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| Program Chair: Paul Aslan | December 5, 2013 | |||||||||||||||
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This Week...
December 19 ***Last Meeting of 2013!***Club Assembly & White Elephant Gift Exchange Upcoming... December 26
Dark
January 2 Dark January 9
Matthew Guillory & Zach Brandler
"Craft Talks" |
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December 19 Club Assembly |
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January 9 Matthew Guillory & Zach Brandler "Craft Talks" |
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ur President Mark welcomed us back from Thanksgiving break. Dick Thompson led us in the Pledge and PP Bob Wessling provided our Invocation. Dr Paul Aslan sang, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" Visiting Rotarians today included Mayumi Kobayashi from the Tokyo Chuoshin Rotary with a classification of Advertising and Stock Gaines, PP of the Rotary Palisades with a classification of computer technology and our Assistant District Governor, Linton Morgan. Guests today were: Brad Keyes, a broker and real estate agent in BH and son of our program speaker Dr. Mary Keyes. Also Andreea Constantinescu, Matthew Guillory and Arina D Parau - three incoming members for our newly formed Rotary Impact group. Stock announced his Rotary Club will be auctioning off tickets to the Northern Open playing at the Riviera if anyone is interested to please visit their website at www.palisadesrotary.com PP Dwight Heikkila announced the need for volunteers at Reading to Kids this Sat. Check out their website or ask Dwight for more info. Mr. Quan Suh was a "special guest" of PP Dwight's Heikkila. Health and Welfare: Connie Baker, wife of DG Doug Baker was having an MRI as we met and we are all wishing her well. Lisa Chapman (Phil Gabriel's bride) had knee surgery Tuesday. Please keep them in your prayers. Our Merchant Minute today was Optometrist Dr Patrick Doyle. He has been in Westwood since 1989 and owned since 1995 so has been part of our community for awhile. Dr. Doyle shared that there are a lot of new advances in optometry and he has some sophisticated equipment and encouraged all of us to come for a visit Please visit his website atwww.eyesofwestwood.com Dr Colby Smith announced our Christmas lunch is NEXT THURSDAY (nowyesterday)! Thank you Colby for coordinating EVERYTHING even though you will not be able to attend. As our President says, "our VP rocks!" Thanks to Mike Yousem, the WVRC participated in their 29th year shopping with the kids from the Westside Transitional Housing (formerly Salvation Army Transitional Housing) the same night as our lunch meeting Dec. 5. Thank you, Mike, for a rich and rewarding tradition. Happy Birthday to: PP Chris Bradford, President Mark Rogo and Ralph Bascom. Each was given a very special present from our President; their very own personal "Body Fluids" flask from the Dept of Coroner of the County of Los Angeles. Don't forget on Dec 19th we are having a club assembly and it's White Elephant Day! Then we are dark until Jan 9th Hump Day! AG Morgan inducted our newest Impact members, Andrea and Matthew and Arina - it was quite an induction! Our program today was Operation Smile. This organization provides free surgeries to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children around the globe. Mary Keyes graduated from the Univ of Illinois med school and it was after her fellowship and residency she became involved with Operation Smile. In 2005 she started volunteering when she heard a friend speak and then went to Vietnam on her first mission. Operation Smile was founded in the Philippines 30 years ago by a plastic surgeon and his wife who was a nurse. Their first trip, 300 families arrived but they were could only perform 40 surgeries with the supplies and volunteers they had. The wonderful thing about this challenge is - This is a solvable problem we can fix. Operation Smile is not just for patients but for donors and doctors. Mary shared Mahatma Gandhi's quote, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others." The timing is important that the surgery happens by nine months of age before speech develops. About 120 surgeries are now performed on each mission. Operation Smile is the largest volunteer based cleft charity applying global standards of care. It costs about $240/surgery. Mary shared one last quote from Mother Theresa, "Love is a decision to make someone else's problem yours" and encouraged us to never underestimate a smile ;) Operation Smile - 30 years - change forever! Mary had a personal connection to President Mark, involving surgery performed on his daughter many years ago. After sharing that personal story, and repeatedly being interrupted by the First Lady Lynn, Mark presented a personal check and a Club Foundation check to Mary on behalf of Operation Smile. Our last social was such a success, please mark your calendars for the next one on March 5th at Hillcrest! I am Thankful for each of you and having the opportunity to serve alongside every Rotarian. |
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| -YYE Aly Shoji | ||||||||||||||||
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