In December 2019, Elton had a stroke. This is the story of how his daughter rushed him to the Stanford ER, his treatment, his recovery, his subsequent quest to identify the cause of his stroke, and how to prevent another one.

For more info on Elton's stroke check out this podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/7dkQIUUccg9pK5yb0JZ1EH

Sometimes an event, a moment in time, changes your world, and you become an expert in something that you had never paid much attention to. This stroke was one such moment in time. Hopefully, what he learned subsequently can help others and their loved ones.

Our speaker, Elton Sherwin, is the author of two books: "The Silicon Valley Way," originally titled, "The 45-Second Business Plan," and""Addicted to Energy, A Venture Capitalist's Perspective on How to Save Our Economy and Our Climate."

Prior to working as a venture capitalist Elton worked for Motorola and IBM. Elton is an alumnus of the University of California at Berkeley. He has been a Rotarian since 1999 and joined the eClub of Silicon Valley in 2023. He currently serves as the club’s podcast producer.

To learn more:

Links to books and organizations mentioned in the presentation:

"How Not to Die," by Dr. Michael Greger: https://a.co/d/bLAZx7z

"Undo It!: How Simple Lifestyle Changes Can Reverse Most Chronic Diseases" by Dr. Dean Ornish: https://a.co/d/bQ2kzEx

"Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease" by Dr. Caldwell B. Esselstyn Jr.: https://a.co/d/16pLj0e

Cleveland Clinic’s Heart Disease Reversal Program: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/departments/wellness/integrative/esselstyn-program

Dr. Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease: https://ornish.com/

Betr Health: https://betrhealth.com

Dr. Michael Greger’s Green light, yellow light, red light food list: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/dining-by-traffic-light-green-is-for-go-red-is-for-stop

DailyDozen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tOdfgO31RA&vl=en

Jill Bolte Taylor's TED Talk, "My Stroke of Insight" https://www.ted.com/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_my_stroke_of_insight

Dino Sakkas is a retired aerospace engineer and an active member of the Rotary Club of Cupertino, where he channels his energy into advancing environmental sustainability. An advocate of Rotary’s Environmental Area of Service, he leads projects such as installing solar panels on charitable nonprofit residences (a project we've highlighted in one of our club's programs before), supporting the adoption of heat pump water heaters, and helping organizations maximize the benefits of clean energy.

The project in South Africa Dino will describe is designed to eliminate illegal traps threatening wildlife and ecosystems, equip the community with skills to sustain conservation efforts long-term, and protect the environment, along with the tourism-based livelihoods that depend on it.

Beyond Rotary, Dino is deeply committed to local environmental stewardship. He volunteers with the Bluebird Nest Box program, monitoring bird populations and maintaining nesting habitats, and he is a beekeeper and Project Leader for the 4-H Beekeeping program, where he mentors youth on the importance of honey bees and sustainable beekeeping practices.

To learn more about this beautiful reserve, go to:

https://magaliesbergbiosphere.org.za/

For more info on Wildlife & Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) go to:

https://www.wessa.org.za/

Connie Cheren, is a nurse and a social worker with over forty years of experience in healthcare and eighteen years of experience working in East Africa.

She is the founder and president of Partners for Care, a non-profit organization that employs staff in Kenya to address public health concerns.

PFC upholds the principles of local solutions and sustainability in its approach. Their working tenets emphasize empowering individuals to take responsibility for their own well-being rather than relying solely on external assistance.

In our actions when serving others, we must critically evaluate whether our intentions are benevolent or detrimental.

It is crucial to identify the unforeseen consequences of our interventions and strive to provide assistance without inadvertently causing harm to those we seek to help. While our intentions may not be malicious, it is essential to acknowledge that our actions can sometimes have unintended negative effects. The speaker will delve into the conventional mission approach and share firsthand experiences of the harm that can and does occur when we fail to consider the potential consequences of our actions.

To learn more, go to:

https://www.partnersforcare.org

Virtual reality (VR) has been the 'next big thing' for decades, but only in the past few years has the hardware and software come together to make this a reality.

REM5 STUDIOS is a leader in creating and executing 'VR' experiences at scale that deliver results and lasting impact.

For the past 24 months, REM5 has been embedded with the Gates Foundation and GPEI partners to produce two award-winning experiences, 'Polio's Last Mile' and 'Apporter La Vie,' that take stakeholders to the front lines of the fight against polio.

These experiences have been shown to tens of thousands around the globe, including the past two Rotary International annual conventions. Today, we'll discuss the impact immersive experiences can have on changing hearts and minds and connecting more than ever to the mission.

Our speaker, Brian Skalak, has been with REM5 STUDIOS for the past six years. He has been instrumental in filming and producing the VR documentaries 'Polio's Last Mile' and 'Apporter La Vie - Delivering Life' and has shown them at the past two Rotary International Conventions and events around the world.

