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PODCAST

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service

The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley

Positive stories of remarkable individuals and organizations making a difference in the world. From entrepreneurs and activists to educators and healthcare professionals, we showcase people who are bringing about positive change in their communities, locally, globally, and digitally. Produced by the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Host: Rushton Hurley Podcast Producer: Elton Sherwin For more information visit our website: rotary.cool or https://www.siliconvalleyrotary.com/

business non-profit

All Episodes

00:27:43

152. International Volunteer Opportunities

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/05/25

Having had the life-changing Rotary experience of volunteering in the developing world, a group of Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Kamloops Daybreak established a charitable organization to introduce others to volunteering internationally. Developing World Connections was formed in 2004 and conducted their first volunteer trips in Sri Lanka after the Dec 25, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami.The valuable experience of serving as an RI evaluator and monitor provided the knowledge to ensure the projects

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00:30:57

151. Move the Farm, Not the Food

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/05/18

Get ready to get your hands dirty. Area 2 Farms isn't just about farming; it's a hyper-local, soil-centric, and tech-savvy agricultural model pioneering the future of food by growing delicious, fresh, organic produce right inside urban centers. They've figured out how to make your salad greens more connected to your community. Prepare to learn how they're cultivating both crops and community, one surprisingly complex root vegetable at a time.Oren Falkowitz is a farmer and the CEO of

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00:31:21

150. Impacting a Billion People on a Small Budget

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/05/11

Traditional models of charity are unsustainable. Prof Jack Sim is a Master of the Leverage Model of Social Innovation, and he will explain how to use small budgets to create massively scalable impact sustainably.Professor Jack Sim, a.k.a. ""Mr Toilet,"" took up a neglected global sanitation crisis and mobilized the world's governments to solve this problem. Over the last 25 years, he created a movement that brought proper sanitation to 2.5 billion people, created the UN World

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00:33:52

149. The Slave Trader in My Family Tree

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/05/04

A few years ago, Steve Baughman Jensen discovered that his third-great-grandfather wasn't just a slave owner — he was a slave trader who "invested his surplus earnings in negroes." He also helped lead a paramilitary organization that sought to preserve and expand slavery. This is an ancestor Steve's beloved grandmother had celebrated. One whose framed poem hung in Steve's den. Steve has now written a book about confronting him — and other ancestors who passed down to me the

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00:27:31

148. Project Ix Kuk: Cervical Cancer Prevention...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/04/27

Project Ix Kuk is a women’s health initiative in Guatemala focused on preventing cervical cancer through community-based HPV screening and immediate care. Working in partnership with local midwives, hospitals, and public health leaders, the project introduces self-collected HPV testing using modern PCR technology and ensures timely follow-up with visual examination and same-day treatment when needed. By centering privacy, cultural respect, and local capacity-building, Project Ix Kuk strengthens

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00:38:39

147. The Healer Who Hinders

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/04/20

This talk will be about the problem in our society when progress is hindered by our irrational fear and attachment to past conventions. I will focus on medicine and why any groundbreaking shift in our medical practice has been slow.Josef Parvizi, M.D., Ph.D., is a neurologist and neuroscientist best known for his pioneering work in studying the human brain in neurosurgical patients using intracranial neurophysiological recordings and direct electrical stimulations of the brain. He is currently a

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00:32:11

146. Urban Microforest Success

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/04/13

Historically redlined urban neighborhoods often face disproportionate environmental challenges, including flooding, loss of biodiversity, urban heat island effects, and air and soil pollution. The Miyawaki afforestation method, featuring dense planting of native species in revitalized soil, offers a fast, nature-based solution for restoring ecological function in these communities. By accelerating natural forest succession up to ten times faster than traditional planting approaches, this technique

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00:31:52

145. Globe Aware: Adventures in Service

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/04/06

How can meaningful travel go beyond sightseeing to create lasting impact? Brains, Borders, and Betterment dives into how immersive volunteer experiences can transform both the communities served and the travelers themselves. Together, we’ll discuss how to use intelligence, creativity, and compassion to approach global challenges, break down borders, and create better outcomes for all involved.Our speaker, Kimberly Haley-Coleman, is the Founder and Executive Director of Globe Aware, a 501(c)(3)

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00:34:24

144. Insectflux: Insect Farming

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/03/30

In a world where one-third of all food produced goes to waste, Insectflux introduces a groundbreaking solution at the intersection of technology, agriculture, and sustainability. This presentation explores how Insectflux, the world’s first global B2B2C marketplace, connects the agri-food industry with the insect-farming sector to transform organic waste into high-value resources, such as protein, fertilizer, oils, and bioproducts.Here’s how the platform works:→ Food producers (farms, restaurants,

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00:39:48

143. Why Investing in Empowerment, Not Aid, Is the...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/03/23

Mike Leggett shares insights from over two decades of international experience in transformative education and capacity building. He explores how shifting from models of aid to models of empowerment can unleash the potential of teachers and youth to become catalysts of social change. Drawing from the work of Fundashon Awenyo in Curaçao and beyond, he invites a deep rethinking of what it truly means to invest in people, not programs.Mike Leggett is an educator and capacity-building specialist with

