will stay home and take part in a
MORAGA
ROTARY
NEWSLETTER
December 18, 2018
Next Celebration: January 8, 2019
Serbian Church Hall, School Street
6:30 pm Dinner Meeting catered by
La Finestra Restaurant
Program: Mark Huston – Blackhawk
Museum
Greeter/Invocator: Herb
Wehmeyer
Upcoming Programs:
**Jan 24 – Stefani Grey – Viva Moraga
* Dinner Meeting at 6PM
** Business Group Meeting at 11:30AM
at the Serbian Church
President Ron Mucovich rang the
bell and opened the meeting. Evie
Michon provided the invocation by
reading an excerpt from Cliff
Dochterman’s book, “As I Was
Saying…” (Check it out on page
#116 – Dinner in Chicago with a
multifaith cast.) Evie shared that
her family is flying off to
Amsterdam to spend Christmas
with grand-daughter, Maya. Evie
Vietnamese Christmas dinner
complete with Buddhist monks,
chanting and food offerings to the
dead. A multifaith gathering like
Cliff’s Chicago experience. It
should be very memorable.
We had one guest, Stephen
Bache visiting us from the
Southeast Portland (Oregon)
Rotary club. Welcome Stephen!
~~HAPPY BUCKS~~
Ron Mucovich had a Happy Buck
because he’s happy to have Rich
Render back with us. (Rich was
hospitalized briefly last week when
the flu exacerbated an ulcer and
led to a serious loss of blood. Rich
needed three units of blood and
he is on the mend now.)
Rich Render gave 2 Happy Bucks
because he’s also happy to be
back. He said he had no idea he
even had an ulcer until the
problem surfaced.
Rog Gregory gave a Happy Half
Sawbuck because Diego Rios
and his sweetheart, Augustina
came by to have brunch with the
Rajah and Jan two Sundays ago.
It was great to catch up on the
years’ events with Diego who had
roomed with the Gregorys for his
final year at Saint Mary’s College.
Dave Kruegel had 2 Happy Bucks President Ron told us that we
because he had two very large received a check for $10,000 from
trees removed from his property. the Curt and Adele Berklund
That was a big job and Dave was Foundation in Seattle (Dianne
relieved to have it done. Wilson’s folks) for use in the
Sierra Leone Childrens’
Jim Campbell had a Happy $5 to Orphanage Project. They are
celebrate the season. looking forward to hearing more
news on the project.
Debbie Koo also had a Happy $5
because along with her daughter, Gary Irwin, intrepid home project
son-in-law and in-laws they had a expert constructed a display which
very nice week in Palm Desert. allows our new Moraga Rotary –
Outstanding Club of the Year in
District 5160 to hang next to our
~~ ANNOUNCEMENTS ~~ regular club banner. Thank-you
President Ron reminded us that Gary! It looks fantastic!
there would be a combined
Moraga Rotary Board Meeting and
Nite at the Races Meeting at 5:30
pm (today/December 18th) at
Moraga Royale. (Sounds like it
would last forever – but Frank and
Ron got us out ten minutes before
7:30! (It was a good discussion
with the auctioneer present to take
part.)
Ron Mucovich stressed that our
next meeting is not until January
8th at 6pm and it will be at the Holy
Trinity Serbian Orthodox Church
Hall, 1700 School St., Moraga.
Dinner will be provided by La
Finestra Restaurant.
The new banner which our club will keep for one
Louise Schopke is going in for year.
some major surgery on January
14th. Let’s all keep her in our
thoughts and prayers.
We received a letter from the 2019/20 Rotary year. They called
Tahoe City Rotary Club it the “Evie & Debbie K Show”.
advertising their 43rd Annual Ski
Challenge on March 1st at
“Northstar at California.” The day
includes a continental breakfast
during registration and dual giant
slalom tandem courses with
individual and team awards. A fun
day skiing with fellow Rotarians,
apre`s ski food (chili, salad and
sandwiches), 2 drink tickets and
awards. See details on their
website at
www.tahoecityrotary.org under
“Annual Dick Linkey Rotary Ski
Challenge”

