Sunday, February 19, 2023
By: W Todd MillerOn February 15th, 2023, the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, held its regular weekly meeting in person at the University Club of Washington, D.C. and via Zoom and welcomed guest speaker Leora Hoffman, an attorney and matchmaking expert. On February 15th, 2023, the Rotary Club of Washington, DC, held its regular weekly meeting in person at the University Club of Washington, D.C. and via Zoom.
President Marilyn Nevy Cruz called the meeting to order at 12:30 PM and led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Sergeant-at-Arms Lola Perez recognized birthdays and anniversaries for the week.
Secretary Todd Miller introduced the guests and visiting Rotarians.
President Nominee Bob Schott asked everyone to support the Club Foundation.
President Elect Lisa Cohen reminded everyone of the Vision Board event at her house on Saturday, February 18.
President Marilyn reminded everyone of the “Write Lunch” with Free Minds after the Club luncheon meeting on March 1.
President Marilyn inducted John Sandy into the Club. John provided some background, noting that he holds a PhD in Organizational Leadership and currently manages contracts. He thanked President Marilyn, Sergeant-at-Arms Lola, and Past President Bill Dent for their assistance and encouragement in his joining of the Club.
Sterling Hoffman introduced the speaker, Leora Hoffman, noting that she was not related to him. Ms. Hoffman is an attorney and matchmaking expert. She was born in Israel and raised in Brooklyn, NY. After graduating law school in 1982, Ms. Hoffman lived and worked in London, England, before moving to Washington, DC where she began her career as a practicing attorney in the field of criminal defense and civil litigation. In 1986, she joined the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, where she served as an attorney in the trading and markets division. In 1989, after the birth of her second child, she left the federal government to start her matchmaking business, focusing on professional singles in the Washington DC/Baltimore area. In 1999, Ms. Hoffman returned to the practice of law in the field of Child Protection and established a private practice in DC Family Court, representing children in the neglect system. While concurrently running her matchmaking business, Ms. Hoffman joined the Office of the Attorney General of DC in 2003 as an Assistant Attorney General in the Child Protection Division, where she served until 2015, when she left the legal profession to expand her matchmaking company. In 2020, Ms. Hoffman published her book: Catch Me a Catch: Chronicles of a Modern-Day Matchmaker, wherein she describes her own journey to find love, as well as over thirty years of client case studies.
Ms. Hoffman is a frequent public speaker in the area of relationships and matchmaking, and has appeared on public, cable and network TV, public radio, and the Dating While Grey podcast. She has been featured in numerous newspaper and magazine articles including Washingtonian magazine, the Washington Times, and the Baltimore Sun.
Ms. Hoffman currently specializes in the 50+ demographic. Since 1989, she has been responsible for 82 marriages and hundreds of long-term relationships. She currently resides in Garrett Park, MD, with her third husband Jim, to whom she has been married for ten years.
Ms. Hoffman explained that she is a hopeless romantic who believes that enduring love is possible at any age and any stage of life. She believes that successful relationships require common goals and values, good chemistry, and a “pinch” of humor. At the same time, no relationship is perfect. Hence good relationships are not about perfection, but about connection. She proceeded to describe her book, which chronicles the take-aways of each situation, successful and unsuccessful, that she has faced. In the end, the book provides a message of hope for singles and underscores that relationships take work for couples.
After questions and answers, President Marilyn presented Ms. Hoffman with a certificate for the planting of a tree under the Club’s Trees for the Capital program.
Todd Miller invited everyone to participate in the Community Service Grants Committee
Sterling Hoffman conducted the Raffle, which was won by Past President Gerry Murphy, but the Ace of Spades was not drawn.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:31 PM. Salvador Farfán was the producer on Zoom, and Steve Liston the producer in the room. Alphonso Westley and Chelsea Uzarowski were the greeters and provided hospitality.
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