To learn more, go to:

https://seefeelchange.com

Every day, more than 500 million women and girls live without access to menstrual supplies. This often forces them to use unsafe materials that put their health at risk and cause them to miss school or work.

With menstruation lasting about 3,000 days over a lifetime (more than 8 years), this challenge is not only a matter of health but also one of equity, dignity, and opportunity.

Days for Girls (DfG) wants to change that. Since 2008, DfG has reached 3.5 million people in 145 countries with sustainable menstrual health solutions and education. Through holistic approaches such as their Period Positive Schools and Workplaces initiatives and women-led social enterprises, DfG is building scalable impact that transforms lives and strengthens communities. In this presentation, Days for Girls CEO Tiffany Larson will share powerful stories of change, highlight the connection between menstrual health and gender equality, and share how we can all work towards a world where periods are never a problem.

Our speaker, Tiffany Larson, leads Days for Girls International as CEO focusing on dignity, equity, and opportunity for all. A passionate advocate for menstrual health and sustainable development, she has over two decades of experience blending business acumen with a heart for global impact. Her leadership is grounded in the belief that access to health and education is a human right, and that lasting change starts at the community level.

Before becoming CEO, Tiffany held several executive roles at Days for Girls, including Chief Operating Officer and Chief Program Officer, each shaping her holistic and inclusive approach to global leadership.

To learn more, go to:

https://www.daysforgirls.org/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe5eEoSiW-M

How does Zack Curran, our speaker, describe his work with the San Jose Barracuda?

"As a proud member of the American Hockey League, our mission is to cultivate a welcoming, family-friendly environment where every fan feels at home. We are committed to offering an affordable, intimate, and uniquely engaging game-day experience. Through meaningful connections with communities across the South Bay, we strive to make every visit to The Reef feel inclusive, memorable, and deeply rooted in a sense of belonging.

"Our goal is to build a community that feels like family—one that inspires fans to return game after game, season after season, to their home away from home.

"The vision of the San Jose Barracuda is to make a lasting, positive impact within the dynamic and ever-evolving world of hockey. By embracing emerging trends, expanding group experiences, and setting ambitious goals for the future, we aim to elevate every aspect of who we are—as a team, a fan base, and an organization. At the heart of this vision is our celebration of the game of hockey and our unwavering belief that hockey is for everyone."

Our speaker, Zack Curran, is coming into his third season with the Barracuda, working closely with local community groups, schools, and season ticket holders on events and special games. We'll learn how those connections make the games more exciting and simultaneously make the larger community a stronger one.

To learn more, go to:

https://sjbarracuda.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sjbarracuda

https://x.com/sjbarracuda

https://www.facebook.com/sjbarracuda

https://www.youtube.com/@SanJoseBarracuda1

https://www.tiktok.com/@sanjosebarracuda

To learn more about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, go to:

https://rotary.cool

How can advanced medical technologies - once reserved for elite hospitals - now be made accessible to everyday communities?

Our speaker will introduce a procedure called endoscopic ultrasound, or EUS, which allows doctors to see deep inside the body to diagnose conditions like pancreatic cancer and liver disease. Traditionally, this equipment is too expensive for most hospitals and outpatient centers, even in the United States.

Here, we'll learn about a breakthrough that dramatically lowers the cost, without sacrificing quality. This innovation is helping to level the playing field in healthcare - making life-saving diagnostics available in rural hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and even in developing countries.

Our speaker, Dr Stephen Steinberg, is a physician-inventor working to close the gap in access to advanced medical care, both in the U.S. and around the world. A graduate of Cornell and Johns Hopkins, Dr. Steinberg has spent over 40 years advancing the field of gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Dr Stephen Steinberg's work centers on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) - a powerful but traditionally expensive imaging technology. As co-inventor of a breakthrough device that dramatically reduces the cost of EUS, he is helping bring this life-saving procedure to hospitals, outpatient centers, and underserved regions that have long gone without.

Dr Steinberg will also share stories from the frontlines of medicine, his journey as a physician-inventor, and why he believes technology must serve people - not the other way around. This talk is designed to inform, inspire, and highlight how local communities can benefit from global innovation.

Now based in South Florida as Director the Center for Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy, Dr Steinberg continues to blend hands-on patient care with innovation and mentorship. His goal is simple and urgent: to ensure that cutting-edge tools are not limited by geography or income, but made available to every community that needs them.

To learn more, go to:

Endoscopic Ultrasound: Benefits & What to Expect (patient oriented) Johns Hopkins:

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/endoscopic-ultrasound

EndoSound's website, describing our efforts:

https://www.endosound.com/

Approximately two billion people worldwide lack access to clean drinking water, negatively impacting national security, hygiene, and agriculture.

Atmospheric water harvesting (AWH) is the conversion of ambient humidity into clean water; however, conventional dehumidification is energy-intensive. Improvement in AWH may be achieved with elastocaloric cooling, using temperature-sensitive materials in active thermoregulation.

