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CONNECT

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INSPIRE

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SAVE LIVES

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FIGHT HUNGER

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EMPOWER

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MENTOR

Attend a meeting

Join us on a Wednesday convenient to you and experience the fun and friendship of the Rotary Club of San Jose!

Contact our Executive Director, Leslee Hamilton for more details and to RSVP at (408) 297-6101.

Join us

Fill out an application and join community leaders. Become a member of the Rotary Club of San Jose.

Application

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“Service Above Self”

Rotary is a service organization of business and community leaders united worldwide. Rotarians are making a positive impact in our local and global communities.

The Rotary Club of San Jose

Benefiting the community and our world through action, integrity, service, and fellowship.

The Rotary Club of San Jose is the largest, most active and well-known service organization in the community. We are a leadership organization working together to make a difference. Our members include local business, nonprofit, professional and civic leaders. We form lasting friendships through our shared Rotary experiences including weekly meetings with interesting speakers, committee meetings and projects, social events and group service projects within our community and internationally.

Diversity & Inclusion

Having a diverse and inclusive Rotary Club means we value and welcome individuals of all ages, cultures, ethnicities, and races to our Club. We invite younger people, women, and minorities who support Rotary's values, ideals, and mission to join our members in service to our community, and we strive to give all members equal opportunities to serve as leaders within our Club.

Service is the life blood of our Club, and it all happens through our Committees

Veteran's Day Parade Lunch Order--November 11

Catering San Jose Logo Just a reminder that we will not have a noon meeting at the Summit Center on November 11th. Instead join us for the Veteran's Day Parade. For your convenience, we will serve lunch after the parade at 1pm. Meet us at the Arena Green.

Party Helpers will provide lunch ($20*) at Wednesday's Veteran's Day Parade.

Please indicate your lunch choice. All sandwiches include a side red leaf lettuce salad with apples and assorted fresh baked cookie. Sandwiches will be on assorted breads: sliced sourdough, soft French roll, whole wheat rolls.

Your sandwich choices are:

Baked ham with Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato
Roasted turkey with havarti, lettuce, tomato
Roast beef with cheddar, lettuce, tomato
Vegetarian with grilled vegetables, artichoke hearts, and pesto

Please order your lunch by Monday, November 9th by 12noon. Plan ahead and order early!
Important note: If you have a prepaid pack, you still need to register, so we have enough food.

Click here to place your lunch order.

*Rotary is underwriting the Service Charge and Sales Tax. Your lunch reservation is non-refundable once the order is placed on Monday at noon.

Next Big Project Committee Is Seeking Proposals

To submit a proposal, please fill out this form by Friday, November 6.

To submit a proposal, please fill out this form by Friday, November 6.

Veteran's Day Parade

Rotary Military Care Committee
VETERANS DAY PARADE PARTICIPANT INFORMATION
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11

Instead of our regular Wednesday noon meeting, we’ll be joining the Veterans Day Parade or cheering on those who participate. Come out and show your support for our veterans!

TIME           ACTIVITY                                                             LOCATION

Tent location will be at the corner of W. Santa Clara Street and Barack Obama Blvd. across from SAP Center in the park.
All WELCOME for coffee and donuts

10:45am      ALL PARADE PARTICIPANTS ASSEMBLE               Hospitality Tent

Parade vehicle riders assemble at the Hospitality Tent on Arena Green West.
The Rotary Club parade vehicles, including a float and a historic bus, will be staged within walking distance from the Hospitality tent. We will walk over together.

12 noon       PARADE BEGINS (Click here to see the Parade Route)

Parade route begins at Santa Clara Street and Guadalupe Parkway/ SR 87
Parade route is approximately one mile.
Parade duration is approximately 1 to 1.5 hours in length.
Parade ends at San Carlos Street and Market Street.
Parade vehicle riders can ride back to Arena Green West with the float or bus. Parade walkers will need to walk back to the Hospitality Tent at Arena Green West

until 2 pm BOXED LUNCH Hospitality Tent

USEFUL INFORMATION
PARKING
Closest parking lot will be at 130 N. Autumn Street. This is a new parking lot at the corner of Autumn Street and Sharks Way. Parking is complimentary for parade participants. NOTE: Vehicles must be out of this parking lot by 3:00pm.

STREET CLOSURES begin at 9 am.

PARKING is limited. There is NO PARKING in the staging area or surrounding streets.

Click here to order and purchase your boxed lunch by NOON on Monday, November 9th. Lunch will be served at 1pm after the parade.
Bring a camping chair or picnic blanket

EMERGENCIES? Text Megan at 408-499-0092 or Brad at 408-460-4313 with any last minute concerns.

End Polio

Our Rotary Club’s PolioPlus champion, Sandra Jewett spoke to our club about making an impact to end Polio. Please make a donation to support this important cause.

District 5170 Holiday Train Dec. 1

From Past President Heather: Jay and I attended last year and couldn't believe how well organized and fun this was. It's late Tuesday afternoon, an odd time. Yet every other train of the season is sold out. So if you're a Rotarian who wants to get into the holiday cheer early, this is a super fun one. And Rotary is the ONLY way to catch a ride.

Save the Date--Club Wide Service Project on December 9th

Save the Date for our Annual Holiday Luncheon

Tickets will go on sale on November 18th. More details will follow.

Christmas in the Park Hosted by Fun and Friendship

The Meeting Summary for November 4, 2026

Stepping off the elevator and into the foyer one quickly felt a sense of celebration in the room. This week’s theme was Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, which is also celebrated in various forms by other Indian faiths, including Jainism and Sikhism. To mark the occasion, members were welcomed by vibrant Diwali dancers and a delightful wine reception in the foyer, graciously hosted by the ever-fabulous Past President Bert George. Special thanks to De Anna Pursai for sponsoring the terrific dancers and helping bring a little extra sparkle to the day.

