Portland Pearl Rotary Club

05/04/2026

Laughter, our "universal language,"
can actively reduce stress--Stefano

Stefano Iaboni, a professional keynote speaker from Portland, uses laughter as a stress reliever.

He has published a book titled "From Stress to Success--The Power of Laughter." For two decades, he told Pearl Rotarians on April 28, he's brought humor to businesses, organizations, and non-profits, many with high-pressure environments.

"Stress has become the background noise of modern work," Stefano says on his website, "and most organizations underestimate the toll it takes on performance, communication and culture."

For Rotarians, the motivational speaker used two words from his Italian background to describe life's moments:

"Mamma Mia."

"Bellissimo."

Stefano used the first as an exclamation-point reaction to life's surprises and challenges. The second expression is utilized for joy and happiness. He gave an example from his own life:

He was met with an unexpected cancer and surgery. "Mamma Mia," he summarized.

The early successes of his treatment? He coached Rotarians to say, "Bellissimo," in unison.

Later, when cancer returned, he endured three months of intense chemotherapy. Laughter, he recalled, "made a difference." His perceptions and mindset were positively affected:

"Laughter is not going to change reality. It surely changed the way I faced hardship."

And later added: "Laughter is a universal language," he followed. "It's the easiest, the most direct communication. It's something we all know how to do."

The Post pulled additional background from Claude AI:

"Engaging and insightful, Stefano Iaboni reveals why laughter is far more than a morale booster. Backed by neuroscience, psychology and real-world experience, [he] reframes laughter as a critical tool for helping teams think clearly, connect authentically and perform better under pressure.

"Through storytelling and powerful audience moments, he show(s) how small shifts in behavior—how we listen, how we communicate and how we manage tension—can completely change outcomes. The inspiring part is realizing that these are not innate talents, but learnable skills that anyone can apply to lead more effectively under pressure."

Stefano has lived and worked in Portland since 2013; he recently met Rotarian Corey Omey who made the invitation to speak. "Bellissimo!"

You can find more information at:

As a corporate keynote speaker based in Portland OR, I help teams reduce stress and boost creativity through humor.

04/27/2026

Melanoma message reaches
Rotarians from one family's loss

Speaking to Rotary Clubs across North America fulfills a life mission for Dr. Steve Fine: to share information on self-detection and regular health care to guard against melanoma.

For Steve and his wife, Gail, that journey began in tragedy. Their 26-year-old son, Daniel, died in 1998 from melanoma. A year later, the Fines combined to form what became the Melanoma Education Foundation. Thousands of Rotarians have heard Steve Fine speak; Portland Pearl Rotary became the newest club reached (on April 21, by Zoom from New England).

Melanoma can be slow in growth and difficult to detect, he said. It can strike all ages--from pre-teen to the elderly.

"Melanoma is in a class of itself. It can be fatal if not detected early. It can occur anywhere in the body."

And melanoma is prevalent. According to Fine, 234,000 new cases are diagnosed annually. One person, on average, dies every hour from skin cancer.

He shared a series of images, many of them signs of what serious cases show (and many that are in the "watch" category). He also stated:

• Fair-skinned people have a higher rate than people of color.

• Living in northern climates can make you more susceptible to the sun's radiation during the summer months.

• Only 10% of those with melanoma have a family background with this type of cancer.

• Sunblocks can provide prevention if a higher SPF (Sunblock Protection Factor) lotion or oil is applied but...

• Many people apply too little and not often enough on a day of prolonged exposure.

"When in doubt, check it out," he advised. "Be your own advocate,"

After speaking, Fine circled back to PPRC, writing: "Thank you for the opportunity of sharing what I learned about melanoma self-detection and prevention. Links to our website and online videos are listed below, including a 31-minute video with most of the content of the live presentation."

• Melanoma Education Foundation web page:

https://www.skincheck.or

• Video link to a 31-minute early self-detection/prevention video (this video has most of the live Rotary presentation content):

https://bit.ly/3hipmFK

04/20/2026

African Road - Sustainability in Africa
"What does it mean to come aside these incredible leaders so they can be more sustainable?"

