I want to wish each of you a happy and healthy New Year. I am so proud of our club and what we have accomplished so far this year. We have helped support so many members of the underserved in our community and around the world. This is because Rotary has a huge heart filled with people who put service above self. In the next six months, I know that we will accomplish a great deal more by opening our hearts to so many more people in need.
This month marks the start of our campaign to support "The Woodland," a project sponsored by Hope of the Valley that is transforming the 818 Hotel into a beautiful residence for homeless mothers and children. Last year, we raised enough funds to sponsor the building of nine tiny homes in the Arroyo Secco tiny home village. Just think of the many people who have benefited from these homes that now provide shelter, heat/air conditioning, three hot meals a day, job training and placement, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and eventually, a permanent home. My hope is for our club be a large participant this year to sponsor as many rooms as possible for the homeless in Woodland Hills. Let's reach out to our friends, relatives, employers, and places where we do business, and come together to support Hope of the Valley's latest efforts.
I want to thank all of you for your time, dedication and huge hearts when it comes to our Rotary club. We have already accomplished so much good this year and I look forward to working together as we help as many as we possibly can in this new year. I love and appreciate each and every one of you.
I want to thank all of my friends, clients, fellow Rotarians, our amazing and generous sponsors, our poker players, our kind humanitarians who donated even though they could not attend, and all who attended to support my Rotary Club of Woodland Hills's 5th Annual Poker Tournament at the American Legion Hall! Thank you for helping make our Tournament a big success as well as a lot of fun!!! Thanks to all of you, we were able to raise much needed funds for our club's humanitarian efforts in our community and abroad. Our projects include scholarships for students, food and basic needs for the underserved community, and help in Rotary's ongoing humanitarian effort to eradicate polio among others causes. Photo: Back row: past presidents Jeff Stern and Lois Koch; front row: Lonnie Mintz
We hope to see all of you again in the future.
With deep gratitude,
Lonnie Mintz and the entire Rotary Club of Woodland Hills and the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills Poker Tournament Committee!
A few weeks ago, District Governor Olivia Patterson-Ryans (right) came to visit our club. She talked about how helping victims of human trafficking was a big theme for her year. After the meeting, two of our members, Eva Hainer and Sheri Polak, decided to do something to help with this cause. They announced that if our club could raise $5000 to help victims of human trafficking by December 15, they would dye their hair purple.
Deana, Program Director for New Directions for Youth accepting some of the many Coats For Kids gathered cleaned and distributed by the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills. Thank you community partners West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce, Kenn Cleaners and Fazio Cleaners for making it all happen. Service Above Self. Happy Holidays to all!
International service has funded a number of projects during the first half of the Rotary year. Early in the year we provided funds to Caring Hands for Children to help a blind child in India with his schooling and special needs. Again, we supported Days for Girls in Los Angeles. This organizations makes and packages female hygiene supplies for girls and women in remote and underprivileged areas of the world.
We once again supported Patricia Essilffe who started the Boys and Girls Club in Ghana. She said the aim is to be a lifeline or learning coach to school children and to provide them with tools to learn and the freedom to grow. The organization began building school facilities in remote areas of the country so children could attend school. They replaced buildings that did not have roofs, so when it rained or it was scorching hot, the children suffered. Because of the current situation, many of the students were forced to drop out before getting to high school. This group really does need much more than we are capable of providing, but we had an angel in our club who contributed privately to this project as well.
On November 18, club members Conrad Garvey and Diane Nelson, with the help of Melanie Nelson, Mia Montano and Richard Levy, delivered food baskets for 20 families at Reseda Elementary school. Woodland Hills' Smart and Final was generous enough to give discounts on the food purchased. Principal Rosemarie Kubena was very pleased with our donation and participation.
A few months ago, Victoriah Bech spoke to our club about her non-profit, Starts With One Today (SWOT). In addition to feeding the homeless and providing basic needs, SWOT operates several transition homes for men re-entering society. Victoriah mentioned that a huge need is for men’s shoes. Over the next month, our club amassed a carload plus of shoes, socks, backpacks, and hats that we donated to one of the transition homes. President Shelley Stark and Lois Koch delivered the donations to Victoriah on Wednesday, December 14. In the right photo, l to r, President Shelly Stark, Victoriah Bech and Lois Koch.
The Ovarian Cancer Circle/Inspired By Robin Babbini thanked the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills for it very generous donation of $2500 for ovarian cancer research at UCLA G.O. Discovery Lab: Gynecologic Oncology Cancer Research Lab. Presenting the check were Sheri Polak (l to r), Eva Hainer, Sandy Rosenholz, Dr. Sanaz Memarzadeh, Paulinda Schimmel, Lois E. Koch, Shelley Eisinger Stark, Dale Rittenberg Barnes, and Anna Sakvarelidze Chouipe.
Fun was had by all at our annual Holiday Party at Shelley and Jerry ‘s beautiful Studio City home on December 10. The gift exchange created a trading frenzy! Thanks to all who participated. Special thanks to Mona Spector and Kim Wall for planning the event.
23527 Calabasas Rd.
Calabasas, CA 91302 United States of America
NOTE MEETING DETAILS: We will meet on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month live, in-person at the SAGEBRUSH CANTINA for a lunch meeting; it will also be on ZOOM. Meetings on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month will be on ZOOM only.
Dear fellow Rotarians,
This month marks the start of our campaign to support "The Woodland," a project sponsored by Hope of the Valley that is transforming the 818 Hotel into a beautiful residence for homeless mothers and children. Last year, we raised enough funds to sponsor the building of nine tiny homes in the Arroyo Secco tiny home village. Just think of the many people who have benefited from these homes that now provide shelter, heat/air conditioning, three hot meals a day, job training and placement, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, and eventually, a permanent home. My hope is for our club be a large participant this year to sponsor as many rooms as possible for the homeless in Woodland Hills. Let's reach out to our friends, relatives, employers, and places where we do business, and come together to support Hope of the Valley's latest efforts.
At the January 4 Zoom Meeting there will be tax updates from CPAs Steve Hornstein, Diane Nelson & Kim Wall.
Deana, Program Director for New Directions for Youth accepting some of the many Coats For Kids gathered cleaned and distributed by the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills. Thank you community partners West Valley Warner Center Chamber of Commerce, Kenn Cleaners and Fazio Cleaners for making it all happen. Service Above Self. Happy Holidays to all!
A few months ago, Victoriah Bech spoke to our club about her non-profit, Starts With One Today (SWOT). In addition to feeding the homeless and providing basic needs, SWOT operates several transition homes for men re-entering society. Victoriah mentioned that a huge need is for men’s shoes. Over the next month, our club amassed a carload plus of shoes, socks, backpacks, and hats that we donated to one of the transition homes. President Shelley Stark and Lois Koch delivered the donations to Victoriah on Wednesday, December 14. In the right photo, l to r, President Shelly Stark, Victoriah Bech and Lois Koch.
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