Home Page | Rotary Club of Orinda

DANCING WITH THE CARS RETURNS SEPTEMBER 5TH!

Bollywood, Britain and Brawn are the concurrent themes of this year's Dancing with the Cars -- which will be held on Friday, September 5th at 6:00 PM at Orinda Community Center's Upper Plaza! This kick-off to the fabulous Orinda Car Show will feature Indian cuisine, exotic cocktails, dancing, lots of fun and wonderful auction items for Orinda Rotary's annual fundraiser, which supports projects in our community and beyond!

All-inclusive tickets are $85 per person (get a discount if you purchase a table!) and are now on sale! Scan the QR code or go to our Dancing with the Cars website to buy tickets and confirm your reservation. If you have questions, contact our Event Chair, Aruna Poddatoori.

ORINDA ROTARY HELPS WITH PERES ELEMENTARY TUTORING PROGRAM

Orinda Rotary has partnered with Richmond Rotary for the last 5 years to sponsor the Peres K-8 3rd Grade After School Book Club. In June, we celebrated the completion of the 10 session club with the 3 teachers and the students who shared with the Rotarians what they read, the stories they wrote and what they learned about various place in the world. Thank you to teachers Jill Hope, Kathy Baker and Kayontaya Pace.

A BIG thanks also to Orinda Rotarian Ken Jew for initiating the partnership with Richmond.

JOIN ROTARY VOLUNTEERS TO HELP OUT AT THE CONTRA COSTA FOOD BANK

Our Rotarians were hard at work sorting and packing fruits at the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano in the Concord warehouse in mid-December in anticipation of a busy holiday. This session included fourteen of club members, as well as guests from St. Stephen's Church.

Orinda Rotarians have been helping at the Food Bank once a month since July 2020. Every day thousands of people in our community around Contra Costa and Solano Counties struggle to meet basic nutritional needs. Children, adults, and seniors benefit from our efforts. The Food Bank is the leading fight against local hunger and volunteers and donations can make a big difference -- consider joining us!

Our next outing to the Food Bank is Friday, July 18, from 1-3 PM. Participants carpool and often share lunch prior to their work at the warehouse. Bring a friend! Please contact Bill Waterman if you are interested helping out.

CLUB MEETINGS ARE "HYBRID" - IN-PERSON AND ONLINE

Orinda Rotary offers in-person meetings that include scheduled speakers! Our in-person meetings are held in the Founder's Auditorium at the Orinda Community Center and include no-host hot lunches. Social gathering starts at noon and the meetings begin promptly at 12:30 PM. Click here to let our caterer, Leslie, know if you plan to attend in person and have lunch (cost is $25 per person)!

We also use the online teleconferencing service "Zoom" for those who prefer to attend virtually. Each week, members receive an e-mail from Club President, Sue Farmer with instructions on how to join the upcoming meeting, including the requisite meeting ID and password. Members can join video conferencing from their computer or via phone. Non-members interested in participating in our meeting(s) may contact President Bill to request the Zoom link.

Upcoming speakers, events and programs:

Wednesday, July 16: Debby Levy, Executive Director of The Congress of Neutrals will discuss their work to restore legal civility through mediation, restorative justice and reconciliation
Friday, July 18: Monthly volunteer outing to the Contra Costa Food Bank
Wednesday, July 23: Melissa Allen, chair of the Bay Area Rotacare Advisory Board, showcases the important medical care provided by the Rotacare free clinics throughout the Bay Area
Wednesday, July 30: Orinda Director of Parks and Recreation, Todd Trimble, presents a new AED (Automatic External Defibrillator) project for the city
Friday, September 5: DANCING WITH THE CARS!

If you have questions, please contact President Bill for more information.

Make a donation below to the Orinda Rotary Endowment Fund and help us serve the community for another 75 years! The Orinda Rotary Endowment is a 501(c)(3) charity.