Kitty Lopez leads the way

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Some think of Rotary as a stodgy club of old men talking about business over lunch. Instead, it’s a generous group of professionals of all ages who contribute their money and time to the community. The San Mateo Rotary Club which meets once at week for a power lunch at Poplar Creek includes many of the county’s political leaders, past and present: Assemblyman Jerry Hill, Supervisor Carole Groom, County Superintendent of Schools Anne Cambell; San Mateo City Council members John Lee, David Lim and soon-to-be-elected Maureen Freschet; San Mateo Park and Recreation Director Sheila Canzian, former finance director John de Russy and present director David Culver; and San Mateo Police Chief Susan Manheimer. Members also include several school principals: Joanne Day, Baywood; Pat Kurtz, Aragon; Yvonne Shiu, Hillsdale; Jeanne Elliot, Bayside; former Aragon principal Mark Avelar and former Hillsdale principal Don Leydig. Many nonprofit leaders are also members. In addition to Kitty, John Kelly, former head of Samaritan House; Mitch Postel of the county historical association; Rachel Meyer, Coyote Point Museum; Marsha Eddleman, San Mateo Library Foundation, to name a few.

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Currently, there are 145 members. They raised $87,500 in scholarships last year for middle school and high school students going to college and contributed $24,900 to community projects such as the San Mateo Library, the Police Activities League and HIP Housing. Between 1991 and 2011, Rotarians raised $549,000 for college scholarships for middle school students. Each year, 25 eighth graders are selected and given $500 to be set aside for college. If they meet goals they set for themselves, they receive an extra $100 each year of high school. Rotarians interview students at high schools and middle schools to determine need and likelihood of success, work with students to set goals and mentor them throughout the school year. Often students who receive these scholarships are not able to find monetary awards elsewhere since Rotarians are primarily interested in need.

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One popular fundraiser is Rotary’s 5K and 10K walk/run held at Seal Point Park. This year’s event will take place 9 a.m. Oct. 16. Last year, the club raised $12,000 in scholarships. For more information about the race see www.sanmateorotaryfunrun. com.

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Longtime San Mateo resident (and Rotary member) June Lamb has written an amazing book about how she dealt with tragedy and trauma in her life (the loss of her high school fiancee in World War II; her husband’s losing battle with brain cancer; her challenges in caring for an incapacitated spouse while raising three children) and survived. She tells her personal story alongside case examples drawn from her years as a licensed family therapist. "The Learning Journey” is published by Balboa books. You would never know the past suffering behind June’s smile and sunny disposition. June leads an active life as a community volunteer and continues her work as a family therapist, specializing in helping families challenged by life-threatening illness. She is an inspiration to all.

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Former state senator and one-time San Mateo resident (she’s a graduate of Aragon High School) Liz Figueroa has a new job. She’s the vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood with offices in San Jose and Sacramento. Planned Parenthood just opened a new facility in downtown San Mateo on El Camino Real near Mills Hospital. Their clinic was formerly located on Palm Avenue.

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal. com.