After a long and successful career in sales and marketing of financial products, Nancy Weisel decided it was time to address her bucket list. It was give-back time. She joined the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach.
A native New Yorker, she worked her way across the country and settled with her husband, Jim Benton (a cowboy from Oklahoma, in Redondo Beach 22 years ago.
After spending so much time worrying about herself and her husband, and preparing for retirement, she realized it was now time to help others. Hence her interest in Rotary and all the things Rotarians do to help both domestically and internationally, “I’ve never looked back,” she said. “I look forward to tomorrow and what the future brings, and am excited to include Rotary in it.”
Jason Owens is an 8th generation native of Southern California, where his great grandparents arrived to the Los Angeles area in the early 1800s.
He works in the dental industry serving dentists in the success of their practices. Jason also serves as a board member of the Children’s Dental Center of Greater LA, and the Friends of Banning House Museum. He prides himself in practicing service leadership in all he does.
In his spare time, Jason enjoys sailing offshore races (he's completed two Trans Pacific competition -- that's from Hawaii to California), studying California history and spending time with his wife Joni, and two daughters Reilly and Ruby.
John Barnett grew up in the South Bay, spending most of his time in Redondo Beach and Manhattan Beach hanging out at the beach and King Harbor Yacht Club where he enjoyed sailing and scuba diving around Catalina Island. He lived briefly in Northridge while attending Cal State Northridge and earning a degree in accounting.
After a few years working for a Big 10 accounting firm he changed careers to Sales with IBM and moved back to the South Bay where he met his wife Sharon. After almost 35 years and way too much cross-country travel as an IT enterprise software sales professional, he choose an early retirement package.
His hobbies are golf and reading books by Lee Child and Dan Silva. He has lived in North Redondo for 25 years and looks forward now to recreational travel and giving back to the community via the Rotary Club.
Raised in Huntington Beach, Chris Engler is currently a resident of North West Torrance along with his husband Carlos Assemany. The newest member of the club's Young Professionals, Chris has a special affinity to the Southern California Beach communities and could never imagine living very far away from the ocean.
As an Eagle Scout, Chris spent a lot of his youth in service to the community; he sees the Rotary club as the perfect opportunity to continue to contribute not only in a professional capacity as a Productive Real Estate agent here in the South Bay with Keller Williams, but to participate in local community development and improvement also on a volunteer basis.
Chris is a graduate of California State University Long Beach with Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies and looks forward to being a productive member of the Young Professionals Arm of the Redondo Beach Chapter.
Posted by Charles (Chuck) Anderson on Nov 12, 2018
Our long-time friend in Rotary, Chat Campbell, passed away peacefully on October 31st of this year at the age of 92. He died after a lengthy, courageous battle from throat cancer and pneumonia.
Chat was a humble, outgoing and humorous Rotarian that always seemed to have a smile on his face and words of encouragement. A former marketing executive he was always willing to generously give of his time especially if it involved the youth in our community.
One of the original “Reading By Nine” Rotarians in the Club he spent some of his spare time counseling troubled youth.
He designed bookmarks for the school and advertised our events in the local press.
Chat grew up on a farm and served in the military both during World War II and Korea.
A short celebration of his life will be held on Thursday afternoon November 29, 2:00pm at the Blue Water Grill. Nancy Campbell, his wife and former President of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club will host.
Bring your fun stories and anecdotes of Chat’s life.
We are blessed to have known Chat, he will be missed. He was a good man and Rotarian.
Rotarians George Schane, Jim Stickler, Nancy Langdon, Jim Chen, Sandy Bagley and Bastien Morales along with Peary Middle School students and the USC Baseball team and the USC Dance team worked to clean up the School Garden. Watch the Video by Nancy Langdon
Peary Middle School , USC Baseball and Rotary at the School Garden
Rotarian and KTLA 5 News meteorologist Vera Jimenez stops by the News Director’s Office to share stories from her career. Vera is the recent recipient of the Impact Award from the National Hispanic Media Coalition, and shares why she dedicated the award to her mother. She shares amusing anecdotes about getting her start as a traffic reporter, and discusses her work with Redondo Beach Rotary.
Theodore Kenneth Wendorff, lived nearly 92 adventurous years. He is survived by his 4 children, 15 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren and Kim Wendorff, his loving wife of 25 years.
Ted grew up in Gardena during the depression and learned from a young age how to work hard. His parents would pack their lives and drive to the family farm in Nebraska every summer just to save money on rent. He got his first job at 9 years old selling day-old bread door-to-door for three cents a loaf. And he made money as a high schooler by driving a hearse even before having his license.
He enlisted in the U.S. Navy after high school, went to Northwestern and USC dental school on the GI bill. After college he went into orthodontics where he had a practice in Redondo Rivera for over 38 years, always with some real estate investment on the side. And he loved his time with Rotary, dedicating 60 years of his life and traveling the world with Kim for the service of others.
He lived large and loved well. He was an adventure seeker at his core, and even in his later years attempted to keep up with current technology and computers. He never stopped exploring new terrain or working hard to perfect a skill in one of his favorite activities like tennis, surfing, water skiing, heli-skiing, fly-fishing, or hunting. Ted would always say, “if you’re not falling, you’re not getting better.” He safari’d in Kenya, went scuba diving in British Honduras, windsurfed in Hawaii, built dental clinics in Mexico, and played the banjo, organ and trumpet.
He was a man of many talents, but he never stopped wanting to learn more.
As a dad he always took time to be with us kids. We’d often sit with him on the organ bench, play backgammon or listen to him explain financial performs and share his philosophy on life. While he stayed busy, we always knew he was proud of us and would make time to sit and talk to us when we needed him.
About 10 years ago he decided to surrender his life to Christ and pursued his faith with a new passion. One of his greatest joys later in life was listening to Todd preach at the River Church.
He always wanted to make a difference in this world, and we know he did.
It would bless our family if you wanted to donate to the two causes that were near and dear to Ted’s heart: River Church and Rotary International.
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach sponsors the education of Sathie Khatun from the village of Khulna, Bangladesh, through the Amarok Society with a $1,000 donation annually. The Amarok Society is a Canadian-based charity working to "defeat ignorance with the most powerful force know to man: Woman." It is active in Bangladesh, Nigeria and elsewhere in Third World countries. From its website it explains, "Amarok Society teaches uneducated mothers how to read and write, and then teaches the mothers to be neighbourhood teachers - educating their own and and their neighbours' children every day in their homes with astonishing results."
The photo above is of children in Sathie's village that benefit from her education. Below is is the latest letter from Sathie to our club, dated July 2018:
Dear members of Redondo Beach Rotary Club,
I hope you are well by the grace of God. You know that Bangladesh is an agricultural country and our livelihood depends on agriculture production and agriculture depends on mainly rainwater. This is monsoon in our country rain is good for the farmers. But people who live in slums in city area, monsoon is not good for them because of uncertain daily basis work opportunity. In slum people live in tin-shed shelter during heavy rainfall rainwater enters into the slum house from the roof, sometimes rain starts in the morning and continues the whole day, so daily labors do not find work for the day. In this season constriction work and other works become slow down. In our school our teacher facilitated a session on – “Savings for crisis days”. After that he started to save little money for our daily income. If we don’t find work we could use that money to buy foods. Sometimes mothers take short-term loan from each other to survive, as we are friends. However there are still problems for the families who have more children to feed but income is less. They could not do savings and are forced to go to the moneylenders or money-lending agency for loan by paying interest of their money.
Rotarian Dieter Thomas passed away suddenly from a heart attack, on June 23, 2018. He was 76 years old.
An immigrant from Germany, Dieter was an architect and well-known in his adopted country for having designed several award-winning homes. He joined the Redondo Beach Rotary Club in 2008 and volunteered in several capacities. Among his service to the club, he served as a volunteer architect on the Redondo Beach Veterans Memorial Task Force. The group spearheaded a project to build a memorial to area servicemen in Veterans Park in Redondo Beach.
In 2013, Dieter filled the role of Santa Claus on the annual Redondo Beach Christmas Police Department sleigh. When he rode the sleigh through the streets, and the sleigh stopped every couple of blocks for the children to sit on his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas, one little boy said, "Isn't that Dieter?" The child asked his Mom why Dieter was playing Santa. She came up with the best story. "Well, Santa was stuck back east and wasn't going to get here on time, so he called Dieter because he knew they looked a lot alike and asked if Dieter would be his substitute."
Well, thank goodness the Mom shared the story with us, because the next time we saw the little boy he came right out and asked Dieter, "Did Santa really call you?" And of course, Dieter said "Absolutely. The real Santa did not want to disappoint all the children, so I listened to all the wishes and reported them back to the real Santa."
Dieter is survived by three children, two sons-in-law, three granddaughters, and his beloved partner, Dottie Hashizumi. “He was such a wonderful, caring, kind and gentle man. He will be sorely missed. I’m so happy he was in my life for nine year.” She added, “On August 11th, his 2 daughters, 2 of his 3 granddaughters and 1 son-in-law and I will take his ashes out to sea.”
For their initial project, our new Young Professionals (YP) group organized club volunteers to participate in Sharefest’s 16th Annual Workday, a community-building service day to beautify and provide tangible needs at schools, churches and non-profit organizations throughout the South Bay and L.A. Harbor area.
On Sat., April 28th, 12 of our members volunteered their time to support a waterfront beautification effort for San Pedro’s AltaSea, a non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating collaboration in oceanic and aquaculture sciences, as well as incubating new ocean-related education programs to inspire the next generation for a more sustainable ocean. Our club members worked beside other local volunteers to help build and paint picnic tables, flower planters, and park benches that will provide school groups with a place to sit and enjoy the wharf while learning about AltaSea’s mission. In addition, our club donated $1000 to Sharefest to help cover project expenses.
Rock & Roll Casino Night was a great party. Almost 300 attendees, danced, sang, gambled and bought silent and live auction items. Great Food, Great Music (Feed the Kitty), Great Friends, Old and New
On April 7, 2018 the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach inducted nine young professionals into our club. One of the principle criteria of membership is these your professionals are unable to make the club’s regular Wednesday noon meeting. The induction ceremony was held at the home of Karen and Jeff Weigel with about 30 club members in attendance. This is the largest group induction in club history.
PDG Eli Gauna presents history of early days of Rotary International in Chicago, to largest class of Young Professionals inducted into Redondo Beach Rotary Club.
Andrew Borgic, P.E. moved to Redondo Beach from Redding, California in 2014 to open an office for Water Works Engineers –a private consulting engineering firm specializing in the design of water, wastewater, and recycled water infrastructure. Though work brought Andrew and his family of five to the South Bay, the local surf and welcoming community has kept him here. Andrew is honored to be a Rotarian; providing help to the less fortunate and clean water and sanitation to those who need it the most.
Nikki Parsons grew up in Redondo Beach and has been involved with Rotary from a young age. She was a member of the RUHS Interact Club, went to Japan with the District 5280 Youth Exchange Program, and is thrilled to finally be an official member of the Redondo Rotary Club. She graduated from UCLA and LMU, and now currently teaches at South High in Torrance.
Charamon Lewis is the Founder of Motorlipps, a clothing line dedicated to the woman motorcyclists and enthusiast. Prior, she was an Insurance Agent for AFLAC. In that role, she penetrated the untapped market of motorcyclists. There she increased annual sales by 25%. Charamon holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University Long Beach and has attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She is a mother of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys event planning, interior decorating, cooking and many creative projects.
Hunter Bradshaw was born and raised in Redondo Beach where he attended Redondo Union High School. After high school, he moved to Colorado and studied Economics at The University of Colorado at Boulder. Hunter is currently working as a Financial Adviser in Torrance, CA. In his free time, he enjoys spending time at the beach, playing Rugby, and watching the Dodgers and Lakers.
Marynda Hill is a Corporate Tax Manager for BJ’s Restaurants Inc. and has her own business completing individual taxes. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in English and became an 8th grade teacher in the LA Unified School District. After deciding on a career change, Marynda enrolled at the University of Phoenix where she received an MBA in Accounting and Taxation and continued working for companies such as DirecTV, Hyundai, Herbalife, Live Nation, and Sony Pictures in the Finance and Tax arenas.
In her free time, she enjoys traveling, going to concerts and plays, the beach and the gym along with activities such as archery, bowling, having a good time with her family and friends and being creative. Marynda has been a part of Rotary in the past, but is looking forward to working with the Redondo Beach Rotary with projects such as domestic violence, helping children and teens, and countless other activities.
Erin Sujan grew up in the South Bay, spending most of her childhood in San Pedro and Palos Verdes. She moved to Hawaii for college and stayed for five years and followed this up with 5 years in Washington D.C. before moving back to the South Bay.
Erin founded her current company, Sujan Creative, a year ago. Sujan Creative is a branding and content marketing agency. Erin has been in content creation, marketing and sales for over 15 years. The companies she has worked with include Amtrak, Fannie Mae, the Navy and the Marines, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Zoological Wildlife Foundation, 24 Hour Fitness and small and mid-sized local companies all over the country.
Erin gravitates toward large bodies of water, loves cooking, and couldn't get along without her best friend, a big yellow lab named Charlie. She's looking forward to giving back through The Rotary Young Professionals Chapter, and to getting to know her community on a deeper level.
Michael DeSantis was born and raised in Agoura Hills, California, and currently resides in Hermosa Beach. During the week, he helps facilitate comprehensive financial plans as a representative of Harris Financial Advisors, Inc. in Torrance, CA, and over the weekends, he enjoys hiking, going to the beach, golfing, and hitting home runs in his adult league softball games.
Michael joined the Young Professionals of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club seeking a pathway for providing his time and resources for those in need. His passions include feeding the hungry, promoting mental health amongst teens, and educating children on personal finance and the mindset of success.
Tomi Stewart is currently a Finance Manager for Moose Toys. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and Finance from Cal State University Northridge. She worked for companies such as Universal Music Group, Deluxe Media Management, and Live Nation where she lent her expertise in the Accounting and Finance areas. Tomi is also proficient in Spanish and a proud mother of five.
She is looking to give back whenever the opportunity presents itself. Tomi believes that we must stay connected to all facets of our community in order to ensure the greater good for all. Through a reflection of love, compassion, and understanding we can change the path of the future.
Chris Schane is currently a resident of Redondo Beach, CA, where he has lived since Nov of 2016. Prior to CA, he lived in Boston, MA for 10 years. He attended the University of Utah, where he majored in Finance with an occupational background in Aerospace and Defense. Chris has worked for the same advisory services contractors for over 10 years in the aerospace and defense industry, performing cost and data analytics on a broad range of military systems to provide government officials and US Air Force senior leaders with necessary cost estimates and economic analyses to make informed programmatic decisions and affordability trades. Chris is joining Rotary to take a more active interest in the local community. As the Redondo Beach Rotary Club is well-established and engaged in many areas of community outreach, and currently standing up a Young Professional group, it seemed a good way for him to get involved.
Jumping right in, the group announced their first project will be to assist Sharefest with the AltaSea project in the Port of Los Angeles.
Kudos to Karen Weigel who organized and recruited members to launch a Young Professional group within the Redondo Beach Rotary Club.
The Redondo Beach Rotary Club sponsors Sathie, a young women in Khulna, Bangladesh, through an annual donation to the Amorak Society. We recently received this update from Sathie about her progress.
Dear members of Redondo Beach Rotary Club,
I told you about my child “Jannati” and now she is over 5 years old. Now she talks with me and asks me many questions. I can understand what she says even I could guess what she wants to say. My Child Development Lessons helped me a lot developing my daughter in a proper way. I am very caring for my daughter’s brain development through responding to her needs and questions. But before this child development lesson none of us has any idea about it. I share my learning with my family members and with other women in our community. Now my husband is also very careful to her. I know if I was admitted in Amarok Mother School it would not possible happen to our family. By this time I come to know why first 3 years are important for a child for brain development.
My own learning and teaching to children are going well. I am trying my best to learn more from my school that I can teach better. You will be happy to know that we have good news for our school. All mothers are very busy and enjoying education much better. We are very thankful to you and Amarok team. After a break I have hundred percent attendances in school in last 3 months. I don’t want to miss a single lesson. You know in our school we have got tablets for lessons. Now all mothers of our school can operate them well. Tablets are very helpful for our learning and teaching to children. We call this our knowledge book. We have learnt many things from the consultants worked with us in last year e.g.
- Making quick test card for assessment - Use of tablet for learning purpose - Drama team developed - Learning session on social issue like women rights and household conflict regulation - Progress evaluation of children - Taking photo and videos & edit photos
And some others
Among them I liked about “Learning Monitoring of young children”. Amarok team works with us. We identified different issues in our community and developed drama with our own issues. Now we are thinking to develop a new drama for protecting child from labor and promoting child rights. I believe a woman can do lot of things if she gets education. It is important to set a goal and then work hard to achieve the goal.
You know about our school library, it is running well and every Sunday we exchange books. We have created opportunity for all women and children to take books from our library and to develop our library as our “community library”. This is a good opportunity for all and we all have to take it. We visit houses and tell to mothers about new books of our library, share our learning and encourage them to come and participate in our study circle. Now we are making new plans for our library activity. Developing reading skill for children is one of them. In my next letter I will tell you more about our new initiative
Thank you so much for your support to the education of our children and mothers
Members of Rotary District 5280 Peace Committee were among the 800+ passionate Rotarians and friends, who gathered in Vancouver 2/9-11 to learn about the challenges and seize the opportunities to create a more peaceful world through environmentally sustainable efforts.
Sculptor - Peter Lattey with "Peace". The sculpture was auctioned to support Rotary Peace Centers
Redondo Beach Rotary has started a program to bring music to seniors with memory issues. Music Mends Minds has turned into a popular program at the Anderson Park Senior Center.
What is culture? Culture unites us and culture divides us. It defines who we are and who we are not. And since each of us, with every purchase, meal, celebration, item of clothing, word and deed is actively shaping our own individual cultures, “there are as many cultures as there are human beings,” says Professor Emeritus and Redondo Beach Rotarian Alfredo Rolando Andrade. “It is how we learn. It is how we teach.”
The following are the most current statistics on the Polio Eradication efforts by Rotary, CDC, WHO, UNICEF and the Bill/Melinda Gates Foundation:
One new case in Afghanistan bringing the total cases of Wild Polio Virus cases of polio to 13 which still less than 50% of the 28 cases as of the same date in 2016. We are marching forward but there is still much to be done and with the dedication of Rotary with boots on the ground – it will be done.
The Redondo Beach Rotary Club annually donates to the Amarok Society toward its Adopt a Mother program. This year we sponsor Sathie Khatun of Khulna, Bangladesh. She recently sent us a letter updating her progress. Click below to read her complete letter to the Club
The UN declared September 21st as International Peace Day in 1981 and the District 5280 Peace Committee hosted perhaps the only Peace Day event in LA County when the Rotary Clubs of the South Bay: Del Amo Torrance, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita Torrance Airport, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Santa Monica, and South Bay Sunrise sponsored the symphonic multi-media presentation, “Winds of Freedom” at the beautifully restored Art Deco, Hermosa Beach Community Theatre.
In partnership with Peace One Day and Winds of Freedom Foundation our South Bay Rotary Clubs joined forces to show the creation of Alex Azin that celebrates life, teaches history, inspires peace and hopes for a better future.
Rotarians, Vision To Learn, RB Unified School District and Beach Cities Health District delivered eye glasses to Middle School and High School Students today. Together almost 100 students will be able to start their school year with better vision. Better vision has been shown to be a critical factor towards success in school.
Rotarians Deliver Glasses to Middle School Children
Sylvia Hill was inducted as a new member. Welcome!
Erick Golub
Speaker Eric Golub has made a career attempting to diffuse tense situations with humor. Self-styled as “the country’s preeminent politically conservative comedian”, Golub tours the country with his brand conservatively-leaning of humor.
“I try to make the most controversial topics uncontroversial,” the Brooklyn native and author of four books explained. “It shouldn’t take a hurricane to let us know we love each other,” Golub said in reference to Hurricane Harvey, which has been pummeling the Texas and Louisa coast this past week.
Golub likes to place himself right at the center of conflict and find whatever common ground may be there. Golub attends political protests and rallies to hopefully spread love through laughter. He often likes to bring dance music wherever he goes, because who can really remain that angry when great music is making you dance?
Golub has the following advice to end hate in this country: “Spread love and laughter. Don’t make mistakes that will take a long time to heal. And be good to children.”
Whatever one’s political leanings, these are bits of wisdom on which we can all agree.
Ron Day passed away last Sunday evening from pancreatic cancer. Sponsored by his father, Foster Day, Ron joined Redondo Beach Rotary Club in January 1960. He was a past president of the club and a wonderful Rotarian, brother, husband, father, grandfather and friend and we shall miss him!
The funeral services for Ron will be held on Saturday, September 9th, at 2PM at the First United Methodist Church, 243 So. Broadway, Redondo Beach, CA.
Visitation will be from 6:30 until 9:00PM on Friday, September 8th, at the White and Day Center, 901 Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach.
Karen Weigel reported on the club’s recent Vision-to-Learn project. “We had 19 Rotarians to assist, screened 250 students and sent 94 for further screening by professional eyecare specialists. We received lots of thanks from our partners the RBUSD and the Beach Cities Health District who told us they want us to do this program again next year.”
Visitors included special guest Sylvia Hill; Moe Isono, our exchange student from Japan;
and Ed Burzminski, Chamber Marketing Partners, Inc. of Redondo Beach.
Our guest speaker this week was Mike Lansing, Executive Director of Boys and Girls Clubs of Los Angeles Harbor. His topic: “Building Successful Futures in the Harbor.”
In 1995, Mike became executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Pedro and eventually the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Los Angeles Harbor when the struggling Wilmington Boys & Girls Club was merged in with the San Pedro organization.
Noting that one in five youth are in poverty, he explained the Boys & Girls Club of LA serves now 2,200 kids daily. “We have 13 sites in our area of Wilmington, San Pedro and the Port of Los Angeles.
Our objective, he said, is a “place where young people have a better opportunity then they were born into… We are an after-school program for kids in K9–K12.” Under Mike’s leadership, the Boys & Girls Club of Los Angeles was instrumental in the development of comprehensive youth development programs including an “Arts Academy” and a “College Bound” program.
We focus on academics, arts and athletics, he said. In academics, we provide education in STEM studies. In arts, we focus on fine arts and on digital arts. In dance and music, we offer from hip-hop to ballet and instrumental to voice training. Our athletic program offers leagues in basketball, soccer, flag football and golf.
More than 15,000 students have graduated from the program since 2002, he said “and this year 600 kids graduated from our program. That compares to 30 kids graduating in the first year of our existence.”
Following today’s lunch several Rotarians stuffed 250 backpacks with school supplies for students; these backpacks will be distributed Friday at the Salvation Army and at the RBPD Domestic Violence Advocacy Program.
Dave Whitehead won today’s raffle but alas, did not pick the winning marble and only received ten bucks. Better luck next time, Dave.
We will meet at Salvation Army immediately following the Wednesday 8/23 luncheon to stuff about 250 backpacks with school supplies. We need a minimum of 10 volunteers, there will be a sign up sheet or contact George Schane.
Backpack Stuffing Immediately Following 8/23/17 Meeting
One out of every four children has a vision problem. Now, couple that statistic with this one: 80% of learning happens within the first 12 years of life. Finally, look around any school: Are a quarter of the children wearing eyeglasses?
Very often the expense an eye exam and the cost of prescription eyeglasses is standing between a child and his opportunity to get as much as he can out of his education. Vision to Learn is an organization, which provides free eye exams to all to school children throughout Southern California. If Vision to Learn discovers that a child needs corrective eyewear, families are notified. For families in need, Vision to Learn provides the eyeglasses free of charge.
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach has partnered with Vision to Learn, Beach Cities Health District and Redondo Unified School District to give eye exams to Redondo Beach children at our area schools. This past Wednesday, Vision to Learn rolled in three mobile vision screening units–vans decked out in state-of-the-art eye examining equipment–to the South Bay Adult Learning Center. Families who qualify under the free lunch program were notified of their eligibility to receive a free eye exam, and if needed, a free pair of eyeglasses. Redondo Beach Rotarians aided the effort my giving initial exams and assisting with coordination.
Over 255 Redondo Beach schoolchildren took part. The goal of 75 pairs of eyeglasses was quickly exceeded and on this day alone, over 95 Redondo Beach schoolchildren will be heading back to school with new eyeglasses and a much better chance at success.