Potential benefits, compared to conventional desiccant wheel designs, include substantial reductions in energy use, size, and complexity. Elastocaloric cooling is a promising advancement in dehumidification, making AWH more economical and feasible.

John LaRocco is part of the Les Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University, and is an accomplished neural engineer, artificial intelligence specialist, and independent researcher with a diverse international background. He has worked on projects spanning automation, AI, medical technology, forensics, archeology, and magazine publishing. He worked with Prof. Qudsia Tahmina and John Simonis to develop a range of prototypes, including an elastocaloric water harvester.

Qudsia Tahmina is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University at Marion. She earned her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2016. Dr Tahmina’s research spans digital signal processing techniques to improve speech intelligibility and auditory prosthetics such as cochlear implants, secure embedded systems and brain-computer interfaces using EEG for non-verbal communication. She also investigates machine toolchain algorithms, speech synthesis, and collaborates with medical schools on behavioral clinical trials and biomedical research. Committed to educational excellence, she has expertise in outcomes assessment and ABET accreditation processes and was honored with a teaching award in 2024 for her dedication to student success.

To read their peer-reviewed paper on this topic, go to:

https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7080/12/10/178

"Crazy" cool projects:

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2116-5720

Project Tumaini (Project Hope) is a long-term effort by the Outreach Program to install water purification systems into Primary Schools in rural Tanzania.

The project provides safe water to a student for a full year for just $2. Over the last three years, the team has installed systems into 31 schools, supplying 24,000 students with safe water.

Their current goal is to install systems into 96 primary schools in the Mkalama district to provide another 64,000 students with safe water.

Our speaker, Isaac McNary, is Vice President of International Development for The Outreach Program, a nonprofit organization with a mission to provide safe water, food, medical care, and education to children and those in need at home and abroad.

He has been fighting hunger since 2009, when he volunteered for his first packaging event. In that time he has facilitated the packaging of 60 million meals with the help of 150,000 volunteers from across the US. In 2019, Isaac expanded his focus to international safe water issues and has provided access to safe water to over 40,000 people in Africa.

Isaac is also a dedicated Rotarian. He has served as President of his club, Assistant Governor, District PolioPlus Chair, and is currently the District Governor Elect for District 5680 in Kansas and holds the distinction of being the youngest DG in the district's history and the shortest time from joining Rotary to becoming a DG, 7 years and 7 days. He is a member of the Paul Harris Society, PHF +5, and had the honor of having one of his projects featured in the End Polio Now booth at the Rotary International Convention in Houston in 2023.

To learn more, go to:

https://outreachprogram.org/clean-water/

To donate to the project, visit:

https://outreachprogram.org/2-heart-club/

SLICE 325 is a nonprofit using immersive education, food literacy, and sustainability to empower all communities with a focus on those historically underserved.

Led by SLICE 325's founder Shemecka McNeil, you'll learn how SLICE 325 combines hands-on cooking, virtual reality, and environmental education to address chronic disease, food insecurity, and digital inequity. Their approach uses scalable, evidence-based strategies that merge cultural knowledge with health outcomes and climate resilience.

We'll explore how SLICE 325's initiatives like VR classrooms for older adults, culturally inclusive cookbooks for managing diabetes and hypertension, and no-power-needed storm survival guides are educational, transformative, and accessible. With a proven track record of community-driven impact, SLICE 325 offers a replicable model for anyone seeking to invest in innovative, culturally grounded, and inclusive approaches to learning, wellness, and sustainability across all communities.

Shemecka McNeil has a deep understanding of the relationship between food and health. Growing up in a family with a long history of preventable health conditions, she developed a passion for promoting good health through a nutritious diet. With over a decade of experience in the health sector, Shemecka speaks about the importance of healthy eating for overall well-being. She founded SLICE 325, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating low-income individuals and families on how to create healthy meals using affordable ingredients.

Shemecka's expertise extends beyond health education; she is also a trained chef, healthcare professional, farmer, subject matter expert, immersive learning educator, and author. Her varied skill set allows her to approach health and nutrition from a variety of angles, making her a resource for anyone seeking to improve their eating habits and overall health.

As the Executive Director of SLICE 325, Shemecka is committed to making a difference in the lives of others, one meal at a time. She believes that every family is unique and that there are countless creative ways to prepare healthy meals that are both delicious and affordable.

Shemecka's dedication to promoting health and wellness has earned her recognition as a PSA Grower and a Paul Harris Award from Rotarians. She is an inspiration to those around her and a true advocate for healthy living.

To learn more, go to:

https://slice325.org/

https://www.youtube.com/@SLICE325/videos

https://www.spatial.io/s/SLICE-325-2025-6838356d7096556e2726a879

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shemecka-mcneil-els-sme-gap-a83941198/

https://www.instagram.com/slice325/