Home Page | Rotary Club of Greater Van Nuys

89 years of "Service Above Self"

We meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM

LULU'S RESTAURANT

16900 Roscoe Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406

GVNR Scholarship Recipients

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 30, 2018

Congratulations to Recipients of GVNR Club Scholarship through the LAVC Foundation for 2018/2019 school year.

Club Executives with two recipients

Club Executives with another award winner

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District Governor Joe Vasquez Visit's GVNR

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 11, 2018

Our District Governor, Joe Vasquez visited our club earlier this month. Governor Vasquez joined us during our Board of Directors’ meeting and was given a full report about the current status of the club. Each director gave a brief report about their various avenue of service. At the end of their report, DG Vasquez gave us some advice/guidelines on how to move the club forward.

Raul Castillo be awarded his Paul Harris fellow Pin by Executive Aide Nora MacLeilan

At the general meeting, he took the time to induct our newest Paul Harris Fellow member. President Raul Castillo was inducted and welcomed into the Paul Harris Fellowship by the DG. DG Vasquez took us down memory lane on how he came into rotary and is still very proud to be a rotarian. He spoke briefly about rotary in general and district 5280 in particular. He spoke about the great work rotary is doing around the world with regards to humanitarian projects and peace building around the world. (full video will be posted later).

The DG also recognize and presented to Wynne Ritch, an award for his hard work in putting together our club's "Service Above Self" event for the last three years.

Evecutive Aide Nora presenting Wynne with his sevice above self pin

In honor of the DG, Rotarian Michael Camorlinga and owner of Lulu’s Restaurant, created a special menu for our DG. Named Sloppy Jeo Vasquez Sandwich. It’s a mixture of Southern flavors combined with lean seasoned ground beef and topped with fresh avocado. Served with sweet potato fries.

Sloppy Joe Vasquez Sandwich by Lulu's Restaurant

Rotarian Michael Camorlina presenting DG Joe Vasquez a certificate of the authentic "Sloppy Joe Vasquez Sandwich"

DG and Executive Aide Nora digging into "Sloppy Joe Sandwich"

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Rotary Club of Greater Van NUys Salutes the scholars of Laborers' Local 300

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 04, 2018

Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club partnered again this year with the Laborers’ Local 300 Union to award scholarships to children of union members in Los Angeles. This year over 50 young adults received scholarship to attend various universities/colleges throughout the country. In the words of Sergio Rascon, “this annual event is important to all of us because it expresses our commitment to a brighter future for our sons and daughters. Through education, these beautiful young women and men will gain the power to shape the world in ways we can only imagine”.

Greater Van Nuys Rotary is happy to contribute this year again to making this possible. Our club is a service club established in 1825, and has been serving the communities of Van Nuys, Pacoima, San Fernando, Mission Hills, Chatsworth, Reseda, Panorama City, North Hills, Lake Balboa, Arleta, Sylmar, and Lakeview Terrace.

Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club salutes the scholars of Laborers’ Local 300.

Below are pictures from the event.

Michael Parenteau President GVNR presenting a check to Sergio Rascon Business Manager Local 300

Dr. Zoriada Grossman giving a speech during the presentation ceremony

Members of GVNR Club at the Award Dinner

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Rotaract Panel Presentation

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jul 09, 2018

Rotaract Panel Presentation - Moderator: Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, RI Director-elect

2 weeks ago

2018 International Convention in Toronto - General session 2.

Rebecca Fry, Rotaract Club of Sydney City, NSW, Australia
Raquel D'Garay-Juncal, Rotary E-club of Silicon Valley, USA
Muhammad Talha Mushtaq, Rotaract Club of Jhang Saddar, Pakistan

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Toronto Convention

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jul 08, 2018

Ian H. S. Riseley, President's Closing Remarks, closing ceremony at the 2018 Rotary Convention in Toronto

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HRH Princess Anne

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jul 09, 2018

HRH Princess Anne Addresses Rotarians at the 2018 Rotary Convention in Toronto

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Barry Rassin, RI President-elect

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jul 10, 2018

Barry Rassin, RI President-elect

Closing ceremony at the 2018 Rotary Convention in Toronto

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2018-2019 President's Theme

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jul 10, 2018

2018-2019 Rotary International President's Theme

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Convention News by the Minute

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 23, 2018

News and Highlights from Toronto 2018 Convention

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 23, 2018

WHAT is LOVE

Dr. Renee Michelle Gordon was a guest speaker at our regular meeting held recently. Dr. Renee is a renowned author and has written several books as well as being an international speaker. Some of her books include; Five Simple Steps to Attract Your Soulmate Within 90 Days, Finding your Love at Last, and is currently working on her next book, Finding Your Love at Last Duets, Five Simple Steps to Creating harmony and Love in Your Marriage due out later in 2018.

