The March 11 meeting of the PVP Rotary club began at 12:15 when President Les invited our “Resident Invocator” Jim Hartman, to offer his invocation. The flag salute was performed by Norton Donner and the patriotic song was sung by Keith Deisenroth as a tribute to Nancy Regan.
Our guests for today included Rika Viola, Assistant District Governor for the South Bay, and a member of the San Pedro Rotary Club. Also attending were Warren Bobrow, RYLA Youth Services Director, and Sophia Smith who is RYLA’s youth exchange choice for District 5280’s outbound one year exchange to study in Spain. Matthew Beaumont was also visiting.
There were many and varied announcements, starting with a call by John Cameron, in absentia, for all members to become updated on their club dues.
Next, Les told us of Saturday’s 3-2-1 Go-to –End- Polio Drive in Griffith Park, a 5k walk or run where all proceeds will go to District 5280’s fight to eradicate polio.
Kjell mentioned that our club will purchase two tables next year for every District breakfast so our attendance will ensure support for our own Greg O’Brien as District Governor. And it was announced that accumulated Paul Harris points from club members will be donated to Greg in order that he may receive his sixth Paul Harris pin. We were encouraged to attend this year’s District Conference from April 28 to May 1 in San Diego’s Mission Bay, and Les urged all members to donate at least $1, and hopefully $5, to the Tragedy to Triumph Polio Plus fund.
Joan Behrens thanked us for participating in the Speech Contest, and told us that Amanda Bishop, who was awarded first place at our club, was also chosen for first at the District level. Eileen Hupp told us that there was to be a fireside chat on March 30 at Alan Bond’s home, and that all new members who joined this year or last are encouraged to attend. Juliette De Moss thanked the club for our grant to the Mobile Medical Adventures, and announced that there would be a clinic on April 16 at the Boys and Girls Club, and that they need volunteers. A sign up sheet was passed around. Christine Chui urged us to come to next week’s meeting to judge the annual Art Contest, and she thanked Harry and Jim who helped her transport the artwork in her car. Jim Morgan had two announcements. He first reminded us to attend the Harmony Concert at the Norris next Friday night, March 18, where the two high schools will perform. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office and all proceeds will go to the schools’ music programs. He also told us about the P.V. Land Conservancy’s discussion on climate change that will take place at the Wayfarer’s Chapel next Tuesday, March 22, at 6:00 P.M.
Julia had several announcements. The first was regarding Share Fest to be held on April 30, a hands-on volunteer community work day. Next she made a call for volunteers at the Beer and Wine Festival in May, and told us that admission tickets would be only $25 in exchange for working for four hours. She will bring a sign-up sheet next week. There will also be business opportunities for advertising in the program. Then she announced the weddings and anniversaries of the club:
February
Birthdays: February
Woody Woodruff 4
Les Fishman 5
Kjell Hellberg 16
John Schuricht 20
Liz Fitzgerald 23
Wedding Anniversary:
Christine Barnicki (Richard) February 14, 1968, 48 years
Rotary Induction Anniversaries:
Jacquie Ignon February 1, 1995 21 years
Judy Maruszko February 22, 2013 3 years
John Polen February 14, 2002 14 years
James Morgan February 1, 2013 3 years
March
Birthdays: March
Nancy Crawford 20
Gary Tossell 25
Jonathan Udewitz 29
Wedding Anniversary:
Julia Parton, Rich Rosas March 8, 1997 19 years
Les Fishman, Virginia Butler March 13, 1993 23 years
Rotary Anniversary:
Christine Barnicki March 1, 1991 25 years
John Cameron March 1, 1984 32 years
James Morgan March 1, 2013 3 years
Chris Stillians March 1, 1994 22 years
Allan Colman March 11, 2000 16 years
Then, District Governor-elect Greg O’Brien introduced our speaker, Professor Manisha Javeri, PhD, who teaches instructional technology at Cal State L.A. Manisha was awarded the Rotary Peace Fellowship, the most competitive scholarship in Rotary to go to Thailand. Her talk focused on how she first became involved in peace and conflict resolution in Mozambique, Africa. While recuperating from cancer at her home in Mumbai, India, she repeatedly watched a CNN documentary reporting on children in Mozambique who were orphaned and left alone at a young age to raise themselves after their parents had died of Aids. She went over to the capital, Maputo, and did faculty-based workshops on technology at the university using multimedia to empower teachers to help the children. And because cell phones are very cheap in Africa, cell phone application technology was the perfect medium to teach children tools so they could help themselves in their daily lives.
