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

 
 
Stories
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.
 
 
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
 
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS LIVES EVENT
Posted by Catherine Ibrahim on Jan 25, 2019
Our annual Christmas Lives event took place on December 18, 2018.  This year, we have over 50 families at the event.  Gifts were given to children (some as many as 4 kids) in a family.  As usual, we had Santa present and kids and their families got the opportunity to take pictures with Santa.  We had a total guest of over 300.  In N Out Burger truck was on site to give out Burgers to everyone.  DJ Bobby provided great music and Stephenie was on hand to provide great Christmas Carol.  Everyone had a great time.  Here are some pictures from the event.
                                                       Family  Picture  with Santa
                                                                Kids at the event 
                                                In N Out Burger Truck was also on site
                Mrs. Rosemary Ritch was on hand to volunteer at the event as always
 
                           from L to R Peter, Les, Javier, Dave, Catherine and Barbara
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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

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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Club Executives & Directors
President
Catherine Ibrahim
Immediate Past President
Raul Castillo
President Elect
Zoraida Suarez - Grossman, M.D.
Executive Secretary/Director
Raul Castillo
Treasurer
Peter Satuloff
Secretary
Bob Tiwa
Foundation Chair
Les Grossman
Membership Chair
Richard Miller
Club Service Chair
Dave Friedman
Community Service/Vocational Service Chair
Marie Valencia
International Service Chair
Zoraida Suarez - Grossman, M.D.
Sergeant-at-Arms
Mary Muro
Youth Service Chair
Betsy Truyoo
Public Relations Chair
Wynne Ritch
Peace Chair
Barbara Pampalone
Program Director
Marc Tapper
Web Master
Catherine Ibrahim
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Greater Van Nuys

Service Above Self

We meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Lulu's Restaurant
16900 Roscoe Blvd,
Van Nuys, CA  91406
United States of America
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