That was an observation posed to Pearl Rotarians April 14 when African Road executive director and co-founder Kelly Bean (left) spoke. For nearly two decades, the Portland area-based non-profit has supported "changemakers" in five Eastern African countries including Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. African Road succeeds, Kelly said, by recognizing leadership, building international friendships and enhancing community-based projects.

Even when "there's no money in the bank."

Joining Kelly at the Ecotrust podium was Portia Manjengwa (right), African Road director of finance (no small task for an organization that reported $1.7 million in revenue in 2024, per its annual report shared with Rotarians). The two speakers noted connections with Rotary, both in African Road's founding and also their similar mission.

"We believe in elevating 'Service Above Self,'" Portia proclaimed, citing one credo of RI.

African Road firmly focuses "on the people on the continent as our peers," Portia continued. "So often [committed] money and resources mean dominance…African Road comes in as peers...seeking to really work alongside the relationships as equal participants."

The duo came to PPRC for both a summary of African Road and also to promote its "Rooted and Rising Gala Fundraiser" on Sunday, May 3, at Montgomery Park beginning at 2:30 p.m. Advanced registration is available at: africanroad.org/gala-2026.

The parallel mode of initiating international community building was a theme echoed as the guests closed.

"True change doesn't come from outside sources," Kelly believes. "It comes from stories on the ground. We bridge the connection between friends on our side of the world and the people [in Africa]. True change, change that lasts, is led by local visionaries."

Rotary International has a similar emphasis on combining local involvement and sustainability. Note the new RI theme for 2026-27: "Create Lasting Impact."

04/13/2026

Pearl Rotarians reunite with y.e.
Gab, his father, & French Rotarians

(Contributed by Past President Jonelle Anderson, reporting from France for this week's Post)

Three members of the Portland Pearl Rotary Club were recently hosted by the Segre Haut-Angou R.C., not far from Angers, France, where Jonelle Anderson, Mike Steen and Janet Young were visiting. Gabriel ("Gab") Bobard, PPRC's inbound exchange student from last year, arranged the visit between members of the two clubs.

Gab collected the Portland team from Angers and transported them to Gab's village about 45 minutes away. They first had a nice visit at his family's jewelry store, owned and operated by several generations. Then it was time to meet some club members at a Rotary service project

Supported both financially and with work efforts, the small urban farm hosts youngsters with intellectual challenges who gain expertise and fellowship while working with the animals. The farm is a partner of the Segre club and is a non-profit. Youngsters from the area come for the day or a week. They learn responsibility by tending to darling goats and bunnies.

Once a month, Segre Rotarians visit a project and have dinner. But no work was done on our visit. Most members came from work, it appeared. The chair of the project gave a short presentation as we stood with the goats. A reporter from the local paper was there for a story.

Afterward, the members and spouses adjourned to a restaurant where a sumptuous dinner was served. White tablecloths donned the tables and champagne preceded the three-course French meal. Gab's dad, Franck (shown in his presidential regalia), introduced the guests. Pearl Past President Janet spoke of how wonderful it was to host Gab for the year and what an outstanding exchange student he had been. (Janet was PPRC president during his year in Oregon.)

Gab provided the translation. Past President Jonelle, the only English-French speaker, finished the presentation by referring to Gab and saying, "Il a vole nos coeurs" (He stole our hearts).

Postscript: The Americans also met Gab for a typical French brunch on Sunday. We all hope to see Gab and his family in Portland when they visit this summer.

Pictures: Pearl Rotarians with Gab...then with his father Franck...visiting a farm service project of his club...and then presiding at an evening with Segre Rotarians, guests and spouse, and Janet, Jonelle and Michael from Oregon.

