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   89 years of "Service Above Self" 
 
  We meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM
LULU'S RESTAURANT
 
16900 Roscoe Blvd, Van Nuys, CA 91406
 

 
<div>Club Info</div>
Stories
Greater Van Nuys Rotary and Kidney Quest Foundation
Greater Van Nuys Rotary recently partnered with Kidney Quest Foundation to prepare 300 care bags, which will be given out to kidney patients throughout Los Angeles.  Each bag contains  basic and essential items,  kidney patients require during these trying times of COVID-19.   Thanks to all volunteers who showed up to prepared these bags. Below are some of the many items that were put in each care bag. 
 
 
 
                                Greater Van Nuys Rotary President and Kidney Quest Foundation President
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DONATIONS
Greater Van Nuys Rotary made donations of school supplies and holiday cards to the Salvation Army, in Van Nuys,  San Fernando Valley  Los Angeles recently.  President Zoraida S Grossman and Capt. Juan (on behalf of the Salvation Army) receiving the donations. 
 
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District Governor's Visit
Welcome Governor Bette Hall to Greater Van Nuys Rotary. We are happy to have you and your entourage join us on Thursday, September 17, 2020.
 
Governor Bette Hall
 
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Shirin Mosavi-Nejad Joins Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club
SHIRIN MOSAVI-NEJAD
I met Les Grossman, Esq. several years ago and noticed that he had many different Rotary plaques in his office. One day my Uncle Bob, who later I found out was a part of Rotary decades ago when he was working as a park ranger, came into Les’ office with me. When my uncle saw the Rotary plaques on the wall he was surprised and told me that Rotary is a wonderful organization that helps a lot of people. This planted the seed.

Years go by and then the 2020 pandemic hits. I was working inside of a store and I saw all of the shelves being emptied by customers. Section by section completely gone in a state of panic as if locust had come through. My immediate concern was that my neighbors were not going to be able to feed their families. I called them and tried to urge them to get the things they needed right away. Unfortunately my neighbors didn’t know what was happening and felt no urgency. They told me they would go to the store the following week. Knowing that they wouldn’t find the needed items, I shopped for them and shared everything I was able to get. I felt good about being able to help. A week or so later I wasn’t really doing much except for working. I started feeling a bit hopeless about the things going on around me like the Pandemic, social injustices and not knowing what the future held or my part in it. I quickly figured out that not finding a way to be productive and be involved was taking me down a rabbit hole. I asked myself, “What can I do?”. Then I asked, “How can I help?”. With the second question I came to the conclusion that I could listen learn and look for different items that people needed and that this would help. So that’s what I did. I found that a few of my neighbors had lost their jobs when the businesses were forced to shut down so I would bring them groceries with the understanding, that when they were able to, they would help someone else by paying it forward.

As time went on money came in for my neighbors and they were able to shop for themselves. I still would look for the difficult to find items(like rice, flour, tp, Lysol and other different things at different times)for people. People would tell me that they couldn’t find something and I would be guided to that needed item.

I’m still listening and learning. I know that my Purpose is to help others and that this means different things at different times. I find that opportunities to help cross my path all of the time and sometimes I miss them or make the wrong choice because I am busy thinking about my own things but I have grown and become more aware now.

I recently bought some of the “hard to find” items by Les’ office and was looking at his Rotary plaques again. The seed that was planted had grown. I asked him about Rotary and he told me some of the wonderful experiences that he was able to be involved with and how he had grown from his involvement. I asked him how I could be a part of that. I wanted to be a part of his club, the Greater Van Nuys Rotary, because I wanted to grow and get to know his family and to have him as my mentor.
 
On behalf of Greater Van Nuys Rotary, congratulations and welcome on board.
 
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GOOD-BYE POLIO
GOOD-BYE POLIO
THANK YOU
 
AFRICA IS FREE OF POLIO 
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ROTARY 101 SEMINAR
 
 Saturday, Aug 29, 2020 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
 
LATEST NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
 
 
Learn what every member needs to know about Rotary, program basics and more!  Join us for an informative and interesting overview led by LA Superior Court Judge (ret.) and past District 5280 Governor Greg O’Brien.
 
