UPCOMING PROGRAMS

June 13: Scholastic Heroes

Day at Dodger Stadium

June 20: Prez Ken Demotion

CALENDAR IT NOW

July 1: Alan Bernstein begins

term as 106th LA5 President

July 11: Inaugural Meeting of

the new Rotary Year.

July 18: Michael Feinstein,

Conductor Pasadena Pops.

July 25: Andrea Van de Kamp,

Walt Disney Concert Hall

VISIT WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG FOR MORE

INFORMATION ON SPEAKERS & EVENTS

it will be the BEST MEETING all year

Dodger Stadium Hosts LA5 on Friday

T he popularity of Prez Ken’s lunches have packed the California Club and the City Club for months

but the savvy leader saved the best meeting of the year for this Friday — only a week before his demo-

tion. Many club old-timers know what he is up to: Ken wants

everyone to have the best time and therefore he hopes they

will be charitable at his demotion on June 20.

“It’s pretty obvious,” said one member who preferred to not be identified. “The Dodgers are again the sweethearts of Los Angeles. There’ll be lots of players and the lunch is gratis. I

think he is just buying goodwill so that he doesn’t get

roasted too badly next week.”

Program Chair Jose Vera replied, “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

Rotary Club of Los Angeles

established 1909

June 13, 2014

rotaryLA5.org

Marjorie Heller, Community Service Grants Approval Committee co-chair, handed out another batch of checks at the Friday meeting. Marjorie welcomed Whitney Smith (Ketchum-Downtown YMCA) and presented her with a check for $3000, Jacki Weber (Homeboys Indus-

tries) received a check for $4000 and Deanna Wilcox (Executive Director, Kids-Net LA) took back $2500.

2 El Rodeo

El Rodeo 3

Nick Griego was fined for closing a real estate deal in Palos Verdes and doing business with fellow LA5er Peter Weinberger.

Prez Ken apologized claiming, “We just gotta make money.”

If you missed seeing the gang last week

Paul Richey and Al Shonk aren’t sure. Should we go with the seafood salad or the eggplant parmigiana? Where the heck is gas-

tronome Ben Tunnell to help us make the choice?

Past President Don Crocker gave Prez Ken one of his paintings to skirt a president fine. Is that a view from Nick Griego's PV List-

ing?

Prez Ken welcomes newest member Carrie Hidding and thanks her sponsor Keith Ellis.

Prez Ken bragged he’s collected three times the presidential fines the prior three presidents had assessed. Treasurer Don Robinson

says the club’s finances are in the black thanks to Ken’s draco-nian gavel banging.

John Langfitt huddled with program speaker Gary Glasberg to ready him for dozens of LA5ers who may approach him with televi-

sion script concepts. Art Kassel ably handled all security.

Ben’s Lunch Advice World-class Gastronome Ben Tunnell heads for the Chicago

Blues Festival this weekend to hear his favorite performer, Dr.

John. He heads for LAX after

this wonderful Friday lunch.

Diners: You MUST have a prior reservation for the Dodger Stadium Scholarship lunch and there are absolutely NO seats for walk-ins.

There is no non-diner option today.

ENTREE: Dodger fare.

VEGETARIAN: Dodger fare.

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P rez Ken cracked the whip and

threatened the already hard working Board or Directors they would not get

dinner or a bathroom break until the annual legislation is complete. Board actions include approval of meeting minutes, financial

statements, community grants following com-mittee review, international projects, member-ship applications and resignations and updat-

ing the club’s by-laws.

New Membership Approvals

Carrie Hidding, sponsored by Keith Ellis.

Community Grant Approvals

$3,000 for Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical

Center to implement the Healthy Habits pro-

gram.

$3,500 for The Friends of EXPO Center to sup-port the After School Academic Enrichment

Program of the EXPO Youth Orchestra.

$4,000 for Homeboy Industries to fund a fork-

lift training program.

$3,000 for Stuart M. Ketchum YMCA to pur-chase three computers for SAT and college

preparation workshops.

$3,000 for Salvation Army to fund the Red

Shield Literacy project.

$2,285 for SOS Mentoring poster contest

prizes.

You May Have Won $6,250

N o one claimed the El Rodeo weekly raffle last week, therefore the poten-

tial prize grew a little larger. Win-ners may keep the money, bribe a

club officer or apply it towards LA5 member-ship dues and lunches. The raffle winners

this week are:

● Chris C. (joined LA5 in 2000) ● Galen E. (joined LA5 in 2008) ● Vic M. (joined LA5 in 1989)

● Jim M. (joined LA5 in 1990)

● Robert V. (joined LA5 in 2005)

If you see your name, you must contact either Prez Ken or Jon Gibby before June 16, to

claim your prize. No attorneys, please.

