Events

PVS Rotary is supporting the Mar Vista Family Center (https://marvistafc.org/) for food distribution every Wednesday.

From 8:45 AM to 10:30 AM at least three volunteers from our club will be needed to help Lucia and the rest of the volunteers 1) Unload the food truck 2) Classify boxes of food 3) Set up each table with a volunteer or two to hand out boxes.

Every week 75 to 100 boxes of food get distributed right in our neighborhood!

Families start to line up for this food distribution around 5 AM.

Our community is so grateful for what the Mar Vista Family Center provides. And of course, our generous club is right there to help out.

We are looking for support currently for all the Wednesdays in October, November, and December. Can you help? Please contact Jamie and her know which Wednesday or Wednesdays could work for you. It’s heartwarming to know how we contribute to feeding people and keeping families above water during these tough times. Thank you!

Teacher Mini-Grants is one of the largest and most successful program of the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club. The program is over 20 years old and made in a joint effort with the LAX Coastal Chamber of Commerce. Approximately 75 Mini-Grants are awarded each year to local area classroom teachers totaling $15,000 to $20,000. The Grants ranging from $75 to $400 are awarded to deserving educators to fund their creative and innovative projects in the classrooms. The principals of the winning schools are invited to an awards event held annually to receive the grant checks for their respective schools. Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club is very proud of having distributed more than $300,000 to local schools over the years. 

As significant attendance and guests (and awards) are anticipated for this meeting, we will expedite and shorten our announcements for this week, so that the Teacher Mini-Grants program will have ample time. I highly encourage everyone to attend, to not only support our teachers and club, but to also get a firsthand view of what our teachers need, how the mini-grants will be used, and the impact to our community and students.  

If you have any questions, please contact the program chair, Gwen Vuchsas. (gvuchsas@secoteam.com)

On Thursday (01/14/2021), we will have our first PVS Supper Club event of the new year. These are such fun and tasty events! All meals are cooked and completed within the hour. Everyone is welcome. Please invite your friends and family who are interest in participating. This week, the supper club will be led by our very own and awesome Chef/Host – Harold Johnson. Harold has set for a tasty menu for us of Seafood Macaroni and Cheese, Broccoli and Shrimp, and Roasted Grapes. If you have any questions or need the recipe, Zoom info, etc. - please reach out directly to Harold at HJOHNSON@lawa.org or contact me at jjenrotary@gmail.com .

Even if you are unable to cook on Thursday, please drop on by with our wine/drink and watch the chefs go at it! Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

Arnie Corlin of Peelian Consulting LLC will be educating and sharing information with us on how a Neighborhood Watch can help to control crime and nuisances, while reducing use of force and incarceration.

For many years prior to establishing Peelian Consulting, Arnie began as a rental property owner and developerspecializing in purchasing properties in areas plagued by gangs, narcotics, and other community issues. Then, collaborating with community crime prevention partners including law enforcement, school safe passage programs, neighborhood, and business watch organizations and gang intervention, Arnie strives to improve quality of life in communities as a process. 

Arnie has volunteered with Los Angeles Police Department and as a Director with the Los Angeles South Chamber of Commerce, he has provided forums for community members throughout the city and elsewhere on how to control crime and nuisance. As a Specialist Volunteer, Arnie has worked as a Reserve LAPD officer and also with various LAPD Divisions including South Bureau’s Criminal Gang and Homicide Division identifying and analyzing CCTV data after incidents.

Arnie & his wife Debbie live in Los Angeles.

Christine describes hereself as an Ex-Coloring Book Queen; ex-ad agency owner; and ex-nonprofit marketing/outreach specialist. She is currently helping people experience emotional wellness through the process of making art, through Paintint Your Heart Workshops.

Color and art have been a part of Christine's life since day one. She was destined to start a business that uses the power of color to heal. That’s what Painting Your Heart Workshops are all about. As Head Facilitator, she works with nonprofit and for-profit organizations, serving children/teens, trauma victims, the aging population, cancer survivors, veterans, corporate employees, women’s groups, and anyone who needs a creative outlet to feel better. 

paintingyourheart.com

Earlier in 2020, our club members baked or bought dozens of cookies, and donated such treats to clients of the Westside Pacific Villages (WPV). WPV generously supports and serves seniors in our community, especially those who are now homebound due to the pandemic. One of WPV’s many programs is the weekly deliveries of meals and other resources to the senior community. The cookies donated by PVS Rotarians and included with the WPV deliveries last time was a success.  As such, we are doing it again!

We are calling all bakers who would like to help. Under the direction and leadership of Bobbie Casalino-Lewis, the goal is to delivery 210 bags of cookies in total – for distribution on Friday 1/29/2021. Please contact or call Bobbie ASAP if you are interested, and so she can plan and coordinate:  bobbiecasalinolewis@gmail.com .

Anna is a co-chair of the 2020/2021 Paul Harris Society, and on the District’s Foundation committee for our District. Anna is also the immediate past president of the Rotary Club of Woodland Hills.