Vision Screening Event for Redondo School Children
Rotarian Jeff Weigel represents everything a Rotarian aspires to be. If ever the members of this club need a large table to meet around, Jeff welcomes the meeting to his dining room. Whenever Jeff recognizes something that might interest another Rotarian, Jeff makes the call. Whenever Jeff recognizes an opportunity for another Rotarian, Jeff makes the invite. But perhaps most impressive is the Jeff’s selflessness in Rotary’s mission to improve the lives of others. For some years now, Jeff, together with his wife, Rotarian Karen Weigel, have spearheaded WASSUP, a program to bring clean water to rural areas of Fiji. A water-borne disease, such as typhoid, can mean economic catastrophe to this island paradise heavily dependent on tourism. Dysentery can mean lost wages, lost school days and even death to the very young and old. Jeff, in cooperation with a water engineering firm, has taught the local populations how to construct and maintain water filtration systems. Moreover, the WASSUP program is self-sustaining and is being replicated by the Fijians themselves and includes vocational training in the schools. For this and for so much more, Jeff Weigel has been awarded the 2017 Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Rotarian of the Year.
Jeanne O'Donnell, Senior Program Manager for the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management
While one might consider a disaster, whether natural, manmade or a combination thereof, to be a singularity, for Jeanne O'Donnell, Senior Program Manager for the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, “disasters never go away.” Disasters always fall into one of these places within the “long arm of recovery” cycle: mitigation, preparedness, field response, and recovery. And within each of these places in the disaster cycle, there are a myriad of physical, government, social and economic factors which must align in a highly stressful, uncertain and changing environment.
Furthermore, disasters create battles for the future. There are competing interests as to how to bring “it” back and often, whether “it” should be brought back. “Disasters reveal what others think of you. Recovery overlays ideas of what we should and shouldn’t be like,” Jeanne explains, “Who should say, for example, what life ‘should’ be like in New Orlean’s Ninth Ward?”
In a strange new landscape, where familiar landmarks have been erased and, where one does not know which systems have and will fail, fear and stress take hold. “A strangeness comes over. Disasters change the way we think, feel and act,” Jeanne explains.
Those affected become strangers in their own neighborhoods. It is often the social institutions, like community choirs or Little League games or Rotary Club meetings, which breakdown, as such activities are sacrificed to address more pressing needs. However, it is these very community institutions which play a very important role in maintaining community identity, which in turn is vital to recovery. In a disaster situation, because 90% of rescues are performed not by first responders, but by neighbors, it is community institutions which can actually save lives. When the assistant soccer coach doesn’t show up to practice, that could very likely mean it is because he is in dire straits.
While government organizations and well-meaning volunteer groups mobilize, often priorities and agendas compete and field response can become a “hot mess” of competing centers. Preparedness can help to alleviate stress. The Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management has a great deal of helpful information available and it is recommended that everyone take the time to prepare.
New Members
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is beyond thrilled to invites two new members into the fold:
“We Are The Community – Leading the Way in Law Enforcement” Redondo Beach Chief of Police Keith Kaufman"
Redondo Beach Police Chief Keith Kaufman can count two Medals of Valor as well as a Dorothy Harris writing award to his many accomplishments. Yet, in the field of law enforcement this 24-year veteran of police work ranks changing police culture as one of the most daunting tasks he has faced."
“The number one problem facing police forces around the country is regaining the public trust. The police are the public. And the public are the police,” Chief Kaufman stressed. “I tell my officers, ‘Even if this is the 1000th burglary call you have answered, it is probably the victim’s first. We have to remember that. If it happens to you (the Redondo Beach citizens), then it happens to us (the Redondo Beach police).”
To this end, Chief Kaufman and his officers recently spent three days workshopping a vision for the Redondo Beach Police Department. “We Are The Community – Leading the Way in Law Enforcement” is the banner under which the Redondo Beach police now fulfill their vital duties.
“‘We Are The Community,’” Chief Kaufman stressed, “Three days for four words. But those words, although they mean something different to different people, they mean everything. Those four words are a call to action and make us part of the community.”
“Citizens need to feel that this is their police department,” Chief Kaufman continued, “And the kinds of things we want to implement here in Redondo Beach are the kinds of things that could be applied nationwide to change the way we police.”
Practicing what he preaches, Chief Kaufman has been an active proponent of “Coffee with a Cop”, a nationwide program where police officers engage with the community in a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere.
In addition to adopting best practices from around the nation, Chief Kaufman is taking the second half of the vision statement, “Leading the Way in Law Enforcement” quite seriously, as well. Chief Kaufman is spearheading four ground-breaking programs to improve citizen safety and make policing more effective.
Luke Pilapil was our Rotary Exchange Student in Italy this last school year. He told us stories about his adventures, the wonderful families who hosted him and the places he visited.
He even demonstrated his mastery of Italian, doing part of the presentation in his new language.
Luke was a great ambassador for our Club and the Rotary Exchange program.
Scott Elliott and his spouse Louise along with Larry one of their employees joined us to talk about ICAN.
ICAN is a not for profit organization that trains, employs and helps find employment for developmentally disabled clients. They are located in the South Bay in Hermosa Beach.
ICAN's mission is to provide a place where their clients can learn to perform jobs, have a social space to interact and get support when they are working.
They have a remarkable success rate, being able to place their clients after only 3 to 6 weeks of training.
Terry Bichlmeier has made the following announcement:
"Steve Scerra has resigned as our Club Foundation Treasurer as a result of advice from our Rotary District Governor Cozette (an attorney) to prevent any possible conflict of interest because he now serves as voting member on the Club Board as Vice President."
IRS rules do not permit an individual to be a voting member of both the Foundation Board and the Club Board.
Changes To The Redondo Beach Rotary Community Foundation
You need a scorecard to tell the players! We've had some changes to the Board and other positions in the club:
Terry Bichlmeier has resigned as Sergeant at Arms and Fine Master. Because of his position as President of the Foundation, we were informed by legal counsel, that he could not hold a position on the Club's Board of Directors.
Eli Gauna will be the new Sergeant at Arms
Vera Jimenez will be the Fine Master
Laura Fields has resigned as Secretary, she is leaving Redondo Beach to take a position with the State Department.
Saturday July 15th was a fine day for a parade in So. LA honoring PCI (People for Community Improvement). The event represented the 8th consecutive year that 5280 Rotary clubs have participated in the "Peace Walk for Life" to support Peace Advocate PCI's efforts to respect life and reduce violence via gang intervention/suppression, job re-entry, youth programs, anti-Human Trafficking and food distribution to the hungry. Rotary came out in full force, with approximately 50 walking for Greater Peace in District 5280!
(REDONDO BEACH, CALIFORNIA - June 27, 2017) Today's luncheon was one of awards and recognition. It was also the last meeting our current president, Alexis Sheehy, presided over. And it was the first meeting for our incoming president, Walter Campbell. First, the new:
(from left) Walter Campbell, Bill Paul, Anne Shea, Jim Stickler, George Shane, Jean Scully, Bob Hockberger, PDG Eli Gauna, Alexis Sheehy, Terry Bichlmeier, Steve Scerra, Faisal Hashmi, and Robert Baker.
Terry Bichlmeier announced the approval of Global Grant-GG1634076 “Clean Water for Baja California Sur” by The Rotary Foundation, in conjunction with out club. The project will be funded with $4,500 from the Redondo Beach Rotary Club and, in the aggregate, to the tune of $99,500. Shown with Bichlmeier are Nasrin Moghadasian and Amy Zimmerman. Not shown, but also contributing to creating the grant are Nora Giralt and Vera Jimenez.
Heidi Butzine has been chosen by our club to be our 2017 Non-Rotarian of the Year. Heidi is the chief marketing strategist at Localista and the founder of shoplocal.us.
Heidi is focused on helping small businesses succeed in a digital world. Heidi is also well-represented in our community, serving the Chamber of Commerce, South Bay Women’s Business Association and president of the North Redondo Beach Business Association.
Congratulations, Heidi!
Barry Brennon - Flying Lion Inc.
Drone photography has opened a bird’s eye view of the world to professional and hobby photographers alike. In addition to creating some spectacular Instagram posts, drone photography and videography have some very practical applications. Drone photography is used in all kinds of industries, including public safety, entertainment, construction, agriculture, and real estate. Airborne drone logistics may be just over the horizon. Law enforcement is one early adopter to employ this flexible, cheap alternative to helicopters.
Flying Lion, Inc. is a South Bay firm specializing in training peace officers in drone piloting, as well as providing drone photography and videography on-demand. Currently, only about a third of the photography drones in use today are used for commercial purposes. Barry Brennan, President and Founder of Flying Lions, Inc. believes that will change in the near future.
“We predict the need for 650,000 licensed drone pilots by the year 2020,” Barry says.
A license is required for a drone for any kind of commercial activity or, more specifically, when any kind of a transaction occurs. So, technically, the hobbyist my use his drone to photograph for his own purposes, however, if he offers to use his equipment to help out a friend, that could be considered a transaction. Licensing requires a certificate of authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration and familiarity with 600 pages of FAA regulations. In a nutshell, the Remote Pilot Certification regulations cover these basic rules: No flying at night, no flying above 400 feet without special authorization, no flying in inclement weather and obey the three-dimensional airspace rules. In addition, licensed drone pilots need to pass an FAA test, go through a criminal background check and must be in both good physical and mental condition (to compare, in California, it only takes a waiting period of ten days to purchase a handgun).
Thank you, Barry, for telling us about this fascinating new technology and its many uses.
This week's meeting will be a evening meeting to honor our 2017 Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Community Foundation Scholarship recipients.
The meeting will be held:
June 7th
Approx. 6 pm - 8 pm
Samba Brazilian Steakhouse
207 N Harbor Dr, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Hor d'oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages will be served. A cash bar will be open.
It's a big room and right now, we only have about a dozen Rotarians signed up to attend. Our guests may outnumber the members in attendance at this point. Please consider joining us celebrate this commencement time of the year, as we do our small part to help some of the best and brightest sons and daughters of Redondo Beach on their way!
At the beginning of this Rotary year, a goal of contributions from our members to the Rotary Foundation of $10,000 was set. Already, the club has met that goal threefold. One particular Rotarian, who embodies giving back and paying forward in so many ways, is Jim Chen. Jim’s first Rotary moment came already as a child. Growing up in public housing in Lawndale in the 1960s, money was tight for Jim’s family. So when Jim’s one great joy, his bicycle, was stolen, it came as quite a blow to the boy. When the story of that stolen bike reached the ears of a local Rotarian, that Rotarian bought young Jim a new one. Jim used his new bike to ride all the way to Palos Verdes to work as a golf caddy, where he picked up enough money to support his bike riding passion in a bigger way. Jim stepped up from bicycles to motorcycles and raced competitively throughout the 1970s. His best was qualifying on the pole position at Daytona, where he finished third. Along with his caddying tips, Jim also picked up some valuable tips on running a business. Jim has invested wisely and successfully: More than that he has never forgotten the impact that one Rotarian long ago made on his life. Jim has continuously stepped up for Rotary and our community. Thank you, Jim.
Art Awards
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach, through our Vocational Services, is very proud to sponsor an art contest for area high schoolers. Again, the judging panel was awestruck by the skill displayed and the thoughtfulness to incorporate this year’s District theme, “Imagine”, imagine their submissions. The South Bay does not lack for academic and sports scholarships: The arts, on the other hand, tend to fall short. The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is very happy to do our small part to correct this by offering a $500 top prize.
Sue Johnson
Convincing a tired Lee Travino after he finishes up on the 18th, that he needs to stick around because a golf ball may (or may not) have landed in his bag, and getting a call at the Masters that the walking scorer not only does not seem to know how to score, but also apparently can’t tell Tiger Woods, Lee Westford and John Daley apart, are all par for the course for national golf scoring chairperson Sue Johnson.
Sue Johnson has been a scoring professional golf since the 1970s. A math teacher at the time, while her father was a Pro Am golf pro and scoring chair for Canterbury Woods Country Club in New Hampshire, Sue was often tasked with double checking the scores and helping prepare the statistical analyses for the pairings. A pivotal moment came for Sue in 1989 while checking the scores of the first day of the Pro Am. Sue ran the numbers and found that pairings were incorrect.
“She’s right. Oh my God, she’s right,” she heard from the skeptical PGA rep.
On the second day of play, the same mistakes were made. Sue spotted them and corrected them.
“So,” asked the PGA rep, “Do you like to travel? Really travel?”
Sue, single at the time and with her weekends free, said, “Sure, I like to travel!”
And travel she did: Sue worked as a teacher during the week and headed to the airport almost every Friday to score dozens of PGA tournaments around the country.
The scoring chair plays a vital role and can have a huge impact. During a particular tournament in Abilene, Texas, which was plagued by wind and rain, George Archer finished his round and was packing up, ready to call it a day. On his way out the door, Sue stopped him.
“You might want to stick around. You’re tied for the lead, you know,” Sue told him.
George Archer ended up winning a five-way play-off. On the flight out of Texas, Sue happened to be seated across from George. “Give her whatever she wants, I’m buying” George told the flight attendant.
In addition to occasional good news, the scoring chair calls the shots on the green. For example, that one time in Cincinnati: The golf ball in fact did land in a very done-for-the-day Lee Trevino’s golf bag, which was on a golf cart parked behind the 18th green. No go, Lee, golf comes first: The ball was retrieved from Trevino’s bag and play resumed. However, the golf bag was not secured properly to the golf cart. And when Lee, finally permitted to leave, stepped on the pedal, it sent his bag and all his clubs flying all over the course. The Merry Mex was left less than merry that day.
The scoring chair must also manage the walking scorers, who are present at the greens. In addition to knowing the rules, it is really helpful, when the walking scorers recognize the players. At Pinehurst, no less, one walking scorer not only didn’t know the rules of golf, but could not recognize three of the biggest names to ever step on a green: Tiger Woods, Lee Westford and John Daley. When the television producers put that call into Sue, you better believe it was all supervisors on deck.
Sue has had the honor of scoring 62 U.S. Opens and has left an important legacy of accuracy to the sport of professional golf. Not only in golf, but Sue has brought her scoring expertise to the sport of Olympic synchronized swimming. Thank you, Sue, for sharing your experiences and expertise with the club.
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is proud to do our part in improving the health and wellbeing of our community. This year, the Club presented a check for $4,500 to go toward dental screening and mental health counseling. Redondo Beach Rotarian Dr. Larry Hashimoto is one of the most active supporters of this program, donating his time and professional talents to giving free dental screenings.
Sue Johnson – Redondo Beach Police Department “Ride Along”
Each year, the Redondo Beach Police Department donates a “Ride Along” in a squad car with an officer to our annual silent auction Casino Night fundraiser. This year, Redondo Beach Rotarian Sue Johnson placed the winning bid.
“It was fascinating,” Sue told the Club, “I’d really recommend doing this if you ever have the opportunity!”
Sue donned a balistic vest and rode along for a full six hours with officer Kyle and German shepherd canine officer Ammo. A typical day for a Redondo Beach police officer is never typical. On this particular day, Sue saw first hand how Kyle and Ammo addressed a number of different incidents, including indecent exposure, DUI and assault. On one call, a man who was suspected of assault on a women became especially belligerent and four officers were required to take the man into custody.
Sue saw first hand to what degree Amo is a highly skilled and trusted partner. Every second that Kyle was away from the squad car, Amo was trained on him, ready to spring instantly into action.
Thank you, Sue, for sharing your day’s adventures with us and thank you, Redondo Beach Police Department for the work you do keeping our community safe.
Raunda Frank and Heather Longride – NCADD
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) provides “education, information, help and hope to the public.” It is considered the world’s leading advocacy group to address alcoholism and drug dependence, with particular emphasis on prevention. Begun in 1944, NCADD has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about drug use and abuse in the United States and increasingly abroad.
The NCADD maintains a chapter in the South Bay and serves of the communities of Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach and Hermosa Beach. Raunda Frank and Heather Longride spoke to the Club about some of the work they do. Much of the work of NCADD focuses on prevention among children and teens. Prevention of drug and alcohol abuse is often a function of ease of access. 75% of teens surveyed in the South Bay admit that getting access to alcohol is very easy. 41% admit to consuming alcohol regularly. About 40% of teens admit that their access alcohol through their parents. A quarter of South Bay teens admit to drinking alcohol at parties. These numbers are concerning, especially when paired with the statistic that close to half of teens, who drink before age 14 will develop an alcohol dependency. Recently, students snuck vodka in a water bottle into a Palos Verdes middle school; several children were rushed that day to the hospital and treated for alcohol poisoning. These children were just 13 years old.
Beginning this year, The State of California has decriminalized marijuana. It is currently legal for Californians to maintain up to six plants in their homes for personal use. In addition, medical marijuana is much more widely available and medical marijuana cards are relatively easy to obtain. Many benefits of marijuana use have been thoroughly researched and thus proven, however, more widespread access has lead to more underage use and abuse. Today’s weed is not your daddy’s weed: In 1982, THC in marijuana, the chemical which produces the high, averaged about 4%. Today, your typical joint will have three times that amount. Medical-grade marijuana will have 20-30% THC. The lasting neurocognitive effects of these higher concentrations of the drug on developing teen minds is not completely understood. Further working at cross purposes of preventing teen and childhood marijuana use are the many marijuana products now commercially available, including pot cookies, candies and soda pops. To a child, tequila would be an acquired taste. But gummy bears and chocolate bars? Marijuana sweets are presenting an especially difficult challenge to parents and prevention educators.
In the South Bay, NCADD sponsors the Prevention Community Council (PCC), which organizes many outreach and education events throughout the year. PCC trains area restaurant and bar wait staff on how check ID’s, the laws surrounding an establishment’s liability when serving patrons alcohol and how and when to refuse to serve alcohol to a customer. PCC also sponsors educational workshops for parents to inform parents of current laws and their liabilities when teens are drinking in their homes. PCC also organizes so-called “reality parties”, wherein teenage volunteers act out a typical teen party where alcohol would be served, drinking games played and binge drinking encouraged.
Good drug and alcohol abuse prevention among our young people involves parents, schools, law enforcement, the kids themselves, as well as highly committed organizations such as NCADD. We want to thank NCADD for their part in keeping our young people healthy and safe.
Saturday May 13 from 8:00 to 10:00 AM our club will help distribute shoes to needy kids at Payless Shoe Source at the Galleria at 1815 Hawthorne Bl.
Athena Marano of the Salvation Army is coordinating the families of about 40 to 45 kids to be served. We need 6-8 volunteers to help with their shoe selection.
Karen, Anne and Sue have already signed up, so we still need a few more. Please text or phone me if you have any questions.
One out of every four children has a vision problem. Couple that statistic with this one: 80% of learning happens within the first 12 years of life. Now, look around any school: Are a quarter of the children wearing eyeglasses? Sometimes the expense of prescription eyeglasses is standing between a child and his opportunity to get as much as he can out of his education. Vision to Learn is an organization, which provides free eye exams and free eyeglasses to school children throughout Southern California. The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach has partnered with Vision to Learn for several years and joins the organization in giving eye exams to Redondo Beach children at our area schools. The highlight of this experience is when the Vision to Learn truck rolls up and fits the children with their new eyeglasses: Eye-opening in so many ways. The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach gave a check for $2000 to this worthy organization to continue their vital work in our community.
Peripheral Artery Exams to Benefit Rotary
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a narrowing of the peripheral arteries. It can be found in the stomach, arms and head, but most commonly in the legs.
Most people mistake the symptoms of PAD for something else. The symptoms include pain, cramping or tiredness while walking or climbing stairs. Left untreated, PAD leaves an individual at greater risk of coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke. Left untreated, PAD can lead to gangrene and even amputation.
Smokers, diabetics, people with high blood pressure or high cholesterol are at greater risk of developing PAD. Also, the risk of PAD increases with age.
Redondo Beach Rotarian Dr. Peters has offered to perform PAD exams to our members. Half of the $200 cost will be donated to the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach. Please contact Dr. Peters’ office and make your appointment today!
Chuck Anderson, Merida, Mexico
Redondo Beach Rotarian and 2008 Rotary District 5280 Governor Chuck Anderson is one of our most active and globetrotting members. Chuck shared with us a recent trip to the city of Merida, Mexico. Merida, located on the end of the Yucatan peninsula, has a rich culture and history reaching back thousands of years. The people of Merida maintain a close connection to their Mayan history. The local Yucatec Maya dialect will be very unfamiliar to Spanish speakers: It is a living connection to the time before Columbus arrived. Called the “White City”, Merida is home to many beautiful buildings from the colonial era.
While the sightseeing is well worth it (including the must-see Mayan ruins and a swim in an underground (!) spring), Chuck and his fellow Rotarians took the opportunity of this trip to come to the aid of the community. The Emmanuel preschool was in need of a safe and enriching play area, as well as a few other upgrades. Rotarians contributed to revamping the play area and painting the bathrooms. The ground is very hard in Merida, but planting trees in a local park was also on the list. The Coby Bachelor Degree School was provided sewing machines, fabric and rent to assist in fostering vocational education. In addition, Rotary is assisting in medical outreach to the community. Chuck, as he has done in many other countries, at many other Rotary projects, and to hundreds of children around the world, distributed his “signature” Chuckles candy and plush toys.
Thank you, Chuck, for sharing your travels and also for your indefatigable service to Rotary.
13 Redondo Beach Rotarians and 3 guests washed windows, pulled weeds and trimmed bushes for seniors in the local communities. We partnered with Beach Cities Health District and spent the Saturday morning improving the lives and property of community members who needed assistance.
After getting dirty and sweaty on a beautiful morning, we retired to our favorite Fish Shop for some good food and fellowship.
Meals-on-Wheels is looking for some volunteers for the weekly deliveries. Find a buddy, to help it 's a great way to get to know your fellow club members. Please see or e-mail George Schane (gschane@theaccessco.com)
Music has a way of bringing people together. And so does Rotary. Once upon a time in 2008, a lovely Redondo Beach Rotarian Vicki Radel went on a first date with charming Downtown Rotarian Peter Lattey. They went to hear a young folk singer at a club in Silver Lake. That young folk singer must have woven some magic, because that first date turned into another and Vicki and Peter, in addition to being very active Rotarians and humanitarians, are today a very happy couple.
Fast forward a few years and that same young folk singer, Lindsey Fyfe, through Vicki’s help, was awarded a Rotary Scholarship to study in Edinburgh, Scotland.
"Rotary changed my life," Lindsey explained, “I connected with so many people. Artists, folk singers. My Rotary year was a wonderful time, that set the course for what I am doing.”
Lindsey is currently a director for education at an art center in her home state of Connecticut. She is also the proud recipient of a Paul Harris Fellow certificate, also thanks to Vicki's efforts.
Alexis Sheehy, Total Solar Eclipses
Every few years, Redondo Beach Rotarians Alexis and Jim Sheehy will travel thousands of miles, spend thousands of dollars, and even board on a ship and sail into the middle of the ocean, just to stand for a couple of minutes in the shade.
Except this isn’t just any shade: This is moon shade. . . . (Click "Read more" below to the right for additional information about an eclipse.)
The first Saturday of every month a group of dedicated Redondo Beach Rotarians goes to downtown LA to help feed and cloth the homeless population. We need clothing, particularly mens clothes, pants, underwear, socks and shirts are the most desirable.
Please see George Schane to make arrangements.
Clothing or Toiletries Needed for Homeless Misson to Downtown LA
(REDONDO BEACH, California) The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is now sponsoring a “mother” in the Amarok Society’s “Adopt a Mother” program. It is an education program for poor women who reside in the slums in Bangledesh. We currently sponsor Sathie Kartun, a 20-year-0ld woman from the slums of Dacca. Click HERE to learn more about Sathie. And click HERE to hear former Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson and Gem Munro of the Amarok Society speak to Rotarians about the work of the society and creating peace through service. The Amarok Society is a Canadian non-profit based in Toronto.
Redondo Beach and other Rotary Clubs along with about 40 school kids joined together on Saturday to continue cleaning and restoring the garden at Peary Middle School.
The crew worked hard, cleaning up brush, pulling stumps, installing a new drip irrigation system and even demolishing some rotting storage bins.
Thanks to Eli Gauna, George Schane, Peter Lattey, Vicki Radel, Bob Hockberger, Patty Pickles, Jim Sheehy, President Alexis and Jim Stickler for their effort.
Also recognition to Henry Washington and Odette Board of Peary Middle School.
A special thankyou to Republic Services who donated a dumpster for all the garden waste. It was filled to the brim!
The Club and the Foundation presented a VERY LARGE check to Mike Stark to recognize the work of the Redondo Beach Police Reserves and to present the proceeds of the Police Reserves Recognition Dinner.
