I am honored to be your President of this great organization called the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills.
I congratulate you all for your efforts the past Rotary term when we accomplished so much under the leadership of our new Past President Michelle Rodriguez. During Michelle’s term we increased our membership which is a result of all the good work we do. Actual donations to causes increased and we individually participated in more hands-on projects than in previous years. We began to partner with other clubs and the district to increase the impact of the Rotary principle of People of Action.
We collaborated with many nonprofits and organizations to fulfill our motto of Service Above Self. We moved! We started work on a district reverse global grant! We started sustainable programs that give us opportunities to be of service! We adopted 3 senior centers! We gave students needed support through our scholarship programs! We did Cards from Kids! Thank you for your commitment to help make our club a bright star in our community.
Let us continue to practice the magic of Service Above Self and become shooting stars in the 2024-2025 Rotary International theme: The Magic of Rotary.
Sandy’s 4 Way Test:
Rotary is H.O.P.E. is my 2024-2025 theme. Helping Other People Everyday. It has been over 50 years since I made the very smart move to Los Angeles. I have adopted a mantra of "grab a friend and give 50 minutes of service." It is a simple ask: You pick the timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly) as we can always get more done with a little help from others: Our new District Governor Albert Hernandez says: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. The Woodland Hills Rotary Team can make a difference in the community and the world this year and in the future.
Lots of changes are coming this year. Our 2024-2025 club meetings will move to a fabulous new venue starting on July 10 at Pinstripes at the Topanga Mall. Our live meetings will continue to be available on zoom as well, and are scheduled from 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. All our events/projects will be planned further in advance so you can get your calendars in order and participate in everything our club offers. Please join in with our Avenues of Service chairpersons so we can increase our participation rate maybe 50 minutes at a time! Your new Rotary Board will guide us through the year so that it will be beneficial to all.
Senior Services and Veteran Services are new committees that we can all get involved with as the need is great and the numbers of people who need a hand is increasing every year. Everyone’s input and feedback will make these areas of service successful and sustainable.
I look forward to seeing and hearing from you all in this year. Rotary is H.O.P.E. and I Hope you will join me on our new adventure.
The July 12 lunch meeting will be the first one that will be held at our new location, Pinstripes. There will also be new start and end times: 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. It is best to park on the Victory side of the Topanga Mall. The meeting will be on the second floor and elevators are available. Pinstripes provides a home away from home where people can feel like they are celebrating life while eating the best food, and playing the best games. Guests can enjoy made-from-scratch Italian-American cuisine during Saturday & Sunday Brunch, happy hour after work, or a night of bowling and bocce. Pinstrips is in the Westfield Topanga at 21851 W. Victory Blvd.Canoga Park, CA 91303.
At the June 12 meeting, Ashley Duran and Laurie Samaan introduced the club to Gigi's Playhouse, which will be opening in September in Simi Valley. The organization is changing the way the world views Down syndrome and sending a global message of acceptance for everyone. Gigi's Playhouse changes lives through the consistent delivery of free educational, therapeutic-based, and career development programs for people of all ages with Down syndrome, their families, and the community, through a replicable playhouse model. There are move than 58 Playhouses across the United States and Mexico.
The club is supporting the Hope the Mission's new Women's Center. (l to r): Shelley Stark, Lois Koch, Eva Hainer, Ken Craft from Hope the Mission, Paulinda Schimmel, and Karen Schnee.
The club called bingo games for the fathers at Tiny Homes on June 15. Gift cards and sundries were presented to the men who were the winners of the day! The city's Tiny Home Village in Tarzana is changing the face of the homelessness population.
On Sunday, July 21st, internationally renowned super athlete, Rob DeCou, will once again take on a challenge to “Stand Up Against Human Trafficking,” by kayaking from Catalina Island to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Rob has completed several other internationally acclaimed athletic contests, many to raise awareness about the plight of human trafficking victims. There will be a reception on the beach as he arrives between 2 and 4 p.m. All are invited, based on a first-come-first-served basis.
Join fellow Rotarians and their family at the Seaside Lagoon on Saturday, August 24th for District 5280's annual BOAT RACE. This years event will include our siganture boat races, cornhole games, food contest, and much more. More details to come.
On Friday, July 26th, the documentary film “California’s Forgotten Children,” will be shown at the Hermosa Beach Community Theatre at 7 p.m. The 90-minute film, which won Best Documentary at the 2018 Soho Film Festival, follows a diverse group of resilient survivors, who have overcome their commercial exploitation by traffickers. In 2019, the documentary screened at the United States Senate to educate policy makers implementing laws to combat human trafficking. In total, it has received over 20 awards and honors, for its impact and significance. The director of the film, Melody C. Miller, will be present for a Q&A following the film. For details, visit https://rotariansfightinghumantrafficking.org/events.
By Rajeev Bhalla, Rotary Club of Ranipur, Uttar Pradesh, India
I have an amazing story to tell of hope, healing, and the power of coming together to make a difference. Many of us have stories like this in Rotary. Here’s mine.
I joined the Rotary Club of Ranipur in 1987 with a simple idea in mind: to do something meaningful for our community of Haridwar. Little did I know that my simple idea would blossom into something truly life changing.
In our community, several individuals have scars from accidents they survived, such as burns or acid injuries. Many of them are not just scarred physically but also carry deep emotional wounds. I thought, “What if we could do something to help them?”
21851 W. Victory Blvd.
Canoga Park, CA 91303 United States of America
NOTE MEETING DETAILS: We will meet on the 2nd & 4th Wednesdays of each month live, in-person at PINSTRIPES Topanga for a lunch meeting; it will also be on ZOOM. Meetings on the 1st & 3rd Wednesdays of each month will be on ZOOM only.
Fellow Rotarians,
Rotary is H.O.P.E. is my 2024-2025 theme. Helping Other People Everyday. It has been over 50 years since I made the very smart move to Los Angeles. I have adopted a mantra of "grab a friend and give 50 minutes of service." It is a simple ask: You pick the timeframe (daily, weekly, monthly) as we can always get more done with a little help from others: Our new District Governor Albert Hernandez says: Teamwork Makes the Dream Work. The Woodland Hills Rotary Team can make a difference in the community and the world this year and in the future. 
Lots of changes are coming this year. Our 2024-2025 club meetings will move to a fabulous new venue starting on July 10 at Pinstripes at the Topanga Mall. Our live meetings will continue to be available on zoom as well, and are scheduled from 11:50 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. All our events/projects will be planned further in advance so you can get your calendars in order and participate in everything our club offers. Please join in with our Avenues of Service chairpersons so we can increase our participation rate maybe 50 minutes at a time! Your new Rotary Board will guide us through the year so that it will be beneficial to all. 
Senior Services and Veteran Services are new committees that we can all get involved with as the need is great and the numbers of people who need a hand is increasing every year. Everyone’s input and feedback will make these areas of service successful and sustainable.
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