Weekly eBulletin October 13-19, 2013
Written by Bill Paul and Scott Fellows
Photography by Rick Mendoza
(REDONDO BEACH) October 16, 2013 With President Karen Weigel off to Fiji for a month, past president Steve Scerra filled in conducting today’s luncheon.
Our Speaker Brian Morrissey President for the Day Steve Scerra
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Eleanor Manzano served as out greeter this week, Pearl Davis provided the invocation and Michael Payton led us in the flag salute.
Meals on Wheels this week by Scott Fellows. Next week Chat Campbell and Scott Young are signed up to deliver.
Announcements:
Steve acknowledged several members for their years in the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach: Laura Fields, one year; Allen Peters, seven years; and Monique Waite, seven years. He also acknowledged Nancy and Chat Campbell for their 25th wedding anniversary, and Terri and Chuck Anderson for their 32nd Congratulations to Chat, Nancy, Terri, Chuck, Laura, Allen and Monique.
October is Vocational Service Month. A table is available for members to display their company brochures and other promotional literature. All members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the occupations of other members.
Vision to Learn – Community Service Director Laura Fields reported on success of vision screening project a week ago at Washington Elementary School. “About 25 Rotarians showed up to assist,” she said. “The next stage of the project will occur in about two weeks, when the Vision-to-Learn van, staffed by optometrists and other medical personnel, will provide additional vision testing and eyeglasses to children grades 1 through 5 who demonstrate vision difficulties.”
The La Paz, Mexico trip is scheduled to depart LAX on Thursday, October 31st , at 10:00 a.m. and return Sunday, November 3rd at 5:17 p.m. See Terry Bichlmeier for more details, or if you are interested to go on this trip.
The next evening meeting of the club has been moved to November 6th at 6 p.m. from October 30th. The evening will feature Mike Grady, a local band impresario.
Don’t forget to buy your ticket for the upcoming UCLA/USC Tailgate Luncheon. The 5th annual event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 26th at the DoubleTree by Hilton on Hawthorne Blvd. It will take the place of our Wednesday noon luncheon meeting that week. For the first time the Redondo Beach Rotary Club will co-sponsor the event jointly with the four Rotary clubs in Torrance. Although one day earlier in the week then we normally meet, the Tailgate Luncheon will be considered a regular meeting for our club. Thus, the club committed to purchasing 60 tickets, essentially one for each member of the club. Though Steve noted, “The four Torrance clubs make it mandatory to buy four tickets. We encourage members to buy tickets because our bylaws preclude mandating purchases.”
Organizers anticipate attendance of at least 370 Rotarians and special guests. Speakers will include J. K. McKay from USC and Kevin Jordan from UCLA. Attendees will have the chance to meet team mascots, USC’s Traveler, and UCLA’s Joe & Josephine Bruin. Tickets cost $30 each. Proceeds will benefit the athletic programs at the four high schools of the Torrance Unified School District and Redondo Union High School. If you have not purchased your ticket, yet see Bill Gard or Scott Fellows.
Scott is also selling tickets for the football pool for the game. Cost is $10 per square. See Scott to choose you square and plunk down your cash.
Rolando Andrade spoke briefly about the club’s upcoming Casino Night, March 1, 2014. It is our major fundraiser for the year. “We have six teams” to help sell tickets, he said. “You will hear from us…If you represent a corporation support us with tickets and sponsorships.”
Happy Dollars: No surprises here, several members gladly paid a few bucks to brag about something or other. Altogether these "brags" raised $33.00! Here we go:
Ernie O’Dell has artwork in the Power for Arts exhibit at the Elks Lodge (when it opens); Larry Hashimoto told us his on Mitchell, a computer science major who graduated from Stanford, has started his own company in San Francisco to service a software program he created; Allen Peters told his son, a senior at UCI, has been inducted into Sigma Alpha Pi, the national honor society; Pearl Davis told us her granddaughter is graduating this June; not to be left out Scott Fellows said he hopes to make big bucks, (or perhaps just his money back) when Flying Fox pays off early next year. Keep your fingers crossed, Scott!
Today’s luncheon speaker was Brian Morrissey representing the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. His story is a compelling one.
Brian awoke one morning not so long ago and did not feel quite right. He went to see his doctor who ran the usual battery of tests. He later found out that he had Pancreatic Cancer, a debilitating disease that has the lowest cure or success rate of the known cancers.
The survival rate is just 1 in 6 who can even make it for more than 5 years. Brian has been going strong for 7 years now, and wants to go on forever. The goal of this Cancer Network is to double the success rate by 2020 and they will do so by using and Integrated Strategy:
(1) Initiating advanced research. (2) Community support, (3) Using federal funding, and (4) Mobilizing the troops (which means survivors and family work as teams to spread the word and create that necessary sense of companionship. Their motto is “Know it – Fight it – End it.”
Brian Morrissey can be reached at BMorrissey@pancan.org or by phone at 310.706.3356. The website of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is www.pancan.org.