This Rotopinion article will be made up of several different random thoughts that I would like to share with you all. Since coming up with a meaningful topic every couple of weeks is much more difficult for me than it should be. I think it may be because I have so much in and on my mind that I want to share with all of you, my Rotary Family, but I don't find it is easy to put those thought into the printed word.
World Peace
Most of you are aware that Rotary is now very much committed to World Peace in our lifetime. It reminds me of the lyrics.
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...
You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And all the world will be as one.
--from John Lennon's song "Imagine"
You might be wondering what we can really do to amplify peace in our lives and in our world. Here are 5 easy ways you can help create World Peace.
Find inner peace.
Violence begins with stressful thoughts. Peace begins with silence and calm in the mind.
Perform acts of kindness.
Selfless acts of kindness uplift your consciousness as well as bring comfort and solace to others. Even little acts of kindness can have big effects on someone’s life.
Create Work-Life balance.
Finding a Work-Life balance is like riding a bicycle. At times you have to lean a bit more to the left and at other times a bit to the right.
Eliminate prejudice.
American writer E.B. White wryly noted. “Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts”
Resolve to be happy.
YOU have the power. Believe in your ability. Anyone can be happy when life is going great. But when there’s a reason to be miserable YOU have the choice to just decide to sing, laugh, dance and jump up and down instead, if you just realize it.
And here are a few thoughts and quotes to stir your mind!
If you pursue happiness, it will certainly elude you. But if you focus on your family, friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can, HAPPINESS WILL FIND YOU.
A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who was able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is both good and bad in all people and all things, and who walks humbly and deals charitable.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Live NOW. Make NOW always the most precious time. NOW will never come again.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard, USS Enterprise
Worry is a total waste
of time. It doesn't
change anything. All
it does is steal your
joy and keep you very
busy doing nothing.
When each one of you accepted your invitation to join Rotary, you were chosen by someone that knew that you were the type of person that wants to make a difference in our local and global communities and has the ability and desire to do just that.
I see the talent, passion and commitment in each of you at our meetings, projects and events and it makes me very proud and humble to be your President. God Bless you all.
Your Grateful President
Jeff
The Dinner for Donors
April 9, 2016 – 5:30 P.M.
Come and Enjoy Amore Italian Style (with food)
DON’T MISS THIS ONE!!!!!
This is truly exciting! Your bids are coming in fast and furious. But who could blame you? This is not just another dinner. It is an event, a very special event, prepared for you with loving hands by our very own resident Chef Fiorine Saltmani. The ambience will be a page out of old Italia. The food will be worth every penny you donated. The music will be the best Italy has to offer. The guests will be US – therefore the camaraderie, too, will be superb.
If you have never enjoyed a feast at Villa Saltmani you have missed a treat. No chef spends more time tasting and perfecting every detail of a meal than Chef Fiorine. And no one goes further to please his guests than her husband Guido Saltmani. Yes, Uncle Guido keeps the wine flowing, the music playing, and the warm hospitality going. To keep Uncle Guido happy you will be requested to check your firearms at the door.
Don’t be left out! The bottom line is a donation to our Woodland Hills Rotary Foundation and an extraordinary Italian evening 12 lucky people will long remember as a very special treat.
Bid! Bid! and bid again! Mange! Mange! Caio
t. Paul's Lutheran Church Hall
958 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90403
United States - See more at: http://portal.clubrunner.ca/50010/Event/St. Paul's Lutheran Church Hall
958 Lincoln Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 9040384c4a1a4-c9ea-4246-8317-57c9cb1c3902#sthash.HlDDa7Ym.dpuf
Are you looking to expand your Rotary knowledge? Or how you can explore opportunities of working with the District Leadership team? Go even further in the Rotary world? If so, then this Future Leaders Training Seminar is geared towards assisting you, our District Rotarians, in taking your leadership to the next level. - See more at: http://portal.clubrunner.ca/50010/Event/84c4a1a4-c9ea-4246-8317-57c9cb1c3902#sthash.HlDDa7Ym.dpuf
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)
Stories
Posted by Elegance Hippolyte
Blessing Bags for the Homeless
We are collecting the following items to be distributed to Homeless on Skid Row:
Toothbrush & Toothpaste
Comb
Chapstick
Multi-purpose wipes
Hand Sanitizer
Band-Aids
Tissues
Travel Size deodorant
Feminine Hygiene Products (URGENTLY NEEDED)
Call 818-887-3810, we can pick up from your location or bring them to the club. The deadline for collection is March 28, 2016.
Cyclone Winston Has Left 120,000 People In Desperate Need of Shelter. Please Help.
The ShelterBox Response Team is delivering lifesaving aid in Fiji to survivors of Cyclone Winston, the strongest storm to ever make landfall in the Southern Hemisphere. The storm brought torrential rain, wind speeds of 200 mph, and 40-ft storm surges. The sheer force of the storm has destroyed up to 90% of structures in hardest hit areas and left an estimated 120,000 people without shelter. The Fijian government has requested international humanitarian assistance, specifically emergency shelter.
On the island of Makogai, the villagers put on life jackets and sheltered in their homes as the winds gathered speed. As the houses began to tear apart, schoolteacher Sakaraia Balebuca and his family decided to hide underneath their raised brick floor. More people joined the family under the brick floor until more than 40 villagers, including children and mothers with infants, were all hiding together. When a ShelterBox response team arrived, they found the whole village sheltering in the only four buildings left standing.
Thanks to prepositioned stock in Fiji, as well as New Zealand and Australia, the ShelterBox Response Teams have already been able to deliver tents and ShelterBoxes to families on six remote islands, including Makogai, Nairai, Batiki. Planned distributions for Koro (100% of homes destroyed), Ovalau and Taveuni in the next few days will be on a larger scale.
Aid distributions to date have been alongside partner, Sea Mercy, and include food, water, building materials, tarps and tents. Access to potable is an issue for the affected population because historically the supply was captured via roofs and water collection systems which have all been destroyed. The use of the tarps and an empty ShelterBox can now serve to capture rain and provide essential water. In addition, the Sea Mercy ships are converting sea water into drinking water, which is delivered via empty ShelterBoxes. It is anticipated that this type of response will continue on the remote islands. On some islands, 100% of structures were destroyed. ShelterBox is there, providing life-saving shelter and supplies. More aid is on its way, but it's not enough.
WE NEED YOUR HELP
We need your support to send another 2,000 ShelterBoxes to reach these communities and give people like Sakaraia comfort and safety. Donations for the Fiji response will be designated expressly for that purpose.
Boys from the Pacific Lodge Boys Home work on bicycles for the Fleet Street project.
Inspirational speaker & chaplain Michael Eselun (l) with Presiden Jeff Stern. Eselun spoke at the Club's March 2 meeting.
March 19 is a Club Potluck Dinner at Barry Verga's abode. Contact Lynn Miller or Sandy Rosenholz if you have not signed up. You can either bring a dish for eight or pay $25 per person.
The always smiling Past President Sheri Polak.
Past President Gwyn Petrick with the Polio Pig, which has been taking donations for District's Polio Walk & Run event on Saturday March 12 at Griffith Park.
Penny Leon talked to the club about her recent trip to India.
Michael Turner, editor ► michael@bearsworth.com
P.O. Box 144 ► Woodland Hills, CA 91365 ► (818) 344-5776
