MEETING NOTES FROM LUNCH AND ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The noon meeting on the 21st was interesting and we had a fascinating speaker.
Jan Keaton was our greeter and as always, President Arthur opened with "this week in history", highlighting The Mayflower Compact which was signed by 41 men before landing at Plymouth. Famous birthdays of the week were sports icons, Stan Musial, Ken Griffy Jr., Michael Strahan, and Troy Aikman.
Inspiration was provided by Kim DeCoste, who read from the chapter in her book, Get Real Ladies, Career Challenges, Changes & Choices (2015), from the chapter on Gratitude and led the pledge.
Please note that we will consolidate several announcements at the end of this week's bulletin/newsletter so that you have all of the "bullet items" in one place for reference.
We were joined by our student of the month, Joelle "Joey" Fordham. She is a student who will graduate in December and is heading abroad for University studies in New Zealand. She has studied music for 13 years and is viola player, cellist, and the Concert Master Player . She is a teacher's aide, and of course, a top student.
The Rock moved along its path of glory from Nancy to a stunned and delighted Jim Bramley. Jim is a terrific Rotarian and a nice guy we all love. He is one of those people who makes you smile when he is walking in your direction. Congratulations, Jim, for being acknowledged. Of course, you deserve it!
Our program on this day was all about artificial intelligence or AI as we hear it called. It was fascinating and informative. Our speaker was Julia Wiltshire who was introduced by Jan.
Julia is a Subject Matter Expert (SME) on this subject, as she uses technology in her work. In this case, though, she helped us understand how we could use AI in our everyday lives. It is her view that AI is already a big part of our lives even if we don't know it.
Think about your phone or your house. If you have "smart" technology and if you use things like Google Maps or tiles to track your luggage, or if you are tracking your holiday packages, you already use AI. It is a complex subject, but for our purposes at the meeting, she told us that we can approach artificial intelligence easily.
A lot was shared, but a few quick tips:
1) Try "Gemini" (on Google) or Chat GPT.
2) Think of a task such as writing your holiday letter, drafting an email, or even a recipe.
3) Tell the tool "This is vital to my success and I value your thoughts". (This seems a bit strange, but AI is built to help and setting it up with "the understanding" that what you are asking it to do as "important" will help it do "a good job") Believe it or not, positive feedback also helps! Tell it "great job" when it does a good job.
With all that said, of course, there is a dark side of which we need to be mindful. (Yes, I think of HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey, which might be silly.) But there are things to understand for your safety and protection. Be extra careful of spoofs involving emails and, sadly, now even phone calls. Many smart people fall victim to hacks, cheats, and crime because of AI.
Especially during the holidays when we are busy, distracted, and generally maybe even feeling a bit more "trusting" or "generous" than otherwise, it is wise to be cautious. If you feel even a bit unsure of something, pause, consider it carefully, and when possible ask for a real person you trust to weigh in with an opinion.
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You have heard us talk about PEN, right?
Guess what? We have one now, and we were the first in the District to name HER! The most exciting news of the meeting may have been that our own dear Terre Cone has been confirmed unanimously as our 2025-2026 President-Elect! Congratulations to President-Elect, Terre!
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Family of Rotary:
We remembered DeAnne Olson, who recently passed away.
Bob Larson was hospitalized again briefly, but we understand he is home now and hope to see him soon. Finally, we heard that Tim Sparks was also heading home from Skyridge. Jerry is doing better out in Palm Springs and Ann Lester has begun a round of chemo, and they are optimistic that it will help.
Please keep these people in your thoughts and check on them or their spouse/partner during these holiday weeks. Every thought matters and no good dead is too small, friends.
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Final Notes from the Lunch Meeting Announcements & President Arthur:
- Please look for the survey if you are in the Noon Club. There is a new Membership Survey specific to this group and you should receive an email asking you to complete the survey. It will take less than 10 minutes and it is vitally important for the club's leaders to understand how YOU feel about how things are going in our club. We cannot make improvements without suggestions from you!
Additional Announcements & Updates:
- Ray Anderson is championing a new fundraiser that involves SEE'S CANDY and the deadline to order is FRIDAY! Please look for the email Claudia sent with the link. So far, we have 17 orders totaling $1810.50, and of that, $471 will go to our foundation. The gifts are easily shipped to family and friends and help our club!
If you would like to order See's you will be supporting the club's work, as the money will go back to the foundation. The donation See's makes is about $6 for every $30lb of chocolate sold. If you have not tried See's, you are missing out. You may order and have it sent directly to family & friends & clients. They have all kinks of choices. The deadline is fast approaching (December 6th) for the holidays, so please do not delay. You may find our link at:
RotaryFundraiser- See's Candy
Our goal was $1,000. Can we get to $2000 by Friday??
It is a great day to be a Rotarian;
make it fun!
See you tomorrow, friends. Stay warm until then.
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