Hope and Promise
Art is a form of communication. It has the power to inspire thought and heighten observation. Pleasanton Cultural Arts Council commissioned a local artist to tell the story of Pleasanton’s Rotary Club International.
Artist Leta Eydelberg envisioned the universal symbol of life, a tree, and imbued it with the fundamental elements by which the Rotary Club of Pleasanton International contributes to our local community and world. The mural, Hope and Promise, tells a compelling story of generosity, community involvement, and unparalleled humanitarian service of Club members to help build goodwill and peace in the world.
The story begins by revealing the possibilities of a dawning day.
A rising sun glints Pleasanton’s valley, ridges, and mountains in stunning hues. Purple and red-brown shadows bounce off the massive multi-branched tree bearing the symbol Pleasanton Rotary Club International.
Promise and hope are the branches.
A dripping polio vaccine bottle balances on a gnarly branch. It symbolizes the more than 35 years Rotary and its partners have been working to eradicate polio worldwide. There is no cure for polio. Every child is at risk, but polio is preventable with a vaccine. The hope is to end polio forever.
Capped and gowned students step forward on a twisted branch. On May 26 and June 1, Rotary Club of Pleasanton awarded $54,000 in educational scholarships to 14 local high school students. Then, on June 21, 2022, local college students were awarded $22,500. These promising students completed an application process and interview. The hope is, with the help of educational scholarships, awarded candidates will gain wings and soar into the future.
Rising above the center branch of the tree is the international symbol of a wheelchair. The Wheelchair Program has become Rotary’s largest and longest-running International Service initiative. Since Pleasanton Rotary first became involved in 2003, more than 6,000 wheelchairs have been gifted to recipients unable to afford one. To date, the focus has been on needs in Mexico, Central, and South America.
Two plump pumpkins are firmly balanced on a forked branch. 100% of the proceeds from the 29th Annual Rotary Club of Pleasanton Halloween Spirit Run go back to the community in the form of scholarships for local students as well as to local 501 (c)(3) organizations. Prior year grant recipients include Hively, Open Heart Kitchen, Sunflower Hill, Agape Villages, Hope Hospice, the Valley Humane Society, and more.
A white dove with an olive branch rises above a branch and floats in the leaf canopy of the tree. The Rotary Foundation has designated Disaster Response Fund grants to provide relief to refugees or crisis victims, offering water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing to the impoverished. Rotary members have generously contributed more than 3.2 million, including to the victims of the war in Ukraine.
An African woman balances a burden basket on her head. The water under her feet falls from branch to branch reaching the joyously outstretched hands of children showering in the water. The Rotary Club of Pleasanton’s Project -Water& Sanitation, Hygiene (WASH) constructed a 12 toilet and 5 sink facility for 500 students at Agbodekor Primary School in Attavi, Ghana. Only 5% of Ghanaians have toilets in their homes and there are no public toilets. Two other local Rotary Clubs partnered in the project bringing the final contribution to $17,747. It was completed June, 2022.
Artist Leta Eydelberg is a masterful acrylic paint muralist and storyteller. Her childhood art school training in Kyiv, Ukraine was cut short when her family immigrated to the US in 1993. Leta’s formal education took her to UC Davis where she graduated with a BS in Computer Science. Pursuing science, she graduated from Stanford with a Master’s in Computer Science. Her guiding principle through various struggles has been to “get inspired by doing the work; take little steps to strive toward big goals”.
Jan Coleman-Knight