At 12:05 AM, the call to Post rang out. (At this pace, the Debunking will start at 11:30 AM.) The opening bell officially rang at 12:08 PM and meeting #5544 came to order. President Tim kicked things off by recognizing this week’s greeting line, Rotary’s Gourmet Gurus, aka the Culinary and Hospitality Committee, led by the dynamic duo of Martha Wapenski and Elizabeth Monley. As part of his regular “On This Day” segment, President Tim commemorated the election of Janet Gray Hayes as Mayor of San Jose, noting her historic achievement as the first woman elected mayor of a major U.S. city. Next, Sarju Naran offered some interesting background on the meaning and origins of Diwali before we were treated to a wonderful performance by the Diwali dancers.

This week’s traveling microphones were expertly handled by Red Badgers Judy Davis and Doug Cheline. A packed agenda meant guest introductions had to be skipped, but the warm welcome and enthusiastic applause hopefully convinced our visitors that they’ll want to come back for more.

November birthdays received the traditional President Tim treatment, complete with a rendition of “Birthday” by The Beatles. Happy Birthday to Chief Paul Joseph and Vivian Tran.

Megan Fluke then had the pleasure of introducing our newest member, Judy Davis. Judy was an active Rotarian in Grass Valley before moving to South Bay and hopes to join PAWs and Service to Seniors. Welcome, Judy. Next up, Elizabeth Monley reminded everyone to save the date for our “Let the Season Sparkle” Holiday Lunch on December 16. Arrive early for wine, eggnog, and plenty of holiday cheer, and don’t forget to wear your festive best.

At 12:25 p.m., President Tim called the Rotary Court to order in the matter of Ellenberg v. Blach. The proceedings were made all the more entertaining by the sight of Ellenberg occupying the prosecutor’s chair. Some may recall that last year Steve charged the stage to seek an immediate declaration of factual innocence when questions arose regarding his apparent lack of a Rotary pin. For the record, he was ultimately exonerated.
This year, Steve Ellenberg returned as the accuser, filing charges against Past President Mike Blach for appearing on the golf course clad head-to-toe in Blach Construction swag but without a Rotary pin. Mike claimed temporary insanity, explaining that he had been distracted by the opportunity to play alongside the world No. 1 golfer, Scottie Scheffler and, in his words, "lost his mind." The Court was unmoved. Recognizing the inevitable, Past President Mike wisely pleaded for mercy and agreed to a hefty fine. This was on top of the $1,800 he donated last year while ringing the bell to celebrate the golf outing, a gesture that now looks suspiciously like a preemptive mea culpa.

President Tim announced our Rotarian of the week, Neurodiversity co-chair and amazing human, DeAnna Pursai.

Before our speaker was introduced President Tim reminded us to all participate in next week’s Veteran’s Day parade which will be instead of our weekly meeting. We will meet at Arena Green West at 10:45 AM. The parade starts at noon. And please don’t miss our second annual Club Service project on December 9. We will be preparing holiday swag bags for students at Washington Elementary School, 500 of them, so all hands on deck.

Brad Baron introduced this week’s speaker. Dr. Dean Winslow is a Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics and Senior Fellow at CISAC/Freeman Spogli Institute, Stanford University. Colonel Winslow entered USAF/Air National Guard in 1980. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF School of Aerospace Medicine and a graduate of Air War College. Since 2006 Dr. Winslow has arranged medical care in the U.S. for 28 Iraqi children who have complicated medical conditions for which care is not available in Iraq.

Dr. Winslow discussed the humanitarian challenges surrounding both the Afghan refugee crisis and the influx of unaccompanied children at the U.S. southwest border. He described the evacuation and resettlement of roughly 124,000 Afghan refugees following the Taliban’s return to power, highlighting the deterioration of women’s rights, public health concerns such as measles and tuberculosis, and the efforts of organizations including Catholic Charities and Rotary, which donated approximately $1.5 million in airline miles to transport children for medical care.

Dr. Winslow also addressed the growing number of unaccompanied minors arriving at the border. He emphasized the extensive efforts to reunite children with family members, noting that the vast majority were successfully placed with relatives, many enrolled in school within 24 hours, and fewer than 1% remained un-reunited. Throughout the presentation, he stressed the humanitarian focus of those involved in refugee resettlement and child welfare operations.

President Tim closed out the meeting at 1:15 PM with a bell ring and as always we headed out to the tune of Celebrate by Kool & the Gang.

Respectfully submitted by Matt Braker, Meeting Summaries Committee
To see all pictures, click here thanks to Hal Hendrickson, Photography Committee.
Video is available here.

New Member Judy Davis

Sponsored by Megan Fluke
Hello, I was born and raised in San Jose. I retired about 5 years ago from working at Lockheed Martin for about 43 years. I worked in the Fleet Ballistic Missile program in support of the Navy. That program deals with the Trident II missiles that are launched from submarines. Since I’ve retired, I lived part time up in Grass Valley where my husband and I were members of a local rotary group. Joining the rotary group was the perfect way to integrate into the community and in doing so, meet wonderful people.

I’ve always enjoyed volunteer work.

Joining rotary gives me the opportunity to do exactly what I’ve always loved to do and that is giving back to my community.

I love the outdoors, hiking, camping and gardening.

I look forward to meeting you all and settling in while getting my hands dirty. My first project I will be working on will be the tree planting project at Emma Prusch Farm Park this Saturday. I hope to see a lot of you out there. Thank you.