THE PERFECT BLEND OF FUN, FRIENDSHIP, AND SERVICE!
Welcome to the PVSR Weekly Newsletter
2026 - 2027 Vol. 11
A Message from President Gail
Rotary makes me happy!!
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This past week in our
PVS Rotary Community
Thank you to all who attended our Rotary meeting this past Wednesday! As always, it was such a pleasure to see so many bright, smiling faces - especially those of Debbie and Rory Pullens! Seeing them and learning of their intention to join our Club made my week! A shout out to those who joined us via zoom - your smiling faces do not go unnoticed!
As is always the case, our meeting was filled with wonderful topics and memories. See below for all the goodness:
Thank you to all of you who generously donated to our school supply collection! We will see that all of our goodies are dropped off to the Westchester YMCA and included in the student backpacks! You are wonderful, generous Rotarians!
Thanks to Lucy who provided an overview of our District Picnic experience - many thanks to those who baked, purchased and donated and to those who volunteered their time and represented our Club!
It was so exciting to present Past President Gwen with the Club of Excellence Award from Rotary International. Both she and Past President Martha had an incredible Rotary year 2025-26 and as a result, our Club was awarded this very impressive honor! See the beautiful award on our Club bulletin board at our meetings!
President Gail provided a brief tribute to Paul Harris Fellow and Honorary Rotarian, Dolly Parton. Reminding us of the impact that one person can have in the world - Dolly’s Imagination Library will forever open up books to millions of children worldwide and will teach the value of reading!
We were thrilled to present our sponsorship check in the amount of $1,500 to Rotarian Courtney for the upcoming Westchester Arts & Music Festival (WAM)! It will be held on Saturday, September 19th and we will have a booth there with an art project for kids.
It was a pleasure to queue the music and dance a bit in honor of our August Rotary Rockstars! Honored were the following amazing Rotarians:
Jim Vuchsas for his tireless time and dedication to our partnership with Los Bomberos de Chapala - the fire department in Chapala, Mexico - a relationship that has been important to us since 2012.
Debbie Bennett for her amazing homecooked Club Board Meeting dinner - complete with matzo ball soup, along with her regular volunteerism at most all Rotary events;
Dean Reuter for his tireless dedication to seeing saunas be funded and installed in fire stations within our Rotary District. Most recently he chaired the wonderful sauna dedication and tour of Fire Station 80 at LAX;
Bobbie Casalino-Lewis for her generous hosting of the district luncheon on behalf of DG Brady for many Past District Governors and District 5280 representatives. Bobbie made her home and patio an oasis for a beautiful lunch!
AND THE ROTARIAN OF THE MONTH FOR AUGUST IS…DEAN REUTER!! Thank you Dean for your dedication to our Rotary Sauna Program!
Therefore, the word of the week is Sauna!
Past Presidents Gwen and Lisa enlightened us with THIS IS YOUR ROTARY CLUB!With the visual aid of three glass jars, Gwen did a great job reminding us of the differences between the following entities:
PVSR Club - where our dues are banked and the administrative expenses of the Club are paid.
PVSR Club Foundation - our charitable foundation where we fund all of our community, vocational, youth and international projects. The account that receives our fundraising monies each year to offset the costs of our budgeted programs. The account that is considered “tax deductible”.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) - the international Rotary charitable foundation located in Chicago that funds projects throughout the world. Where we donate monies for Paul Harris Fellowships and also where a portion of our donations come back to our District for a variety of grants.
Lisa and Gwen reminded us of the importance of supporting our ongoing fundraising efforts through our annual Cultural Dinner and Bingofest as those monies fund a majority of all of our charitable projects. As always, they did a PRESIDENTIAL job with this presentation! Thank you Mesdames Past Presidents! (p.s. that is the correct plural of Madam.)
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On Monday evening we all joined together for our Annual Summer Social. It has been a moving target due to this weekend's storm, but a few raindrops only made therainbow over our party ever more prominent!
There were over 40 Rotarians and family members present to celebrate a beautiful evening in the Vuchsas’ new home/yard. A big thank you to Rotarian Kathrine for posthumously providing the wine for this event as we toasted her memory!DJ Addy (backed up by her brother Gabe)did a wonderful job spinning tunes for the voices of PVSR to karaoke!
The party was pot luck so we were thrilled to enjoy the many talents of our members! The food was simply scrumptious and included the following:
Main course included:Pollo Adobado, and Carne Asada, warm tortillas, grilled veggies, roasted potatoes, green salad, macaroni & cheese, macaroni salad, roasted chicken wings, and fruit salad
Desserts included:Award-winning nectarine pie, key lime pie, peanut butter & jelly bars and assorted cookies and breads
Ballcaps off to Rotarians Jim and Gwenfor hosting this amazing party, to Lisa and her staff of Nic and Karen for doing much of the heavy-lifting and for everyone who came and brought such wonderful food and festive attitudes….great times were had by all!
Rotary Makes Us Happy!
