Service Above Self – October 2023

    One of the best things about volunteering in Orinda is all the great, interesting people you get to meet. One I want you all to meet is Chris Laszcz-Davis.
    I first met Chris in 2009, my second year as a Rotarian. She was a member of The Orinda Association (OA) and the co-chair of the 4th of July Parade, one of four in the role. The OA asked if our club had someone to help organize and manage the food booths in the park after the parade. I ended up being that person – then and for just about every year until the pandemic.
    This story highlights a real feature of Orinda volunteerism that enables our area to punch above its weight with services and events as our various organizations don’t compete. They function more like an interconnected web supporting every organization and Orinda as a whole.
    Over the past 74 years, our Rotary club has been involved in hundreds, if not thousands, of projects and events, but rarely alone. Whether in the lead – like the 70+ years of Rotary Field Day – or providing support – like with the 4th of July committee – we’ve always worked with other groups.
    Community service collaborations are Orinda’s secret sauce. It’s how such a small town gets so much done.
    How does all this collaboration happen?
    Some of it is history and tradition, certainly. But there are many behind-the-scenes activities to make all this work – like the monthly Mayor’s Liaison meeting where local club, civic and educational leaders meet to stay informed and look for opportunities to work together.
    This is where the story circles back to Chris.
    An Orindan for 34 years, Chris and several area leaders came together a decade ago to organize Lamorinda Presents, a monthly call for area groups to coordinate events, collaborate and keep abreast of what is going on within Lamorinda.
    Ideas like that don’t just come from nowhere. Chris has been a community and business leader for years. A “retired” senior executive in charge of health, safety and environmental affairs, she runs her own consulting business, is a member of the OA Board, a Rotarian and former president with the Lamorinda Sunrise Club. She is also a Governor-appointed member of a board which sets California health and safety standards that often get promulgated across the U.S.
    There’s more. Chris is a leader with the Association of American University Women, which, since 1881 has promoted equity in education for women and girls. The 8th AAUW STEM Conference for middle school girls at Saint Mary’s College is March 16, 2024, and serves more than 180 area students.
    That’s quite a resume. It tells not only what Chris has accomplished, but more importantly, about who she is. Like a lot of Orindans, Chris is a person you may not have heard of, but whose life of service affects the quality of life in Orinda every day. She is someone you will never forget meeting.
    A final thought – thank you to everyone who joined our celebration of volunteerism in Orinda at Dancing with the Cars. It was a great evening, with a lot of old and new friends.
    And thank you to everyone who serves Orinda, as a professional or volunteer.

Clay Deanhardt can be reached at claydeanhardtrotary@gmail.com.