Stories
|
||
|
||
Westchester Rotarians are getting their hammers and drills ready. From February 28 to March 3, 2019, our club is renovating the beloved and historic Westchester Townhouse. Westchester Townhouse, that quaint club house next to Kentwood Elementary on Emerson Avenue, was built in 1945 and has served the youth in our community for over seventy years. The Townhouse serves as a vital meeting space for several youth groups in Westchester, including the Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, American Heritage Girls and Music West. |
||
|
||
|
||
|
||
2018 Spring Fundraiser, "An Evening in Casablanca...Here's Looking at You, Rotary!"A famous quote in the classic 1943 film, Casablanca, is when Rick (Humphrey Bogart) ad libs, "Here's looking at you, kid" during a flashback of his falling in love with Ilsa in Paris. Step back into time, come and enjoy a fabulous evening of delicious food and wines, fun, and jazz entertainment at Westchester Rotary's "An Evening in Casablanca.... Here's looking at you, Rotary!" Spring Fundraiser on Saturday, March 17, 2018 at the Annenberg Community Beach House in Santa Monica. Kathleen Hannon Aikenhead and the William H. Hannon Foundation will be honored as our "Citizen of the Year". Since 1983, the William H. Hannon Foundation has focused on improving the lives of people in communities. A long-time stand-up comic, Fritz Coleman, NBC4 Southern California beloved weather caster, will be our emcee extraordinaire. Fritz is well-known for giving his time to numerous charities, and bringing awareness for services that benefit under-served communities. Every year, funds raised from Westchester Rotary's spring event goes to improve the lives of people in communities, locally and world-wide. These projects include: scholarships, cash awards in the arts for middle and high school students, teacher grant awards, orphanages, Vision To Learn, 1736 Family Crisis Center, Safe Place for {Homeless) Youth (SPY), clean water projects, eradication of polio and many other worthy projects. In 2019, Westchester Rotary will undertake a residential Extreme Makeover Project, with funds raised from this fundraiser. Visit our event website, www.casablancarotary.com for all details. |
||
For several years the Rotary Club of Westchester has been changing lives in our community with our "Extreme Home Makeover Project". Our Rotarian volunteers, along with partners in our neighborhood, spend a long weekend completely renovating the home of a deserving homeowner or family. Past recipients have included the elderly, disabled, terminally ill and, in 2015, the Westchester Senior Center. This February, we have set our sights even higher. We will be renovating Safe Place For Youth (S.P.Y.) in Venice.
|
||
Our club lost a good man and a wonderful member this week. Joe Callinan passed away at home at the age of 79.
The Rosary for Dr. Joseph Callinan will be Friday, March 7, 2014 at 7:30 PM in the Huesman Chapel, Loyola Marymount University, 1 LMU Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045.
The Funeral Mass will be Saturday, March 8 at 11:00 AM, in the Sacred Heart Chapel, Loyola Marymount University.
The Repast and Celebration of Joe's life will follow the Funeral Mass also at LMU.
For those who can, please join us for prayer and celebration of Joe's life and legacy. |
||
We hope you enjoy the video from the 2013 Home Makeover project at the Ricks' house. Thank you to the Rotarians, volunteers, and donors who made this possible. Let Love Rule!
|
||
With the hard work of Rotarians, contractors and 175 volunteers (including the Boys Scouts and Knights of Columbus), the 2013 home makeover is complete. While the Ricks family was in Mammoth, the Westchester Rotary Club repainted, replanted, and remodeled the entire house (you can see pictures on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/westchester.rotary). This was a great example of our community pulling together to help a neighbor!
|
||
At our meeting today, we had a chance to hear and see the winners of our Club's speech and arts contest (co-sponsored with the Playa Venice Sunrise Club). First, the winning video by Tor Anders Larsen.
Next, we had a dance choreographed to the song "Breathe Me," to commemorate those who have been victims of violence.