The presentation was made at the City Council meeting on February 21. Terry Bichlmeier, George Schane, President Alexis and Mayor Steve Aspel attended.
Community Service & RB Rotary Foundation Present Check at City Council
(REDONDO BEACH, California) January 18, 2017 -- The highlight of today's luncheon was the our meals were delayed, almost permanently due to a breakdown of the Bluewater Grill's elevator. To their everlasting credit though, the chefs of Bluewater barely missed a beat and rustled up another meal of halibut and rice and a great salad. Thanks folks.
Announcements, well we had several. Incoming president Walter Campbell urged members to buy their Casino Night tickets. He noted this year purchasing can be done online, but added, "January 31st is the deadline. Tickets go up in price and there won't be any turning back. No exceptions this year."
Colette Paul followed up by circulating a flyer giving members a chance to sign up for either a cash sponsorship or table sponsorship. At least $2,900 was pledged, with a total for these two activities of just over $13,000.
President Sheehy acknowledged the anniversary of Rotarian Allen Peters. "Jeanne and I spent a wonderful weekend near Ojai celebrating our 35th anniversary," he said.
Alexis also announced a change of venue for next week. She said the club will meet downstairs at the Bluewater Grill next week because of the malfunctioning elevator.
She also noted that Pearl Davis is resting at the Acute Care facility on Lomita Blvd. and encourage members to visit Pearl.
Guests included Rotarians Jim Beardsley and Richard Henseler of South Bay Sunrise Rotary Club, Connie Siegel of Harrisburg Rotary Club and former Redondo Beach Rotarian Suzanne Lucas. Also, Athena Marano of the Salvation Army accompanied Capt. Marcello Goncalves.
Our scheduled luncheon speaker missed his appointment. In his stead new member D.P. Agrawal--on few minutes' notice--stepped up to the plate and gave his craft talk. Of course it helps that he is a former two-time president of the Rotary Club of North Attleboro in Massachusetts.
Vicki Radel led the meeting in Alexis Sheehy’s absence.
Vicki began the meeting by reading a letter from the Salvation Army, thanking our Rotary Club for its generosity during the holiday season.
Jim Stickler led the club in singing Happy Birthday to Vicki.
George Schane announced that more volunteers are needed to deliver Meals on Wheels, and circulated a sign-up sheet.
This Saturday we will be going downtown to help the homeless. George Schane will be driving and he has room for passengers—please contact him if you need a ride. Donations of clothing and small toiletry items are appreciated.
Jim Stickler announced that on Saturday January 28th, there will be a garden clean-up at Perry Middle School in Gardena. Gardeners and their implements are needed!
Jim Chen told us that Ernie O’Dell received a new heart and is doing well. He has been returning calls to his cell phone, so good wishes are welcome.
Pearl Davis is still at Little Company of Mary and would like to have visitors. Although her memory is weak at times, she loves to reminisce.
Speaker:
Jim Stickler announced our guest speaker, Julie Coll, founder and CEO/Executive Director of Waterfront Education (previously King Harbor Boating Foundation).
Julie’s vision of gender equality regardless of socioeconomic background is the cornerstone for Waterfront Education’s community mission. By utilizing nature’s local waters to create hands-on STEM and STEAM learning experiences, Julie hopes to share her passion for the ocean and instill an understanding of the urgent need for its stewardship and conservation.
Julie Coll and Mark Hanson founded Waterfront Education in 2012 with a passion for educating on the water. Julie noted that people, particularly children, get out on the water and start to develop confidence while they come to appreciate and embrace nature.
Our harbor is unique. Being small and not commercial, it is great for beginners on the water. The ocean access is very near, and cool things happen in our harbor. For example, we have a thriving sand dollar colony!
Julie shared a slideshow of students enjoying waterfront education. She told us that her organization seeks to design programs that enthuse and inspire with STEM (Science, Technology, Education, Math) and STEAM (Science, Technology, Education, Arts, Math) programs based on hands-on learning.
Waterfront Education has a hub at SEA Lab, from which they run programs with the help of businesses in the community who want to help get people into the water while learning as well as having fun. STEM Sailing with South Bay Sailing is one of their business community collaborations.
Waterfront Education is committed to recreation and education; for example, sailing while learning. STEM classes that they teach are relevant to their local students. For examples, plate tectonics provide a topic of interest for Southern California residents.
The core values of Waterfront Education include safety, respect, stewardship, equality, fun, innovation, collaboration, community, leadership, and discovery.
Julie shared details of a few classes that they teach, including Lobster Hunt, Tinker Time, Explore & Discover, and WE can SEA Filmmaking. They also teach a large class with SEA Lab called Discovery at Sea.
Students are currently mostly home schooled from kindergarten to the eighth grade. Seventy-five percent are male and 25% are female. Most are local, but some travel over an hour to get to classes!
Waterfront Education is funded by fees for services, corporate sponsors, grants, family foundations, and individual donors.
Future plans include developing a scholarship program to extend beyond a one-mile reach, launch an adult program, create a STEM event/competition, and equip the marine innovation lab.
Final Notes:
Karen Weigel won the raffle, but not the red marble.
The Flag Salute was led by George Schane. Our greeter was Rolando Andrade. Vicki Radel’s inspiration was inspired by the concept of Gratitude. Bob Hockberger and Jim Stickler delivered Meals on Wheels. Guests were Athena Marano, Ivy Wheeler, and Connie Siegel.
Learning about Waterfront Education While Dining on Seafood at the Waterfront —January 4, 2017 Luncheon
International committee members Vera Jimenez and Terry Bichlmeier went to Tijuana, Mexico on Saturday to meet with prior RBRC member Nicholas Sandoval of Create Purpose and discuss our club’s participation in an RI global grant for The Abandoned Youth Agricultural Learning Project in BCS, Mexico (Nicholas has dedicated his life to serving the abandoned youth of Baja and moved to Tijuana in March of 2015).
After a slight detour, past member Nicholas met us in Tijuana and lead us to Hogar de Esperanza (home of hope) that cares for about 54 of Tijuana’s abandoned children. Create Purpose operates a garden and child development program at the home every Friday and Saturday.
The holistic program strives to break the cycle of poverty in Baja Mexico through hands on education.
The urban garden project at the orphanage site including composting, soil preparation; planting, tending, and harvesting. We saw corn, kale, squash, Sunflowers, spinach.
We met their team of professionals including educator-nutritionist, Marlena; psychologist, Lisa; agriculturist, Samuel and other mentors. We also discussed future plans for an aquaponics and grey water project to further enrich the garden.
Finally we met with a very impressive 23 year old Rotaract, President Amable. She and Nicholas have secured the backing of the original Tijuana Rotary club and District 4100 as the local partner club for a global grant.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) September 28, 2016—At today’s luncheon, we heard from Redondo Beach Chief of Police Keith Kauffman.
Announcements:
Vicki Radel announced that the Redondo Beach Rotary Club has received a certificate of recognition from the Mayor of Los Angeles for our outreach to the downtown homeless, PCI, and Mama Hill’s Help.
Vicki invited all members who have participated in the program to come to the podium for a group photo.
Terry Bichlmeier told us that the Amazon Smile Foundation would support our community service efforts if individuals would please register under the “Redondo Beach Rotary Club Community Foundation” when shopping at amazon.com.
Andrea Mosmann (above left) and Vera Jimenez exchanged their red badges for permanent badges.
Amy Zimmerman asked if anyone was able to host our exchange student, Shogo Oseogawa, October 10-11 and/or February 25 to the end of May.
Scott Young asked if anyone was able to store the boat currently in his garage. Amy Zimmerman and Nora Giralt volunteered.
Camp Pendleton donations, cash or gift cards, can be brought to the October 11th District Breakfast, or Alexis can take them for you if you give them to her.
Eli Gauna reminded us that the Rotary Foundation requested that the club donate $2650 in honor of the centennial. We have greatly exceeded that amount. In fact, Jim Chen donated $2650 himself! Also, be sure to turn in the raffle tickets that you sold in support of the October 22 Foundation Celebration aboard the Battleship USS Iowa.
Amy Zimmerman and George Schane will take donations of clothes and toiletries to the downtown homeless. See them to donate or to learn about carpooling to the next event.
Guests were Athena Marano, and Tom Tryon.
The Flag Salute was led by Rick Wendorff. The Inspiration inspired by Autumn was given by Vera Jimenez. Our greeters for the day were Faisal Hashmi and Robert Baker. Meals on Wheels were delivered by George Schane and Jim Stickler.
Chuck Anderson, Vera Jimenez and Amy Zimmerman traveled to downtown LA, Skid Row, to help feed the homeless population. We partner with People for Community Improvement (PCI) to help deliver a hot meal, distribute clothing and toiletries to a very vulnerable population.
The Club purchased underwear and socks to distribute.
This event takes place the on the first Saturday of every month. We usually arrive around 7:30am and finish up within 2 hours.
If you're interested in joining us, please see Vera Jimenez.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) August 31, 2016—At today’s luncheon, we heard from Commodore Harry Jacobs, Director of Public Affairs, US Coastguard Auxiliary.
Announcements:
Thank you to George Schane, Scott and Brice Young, Rick Wendorff, Colette Paul, and Jim Chen for the boat for the district picnic. Also, thank you to Colette Paul or providing the ice cream. Our boat didn’t win the competition, but at least we didn’t sink!
Vera Jimenez announced that on the first Saturday of each month, we have a homeless outreach in downtown LA, giving toiletries and large men’s clothing to those in need. Those interested in donating or helping with distribution are encouraged to come to 5th and Towne at 7 AM on Saturday. Anyone interested in carpooling should contact Vera.
Faisal Hashmi’s brother passed away recently. We send him our condolences, and a card was passed around for signatures.
Portofino Gives Back, every Tuesday at Baleen Kitchen, will give a $1 donation to the Rotary Club for every drink purchased. On the fourth week of the month, the donation from the Portofino will be $2.
Guests were Lisa Leonard, Nikki Parsons, and Eunice Lopez.
Music accompanying lunch was “Zadok the Priest” by late baroque era composer George Frederick Handel.
The Flag Salute was led by Jim Sheehy. In his Inspiration, Bob Hockberger quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson. Our greeter for the day was Bill Gard. Meals on Wheels were delivered by Amy Zimmerman.
The sea was not kind to our entry in the District Picnic but the boat was beautiful and the intrepid seamen Scott & Bryce Young, put forth a great effort.
Jim Chen, George Schane, Scott Young, Bryce Young, Rick Wendorf and Colette Paul built and decorated the Rotary Schooner!
Chuck Anderson was the Commodore (a very Jolly Commodore!)
It Was a Dark & Stormy NIght at the District Picnic Boat Race
After Wednesday's meeting District Governor Greg O'Brien led the Club members to the Backpack Production Line. Pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks, paper and more were stuffed into 120 backpacks in about 20 minutes of breathless activity.
The backpacks will be shared by Salvation Army and Redondo Beach Police Department Domestic Violence Initiative.
A huge thank you to Athena Morano, Bob Hockberger, George Schane and Jim Stickler for procuring and transporting the supplies and backpacks.
And of course none of this would have happened without the vigorous activity of all the Rotarians.
Click the link to see pictures of the Club at work........
(REDONDO BEACH, California) August 17, 2016—At today’s luncheon, we had a great many visitors, and our speaker was District Governor Greg O’Brien.
Announcements:
Fine Master Terry Bichlmeier announced a recognition fine of $10 for Faisal Hashmi, who fulfilled all requirements for receiving his permanent badge, and Eli Gauna’s Lexus keys were returned for a fine of $20.
A new member was inducted today! D.P. Agarwal comes to us from Massachusetts, where he had been a Rotarian for many years. He moved to the U.S. from India in 1967, has a Ph.D. in Materials Science, and enjoys reading, traveling, and hiking.
This morning, the Board announced that our club needed to raise $2650 for Polio Plus this year. Club President Alexis Sheehy took volunteers at luncheon today, who pledged $25-$500 each to reach the total needed.
Jim Stickler announced that we will be filling 120 backpacks with back-to-school supplies immediately after today’s club meeting.
Bill Gard reminded us that the Club picnic is to be on held August 27th from 5-9PM.
Nancy Langdon introduced Luke Pilapil, who is a high school student on his way to Italy. Luke attends the Orange County High School for the Arts. He will be traveling to Italy for 11 months, and today he shared pictures of his family and the village that is his destination. He thanked the Rotary for sponsoring him, and invited us to follow his blog on YouTube.
Alexis Sheehy introduced Terry Bichlmeier, to whom the District Governor awarded the ruby and sapphire “Paul Harris Plus 6” pin, as a token of thanks for his generous Rotary service.
Alexis also presented flowers to Carolyn O’Brien, for her support of the Rotary with her husband, the District Governor.
The Flag Salute was led by Terry Bichlmeier, and the Inspiration included a quote from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens and was presented by Walter Campbell. Chuck Anderson delivered Meals on Wheels this week. Our greeter was George Schane. Guests were the District Governor Greg O’Brien and his wife Carolyn O’Brien, Assistant Governor Karen Greenberg, Executive Aide Jerry Brown, Dexter McLeod, Dainlyn and Luke Pilapil, Myo Min Tun, D.P. Agarwal, Desiree Galessi, and Athena Marano.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) August 20, 2016—At today’s luncheon, we listened to Vivaldi and learned about the Best Buddies program from Alisa Stein.
Announcements:
Club President Alexis Sheehy reminded us that the Governor is coming to visit the club next week.
Jim Stickler announced that we will be filling 120 backpacks with back-to-school supplies next week immediately after the club meeting.
Scott Young told us that in getting ready for the picnic on the 27th of August, we need people to help with the design for the boat. This needs to be done by next week.
Alexis Sheehy announced that an anonymous check for $5000 was donated to the club foundation.
The Flag Salute was led by Marcello Gonsalves, and the Inspiration included words by the Dalai Lama and was presented by PDG Vicki Radel. Nancy Langdon and Jeff Weigel delivered Meals on Wheels this week. Our greeter was Bob Hockberger. Guests were Athena Marano and our speaker Alisa Stein.
200 North Pacific Coast Highway Redondo Beach, CA 90277
Mr. Sheehy:
Please find enclosed a personal check for $5,000 to be used by Redondo Beach Community Foundation. My wife, xxxxx, and I were made aware of your organization by Maury Wills. It is extremely difficult to concisely put into words what the friendship of Maury and Carla Wills has meant to the entire xxxxx family, and the fact that he mentioned your organization is about as good of an endorsement as you can get. Maury is an incredible role model! I have seen first-hand the impact he has had on the lives of young and old alike. What Maury has done for the youth of the United States of America is worthy of a Presidential Freedom Medal.. . . . .true story.
Suffice to say, we consider Maury and Carla extremely close friends. Yet, we know we are only two of a thousand people that can make that claim. So, xxxxx and I ask the following regarding the attached check:
Xxxxx and I remain anonymous
The attached gift be identified as "An appreciation for the generosity and kindness by Maury & Carla Wills."
Seven Redondo Beach Rotarians traveled to downtown LA to help feed the homeless. George Schane, Nasrin Moghadasian, Galina Gilman, Amy Zimmerman, Nora Giralt and Jim Stickler, Chuck Anderson helped hand out hot meals, distribute clothing and toiletries to the needy population.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) August 3, 2016 -We heard about Bach and the aerospace industry in southern California at today's luncheon.
Announcements: Club President Alexis Sheehy reminded us of an email she sent a few days ago. There are 20 openings left for a waterfront tour of the Redondo Beach Marina on August 7th. A reception will follow.
PDG Chuck Anderson encourage members to sign up for the club's Reading-by-Nine program. he also noted that only 4% of Americans donate blood, and encouraged club members to donate to the Outpatient Program at Torrance Memorial Hospital. Call 310-517-4647 to make an appointment to donate.
Bill Paul announced the club has eleven members who are MOU trained, qualified and certified to participate in the District 5280 community and global grant program. they are: Alexis Sheehy, Nasrin Moghadasian, Andrea Mosmann, PDG Chuck Anderson, James Jackman, John Russell, Karen Weigel, Jeff Weigel, Nancy Langdon, PDG Vicki Radel and Bill Paul
Guests: Athena Murano with Captain Marcelo Goncalves of the Salvation Army, Desiree Galassi, and luncheon speaker Al Muratsuchi
Birthdays: Amy Zimmerman July 28, Larry Hashimoto July 30, Chuck Anderson July 15
Meals on Wheels: George Schane & David Whitehead. We need two Meals on Wheels volunteers for August 3
Greeter: Jim Stickler
Scott Young Re: Picnic; Bill Gard Re: Breakfast and Picnic
Chuck Anderson
Steve Aspel
Fine Master: Terry Bichlmeier
Guests: D.P. Aggarwal, Anne Shea
Athena, Rick Mendoza, Judith Sirote
Music: Toccata and Fugue in B Minor by JS Bach
Speaker: Jim Sheehy announced speaker PDG Rick Mendoza:
Rick Mendoza is one of many scuba divers in the Redondo Beach Rotary Club. Rick presented a slide show with pictures from all over the world, from Catalina to the Mediterranean. Photos included beautiful underwater shots of sharks, coral, fish, sand slugs and worms, starfish, seahorses and more. Rick explained the importance of the use of artificial light in depicting the beautiful colors of underwater life, and shared information about the unfortunate decline of the underwater ecosystem.
Saturday, July 16, will be the 7th annual PCI (People for Community Involvement) "Walk for Life" event celebrating "life" and the work that our inner city Peace Advocate friends at PCI have accomplished. Due to their work physical assaults have decreased by 85%, homicides by 95% and in the last 4 years there has not been a single gang related homicide in the West Athens area which PCI serves.
This "Walk For Life" is a celebration of "life" over violence and honors all the anti-gang violence work that PCI continues to do.
Several Rotary clubs have participated in the past years and this year we will be carrying the "Rotary 5280 Peace Banner" as we walk the route beginning at the Sheriff's Youth Center located at 11911 S. Vermont, LA, CA 90044. We will be walking with the LAPD and Sheriff troops as well as other concerned and supportive citizens.
Please join us for a safe and uplifting few hours spent in the inner city in a celebration of life over violence! Remember to meet at the Sheriff's Youth Center to begin the walk.
Redondo Beach Rotary obtained a District Grant this year to help feed the hungry children of Los Angeles. We successfully ran cooking classes at Peary Middle School in Gardena and helped them to revitalize the schools garden. The garden is a source of learning and fresh fruits and vegetables for the students and the community.
Henry Washington, the supervisor of the garden and the students sent us these pictures of their efforts to plant trees, vegetables, build a drip irrigation system and clean out the garden.
We're planning to participate in their next garden event after the school year starts up again.
Peary Middle School Garden Flourishes With Redondo Beach Rotary Support
Our newest member is Robert Hockberger. Bob is an M.D. who has practiced medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center for 30 years where he was department chair for Emergency Medicine. Bob retired two years ago but continues to teach interns in the ER. His classification is medical education. He attributes his interest in medicine, teaching and service to his experience during childhood babysitting his five brothers -- and the fact that his dad was a Republican businessman and his mom a liberal activist, were both very active in the community. Jim Stickler sponsored him into the club."
Our Speaker today, former RB Rotarian Nicholas Sandoval gave an inspirational talk about his work with the Tijuana Orphanage for abandoned children. Below is the video that was not working at the end of his program. Enjoy....
Create Purpose - Nicholas Sandoval Program 3-15-2016
(REDONDO BEACH, California - May 8, 2016) Luncheon speaker Gil Garcetti is probably better known for his work on the OJ. Simpson murder case two decades ago, than he is for his photography. But haunting photos of recent trips to Africa on various water projects brought home to us how life changes "magically" when people no longer have to walk three or four miles, one way, three-times daily, to fetch water for their daily sustenance.
Photos courtesy of Gil Garcetti
"I was booted out of office in the November 2000 election, he said. Long an avid photographer of urban development, Garcetti's passion for photography led him to a trip to West Africa with a nonprofit organization dedicated to drilling wells to bring clean water to the region. Through the lens of his camera he saw "the problem girls and women have having to fetch water daily.: Teaming with World Vision, a world-wide non-profit with technical abilities, and Rotary Clubs, he raised funds for wells to be dug.
"The fresh water is right underground. You can't believe the magic that takes place, the tears of joy when people see safe, clean water for the first time. It costs about $12,200 for World Vision to dig one well, and then they commit to it for 15 years. More importantly, girls get to go to school, microfinance programs get underway. Access to clean, safe water changes lives."
Twenty children selected shoes and sandals Saturday at Payless Shoes in the South Bay Galleria. The children had a great time finding the latest styles and trying on shoes with the help of parents and Rotarians.
Amy Zimmerman, Terry Bichlmeier, Bruce Logan and his daughter Sarah, Sue Johnson, President Nasrin, Marna Smeltzer, Rolando Andrade, and Gayle Bailey provided support. Captain Marcelo Goncalves and Athena Moreno from Salvation Army helped bring the children and their families.
The staff at Payless Shoes and Mall management helped to make this event a success.
Thanks to all for a wonderful morning!
Rotarians and Payless Shoes Bring Joy to Little Feet
(REDONDO BEACH, California - May 25, 2016) U.S. trade isn't usually high on the conversational topic of most people, including
Rotarians.
At today's luncheon our speaker set out to change our mindset and focused our attention on free trade. Sarita D. Jackson, Ph.D. is the founder, president and CEO of the Global Research Institute of International Trade (GRIIT), a think-tank/consulting firm focused on trade policy analysis and advising businesses on the best strategies for taking advantage of global market opportunities.
In 25 minutes she explained the philosophies that underlie most American's attitudes about free trade with other nations. "The first belief is that free trade eliminates tariffs and secondly that it increases or eliminates quotes," she said. The answer, she said, It all depends because the United States has numerous bilateral trade agreements with nations worldwide.
Turning her attention to the current presidential race, she asked: "Are the candidates protectionists, free trade advocates or somewhere in between?"
The club held an evening meeting on May 18th at Crowne Plaza in Redondo Beach to award scholarships to deserving students and mini-grants to outstanding teachers in the Redondo Union School District. A total of 64 people attended the meeting including Rotarians, teacher, principals, and students and their families.
(from left) Diego Reyes who plans to attend UC Santa Cruz; D'Mitri Williams is headed to El Camino; Anna Reyes; Massa Kassab plans a career in medicine; Anna Sieger received a full music scholarship to a school in Pennsylvania; and Rotarian Terry Bichlmier.
The club awarded teacher mini-grants to three teachers in the Redondo Beach Union School District. Receiving awards were Jennifer Bell of the Tulita Elementary School, Thea Turnbull of the Patrras Middle School and Gillian Moberg of the Redondo Union High School.
Rotary Club Awards Scholarships, Teacher Mini-Grants
10 students at Peary Middle School are learning to cook through the efforts of Redondo Beach Rotary and a grant from Rotary District 5280. Our Chef, Meg Colvin, has taught three classes. Students learned to make sloppy joe's with lentils, cookie dough balls as a better snack than sugary processed food and Thai spring rolls with peanut sauce.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) April 22, 2016 -- Half a dozen club members traveled to Adams Middle School today to deliver eyeglasses to 45 students. The activity was the culmination of the club's Vision-to-Learn project.
"I love it when a child puts on their glasses for the first time and says 'WOW!' and this child pictured below (left) is the youngster who said, "Wow.", said Nora Maclellan, coordinator of the project. Another child was overheard to say, "I can read the sign on that far wall, wow!"
There are 11 more students who were examined last week and will be getting their glasses very soon! That is 56 kids whose lives will be forever changed. That's a total of 62 children who got free eye exams," she said. As part of this project every student at Adams Middle School had their vision screened by the school nurse or by your fellow Rotarians - that was a total of 982 students! Therefore, every child at Adams Middle School benefited from this project."
"Thank you for making the Rotary Community Service project involving Vision To Learn such a great success at Adams Middle School," she said.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) April 6, 2016 -- At today's luncheon we were treated to craft talks by two of our newest members, Andrea Mosmann and Vera Jimenez.
Andrea Mosmann, otherwise a seeming mild-manner woman, told us how she took an early interest in technology, graduating with a degree in the field. She became a teacher but after a several years decided she didn't like the field but chose to stay in research. That led her to AI or artificial intelligence. Along the way she received top secret clearance and studied decision making among the Pashtu. That's one of the ethnicities fighting for survival in the Middle East. Andrea also studied decision making in Pakistan, Yemen and Libya. Now, she is a grant writer for non-profits in the South Bay. There she met PDG Vicki Radel and before long became a Rotarian. Mild-mannered indeed!