04/13/2026

"Lasting impact" of Rotary--
from polio to cervical cancer

Before Pearl Rotary's President-Elect Kyrsten Schenck spoke, songmaster Jerry Baysinger appropriately--and optimistically--led the club with a Bob Marley standard:

"Don't worry about a thing, 'Cause every little thing gonna be alright."

Kyrsten ("Kiki" to most Rotarians) led the March 31 program after her recent PELS (President-Elect Learning Seminar) experience. She cited Rotary's worldwide achievements--polio eradication, water and sanitation projects, relief efforts (including Ukraine), basic education, food, housing, health care, etc.

"Together we take action [for] lasting change," Kiki summarized. (Cited was next year's RI theme: "Create Lasting Impact.")

She next turned the focus on Pearl Rotary, the Portland, Ore. club she'll lead for a year beginning July 1.

"It inspires me what our club does around the world," Kiki reflected, "...our sense of commitment. We care about the world."

Club members, organized at round tables at the Ecotrust conference room, were encouraged to "look inward...where we are, what we can do. What brought you to Rotary? What keeps you?"

Pride in past achievements, the cohesive and caring experience of PPRC members, the commitment to current and future service projects (from Portland to Kenya)--all were mentioned. There was a sense in the room that Pearl's future, soon in the leadership hands of Kiki, is "gonna be alright."

Rotary's nearly four-decade mission to defeat the scourge of polio had been cited by Kiki (including the image above from a vaccination drive). Her presentation then turned to Rotarian Alan Bacharach and his introduction of a new, significant focus: cervical cancer. 350,000 women die annually from this cancer (4,000 in the United States).

Alan learned of Operation Wipe Out when attending last year's RI convention in Calgary. A statewide project in Alabama initiated three years ago by the Birmingham RC now has a wider Rotary focus.

The disease is largely preventable through HPV vaccination and regular Pap/HPV screening, Alan emphasized. A web search revealed that the WHO (World Health Organization) has set a goal to eliminate cervical cancer as a major public health threat by 2030.

Alan compares this evolving worldwide cervical cancer effort to "like polio, now in its 40th year and home stretch." Operation Wipe Out, he declared, will "save life, eliminate morbidity."

The next RI theme echoed as the breakfast meeting ended: "Create Lasting Impact."

03/31/2026

Rotarians join No Kings III
demonstrations in Portland
Pearl Rotarians on the march: The Rotary International Four-Way test was one of the placards on display Saturday during the No Kings event in Portland. Members of PPRC's Social Justice Committee joined the protest--both in a small group that gathered and also by individual Rotarians and their families. Two pictures were submitted to the Post--one showing SJC co-chair Kelly Morrow proclaiming RI's plea for peace and justice in our world. The quartet (top image above): Dawn Schneider, front; and from left, Jan Berger, Nance Reynolds, Kelly.

03/31/2026

Lisa Reynolds- State senator returns to club

Oregon state Senator Lisa Reynolds again addressed Pearl Rotarians on 3/24 to give an overview of the 2026 legislative session (including her priorities), to share a preview of potential 2027 issues, and to update the club on how Oregon is adjusting to the changing federal landscape. Reynolds, whose boundary includes the Pearl District and other parts of Northwest PDX, had previously spoken on July 22, 2025, before the session..

The working pediatrician (she said she had medical patients awaiting her) offered both legislative action reviews and relayed what had been her priorities. Reynolds spoke about tax code changes, new protections on shield laws for health care providers, and legal updates protecting ski areas from liability exposure. She supported financial assistance to update the Moda Center for Portland's NBA team. "The Trail Blazers need and deserve our support," she believes, adding the approval included funding from thecagers' compensation. "The money we're using for this is garnered from the players."

"Personal wins," she cited: "action to protect young people on social media" (she referred to a recent sixteen-year-old's su***de, widely covered in the media)...authorization for the state's public health officer to determine vaccine choice. She also favors measures on gun violence protection ("started," in the state) and "protecting our neighbors from the overreach of ICE" (that would require a ban on masks and visible IDs).

