchange Student
 
Walt McCullough has submitted this update on a former Rotary exchange student for inclusion in Spinnings:
 
This letter is from Sandrine Lambin, a lady that this Rotary Club hosted as a 16 year old student exchange for a year. She now works for the United Nations.  
We hosted six or seven students from France, Spain, New Zealand, Brazil and such. They attended San Mateo or Aragon high school. This letter was also addressed to my daughters who she had hosted in the Alps there several years later. I hosted the students when my daughters went off to college. It filled a void when they left.
 
The Rotary Student exchange program is a wonderful  program!
Walt Mc
 
Hello !
 
I would like to wish you all a very happy New Year.  It does not look like it is going to be more stable than 2022 globally, but I hope that at a personal level, it will be a great year.  
 
2022 was not too bad for us. The kids have been moving forward in their lives, bouncing back after the Covid episode. Albane is now a vet and is working in Normandy. She loves it. She works in a clinic owned by 5 vets, with about 20 staffs. She learns a lot. Her goal is to become a good surgeon and be able to operate most cases in the next 10 years. She has a new boyfriend and sees her horse almost every day now, so life is good for her!
 
Thibaut is in his second year in university studying “business engineering” – a mix between engineering and management. As usual, exams take place in January so he is busy studying right now. 
 
Nelle is spending a year in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Rotary. She has a wonderful time. She hardly has any time to send us news as she is busy all the time. She was a bit shy before she left, but I think she has now changed 😊!
 
In exchange we had a Brazilian student at home for 4 months, now have a Finnish girl, and will then have a girl from Argentina after Easter. 
 
Jean and I are fine. I spent 5 months last year preparing for a promotion, which I did not get. I think I finished second. I may try again if another opportunity comes up, but it is a lot of energy for an uncertain outcome. But at least I learned a lot about myself, and the job. 
 
Jean is fine too. 
 
We just spent one week in our chalet in the Alps. We were supposed to ski, but in reality we hiked! There was hardly any snow. We skied for half a day but the conditions were not good, and of course the few slopes with snow were packed with people. We plan to go again in February and hopefully there will be snow then. 
 
I hope all is ok on your side! Wishing you all the best for 2023.
Happy New Year !
 
Love 
Sandrine
 
With thanks to Peter Webb for serving as Photographer-in-Residence for this issue of Spinnings!
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