The speech winner read her talk and the music winner performed some blues on the piano. It was a great meeting and a wonderful opportunity for these great young people to show their talents. Good luck to all of them at the District competition this Saturday at LMU!
|
||
Each year, our Club welcomes all of the Rotary Youth Exchange students from New Zealand who will be spending their year in either North America or Europe. This year we welcomed 37 (plus two chaperones). They enjoyed days at Venice Beach, Disneyland/CA Adventure and Universal Studios. In the evenings, they were hosted by the Club on Thursday and by our Interact Clubs on Friday. You can follow some of their adventures by clicking on the links on the right side of the home page.
|
||
Congrats to all of the participants from the arts and speech context our Club co-sponsored with the Playa Venice Club. The winners will compete for the District awards.
|
||
The application is available now and the final deadline to submit applications is January 14, 2013. Contestants must be available for the first level of competition on January 20 and 27, 2013. The top two finalists in each category will be selected to compete at the District-wide competition on March 9, 2013 at Loyola Marymount University.
|
||
In sport, there is no such thing as a sure thing, but Kim Rhode is about as close as one can get. Kim has won an Olympic medal in each of the last five Olympic Games, including winning her THIRD Olympic GOLD MEDAL in London at the 2012 Games by hitting an astounding 99 out of 100 (MOVING) targets. Kim's Olympic career began by winning gold in 1996 at just 17 years old and in London she became the first American in history in ANY individual sport to win medals in 5 consecutive Olympics Games . . . . and she has no intention of stopping there. Kim expects to compete, '"or another 4 or 5 OLYMPICS."!!! Kim is a 14-time National Champion and has been World Champion, World Cup Champion, PanAm Games Champion and CAT Champion. She has collected thirteen individual World Cup gold medals, In the world of competitive shooting, she has won it all, most more than once. With virtually no room for error in her sport Kim has mastered the art of performing her best when it matters most.
From Southern California, Kim began shooting at just 10 years old and even lettered in the sport all four years of high school . . . which culminated with her first Olympic gold medal. She has been a spokesperson for both the Outdoor Channel and The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. When she's not taking aim at targets she enjoys restoring classic vehicles and collecting first edition children's books, her favorite being Raggedy Ann and The Wizard of OZ.
Kim was the 1st US athlete in any sport to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games and not surprisingly, the USOC has labeled Kim as one of the "Top 12 Athletes to Watch in 2012". Kim is currently preparing to return to the Olympics in 2016! The cost is $20 (for non-members) and includes a delicious 3-course meal (tax & tip included) and free self parking. |
||
Be a part of history. The shuttle Endeavour is coming home. The public is invited to hear a presentation by Monique Hudson of the California Science Center on the arrival and permanent display of Endeavour, which she will give at the luncheon meeting of the Westchester Rotary Club on Wednesday, September 19, 2012. The meeting, which begins at 12:10, will take place at the Crowne Plaza LAX, 5985 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles. Endeavour, the workhorse of NASA's shuttle fleet, is scheduled to arrive at LAX the following day, Thursday, riding atop a Boeing 747. She will ride the skies of Los Angeles at 1500 feet crisscrossing the basin for an hour affording millions the chance to see her final flight. Another unique opportunity to see the craft will take place on Friday, October 12, 2002. On that day, Endeavour begins her crawl through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood, the first and only time that a space shuttle has moved through an urban center. Westchester Rotary volunteers will be on hand to shepherd Endeavour as she lingers for several hours in Westchester in the parking lot at the corner of Sepulveda Eastway and La Tijera Boulevard. NASA has retired Endeavour with the rest of the Shuttle fleet. Following a fiercely competitive application process last year, Los Angeles, New York, Kennedy Space Center, and the Smithsonian won the privilege to house these international treasures. The California Science Center will construct a home for the shuttle that will allow it to be displayed vertically with external fuel tanks to simulate launch position. Luncheon price for non-members is $20 and includes a delicious 3-course meal (tax & tip included) and free validated self-parking. Contact Edgar Saenz (310) 417-9900 or Cindy Williams (310) 568-1024 for more information. |
||
President Joe rang the bell at 12:15 and we all promptly left, in Westchester Rotary tradition. When we returned, we were all Joe! Here's to a great year.
|
||
Each year the LA County DA recognizes citizens who go above and beyond to prevent or stop crimes. Westchester Rotary is proud to host this event each year.d to host this event each year |
||
Please come and recognize, along with LA County D.A. Steve Cooley, citizens who have acted with courage and at considerable personal risk to help a victim of crime, assist in the capture of a suspect or testify in the prosecution of criminals.