Debbie Roessler read a letter

from Past District Governor, Pam
Gray informing us of some of the
things happening in the Paradise
area associated with recovery and
rebuilding. Of particular note,
Santa Rosa Rotarians set-up a
Go-Fund-Me website for the
victims of the wildfires in the
Paradise area. To date more than
$900,000 has been collected.
Debbie R also reminds us that we
need speakers for our meetings in
the new year. Debbie does a
fantastic job corralling the
speakers but this week’s speaker
got away/left us… with very little
advance notice. Our Co-President
Elects volunteered to step in and
tell us about their plans for the
Evie Michon led off saying, “We
don’t want to take the Best Club in
Rotary District 5160 and screw it
up.” She said we will continue to
raise funds. Nite at the Races is
very important, the Jeanette
Fritzky Foundation for Cancer
Research will be a focus in our
year. Another focus will be
children’s literacy via the
Lumumba Children’s Library and
Learning Center in the Congo.
Evie recalled the visit of Fidel
Bafilemba, Rotarian from Goma,
Congo and co-founder of the
library project, a month ago. Fidel
and Paul Freedman (Debbie
Koo’s brother-in-law) documentary
film-maker, co-founder and project
coordinator of the Congo
Children’s Library project spoke to
our Club on November 27th. (See
attached two page description of
the project.)
Goma Rotarian, Fidel Bafilemba shows his
Rotary District vest
Debbie Koo echoed Evie’s
thoughts on the 2019/20 year and
added the concept of “Little
Libraries” which could be located
around the Moraga area and
perhaps the Fab Five Rotary Club
area if it catches on with the
Lafayette, Orinda and Rossmoor
clubs. These might be three by
three by five-foot cubes mounted
on a post containing children’s
books which could be borrowed
and/or read on a bench nearby.
John Erickson said he would
contact the Moraga Recreational
Director in the new year about
placing such a library near the All-
Access Children’s Playground at
The Commons Park.
Another focus will be resurrecting
the Rotaract group at Saint Mary’s
College. The Fab Five Rotary
Clubs have expressed an interest
in helping get the group up and
running again.
Debbie Koo will be attending the
Rotary International Convention in
Hamburg, Germany, June 1-5,
2019. She met with Cliff
Dochterman, along with Fidel
Bafilemba and Paul Freedman.
Cliff suggested Fidel and Debbie
man a booth at the Friendship Hall
during the convention. The focus
of the booth would be the Congo
Children’s Library and Learning
Center. Debbie asks that any
Moraga Rotarians who are
attending the Hamburg
Convention might lend a hand in
manning the booth. She will also
contact the other Fab Five Clubs
to see if any folks from those clubs
who are attending might help too.
Fidel and Paul meet with Cliff
New book available now co-written by Fidel
Bafilemba. Note the Hollywood personalities
involved. check it out on Audible or Apple
books
~~Cliff’s Corner ~~
In view of worldwide “End Polio Day”
perhaps it is appropriate to repeat this early
“Cliff’s Corner”
Rotary's First Polio Immunization
People often ask how Rotary ever
became involved in polio immunization.
In Rotary's first 70 years nearly, all
service projects were relatively small
tasks in one's community to benefit
children, the aged, the handicapped or
those in need. In 1978, the Rotary
International President, Clem Renouf, of
Australia decided that Rotary ought to
consider undertaking some projects
much larger than any club or district
could ever handle. He appointed 3
Rotarian educators to a special "Health,
Hunger and Humanity Committee" to
create such a new program. I happened Coming Events:
to be one of those committee members.
• February 6 – Fab 5 Joint Meeting
th

Then, a strange thing happened. As we Rossmoor

explored various plans and options, a
ground-swell of opposition developed
among some of the most distinguished
leaders of Rotary. They spoke about
Rotary's mission was to do small tasks
of service in one's city or community. It
was claimed that "big corporate
projects" were against the basic
principles of Rotary Clubs. The 3-H
idea was under heavy attack throughout
the Rotary world.
To test the potential of the 3-H program,
our committee asked Rotary Clubs to
submit ideas of large projects they
would promote if they had $1 million
dollars. Among the proposals was one
from Dr. Benny Santos of The
Philippines, who described the need for
polio immunization in their nation which
had the highest rate of polio in the
Pacific Rim. I said, "That's it. If we
immunize 6 million children in a couple
weeks, we would have an immediate
success story. It would prove to the
critical leaders of Rotary, the value of
the 3-H program!" The Rotary
International Board approved an
allocation of about $700,000 to buy
vaccine; Philippine Rotarians mobilized
the nation; all children were immunized;
the first 3-H project was a success; and
Rotarians knew how to eradicate polio.
• March 9: A Nite at the Races
• May 17-19: District Assembly for four
districts at Peppermill Casino in Reno.
• June 1-5: Rotary International
Convention in Hamburg, Germany
• June 25: Demotion Party
• July 27: Cliff Dochterman: Lunch
Celebrating 60 Years of Rotary Service
Greeter/Invocator Schedule
1/08/19 – Herb Wehmeyer
1/15/19 – Barbara Bruner
1/22/19 – Roger Gregory
1/29/19 – Gary Irwin
2/06/19 – Fab Five Meeting
2/12/19 – Michele Robbins
2/19/19 – Kevin Reneau
2/26/19 – Marv Ellenberg
3/05/19 – John Erickson
3/12/19 –
3/19/19 – Brian South
3/26/19 – Debbie Roessler

Soon, all Rotary leaders were dreaming

of providing polio vaccine for the entire
world. And the rest of this amazing
humanitarian story is history!
Moraga Rotary Directors 2018/19
President Ron Mucovich
Co-Presidents- Debbie Koo &
elect Evie Michon
Past President Dianne Wilson
Co-Secretary Vickie Devlin &
Evie Michon
Treasurer Lad Lynch
Foundation Chair John Erickson
Youth Service Rich Render
Chair
Public Relations Gary Irwin
Newsletter Editor Frank May
Community Tony
Service Chair Schoemehl
Co-Chair, Barbara Bruner
International
Services
Co-Chair, Linda May
International
Services
Membership Debbie Koo
Chair
Director at Large Mary Sue
Erickson
Director at Large Roger Gregory
Director at Large Debbie
Roessler
Advisor to the Jim Campbell
Board
Advisor to the Cliff
Board Dochterman
District Governor Jon Dwyer
5160
President, Rotary Barry Rassin
International