The Bay Area Reading Partner program will be working with students as soon as next week!

All you need to do to schedule your first session at Berkley Maynard is to complete their online orientation. The orientation should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

The online orientation can be found at http://readingpartners.org/nto

After you complete the online orientation, you will be contacted to schedule a shadow session, your first chance to visit your local Reading Partners center.

If you have any questions or if the online orientation is not working for you, please contact Salleha Chaudhry at volunteer@readingpartners.org.

The Cal Pre-Law Association is hosting a free LSAT seminar for all Berkeley students interested in applying to law school. Colin Elzie, LSAT master and veteran instructor for Blueprint LSAT Preparation, will:

• discuss the format of the LSAT
• cover real sample problems
• teach the best methods for tackling this difficult test

The LSAT is the single most important factor in law school admissions, so don’t miss this free opportunity to learn more! There will also be FREE PIZZA! yum!

If you have any question or comments, please contact Joanna Kwong at jkwong@calrotaract.org

Rotary Day at the United Nations: Nov. 7

Start your planning, Cal Rotaract! We’re invited to attend the upcoming Rotary Day at the United Nations program on November 7, at the UN Headquarters in New York City.

Rotary Day at the UN
November 7, 2009
UN Headquarters, NY
8 am – 4:30 pm

About the Program

Rotary Day at the UN has evolved into one of the most interesting, substantive and enjoyable programs that brings together Rotary and UN leaders to discuss some of each organization’s unique humanitarian programs and to identify potential areas of future cooperation. The mutually productive working relationship between Rotary and the UN, which is over 63 years old, is highlighted through many successful programs , such as the phenomenal Polioplus Program to eliminate the scourge of polio, reducing adult illiteracy, battling the AIDS epidemic and confronting climate change, to mention only a few.

How to Register

Register online: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/383749806
Download the student registration form: http://www.riunday.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/2009_Registration_Form_-_Young_Rotarians.19180741.pdf

Registration is due Oct. 23.

Brief History: Rotary & The UN

In 1942, Rotary clubs from 21 nations organized a conference in London to develop a vision for advancing education, science, and culture after World War II. That event was a precursor to UNESCO. In 1945, 49 Rotarians went to San Francisco to help draft the UN Charter. Rotary and the UN have been close partners ever since, a relationship that’s apparent through PolioPlus and work with UN agencies.

For More Information

Visit http://www.riunday.org/ or email Brad Jenkins, primary RI representative to the UN in New York, for further information.

Please mark your calendar and plan to attend this outstanding program! It is not too early to make hotel and airline reservations since there are so many activities in the New York area that weekend.

Do you enjoy cooking? Or helping underserved populations? Berkeley’s Kitchen does!

Berkeley’s kitchen is a not-for-profit organization that promotes diverse, ethnic cuisines in the Berkeley community. All proceeds from their clinics (which range from food tastings to professional chefs teaching you how to cook) will go to SPROUT for Success, a charity for low-income immigrants in the Bay Area and around the world.

They are also in the works of starting their own restaurant! They will serve ethnic foods using all-natural, locally bought GREEN ingredients.

Their clinics during the summer:

• June 7th at 3 pm—Meridian International. Learn to Sous vide meats with a professional chef. Sous vide is a gourmet method of slow-cooking meats to help meats retain their shape and add an exquisite flavor.
• June 21st at 11 am—Cook Carne Asada with two aspiring chefs from Mexico.
• July 26th at 11 am—Make Pakistani pizzas with Tandor Kitchen!

Their website is www.berkeleyskitchen.com and and they also have a facebook group for those who are interested!

For more information email cristina@berkeleyskitchen.com.

Peace is on the agenda on April 26–and you can be there.

This is your chance to volunteer at & attend the Sixth Rotary Center Spring Conference on Peace and Conflict Resolution at the Berkeley City Club!

WHAT YOU’LL BE DOING

Rotaractors will be needed for help with greeting & parking. This will take about 60 – 90 min! For the rest of the time, you’re invited to attend this conference (entry fee $40) for FREE — this is an amazing opportunity!

Volunteer work will start for the parkers and greeters at 9 am and be back in time for the start of the conference at 10 am!

Parking volunteers will be dressed in Rotary/Rotaract attire & cheerfully direct cars to the outside local parking
garages & City Club from 9-10:15. They will also welcome guests as they walk out from their cars.

Greeters will welcome people after they’ve come through the main City Club entrance and as they climb up the impressive stairs to the 2nd floor.

(If you just want to volunteer but skip out on the conference – or parts of the conference – you are more than welcome to! But please let us know about lunch since we need to provide a number beforehand! Thanks!)