Directors cannot take a break

Board Actions

Proliferate

as Year End Approaches

New rules posted at the prestigious California Club had many club veterans in a snit. Said one, “This is a free country and I’m going to grow mutton chops sideburns to show them.”

Chartered June 25, 1909

Club Leadership 2013-14

Ken Chong, President Alan Bernstein, President-Elect Jose Vera, Vice-President Elizabeth Wheeler, Secretary Don Robinson, Treasurer Jay Richardson, Past President

Club Service Arthur Kassel Paul Richey

Community Service Margaret Karren Jim Hoyt

Funding Todd Johnson Al Shonk

International Service Laine Wagenseller Rick Sarmiento

Membership and Retention Charisse Older Erick Weiss

Vocational Service John Miller John Jaacks

Youth Service Anthony Calloway Paul Jacques

Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Ekstrand Barry Hytowitz Steve Sommers

Executive Director Jon Gibby JON@ROTARYLA5.ORG

Rotary Club of Los Angeles 523 West Sixth Street, Suite 718 Los Angeles, CA 90014 Telephone 213.624.8601 Facsimile 213.624.2694 WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG

District 5280 Governor Doug Baker

El Rodeo Marc Leeka, Editor Peter Weinberger, Sr. Reporter Tony Medley, Photographer

Rotarians You Want to Know:

Marjorie Heller

I f you are a new member who has

yet to learn why LA5 makes a differ-ence in our city, Marjorie Heller

passionately suggests you join the Community Service Grant Committee. She says, “The committee is the gateway

to familiarize yourself with nonprofits in our community. Committee members identify unfulfilled local needs and recom-

mend LA5 grants funded by donations

from the club membership.”

In short, Marjorie feels this is the best committee in LA5 because “it is LA5’s investment in a better tomorrow. This is how new members learn how Rotary cares

and why LA5 is so impor-

tant in Los Angeles!”

Marjorie joined the club in 1996 and, by her account, she sees her friends at LA5

more often than her sister who lives across town. She treasures Friday lunches

because it is her time dedi-cated to making new

friends.

“Of all the LA5 activities I’ve attended, the Angel City

Celebration and Giveaway last December was probably the best. Hundreds of Ro-

tary volunteers gave away thousands of toys, tons of

clothing and everybody got a pancake breakfast. It was

THE BEST!”

If you haven’t met Marjorie yet, then please introduce

yourself at the next meet-

ing.

Marjorie’s Favorites

The best city I have ever visited is Istanbul because it is so rich

with history and art, plus great

food.

If I had only one last restaurant

meal in Los Angeles I would go to Huge Tree Pastry on Atlantic

Boulevard in Monterey Park.

The last book I read was The Everything Mother of the Bride Book by Katie Martin. Now that the wedding is over, I am too

pooped to pick up a new book.

If I could take only three albums to a desert island I would bring

Dvorák’s From the New World Symphony #9 conducted by Ist-

ván Kertész, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Takako Nishizaki

on violin and Aaron Copland with the London Symphony per-

forming his Rodeo ballet suite.

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T he 105th Rotary International Conven-

tion was held in Sydney, Australia, on the first weekend of June. Four days were

packed with plenary sessions, workshops and world class keynote speakers. Although the offi-cial count will not be released for another month,

more than 18,000 Rotary club members from over 150 countries were expected to attend including about 50 from District 5280. It was anticipated that

clubs in Australia, United States, Japan, Korea, Tai-wan, Canada, India, New Zealand, Philippines and

Bangladesh would comprise the greatest participa-

tion.

A major portion of the convention was devoted to

Rotary's top priority: the global eradication of polio. The convention included an update on Rotary's

funding campaign with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in which the latter will match 2 for 1 every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication

up to $35,000,000 per year through 2018.

Rotary launched its polio eradication program in 1985, and in 1988 helped launch the Global Polio

Eradication Initiative. Rotary members have since contributed more than $1.2-billion and countless

volunteer hours to protect more than two billion children in 122 countries from polio. Since the ini-tiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has

plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 416 in 2013 and only 89

confirmed so far this year.

LA5’s own J.T. Waring, whose clean water projects in Myanmar and efforts to create the new Rotary

Club of Yangon have been successful, saw the Myanmar flag presented at the colorful opening ceremony. Rotary was established in Burma in 1928

but in 1962 all nongovernmental organizations were

banned in the renamed country Myanmar.

LA5er J.T. Waring and a Historic Moment

Annual Rotary Convention

The Myanmar flag is presented at the Sydney Interna-tional Convention, the first time the country has had an authorized Rotary Club since 1962. Photo by Alyce

Henson.

Convention-goers enjoyed a concert and light show at the Sydney Opera House. The building was illuminated with an End Polio Now message in 2009 in honor of Rotary's

104th anniversary. Photo by Mark Wallace.