Rotary Meeting 8-29-2015
Posted by Bill Paul
(REDONDO BEACH, California) August 29, 2015 --Hey, how about a little Cha cha or Rumba or Peabody. Yeah, the Peabody, it's a dance step. Our luncheon presenters were a couple with some world ballroom dancing championships under their belts. Izabela Lewandowski and her hubby Tomasz brought the rhythm of ballroom dancing to our club luncheon.
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Originally from Poland, the couple recently opened a Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Redondo Beach. Formerly U.S. Dance Champions, they couple now coach and teach dance to all ages, "from 4 to 97," said Izabela. "It is a fun form of
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exercise and exercises all parts of the body at the same time. It is healthy and helps people lose weight. It's even helped spouses reconnect just by dancing together."
Not content with merely talking excitedly about her passion, Izabela and Tomasz then led Rotarians in group dance lesson. Cha-cha-cha! You can visit Izabela and Tomasz on their Facebook page. Or at their Fred Astaire Dance Studio here in Redondo Beach.
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In other business ....
President Nasrin told us that a member of our club, Rotarian Pearl Davis, had undergone aortic valve replacement surgery yesterday morning at Torrance Memorial Hospital. So, to cheer Pearl to full recovery Nasrin wanted to wish her well. Nasrin is very inventive so she engineered a method so we could all wish Pearl speedy recovery. Here's what she did.
Nasrin used her cell phone to call Pearl's hospital room. Pearl had recovered enough to take the call. Utilizing a jerry-rigged form of modern technology Pearl was able to hear AND converse with club members via her hospital phone-Nasrin's wifi cell phone on speaker mode-and the club's microphone. Club members in unison wished Pearl a speedy recovery to full health. We also signed a get well card that Nasrin sent directly to Pearl. Nice touch, Nasrin.
Oh yes, other business ....
Earlier this Wednesday morning five Redondo Beach Rotarians were on the South Bay Show, an hour long program hosted by local talk-show celeb Jackie Balestra. The South Bay Show is an internet radio program on the air live at 8 a.m. three days each week on Blog Talk Radio. This week's program examined how the Rotary Club and the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce work together on various community projects. In addition to Nasrin, Vicki Radel, Jeff Weigel, Rick Mendoza and Jim Stickler represented the Redondo Beach Rotary Club. Click on this link to hear the interview: http://www.southbaybyjackie.com/redondo-beach-chamberrotary-connection/
Oh yes, I forgot, more "other business:"
Well let's see. Suzane Lucas and Sam Dixon provided Meals-on-Wheels today.
Nasrin reminded us to enjoy a drink together Tuesday evenings at the Baleen Restaurant at the Portofino Hotel. The Baleen has offered to donate $1.00 to our club for every drink -- alcoholic and non-alcoholic -- they sell on Tuesdays in September. "Please go and tell your friend and it will help raise money for our club," she said.
Rotary Scholar Elizabeth Benninger told us about her studies in Cape Town, South Africa where she is pursuing a PhD. in psychology. Her studies are funded partially by Rotary and this was her thank you speech.
"I'm focusing on understanding how children living in violent communities cope," she said. "Living in this violent environment "what do these kids think of themselves and their well being?" A surfer from Santa Monica, Elizabeth teaches therapy via surfing. "The beaches in South Africa have got great surfing waves, and no I haven't encountered any great white sharks yet."
When asked what it's like being a white American girl in predominantly black South Africa, she replied," "Well, it helps that I am an American and not British or Dutch. That helps, but they generally think Americans are ignorant."
Elizabeth will return to South Africa for a year while she writes her dissertation.
Our luncheon ended about 1:30 p.m.
Nasrin used her cell phone to call Pearl's hospital room. Pearl had recovered enough to take the call. Utilizing a jerry-rigged form of modern technology Pearl was able to hear AND converse with club members via her hospital phone-Nasrin's wifi cell phone on speaker mode-and the club's microphone. Club members in unison wished Pearl a speedy recovery to full health. We also signed a get well card that Nasrin sent directly to Pearl. Nice touch, Nasrin.
Oh yes, other business ....
Earlier this Wednesday morning five Redondo Beach Rotarians were on the South Bay Show, an hour long program hosted by local talk-show celeb Jackie Balestra. The South Bay Show is an internet radio program on the air live at 8 a.m. three days each week on Blog Talk Radio. This week's program examined how the Rotary Club and the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce work together on various community projects. In addition to Nasrin, Vicki Radel, Jeff Weigel, Rick Mendoza and Jim Stickler represented the Redondo Beach Rotary Club. Click on this link to hear the interview: http://www.southbaybyjackie.com/redondo-beach-chamberrotary-connection/
Oh yes, I forgot, more "other business:"
Well let's see. Suzane Lucas and Sam Dixon provided Meals-on-Wheels today.
Nasrin reminded us to enjoy a drink together Tuesday evenings at the Baleen Restaurant at the Portofino Hotel. The Baleen has offered to donate $1.00 to our club for every drink -- alcoholic and non-alcoholic -- they sell on Tuesdays in September. "Please go and tell your friend and it will help raise money for our club," she said.
Rotary Scholar Elizabeth Benninger told us about her studies in Cape Town, South Africa where she is pursuing a PhD. in psychology. Her studies are funded partially by Rotary and this was her thank you speech.
"I'm focusing on understanding how children living in violent communities cope," she said. "Living in this violent environment "what do these kids think of themselves and their well being?" A surfer from Santa Monica, Elizabeth teaches therapy via surfing. "The beaches in South Africa have got great surfing waves, and no I haven't encountered any great white sharks yet."
When asked what it's like being a white American girl in predominantly black South Africa, she replied," "Well, it helps that I am an American and not British or Dutch. That helps, but they generally think Americans are ignorant."
Elizabeth will return to South Africa for a year while she writes her dissertation.
Our luncheon ended about 1:30 p.m.