Jeff Stern and Lois Koch at Nicola's during the July Rotary Night Out.
From the Desk of Dale...
Dear Rotary Club of Woodland Hills,
I am so thrilled we are off to such a great start! We are well underway into our new Rotary year.
My first meeting as President went well, and I assumed you all forgot your normal tradition when no one walked out on me! However, SURPRISE, week 2 you all walked out. I was surprised!
We had our first board meeting in July, and already, your Avenue of Service Chairs are hard at work. Our club will be taking the lead in a project that will be a reverse global grant to fight human trafficking. Community, Youth and Vocational Service will be contributing to that project. If you have not already joined a committee, please do so! As an active member of our club, you will get the most out of it by actively participating in an Avenue of Service.
August is Rotary Membership Month. All Rotarians are ambassadors of Rotary and their clubs. This is especially relevant during Membership Month in August, when the focus is on building strong, vibrant clubs by inviting prospective members to join Rotary. If everyone agrees to invite someone to visit our club, we are sure to get more members, making our club stronger than it already is. Think about why you joined Rotary. We all had our own reasons, but came together for a common cause. I joined Rotary because I was really looking for a way to give back to the community and to be in a world wide organization that provided service to those in need. The membership committee is not just the two membership chairs for our club. EVERY ONE of us is on the membership committee and is responsible for building our club. With each new member we get fresh ideas and new opportunities. Let’s do this together!
August 8th, Joe Vasquez, our District Governor will be visiting our club. Our Board of Directors will meet with Joe prior to the meeting. Joe will be our program. Let’s get a great turnout and have everyone in attendance on August 8th.
Let’s BE THE INSPIRATION!
Yours in Rotary Service,
Dale
MEMBERSHIP MONTH
Why I Chose Rotary
In honor of Rotary Membership Month, let's hear from some Rotarians on why they chose to get involved in Rotary...in their own words.
Arturo Velasquez: I joined Rotary because I’m being so blessed living in this country that I wanted to give back to the people in need around the world. I found out that Rotary International was the best organization to do this not only internationally but also locally.
Neil Sokoler: I joined the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills as their 'youngest' member in February 1991. The members impressed me as a truly selfless group committed to doing good work within our community and beyond.
At that time we were discouraged from soliciting business within the group.
We were encouraged to devote all our energies to promoting the Rotary motto, 'Service above self.' Our members devotion of time, energy and funding made a lasting impression on me.
Bryna Hornstein: I got involved with Rotary through my husband telling me about this trip to India in January of 2005. Once I went on this trip and saw all the good Rotary does in the world I was hooked. Rotary has been a part of our lives through marriage and kids and will continue to indefinitely. It's great to give back and show our kids the importance of doing community service.
Lynn Miller: An acquaintenance recommended it highly as an organization that gives freely and world wide. My first meeting confirmed that.
I felt an immmediate connection in many many ways!
Michelle Goldwater: Rotary to me is people helping people to create a positive change in their lives with kindness and compassion, love, knowledge and peace. On a personal level, my fellow Rotarians are more than an extension of Family, they are my Family, and I’m deeply honored and proud to be a part of it.
Lonnie Mintz: My parents have been Rotarians for almost two decades. However, I joined Rotary International to help give back to the community where I was raised, live and work. I specifically joined the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills as its members are altruistic, giving caring and dedicated to the betterment of not only our community and city, but throughout the world. Our members are passionate about helping those in need or in distress and it's a truly amazing feeling to be a part of this amazing organization!
Judy Corcoran: I choose to join because a friend of mine was a member. I really enjoyed it and joined. Now I live in Williamsburg VA but I’ll always remember the good times I had in Rotary.
'Peace in the South Bay'
Celebrates Int'l Peace Day
Inspired by the success of our club's interfaith clergy panels promoting peace, District 5280 is sponsoring an event modeled on ours - Peace In The South Bay! The event features Rabbi Leah Lewis of Temple Menorah, Iman Jihad Saafir of Islah Los Angeles, Buddhist Patt Heckman of Soka Gakkai International and Dr. Reinhard Krauss , Executive Director of the Christian, Judaic, Islamic Institute. Cost in advance is $25, and $35 at the door. For more information, contact Past District Governor Vicki Radel at drvictoriaradel@cs.com
I would like to know if information is presently available with regard to process and protocol, and identifying schools, enrolling schools, and installing Buddy Benches in the community.
I think there are four stages to the process:
First, we should send a letter of congratulations when we have identified a school that has agreed to be a candidate for the installation of a Buddy Bench.
Second, we should schedule a meeting with the principal, the parents, and the students to explain and explore concerns they might have about the installation of a Buddy Bench and how it's to be used.
Third, we need to have an installation of the bench with a training offered to the facility, parents, as well as the student council, so that both children and faculty know how the Buddy Bench is to be used.
The fourth step is in the auditorium for the school, to announce to the school that the Buddy Bench is present, the Buddy Bench has been installed, and now anyone that wants to learn more about the Buddy Bench can be trained. And at that time, we should have some kind of a brochure that we pass out, so that everyone understands what it is, what it's for, and how it's to be used.
An additional fifth step is the follow-up protocol to meet with the school from time to time on a regular basis to determine:
Has the Buddy Bench been used?
Has it been used successfully?
Has there been any interest in the Buddy Bench Program?
Where do we stand with regard to offering this to other schools?
Those are my thoughts. I'd like to hear whether this has already been accomplished. Thank you for keeping me in the loop. E-mail me if you have any questions further in this regard.
Rotary’s Pageant of the Arts provides high school students the opportunity to display their talents and compete with other students for recognition and monetary prizes. Students gain valuable experience as well as exposure to University Deans and professors.
Rotary Clubs have an opportunity to connect with the community through public and private schools, churches, performing arts and art studios, YMCA, YWCA, theater groups, community centers and groups and retail centers; just a few suggestions for outreach and expanding your club’s public relations.
Areas of competition: SPEECH, MUSIC, ART and DANCE.
Prizes for each category: 1st place $1,000 * 2nd place $500 * 3rd place $250.00
Date of completion: March 10, 2018
Location: Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA 90045
Online Registration and Fees Due Date: February 10, 2018
CLUB’S RESPONSIBILITIES:
Entry Fees:
Small clubs - $80.00
Medium clubs - $135.00
Large clubs - $190.00
Submit quality competitors:
Create a flyer and promote the contest throughout your community.
Clubs can select a single participant or hold a competition to select the best participant.
Clubs can offer prizes, money or certificates to participants and/or winners.
One applicant per category may be submitted.
Start early so you will have contestants in time to submit registrations by the due date.
The Online Registration and the Registration Fee must be received by the District Office by February 10, 2018 for the registration to be accepted.
Support your student to be sure they know contest rules, have transportation, etc.
Encourage your club members to attend the Pageant to support and cheer on all contestants.
At the April 11 meeting Henry Oster told his compelling, inspiring life story, battling prejudice and the politics of fear as a Holocaust survivor. As a young German boy he survived deprivation in the Lodz Ghetto, a life-or-death selection in the Birkenau extermination camp, a firing squad in Auschwitz, being strafed by an Allied fighter, and starvation in Buchenwald. Henry rebuilt his life in America, arriving at 18 with no family, no English, no money and no education. Of 2,011 Jews uprooted from Cologne, Germany in 1941, he is the only survivor. Henry was still working as a world-respected Professor of Optometry on his 89th birthday, helping the world to see.
Ernie Koneck ► editor ► emkoneck@gmail.com
P.O. Box 144 ► Woodland Hills, CA 91365 ► (818) 738-0982