Monday, August 30, 2010

High School Students Share RYLA Experience

Every year, the Irvine Spectrum Rotary Club sponsors three local high school students to participate in the annual District 5320 RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) 3-day camp in Idyllwild, CA.

As Rotary's leadership program for young people, RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, team work, compassionate, and personal growth.



This year we selected three students from Woodbridge High School in Irvine: Melissa May, Natalie Aronson, and Heather Haney. They were all juniors at the time they attended RYLA with 300+ other high school juniors sponsored by Rotary District 5320 clubs. All three RYLA participants are all leaders, both at school and in the community. Natalie (a twin) will be the ASB (Associated Student Body) President in the coming school staring in Sept 2010 and is active in cross county. Melissa (a triplet!) will be Senior Class President, and has been an active member in the National Charity League (NCL), a mother/daughter service organization. Heather is a member of the Rotary Interact Club and will be Captain of the Cheer Squad at Woodbridge again her senior year.

The students provided highlights of their RYLA experience, including:
• Being separated from each other the minute they stepped on the bus
• Joining "families' for the remainder of camp (for which they created names, logos, cheers, etc)
• Being led blindfold into an (unknown) dining room and being fed (building trust)
• The "Boojum Experience" including navigating a rope "spider web" suspended from high trees (overcoming fear, team coordination)
• Excellent speakers, including a Rotarian who came from a troubled life and promotes "being fully present" in everything you do in life
• Fun and fellowship around the bonfire and forming strong friendships in such a short period of time

They all enjoyed the RYLA experience tremendously, increasing their self confidence, learning how to immediately connect with strangers, and gaining practical leadership skills. They all credited RYLA for gaining a deepening understanding of what Rotary International is about and stands for.

They expressed their interest and support in re-initiating the Interact Club at Woodbridge High this year by inviting, including, and educating their school peer of Rotary service projects and activities, initially through word of mouth, later through broadening understanding of Rotary function and impact in our local and global society.

We wish them a wonderful Senior year at Woodbridge, success with their college education and careers - and encourage them to remain in the Rotary family!

For more information about RYLA, please click on the link: http://www.rotary.org/en/StudentsAndYouth/YouthPrograms/RotaryYouthLeadershipAwards(RYLA)/Pages/ridefault.aspx

About RYLA

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary's leadership training program for young people. RYLA participants can be ages 14-30, but most clubs and districts choose to focus on a narrower age range, such as 14-18 or 19-30.

RYLA emphasizes leadership, citizenship, and personal growth, and aims to
• Demonstrate Rotary's respect and concern for youth
• Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders
• Encourage leadership of youth by youth
• Recognize publicly young people who are rendering service to their communities

S'More Fun at the Beach

by Gillian Bradshaw

Hooray for Cisca's Annual Beach Party at Dana Point (Lifeguard Station #7 - staked out at 6 am by Cisca who drove her truck with a big trailer with tables, chairs, lanterns, firewood… you name it - she has this down to a fine art!).
 
The early birds enjoyed fun at the beach, including Cisca's nephews, Ian and Griffin
 who spent lots of time in the water ( swimming, digging to China,etc.). The sun came out around noon to the joy of the sunbathers .
 
Most people arrived in the late afternoon - Bret & Natalie, Woody & Deana; Austin and Barbara, Ray, Tony, Richard & Joanne; Mark Brubaker, Susan and their son
 and Gillian & Robin. It was also nice to see former member Carl Balzanti and Valerie. 
 
Ray took charge of the grilling and there was an amazing variety of meat brought by several people, a wonderful foccacia garlic bread, lots of salads and other accoutrements - delicious! Of course, the best part of the day was sitting around the fire after dark (in our Snowball Express caps!), listening to the waves and toasting our marshmallows over the fire to make S'mores - yum!
 
By 10 pm (beach closing time) everything was packed up (again, under Cisca's direction, with everything in its exact spot - and tied down with bungee cords) and off she went. Having left the remaining wood for another group to enjoy, Gillian and Robin noticed, as they were driving off, that our neighbors had taken it and thrown it all on the fire at the same time - I am sure it lit up the whole of Dana Point!
 