Andrea Mosmann
Vera Jimenez
Our second speaker was Vera Jimenez. "Where there is no vision the people perish," she said, opening her craft talk. "That statement is etched on the exterior of the county center across the street from the Fish Shop." Vera and her husband own the Fish Shop Restaurant in Hermosa Beach. Vera recounted her childhood, growing up believing she was a slow learner and receiving spanking when she was "naughty" as she put it. "Plus, I wasn't born in the USA and never felt I could belong." But her life changed dramatically at age 17 when she put on a spare pair of glasses. "Oh my God, I saw crispness for the first time," she exclaimed. No longer of the belief that she was a slow learner, she soon realized that people engage in service for others and that lead her to join Rotary.
An event filled meeting for Wednesday March 30, 2016. After the sweat filled work out led by President Nasrin, Steve Scerra recognized members whose Rotary anniversary was in March.
Nora Giralt - 1 year
Jim Stickler – 4 years
Bill Gard – 8 years
Nasrin Moghadasian – 11 years
Ernie O’Dell – 34 years
Ted Wendorf – 59 years!
Our speaker was Cozette Vergari. Cozette spoke about Rotary attracting new, young professionals to membership and staying relevant as an organization.
She asked the assembly for their ideas on staying relevant. Suggestions were: Maintain a positive spirit; Stay physically, mentally and emotionally engaged; Be useful to others; Be open and adaptable to change.
She spoke about a new membership classification, Young Professional. This designation has only two requirements, that they pay the RI dues and they are less than 40 years old. The local club may define all other terms of membership, with the objective of being flexible about finances and meetings.
Cozette’s Club, Westchester, has allowed Young Professionals to meet separately outside the club for a less costly meal and to participate as they choose in the Club events. However, these individuals are full members and are asked to serve on committees and participate in the club activities. Westchester has attracted 10 members into this program.
She also described the results of the Rotary Summit at UC Berkeley. The attendees were separated the first day by age, under and over 40, and asked to develop a list of concerns and suggestions. When the two groups were combined on the second day, their lists were very similar.
Cozette emphasized that Young Professionals want to be respected for their knowledge, experience and capabilities and be listened to as equals. They also want to learn from the more mature members.
For her wrap-up, President Nasrin encouraged everyone to eat better and include oranges and nuts In their daily diet.
Alexis Sheehy reported that the Silent Auction total was over $25,000. It looks like we will net over $40,000. Revenue from some auction items has not come in yet, and some expenses have not been paid for. We'll have a complete tally by next meeting.
Also we sold three African Safari's and there is one more that can be sold! Don't miss this opportunity
The District Breakfast on February 11th was attended by: Karen & Jeff Weigel, Rick Mendoza, Chuck Anderson, Nora Giralt, President Nasrin, Sue Johnson, Galina Gilman, Alexis and Jim Sheehy.
Sue Johnson was recognized as a new member.
The speaker was Nora MacLellan. She spoke about Vision to Learn
Our first evening meeting of the new year was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel to recognize the sponsors of Casino Night. Amy Zimmerman, Terry Bichlmeier , Patricia Dreizler, Alexis Sheehy, Walter Campbell and Jim Chen were recognized.
Michael Payton, General Manager of the Crowne Plaza hosted us and put out a spread of food that was marvelous.
Redondo Beach Rotarians traveled to downtown Los Angeles Saturday February 6, 2016 to help feed the homeless.
Nasrin Moghadasian, Nancy Langdon, Jim Stickler, Vera Jimenez, Nora Giralt and Andrea Mosman, they were joined by Christina from Interact and George Schane.
Hot food, toiletries, drinks and clothing were given to hundreds of individuals who live on the street in Skid Row.
This effort was an outgrowth of the sponsorship by the Club of People for Community Improvement (PCI).
A busy meeting today, besides the usual warm up exercises led by President Nasrin, we welcomed 3 guests: George Schane, Jennifer Goldstein and Steve Goldstein.
President Nasrin presented the Non-Rotarian Business Person of the Year Award to Steve Goldstein, for his service to the community and upholding the principals of Rotary. He was lured to the meeting by his spouse Jennifer.
Eli Gauna inducted our newest member Susan Johnson, reminding her that Rotary would take as much of her time as she would give. The entire club welcomed her with the traditional handshake and hug.
David Witkin gave his craft talk, explaining how his love of sports and trading baseball cards in Boston, led to a career in the stock market. David explained the intricacies of Merger Arbitrage, a wonderfully lucid explanation of a very complex strategy that he uses in his business Beryl Capital Management.
Marc Sabelli also gave his craft talk today. Marc spoke of his roles in life, Husband, Uncle, Entrepeneur, Actor, Athlete, Model and Dog Lover.
A reminder next week February 10th is an evening meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel cocktails at 5:30pm. We will be recognizing the Casino Night Donors.
In December Rotary adopted a family through the auspices of Cheer for Children. We received a lovely thank you note that created a Rotary moment for me. Please read about the results of Rotary generosity.
Working with People for Community Improvement (PCI), Redondo Beach Rotary delivered 611 books to Raymond Elementary School. Kenny Jones the Director of PCI said, "The book shelves were bare before Rotary arrived".
Alexis & Jim Sheehy, President Nasrin along with Mr. Jones and his assistant Nigel made the delivery. Alexis read a book written by Rotarian Angie Ma Wong about Barack Obama to the children.
Rotarians Donate Books to Raymond Elementary School
Washington School 2nd graders have some extra help as they learn to read. Bonnie Turner, their teacher, sent these pictures of Rotarian Chuck Anderson hard at work.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) January 13, 2006 -- If you saw her walking down the street you wouldn't know that Sue Johnson is an official with the Olympics. You'd be wrong, of course because Sue has been the Chief Recorder for synchronized swimming since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
That and a host of other world class events. She's officiated at five Pan American games, four world championships, five World Masters competitions, seven Olympics, and so many other world-class events she can't even remember them all.
You ask why all this recitation of an impressive resume? Well, Sue Johnson was our luncheon speaker today!
What exactly, you ask, is synchronized swimming? Most folks know the name Michael Phelps because he won 22 medals in three Olympiads, 18 of them gold. Synchronized swimming? It's not as well known so let's turn to Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, which offers a pretty good description:
"Synchronized swimming is a hybrid form of swimming, dance and gymnastics, consisting of swimmers (either solos, duets, trios, combos, or teams) performing a synchronized routine of elaborate moves in the water, accompanied by music. Athletes can perform solos and compete in most other competitions.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) December 17, 2015 -- Final approval by the Redondo Beach City Council and a vote scheduled for the spring are all that remain for approval of a new assisted living center here in Redondo Beach. The new senior facility will be located at 320 Knob Hill Ave., currently the site of the Knob Hill Community Center and formerly an elementary school.
David Witkin, a member of our club and Redondo Beach School Board member, said the project has been in the planning for several years. Billy Shields of the Fountain Square Development, a partnership of four individuals with years of experience in assisted living, plan to build a center for 130 residents.
Anita and Mark Smith hosted an elegant Holiday Party on Sunday evening. Thanks to everyone who made this event a success. A special Thank you to Gayle Bailey for organizing the event
Click on the link to see the slide show created by Rick Mendoza:
On the third day of Chanukah, our Rotary meeting was an assembly, members only to transact club business for the 2016-2017 year. We considered and elected the new Board of Directors:
President Elect: Walter Campbell
Vice President Vicki Radel
Secretary: Laura Fields
Treasurer: Jean Scully
International: Jeff Weigel
Community Services: Jim Stickler
Club Services: Bill Gard
Vocational Services: Colette Paul
Membership: Nora Girault
Program: Jim Sheehy
Sergeant at Arms: Terry Bichlmeier
Chuck Anderson awarded Paul Harris Fellowships to 3 deserving individuals:
Alice Kerney - Chuck's Office Manager
Jackie Diaz - Chuck's Senior Accountant
Dr. Douglas Holtzinger - Chuck's friend and Chiropractor
Jim Stickler reminded everyone that at our next meeting on December 16th, we have three tasks to complete:
1. Bring new coats toys and gift cards for the RB Police Domestic Violence Advocate
2. Bring items that you have signed up to procure for the family the club has adopted
3. Everyone who signed up to deliver for St. Cross will assemble at the Church immediately following the Wednesday meeting.
More than 25 Rotarians and their families helped to feed people in need on Thanksgiving Day. 168 meals were prepared, packaged and delivered by the Rotary volunteers.
Besides being a worthy Rotary effort, the group had a fun time working together. A big thank you to Amy Zimmerman for coordinating the event!
RB Rotary Makes Thanksgiving Meals at Salvation Army
Tuesday night Redondo Beach Rotary presented a check for the proceeds from the RB Police Reserves Recognition Dinner to Mike Stark and Police Chief Kaufman.
Marna Smeltzer, Gayle Bailey, Jim Stickler, Police Chief Keith Kauffman, President Nasrin Moghadasian, Mayor Steve Aspel, and Mike Stark participated in the presentation of the check for $4158
Proceeds from Fund Raising Event Presented to RB Police Reserve
People for Community Improvement works in the South LA area to help the community in many ways. They offer:
Youth Education and Recreational Activities
Gang Violence Prevention and Intervention
Jobs and Education Resource Center
Feed LA Food Bank and Food Distribution
Redondo Beach Rotary to support our initiative to Feed the Hungry Children of LA has committed to providing funds on a quarterly basis to support the Food Bank.
Below, Jim Stickler meets with Kenny Jones and presents the 2nd Quarter check.
Mama Hill Helps is a small organization that focuses on neighborhood children in the Watts area. Providing a safe after school environment for 40 children from age 4 to 18, the children get help with school work, finding jobs, personal growth through tutoring and are fed meals. Redondo Beach Rotary has been providing funds to Mama Hill to help meet these objectives.
This year we expanded our assistance to help Mama Hill distribute a bag of groceries weekly to the the families most in need. We fund 5 bags each week at $10/bag. The bags are prepared by PCI (People for Community Improvement)
Below are some of the families receiving their groceries.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) October 9, 2015 Thr Rotary Club of Redondo Beach honored a dozen individuals who have served the city as voluntary police reserve officers.
(l to r) Sgt. Alan Beck, Reserve Coordinator; Reserve Officers Mike Stark; Jack Dickert; Patricia Boris; Norm Creveling; John McIntosh; Larry Brehm; Royce Branch; and Paul Decker. Absent are: Don Baird; Don Neureither; Rick Petersen, John Skipper; Barry Brennan; Ellen Gill and Jim Banach.
Our first evening meeting of the 2015-2016 Rotary Year is scheduled this evening, Wednesday, October 14th, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach. "We will have a brief meeting followed by presentations and fellowship time." The program for the evening will consist of awarding plaques to nine Redondo Beach Police Department reserve officers. See you there. Starting time is 5:30 p.m. and cost is $13.00.
Pearl Davis' son Glenn passed away in his sleep Tuesday night, he was 65. Our condolences go out to her.
Because she was not able to travel to the funeral, Pearl wrote and delivered her son's eulogy over Skype.
She asked that we publish the eulogy in the Club newsletter.
This is not the way it's supposed to be.. Mothers are not supposed to eulogize their sons. That is what I have been brought up to believe--children mourn the departed parent--not in this manner. I have been asked by Glenn's family to try in a few words-to speak about him--( a task I never NEVER willingly accepted, or thought conceivable.. My East Coast family--Mitch, Annette, Alyssa, and Erica and Marcia and Mara have come up with a method--not only will you know some of my maternal loss--but I hope I can send a picture in (words) of my special younger son--Glenn Paul Davis. Glenn from his beginnings--was selective in who he befriended. He was sweet, soft-with deep down feelings that he expressed in his own Glenn manner.
He was more on the reticent side than the talkative one--and he came to be known as the giver of his precious possessions: to say thank you to a favorite relative. It could be a stone, a shell, etc. As he grew older, he realized his talents were very visual, He, like his Dad before him was able to look at a "project-problem or challenge” and know what needed to be done. Many of us in our family were awed by their ability.
Glenn was quietly there, observing and acting in unexpected ways, to send or show his love. For example, I have always enjoyed the art of silhouette and one day Glenn, at age 10 wrapped up a present for me== the silhouette of a gentleman courting his lady—signed To Mom from Glenn... It hangs proudly on my wall today.
Glenn had agreed to join his Dad, Lou, and I and our wonderful dog Eppis on our move to Denver. But he did not like change, and, when his friend declined to join us in our relocation, Glenn changed his mind and chose to stay in Westchester instead. He moved in with that friend and his family.
Glenn was a remarkable young man—and many offers were made to him by friends. Through the Goldman family and Glenn’s close friend Peter, FUNTASTIC AMUSEMENTS was created, a successful organization in Playland. He and the Goldman family became close and from 2000 miles away, Lou and I were exceedingly grateful. To say Glenn was known and loved by many is a gross understatement, especially by his loyal employee network.
In closing, and this part is from my heart, Glenn married Annette on what would have been my parents' wedding anniversary, October 28, and we were all delighted. Differences were handled—sometimes well and others poorly. BUT when Alyssa Marie was born, life began to be complete. It took diligent effort for Annette to birth Erica Anne 6 years later and (I have never said or thought this before)—if Lou’s health was at all stable—we would have walked back to be CLOSE LOVING GRANDPARENTS.
Life is not a bowl of cherries, and as my heart is “breaking” I must give honor to Glenn’s family: Annette, Alyssa and Erica, for making their husband and loving Dad—OH—so loving and therefore a happy man. My older son Mitch found his happiness close by in Port Chester and was able to give, show, and share in Glenn’s life, for which I thank my God daily. I will always miss you Glenn. Hope you and Dad are fixing things together!!
Rotary delivers more school supplies to local children. Partnering with Salvation Army, we filled an additional 60 backpacks with school supplies and distributed them to local families. A big thanks to Walter Campbell, Luke Fraunces, Athena Moreno, Alexis & Jim Sheehy and Chuck Anderson.
Micheal Stark, an Honorary Rotary Club of Redondo Beach members, spoke before our Club today. “I always wanted to be a police officer. I always will be a police officer,” Micheal stressed, “I will be until they won’t let me into a black-and-white anymore!” Miichael’s dedication to law enforcement is most evident in his duties as Commander of the Redondo Beach Police Reserves.
On first glance, a reserve officer is difficult to distinguish from a full-time sworn peace keeping officer. And on second and third glance, as well: Reserve officers wear the uniform, are trained in law enforcement, are issued a badge and gun, respond to radio calls, investigate crimes and ride in black-and-whites. Very often, it is a reserve officer, who is most visible to the public at large. Redondo Beach police reserve officers are the ones who patrol special events such as the Super Bowl Sunday 10K Run or cover the beaches on busy summer days, thereby freeing up full-time officers to maintain their regular beats.
The difference is--and this difference is very important--is that a reserve police officer in Redondo Beach is an unpaid volunteer. It takes a special kind of individual to want to give back to their community in this way: Often, they risk putting themselves in harm’s way and are required to interact and deal with unpleasant and often heartbreaking realities. They do the things most of us would rather not even think about, and they do it only for the love of the community. The police reserves do not supplant the duties and obligations of the full-time sworn officer staff. In an era of budget cuts, mounting pension obligations and the unpredictability of when, how and how much criminal activity is occurring, however, the police force can count on these volunteers to back up regular officers if need be. As priorities pile on for the full-time staff, retired police officers now in the reserves--individuals with decades of law enforcement experience under the belt--will take on, for example, on the arduous and often thankless task of cold case investigation.
Not only are the reserve officers unpaid, but many of their expenses, including their training, is not covered by the police department. Were it not for the Reserve Corps Fund these unpaid police reserve candidates would be on the hook for their police academy training, as well as any additional training, such as keeping up to date in the ever-evolving field of crime scene investigation. And this is where the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach plays our part.
As a long-standing partner of the police reserves, for the past 23 years--and counting!--The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach has hosted an annual fundraising dinner to benefit the Reserve Corps Fund. Our next Police Reserve Banquet will be held at thePortofino Hotel on October 9, 2015 from 6 - 9 pm. All are invited to attend this special event honoring our reserve officers, their families and our friend, Micheal Stark. Tickets are $50 each. You may sign up on the Club website, under Events.
Fellowship, fun, food, and the Cougars Paddling Team made for a great afternoon at the District 5280 Annual Picnic held at the Seaside Lagoon in Redondo Beach.
The selection of food was prodigious everything from hotdogs, steaks roast pig to exotic desserts including Redondo Beach Ice Cream!
Our brave team of paddlers Amy Zimmerman and Nora Giralt set forth in their cardboard boat, paddling with great gusto. Alas, we did not win, but we didn't sink either!
Commodore Chuck Anderson starts the race
Amy and Nora put on their Cougar faces
Chuck Anderson and Sam Xavier
Colette Paul, Greg O'Brien, Galina Gilman, James Jackman
Alexis and Jim Sheehy enjoying the afternoon sun.
Marna Smeltzer, Galina Gilman and Gayle Bailey dish out the ice cream while James Jackman supervises
(REDONDO BEACH, California) September 2, 2015 --Rotarian James Jackman provided our only craft talk today. Turns out he was originally one of two talks, but Ernie pulled out at the last moment for some reason and James had to fill in. Good thing he is a talkative fellow! More on his presentation later.
In the meantime, Jim Stickler and Chuck Anderson provided Meals-on-Wheels today.
Gayle Bailey reminded us to enjoy a drink together Tuesday evenings during the entire month of September, at the Baleen Restaurant at the Portofino Hotel. Yesterday we had eight folks from the club, or friends of club members, show up for an evening at The Baleen. The bar there has offered to donate $1.00 to our club for every drink -- alcoholic and non-alcoholic -- they sell to Rotarians or friends between 6:00 and 9:00 p.m.
Gayle also announced the club's Mystery Bus Trip on October 10th. But don't ask where the trip is going, that's the "mystery" of the trip. We have a motor coach lined up if you want to go.
Reminders from club President Nasrin:
September 12: Future Leaders Seminars with District 5280 leaders.
September 20: Rotary Family Picnic at the Lagoon here in Redondo Beach. Scott Young reported we'll have a boat in the race.
September 26: New Focus Seminar
October 14: First evening meeting of the current Rotary Year at the Crowne Plaza.
November 14: PDG Rick Mendoza promoted the upcoming Paul Harris Annual Celebration at Lowe's Hotel in Santa Monica.
And now for James Jackman. Turns out this is his third Craft Talk at our club.
(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.
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
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!
Having a new backpack filled with school supplies makes the transition from summer to school much easier. Redondo Beach Rotary delivered the backpacks we filled to future scholars at The Salvation Army following last weeks luncheon meeting.
Nora Giralt, Chuck Anderson, Jim Stickler, President Nasrin and Walter Campbell present school supplies
The Portofino Hotel & Marina is proud to partner with Redondo Beach Rotary as part of their #PortofinoGivesBack initiative. Every Tuesday in the month of September (beginning September 1st), for every beverage sold in their Zagat Rated waterfront restaurant, BALEEN kitchen, will be donating $1.00 to Redondo Beach Rotary to help support our charitable efforts.
Also, on Tuesday September 29th, Baleen's is giving us a reception from 6-8 p.m. including appetizers, with a no-host bar to thank us for bringing in business. That will be a great opportunity for all the members to have a social hour with absolutely no agenda.
New Rotarian Sam Xavier Redondo Beach resident, is a realtor, probate and trust specialist with Re/max Estate Properties. Sam is the founder of Redondo Beach Professional Networking Group, and a sponsor of the Redondo Beach Education Foundation. He and his wife Bindu have two children, ages 10 and 12. Sam can be reached by email at SamXavier@sbcglobal.net. Sam was sponsored by Suzanne Lucas.
Nora Giralt is a business owner in Redondo Beach. She is passionate about providing career counseling to young adults. She can be reached by email at ng0916@aol.com.
Joelle Petit Adkins is a director of a language school, Savoir Faire Language Institute, in Redondo Beach. She has expressed interest in the club's Sister City project. She can be reached by email at Joelle@sfli-ca.com.
The bad news is that polio has not been completely defeated. Still, the World Health Organization has some good news to report: There have been no new cases of polio in Nigeria and that is one year without a new case! Click here to view the WHO report.
(REDONDO BEACH) October 8, 2014 -- In other business, Terry Bichlmeier gave an update on the weekend trip to LaPaz. Eleven Rotarians are planning to make the trip. Terry made last minute preparations gathering school supplies for the 120 students attending Diana Laura Riojas Reyes Primary School Dining Hall.
Club President Rolando Andrade promoted the upcoming Domestic Violence vigil at the Redondo Beach City Hall this weekend. We were also reminded of the upcoming USC-UCLA luncheon on November 18th at the Doubletree Hotel in Torrance. Our club co-sponsors the event and it takes the place of one of our regular weekly meetings.
A short board meeting was called immediately after today's luncheon. Jeff Melodia presented the idea for the Mayors Cup Golf Tournament to be sponsored by the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach. "We will try for the Rolling Hills Country Club on November 24th for the first tournament," Jeff said. He estimates the cost bill be $190 per player, and hopes to attract 40 players. The board approved the idea unanimously. More details to follow.
Rotarian visitors included Congresswoman Janice Hahn, District Governor Nominee Greg O'Brien, Past District Governors Dennis Benko and Lew Bertram, San Pedro Rotary Club President Arlene Dickey, and former member of our club James Sharvin. Jim recently moved to Ohio, and stopped by for a visit enroute from Honolulu to Chicago. Guests included aides to Rep. Hahn, Ivan Sulic and Elizabeth Odendahl.
Diana Laura Riojas Reyes Primary School Dining Hall
After three long years our La Paz Dining Hall project is almost complete! Eleven members of our club will be in LaPaz this weekend to celebrate and inaugurate the new Diana Laura Riojas Reyes Primary School Dining Hall.
REDONDO BEACH, California) October 1, 2014 -- Today's luncheon was a day to remember. Bill Paul announced receipt of a determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service approving the club's petition for tax exempt status of its Community Foundation. The foundation lost its tax exempt status a couple of years ago due to an accounting oversight. The IRS determination letter reinstates the status of the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Community Foundation as a 501(c)(3) organizaition.
Three of our members gave Craft Talks today.
Wayne Bradshaw
Amy Zimmerman
Nancy Langdon
In his Craft Talk, Wayne Bradshaw said, "Joining Rotary is the best thing I've ever done." He's been a Rotarian for 25 years. Wayne recounted the 40 years he's spent in the
insurance business, much of it here in the South Bay. He acknowledged his wife Kelly, three kids (only one of whom still lives at home), at that he is caring for "my parents in Virginia who are at 91 and 95....That's what has kept me away from the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach."
(REDONDO BEACH) September 24, 2014 -- Mike Stark, a member of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club, was honored last night for his nearly 42 years volunteerism with the Redondo Beach Police Department's Police Reserve Program. Stark is the department's commander of the unit. He is shown here with Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel, also a Rotarian. More than 100 community-minded individuals, including 10 members of our club, turned out for the 29th annual banquet honoring police reserve volunteer. Started in 1972, volunteers have provided an estimated 524,000 hours of police service to Redondo Beach in the intervening years, according to Stark. The annual banquet is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach.
(REDONDO BEACH, CA) September 24, 2014 "Being in Rotary is bigger than anything I could ever do." That according to luncheon speaker Lt Christopher Golden of the Salvation Army. "The Salvation Army came into my life when I was two years old and my mom was sleeping under a freeway overpass. We were homeless and the Salvation Army rescued us.," he said
In addition to being an officer in the Salvation Army, Golden is also a member of the Inglewood Rotary Club. "Being a Rotarian adds zest and zeal to my life and ministry," he said.
He recounted his experience as a member of the District 5280 Peace & Resolution Conflict team of five that traveled to Istanbul, Turkey a year ago to participate in the Mediators Beyond Borders program. He asked member to consider this: "We saw what conflict was like the the children's eye's. "We saw many kids in Istanbul looking for food while the men at the train stations were looking for work." He then posed this question to Rotarians: "When was the last time you had to deal with conflict, and I'm not talking about personal conflict. I'm talking about dodging bullets and trying to find food."
Announcements
The Mama Hill celebration is scheduled for Saturday, September 27. Click HERE to learn more about "Celebrate the Children." The event will run from 12 noon to 5PM. The Redondo Beach Rotary Club will host a booth and ice cream sale to help raise funds for Mama Hill Help.
