Board, Committee Chairs Outline Coming Year

Karina Garcia Velazquez, the club's Youth Service chair, aims to strengthen the club's relationship with the Interact Club at Redondo Union High School.  "We'll continue with our student-of-the-month, provide scholarships to graduating seniors sponsor students to work on the RI Rose Parade float in December, support the Mama Hill effort sponsor an Interact T-shirt (she proudly wore hers as she spoke) and more," she said.  Sounds like Karina's got a full year planned!

Karina Garcia	Gailina Gilman

Board member Galina Gilman is in charge of community service.  "On August 16 we'll put together a backpack program with the Salvation Army for 43 kids," she said. "So bring lots of school supplies to that meeting."

Regarding club service, board member and chair of that committee, Bill Gard, is making plans for the club's sponsorship of the 5th annual USC/UCLA Tailgate Party in late November.  This will be the second year the club has co-sponsored this event.  In addition Gard said the club will sponsor the beer pour during the Super Bowl 5K/10K run this winter, and possibly take one or more bus trips to see the Dodgers and Angels play ball.

Bill Gard	PDG Pat Cashin

Meanwhile, PDG Pat Cashin is the club's International Service director and boy does he have big plans! For starters, a trip to India to work on a water project.  "This will be similar to the water project our members Jeff and Karen Weigel are spearheading and the club is supporting in Fiji. The total cost for the project will be about $36,000 with RI providing the major funding. Cashin said he plans to raise $6,000 locally with a hoped-for donation of $2,000 donation from the Culver City Rotary Club, $2,000 from  District 5280, leaving about $2,000 from our club.

A frequent visitor to India, Pat said, "Anyone from our club who wants to go will be hosted at the home of PDG Dr. Dorate in Puna.  It's in the central part of India about 200 miles from Mumbai.  Dr. Dorate, who visited our club and stayed with me for a week in June, is a retired orthopedic surgeon. He's got two beautiful homes there, like what you'd find in Palos Verdes.  So if anyone from our club wants to go their only cost would be airfare. Dr. Dorate will even send his car to pick you up from the Mumbai Airport."

"Of course we'll continue the water project in Fiji, participate in the district's Guatemala project, though I don't know much about it yet, and finish our school project in La Paz, Mexico.  In fact the club is planning a trip there the first week of November,"  he said.  "Plus, we'll support our new member Nicholas Sandoval's childrens shelter project in Tijuana."  As Pat wrapped up his presentation, Nicholas announce the next monthly trip to Tijuana will be August 9th.

Now it was time to shift gears, from the club's  involvement with the world to the future of the club. 
 
Past-prez Steve Scerra heads up the club's membership committee and he outlined the process the club follows to bring in new members.  When he asked, "Members who had been in the club less than three years please stand up." To everyone's pleasant surprise nine Rotarians stood.  And by my account, i.e. the writer of this article, at least two more new members would have stood up had they been present.  [Editorial comment: Hopefully this year we'll escape from the one-in-one-out pattern of the last few years.]

As an aside to his discussion Steve presented a pin to newish member Michael Jackson from no less than RI International, for having brought in a new member.  Keep it up Michael, let's get some of those 800 members of the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce that you are president of this year!
 

Steve Scerra	Michael Jackson

Walter Campbell, a fairly new member himself, will head the club's program committee.  "We are scheduled through January and have only two speaking slots open in October," he said.  "One requirement we are asking for this year is that every potential speaker has to be recommended by a Rotarian."  He said the club won't have only outside speakers.  Rolando has asked the first meeting of every month be craft talk by long-time members of the club."  Well that last idea makes lots of sense, doesn't it! After all, Rolando was a history professor and he wants to focus more on the history of the club and its members. Particularly with the club's 90th anniversary coming up in November.

Walter Campbell	James Jackman

Another past prez, James Jackman, is a board member and our Vocational Service chair this year.  "We'll continue honoring Redondo Beach residents this year with our businessperson, fire fighter and policeman of the year.  We're also planning to display member businesses during RI's Vocational Service month in October."

James also announced the club's Rotary Exchange student this year will arrive from Japan on August 21st.  He is planning a big welcome for her at LAX and invited all members to participate.

Finally we got to public relations, or "p.r."   Bill Paul, yours truly, the writer of this fine article, will head this  committee.  "You are all members of the public relations committee," he, er, I, said (it's hard writing in the third person about oneself, but I'll try.) "By your actions, your behavior, and everyday lives as Rotarians you are the best public relations we have.
 

Bill Paul	Chantel King	Scott Young

"With the help of Walter's program committee we'll get a press release about our upcoming program out weekly to the three newspapers in the South Bay. If you are planning any event in the future please notify me as far in advance as possible.  We're looking to develop a new banner for our Club Runner webpage and our club's Facebook page.  Jeff Weigel will post new information and photos to the Facebook page weekly and more often if possible. And we are developing a new section on the club's website to post the weekly newsletter. Lastly, at least at the moment, I'd like to ask members to give me the names and email addresses of friends whom you would like to receive the club's weekly electronic newsletter."

Looks like we've got a pretty busy year ahead of us.

Meals on Wheels by Chantel King and Scott Young.
 
Fine master Terry Bichlmeier imposed $40 fine on Bill Paul for having only attended one Rotary Club meeting while on a five week trip out of the country.
 

Gayle Albin-Bailey	Terry Bichlmeier	Amy Zimmerman

Guests this week: Two Rotarians were introduced but I didn't get their names or clubs. But, member Gayle Albin-Bailey introduced her very special guest, her granddaughter Hanna, and new member Amy Zimmerman introduced her daughter, Jodi Ehrenkranz, a recent grad of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo.

In conclusion club president and history professor Dr. Rolando Andrade tested our knowledge of American history.  "Who is the only president of the United States to have visited all the states of the union?", he asked.  Quickly, a bunch of former presidents names were thrown out: Lincoln, Bush, Clinton, Roosevelt, Obama.  "Nope, nope and nope," said Rolando.  "It was George Washington. In his day there were only 13 states in the union!"

Before signing off Rolando told us that he would be at "my son's wedding in Rhode Island next week and Dave Whitehead will conduct the meeting in my absence.  Behave yourselves," he said -- clearly, always the professor! -- as he rang the bell ending todays luncheon.