Hugs and Hope
by Sue Vogl
A misty-eyed President Cedric Tuck-Sherman presented our speakers Deatra Handy and Kathleen Terry with their “gift” of 100 polio vaccinations in their name, following their stirring presentation on sex trafficking – “From Tragedy to Hope: A Local Response to Sex Trafficking.”
But first – it was time for club business.
Jim Hunter announced election results for our two new Foundation Board members – Lisa Hemmat-Lupercio and Charlie Steinmetz – and then spent a few moments praising Bob Stephenson for all the work, particularly with taxes, he has done for the board over the years.
Next up, Kathleen Terry presented the results of the August Connection Challenge. Seventy members opted in and now know who they’ve been paired with. Will it be over coffee, a walk, lunch? This is a fun new way to make more Rotary connections.
Speaking of members – once again we welcomed three new members into our club: Kate Orroth (Kathleen Terry sponsor), Lisa Schlager (Sandesha Singh sponsor), and Shweta Kapoor (Patti Panucci sponsor). Check out President Cedric’s slides for more information on these accomplished members of our community.
Joel Ruben and Larry Johnson took to the podium to share the results of the Scholarship Survey. Forty-eight members turned in their surveys, and the results indicate that the Scholarship Committee is reflecting the wishes of members. Both Joel and Larry explained the process of picking the applicants -- considering each candidate as a whole but especially focusing on financial need and scholarship.
One of our very own scholarship recipients, Mira Costa graduate Eva Asiddao, thanked us for her scholarship and shared her many activities at Costa.
We have a big birthday to celebrate. Coming up is MB Rotary’s 75th anniversary, and Immediate Past President John Acker unveiled a new logo created by Wimberly Meyer.
Kathleen Terry was having a busy morning. For a long time, Kathleen has been concerned about the victims of sex trafficking in our LA community. She presented a number of shocking statistics: 50% of trafficking victims are younger than 16, an estimated 150,000 victims are currently held as commercial sex slaves in the U.S., and this major business generates more than $99 billion in profits. Taking us from statistics to everyday reality – Deatra Handy, Program Director of Restoration Services, shared the work she does from a small storefront in Compton on “the blade,” the area where these trafficking victims work, although all their money goes to their pimps. Restoration Services gives hugs and hope to these very young women – everything from snacks to clothing to games as well as a place to hang out. And if they are able to leave “the blade,” Restoration Services will help them find shelter and even the opportunity to go to college. Both Kathleen and Deatra would love our club to get more involved. Volunteer your time, talents and treasure by contacting restorationdiversion@yahoo.com.
For more meeting photos, go to SmugMug.
See the MB Rotary Calendar here: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/2530/events/calendar