This Zoom training is open to everyone, but advance registration is required.  Click on the District calendar and signup or go to www.rotary5280.org/Events to signup.
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GUEST SPEAKER
Greater Van Nuys Rotary had a very special guest as Speaker at our regular meeting on Thursday, August 13, 2020.   Please find below a brief Bio of our Guest Speaker. 
 
Guest Speaker: Rudy Ortega Jr.
 
Topic of Presentation: Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians: People Facing The Sun
 
Rudy Ortega Jr.
Tribal President, Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians
Vice Chairperson, Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission
 
Rudy Ortega, Jr. is the Tribal President of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians, a native sovereign nation of northern Los Angeles County. As the elected Tribal President of the Fernandeño Tataviam Band of Mission Indians (www.tataviam-nsn.us), President Ortega Jr. oversees the Tribe’s governmental body and manages affairs pertaining to the rights of all Fernandeño Tataviam tarahat (people).
 
He is a member of Siutcabit, the lineage of present-day Encino, CA. His ancestors come from the villages that originated in the geographical areas of Santa Clarita Valley, Simi Valley, and San Fernando Valley. His great-grandfather Antonio Maria Ortega, from whom he receives his role as tomiar, traditional leader, fought in Los Angeles Superior Court in the 19th century to preserve traditional lands and protect the Tribe’s title to Mexican land grants from encroaching Anglo-settlers. His father, the late Rudy Ortega Sr., served as the previous leader of the Tribe for over fifty years and was elected to the Los Angeles City/County Native American Indian Commission (LACCNAIC) in 1977. Following his father's leadership, Ortega Jr. was appointed to the LACCNAIC by Mayor James Hahn in 2004 and currently serves as Vice Chair.
 
From 2004 - 2018, Ortega Jr. served as the Executive Director of Pukúu Cultural Community Services (www.pukuu.org), the Tribe’s non-profit that serves the greater Los Angeles County American Indian community and manages Haramokngna American Indian Cultural Center, located 14 miles up the Angeles Crest Highway (2) (www.haramokngna.org).
 
Currently, Ortega Jr. is a member of the Los Angeles River Master Plan Steering Committee, the Edison Consumer Advisory Panel Board, and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy appointed by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr..
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District Governor's Visit
Rotary District 5280 Governor, Bette Hall will be visiting GVN Rotary Club on Thursday September 17th 2020.  The District Governor and her entourage will be attending a joint meeting (Via Zoom) with us at 12:00PM.  All members, Family, Guest of Rotarians and Rotarians are invited to join our meeting that day.
 
 
District Governor's Bio
 
A member of Calabasas Rotary Club since 2007, Bette Hall has held various positions, both within her Club and District 5280. Positions held include Club Avenues of Service and Events Chair, Board member, Club President, Assistant Governor, District Trainer for several years, and three years as the Senior Assistant Governor, Youth Services for District 5280.  She has also chaired both the 2019 District Club Assembly and District Conference. 
Bette has been very involved in developing and providing training for the Youth Protection Program and if asked to select an area she is most passionate about in Rotary, the answer has to be our Youth Programs. In 2017 Bette was one of two members who received the Rotarian of the Year award for District 5280, the other being none other than our District Governor Melody St. John.  She is so very honored to be the District 5280 Governor, 2020-21.
Originally from London, England, Bette is a long-time resident of the West San Fernando Valley, and retired a few years ago from a long and varied career in Human Resources after holding positions such as Director and Vice President of Human Resources for large, multi-state/International companies, prior to running her own HR consulting company. 
What Bette enjoys most about retirement is having more time to volunteer with Rotary and an extra bonus – spending more time with her family, and especially the grandchildren.  She feels very fortunate to have them all living within easy driving distance, and being able to go to their activities, including baseball games, to cheer them on, and yes she has been known to be very loud, especially when they hit a home run!
 
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Greetings
Greetings Fellow Rotarians and Guests.  Welcome to our New Rotary Year.  Thanks for stopping by our Club Website.
 