WHAT YOU’LL GET

FREE entrance into this exclusive, sold out conference!
FREE lunch

WHEN & WHERE IT’S HAPPENING

Location: Berkeley City Club – right across from Unit 3!
Date Sunday, April 26, 2009
Time: 9 AM

MORE ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

The conference consists of plenary sessions in the ballroom of the City Club intermixed with “seminars” where 4 or more Peace Fellows give talks/present their research on peace issues around the world on which they’ve been working while at Berkeley. The Fellows are chosen in international competition and go to 5 or so Centers around the world; Berkeley and Duke have the only centers in the U.S., and Fellows there can not be American. The Fellows usually have had interesting experience as journalists, diplomats, teachers, soldiers, environmental workers in their home countries. They already have BA/BS degrees, and many already have graduate degrees, some even doctoral degrees. While at Cal, they study peace mediation together in special classes, while also working on additional programs of their choice. Most are clearly headed toward important leadership roles in their home societies.

The seminars have always been highly inspiring to people attending.

In the middle of the day, there is a lunch with a distinguished guest speaker, and at the end of the day there is a graduation ceremony for the Fellows. While Rotarians from Sacramento to San Jose are welcomed to register, most who come besides club members in the local area are high level Rotary Club District and national governors, club presidents, and the like. There are usually some Rotary International dignitaries there too. The speaker at lunch this year is Oronto Douglas, Sr. Adviser to the Vice-President of Nigeria and an international lawyer and human rights activist.

SIGN-UP

at http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/oncio

For more information contact info@calrotaract.org or jkwong@calrotaract.org

Don’t know what microcrediting is really about?

• How does it work?

• Who does it?

• Where does the money go to?

You can get the answers to all of these questions and more by joining us for a showing of:

Small Fortunes: Microcredit and the Future of Poverty

on the Rotaract projector with snacks and friends!

Directed by award-winning filmmakers Sterling Van Wagenen and Matt Whitaker, the documentary is a production of BYU Broadcasting in conjunction with the BYU Center for Economic Self-Reliance and Angel Partners.

Microcredit is the granting of small business loans, often less than $100, to people who start their own microenterprises. Many of these loans are given in underdeveloped countries where a little money can go a long way. Whether it’s starting a buffalo milk business, selling tortillas, or weaving cloth, most borrowers are able to pay back their loans while keeping enough profits to reinvest in their businesses, homes and children.

The United Nations declared 2005 the International Year of Microcredit. Today, there are an estimated 100 million women and men using the micro-lending services of more than 3,000 microfinance institutions. The documentary looks at how several of these institutions function.

• WHERE: TBA
  
• WHEN: 7-9PM
  
• COST: Admission is only $2 and all proceeds will go to the Cal Rotaract kiva.org team so that we can join the fight against global poverty!
• WHY:

• You will help the microcredit cause of supporting global communities against poverty
• This is a chance to learn about microcrediting and how you can help and benefit
• You will get to watch a great movie by award-winning directors
• There will be SNACKS!
• And last but not least, your awesome friends and buddies from Rotaract will be there! =)

Sign up at http://www.wejoinin.com/sheets/rtszl

Hope to see everyone there!

For more information contact: Steven N. & Clare M. at microcredit@calrotaract.org

The upcoming Berkeley Rotary Meeting will have a couple special guests including a few other Rotary Club Presidents which are coming together to collaborate.

Attending Rotary Club meetings are a nice way to network with local Rotarians and see how service is run at a different scale. You can learn about many of the things Rotary are currently involved with internationally and locally, and maybe find out how you can get involved (if we haven’t already let you know before! =) ) If you haven’t been to a Rotary meeting before, here’s your chance! Plus it will be extra special because they will have special guests this time!

If anyone is interested please contact swong@calrotaract.org. Details are listed below:

• DATE: Wednesday April 1, 2009

• TIME: 11:30-2pm (this includes time for transportation to and from the Berkeley Marina where their meeting is held)

• WHERE: Hs Lordships Restaurant (Berkeley Marina area)

• TRANSPORTATION:  Provided

Deloitte wants to come together with UC Berkeley students for a half-day of service on April 18, 2009. This is a terrific opportunity for you to work side-by-side with professionals from Deloitte who can offer insight into professional services, and at the end of the experience will reflect and celebrate accomplishments with you.

Application deadline is noon on Saturday, March 28th.

Alliance for Smiles will be having its annual gala fundraising event on Saturday, March 14 to honor volunteers who have done a lot for the organization this past year.  Since it is geared to raising $$ for the organization, there will be a raffle, silent auction and live auction.

Volunteers are needed to help with registration, act as greeters, and assist with the silent auction.

The attire for the event for women will be a black dress of sorts and for men a white shirt, black tie, and pants.

Unfortunately, dinner will not be provided at this event, as it is $150/person. However, we can organize something amongst ourselves as college students (and it’ll be great since we’ll already be in the City)!

Transportation to the event will be provided.  A fancy party and a beautiful view of San Francisco at night will make your support all worthwhile.