The cost to non-members is $20 (includes lunch, tax, tip, and self parking). We start at noon and end at 1:30. For reservations, please contact Rowena Ake at (310) 502-9991 or Bob Smith at (310) 493-3835 |
||
$10/bag of books today, Friday and Saturday at the Westchester Rotary Used Booksale! 10am to 6pm on May 31 and June 1 and 10am to noon on June 2 in the Ralph's parking lot at Sepulveda and La Tijera.
|
||
The book sale is in full swing. We're open through June 2nd at the Ralph's parking lot at La Tijera and Sepulveda. New books are being donated every day, so some take a look at what we have. All proceeds go towards our international and community service projects, including the upcoming Extreme Home Makeover. Thank you for your support.
|
||
The Rotary Club of Westchester is now seeking to identify worthy families to consider for its fourth “Rotary Home Makeover” project. If you know a deserving family in the Westchester/Playa Del Rey area who should be considered for this year’s Home Makeover, please send their name, address and phone number to Rotary Home Makeover, 8939 S. Sepulveda Boulevard, #518, Westchester, CA 90045 by June 30. Please include up to 250 words about why the family deserves a home makeover, whether the family owns or rents, and ages of children in the family. Include your contact information as well. Submissions must be made by June 30, 2012. If you are interested in contributing goods or services to this project, please call (310) 645-2295. |
||
The annual Westchester Rotary Book sale is coming up from Friday May 25 through Saturday June 2nd in the Ralph's parking lot at Sepulveda and Manchester in Westchester. You can donate books at Armstrong Printing Co. 524 West Arbor Vitae Street, Inglewood, or call Rod Tyler at (310) 677-6132. |
||
We're starting to lineup auction items for our March 16th Murder Mystery FUNdraiser, including exciting African safari packages. They are 4- and 5-night packages that include all meals and morning and evening drives. The packages expire one year after the date of purchase. |
||
Westchester Rotary had its annual welcome of the outbound New Zealand Rotary Youth Exchange students. During their stay they went to Venice, Santa Monica, Disney/CA Adventure, and Universal Studios. One night they were hosted by the Club for dinner (see the picture) and another they had a pizza party with the Westchester, St. Bernards, and El Segundo Interact Clubs. The 42 students came from all 6 Districts in NZ and were chaperoned by Debbie and Ross Loomans of the RC of Otorohanga (D9930) |
||
This year's Westchester Rotary spring FUNraiser is a Murder Mystery night on Friday, March 16th at the LAX Crowne Plaza Hotel. Cocktails at 6pm and dinner at 7pm. All proceeds go to support Community Projects including the next Home Makeover. For event information contact Rich Musella at rbmusella@earthlink.net or 310-649-0374. |
||
Our annual Reverse Drawing is here! Tickets at $100 and we only sell 250. First prize is $10,000, to be drawn at our Murder Myster Night. Proceeds go towards our Community service projects, includeing the next Home Makeover. Contact Cozette Vergari (cozette@laxlawyers.com) to buy your ticket.
|
||
We had a great Holiday Party to celebrate the season. We even had a special red-suited guest.
|
||
Entrants will compete at the Westchester Club level during February 2012. Club winner will win a cash prize of between $200 and $1,000 for each discipline, in the sole discretion of the Westchester Rotary Club vocational chairman. Club winners in each discipline will advance to the district finals on or about March 3, 2012. Awards of $1,000, $500, and $250 will be given to the top three district finishers. District winners in each discipline should be available to attend at the District 5280 Annual Conference
in San Diego on Saturday, April 21, 2012. Art work will be displayed at conference. For details and an application, you may contact Edgar Saenz, Westchester Rotary Club vocational chair, (310) 753-1668. |
||
You can support the Westchester Rotary Club as a calendar ad sponsor. Contact Rod Tyler for details and how our members and friends will see your ad for a full month! Use the link below to purchase your ad today ($200 for Black and White, $300 for Color).
|
||
This year's Progressive Dinner was a SELL OUT! Thank you for helping us raise money for the Westchester YMCA's Youth & Government program.
|
||
The 57th annual Westchester Rotary Booksale is 5/27 to 6/4 in the Ralph's
parking lot at Sepulveda and Manchester. All proceeds to towards
supporting our community and international service programs, such as
Teacher Mini-Grants, scholarships and clean water projects. If you have
books to donate, contact Rod Tyler at 310 677-6132 or look for our
barrels at the YMCA and around Westchester.
|
||
Our annual fundraiser at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach is Friday, February 11th from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm. Proceeds go towards supporting our community service (Home Makeover) and international service (Thai clean water and orphanage) projects. Tickets are $75 each. To purchase tickets, please contact Heather Martillo at (310) 622-4821, hmartillo@renovagroup.com
|
||
|
||
Check out local exchange students working on the Rotary float for this year's Rose parade here.
|
||
Our Extreme Home Makeover project is coming Jan 27-30, 2011. To donate to the project, click here. Volunteer information will be coming soon.