Rotary International President, Holger Knaack's theme 2020-2021," Rotary Opens Opportunities", asks Rotarians "to create opportunities that strengthen their leadership, help put service ideas into action, and improve the lives of those in need".  GVN Rotary is set to do just that.  This year, we have some great and exciting projects we will be undertaking both locally and internationally.  Please continue to visit us for more exciting news and keep tract of what we are doing.
 
Catherine Ibrahim
 
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COVID-19
Zoraida Suarez-Grossman, M.D. (President- Elect) Greater Van Nuys Rotary will be our Guest Speaker at our Zoom Meeting on April 23, 2020.  Come and learn all you need to know about the COVID-19 Virus.  
Kidney Quest Foundation Conference
Kidney Quest Foundation held a one day conference recently in Los Angeles, in partnership with Greater Van Nuys Rotary.  The conference was to raise awareness of the disease to our community.   ABC News Anchor, Philip Palmer, himself a kidney donor, was one of the keynote speakers at the conference.
 
                       Philip Palmer, Rotarian and President Kidney Quest Foundation Carolyn and volunteers at the event
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Greater Van Nuys Rotary Partnership With CCSAE
Greater Van Nuys Rotary partnered with CCSAE to supply educational materials, school uniforms, hygiene materials for girls, scandals, as well as toys to students of the school in Uganda.  Rotarian Grace Agaba giving out supplies to students.  Greater Van Nuys  Rotary plans to continue to support this organization as there is dire need to do more.
 
 
 
 
 
Harvest/Halloween Festival
Our Harvest festal this year had over 400 kids/families in attendance.  Kids had a great time. Lots of games, costume contests, and great prizes were given out to kids.  The highlight of the evening was free thyroid screening exam for anyone who wanted to be screened.  People took advantage of the free screening.
 
                                      Costume Contest Parade
 
                                         Free Thyroid Screening Exam
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DISTRICT 5280 ANNUAL FOUNDATION CELEBRATION
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Oct 30, 2019
District 5280 Annual Foundation Celebration was held on Sunday October 27, 2019.  The event was held at the beautiful Taglyan Complex in Hollywood. It was indeed a night of good food, music, fun & fellowship and most importantly, silent and live auction.   All proceeds will go towards various District projects.  Below are pictures from the event.
 
                  L-R President Catherine Ibrahim, PDG Les Grossman & Past President Dr. Zoraida Grossman
 
                                 Past President Marie Valencia and Hubby Jess
 
                           Rotarians having fun and enjoying fellowship with one another
 
                                     Past President Dave Friedman and Mrs Judy Friedman
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INDUCTION OF NEW MEMBER
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Sep 18, 2019
We inducted our newest member last Thursday.  Bob Blisten, a former Rotarian, was officially inducted into the GVN Rotary  Club.  Congratulations Bob.  We are very happy to have you join us.
        (L-R) Richard Miller, Bob Blisten, PDG Les Grossman and Catherine Ibrahim during the induction ceremony
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Carolyn Urquidez Joins GVN Rotary
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Oct 06, 2019
GVN Rotary is happy to welcome Carolyn Urquidez as a member of the club.  She was inducted at a ceremony on Thursday October 3, 2019.  On behalf of the BOD and members of GVN Rotary, Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!
L-R Club President Catherine Ibrahim, PDG Les Grossman, Carolyn Urquidez, and Membership Chair Richard Miller
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Greater Van Nuys Rotary Donates Rotary Bell
Posted by Zoraida Suarez - Grossman, M.D. on Sep 18, 2019
                                            The Bell being Donated to Valera Rotary Club
We met a group of Venezuelan Rotarians who were soliciting a donation to buy a new Rotary Bell for the Valera Rotary Club, located in the State of Trujillo, in the western part of the country.  One of the members have kept in contact with me all along and coordinated all the details.  Due to the difficult political situation and the humanitarian crisis that the country is going through, she works in Colombia and travels to Venezuela every two weeks to attend the Rotary meetings.  Their Bell had been stolen probably to resell as cooper.  Rotary Bells are copyrighted and can not be reproduced without the consent of Rotary International.  My husband, Les reminded me we had a Bell at home from our former NSFV/Panorama City Club RC merged with the Van Nuys Rotary Club.  
                PDG Les Grossman, Dr Zoraida Grossman and members of the Valera Rotary Club
I wanted to polish the Bell before sending it, but the Rotarians felt that it was a relic and felt tremendously honored to inherit it, as it was.  The Venezuelan Rotarians are very active and have been extremely grateful and excited about their new Bell and have made us feel very proud to experience the human connection and the true spirit of Rotary.
     