As president and founder of Love at Last, Dr. Renee Michelle Gordon believes, “We help singles and couples build strong relationships by teaching them to first know and love themselves in order to have the best life possible”. Further, her passion is to first help people find their perfect match as well as helping couples rediscover their love and spark in a harmonious way that impacts the quality to the rest of their work and personal lives.

WHAT IS LOVE:

According to Dr. Renee, LOVE is everything, Love is open to possibilities, Love is everlasting; Love is the everlasting center of being here on earth; Love is beautiful; Love is kind; Love is whatever you want it to be. We all have the capacity to love. However, we must start by loving ourselves first.

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Rotary Day of Service

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on May 28, 2018

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.

The team ready to work

Dr. Zoraida and Catherine geared up and ready

Les and Dr. Zoraida measuring slates to to repair the ceiling

Richard and Barbara in action

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Rotary Convention 2018 Toronto June 23 - 27 2018 Toronto, Canada

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jan 29, 2018

Please watch this video on "THE HISTORY OF ROTARY CLUB INTERNATIONAL"

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Ruth Frank on the Eradication of Polio

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Feb 25, 2018

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.

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Rotary President - elect Barry Rassin's Presidential theme for 2018-19

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jan 25, 2018

President - elect Barry Rassin has announced his vision for rotary moving forward. The theme for 2018-19 is "Rotary members to Be the Inspiration". Please read his full address or watch video of his speech:

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GVN Rotary Holiday Luncheon

Posted by Mary Jane Muro on Jan 22, 2018

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.

Chalet de Clay room

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

Rotary President-Elect Sam F. Owori Dies

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim

Rotary president-elect Sam F Awori dies unexpectedly on July 13, 2017 due to complications after surgery. Sam was a devoted member of the Rotary Cub of Kampala, Uganda, for more than 38 years.

In his own words during his nomination last year, he said "Rotary has become a way of life for me with the intrinsic value and core belief in mutual responsibility and concern for one another as a cornerstone. I feel immense satisfaction knowing that through rotary, I've helped someone live better".

Sam Owori's term would have began on July 1, 2018 as the 108th President of Rotary International.

To Rotarians around the world, president Ian Risely said "in this difficult time, I ask you all to keep his wife Norah, the Owori family, and Sam's millions of friends around the world in your thoughts. Sam was a special person in so many ways, and his unexpected death is a huge loss to Rotary, his community, and the world" Risely said.

Rotary International is making arrangements to celebrate Sam's life. More information will be made available soon.

Ashton Kutcher joins Rotary in addressing the Global Menace of human trafficking and child sexual exploitation

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim

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.

Rotary International News

Highlights from Rotary International Convention

Live Coverage: www.riconvention.org/en/atlanta/live-coverage

Full Coverage: www.riconvention/en/atlanta

Latest Video: www.riconvention.org/en/atlanta/videos

Special Recognition Award

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 04, 2017

Our Club was recently honored by the San Fernando Valley Coalition On Gangs (A project of community Partners). On hand to receive the award was Dave Friedman (President of GVNR), Marie Valencia (PP), Catherine Ibrahim (Secretary) and Judy Coates.

On behalf of the GVNR Club, I say thank you for your recognition of our club.

Harvest/Halloween Festival

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Oct 30, 2016

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.

The Story of Disneyland

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Sep 22, 2016

Jeffrey Barnes was a guest speaker recently at our club. Jess is a Professor of Humanities and Dean of Student Success at California Baptist University. He is also the author of the best-selling book, "The Wisdom of Walt: Leadership Lessons from The Happiest Place on Earth".

We were happy to have Jeff come talk to us about our own dreams, our own goals and our own success. This video is all about his address.

District Governor Greg O'Brien Visit's GVNR Club

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Sep 08, 2016

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.

Wine Tasting and Potluck Event

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 15, 2016

Our Club recently held a wine tasting and potluck event to help raise funds for the club. The event, (first of it's kind) was held at Mr. & Mrs. Peter Satuloff residence last week Friday in Chatsworth. Turnout was very good and it was a night of socializing with one another and getting to know members spouses. The highlight of the event was the wine tasting competition. Members enter their wine in the competition and after counting and collating all the votes, the wine competition was won by Mr. & Mrs. Don Reinken.

Mr. & Mrs. Don Reinken all smiles with the winning gift

Demotion Party Held on Saturday, June 25, 2016

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 27, 2016

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

West Valley Boys and Girls Club Fundraiser Event

Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on May 19, 2016

The West Valley Boys and Girls Club recently held their Annual Mile of Quarters Fundraiser Event. Members of our club was there to help out with the event.