Terry Bichlmeier reported the trip to LaPaz, Mexico is still on, despite Hurricane Odile that devastated parts of the Baja Penninsula a week ago. He urged Rotarians planning to attend to meet after next week's luncheon to make final arrangements.
New member San Kartounian was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. Kartounian joined our club about six months ago. Meanwhile PDG Eli Gauna received a belated award from Gov. Elsa Gillham.
Guests at today's luncheon included Louis Breams, a special guest of Nicholas Sandoval, Rotary Scholar Chie Mitsui from Japan, luncheon speaker Christopher Golden from the Salvation Army, Odila Gonclaves wife of Rotarian Marcello Goncalves, and a former member of our club who comes back occasionally, John Mirrasou.
President Rolando Where Are You? VP Dave Whitehead chaired the meeting today because our President, Professor Rolando is in Rhode Island attending son Kevn's wedding. President Rolando promises to return to the podium next week.
Live From Fiji
Rotarian PP Karen and Jeff Weigel at Work in Fiji
Past President Karen Weigel and Jeff Weigel joined the meeting live from Fiji (via Skype) to report in on the RBRC projects there. Jeff gave a detailed report of the water projects and Karen held the camera up to show us the view from their patio – palm trees and the Pacific Ocean: a very nice place to enjoy a glass of wine and a sunset. Karen and Jeff return in September and promise to update the club on all of the projects there. Thank you Karen and Jeff!
MattRunyon is Director of Program Operations for Team Rubicon. Team Rubicon is a Veteran Service Organization that provides military veterans with Purpose, Community and Self-Worth through volunteer service using their unique skills for disaster response, humanitarian crisis intervention, and community service. Mr. Runyon was the keynote luncheon speaker on Friday at the Rotary 5280 District Conference last May. Don't miss this program Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill!
(REDONDO BEACH, Calif.) July 23, 2014 "Hello Rotarians!" That was the greeting from our new prez, Rolando Andrade, a retired professor (Emeritus, at that) who obviously didn't forget the lessons of the classroom. Although new to the job, Rolando is clearly in charge!
We'll get to the penalties and introductions of guests in a bit, but first Rolando asked board and committee chairs to give a brief synopsis of their plans for the year ahead. Each speaker also introduced the members of their committee. Though there isn't space here to list everyone Rolando wanted to involve all 65 club members in a least one committee this year. The Committee Assignment org chart shows he succeeded! Click HERE or on "read more" above to see plans for the coming year.
(REDONDO BEACH) July 9, 2014 -- Greeter – Newly ordained club secretary Scott Fellows would have gladly greeted club members but he was busy learning the art by outgoing secretary (who’s really good!), Monique Waite.
Invocation – PDG Pat Cashin read some sage words.
Flag Salute – Chuck Anderson did it and was inspirational at the same time.
Meals on Wheels – With our club being dark, and the task slipping under the proverbial rug, Redondo Rotary forgot to deliver these important meals to the needy in our city.
** Next week retired Redondo Police Chief, Mel Nichols and long-time contractor Dal Covington will do the honors. It is thought they will do the usual excellent job and be at lunch before most members.
Visiting Rotarians – VP David Whitehead introduced Steve Holmston from San Carlos Rotary.
Other Guests – Gayle Bailey intro’d her nephew Leif Driezler; Capt Marcelo Goncalves brought his executive assistant Athena Marano. David Whitehead introduced his wife, Karen who also was our greeter for the day.
President Karen Featured on Retirement Magazine Cover
Thank You Karen for a Great Year!
REMINDER: RBRC IS DARK NEXT WEEK (July 2nd)
Greeter – Gayle Bailey
Invocation – Alexis Sheehy quoted some sage observations given by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s wife Eleanor.
Flag Salute – Jim Sheehy
Guests – Joyce Bichlmeier, mother of ex-prez Terry, Jo Hood, Mike Thomas from Texas, Cindy Carvel, Misty Fraiser, PDG Madhar Borate from India, Wayne Bradshaw’s wife Kelly and young daughter Katie.
Meals on Wheels – Galina Gilman & Nancy Langdon
Saturday, June 21st – Softball Tournament with the 4 Torrance Rotary clubs at Wilson Park. Unfortunately Redondo Rotary finished in last place, but President Karen gave it her all. And she has a nifty looking black eye to prove it! Also in attendance were Amy Zimmerman, Dave Whitehead, Steve Scerra, Terry Bichlmeier, Eli Gauna, Jim Chen and Bruce Logan (who patched Karen’s cut with Super Glue)? Also playing were Lizzie, Annie & Amanda from Redondo Interact. On the sidelines cheering were Rolando Andrade, Kristen Bichlmeier, and Karen Whitehead.
Karen Weigel
President Redondo Beach Rotary Club 2013-14
Don't miss President Karen's last meeting as our President. Karen will be reviewing the year and showing how we spent our time, talents and treasure serving our community and the world through Rotary projects. Be there to thank Karen for a great year, this Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill!
Invocation – Jeff Melodia – Speaking from the heart, and not a reference page, Jeff noted the life long journey Rotary represents to members and our world community. He also recalled his youngest son’s graduation from college and how he will face the life adventure, or journey, he will start. First, their summer vacation, then off to the world of work, and soon a career.
Flag Salute – Chat Campbell
Guests – Mary Ann & Nikki Parsons, the wife & daughter of the late John Parsons, who represented the best ideals of community service and Rotary. Sarah Rednour, her parents Esther and Edward, Anjanea Blackburn and Scott Young’s son, Bryce.
Meals on Wheels – Chantel King, Scott Young & son, Bryce.
Steve Scerra – Handed out the new Rotary Sponsor pins to Prez Karen & First Dude, Jeff and himself for sponsoring a new members this past Rotary year.
Mary Ann & Nikki Parsons with Scholarship Recipients
The John Parson Memorial Scholarships – Mary Ann & Nikki Parsons introduced by ex Prez Gayle Bailey, announced their success in raising $11,000 towards area students, both in college and our local high school. The awards were given to these fine young people for their devotion to community service and to support their goals of working in community related careers upon graduation from College. Both Sarah and Anjanea just finished their first two years of college at El Camino and are headed for UCLA in the fall. The two scholarships of $3,500 will help get the academic ball rolling. Four $500 scholarships were given to Redondo High School graduates Jennifer Duong, Cailin McMartin, Grant MacDonald & Christopher Chu. The El Camino College Foundation matched the $500 for each student. A $2,000 award was given to RUHS graduate Christopher Millet. Good work, you great college kids!
This distinguished South Bay attorney has a long track record of being a legal innovator and has won his last 17 cases that went to a trial. A Colorado native who served in the Marines before he started his legal career, he moved to LA and began as a juvenile gang probation officer working the mean streets of Watts while attending law school. One of his great passions is sports, and he has represented many big names -- everyone from football hall of fame coach George Allen, hall of fame baseball manager Tommy Lasorda, Lance Rentzel and Mervin Fernandez to Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, and Patrick Lynch, former general manager of the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Greeter – Terry Bichlmeier; Who was busy handing out his Insurance company’s writing pens. Heck, I can always use an extra pen, especially a good one. Thanks Mr. B.
Invocation – Jeff Weigel; Who read inspired, if just a little too long, words. Words with real meaning. If you know what I mean.
Flag Salute – Walter Campbell
Guests – Amy Feller, Speaker Marthe Cohn and husband Major; Joan Rodda, Andrew McReynolds, Craig Hibbard, Harry Comsky, Matt Marshall.
Greeter
Michael Jackson – Who as President of the Chamber board of directors is also busy planning the annual installation dinner, this year set for Thursday, June 26th at the Portofino Inn’s banquet room. This year’s theme is an homage to the great Italian Western, “The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.” Senor Jackson has requested my attendance and I told him that I would gladly come as the Clint Eastwood character, The Man with No Name or “The Good.” I’ve got an old poncho that I wore at a fraternity party some 45 years ago when we threw an outrageous costume ball after the showing of that iconic movie at the UCLA campus theater. I can’t believe I still have it, after all these years. Some things are too cool to ever part with.
However, Senor Jackson doesn’t like that idea as he feels that I should be “The Ugly” the role made famous by Eli Wallach. After weathering that insult, I suggested that HE should be the Ugly, or The Bad, as I am much better looking than he. While he didn’t disagree, he offered that we both come as “The Good.” And that was an offer that I couldn’t refuse.
The only problem that I can see is that Senor Jackson doesn’t own a poncho, and there is no way I’m letting him borrow mine, not even for a second. If he buys me a coupla shots of excellent tequila, I may relent, but I’m making no promises. Sorry, Mikey.
Marthe Cohn just turned 94 and was a spy in the French Resistance during World War II and was instrumental in ending the war by telling the French the Germans had abandoned the Ziegfried Line. She never told her story until in her 80's and wrote a book entitled Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany. She is jewish and born in Metz, France and spoke both German and French fluently which made her a great spy. She was able to smuggle out her entire family in to hiding, except her sister, Stephanie, who died in Auschwitz. Marthe has been married to Major for 56 years, has 2 sons and one granddaughter and lives in Palos Verdes, California. She is tiny but demonstrative and an absolute jewel.
Kurt Lieber is the founder and president of Ocean Defenders Alliance, a non-profit organization, whose goals are to work for a debris free sea.Kurt has been scuba diving our waters ever since he moved here in 1979. While enjoying the wonderful diversity of ocean wildlife, he also saw the downside of the loss of bio-diversity happening right in front of his eyes. He decided to start organizing people to remove man-made debris from our waters in order to prevent this gear from killing animals needlessly. Don't miss this program, Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
CJ Coolidge is the author of The People-Driven Business: Accessing Human Assets for Bottom-Line Results and a 25 year Business Performance Advisor with Insperity.CJ's Success stems from his core belief that any and all busienss problems are, at their core, people problems. Don't miss this program next Wendesday at the Bluewater Grill.
Rotarians from all over District 5280 enjoyed the Friday night RBRC Hospitality Night Table where Collette Paul, Nancy Campbell, President Karen & Jeff Weigel, David & Karen Whitehead, Rick & Helen Mendoza, Pat & Betty Cashin, Eli & Alice Gauna, Rolando Andrade, Laura Fields and Bart Thiltgen served wine, cheese, grilled veggies and fruit.
Written By Karen Weigel
Pope suspended for late payment of Rotary dues.
This past weekend at the District Conference in Indian Wells, Michael McGovern from RI told the story of being in a conference with an Argentine Rotarian when the selection of Pope Francis was announced. Pope Francis to us, Fago to the Argentine Rotarian who noted that Fago was an honorary Rotarian in his club. Checking RI computer records Fago was listed as suspended for non-payment of dues. Oblivious to the honorary Rotarian rule in place at the time the local Argentine club had neglected to continue to pay his dues. This rule has now changed. No more dues for Honorary Rotarians.
Michael also talked about Rotary’s need to move away from the strict structures of the past and adjust to the needs of today. “In the attraction of new members Rotary seemed to have missed a generation” Michael said. “The good news all indications are that this is over and Rotary is seeing a resurgence in attracting active, vibrant, passionate new generation Rotarians.”
Daniel Drennon (pictured above with wife Megan) is the head writer of Beer Paper LA, a monthly newspaper that provides news and commentary about craft beer, breweries, and bars in LA, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. His features include a monthly editorial as well as a column about “the adventures of the most infamous craft beer drinker in Los Angeles.” Don't miss this program next Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
Dr. Yuter is a member and past president of the Briarcliff Manor Rotary Club (NY) since 1989 with perfect attendance for the last 25 years. Dr. Yuter will be speaking on his proposed prototype free trade area in Gaza: this Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photography by Nancy Langdon
(REDONDO BEACH) May 7, 2014 -- A past president told us about his proudest moments as a Rotarian, we inducted a new member, and heard about the Rotarian Foundation. It was a busy day at our luncheon meeting today .
Guests today included Deborah Sheppard, Bob Parra, special guest Suzanne Lucas, and Ricardo Marcello.
PDG Eli Gauna inducted our newest member, Sam Kartounian. Sam is in the jewelry business and specializes in watches. Following the induction Sam took a moment to "thank my fellow Rotarians for making us feel a part of the group, and for accepting me and my wife as part of your family." Welcome Sam.
Announcements:
President Karen Weigel reported that 82 people attended the club mixer at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on April 30th. – It was our last evening meeting of the current Rotary Year. Among the 82 people in attendance were 35 members and 54 guests of which 19 were scholarship recipients, parents, teachers, and interacters. Karen thanked Rotarians for sharing their Rotary experiences with guests.
Karen also displayed the large photo-plaque presented to the club from Washington Elementary for the Vision to Learn program our club sponsored at the school several weeks ago.
Remember one and all, the District Conference is scheduled for May 15 to 18, at the Grand Regency in Indian Wells
Karen then said, "If you think things are going to slow down in the remaining weeks of my presidency, guess again." With that she announced two new projects.
The Redondo Beach Library requested LEGO building blocks to support its STEM activities. Karen said the club would buy LEGOs if necessary, "but if you happen to have some in your closet gathering dust bring them in," she said.
President Karen also announced a Senior Project with the Beach Cities Health District. "It will be a team building exercise," she said, and we'll do some – light gardening, window washing, and minor repairs at six to 10 homes on June 7th, from 8:00 a.m. to noon. See Galina Gilman who has a sign-up sheet."
Our own Rick Mendoza will be speaking on the Rotary Foundation. His talk titled, "What has taken me 25 years to learn about the Rotary Foundation – I will present in 25 minutes!” promises to be informative and fun. Be there this Wednesday Noon at the Bluewater Grill.
Written by Scott Fellows and Bill Paul
Photography by Nancy Langdon
(REDONDO BEACH, CA) April 23, 2014 President Karen called the meeting to order and acknowledged today's greeter – Wayne Bradshaw, who by the way is celebrating his 40 years in the estate planning/Insurance biz with an Open House at his office on Monday, May 5th – Cinco de Mayo. Ole!!!
Invocation/Inspiration – Birthday girl, Pearl Davis (who’s a spry 88 years manana) gave us our daily dose of thankfulness. Happy Birthday, Pearl baby!!
Flag Salute – Nancy Campbell, who forgot to tell us to place our right hand over our left heart, and “repeat along with me……..”
Guests – Permanent guest Connie Siegel from somewhere back east; Scott Young’s son, Bryce, Suzanne Lucas, Chuck Anderson’s daughter Kelly, and speaker David Schaub and his bride Lisa.
Meals on Wheels – Delivered by First Timer, Nancy Langdon & Old Time--the UCLA guy--Scott Fellows.
Go Kart Grand Prix – This Rotary race is set to begin at 6pm at Go Kart World in the city of Carson. The team consists of Capt. Scott Fellows, Ex-prez’s, Terry Bichlmeier, Jim Chen and Bruce Logan and his “faster than a shadow wife, Lori. (Editor's note: Scott reported after the race the club started in 7th place and ended n 3rd place. Hey, it ain't 1st place but moving up 4 places in short-track go-kart racing is nothing to be sneezed at!)
April 30th – Last Evening Meeting of this Rotary year. It’s to be held at the Crowne Plaza next Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30pm, give or take a cocktail. Meet in the Promenade Room. A small fee of $10 is asked for every member and their guests. Happy Hour Drink Prices and some tasty munchies to be offered. Park for $10, and make sure to get it validated, or it will cost allot more.
May 10th The District Assembly will be held at the Carson Community Center, from 7:00 a.m. to 12 noon. All members are invited especially you newbie's.
David Schaub, an Academy Award nominated animation supervisor at Sony Pictures Imageworks, has worked in the animation and visual effects industry for more than 20 years, and is currently working on THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2.
REDONDO BEACH, CA) April 16, 2014 -- President Karen welcomed members to today's luncheon. Among her announcement was that we would have two craft talks from new members Seth Stodder and Nicholas Sandoval at today's luncheon. So let's start today's club newsletter there.
The first craft talk was by Seth Stodder who grew up in the South Bay and now has three children. He is an attorney who worked in the Bush Administration and later the Obama Administration. His introduction to federal employment was jolting, to say the least. "I arrived at 8:25 a.m. for my first day on the job, a trip to New York City. There I was one of the last people to see the Twin Towers standing. I watched as they collapsed to the ground."
In both administrations Stodder worked on border security, immigration issues and trade issues. Now back in Southern California he is a partner in a law firm and an adjunct professor at USC teaching constitutional law, criminal defense and immigration law.
"Now, he said, "I'm running for the California State Senate in District 26. I'm running as an Independent against seven Democrat candidates. No republicans have announced for this seat. This race will be a test of the open primary system. I want to forge cross party alliances."
Our second craft talk was by Nicholas Sandoval, a business consultant. "I've helped Whole Foods Markets save $3.5 million in electric rates," he said. A snowboarder who has traveled the world in pursuit of his love of sports, Nick said that in the last five years he has spent 75% of his time doing volunteer work.
"Two years ago I joined the Corazon de Vida Foundation in Mexico that supports 800 children in orphanages throughout Baja, Mexico, including 36 university students. We tell our story in social media. I hope to see an end to child homelessness in Baja in my life," he said. Corazon de Vida sponsors busloads of volunteers on day-long Orphanage Trips to Tijuana in support of the foundation, once or twice per month. Nicholas invited the Redondo Beach Rotary Club to go along on one of the trips. He noted the Mexican government provides no social support services to homeless children.
"We don't want things that people through away," he said. "We prefer new items. We want the kids to open new stuff. We need toilet paper, Pine sol, diapers and other items in support of orphanages."
Following Nick's passionate presentation the club took him up on his offer. We are now planning a bus trip to Tijuana on May 24th. Click below for other club business.
(REDONDO BEACH, CA) Greeter – New Rotarian Nancy Langdon & With Her Camera, close beside her.
Invocation/Inspiration – First Dude, Jeff Weigel read a very inspirational and well-written note to personal responsibility. It was originally delivered at the Youth District (5280) Breakfast by an Interact member.
Flag Salute – Well done by Wayne Bradshaw, who appropriately mentioned that American is the greatest country on this planet, and we should be thankful we live here.
Guests – Mayor Gilberto Hirata and his support team, Peter Lattey of Downtown Rotary who mentioned the opportunities all Rotarians have to support each other’s charities and fundraising efforts. Roger Schamp from Palos Verdes Sunset Rotary announced summer concerts up on the Hill. They’re free, but donations gratefully accepted.
Meals on Wheels – Delivered by First Dude, Jeff and new Rotarian Walter Campbell.
District Youth Breakfast – 16 Redondo Rotarians along with 6 high school Interact members attended this quarterly District gathering. The speaker was most interesting and accomplished and was an outstanding motivational presenter. There are a couple of wrinkles in his story: Prophet Walker (his actual name) spent 6 years in prison. While there he obtained his GED, pushed for a college degree program and was the first graduate receiving an AA degree while still incarcerated. He talked his way into Loyola Marymount and into the Engineering Department the day after being released from prison. Now a successful businessman, he is running for the 64th California District Assembly, and still in his 30’s, proves anything that you want for yourself is possible. (Click HEREfor more details about his inspirational story.)
Mayor Chico, a member of the Ensenada Rotary Club, is touring Redondo Beach with our own Mayor Aspel and will be addressing the Redondo Beach Rotary Club this Wednesday.
Written and posted by Bill Paul
Photography by Ernie O'Dell
(REDONDO BEACH) March 26, 2014 -President Karen Weigel rang the bell to open today's luncheon and quickly introduced Rotarian Walter Campbell. A trained Shakespearean actor, Walter (shown at right) set the stage by describing a scene from one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, King Lear. He recited Lear's lament In Act III scene IV. In it Lear said he hadn't done enough for the poor when he had money. Now, in this self chastisement, the poverty-stricken Lear said he knew what it felt like to be poor. Walter concluded the quote by tying Lear's message to Rotary's charitable and humanitarian foundations.
President-elect Rolando Andrade led us in the Flag Salute.
Guests included Manny Pacheco, Deborah Smith, Justin Steele, Lucas Larsen, Alex Ioda, Connie Siegel of the Harrisburg (PA) Rotary Club, Leslie Scollo a special guest of Jeff Melodia, and Conrad Barrington a special guest of Wayne Bradshaw.–
Meals on Wheels were delivered today by Jeff Weigel BY HIMSELF! Good show, Jeff.
President Karen announced the bookmark (shown at left) of the winning posters in the club's annual art contest, is now available. Contact Chat Campbell for additional copies, and see the article preceding this one above for details about contest results.
Karen also reminded members of the April 12th District wide Community Service Day. Galina Gilman is heading up this hands-on community project. Rotarians will engage in greenbelt planting on 190th & Rindge Lane. We'll work under the direction of Joe Lodinsky, Redondo Beach Public Works Manager of Parks & Urban Forestry.
The blood drive that had been scheduled as part of the Community Service Day has been cancelled.
The Redondo Union High School Interact Club is organizing a District 5280 Social Event scheduled for the evening of April 12th.
Rolando Andrade announced the long-awaited thank-you party for the winners of the Casino Night fund-raising drive will be feted at a party at the home of Rotarian Scott Fellows, April 26th. More details to follow.
Karen announced the fourth club evening meeting will be held April 30 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Crowne Plaza in the Promenade Room. This is the same location where the club held its past-president's party last May. Cost: $10 appetizers, $5 beer and wine, $7 well drinks, and $10 validated self parking, Scholarships worth $1,000 each will be presented to five graduating RUHS students.
Don Nose, President
Go For Broke National Education Center
The mission of the Go For Broke National Education Center is to educate the public about the responsibilities, challenges, and rights of American citizenship by using the life stories of the Japanese American soldiers of World War II. Our luncheon speaker for the April 2nd meeting will be, Donald R. Nose, president of the association. For 25 years, this organization has been working to collect, preserve and teach the stories of the Nisei Veterans who served in segregated infantry and intelligence units during World War II. Their story resonates across multiple generations of Americans of many ethnicities.
Author Manny Pacheco has enjoyed a growing acclaim through his Forgotten Hollywood Book Series, now included in the library collections of the Hollywood Heritage Museum, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, American Film Institute, among others. He is currently in production to turn his literary work into a documentary. A Southern California television and radio personality for over three decades, Manny was on NBC's Santa Barbara, co-hosted the Daytime Emmy-nominated In Studio, and currently hosts Forgotten Hollywood, a weekly program on the Financial News and Talk Network.
(REDONDO BEACH, California) March 19, 2014 President Karen Weigel opened the meeting calling on members to offer the invocation and flag salute.
Laura Fields was named
Rotarian-of-the-Month for her
work coordinating and executing
the auction at the club's recent
Casino Night. She is shown with President Karen Weigel.
Guests – Karen Whitehead, Roy Bolling, luncheon speaker Lou Serrano and his assistant DeeDee Clark, Sam Kartunian a special guest of Jeff Weigel, Steve Kassel of the Long Beach Rotary Club, Connie Siegel of the Harrisburg (PA) Rotary Club, and former member Jim Sharvin who came by to say hello though he has moved to Ohio.
Meals on Wheels were delivered by Chat Campbell and Jeff Weigel
Family of Rotary: Pearl Davis thanked members for their "thank you cards and phone calls" during her recent illness. Referring to the club she said, "This is my family."
Written by Bill Paul
Photography by Dave Whitehead
(REDONDO BEACH) March 12, 2014 -- We were privileged today to hear from an educator who is truly changing the world. Luncheon speaker Gem Munro gave a presentation about the Amarok Society and the life-changing impact it is making in the far-away slums of Bangladesh. Following his presentation, one member of our club commented, "Our speakers at today's Rotary luncheon were a wonderful, articulate, engaging couple from Canada who are trying to teach English and math to Muslim woman in Bangladesh. They are making some progress despite oppositions from slum landholders and husbands." Click HERE to learn more....
Upon arrival today club members were greeted by Rotarian Scott Fellows, an inspirational message was given by Rotarian Seth Stodder, and new member Rotarian Amy Zimmerman led us in the flag salute.
Dr. Alexis Sheehy, presented Student of the Month awards to two students. Recipients are selected by school officials for outstanding service and academic performance at the school. They are awarded a $25 gift card and Certificate of Achievement from the Redondo Beach Rotary Club.
Shayna Stock a 5th grader at
Madison Elementary, was named
Student of the Month for February.
(l to r) Dr. Alexis Sheehy, proud
mom Sarah Stock, Shayna
Stock and Drew Gamet, principal
of Madison Elementary.
Celeste Bailey, a recent graduate
of Redondo Shores High School, was
Student of the Month for March. (Shown
l. to r): Dr. Alexis Sheehy, proud mom
Jamie Bailey, Celeste Bailey and Dr.
Erin Simon, principal of Redondo
Shores High School.