                          Dr Zoraida, holding the Bell and members of the GVN Rotary
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GOVERNOR'S VISIT
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 11, 2019
District Governor Melody St John visited Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club on Thursday, August 8, 2019.  It was a wonderful time with her as our guest got the opportunity to hear directly from the leadership, what rotary is all about and the great and fantastic work rotary is doing around the world.  During her visit, she inducted our newest member, Grace Agaba into our club.  
                                                            DG Addressing the audience
 
                     Grace Agaba during the induction ceremony by the Governor
 
 
      Catherine Ibrahim, District Governor, (New Member)Grace Agaba and Richard Miller after the induction
GVN ROTARY WELCOMES OUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Aug 04, 2019
 
 
Melody St. John has been involved with Rotary throughout her entire life, from her days as the daughter of a Rotarian in South Dakota when women were not accepted as members. Today she utilizes her passion for youth programs and has been involved with Rotary Youth Exchange for over 25 years. She and her husband Paul have hosted over 22 students in their home from around the world.
 
A member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Hollywood, St. John is involved in a number of Rotary District 5280 initiatives.  
WELCOME GOVERNOR, TO GREATER VAN NUYS ROTARY CLUB
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ROTARY
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 02, 2019
Cryptocurrency
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jun 02, 2019
Lisa Miller, was the guest speaker at our regular meeting recently.  Her topic of discussion was on Cryptocurrency.  She has given us permission to post her article/paper on our website. 
  Lisa Miller and Raul Castillo after the presentation of her article at our meeting
 
A Ripple in Time: Early Cryptocurrency Adopters Earn Advantages
        By Lisa Miller, Esq.  (C) 2019 Lisa Miller, Esq.
 
Up to $6 billion by 2020, and up to $20 billion by 2030, are the widely expected revenues for blockchain technology companies.[1]  The expected expansion of blockchain technology, and the cryptocurrencies that rely on it (for example, Ripple, Bitcoin, Ethereum), could transform how lawyers accomplish basic tasks.  The long-term influence could be similar to the Internet. 
 
Cryptocurrencies, as widely vetted digital stores of value, are considered almost-invulnerable.  And they offer attractive efficiencies and economic advantages.  Together, these makes digital currency competitive with recognized fiat currencies[1] (“fiat” money is currency that lacks intrinsic value, but which is declared “legal tender” by a government; the US dollar is fiat currency) as a medium of exchange.  
Despite the fact that it offers protocols that allow anonymous, direct peer-to-peer transactions via the Internet, blockchain technology minimizes the need for relationships of trust among parties to transactions.[1]  No third party (bank, escrow company) is necessarily in the mix when individuals engage via blockchain’s system.  Cryptocurrency can eliminate notaries, brokers, and other layers of administration that are designed to enhance trust.  This saves money on common law firm expenses. 
When parties digitally transfer value among accounts on the blockchain, they place their trust in the underlying technology, but not in any individuals or businesses, to enable the transfer, ensure sender authenticity, and ensure currency validity.  This direct, peer-to-peer interaction, without transactional friction resulting from third-party participation, nurtures the revolution around cryptocurrency.  Cryptocurrency is a high-tech fiscal work-around.
[1] 2030 Projection of Blockchain Technology Market, published online at Autonomous Next on February 24, 2017; found online at: https://next.autonomous.com/insights/2030-projection-of-blockchain-technology-market
[1] “Fiat money” is currency that lacks intrinsic value, but which is declared legal tender by a government.  It is considered valid currency solely by government declaration: fiat money is not backed by any commodity (for example, gold or silver).  Fiat currency is paper money and coins backed only by the faith of the holder of the currency.  The US dollar is fiat money (found on-line at Investing Answers at: https://investinganswers.com/financial-dictionary/economics/fiat-money-1790).
[1] According to blockchain engineer Preethi Kasireddy, describing blockchain as “trustless” is inaccurate.  Rather, blockchains minimize the amount of trust required from users by distributing responsibility among numerous participants (published Feb 3, 2018 on Medium.com, found online at: https://medium.com/@preethikasireddy/eli5-what-do-we-mean-by-blockchains-are-trustless-aa420635d5f6).
As blockchain technology gains more stability, new business methods for smaller law firms will evolve.  These new approaches will incorporate cryptocurrency as a way to offer greater value to clients and harden competitive advantage in a crowded market.  But blockchain is a raw technology; existing infrastructure is struggling to support it.
 