Thanks to Cisca for this massive undertaking - and here's to "S'more" great beach parties in the years to come!










Sunday, August 29, 2010

American Heart Association

Our speaker this week will be Katie Oakman from the American Heart Association (AHA). Katie has been with the AHA for almost two years. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from Westmont College. She is a Business Development Director for the AHA. Katie works with companies to create a culture of health and wellness in the workplace. She also partners with these companies and individuals in the community to form teams and raise funds through the Start! OC Heart Walk. Currently in its 30th year, the Heart Walk promotes physical activity and celebrates heart disease and stroke survivors while raising critical funds for the AHA.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Women's Cancer Research Foundation

Our speaker this week is Carlina Thomas — Executive Director from The Women's Cancer Research Foundation (WCRF). WCRF is dedicated to improving the cure rates of women with gynecologic cancer through strategic clinical research and community-based educational outreach.

Carlina came to the WCRF with a proven track record in nonprofit leadership. She has served as president of the California Waste Association, the City of Huntington Beach Neighborhood Watch Program, and the Dr. Ralph E. Hawes Parent Teacher Association (PTA). She also chaired several education related and community-wide committees, ran for school board, and in her free time serves as a dedicated volunteer for both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration with a Marketing emphasis from California State University, Long Beach. Since that time her professional background includes years of successful environmental consulting sales management and national account development experience with Fortune 500 Companies generating annual sales in the millions.

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Breaking the Traditional Mold

Our Speaker this week will be Rabbi/Cantor Osnat Margalith and being a woman Rabbi, she will be speaking about "Breaking the Traditional Mold".

Rabbi Margalith was born in Israel and raised in an Orthodox Israeli family. She holds two ordinations as well as a Masters degree in Sacred Music and a Masters degree in Rabbinic Studies, all by the Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR-CA). Rabbi Margalith is a member of the Cantors Assembly – the Conservative Cantors’ Association; serves as a community chaplain for OC Jewish Family Services and as a result of her interfaith outreach in Orange County was asked to join the faith leaders’ advisory board of OCICE – Orange County Interfaith Coalition for the Environment.

She has been active and served as a board member of Conservative synagogues in Tampa, Florida and in Orange County as well as in numerous Jewish organizations, day schools and Adult Education and programming such as the Community Scholar Program of Orange County. Rabbi Margalith, a graduate of Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, received her BA in Comparative Literature and Languages as well as a Masters of Science in Library Science (MSLS).

As a congregational spiritual leader, Rabbi Margalith is looking to make a difference in people’s lives; to provide transformative moments through liturgy and music.

Rabbi Margalith is married to Dr. Avi Margalith and lives in Irvine. They are blessed with three wonderful sons: Guy (a Foreign Service Officer), Gurie (a CPA), Ben (an actor and MFA student). This October, Rabbi Margalith will have the pleasure of officiating at the wedding of her children Gurie and Tiffany Leia.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Attorney Michael Fell - Adovate for Victims Rights



Michael Fell is a former Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney with over 18 years experience as a prosecutor and over two years experience as a civil litigator who has been dedicated to victims rights his entire career. Mr. Fell has been recognized for his commitment to victims, including, but not limited to the awards listed below:

Ambassador of Peace Award (2003) for his work with victims of hate crimes and in developing a tolerance program for youth (TURN - Teaching Understanding respect and Non-violence)

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Diligent Prosecutor Award (1995, 1996, 2006) for his work with DUI victims and prosecuting DUI cases

Victim Witness Assistance Program Recognition Award for his diligent work with crime victims.