For '27? Reynolds sees the financial constraints from the Trump administration as "very sobering, very scary, very cruel." She vowed to work "to protect ourselves from this totalitarian regime."

03/16/2026

"Peace Is a Practice"--author
Reba J. Parker inspires Rotarians
Portland Pearl Rotary welcomed author, sociology professor and peace advocate Reba J. Parker as its featured speaker on March 10.

Parker, who teaches at the College of Charleston and calls Portland home, shared the transformative framework behind her book, The Peaceability Mindset: Your Ultimate Guide to Practical Peace & Personal Wellbeing.

Her talk opened with a question she has posed to thousands of students over her 25-year teaching career: "Is peace possible?"

Most people, she has found, hesitate. People have been conditioned to think of peace as either a relic of the 1960s (she queried her audience on the well-known peace symbol) or an abstract ideal—passive, soft and out of reach. Parker is on a mission to change that.

"It is well with my soul"—the words of the beloved 19th-century hymn penned by Horatio Spafford after unimaginable personal loss—grounded Parker's central message: that peace is not the absence of hardship. It is something cultivated from within, even in the midst of chaos. For Parker, that ancient spiritual wisdom aligns perfectly with modern peace science.

At the heart of her framework is the Peace Equation: Safety + Wellbeing + Interconnectedness. These three pillars, she argues, are the measurable, actionable building blocks of genuine peace—not just for individuals, but for families, communities and society at large. Paired with her Seven Peaceability Factors, the framework gives people practical tools to strengthen emotional resilience, deepen empathy, sharpen life purpose and foster meaningful relationships.

Peace, in Parker's hands, becomes a daily skill—not a destination. "You can create peace in your own home," she advised, "even when the whole world is falling apart."

For a club whose motto is Service Above Self, her message landed close to home. Rotary members already understand that peace begins with people showing up for one another. Parker simply gave that instinct a name, a structure and a roadmap. Her work mirrors Rotary International's own enduring commitment to conflict resolution and community building.

Parker specifically saluted Rotary's placement of peace poles: "Putting peace out in the community--I'm so proud of you folks." And adding later: "Rotary Clubs [aim] toward peace; it's part of your mission; it's part of who you are."

Parker's Peaceability Process—a step-by-step path from conflict to connection—is available through her website, thepeaceabilitymindset.com, along with online courses and speaking engagements.

In a world stretched thin by division and uncertainty, Reba Parker's visit was a timely reminder: Peace isn't passive. It is, as she says, a practice. And it starts with each of us.

03/09/2026

KC to PPRC--meet
our club's newest member

KC Roland, introduced to Pearl Rotary by fellow new member Ingi Torfason, was officially inducted on Tuesday, March 3. Membership Chair Nadine Menashe made the presentation at our weekly breakfast session.

KC is originally from the San Jose area, and after growing up visiting his aunt in Tigard, decided to make Portland home several years ago to enjoy our outdoors and discover the next phase of his life. Here, he grew his career as a Realtor with Opt, and met his wife of 3.5 years, Missy (who also attended). They live in Tigard and share two cats and a dog.

Nadine has shared: "The thing KC is most excited for about joining Rotary is finding new friends that share his values and creating community. KC is interested in learning more about the vocational service committee, community service committee, youth exchange committee and social justice committee."

03/09/2026

Championing democracy: Debbie Kaye
brings League of Women Voters to PPRC

Portland's Pearl Rotary Club welcomed a passionate advocate for democratic participation. Debbie Kaye, representing the League of Women Voters of Portland, took the podium on March 3 to share the organization's century-long commitment to empowering voters and strengthening civic life.

Kaye, a past chapter president (with 36 years in the LWV), opened with a brief history lesson. The League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 — just six months before the ratification of the 19th Amendment granted women the constitutional right to vote. It was not an accident of timing. The League grew directly from the suffrage movement, born of the belief that winning the vote was only the beginning. The harder, longer work was making sure every eligible citizen knew how to use it.