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THIS WEEK IN YOUR ROTARY COMMUNITY!
It’s time to learn about the upcoming District Humanitarian Trip to Chile! Join us as we welcome Sally Goya and Patricia Megallon to tell us all about the upcoming trip, the volunteer projects available, the fellowship and the before/after trips! This is an amazing opportunity to experience first-hand international service projects and make new Rotarian friends! Let’s join Brady on this amazing adventure!
Humanitarian Trip: March 29-April 4, 2027
Optional Post-Trip: April 4-8, 2027
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We will be serving dinner to our friends at SPY on Thursday, September 17th and Thursday, September 24th and volunteers are needed for service at 3:30PM. Please contact David Johnston or Lisa for information on these wonderful opportunities for community service!
We will continue to collect packages of new underwear for men and women that will be delivered when we serve these dinners. We will continue to collect every week!
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We’re off to the movies at Cinemark Playa Vista on Sunday, October 4th at 4PMto see the new documentaryThe Price of Progress: LAX and its Neighbors. The proceeds of this movie will benefit theWestchester Playa Del Rey Historical Societyof which we are a major donor. Please contact David for information on tickets. Knowing us, we will enjoy a yummy dinner and fellowship following our appetizers of popcorn, soda and candy!
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Join us on Saturday, October 3rdas we pack boxes of food at the Westside Food Bank for distribution to food challenged families. See Debbie Bennett to sign up for this worthwhile effort and invite friends, family and of course, prospective PVSR members! A lunch will follow at Teddy’s Cafe!
-- cash only, please --
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MISS SASSY IS RIDING INTO TOWN FOR THE CULTURAL DINNER!
While Sassy’s home is in Deadwood, South Dakota, where Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane have been known to frequent her saloon, she will be riding into town to open her local saloon in a return to the Old West for our Cultural Dinner! Dust off your Stetson, Wrangler jeans, cowboy boots and chaps - saddle your horses and join us on Wednesday,October 28th for a night of fine grub from the chuckwagon, potent potables and an evening that will have you swingin’ your partner! Don’t miss out! Mark your calendar and secure your tickets and sponsorships with Cowgirl Gwen now! Don't forget to talk to that Cowgirl Natalie or Scallywag Rob and secure silent and live auction items!
MISS SASSY IS LOOKING
FOR HER LOCAL POSSE!!
As Miss Sassy’s Midwest Posse cannot make the trip, she is looking for a few cowpokes and cowgirls to fill out her local posse during the Cultural Dinner. If you would like to participate by channeling your old west persona, please contact Miss Sassy (aka President Gail) for details. The pay ain't great, but the fun will be memorable!!
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Following our inaugural effort last year of Kathrine's idea, Jan Osgood and Gail will be coordinating donations for our “FOOD FOR FAMILIES” program. This will assist our Mar Vista Family Center families, and we will be purchasing gift cards from Northgate Market for distribution to area families to purchase food for the Thanksgiving Holiday.
More info to follow!
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Looking for the perfect getaway any time of the year? Close to home but feels a million miles away? Look no further! Champions Retreat (aka Champs)is ready to welcome you to magical La Quinta!Just a few steps from historicPalm Springs, this beautiful 4 bedroom, 3.5 bath oasisis available to you for a family getaway, friends weekend or magical couples retreat! This is an exquisite home offered at a low, low Rotarian-only price with all funds accruing to our Club fundraising efforts!
Depending on availability, the following weekends
could be made available:
• November 13th-15th
• December 11th-13th
• April 2nd-4th
• May 28th-30th
Gail and Rob are making their desert oasis available at the discounted rate of $1,500.00 for three days, two nightsfor this magnificent home - located in the gated community ofPGA West, looking onto the driving range with private pool and patio and offering all the comforts you might ask for!
To view more photos of Rob and Gail's
stunning La Quinta home,click here!
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Stand Clear! God-mama With Scissors!
WhileGod-Mama Lisahas been threateningMatthew for weeks, she finally caught up with him and took monstrous scissors to his scruffy goatee! He looks much better and is probably ½ pound lighter!Lisa, perhaps you have a new profit center to consider!
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WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN PVS ROTARIANS???
No evidence to publish?
Remember, to get your pics and stories to me!!
😂😂😂
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The Pride of Being a Rotarian
Being a Rotarian is not simply about belonging to an organization. It is about choosing to be useful.
It means looking at the world as it is, with its injustices, its fragilities, and its challenges, and deciding not to remain a spectator.
I am proud to be a Rotarian because, wherever we are, we can turn an idea into action, an encounter into friendship, and a difficulty into hope.
I am proud to be a Rotarian because we don’t ask, “What can Rotary do for me?” but rather, “What can I do for others?”
I feel this pride every time a donation saves a life, a young person finds their path, someone regains hope, or an action brings women and men together around a common cause.
Being a Rotarian means having the opportunity to give meaning to your commitment.
And above all, it means belonging to a community that doesn’t just dream of a better world.
