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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

00:33:01

171. Childhood Trauma: Preventing and Healing

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/10/05

Tiffany Loeffler, is the Founder and Executive Director of The Alliance: Defending the Cause of Kids & Families, a united movement of more than 100 agencies, nonprofits, and churches serving vulnerable children and families throughout the Greater Sacramento Area. Since 2010, Tiffany has been a dedicated advocate for at-risk youth and is deeply passionate about collaboration, firmly believing that meaningful partnerships are the key to preventing and healing childhood trauma. Tiffany and her

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00:34:34

170. AI Companions: It's Complicated...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/09/28

Dr. Jaime Banks: Millions of people now use artificial intelligence for emotional connection, treating them as confidants, collaborators, friends, or romantic partners. Public discourse is dominated by dystopian narratives and alarmist headlines about these AI companions, while the scientific data about user experiences paints a different picture. In this presentation, Dr. Jaime Banks will examine how "moral panics" may be distorting our understanding of AI companionship. Acknowledging the

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00:32:14

169. Cycling without Age

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/09/21

Imagine being unable to ride your bike, what would you miss the most? Would you miss feeling the wind in your hair? When we ask people what they associate riding a bike with, they all say the same word…Ole is the founder of Cycling Without Age and an Ashoka Fellow, and Pernille is a cycling activist.To learn more, go to:Website: https://cyclingwithoutage.org/ Finn Larsen paradise is right here on earth: https://vimeo.com/134717099 Ice fishing on three wheels: https://youtu.be/hUwzykY_QJMThe right to

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00:27:01

168. The Future of Freshwater is Subsea

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/09/14

The world faces a problem of accelerating water scarcity combined with the considerable limitations of conventional coastal desalination. The Norwegian company Flocean, backed by strong US partners such as Xylem and Burnt Island Ventures, introduces a new approach to seawater desalination designed for resilient, low-impact, and cost-competitive drinking water supply.To the rescue is a subsea desalination system: operating at 400–600 meters depth where seawater is naturally clean, cold, and already

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00:38:12

167. Grain of Hope: Solving Global Hunger

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/09/07

Grain of Hope is an initiative started by six people in rural Australia to ship 500 tons of wheat to Sudan in response to the hunger crisis there. If successful, it will feed thousands of people and test a powerful idea - that progress doesn’t have to begin with scale or big institutions. Sometimes it can begin quietly, with a handful of ordinary people who refuse to look away.Both guests are from Leeton, a small rural town in the heart of the Riverina on Wiradjuri Country, about five hours west of

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00:31:47

166. Saving A Big Cave In A Small Kentucky Town

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/08/31

The American Cave Conservation Association (ACCA) moved from Richmond, Virginia to the tiny hamlet of Horse Cave, Kentucky in 1986, with the goal of restoring Hidden River Cave and building a national cave education center. At the time, Hidden River Cave was considered the most polluted cave in America.ACCA President David Foster will discuss the challenges of taking on a major environmental cleanup and building an educational facility in rural Kentucky. The project involved raising millions of

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00:16:10

165. Inspire, Collaborate, and Create a Lasting Impact

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/08/24

"In this talk, District Governor Geeta Kadambi speaks to what matters about the work of Rotary. Our district includes 63 clubs, and eleven are more than a century old. The world changes, and yet Rotary keeps building communities, finding solutions, and training leaders, all under the banner of the Rotary motto, Service Above Self.As people of service, Geeta encourages us not simply to have an impact with our service, but also to make the stories of this service all the more visible to people locally

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00:46:50

164. How To Build A Non-Sexist City

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/08/17

Can a city be sexist? Definitely. For decades, urban design policies have overlooked the needs of women and other marginal groups.The French city of Nantes is trailblazing efforts to make itself a "non-sexist" city, from redesigning public spaces like school playgrounds and installing breastfeeding stations, renaming streets after women, reallocating spending and inaugurating France’s leading center to counter gender-based violence.Our speaker, solutions journalism reporter Peter Yeung,

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00:28:42

163. Angel Flight West Pilots: And Those They Serve

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/08/10

Angel Flight West and the 1,800 pilots who volunteer their time and the cost of the flights so that complete strangers can get to life-saving medical appointments for free. These passengers need to travel hundreds of miles to reach their critical medical treatments, or are unable to afford the cost of flying, or face a long drive which itself could be life-threatening.Hear about the impact that these flights have had on several of our passengers. You'll learn the story of one pilot, who has