That mission, she explained, has always centered on voter education. The League produces non-partisan voter guides, hosts candidate forums and runs programs that help citizens navigate the often-confusing landscape of ballots, measures and elected offices. In Oregon, where vote-by-mail has been in place for decades, the League has worked to ensure that accessibility does not come at the cost of informed choice. Regarding balloting by mail, Kaye vowed: "It is incumbent on us that the federal government does not take that away."

LWV has "a very strong reputation, like Rotary," Kaye assessed. "We have strong histories...good on you, great work."

Kaye emphasized that her organization does not stop at education. The League conducts rigorous research studies on policy issues—from housing and health care to campaign finance and environmental protection—giving members and the public substantive, fact-based foundations for civic engagement. These studies often inform the League's advocacy positions, arrived at through a careful, consensus-driven process.

Perhaps the phrase Kaye returned to most often was "strictly nonpartisan." The League does not endorse candidates, support political parties or take sides in partisan contests. Its focus, she said, is on the process of democracy itself—free and open elections (including in Oregon, mail-in voting), transparent government and an informed electorate.

The League also opposes many ways voting can be restricted, she told Rotarians. That includes gerrymandering, she reported in answer to a Rotarian's question. "That's an example of democracy not working so well."

Kaye, speaking for International Women's Day, invited the Rotarians to get involved—as volunteers, donors or simply engaged citizens. More information about the League's voter guides, upcoming forums and research initiatives is available at lwvpdx.org.

In an era of growing cynicism about institutions, Debbie Kaye made a compelling case that some institutions are still worth believing in. "We fight for your right to vote," she has said, "no matter how you vote."

03/03/2026

"Garden like the world
depends on it" Rotarians told

What if the solution to climate change was growing in your own backyard?

That was the inspiring premise behind Nikkie West's Feb. 24 presentation to the Portland Pearl Rotary Club, where she made a compelling case that everyday gardeners hold real power in the fight against a warming planet.

West is the owner and operator of Sparrowhawk Native Plants, a Portland-based business. Rather than a traditional brick-and-mortar storefront, Sparrowhawk operates through online sales and seasonal neighborhood pop-up events each spring and fall.

Customers order premium-quality native plants online, then pick up their orders at community pop-ups hosted in partnership with local organizations — each of which receives a percentage of the proceeds. It's a concept that keeps overhead low, prices competitive, and community connection at the center.

"There's a massive need for more native plants," she told Rotarians at their once-a-month evening meeting. "[Portlanders] live in an incredible place...at the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers...[with] indigenous diversity...and on the Pacific Flyway."

West titled her talk "Garden Like the World Depends on It"—and she meant it literally. Her presentation focused on what she calls climate-friendly gardening: a practical, purposeful approach to designing outdoor spaces with tomorrow's landscape in mind.

Three pillars anchored her message:

The first is carbon sequestration. Healthy, plant-rich gardens draw carbon out of the atmosphere and store it in roots and soil. West emphasized that even a modest yard, thoughtfully planted, contributes meaningfully to this process. "Reimagine your garden as a center for carbon sequestration."

The second is habitat creation through native plants. Non-native ornamentals may look beautiful, but native species do the heavy ecological lifting--supporting native insects, pollinators, and birds that have co-evolved with these plants over thousands of years. West urged gardeners to think of their yards not as decoration, but as a functioning habitat.

(Regarding birds, she offered a "doomsday" example of environmental degradation. "Birds are in a staggering decline; we have three billion less birds than we had in 1980."

The third pillar is resilience and preparedness. As Portland faces increasingly extreme weather—deeper droughts, heavier rains, hotter summers—native plants, adapted to the Pacific Northwest's rhythms, are simply better equipped to survive and thrive without excessive irrigation or intervention.

What made West's message resonate was its accessibility. You don't need acreage or expertise. Needed, she advised: a willingness to plant the right things in the right season, buy local, and think beyond your fence line.

Sparrowhawk Native Plants can be found at sparrowhawknativeplants.com.