Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service

This week's speaker is someone many of us have followed for decades. Guy Kawasaki is the chief evangelist of Canva, host of the Remarkable People podcast, author of Wiser Guy, Think Remarkable, and sixteen other books, and adjunct professor at UC Santa Cruz.

He was the chief evangelist of Apple, trustee of the Wikimedia Foundation, and brand ambassador of Mercedes-Benz. Kawasaki has a BA from Stanford University, an MBA from UCLA, and an honorary doctorate from Babson College.

In this talk, Kawasaki takes aim at the so-called "rules" of business that sound wise but often mislead. From "fail fast" to "growth at all costs," he shows how these maxims can backfire when applied blindly.

Instead of chasing clichés, Kawasaki urges leaders to think critically, weigh context, and focus on sustainable success. This talk reframes innovation and growth with nuance, clarity, and a dose of reality.

To learn more about our speaker, go to:

https://guykawasaki.com/

https://guykawasaki.com/remarkable-people/

Our speaker, Robert Freeman, spent nineteen years in the computer industry, rising to Vice President at the seventh largest software company in the world. After that, he taught at Los Altos High School for 16 years.

In 2011, he was named "Bay Area Teacher of the Year" by the San Francisco 49ers Organization.

In 2007, Freeman founded The Global Uplift Project. TGUP offered high school students the chance to build classrooms in developing-world countries from donations of one dollar. In 2020, when COVID closed all the schools, TGUP opened to adults. The ethic remains the same: small donations, aggregated, to build educational projects in the poorest countries in the world.

TGUP has completed 592 such projects in 26 countries.

In 2022, he presented to our Rotary club about TGUP, and this week, he shares a bold initiative that his organization has launched.

The project is to upgrade the scientific capacity of the entire nation of Uganda. Already underway, TGUP is doing this by installing TGUP's Science Lab in a Box™ (SLaB) at 50 of the top high schools in the country. Early results show 80+% improvement in nationally normed test scores within the first year of installation of SLaB.

If this project improves Ugandan GDP by only 1/1000th of 1% in 10 years, it pays for itself 200 times over. TGUP has the support of the Rotary International infrastructure at the highest level of the country. The Ugandan District Governor, Christine Kawooya, has submitted a letter of support stating, "Please know that our entire Rotary team is fully committed to the success of this groundbreaking program."

To learn more, go to:

The Global Uplift Project: https://tgup.org/

TGUP's Science Lab in a Box™: https://tgup.org/slab

Website for this project: https://tgup.org/SEUU

The 573 projects TGUP has already completed: https://tgup.org/Project-Thumbnails

After finding success in scaling their trash barriers to intercept plastic waste before it enters the ocean, Sungai Watch launched the Cleanup Collective as the next step in expanding their impact. The program transforms financial contributions into direct, measurable waste removal, tackling plastic pollution not only in rivers but also in mangroves, rice fields, and coastal areas.

North Bali provides a powerful example of why adaptability matters. The region is drier, with steeper landscapes and less flowing water, which makes barrier installation less effective and requires more intensive, human-powered cleanups. Through the Cleanup Collective, we’ve shown that scalable solutions must be flexible to local realities, proving that with the right model, communities can support waste removal at three times the rate of barriers and help build a path toward a cleaner and healthier planet.

Our speaker, Dika, is the Partnerships Manager of Sungai Watch, an NGO focused on river conservation and community-based environmental efforts.

Since 2020, Sungai Watch has collected more than 3.6 million kilograms of non-organic waste in Indonesia's rivers and beyond, installed 380+ trash barriers across 37 subdistricts, engaged over 19,000 community members, and built a team of 160+ River Warriors who are fully local, fully insured, and employed full-time under fair and secure working conditions.

Sungai Watch is a 501(c)3-certified entity in the US with offices based in Indonesia.

"To learn more, go to:

https://sungai.watch

https://sungaidesign.com/

To see the slides from this presentation, go to:

https://tinyurl.com/bdcnd6jb

Teens Who Invest is a team of students helping students to build a strong foundation in personal finance and entrepreneurship—essential life skills for real-world success.

These are teenagers who want students globally to have the opportunity to learn something not typically taught in schools. The team's presentations are a mix of lectures and activities starting with the fundamentals of personal finance, identifying needs and wants, building a budget, saving and investing, along with some advanced topics like saving for college and building a small business.

Our presenters, Ria and Mica, are California high school students who have started small businesses of their own, and like many their age also spend time on music and sports.

To learn more, go to:

https://www.teenswhoinvest.com

" A majority of Americans will at some point in their lives experience poverty."

There are many myths and stereotypes surrounding the issue of poverty in the United States. One of the more widespread myths is that poverty strikes other people but not myself -- that poverty is an issue of "them" not "us." In contrast to this belief, our speaker will introduce research that indicates a majority of Americans will at some point in their lives experience poverty.

As part of this talk, we will see Confronting Poverty, the poverty website and risk calculator that Dr Rank developed. Dr Rank will demonstrate how the poverty risk calculator works, and will also highlight other components of the website that can help inform users about poverty and inequality.

Our speaker, Mark R. Rank, is the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in the field of sociology, and is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts in the country on issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice. To date he has written ten books on a range of subjects, including an exploration of the American Dream, a new understanding of poverty and inequality, and the role of luck and chance in shaping the course of our lives.

Dr Rank has received numerous awards over the years for his scholarship and books, and his research has been widely reported throughout the national and international news media. His work has been cited across major newspapers in the country, including frequent mentions in The New York Times and The Washington Post. He has also been featured in other media outlets including programs on National Public Radio, NBC, CBS, CNN, PBS, and many others. In addition, he has provided his research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the White House, and many national organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice.

To learn more, go to: https://confrontingpoverty.org

We Share Solar's mission is to equip teachers to inspire the next generation of Solar Solutionaries™. Building on the successes of the original Solar Suitcase, We Share Solar (WSS) is proud to announce a new program model and improved hands-on experience for youth.

The Solar Suitcase Learning Kit is a stand-alone solar system that has been designed specifically for teaching and learning.

When students in the US participate in a We Share Solar program at their school they will also be connected to an international deployment of a Solar Suitcase to a community in an energy scarce region of the world such as rural areas of Kenya or Uganda. Included with the curriculum materials will be information about the linked deployment including photos of installation and use of the Solar Suitcase.

Our speaker, Anna Gomberg, is a passionate Oakland (California) Unified School District veteran Environmental Science teacher, and has played a key role in both the creation of We Share Solar's classroom curriculum and professional development workshop content. She has worked with researchers at the Lawrence Hall of Science to develop curriculum and teach for the National Science Foundation-funded EPICC and YESS programs which both aimed to investigate ways of promoting STEM career opportunities and interest for low income youth of color using the Solar Suitcase as a key component. As Senior Program Manager for Solar Education at We Share Solar she is keen to expand access to the inspiring hands-on; climate justice and globally minded opportunities the curriculum provides.

Anna grew up in the UK where she studied Materials Science at Oxford University as an undergraduate and remained to complete a Masters in Engineering (MEng); she then went on to train as a teacher at the University of London Institute of Education where she received a second Masters in Teaching (MTeach).

To learn more, go to the We Share Solar website:

https://www.wesharesolar.org

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