Nancy Cole Silverman enjoyed a long and very successful career in radio before turning to print journalism and later, to fiction. Today Nancy is a fulltime author. Her newest book, When in Doubt, Don’t! has just been released as both an ebook and in paperback and is available on Amazon.com. Her first novel, The Centaur’s Promise, was published 2010 by Eloquent Books, and three of her short novels, A Much Married Woman, The Salvationist and The Blood Drive, have been released as audio books by Mind Wings Audio. Nancy lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Bruce Silverman.
(REDONDO BEACH) February 26, 2014 -- President Karen Weigle rang the bell and welcomed us to this week's luncheon. We were greeted at the door by Scott Young, the invocation/inspirational message was presented by Chantel King and Chat Campbell led us in the Flag Salute.
Guests Three young doctors from the South Bay Health District visited us today: They are Dr. Evelyn Curls, Dr. Jennifer Logan, Dr. Sandra Vizireanu, all three Special Guests of Karen Weigel. Guests of PDG Vicki Radel presented the luncheon program today: Millicent "Mama" Hill, Abdur Rahman, Calvin Byers, Yerimar Riodriguez and Marschell Warren. Also visiting was Rotarian Peter Lattey from the Downtown LA Rotary Club.
PDG Vicki Radel inducted our new member Amy
Zimmerman.
See article titled "New Members" below
to learn about this new
Rotarian who has been
named
as one of the Top 100 Women in Business in Los Angeles.
“Vacations - sports events – getaways – meals – wine
– pampering,
$45,000 of items at auction at the 2014
Casino Night by the Rotary
Club of Redondo Beach.
Join us Saturday, March 1st, 6 to 10 p.m., at the
Toyota
Auto Museum in Torrance. All donations
will go
towards the club's charitable and
humanitarian activities.
A week-long getaway for two on a garden island
in Fiji at the romantic Paradise Resort including air
fare and lodging. More details here
A week in Cabo San Lucas at the Casa Dorada
(Dreams) resort. Click here for details
A week just outside of Vancouver in a private home
with great mountain views, a truck and a tank of gas
A two-night getaway for two in
the Redondo Beach Crowne Plaza
including breakfast
Seven or nine Day fishing adventures on the 65 foot
Captain Cook along the pristine coast of Alaska I
ncluding a round-trip air ticket, meals and gear.
A week experiencing nature
from a luxurious Idaho log
cabin that sleeps 12
Two box seat tickets for the Hollywood Bowl
to see Gloria Estefan + a picnic basket
Two more box seat tickets for the Hollywood Bowl
to see Gloria Estefan + another picnic basket
A romantic getaway at the Ritz Carlton, gift pack included
Great Dates kit – a Private dance lesson
+ Gift box and wine tasting at Barsha +
a Blue Water Grill Gift Card +
One night at the Courtyard
Date Depth kit - Two Distinguished Speaker tickets +
a Kincaids gift card + assorted after dinner wines
Smiles - Comedy and Magic tickets + dinner at the Bull Pen
Vanessa Andrade’s “Yachting” oil on canvas
Sports and Adventures
A sunset cruse for 20 people on the
70’ Body Glove boat – the Disappearance
A biplane ride over the South Bay
Four behind home plate MVP Dodger
tickets including parking
Two lower level Lakers versus
the Golden State Warriors tickets
Date Adventure package -
Two Clipper tickets
+ Port and Chocolate basket
+ a Boulevard Florist gift card
Two days all about Zen Wellness,
in Phoenix at the Qi Fong Seminar
Sumptuous Escapades
A $300 dinner certificate at Kincaids
plus a couple of bottles of Cognac
for afterwards
Gourmet dinner for six
– catered in your own home
Dinner and wine for 8 at H.T. Grill
Dinner for 8 at the fire station. Catered
by the Redondo Beach Fire Department
A very rare bottle of Suntory Royal Whiskey
– (bottled in 1970 in celebration of the
company’s 60 year)
paired with their
more recent Reserve
+ a 4 person VIP pass to the Magic Castle
Whiskey Sampler including Chivas
21-year old scotch,
a Wild Turkey Decanter,
aged Drambuie
all coupled with some
Paso Robles dessert wines
Wall of Wines - Twenty-eight favorite wines,
signed by the Rotarians that selected them
Keeping Warm - Mexican Riveria gift card
+ hot sauce selection
+ Corzo Silver Tequila + a wool scarf
Pampering
Two Photo-facial treatments
at South Bay Aesthetics
eBulletin by Bill Paul
Photography by Ernie O'Dell
(REDONDO BEACH) February 17, 2014 -- President Karen rang the bell starting our club luncheon about on time. She acknowledged our greeter today Michael Jackson, asked Rolando Andrade to provide the invocation, and Galina Gilman, a Rotarian from Russia, led is in the salute to the U.S. Flag.
Guests – Assistant Governor Bill Bloomfield of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club, Connie Siegel from the Harrisburg, PA Rotary Club, and Odilah Concalves wife of Rotarian Major Marcelo Goncalves.
Meals on Wheels with the Salvation Army today were by Scott Fellows and Michael Jackson.
Pearl Davis was on tap to report Family of Rotary. Fortunately she had no announcements meaning members of the club are okay.
Pearl Davis gave a beautiful recollection of her year as club
president during the 1995-96 Rotary Year. "I was, unexpectedly,
the first woman president of the club," she recalled, describing
both the resistence and support she received from club members.
Her presentation was inspirational.
(REDONDO BEACH) February 12, 2014 -- Far-away Fiji came to our club luncheon today with speaker Norman Hantzsche. A water resource and environmental engineer he gave a professional insight into the club's signature international project.
(from left) James Jackman, PDG Eli
Guana, Terry Bichlmeier, and PDG Rick Mendoza. (Okay guys, so Eli
has shades to protect his eyes after
eye surgery. What's with the rest of you "shady" characters!)
Our greeter today was Jeff Melodia, the invocation & inspiration was provided by Pearl Davis and Bill Gard led us in the Flag Salute.
Guests and Visiting Rotarians: –Tom Bakaly of the Hermosa Beach Rotary Club, Michael Gilman is the husband of Rotarian Galina Gilman, Alice Gauna is the wife of PDG Eli Gauna and a member of the Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club, Connie Siegel of the Harrisburg (PA) Rotary Club, and speaker Norman Hantzsche.
Meals on Wheels to Redondo Beach shut-ins were provided by Scott Fellows today. Next week volunteers Scott Fellows and Michael Jackson will handle the duties.
Family of Rotary – Pearl Davis announced that Cheryl Covington, wife of Rotarian Dallas Covington, is undergoing chemotherapy again. She circulated a "get well" card for members to sign.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photography by Ernie O'Dell and Alana Garrigues
(REDONDO BEACH) Feb. 5, 2014 -- (REDONDO BEACH) Feb. 5, 2014 -- Today's luncheon opened against the backdrop of our major fundraiser, Casino Night, only three-and-a-half weeks off. We heard progress reports from The Slugs, Conquistadores, Corporate Raiders and other fundraising teams, were reminded about deadlines (February 20 for all graphic elements) and more. Club members have raised $24,000 so far toward our goal of $35-40,000.
Chantel King was our greeter, PDG Chuck Anderson provided the invocation, and Nancy Campbell led us in the flag salute.
We inducted two new members today -- Walter J. Campbell and Nancy J.S. Langdon. Turns out both of them were Rotary Exchange students in their youth. PDG Chuck Anderson handled the induction duties.
(from left) Walter Campbell, President Karen Weigel,
Jeff Weigel, Nancy Langdon and Steve Scerra.
President Karen also circulated what she called "a card of encouragement" for Connie Baker, the wife of Governor Doug Baker. Connie is battling cancer.
(REDONDO BEACH) Feb. 2, 2014 -- Well, we did it again. Rotarians turned out to pour beer for thirsty runners after todays Super Bowl 5K and 10K races through the streets of Redondo Beach. The activity has become a traditional part of Super Bowl Sunday here in the Beach Cities, and a community event our club has participated in for more than a decade. Nobody counted the number of runners who came for their two beers after the race but the photo showing empty beer cases below clearly demonstrates there were a lot!
This week the Redondo Beach Rotary Club will be meeting at 5:30PM at the Bluewater Grill. The evening will be a Community Social Event that highlights Rotary’s contributions to the community and beyond. Invite your friends to attend to see what Redondo Beach Rotary is all about.
(REDONDO BEACH) January 22, 2014 -- Our scheduled speaker had to cancel on us with less than 24 hours notice. Fortunately, Connie Siegel was available with a back-up presentation. "I only learned about this last night," he said. None-the-less, his presentation was very informative. More on it later.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photography by Ernie O'Dell
(REDONDO BEACH) January 15, 2014 -- Healthcare, announcements, awards and more were on tap at this week's luncheon.
PDG Chuck Anderson hands club president Karen Weigel, a check for $2,750. Two thousand
is a District Grant from District 5280 and the
remainder was returned to the club as part of the
grant award process. "The grant money will go
toward our Teacher Mini-Grant Awards in two
weeks," said Weigel.
Invocation by Scott Fellows and flag salute by Michael Jackson.
Guests : Walter Campbell visited today as a special guest of Jeff Weigel. Walter was a 1967 Ambassadorial Scholar in England, sponsored by Odessa, Texas Rotary; Amy Zimmerman visited today as a special guest of Terry Bichlmeier; Vince Kelly and Jeremiah Lowenthal were our luncheon speakers today.
Meals on Wheels were delivered by Michael Jackson and Scott Fellows; next week Jeff Weigel has signed up and we need one volunteer.
Family of Rotary – Karen announced the long-time Rotarian Howard Bumpass, Sr. recently passed away. Howard was a member of the club when it was known as the Redondo Riviera Rotary Club. He was a former owner of Howard's market in the Hollywood Riviera where Trader Joe’s is located presently.
Vince Kelly has been a Redondo Beach resident since 1980, and has worked in the Health Insurance business starting in 1986. He worked in management for many of the large companies such as FHP HealthCare and Blue Shield of California. In 2007 he became an Independent Agent and contracted with all the health insurance companies to help individuals choose the right plan for their healthcare needs. A large part of his business has been with Medicare plans and he has a local office in Torrance, Ca.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photography be Ernie O'Dell & Dave Whitehead
(REDONDO BEACH) January 8, 2014 -- With our club president and her husband off to Steamboat Springs, Colo. for a week of skiing, past-president Steve Scerra filled in at the podium today before an overflow crowd. Whenever we have to add a table for seating it is a guaranteed full house, and today nearly 50 people showed up for lunch.
PDG Eli Gauna (l) awarded Paul Harris
Fellow to Scott Young (c) with past president
and Redondo Beach Mayor Steve Aspel.
Michael Jackson served as our greeter today, Herb Masi provided the invocation, and Laura Fields led us in the flag salute and pledge of allegiance.
Steve opened the meeting by introducing visiting Rotarians and guests: Arlene Kruger of the Albuquerque Rotary Club (she and her husband own a home in Hermosa Beach and she visits our club whenever in town), Connie Siegel of the Harrisburg Rotary Club (Connie and his wife are snowbirds and live in Redondo Beach during winter months), Lindsey Dreizler, guest of Gayle Bailey, David, Laura, and Erica Mallen, Kara Heinrich, Shawn and Mathew Dalquest, Lisa Veal.
Meals on Wheels – Seth Stodder and Scott Fellows; next week: Michael Jackson and Scott Fellows. (How about we name Scott chair of MOW!)
Marcia Harber
Instructor, Principles of Law and Business
Ms. Harber is teaches law and business at Southern California Regional Occupational Center and will be discussing the robust ecology of the Southern California Regional Occupational Center (SoCal ROC) with employers, students, community and school districts working together.
(REDONDO BEACH) One night in December, Dieter Thomas filled the role of Santa Claus on the annual Redondo Beach Christmas Police Department sleigh. Santa Dieter greeted children, parents, and the occasional dog, with a hearty "ho ho ho, and Merry Christmas." Club members have volunteered for an evening on the city's sleigh for several years.
Dieter was particularly qualified this year as his beard was real!
He also played the Santa role at this year's Cheer for Children.
"Santa Dieter" greets children
during annual Cheer for Children
Day at Washington Elementary
School. Santa poses with President
(and today) "Elf" Karen (right) as
they collaborate in preparation for
delivering toys and "cheers" to
disabled children.
Rotarians gathered at Washington Elementary to
prepare toys for the annual Cheer for Children drive.
Santa Dieter Rides Christmas Sleigh, Deliver Cheers
(REDONDO BEACH) December 11, 2013 -- Club assemblies are pretty important in the world of Rotary, and today was one of those days for us. We elected a new board of directors for both the club and our Community Foundation.
Under the leadership of Past-president Larry Hashimoto, we elected Nasrin Moghadasian to become president-elect for the 2014-15 Rotary Year. A chiropractor, Dr. Nasrin previously served as our club treasurer. Serving on the board with her will be: Rolando Andrade, president; David Whitehead, v.p.; Jean Scully, treasurer, Scott Fellows, secretary; Michael Jackson, vocational service; Pat Cashin, PDG, international service; Karina Garcia, youth service; Laura Fields and Galina Gilman, Community service; and Bill Gard, club service.
We also elected (actually re-elected) two directors to the club's Community Foundation. Re-elected were PDG Pat Cashin and Terry Bichlmeier. They join Allen Peters, Steve Scerra and Karen Weigel on the Community Foundation board.
(REDONDO BEACH) Dec. 4, 2013 -- At today's luncheon, president-elect Rolando Andrade led a discussion about the upcoming club Casino Night, March 1, 2014. "The theme for the club's major fund-raiser of the year is Casablanca. We need everyone to support and participate in the project," he said. As president-elect, Rolando is responsible for overall management of the event.
Members were asked to sit at tables numbered 1 through 6 representing the several areas of responsibility Rolando established to organize the event. Members were tasked with selecting one individual at the table to serve as the Competition Team Leader for that group of Rotarians, and select a team name. The team names and Competition Team Leaders are:
Team Name
Competition Team Leader
Corporate Raiders
(position open)
Banana Slugs
James Jackman
Tiger Fish
Jim Chen
Conquistadors
Nicholas Sandoval
Camels
(position open)
Bar & Grill
Scott Fellows
The target for each team are to bring at least 40 people to the event, bring in at least $7,000 worth of total revenue in tickets, corporate sponsorships, and auction items, and to create Rotary fellowship and have fun, said Rolando. The Competition Team Leader's job is to motivate team members to sell tickets and sponsorships, and rustle up auction items. The team that generates the most revenue will be recognized at an evening of fun, fellowship, with drink and food provided. Other team members will appetizers, deserts or a bottle of wine to toast the winning team.
He then asked each of the seven Casino Night division chairs to briefly describe their area of responsibility: Steve Scerra is responsible for coordinating the fund-raising activities of the six club teams; Chuck Anderson said he is handling all sponsorships for the Casino Night; Colette Paul is promotion chair; Larry Hashimoto is in charge of tickets; Laura Fields will once again handle the silent auction; Scott Fellows is in charge of food ("Yes, it will be Moroccan," he said. After all, Scott is a professional caterer.); and Chantel King is in charge of decor. "The colors will be white, black, blue and gold," she said, "and I want to show the movie Casablanca repeatedly during Casino Night."
(REDONDO BEACH) December 4, 2013 -- President Karen banged the gavel bringing the weekly luncheon meeting of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club to order.
Today's Greeter, and Invocation was presented by Nicholas Sandoval, followed by Wayne Bradshaw who led us in the flag salute.
Karen introduced guests and visiting Rotarians including Nora MacLellan of the Westchester Rotary Club, Connie Siegel of the Harrisburg (PA) Rotary Club and Amy Harahan of St. Cross Giving Tree.
Meals on Wheels were provided today by Scott Fellows and Wayne Bradshaw. And last week, on Wednesday when the club was dark, Scott Young and Chantel King handled MOW duties.
A sad note about the Family of Rotary. Rotarian Gordon McRae was found dead in his home earlier this week. Gordon was inactive in the club at the time of his passing, but he is well remembered. For many years Gordon was active in the Redondo Beach business community and held the master lease at the Redondo Pier.
(REDONDO BEACH) Nora MacLellan (2nd from left) of the Westchester Rotary Club was on hand to receive a check in the amount of $2,500 from our club for the Vision-to-Learn project. This contribution was made possible by a Beach Cities Health District Community Grant. For the two days earlier this week, the Vision-to-Learn van has been at Washington Elementary School giving professional vision exams to approximately 70 students.
Photos courtesy Beach Cities Health District
President Karen said the children will be presented with their new eyeglasses "hopefully by the end of the year or early in January."
(REDONDO BEACH) November 28, 2013 More than 20 members
of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club, along with half a dozen
Interactors from RUHS, showed up Thanksgiving morning to
prepare 100 meals for area residents who were scheduled to
receive a Thanksgiving meal. Photos by Alexis Sheehy and
James Jackman
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photography by Rolando Andrade
(REDONDO BEACH) November 29, 2013 — New member Seth Stodder moved one step closer to receiving his permanent blue badge today, serving as our greeter. The invocation/inspirational message was provided Jim Sharvin, and Chantel King led us in the flag salute. PDG Chuck Anderson handled the Meals-on-Wheels duty by himself today.
Talking about the permanent blue badge, Jeff Weigel (yes, he is the hubby of President Karen Weigel) received his blue badge today, with the gift of a $25 fine. Congrats Jeff, the presidency is only a few years off.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul and Scott Fellows Photography by PDG Rick Mendoza Webmaster Dave Whitehead
(REDONDO BEACH) November 13, 2013 -- President Karen Weigel is back from her month-long sojourn to Fiji working on several water projects, and not surprisingly today's meeting was jam-packed with announcements and activities. She is shown here with out luncheon speaker, Major Kyle Smith, and the children's book the club will donate to the Redondo Beach library in the Major Smith's name. More on the Major's presentation later.
The Invocation/ Inspiration was offered by PDG Vicki Radel
PDGPat Cashin led us in the Flag Salute.
President Karen introduced visiting Rotarian Arlene Kruger from the Downtown Albuquerque Rotary Club, Connie Siegel from Hershey Rotary Club in Pennsylvania, and Mike Stark who is an honorary member of our club.
Meals on Wheels: Our weekly task of distributing meals prepared by The Salvation Army to shut-ins was handled by Jeff Melodia today.
Our second evening meeting included 27 members and 12 guests. This even included RUHS Interact Club member Lizzy Seigler.
Meals On Wheels: Mel Nichols & Dal Covington
Family of Rotary: Nancy Campbell ran into Pat Haynes while on the way to Big Bear where they stopped in Riverside for Lunch. Pat Haynes is doing well and currently resides in Carlsbad.
November Foundation Month: Our Foundation Chair, Rick Mendoza, recognized Chuck Anderson as a major donor. He is the 10th major donor of our rotary club. His exemplary service and achievements are too long to list. He joined Rotary in 1993 & has been instrumental to our club in many various aspects.
World Polio Day October 24, RB Proclamation. On behalf of our rotary club, Nancy Campbell accepted the official RB World Polio Day proclamation at the City Council meeting on October 24. Recognized by our good mayor Steve Aspel, Rotary has played a major role internationally and donated more than a billion dollars towards this worthy cause.
This week is an EVENING MEETING and our speaker will be....
Mike Grady
Band Founder of "South Bay Country"
This week we will be meeting in the evening at the Bluewater Grill. Mike Grady (who many of us know as the General Manager of Jim Chen's Independent Repair) will be talking about starting and playing in his country band.
Greeter: Eleanor Manzano. Invocation: Monique Waite, speaking oh-so-softly!; Flag Salute: Agent Jean Scully
Hugs and Hand Shakes – Redondo Beach Rotarians welcome visitors.
Introduction of guests, visiting Rotarians and Speaker: Eli Guana
Meals on Wheels – Scott Fellows (subbing for out-of-town Michael Jackson) and Terry Bichlmeier
Announcements: Colette Paul noted that the YMCA is selling Christmas wreaths. PDG Chuck Anderson led the club in reciting the Rotary 4 Way Test.
Next week – Mike Grady will present on country music and the struggles to launch a band here in the South Bay. How many of you have attended and heard one of Mike’s performances. For those who haven’t, you are in for a treat!
John Parsons Scholarship Fund. Gayle Bailey, will you give us a status report? Ms. Bailey did, and so far we’ve raised $7,800!!
Washington Elementary – Vision to Learn Report Laura Fields will you give us an update. Mrs. Fields was not present today.
President Karen and Jeff Weigel are in Fiji working on new water filtration and spring box installations. Here is the first report by President Karen:
First set of Bio-sand filters being installed at Bouma Primary School:The Health Inspector (far left) and Engineer Norm (in aqua shirt) watch as President Karen turns the tap.
Inside bio-sand filter:Toilet float closes water value when tank is full. Could not find 4 inch caps for water diffusing plate so we cut off 1.5 liter coke bottles.
Second completed set of bio sand filters Bouma Primary school This was as close as we found get to Rotary colors. Blue is the clean filtered water and yellow is the filter part using Taveuni Fiji fine sand, course sand, and pea gravel. 4 more sets to go and 5 spring box repairs.
Photos By Rick Mendoza
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Past-president Nancy Campbell (left) presents luncheon speaker Kate Rosloff
with the book that will be donated in her name to the Redondo Beach Library.
(REDONDO BEACH) Oct. 23, 2013 – President Karen Weigel is still in Fiji, so past-president Nancy Campbell stepped in to conduct the meeting. Karen returns next week from her month-long stay in Fiji working on several water-related projects. Today we learned about the Rotary Rose Parade Float and a generous donation to the Vision-to-Learn project by United Airlines.
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.
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.”
(REDONDO BEACH) October 10, 2013 -- Rotarians from the Redondo Beach Rotary Club, Westchester Rotary Club and Playa Sunrise Rotary Club screened the vision of 300 elementary students at Washington Elementary School, a Title 1 school, last week. Laura Fields, organizer of the project, estimates 25 Rotarians rotated through the screening sessions.
California mandates vision screening for grades 2 and 5, meanwhile the Vision-to-Learn program screens children in grades 1, 3 and 4. Children with demonstrated eye problems were recommended for additional screening by professional medical staff. The next stage in the program will occur in about two weeks. The Vision-to-Learn van, staffed by optomitrists and other medical personel, will provides additional vision testing and and eyeglasses to children grades 1 through 5 who demonstrate vision difficulties.
"We received great support from school administrators," said Laura. "The kids were a little rambunctious while they awaited their turn, but they were well behaved during the actual screening. It was a lot of fun."
eBulletin by Bill Paul Photography by Rolando Andrade
(REDONDO BEACH) Oct. 9, 2013 — President Karen welcomed members and guests to her last meeting in a month. She left for Fiji late Wednesday evening to join husband Jeff where the couple are spearheading a month-long water project. The club received a $17,000 Rotary grant for the Fiji Project. It consists of five spring box repairs, six bio-sand filters at schools, and the installation of two 5,200-liter storage tanks. Karen will be in Fiji until November. 5th , Galina Gilman and her husband Michael will fly to Fiji to join in the project.
Larry Hashimoto delivered the opening invocation while Dave Whitehead led us in the flag salute.
66th District California Assembleman Al Muratsuchi addressed
club; seen with Terry Bichlmeier and President Karen Weigel.
Visiting Rotarians: Jim Beardsley and Todd Cruser, President of the South Bay Sunrise Rotary Club, Karen Greenberg of the Lomita-Torrance Airport Rotary Club, and Colin Wolfson from the Rotary Club of Capetown, South Africa.
Guests included Al Muratsuchi, Assemblymember from the Sixty-Sixth District, Melissa Uribe Field, Craig and Chris MacDonald, and former club member Lauren Cotner.
Like any politician anywhere, Assemblyman Muratsuchi could not pass up a platform when President Karen invited him to address the club. Muratsuchi chairs the Veterans Affairs Committee in the California State Assembly. “We are seeking to improve funding for veterans,” he said. “We passed a balanced budget with a one billion dollar reserve, we funded California schools, and we are working to keep the aerospace industry in southern California.” He emphasized the Sixty-Sixth District “is the most beautiful in California. And it is evenly divided between Democrats, Republications and Independents.”
Meals-on-Wheels were delivered by Scott Young and Chantel King.
(REDONDO BEACH) October 7, 2013 – At this week’s luncheon club photog PDGRick Mendoza gathered everyone for a group photograph. We are preparing a district-wide get-well booklet to send to Connie Baker, Governor Doug Baker’s wife who is suffering from an unpleasant form of cancer. Other highlights at today’s luncheon: craft talks by Michael Payton and Jeff Melodia. So let’s get started.