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00:35:53

142. Supporting the Environment the Rotary Way

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/03/16

This week we'll hear about a personal climate journey and its relationship to Rotary environmental projects locally and internationally. Protecting the environment was added as Rotary's 7th Area of Focus in 2020.DeAnna Pursai is a proud dual Rotarian, member of the San Jose Rotary Club since 2015 and an honorary member of the Saratoga Rotary Club since 2022. She’s been a founding member of the Rotary Climate Action Committee of San Jose, and now serves as the District 5170 Climate Action

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00:36:00

141. Transformative EdTech in Sub-Saharan Africa

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/03/09

Imagine Worldwide's goal is to solve the literacy and numeracy crisis for millions of children in sub-Saharan Africa. Foundational learning is the key to unlocking a child’s potential -- improving their health, wealth, and social outcomes -- and these improvements extend to future generations. With nearly half of global youth being African by 2030, the urgency to find a scalable learning solution is paramount. Imagine Worldwide partners with philanthropists, governments, organizations, and

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00:42:36

140. Airborne Biodiversity Genomics – global-scale...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/03/02

The convergence of advanced genomic sequencing technologies and innovative environmental sampling approaches are enabling discovery at whole biome scales and across the tree of life, from microbes to mammals. These technologies are taking us ever closer to the realization of the lifeform detection capabilities of the fictional Star Trek tricorder. Environmental DNA (eDNA) comprises trace amounts of genetic material shed by organisms as they traverse and interact with their environment. Genetic

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00:29:50

139. Libraries as Hubs of the Sharing Economy

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/02/23

Libraries are more than places to borrow books; they are dynamic centers of community connection and resource sharing. From lending tools to hosting community meetings and supporting local solutions to global challenges, libraries play a vital role in the sharing economy. Present in diverse communities around the world, they enable patrons to engage and escape, key elements of personal and collective well-being. Join us to explore how libraries are advancing sharing and sustainability actions,

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00:37:39

138. The Memory Project

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/02/16

This episode refers to a number of visuals that are in the video version which can be seen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fbnO3K6fxKt9pfaTp8mYn or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/zxlfSvqAhOY• We believe the message is an important one, even if you do not watch the video, and hope that you will enjoy this and every episode of our series.Ben Schumaker first spoke to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley in 2016 to tell the story of the Memory Project, a youth arts organization he founded in

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00:27:28

137. Sporting Events and Anti-Trafficking Efforts in...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/02/09

2026 will see three major sporting events in Santa Clara County, the NFL Super Bowl, NCAA March Madness, and FIFA World Cup. There has been attention to the issue of human trafficking at sporting events, and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar brought the realities of labor exploitation to the international stage. Learn about what data tells us about sporting events, trafficking, and exploitation. Santa Clara County hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016 and a regional workgroup, No Traffick Ahead was created to

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00:32:33

136. Global Care for People with Bleeding Disorders

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/02/02

The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) works to ensure that every person with a bleeding disorder has access to safe, effective, and sustainable care, no matter where they live. Around the world, thousands of people with bleeding disorders still face life-long pain, disability, and even early death due to a lack of diagnosis and treatment. In this talk, WFH Medical and Humanitarian Aid Director, Dr. Assad Haffar, and WFH Head of Corporate & Community Partnerships and National Director of WFH

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00:30:55

135. Why Your Resume Never Reached a Human

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/01/26

Most job seekers don't know their resumes are screened by algorithms before humans ever see them. With 75% of employers using Applicant Tracking Systems, qualified candidates often get filtered out instantly while hiring managers can't find good talent.Soubhik Dawn, founder of AI career platform Upplai, will reveal how hiring really works today, and demonstrate how AI is now empowering candidates to optimize their applications effectively. You'll see live examples of resume

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00:38:00

134. How Rotary is Changing - District Governor Visit

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/01/19

Following visiting clubs all over our district, our district governor talks at both practical and philosophical levels about shifts happening (or should be happening) within Rotary.Herb Ritter has been a dedicated Rotarian for four decades. He is the 5170 District Governor in 2025-06, and has held a wide variety of leadership positions, including club president. Professionally, he enjoyed a successful 32-year career at Schneider Electric before venturing into entrepreneurship. Herb's commitment

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00:34:23

133. Work & Learn from Anywhere

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/01/12

The way we live, work, and learn is being transformed at an unprecedented pace. Families around the world are seeking more freedom, flexibility, and purpose - not just in their careers, but in the way they raise and educate their children. Elodie Ferchaud, co-founder of Boundless Life, shares how the future of work and learning is evolving and why so many families are reimagining what’s possible.Drawing from her own journey as a mother of four and global entrepreneur, Elodie explores how Boundless

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172 results

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