She will join us to share more information about the Rotary Foundation, talking to the club about its importance, and answering any questions we may have. This would be a great opportunity to learn more about the Rotary Foundation, how the funds are used, and how we can help.   

February 2021 Supper Club! Maria Davis to host and lead. Receipe and instructionto follow. 

If you have any questions, please contact Maria Davis. Thank you!

All hands on deck! Join the Playa Venice Sunrise Fundraising Committee as we kick-off our biggest fundraiser for our club this Rotary year. As you all know, fundraising is extremely important for our club -  as the funds raised are directed back and in support of all our programs and project that benefit our community. 

Because of Covid and our inability to conduct our traditional fundraisers, we have had to adjust and be creative so we can continue to support the causes and programs we all hold dear. Much credit to the Fundraising Committee members and club members who have worked hard to get this off the ground. Please come support and learn more on how you can help the club raise funds to support our projects. .     

Airfield & Terminal Modernization Project Update

James Owen is an Environmental Specialist with Los Angeles World Airports, James has nearly a decade of experience working for local government in planning, transportation, and environmental regulation. James graduated with honors from Cal Poly Pomona with a degree in Urban and Regional Planning.

James will be speaking to us about the LAX Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project. The Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Airfield and Terminal Modernization Project will focus on airfield and terminal improvements that stay within the airport’s existing footprint, and landside (roadway) improvements that help reduce local traffic congestion. The Project would elevate the passenger experience, improve the community experience, enhance airfield safety and increase business opportunities. 

Come join us and learn more! 

www.lawa.org/ATMP

John Loussararian is the Senior Executive Director at the YMCA of Metropolitan Los Angeles. (Westchester, CA). The YMCA is the nation’s leading nonprofit committed to strengthening communities through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. John has been an intergral part of the Westchester YMCA and the community. John will be sharing with us more information about the YMCA, its impact, and the great work it continues to do for the community, despite the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Since 2015, Lucy has served as the Spokesperson for the Special Olympics – UNICEF USA Partnership for children with disabilities. She has passionately advocated for the 93 million young people with disabilities around the world – and she loves doing it!!!

https://teamlucymeyer.org/about/

Mr. Justin Erbacci serves as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA). He has been with LAWA since October 2016, and was appointed as CEO by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti in June 2020. As CEO, Mr. Erbacci has oversight of Los Angeles International (LAX) and Van Nuys (VNY) general aviation airports. He leads the team responsible for transforming LAX into a world-class airport for the modern traveler and thus returning LAX to its iconic status. 

Prior to his full-time appointment, Mr. Erbacci served as Interim CEO for the first six months of 2020, where he guided LAWA’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the establishment of innovative safety protocols and new technologies to help keep LAWA’s airports clean and safe and its airport guests and employees healthy and secure.

Mr. Erbacci brings more than 20 years of experience in global executive leadership from inside and outside of the aviation industry. Prior to his appointment with LAWA, he served as Vice President of Customer Experience & Technology for Star Alliance, a global airline network comprised of 28 airlines serving 640 million passengers annually. Additionally, Mr. Erbacci has served as the Director of Global Product Management for Credit Suisse, as a Manager of Business Planning and Technology at United Airlines, and as a senior consultant for firms including Reese McMahon LLC, Cambridge Management Consultants, and Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu. Prior to consulting, he practiced law as a civil rights defense litigator.

Dr. John S. Mulchaey is Director and Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair at the Carnegie Observatories, Pasadena’s oldest scientific establishment and a world leader in research on the evolution of the universe.  In addition, Dr. Mulchaey is Science Deputy of the Observatories’ parent organization, The Carnegie Institution for Science, where he oversees scientific developments throughout the Institution’s six departments which span the physical and biological disciplines.

Mulchaey earned his B.S. in Astrophysics from UC Berkeley, and his Ph.D. in Astrophysics from the University of Maryland.  He was a Carnegie Postdoctoral Fellow before joining the Observatories as a staff scientist in 1999, and served as Associate Director for Academic Affairs before being named The Observatories’ 11^th Director in 2015. Today, Mulchaey oversees Carnegie’s main campus in Pasadena as well as The Observatories’ large-telescopes facility in Las Campanas, Chile.  He is also on the Board for the Giant Magellan Telescope, a next-generation telescope being designed in Pasadena.  

Dr. Mulchaey’s research focuses on many key areas in astronomy, including dark matter and black holes. In 1993, he led the team that discovered large amounts of dark matter in the local universe, a discovery that received front-page coverage in The New York Times and a feature in Time magazine.  In 2016, he appeared in the press as part of the team following a mysterious fast radio burst for the first time.  He is also a frequent consultant to NASA and the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Mulchaey also leads numerous Carnegie outreach and educational activities throughout Los Angeles and beyond. He created the annual Carnegie Observatories Astronomy Lectures, a popular series held each spring at The Huntington Library.  He hosts astronomy nights at many schools; secured funding for the creation of science rooms at three local elementary schools; and founded a program for gifted high school science students.  In 2020 he received the Helios Award, part of the international Rotary Humanitarian STAR Awards program, for his achievements in scientific education.