The Inspirational Message (formerly the Invocation) was delivered by Eleanor Manzano and the flag salute led by Marna Smeltzer.
Visiting Rotarians: honorary member Mike Stark, and Walter Christmas from the PV Sunset club. Also, David Clubb from the Redondo Union High School Interact Club. David is the V.P. of the Interact Club, so although technically not a Rotarian he is a Rotarian-in-the-making. In fact, he spoke for a few minutes about a fund raising project he is involved in in Nicaragua raising money to help educate students in that country.
Guests: Craig Kovar was a special guest of Jim Sharvin, Lucos Do Lirramento was a guest of Marcelo Gonsalves, and Joann Gallin and Greg Chord were guests of Jeff Melodia.
This week is our speakers will be presenting their Craft Talks. Join us to hear from our new members Michael Payton, Scott Young and Jeff Melodia Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photos by Rolando Andrade
Welcome New Member Seth Stodder with President Karen and Sponsor Steve Scerra MORE MEETING PHOTOS HERE
(REDONDO BEACH) Sept. 25, 2013 Consistent with RI guidelines, our luncheon invocation was more of an inspirational message then a theological one. Thanks to Alexis Sheehy for a thoughtful comment. Today was the Sheehy duo with hubby Jim leading us in the flag salute.
Meals on Wheels this week were provided by Michael Jackson and Jeff Melodia.
Visiting Rotarians: Susan Tyre from PV Sunset joined us today. In addition, from far-away Capetown, South Africa, Rotarian Colin Wolfson attended. Colin has been here before. Welcome old friend.
Visitors this week were the Student of the Month contingent: Trinity Robat, Beryl Heights Elementary, her mother Tamara and Principal Karen Mohr. Rotarian Dr. Alexis Sheehy presented the Student of the Month certificate to pint-size Trinity. She may be tiny in stature but wow, what an outstanding 5th grader. Here is what Principal Mohr had to say about Trinity. “She is on the honor roll, is involved in Character Counts as a roll model to other students, does regular recycling at school, is an avid singer in our talent contests, plays the alto sax in band, and engages in outside sports.”
When it was her turn to speak, Trinity, with a boatload of self confidence, was modest. “It is such an honor to be student of the month,” she said. Pint-size yes, but a giant in the making.
Family of Rotary- We learned today that Ray Haynes, husband of former Redondo Beach Rotarian, Pat Haynes, suffered a massive, fatal heart attack on Sunday, Sept. 22. Pearl passed around a card for all to sign. Our thoughts and prayers are with Pat.
We inducted a new member today. He is Seth Stodder, an attorney and professor of law. Among other subjects, he is an expert in security and terrorism.
Seth Stodder
Ali Adham
Terry Tamble
Matt Kilroy
Mike Gin
However, when we gain members we sometimes lose members. That was the case last week. Long-time members and former president Ali Adham left the club officially on August 31. He has moved to Florida but is keeping his real estate brokerage business here in the South Bay. “It’s all telephone work anyway,” he said. Another past president, Terry Tamble is leaving us as of September 30th. He and his wife Jeannie are moving to Moro Bay where he will likely join Rotary there. Matt Kilroy left the club as of July 31st. Lastly, Mike Gin, a Rotarian and former mayor Redondo Beach, changed jobs. He is working in IT near downtown Los Angeles and said a Wednesday louncheon "would be a long way to travel." By action of the board of directors, Mike will be made an Honorary Member in November.
October is Vocational Service Month in Rotary. The concept of vocational service calls on Rotarians to “encourage and foster”:
• The importance of High ethical standards
• The value of all occupations
• Your contribution of vocational talents in service
Rotary’s Four-Way Test provides a litmus test for the practical application of business ethics and business integrity. Of the things we think, say or do:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? Action
Here are some thoughts on how you as a Rotarian can put these ideals in action.
• Talk about your vocation in your club, and take time to learn about fellow members’
vocations.
• Use your professional skills to serve a community.
• Practice your profession with integrity, and inspire others to behave ethically through
your own words and actions.
• Help a young person achieve his or her career aspirations.
• Guide and encourage others in their professional development.
If you do any of these things, you are performing vocational service. If vocational service
motivates and energizes you, then you’re in the right place, because vocational service is
the very essence of Rotary. It is what sets Rotary apart from other service organizations.
(REDONDO BEACH) September 18, 2013 Working on his blue badge, new member Jeff Weigel served as our Greeter today. Thanks Jeff, you are almost there. Then, President Karen announced, the “Paul duo” of Bill and Colette led us in the invocation and flag salute.
Nora MacClellan receives check from President Karen Weigel for the
Vision-To-Learn project
Guests: DeAnn Flores Chase of South Bay Business Lawyers and Marci her videographer.
Visiting Rotarian: Nora MacLellan, of the Westchester Rotary Club. She is also a Vision To Learn volunteer Outreach Coordinator
Meals on Wheels:Jeff Weigel and Scott Fellows. You’re almost there Jeff. Scott, what can we say? You always come through in a pinch. Thank you!
Announcements:September is New Generations Month. Our club is already active in this arena. We have stuffed backpacks for 40 families, our Teacher Mini-Grant program is underway, and we’ve launched the Reading Buddies pilot program. But that’s not all.
The Redondo Beach Rotary Club is collaborating with two other Rotary clubs, the Playa Venice Sunrise and the Westchester, to bring the Vision to Learn program to three schools. In addition, the Beach Cities Health District has popped for a $2,500 Micro-Enrichment Grant and our club is donating an additional $3,500 toward the project.
On October 10th we will launch the program at Washington Elementary, a Title 1 school with 600 students. Students that do not pass the eye chart test will be referred to Vision to Learn for a full eye exam. The screening will be scheduled when all parent consent forms have been returned. We will need 12 to 14 volunteers from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Again, that’s not all.
Clarissa Cordova is a social sustainability and public relations specialist for the AES power plant in Redondo Beach. She will be discussion the upcoming plans to modernize the plant. This Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
Greeter – Terry Bichlmeier
And he greeted all Rotarians graciously, including yours truly. What a warm and friendly guy.
Ring the Bell Invocation: Jeff Melodia – A spontaneous and thoughtful prayer. I glanced over to see if he was reading from some note card, but was pleasantly surprised to see that he was speaking from the heart. Good work, buddy!
Pledge of Allegiance:Michael Jackson -- Started the salute to our great country by instantly reciting the pledge. We all followed, of course, as every one of us has been reciting this oath since we were in grade school. What?! No introduction? How about "place your right hand over your left heart and repeat along with me......" At my age I need a little prep, lest I forget just what we're supposed to be doing.
Visiting Rotarians & Guests: Michael Stark, Redondo Beach Police Reserve Commander, and today's special guest speaker. Retired Police Chief, Mel Nichols, introduced one of his two sons, Mike Nichols who is a Rotarian from Valley Center, which is located somewhere in the Escondido area.
(REDONDO BEACH) September 4, 2013 -- Invocation by Scott Young and flag salute by Jim Sharvin.
Visiting Rotarians: Marianne & Bob Kelchner from the Lomita Torrance Airport Rotary.
Guests: Cher Hadden, guest of Marna Smeltzer
Meals on Wheels: Prior week delivered by Mel Nichols & Bill Gard. This week: Scott Fellow & Jim Sharvin
Family of Rotary: President Karen told us that DG Doug Baker's wife Connie diagnosed with lung cancer. A get well card circulated for everyone's signature.
Weekly eBulletin August 28, 2013
Written by Bill Paul
(REDONDO BEACH – August 28, 2013) –Today’s invocation was by Steve Aspel while Jeff Weigel led us in the flag salute.
During the invocation, Steve paid tribute to his long-time friend and colleague John Parsons. Steve said he and John first became friends and playmates in kindergarten.
He was followed by Jeff who was doing one of his blue badge duties. A new member, Jeff preceded the flag salute with a bit of trivia, a history lesson as it were, about the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Pledge was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, and Christian socialist. When originally penned it said nothing about the United States of America, referencing only “the republic for which it stands.” Weigel said, “The Pledge has been amended four times since then.” Then the kicker! Weigel said that for half a century after Bellamy penned it, “Americans saluted the flag and said the pledge of allegiance with their right arm raised.” At the time it was known as the Bellamy salute.
Students pledging the with
Bellamy salute, circa 1941
Students swearing the
Pledge on Flag Day, 1899.
Students pledging with
hand-over-heart.
Photos courtesy Wikipedia. Click HERE to get the full Pledge of Allegiance story.
Early in the 1940s after the U.S. got into a shooting war with a nasty little guy in Germany, the Bellamy salute didn’t go over to well with many patriotic Americans. Recognizing the salute was too similar to the Nazi salute, in 1942, during the height of WWII, the United States Congress discontinued it. In its place Congress instituted the practice of the right hand over the heart to accompany the Pledge of Allegiance.
Steve Goldsmith is a Past President of the Hawthorne Rotary Club and will be discussing the VICTIM OFFENDER RESTITUTION SERVICE (VORS): A program that gives young people the opportunities to 'make right' their wrong and become accountable for their actions.
This week the Redondo Beach Rotary Club will participate in:
PROJECT BACKPACK STUFFING!
The Salvation Army has donated 40 backpacks and has supplied the first names and ages of Redondo Beach students receiving help from the Army. The Redondo Beach Rotary Club has purchased school supplies, the Molina Foundation has donated books, and the Redondo Beach Chamber of Commerce has donated tee shirts. At our Wednesday meeting we will be stuffing the backpacks and writing a personal note for each student. This club project will be in place of a formal speaker this Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
CLICK HEREfor more photo images of the meeting. Can you find yourself in one of these?
Wednesday, August 14, 2013 - DG Doug Baker made his official club visit to the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach. In addition Gov. Doug inducted a new member into the RBRC, Jeff Weigel.
(REDONDO BEACH – August 14, 2013) – Today’s club luncheon saw a constellation of stars, at it were. At least eight past district governors were in attendance: PDG Eliseo Gauna 1991-92; PDG Vicki Radel, 2000-01; PDG Rick Mendoza, 2002-03; PDG Pat Cashin 2004-05; PDG David Moyers, 2007-08; PDG Chuck Anderson, 2009-10; PDG Doug Baker, 2010-11 (and of course DG for 2013-14); and PDG Lew Bertrand, 2012-13. Of these eight PDGs one even inducted a new member today.
Today’s greeter was Past-President Colette Paul, invocation by President-elect Rolando Andrade, and PDG Rick Mendoza led us in the flag salute.
Visiting Rotarians (NOTE-if this list seems a bit redundant give it a break as Rotary protocol must be obeyed) DG and PDG Doug Baker; District Governor-Elect Elsa Glham; District-Governor Elect Nominee D.J. Sun; PDG Lew Bertrand,PDG David Moyers, Executive Aide Jaimee Sul; AG Bill Bloomfield and Jack Hausman a visiting Rotarian from Alpharetta, GA.
Boy, does Hausman have a story to tell when he gets home, to say nothing of banking several make-ups for his meeting today with eight past district governors in attendance. For you newbies or visitors we have five PDGs in our club, but rather than be redundantly redundant re-read the first paragraph!
Guests: Jeff Weigel, husband and special guest of President Karen Weigel; Craig Kovar, special guest of Jim Sharvin; Seth Stodder, special guest of Steve Scerra; Bryce Young, 9, son of Scott Young.
Invocation: Terry Bichlmeier – Who read it with passion and clarity. This must be due to his participation and training by the Molina Foundation where he reads to the local YMCA kids at summer camps in the South Bay. Good work, buddy!
Pledge of Allegiance: Former prez Steve Scerra – Who was “assisted” by another very enthusiastic former prez, Terry B.
Visiting Rotarians & Guests: No visiting Rotarians, but a new and upcoming member Nicolas Sandoval, who is being sponsored by Michael Jackson. He sat at the "Bad Boyz" table, his new home away-from-home.
Meals on Wheels: Chantel King did the job solo. Next week, August 14th, it’s Vickie Radel and Mark Smith.
Family of Rotary – Pearl Davis read a wonderful ‘thank you’ letter from Cheryl Covington written in response to a card the club enthusiastically signed a coupla weeks back. Cheryl, the wife of Rotarian Dal Covington, is going through some difficult times as she is taking cancer treatments with chemo therapy several times a month and is weak and tired. Hey Cheryl, you must tough this one out and get back to great health once again. Okay?
eBulletin writtin by Bill Paul
Photos by Rick Mendoza
The Bluewater Grill was the location of the evening meeting of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club on Wednesday, July 31, 2013 -
(REDONDO BEACH) July 31, 2013 This week’s meeting was the first evening meeting of the new Rotary year. President Karen Weigel has scheduled three evening meetings altogether. (To see who was there to enjoy the evening, CLICK HERE)
What will you do with the gift of longevity? That was a question posed by our guest speaker this evening, Jaki Scarcello, a South Bay resident who has researched and written about women and aging. Not a bad subject for a Rotary Club, eh? More on her presentation later.
Redondo Beach Rotary Club, today, recognizes the Redondo Beach Police Department Peace Officer of the year, Don Martinez. CLICK here to see more images from today's meeting.
Redondo Beach Peace Officer of The Year Recognition
Mark your calendars! The Redondo Beach Rotary Club's first evening meeting will be this coming Wednesday (July 31, 2013). The meeting starts at 6:00PM and our speaker will be:
Jaki Scarcello
Jaki Scarcello has spent 30 years listening to and supporting individuals and organizations as a leadership consultant, facilitator, and coach working with Fortune 500 companies in Canada and the United States. She believes that each stage of life has that success in each stage comes from capturing source. Her mission today is to defy gravity and to lift your sagging attitudes about growing older. Jaki is the author of Fifty & Fabulous! The Best Years of a Womans Life. (www.fiftyfab.com). Jaki lives a nomadic life with two fixed bases - Toronto, Canada and Hermosa Beach, California. Between spells in either home she travels with her husband – a writer and lecturer.
Arturo Velasquez is a Woodland Hills Rotarian and will be discussing the District Humanitarian Trip to Colombia scheduled for next March. Don't miss this program Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
eBulletin written by Bill Paul
Photos by Rick Mendoza
(REDONDO BEACH, July 17, 2013) What a crowd! Attendance was way up. Probably due to the Firefighter/Paramedic of the Year Award the club presented today. The recipient was Curt Mahoney, a veteran of eleven years with the Redondo Beach Fire Department. About half a dozen of his fellow firefighters were on hand to support him. That's Rotarian Paul Hyashi presenting the award. (Click HERE for more photos from today's luncheon.)
Mahoney is the department's Paramedic Coordinator and also a lead instructor for the Firefighter Safety and Survival Course. He is a primary instructor for the Redondo Beach CERT program, and lead's the department's Community Relief Committee. "Much of what Curt does is outside the workplace and he embodies the spirit of community service," said Hyashi. "Curt sets a very high standard for protecting and serving our community and I am proud to introduce you to our Firefighter of the Year, Curt Mahoney."
Our speaker John Meadors is a Manhattan Beach Rotarian and will be sharing with us the ongoing project he has been working on with an orphanage in Baja, Mexico. This muliti-club project has been ongoing for three years and there is a documentary movie in production now. Don't miss this program, Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
(REDONDO BEACH, July 10, 2013) Today’s luncheon was the first meeting for our new, 2013-14 president, Karen Weigel. For a newbie, she did well.
As members came in, they received their new gold nametags. These are a real step up for our club.
Visiting Rotarians: Arlyne Krugger from the Albuquerque (New Mexico) Rotary Club joined us today. Arlyne has family out here and visits occasionally, and Peggy Beauregard from the Sierra Madre Rotary Club
Sara Clickenger has worked for the American Cancer Society for almost two years. She currently manages four Relay For Life events, including: Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Long Beach, Loyola Marymount University, and the Beach Cities Relay For Life (Redondo/Hermosa Beach). The Beach Cities Relay For Life has been around for over 12 years, as a large community driven event raising funds and awareness for cancer research and programs.
Sponsorerd by Rick Mendoza. Hotel General Manager at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Redondo Beach. Michael is a former Rotarian in the Torrance Sunrise Rotary Club and the Westchester Rotary Club. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, multiple times and strong support of Rotary.
Jeffrey Melodia
Sponsored by Michael Jackson. Jeff is a Construction Developer, who owns his own company, he has been involved in Redondo Beach and in the Riviera District both in political, athletic, and social activities.
RBRC successfully distributed 272 dictionaries to Washington, Birney and Madison school second graders last week! This effort by 13 of our members completed the District Grant Award project we applied for last summer. Molina Foundation provided the books and delivered them to each school. Karina Garcia led the project and coordinated the efforts of the club, RBUSD, and the Molina Foundation. Thank You, Karina!
The children were given bookmarks, Rotary stickers and a tutorial to teach the use of a dictionary. Alexis Sheehy taught use of guide words, locating a word, reading the description, using the word in a sentence, interpreting a diagram, and finally instructed the students to leave the dictionary open in a prominent place in their home so all family members could use it.
In this way, we feel we reached approximately 1000 Redondo Beach residents and certainly helped further our clubs Literacy goals.
Many thanks to all!
Happy New Year,
Nancy Campbell
President RBRC 2012-13
RBRC District Grant Final Report - Dictionary Project
Two core objectives underpin and drive everything Project Amigo does: facilitating the education of disadvantaged students in our region of Mexico, and facilitating friendships and relationships between North Americans and our Mexican students and associates in humanitarian service.
We achieve those objectives due to a similar pair of efforts: the amazing dedication and labor of a small, very capable staff; and the contributions of big-hearted and equally dedicated humanitarians.
CHARTER PARTY of The ROTARY E-CLUB of THE GREATER SAN FERNANDO VALLEY!
SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2013
2:00 pm to 4:00 PM (Open House)
LOCATION:
The Fireplace Room at Denny’s Restaurant
5525 Sepulveda Blvd., Sherman Oaks
SW Corner of Sepulveda and Burbank Blvds., next to the 405
(This is where we meet every month on the 4th Sunday.)
We will have snacks, and enjoy meeting and socializing with you, and sharing information, displays, and videos about our best service projects, including:
DANCE FOR THE CHILDREN (for PolioPlus )
INTERNATIONAL MOTHER LANGUAGE DAY (with local 4th-6th graders)
“ONE MORE ITEM” FOOD DRIVES
AWESOME ONLINE PROGRAMS
No RSVP necessary, just come visit. HOWEVER, we will appreciate if attendees, during the week before, add just one extra item of non-perishable food to your shopping cart, wherever you shop, and bring it to our Charter Party for donation to Valley Food Bank…just as we ask for our quarterly public One More Item food drives! (You can steal that project, for your local food bank.)
We’ve been asked by a couple of friends in other Clubs if we have a “wish list” of Rotary items a new Club needs. We are grateful to have been asked. We acquired a couple of items from the former District 5260, so as it happens we have bell, gavel, podium, and badge box. However, we are in the market for a Club Banner, must order our name badges for the charter members, and we’ll need trading banners.
…so all we can say, humbly, after deciding not to register at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, is that any contribution to the Rotary E-Club of The Greater SFV from you long-established Clubs, to go towards our purchase of these Club supplies, would be most gratefully appreciated. (Rotary E-Club Greater SFV c/o Yoko Matsui (Treasurer), 4915 Tyrone Ave #223, Sherman Oaks CA 91423.)
Most importantly we look forward to hanging out with our fellow Rotarians on June 23 at our open-house Charter Party! Thank you.
Mel Powell President Rotary E-Club of The Greater San Fernando Valley Official Charter Date: 29 March 2013
Come and see what the District Rotaract clubs have done this year!
All are welcome!
When: Saturday, June 15 Time: 12:00-4:00pm Where: Olympic Collection Conference Center, 11301 Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90064
Join us at our year-end District social to celebrate another wonderful Rotaract year dedicated to service to our growing communities! Grab the change to meet new members and share great memories from our 2012-2013 year!
Cost: $30 (Rotaract)-includes full meal, beverages, and dessert $35 (Rotarians)-includes full meal, beverages and dessert *alcoholic beverages sold separately
Parking: $7 for valet, or street parking (plenty of it!)
(REDONDO BEACH) The subjects this weeks our luncheon speaker discussed with us were certainly timely. Indeed, it is as if they were taken from today's headlines.
Seth M.M. Stodder is an expert on counterterrorism, national & Homeland security, supply chain and international trade issues, immigration/customs/border security, and human rights law and policy issues. He teaches these subjects at USC.
Stodder said the number one security issue currently is cyber warefare. He spoke at length about the NSA program which is responsible for electronic intelligence gathering. He also discussed the Pentagon's Cyber Command which is designed to protect America's infrastrucre from cyberattacks, and to develop counterstrike capabilities.
Also on the agenda was Maxine Mechain, a Rotary Youth Exchange Student from the southwest region of France. She talked about her year at Redondo Union High School living with Katie from South Bay Sunrise Rotary and the Terry Bichlmeier family from our own club. Maxine said she experienced many American traditions that don't exist in France such as the high school prom, homecoming and graduation day. Upon her return to France she plans to continue her studies, master the English language and one day become a judge.
Rotarian Bob Meistrell July 31, 1928 - June 16, 2013
Redondo Beach Rotary's newest Honorary member, Bob Meistrell, the co-founder of wetsuit manufacturer Body Glove, died early Sunday morning. Bob died of a heart attack while aboard the Disappearance, which was traveling back from Catalina Island as part of the Rock 2 Rock paddleboard competition. Services are pending and a celebration of life is planned for July.
(VANCOUVER) Have you ever seen a flash mob in action? If not click HERE to witness the official Rotary "End Polio Now" flash mob. This event occured June 1st, 2013 on the steps of the Vancouver Art Museum. Rotarians from Vancouver and Seattle participated. The video was posted by the Rotary International Club of District 5050. "I know a couple of Rotarians who were at the event in Vancouver and they had a blast," said PDG Rick Mendoza. "Someone in our district should take this idea and run with it."
(REDONDO BEACH) May 5, 2013 – At today’s luncheon our club granted a community service award and two honorary memberships to long-time community leaders. PDG Vicki Radel mcee'd the awards.
Pat Dreizler was honored for her long service to the city of Redondo Beach. She is the mother of Gayle Albin-Bailey, a past-president of the Redondo Beach Rotary Club.
Bob Meistrell, co-founder of Body Glove, a local business. was recognized with an honorary Rotary membership. Meistrell, previously recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow, has served the community of Redondo Beach for six decades. He is an educator, innovator and leader in the community and is known locally as “Mr. Redondo Beach.”
The second honorary membership was awarded to long-time Rotarian Chat Campbell for his 40 years of service to Rotary. Chat started in Rotary more than five decades ago when he helped found the South Modesto Rotary Club in 1959. Years later when he moved to southern California, he joined the Lakewood Rotary Club and then the Wilshire Rotary Club. In 1999, he joined the Redondo Beach Rotary Club when the two Redondo Beach clubs combined. Chat provides public relations and advertising services to the club.
(REDONDO BEACH) May 29, 2013 – Today’s luncheon speaker presented on the Port of Los Angeles It is the number one container port in the United States and generates more than $1 billion economic activity annually. We also learned that Captain Leon Nixon III is also a member of the San Pedro Rotary Club. More on his presentation later.
President Nancy Campbell reminded us of coming events:
June 9, 2013 -- Downtown Sounds to benefit the South Bay Children’s Choir & El Camino Collete Chorale. 11am to 4pm. BBQ at the Depot Restaurant in Torrance. Cost $100pp. See Vicki Radel
June 29, 2013 – Women’s Ministry Tea, 3pm. 125 W. Beryl St., Redondo Beach. RSVP to Eunice 310/318-2827.
July 3, 2013 The Clabasas Rotary Club is sponsoring an evening at the Hollywood Bowl for Rotarians. Click on www.rotarybowlparty.com to order tickets. Price $38.95 per seat and $10.50 for a box lunch.
(REDONDO BEACH) May 22, 2013 – The Rotary Foundation, children with disabilities, a possible dues increase – it was a busy luncheon meeting.
Memorial Day: PDG Chuck Anderson opened the luncheon with a moving innvocation honoring America's veterans. “This coming Monday we will celebrate Memorial Day to honor those individuals and families who served in the Military to provide us with our freedoms,” he began.
“It is the Veteran not the preacher who has given us freedom of religion,
It is the Veteran not the reporter who has given us freedom of the press,
It is the Veteran not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech,
It is the Veteran not the campus organizer who has given us freedom to assemble,
It is the Veteran and not the lawyer who has given us the right to fair trial,
It is the Veteran not the politician who has given us the right to vote.