|
||
Join us and the LAX Coastal Young Professionals for the Heal the Bay Beach "Clean & Crawl," EXCLUSIVELY
sponsored by the Rotary Club of Westchester, on Saturday, September 18 at 10
am at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey. The clean-up will go from 10 am-12 pm,
followed by a local restaurant "crawl" from Outlaws Bar & Grill to Mo's
Place and finally, to The Shack. Help us serve our community and support local
business simultaneously!
|
||
In response to the disaster in Haiti, Westchester Rotarians donated generously to purchase 3 ShelterBoxes for the survivors. Visit ShelterBox's website ( http://www.shelterboxusa.org/) for more information on how you can donate.
|
||
Our Club welcomed 35 New Zealand students (and two chaperones) on the first leg of their International Youth Exchange. They went to Disneyland/CA Adventure and Universal studios during the day. In the evening they were hosted for dinner by our Club on one night, and by the Westchester/St. Bernard's/El Segundo Interact Clubs the other night. You can see pictures at
|
||
This year's progressive dinner to benefit the YMCA's Youth in Government program will be held on Sunday, August 9th beginning at 5pm at the LAX Marriott. Every year the food and fellowship are great, and this year's will be no exception. If you've reserved tickets, but haven't yet paid, you can use your PayPal account by using the Add to Cart button. Or, you can pay by check to the Westchester Rotary Foundation, PO Box 91543, LA, CA 90009
|
||
Westchester Rotary and the Westchester High, St. Bernard's and El Segundo High Interactors welcomed 44 New Zealand International Youth Exchange students and their chaperones Mel and Zandra Cook to Los Angeles for 4 days.
|
||
This year, Westchester Rotarians were again very generous in donating extra Halloween candy for kids who can't go trick-or-treating. This year, we gave candy to the battered women shelters supported by 1736 Crisis Center, Angel Step Inn Domestic Violence Resource Center, School on Wheels, and the pediatric ward at Little Company of Mary.
Thanks to everyone who made this Halloween a little better for some needy kids.
|
||
The Westchester "Read to Kids";Literacy program for Spring 2008 started
early April and ended in May. It was geared to the primary grades at 7
local schools, 18 volunteers from the members, spouses and friends
spent time reading to the first grade kids. Each volunteer read to at
least one classroom per visit, many of them made more than 2 visits at
different schools. The books were read separately during a 30-minute
visit. Each classroom received a copy of each book that was read. Our
goal is to interest children in reading and it has been another
successful program that we have done in our community.
|
||
Westchester Rotarians joined a band of more than 130 volunteers to makeover the home of Jackie Hunt and her 17-year-old son, Wesley. In 2001, at the age of just 46, Jackie suffered a massive stroke that severely affected her speech, left her bound to a wheelchair and changed her life forever. Once vibrant and active, she struggled to do the things we all take for granted - brushing her teeth, cleaning her house and using her nearly inaccessible bathroom. To make matters worse, Jackie is slowly losing her eyesight as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that is gradually shrinking her field of vision. |
||
Over 100 people were entertained and enlightened during the club's annual evening with our community's talented young people, which we call our Annual Interact Dinner (and Variety Show). It took place on Wednesday night, April 16, from
6:30 pm
to
8:00 pm
at the
Flight
Path
Museum
,
6661 W. Imperial Highway
, on the south side of LAX. People who arrived early were able to browse the museum's galleries demonstrating
So
|
||
Last year the Westchester Club sponsored
the new Thai Town Rotary Club and on Sunday, March 9th they held a big
party. 30 Westchester Rotarians and their guests were in attendance.
There was great food and fellowship, along with Thai entertainment.
This year, the Thai Town Club joined us in our clean water matching grant in Thailand. Their next fundraiser is a 5k run/walk April 13th. To register, go to www.thainewyear.com or www.active.com or call the Thai Community Development Center at (323) 468-2555 |
||
You can pay your dues or for other Rotary events using the Pay Now button below. Note that a 4% handling charge will be added to the amount. |
||
|
||
Our club had the pleasure of welcoming 40 International Youth Exchange (IYE) students from New Zealand this week.
|
||
|
||
|
||
The Rotary Club of Westchester held its annual Employee Recognition Day Fashion Show at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, April 25 at The Radisson LAX Hotel.
|
||
The District Conference was very successful for our Club as we were second only to the Wilshire Club as we received 31 awards to their 32.
|
||
ClubRunner makes it easy to publish your eBulletin, and send to all your members and friends.
|