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April 21, 2018 was  'Rotary Day of Service'. The GVN Rotary club embarked on a project to renovate and paint two classrooms at the 

Salvation Army  Valley Corps building located at 14917 Victory Blvd., Van Nuys, CA.

Below are pictures of rotarians hard at work.

   

 

 

 

This video depicts the beginning of the eradication of polio in the world.  Ruth, herself a polio victim and wife of late William Bill Frank, PDG (District 5260) 1973-74 Rotary year.  This video was done by the Greater San Fernando Rotary Club, which today is Greater Van Nuys Rotary, after the merger of two other clubs. I am sharing this video with everyone so that members of our club can be knowledgeable about why we as rotarians,  are so bend on the eradication of polio from the face of the earth. 

 

This year's GVN Rotary Luncheon was held on Thursday December 14, 2017 at the 94th Aero Squadron restaurant in Van Nuys and we had the beautiful Chalet de Clay room as our seating location.

 

Approximately 23 members, spouses and guest were in attendance and each received a raffle ticket for a chance at an assortment of gifts.

 

 

 

Ashton Kutcher, philanthropist and actor, was one of the numerous speakers at the Rotary International Convention this year in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, whose main goal was to speak to convention goers and the world at large about the menace of human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children. During a Panel discussion, he expressed his sadness about this global menace.

 

Kutcher is the Co-Founder of THORN: Digital Defenders of Children.  During his speech at the Rotary Convention, Kutcher in his own words confessed: “As a young man coming up in the public school system in the United States, I thought slavery was done, a thing of the past.  When I realized this was happening even right here in Atlanta, a hotbed for trafficking as a travel hub, I was floored and set out to learn as much as I could about it.”

 

He further stressed that vulnerability and poverty often acts as catalysts for human trafficking and sexual slavery of children.  In the United States, most children who ends up in the ‘system’ have no one in their lives to love them.  They are the ones who are most vulnerable to this menace.

 

Thorn is dedicated mainly to preventing sexual exploitation and eliminating child pornography and the conditions that cause it specifically on the internet. Thorn has a high tech lab which it uses to combat this global menace. Thorn targets the internet because it plays a significant role in promoting child pornography as well as the sexual slavery of children on a global scale.

 

Other members of the panel included Gary Hauhen, Bob Corker and Rebecca Bender, who herself is a survivor of human trafficking.

 

Learn more about how Rotary, in partnership with Thorn and millions of Rotarians worldwide, are working to fight this global menace.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year our annual Harvest/Halloween festival was held with the usual funfair.  The festival started at 6:00Pm.  By 6:10PM the venue at the Victory Outreach Church Center, was packed full with well over 400 kids and their parents.  Nearly all the kids and their families were all beautifully dressed in their costumes.  Once again there were various tents/booth setup, each with different games for the kids whereby winners were given prices.  We also had a puppet show on stage and the kids enjoyed all the stories from the show.  The main stage had music from a live band entertaining.  It was fun for everyone.

 

Bill, Barbara, Judy, Maryjane, Richard and Dave at the Halloween Festival

 

This year, our club gave out free Tooth Brush to everyone, and Rotarian Dr. Barbara Pampalone was on hand to advise kids of the importance of personal hygiene. Brushing at least twice a day would keep teeth healthy.

 

Once again we had a costume contest, in different categories. From toddlers to adults.   Judges were members of our club and it was very hard to pick winners since everyone looked to beautiful in their costumes.  Eventually, winners were picked and prizes of Gift Cards were given out to winners.

Our District Governor (Rotary District 5280)  Greg O'Brien and his wife Carolyn O'Brien visited the GVNR club on September 1, 2016.  DG O'Brien during his speech to members and guests. In attendance also was PDG Eli Guana and his wife Rotarian Alice Guana. 

 

During the District Governor's visit, Awards were presented to four members of our club for their achievements and contributions to rotary.  PDG Les Grossman, DGR Richard Miller PP Wynne Ritch, and Ron Wolf.

 

 

Our club held it's demotion party on Saturday June 25, 2016.   It was a beautiful sunny day in Southern California and the weather was fantastic.  Nice outdoor party and everyone had a great time.

 

Our outgoing President, Marie Valencia, thanked her Board Members for making her year a great success.   According to her, "she could not have made it without her board members".  She also thanked every member of our club for helping in one way or the other toward the success of our club. She handed out gifts to her Board members in a show of appreciation.

 

Also present was the Jazz Band from Cleveland High School.  They entertained us with good Jazz tones from the past.   Dave Friedman gave each member of the Band a certificate and thanked them for a job well done. A donation of 500.00 from GVNR was also presented to the Band Leader with a promise to help the Band during his year. 

 

PDG Eli Gauna and PDG Les Grossman were on hand to swear-in Dave Friedman as President and his Board members.  On behalf of the President and Board of GVNR, we say "thank you" to PDG Eli Gauna and PDG Les Grossman.

Present at the party were members from our Chatsworth club.  Tamara Chezick and her husband, Karan  Norman, Jill Saltzman and Kris Fuess.

 

It was a beautiful picnic party and we all had a great time.  Here are some highlights from the party.

 

PGD Les Grossman and Marie Valencia outgoing president

Robert Ryans Club President (2015-2016) Rotary Club of Crenshaw/Watts was the Guest Speaker at our club recently. His presentation was focused on Child Sex Trafficking Beyond the Numbers- Putting Face on  Tragedy.  It was a very interesting  and detailed presentation.  He encouraged Rotarians to do more to eradicate this awful practice from our society.