Please watch over and protect those Rotarians and friends and their families here today.
Bless this food to our nourishment so that we can carry out your will of helping the less fortunate in this world. Amen”
Congratulations are in order to Rotarian Steve Aspel whPDG Chuck Anderson gave a moving innvocation to honor America's veterans on the coming Memorial day:o was victories in the recent citywide elections. Steve is the new mayor of Redondo Beach. Never one to miss an opportunity to bring levity to life, to honor his victory Steve, who also serves as the club finemaster, fined his sponsor Chuck Anderson for having brought him into Rotary many years ago. “Without my joining the club I wouldn’t have gotten to know as many people in town as I have, and probably would not have won the mayor ship. Thanks Chuck, that will be $5.00!”
Captain Leon Nixon of the Los Angeles Port Police. Don't miss this program where Captain Nixon will discuss the Waterborne and Field Services Division of the Los Angeles Port Police. This Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
(REDONDO BEACH) May 15, 2013 --President Nancy gave another recap of the recent District 5280 conference in Santa Barbara. She thanked Scott Fellows for doing a “yeoman’s job” assembling the club’s contribution to this year’s Memoriam.” This year District 5280 lost 19 Rotarians including Barry Hamilton from our club. PDG Vicki Radel was selected to place a long stem rose in a vase in honor of Barry’s life and contribution to our club. Our club also received this year’s Golden Spatula Award for the best presentation at Friday evening district party. Thanks go to Karen and Jeffrey Weigel for preparing a sumptuous spread. Which is why our club won the award. Got it?
Paul Hyashi provided the invocation and Ann Gartner led us in the flag salute.
Guests: Al Wise of Manhattan Beach Toyota.
Meals-on-Wheels: Bill Gard and Chantel King; next week: Scott Fellows and ???? (We need a volunteer!)
Fines: Michael Jackson, $40.00 for having to wait 18 months to get his blue, permanent badge as a member of our club; and Laura Fields, fine amount unknown, she waited six months to get her blue badge.
Judith Diamond is the Corporate and Community Relations Manager at Pediatric Therapy Network. The Pediatric Therapy Network started 17 years ago, for special-needs children under age 5; PTN has 140 employees, including teachers and therapists for Speech and Language development, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy. This Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill.
(REDONDO BEACH) May 7, 2013 -- We heard about Project Amigo today. What a story! Here’s a hint: Dedicated to helping educate the children of poor families in Mexico. Click HERE to learn more about Ted and Susan’s visit to our club and their story about Project Amigo. Meeting Photos Here
Meanwhile, Bill Paul was our greeter today, Terry Bichlmeier offered the invocation, and Dave Whitehead arrived in the nick of time to lead us in the flag salute.
Meals-on-Wheels: Michael Jackson and Elizebeth Diels delivered today. Next week we need some volunteers.
President Nancy Campbell gave a brief summary of last weekend’s District 5280 annual conference in Santa Barbara. Our club was well represented there with 16 members in attendance. Nancy gave an entertaining account of how she was roped into serving as emcee during Saturday’s luncheon. While serving as emcee she introduced Tom Riley who spoke about our club’s partnership with the Molina Foundation distributing books to area school children. The club’s Businessperson of the Year, Deborah Sheppard, was nominated and named the District’s Businessperson of the Year.
Our club received the President’s Citation for Achievement in Vocational Service. Governor Lew Bertrand awarded club members Colette and Bill Paul each the Governor’s Award for Excellence; Colette for her work developing graphics for the district and brochures, and Bill for his work on the district website. Finally PDG Rick Mendoza was nominated and elected to serve on the nominating committee for the next RI Representative for Zone 26.
Upcoming Events:
May 18: District Assembly at the Carson Center in Carson. All board members for the 2013-14 year are encouraged to attend.
May 19th: There will be a wine and appetizer fundraising event at the Campbell’s home for the club’s Community Foundation. Wine tasting, potluck, bingo and more! It is scheduled from 4-6 pm. Nancy encouraged everyone to bring a check in the amount of $25.00 or more made out to the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Community Foundation.
July 13th; The club will hold a combined Demotion and Installation evening at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. This will be an “out with the old, in with the new” type event as we say goodbye to President Nancy Campbell and hello to incoming President Karen Weigel.
Ted Rose & Susan Hill of Project Amigo with President Nancy and Rick Mendoza
(REDONDO BEACH) May 8, 2013 -- Project Amigo began in the late 1980s when founder Ted Rose came to visit the area’s volcano, and instead found a poverty-stricken rural village a great need to support the literacy campaign. A few years later he and his wife, Susan Hill, moved to Mexico and set up shop to help the children of poor villagers. There they joined the Colima Rotary Club.
Colima, Mexico is an agricultural town which attracts many other residents from different regions of Mexico. Currently the population in Colima is approximately 2,000 people. Project Amigo is enabling the poor children of Colima to achieve their highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material support, enrichment activities, medical and dental services.
How successful are they? Well, they currently have 34 university graduates (including two lawyers and one doctor), 100 youth enrolled in higher education and 200 in elementary school that have benefited from Project Amigo. Noe and Mireya (pictured below) are two great examples of the success of the University of Colima. They both graduated from there and both returned to Colima to continue to improve the conditions of this town and also to ensure the literacy campaign continues to strengthen. There are several humanitarian service projects that are ongoing through Project Amigo.
Ted and Susan are also here to reach out to other clubs in hopes of gaining support for scholarship programs for young students in Colima. For more information visit www.projectamigo.org
Thanks to Rick Mendoza, PDG, for bringing these Rotarians and their story to us. President Nancy donated $250 club funds to Project Amigo.
Founders of Project Amigo Address Redondo Beach Rotarians
(REDONDO BEACH) At yesterday's luncheon, PDG Pat Cashin announced that only seven reservations remain available for the upcoming club demotion and installation. "We only have 60 openings and they are going fast," said Cashin, chair of the event.
The activity will be a Rotary traditional evening, but with a feature that hasn’t been seen in the South Bay for decades. What’s new is that it will be a combined Demotion & Installation party for our outgoing President Nancy Campbell and president-elect Karen Weigel and her board. Also new (at least in recent years) is that it will be a black tie (optional) event with dancing to follow an evening of dinner and fellowship.
The evening event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Outgoing District Governor Lew Bertrand will demote outgoing President Nancy Campbell and incoming District Governor Doug Baker will install president-elect Karen Weigel and her board. The evening will start at 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm for cocktails with dinner and dancing to follow from 7:30 to 11:00 pm. The cost will be $50.00 per person.
Guests: Jeff Mclodia, Odila Goncalves, Steve Diels and Elizabeth Diels
Visiting Rotarians: Hisako & Atshushi Nakaaki are visiting from Hamamatsu, Japan. They are here in California taking part in the Rotary Global Exchange 2013, Jim & Alexis Sheehy are hosting them.
Announcements:
Meals-on-Wheels:Jim Sharvin and Chuck Anderson; next week: Michael Jackson and (we need one more volunteer.)
Family of Rotary: Dal Covington’s wife, Cheryl, is undergoing cancer treatment. The club circulated a “get well” card that members signed.
Coming Events:
May 9: The Club will join with the Molina Foundation to deliver books to Fry Elementary in Wilmington. See Terry Bichlmeier.
May 18: District Assembly at the Carson Center in Carson. All board members for the 2013-14 year are encouraged to attend.
May 19th: There will be a wine and appetizer fundraising event at the Campbell’s home for the club’s Community Foundation. Wine tasting, potluck, bingo and more! It is scheduled from 4-6 pm. Nancy encouraged everyone to bring a check in the amount of $25.00 or more made out to the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Community Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation directs 90% of its spending to programs, far exceeding the benchmark of 65% that independent charity-rating services view as a measure of high efficiency. This is just one of several important facts reported in the April 2013 edition of the TRF Zone 26 Connections newsletter. It also reports that US$4 billion has been pledged toward the final eradication of polio. Click HERE to open the newsletter.
(from left) Dr. Alexis Sheehy chaired this year's club scholarship awards; club President Nancy Campbell, scholarship recpients Courtney Meyers, Sarah Volpe, Sarah Logan, Arthur Fontana and Ansari Moiz; and Redondo Union High School Principal Nicole Wesley.Click here for more meeting photos.
Our luncheon program today focused on scholarships. We awarded five $1,000.00 scholarships to graduating Redondo Union High School seniors. The scholarships were funded by the club’s Community Foundation.
Redondo Union High School Principal Nikki Wesley provided an insight into how she attempts to prepare her students for post-high school life. “There are three key things I want them to learn,” she said. “First, to stand up for themselves, second to develop the ability to cope with life challenges, and third to be significant as a person in life.”
When the scholarships were awarded, each student was asked to describe one activity that they were involved in during their high school years that they believe influenced their future choices.
Ansari Moiz volunteered at Little Company of Mary Hospital and plan to attend University of California San Diego with a major in biology;
Arthur Fontana told us he volunteered at the Marine Museum, earned by Eagle Scout badge, and plans to attend Cal State University Channel Islands with a major in business.
Sarah Logan is the daughter of Rotarian Dr. Bruce Logan. She worked in the athletic trainers office every 6th period and is co-president of the Rotary Interact Club at RUHS. Sarah will be attending the University of Hawaii on a water polo scholarship and plans to major in physical therapy with a minor in mathematics.
Courtney Meyers volunteered at various city schools. She plans to attend the University of Oregon and major in business administration and marketing.
Sarah Volpe volunteered at the YMCA and worked with special needs children at YMCA Summer Camp. She was also active in the Community Support Program. She plans to attend the Cal State University Channel Island where she will study to become a special education teacher and work with special needs children.
(REDONDO BEACH) April 17, 2013 –Visitors, announcements, art contest winners, and a look at the library system in Redondo Beach. Oh, and we inducted a new member. It was a busy weekly luncheon.
Visiting Rotarians: Connie Siegel, Harrisburg Rotary Club
Our guests today included Jeff Melodia, a guest of Marna Smeltzer and Scott Young
Scott was not only a visitor. We inducted him today into the club. He was inducted by PDF Eli Gauna, himself also a new member of our club.
PE Karen & Jeff Weigel
Click the image above for more meeting photos
(REDONDO BEACH) April 10, 2013 – This week’s club meeting was an evening meeting rather than our traditional noon luncheon. We had a great turnout with numerous visitors.
Visiting Rotarians: Larry King from the Del Mar Rotary Club, Alice Gavivz from the Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club, and from far-away England, Robin Croslesm, from the Bideford Rotary Club in District 1170.
Our guests today included Roy Bolling, Donna Dawick, Liz Scerra, Kevin Andrade, Kimberly Allison, Stacy Hashimoto, Jeff Weigel, Pam Aspel and Odella Goncalves.
(REDONDO BEACH) April 3, 2013 – Among the visitors at today’s luncheon were three Rotary Group Exchange volunteers. Jewel Price of the Glendale Rotary Club and her two team members discussed the GSE program. More on that later in this eBulletin.
As part of the Rotary Day of Service, The Molina Foundation, The Redondo Beach Rotary Club, and The UCLA Roteract Club, created a new reading area at the South Park Community Center. Rotary Club President Nancy Campbell, was joined buy by Club members Eli & Terry B.; Roteract members Jennifer, Tiffany, Stephanie, and other Rotarians. They emptied, cleaned and repositioned existing shelves. They then shelved new Molina Library and reading sets of books. Finally they sorted through existing books to cull out the best and shelved them. It was a lot of work but satisfying to see a hands on projected completed in such a short time span.
(REDONDO BEACH) March 20, 2013 — “It appears that this will be our most successful Casino Night ever,” said Karen Weigel, chair of the event. “The final numbers will be in in a few weeks, but our preliminary numbers are as follows: We’ve raised over $35,000 for our projects next year; 54 of our 60 members participated in some way; 280 tickets were sold plus 24 complimentary tickets were given to our sponsors. Altogether we had 231 people in attendance.”
President-elect Karen then gave special thinks to the following members:
Laura Fields — raising $22,000 for the silent auction
Steve Aspel — bidding up live items (after all, he was the auctioneer!)
Larry and Paul Hyashi — ticket sales
Ali Adham — Ali kept track of the money; pretty important in this kind of activity
Bill Gard — bar set-up and bar sales
Scott Fellows — catering and food station set up (delicious)
David Whitehead — video setup
Colette Paul and Chat Campbell — publicity
PDG Chuck Anderson — sponsors
“Plus, I want to thank everyone for their donations, ticket sales, volunteering at the event, set-up, and clean up.”
Club President Nancy Campbell then gave more whimsical Recognition Awards:
Ted Wendorff -- Best Dancer
Kelly Weigel -- Raffle Announcer and Bustier wearer
Chris Hutson -- Best-Dancer-provider for bringing a couple who performed the Lindy Hop
Jan Masi -- Best Auction tallyet (Nancy’s award, Nancy’s word!)
Ron Day -- Best Guest Inviter (so cited as his guest bid up the Fiji trip to record heights)
Steve Aspel -- Best Auctioneer
There will be a post-Casino Night party at the Weigels on Saturday, April 6th. The winning team, the Blue Chips, garnered the most sales so they will be toasted. Come one come all. See the club Web site for more details.
REDONDO BEACH - March 27, 2013 —Today’s speaker was Rolando Andrade, one of our own and the president-elect of our club for the 2014-15 Rotary Year. A retired professor from Bowling Green University in Ohio, Andrade led a lively discussion focusing on discrimination, stereotypes and prejudice. More on that later.
PDG Chuck Anderson served as our greeter today, Nancy Campbell provided the invocation, and Bill Paul led us in the flag salute.
Special guests today were Pillar and Antonio Belon from Spain; they are the parents of our Rotary Club’s Exchange Student, Andrea Belon. Pillar, Andrea’s mom, is a lawyer in Spain. She expressed heartfelt thanks to the club and host families for hosting their 16-year-old daughter during the current school year. Andrea is a sophomore at Redondo Union High School where she recently performed in the school's spring play, Grease. Her host families are James and Lori Jackman, Bill and Colette Paul, and Bruce and Lori Logan. Andrea will return to Spain at the conclusion of the currently school year.
Another guest was Stephanie Scerra, daughter of Rotarian Steve Scerra. She announced she would son leave to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormon) in the Czech Republic.
President Nancy Campbell announced that Mark Smith proided Meals-on-Wheels today, and next week Bill Gard and Scott Fellows will do the duties.
A sad note, Pearl Davis, family of Rotary, announced that Cheryl Covington, Dal Covington’s wife, has contracted “the Big C.” Further details when they become available.
Nancy also reminded us that on April 6th the district will sponsor a Rotary Day of Service. In addition, that evening a “winners” thank you party will be held at the Weigel’s home. The Blue Chip Team won top honors.
April 10th luncheon will be dark with an evening social get-together meeting instead. Starting at 6 p.m., the guest speaker will be Jeanne Peters, R.D. who will discuss her passion for backyard gardening. Members and spouses are encouraged to attend.
The District 5280 Annual Conference is coming up, scheduled for May 2-5 at the Fess Parker Ranch in Santa Barbara. Signup now and get a nightly room rate of $179.00 that will go up to $459.00 for stays May 6th onward.
The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach and the Molina Foundation will deliver books to Fry Elementary in Wilmington on May 9th. Contact Terry Bichlmeier if you are interested.
Lastly, Nancy announced the District Assembly is scheduled for May 18th at the Community Center in Carson. All members are invited.
Captain Jenkins is the commanding officer of the US Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles - Long Beach and is responsible for the conduct of all Coast Guard missions of land masses and waters of California south of Monterey, Kings, Tulare, and Inyo Counties except San Diego and Imperial Counties. Don't miss this program, Wednesday at the Bluewater Grill!
As a member of the Management Team of Vision To Learn Nora Acts as the Outreach Coordinator. As Outreach Coordinator she works to get the message out about what Vision To Learn is doing by giving presentations to organizations such as Rotary, giving tours of the Mobile Vision Clinic and helping organize events.&
give-back time. She joined the Rotary Club of Redondo Beach.
Jason Owens is an 8th generation native of Southern California, where his great grandparents arrived to the Los Angeles area in the early 1800s.
King Harbor Yacht Club where he enjoyed sailing and scuba diving around Catalina Island. He lived briefly in Northridge while attending Cal State Northridge and earning a degree in accounting. 
As an Eagle Scout, Chris spent a lot of his youth in service to the community; he sees the Rotary club as the perfect opportunity to continue to contribute not only in a professional capacity as a Productive Real Estate agent here in the South Bay with Keller Williams, but to participate in local community development and improvement also on a volunteer basis.
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during heavy rainfall rainwater enters into the slum house from the roof, sometimes rain starts in the morning and continues the whole day, so daily labors do not find work for the day. In this season constriction work and other works become slow down. In our school our teacher facilitated a session on – “Savings for crisis days”. After that he started to save little money for our daily income. If we don’t find work we could use that money to buy foods. Sometimes mothers take short-term loan from each other to survive, as we are friends. However there are still problems for the families who have more children to feed but income is less. They could not do savings and are forced to go to the moneylenders or money-lending agency for loan by paying interest of their money.
through the streets, and the sleigh stopped every couple of blocks for the children to sit on 
his lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas, one little boy said, "Isn't that Dieter?" The child asked his Mom why Dieter was playing Santa. She came up with the best story. "Well, Santa was stuck back east and wasn't going to get here on time, so he called Dieter because he knew they looked a lot alike and asked if Dieter would be his substitute."
Andrew Borgic, P.E.
Nikki Parsons
enthusiast. Prior, she was an Insurance Agent for AFLAC. In that role, she penetrated the untapped market of motorcyclists. There she increased annual sales by 25%. Charamon holds a bachelor's degree in Sociology from California State University Long Beach and has attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising. She is a mother of two children. In her spare time, she enjoys event planning, interior decorating, cooking and many creative projects. 
Hunter Bradshaw 
of Phoenix where she received an MBA in Accounting and Taxation and continued working for companies such as DirecTV, Hyundai, Herbalife, Live Nation, and Sony Pictures in the Finance and Tax arenas.
Erin founded her current company, Sujan Creative, a year ago. Sujan Creative is a branding and content marketing agency. Erin has been in content creation, marketing and sales for over 15 years. The companies she has worked with include Amtrak, Fannie Mae, the Navy and the Marines, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Zoological Wildlife Foundation, 24 Hour Fitness and small and mid-sized local companies all over the country. 
During the week, he helps facilitate comprehensive financial plans as a representative of Harris Financial Advisors, Inc. in Torrance, CA, and over the weekends, he enjoys hiking, going to the beach, golfing, and hitting home runs in his adult league softball games.
Business Administration and Finance from Cal State University Northridge. She worked for companies such as Universal Music Group, Deluxe Media Management, and Live Nation where she lent her expertise in the Accounting and Finance areas. Tomi is also proficient in Spanish and a proud mother of five. 
an occupational background in Aerospace and Defense. Chris has worked for the same advisory services contractors for over 10 years in the aerospace and defense industry, performing cost and data analytics on a broad range of military systems to provide government officials and US Air Force senior leaders with necessary cost estimates and economic analyses to make informed programmatic decisions and affordability trades. 
I told you about my child “Jannati” and now she is over 5 years old. Now she talks with me and asks me many questions. I can understand what she says even I could guess what she wants to say. My Child Development Lessons helped me a lot developing my daughter in a proper way. I am very caring for my daughter’s brain development through responding to her needs and questions. But before this child development lesson none of us has any idea about it. I share my learning with my family members and with other women in our community. Now my husband is also very careful to her. I know if I was admitted in Amarok Mother School it would not possible happen to our family. By this time I come to know why first 3 years are important for a child for brain development. .JPG)
My own learning and teaching to children are going well. I am trying my best to learn more from my school that I can teach better. You will be happy to know that we have good news for our school. All mothers are very busy and enjoying education much better. We are very thankful to you and Amarok team. After a break I have hundred percent attendances in school in last 3 months. I don’t want to miss a single lesson. You know in our school we have got tablets for lessons. Now all mothers of our school can operate them well. Tablets are very helpful for our learning and teaching to children. We call this our knowledge book. We have learnt many things from the consultants worked with us in last year e.g..JPG)
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Peace Day event in LA County when the Rotary Clubs of the South Bay: Del Amo Torrance, El Segundo, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Lomita Torrance Airport, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, San Pedro, Santa Monica, and South Bay Sunrise sponsored the symphonic multi-media presentation, “Winds of Freedom” at the beautifully restored Art Deco, Hermosa Beach Community Theatre.
Rotarians, Vision To Learn, RB Unified School District and Beach Cities Health District delivered eye glasses to Middle School and High School Students today. Together almost 100 students will be able to start their school year with better vision. Better vision has been shown to be a critical factor towards success in school.
ill was inducted as a new member. Welcome!
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makes the call. Whenever Jeff recognizes an opportunity for another Rotarian, Jeff makes the invite. But perhaps most impressive is the Jeff’s selflessness in Rotary’s mission to improve the lives of others. For some years now, Jeff, together with his wife, Rotarian Karen Weigel, have spearheaded WASSUP, a program to bring clean water to rural areas of Fiji. A water-borne disease, such as typhoid, can mean economic catastrophe to this island paradise heavily dependent on tourism. Dysentery can mean lost wages, lost school days and even death to the very young and old. Jeff, in cooperation with a water engineering firm, has taught the local populations how to construct and maintain water filtration systems. Moreover, the WASSUP program is self-sustaining and is being replicated by the Fijians themselves and includes vocational training in the schools. For this and for so much more, Jeff Weigel has been awarded the 2017 Rotary Club of Redondo Beach Rotarian of the Year.
Furthermore, disasters create battles for the future. There are competing interests as to how to bring “it” back and often, whether “it” should be brought back. “Disasters reveal what others think of you. Recovery overlays ideas of what we should and shouldn’t be like,” Jeanne explains, “Who should say, for example, what life ‘should’ be like in New Orlean’s Ninth Ward?”
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ward to his many accomplishments. Yet, in the field of law enforcement this 24-year veteran of police work ranks changing police culture as one of the most daunting tasks he has faced.".jpg)
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Terry Bichlmeier announced the approval of Global Grant-GG1634076 “Clean Water for Baja California Sur” by The Rotary Foundation, in conjunction with out club. The project will be funded with $4,500 from the Redondo Beach Rotary Club and, in the aggregate, to the tune of $99,500. Shown with Bichlmeier are Nasrin Moghadasian and Amy Zimmerman. Not shown, but also contributing to creating the grant are Nora Giralt and Vera 
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The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is proud to do our part in improving the health and wellbeing of our community. This year, the Club presented a check for $4,500 to go toward dental screening and mental health counseling. Redondo Beach Rotarian Dr. Larry Hashimoto is one of the most active supporters of this program, donating his time and professional talents to giving free dental screenings.
Each year, the Redondo Beach Police Department donates a “Ride Along” in a squad car with an officer to our annual silent auction Casino Night fundraiser. This year, Redondo Beach Rotarian Sue Johnson placed the winning bid.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) provides “education, information, help and hope to the public.” It is considered the world’s leading advocacy group to address alcoholism and drug dependence, with particular emphasis on prevention. Begun in 1944, NCADD has worked tirelessly to raise awareness about drug use and abuse in the United States and increasingly abroad.
must have woven some magic, because that first date turned into another and Vicki and Peter, in addition to being very active Rotarians and humanitarians, are today a very happy couple. 
(REDONDO BEACH, California) The Rotary Club of Redondo Beach is now sponsoring a “mother” in the Amarok Society’s “Adopt a Mother” program. It is an education program for poor women who reside in the slums in Bangledesh. We currently sponsor Sathie Kartun, a 20-year-0ld woman from the slums of Dacca. 
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President Nasrin, Dr. Vicki Radel, Jeff Weigel, Rick Mendoza and Jim Stickler represented the Redondo Beach Rotary Club on "The South Bay Show" 
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Invocation/Inspiration
federal employment was jolting, to say the least. "I arrived at 8:25 a.m. for my first day on the job, a trip to New York City. There I was one of the last people to see the Twin Towers standing. I watched as they collapsed to the ground."
an end to child homelessness in Baja in my life," he said. 
District Youth Breakfast
describing a scene from one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, King Lear. He recited Lear's lament In Act III scene IV. In it Lear said he hadn't done enough for the poor when he had money. Now, in this self chastisement, the poverty-stricken Lear said he knew what it felt like to be poor. Walter concluded the quote by tying Lear's message to Rotary's charitable and humanitarian foundations.
President-elect Rolando Andrade led us in the Flag Salute.
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