 
                                                                           
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Annual "Service Above Self" Event
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on May 12, 2019
The GVNR club Held it's annual "Service  Service Above Self" event on Thursday April 25, 2019.  The event was held at the popular and beautiful Odyssey Restaurant located at 15600 Odyssey Drive, Granada Hills, California, United States.
Below is a picture from the event. 
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ANNUAL "SERVICE ABOVE SELF" EVENT 
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Mar 17, 2019
Our annual "Service Above Self" event will take place on April 25, 2019 at the Odyssey Restaurant, located at 15600 Odyssey Drive, Granada Hills, CA.  Event starts from 6:00PM - 9:15PM.  For  your information, there are great items listed for the live auction and you will not be disappointed.  Looking forward to see everyone at the event.  Mark your calendar please.
 
                        list of honorees for this years event
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NEW MEMBER
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Apr 03, 2019
Bret Ferrante was formally induction into the Greater Van Nuys Rotary Club last week.  Bret is a Financial Planner with Black Card Circle here in Los Angeles, California.  On behalf of the Board of Directors of GVNR and the Club, Congratulations.
 
              (PDG) Les Grossman, Persident Elect Catherine Ibrahim and Bret Ferrante after the induction
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Chellie Campbell talks Prosperity Affirmations
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jan 31, 2019
Chellie Campbell was the guest speaker at our meeting last week.  In addition to other things she talked about,  was peoples beliefs about money.  According to her, "much of what is passed along about money is negative, therefore, we need to reprogram our minds with positive beliefs about money".  She encourages people to repeat positive statements each day.  Below are some of the positive statements if repeated daily, can  change peoples consciousness about prosperity. Below are some of her prosperity affirmations.
People love to give me money, I am rich and wonderful, I am now earning a great big income doing what satisfies me, My affirmations work for me, whether I believe they will or not, I am a money magnet, I am a big winner, all my dues are paid in full something wonderful is happening to me, and many more. For more on Chellie Campbell, visit her at www.chellie.com
                                Chellie Campbell author and motivational speaker/teacher
 
Club Executives & Directors
President
Zoraida Suarez - Grossman, M.D.
Immediate Past President
Catherine Ibrahim
Treasurer
Peter Satuloff
Secretary
Richard Miller
Rotary Foundation
Les Grossman
Club Service
Dave Friedman
International Service
Grace Agaba
Community Service
Marie Valencia
Vocational Service
Wynne Ritch
Membership
Marc Tapper
Youth Service
Bret Ferrante
Site Administrator
Catherine Ibrahim
Peace Chair
Raul Castillo
Weekly Meeting Bulletin
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Nov 19, 2020
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Oct 26, 2020
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Sep 29, 2020
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Sep 07, 2020
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Sep 05, 2020
greater Van Nuys News
Sep 04, 2020
Greater Van Nuys Rotary News
Aug 16, 2020
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Welcome to our Club!

Greater Van Nuys

Service Above Self

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Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Lulu's Restaurant
16900 Roscoe Blvd,
Van Nuys, CA 91406
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