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00:35:02

162. San Jose State Record Clearance Project

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/08/03

The Record Clearance Project (RCP) promotes justice by providing needed services to those who cannot afford them to foster rehabilitation and reduce recidivism, boasting a 99% success rate in court.To do this, the RCP's legal services program informs people regarding their legal rights to a clear record and provides the legal assistance necessary for them to achieve the second chance that the law promises. The RCP's Path to Expungement Service Navigation Program provides guidance as people leave

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00:31:39

161. Creating Impact Through Technology and Everyday...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/07/27

Funda Erdin shares her journey from over 25 years in corporate roles to building her own technology-driven product from the ground up.Drawing on her experience in product, program, and customer success management, she walks through how an idea rooted in personal values—wanting better transparency around health, sustainability, and everyday choices—evolved into GreenIt. Along the way, she reflects on how passion, persistence, and years of experience came together with the support of AI to turn an

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00:36:24

160. Seacology: Protecting Island Habitats and Cultures

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/07/20

Seacology may be one of the most successful and innovative nonprofits you've never heard of. For over three decades, Seacology has been successfully saving island cultures and communities across the world. By focusing on Seacology's "win-win" model, our speaker, Max Rojas-Domke, will highlight how community-identified needs can be turned into multi-generational conservation wins, fostering long-term wins for communities who need them now.As Individual Giving Manager, Max is eagerly

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00:34:41

159. HANWASH Delivers Water in Haiti

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/07/13

HANWASH and partners are working with and supporting local stakeholders to deliver safe, affordable, and sustainable water and sanitation to everyone in Haiti.Our speaker, Fritz Pierre-Louis, is a dedicated Rotarian with over a decade of service, notably as Past President of the Rotary Club of Leogane from 2017 to 2018. Currently, he chairs the steering committee for HANWASH in District 7020, where he has been instrumental in enhancing water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives since 2020. He is a

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00:34:03

158. Advancing a Disability-Forward Housing Future

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/07/06

The Kelsey is a Bay Area-based nonprofit with a national impact, working at the intersection of housing and disability. The Kelsey both builds and advocates for accessible, affordable, and inclusive housing—what they call "disability-forward" housing. You will get an overview of The Kelsey's work, sharing how The Kelsey came to be, why this work matters, its current projects and impact, and how to get involved.Micaela Connery is the Co-Founder and CEO of The Kelsey, a national

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00:33:13

157. Making Solar Work for Every Home

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/06/29

Meghan Wood, co-founder of Raya Power, explains how solar power, despite its substantial promise, is still out of reach for many families. In the U.S., even small plug-in solar systems can trigger complex utility rules, shutting out renters and middle-income households. In Puerto Rico, residents face some of the highest electricity rates in the country and hundreds of power outages each year. And in parts of California, high energy costs and an unstable grid leave families vulnerable to

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00:27:29

156. Kakuma Refugee Camp: Empowering Youth

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/06/22

Today we will hear about the Kakuma Vocational Center (KVC), and how the founder's interactions with community members in the Kakuma Refugee Camp revealed challenges faced by the population, particularly youth and young women. As one example of the socio-economic and education challenges these women face, it became clear that a holistic education option would help young women who lacked support after becoming mothers, particularly single mothers. KVC was founded to make a positive impact on the

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00:28:51

155. Trust Management Through Communication:...

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/06/15

Effective communication is the foundation of organizational success. In this talk, Dr Sherrie Tennessee explores how internal clarity and external care shape workplace culture, team performance, and customer experience. We'll look at practical strategies to improve communication, enhance service excellence, and build high-performing environments across hospitality, business, and education sectors, focusing on how intentional communication strengthens relationships, reduces friction, and drives

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00:34:24

154. Birds and Glass: An Important Conservation Issue

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/06/08

Except for habitat destruction, collisions with sheet glass and plastic in residential, commercial, and educational buildings cause the deaths of more birds than any other human-associated avian mortality factor. The toll is estimated in the billions worldwide. Conservation, ethical, and legal reasons justify preventing these unintended and unwanted fatalities that responsible human action can ideally eliminate. This compelling topic has implications for architecture, development, engineering,

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00:30:23

153. Nurturing Resilience: WASH in Malawi

Inspiring People: Stories of Innovation and Service ·

2026/06/01

How might sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) solutions strengthen health systems and communities when designed through a holistic, locally-driven lens? Drawing on Freshwater Project International’s on-the-ground work in Malawi, this presentation highlights a collaborative partnership with Engineers Without Borders USA and the Xylem Impact Project to address critical infrastructure gaps. Together, these partners are upgrading water and sanitation systems at every health center across

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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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171 results

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