Mr. Fell currently represents the Adenhart, Pearson, Stewart and Wilhite families in the criminal prosecution of the Defendant, Andrew Gallo) under Marsy’s law. (Former Angel MLB pitcher Nick Adenhart, Henry Pearson and Courtney Stewart were killed and Jon Wilhite was seriously injured after they were hit by Mr. Gallo, a drunk driver, on April 9, 2009)

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Wounded Warriors at the Angels Game

Saturday, July 31, 2010, was a special Rotary day at the Angel’s baseball game.

Irvine Spectrum did their best to create the best chili the O.C. has to offer. I think we did rather well but the judges gave us a 4th place. It is kind of like a “kissing your sister” award. I know the judging was stacked but we all had a gas.

Our great chili chicks were Dianne Braasch, Joan Sarver and Cisca Stellhorn. Our event planner was Ray Benedictus who is now an official cat herder.

The event was great for District 5320 and our fight against polio.

The Irvine Spectrum Rotary Club had twelve special guests. Six US Marines attended the event. They were members of the School of Infantry at Camp Pendleton, CA.

Three special Marines and their ladies enjoyed our hospitality. They were members of the Wounded Warrior Battalion at Camp Pendleton.

We were fortunate to have these Marines, one sergeant and two lance corporals, tell us their personal stories. All of them sustained significant injuries while serving in defense of this nation, and have also have worked tirelessly with their loved ones through their individual recovery process. For this and so many more reasons, they are heroes.

Each of these Marines did what Marines have done since November 10, 1775. They have answered the call to watch over the flock. They are part of the reason we were able to enjoy a Saturday afternoon with friends, eating chili and attending a baseball game.

Past District Governor Allan Stark sat near these Wounded Warriors and had a chance to visit. PDG Stark was a Navy Corpsman prior to becoming a doctor. He is my hero.

Your club can support the Wounded Warrior Battalion and help make a difference in the lives of our injured warriors.

Should you wish to support these warriors please feel free to contact Rick Topping.

"Semper Fi" and "Service Above Self." What a combination.






Monday, August 2, 2010

Rotary and Angels team up against Polio

On Saturday, July 31, several of our members participated in the the District's 3rd annual polio fundraiser at Angel Stadium. Rotary's #1 mission, in conjunction with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is to eradicate polio worldwide, by vaccinating every child in the countries that still have this crippling virus.

The event started with a fun tailgate party (and more fund-raising) - a chili cook off contest! Cisca Stellhorn, Diane Braasch, and Joan Sarver cooked and served a variety of home made chili dishes (Joan's "Kick Ass Chili" was my personal favorite, with Diane's milder but very meaty "Chicago" a close second - and Cisca's turkey one not far behind). I know we got a lot of votes, and hopefully we won, but the winning was in the socializing we all did!

For the non-chili lovers, Ray Benedicktus put on his apron and got out his barbecue tongs, making delicious hamburgers and hot dogs - as if having arranged for all the ticket and T-shirt sales wasn't enough - thanks Ray!

We were honored to have a group of Marines from the Wounded Warriors battalion join us with their family/girlfriends - thanks to the coordination of former Marine, Rick Topping. With several former Marines in our club, this is one of the primary organizations we support - not only with donations and other funding, but with as much "hands on" participation as we can. It was a pleasure to meet these brave soldiers who sacrificed their health for our nation's safety and freedom - we thank them and wish them a speedy recovery!

This was also a Birthday party for Mary Mar, who came to celebrate with both her families (her own, including her cute granddaughters, and her Rotary family!). We sang Happy Birthday and ate delicious cake!

Our youngest "future Rotarian", John Lincoln Alcorn was there - all dressed up in his Angels outfit - and learing how to party with his Rotary family at the ripe old age of 102 days!

Several others were there, including Ed Hardenburgh, Dale Ford and his son, Austin and Barbara Wall, Randy and Pam Woods, Mark and Susan Brubaker, Tony Mucia and his daughter Megan, Woody and Deana Jones, Ray B's girlfriend and son Ian, Cisca's nephews, Diane's daughter, and our esteemed past District Governor Bret Gerdes and Natalie (am I missing anyone?!)

Then it was off to the game - and prime seating on the Club level (with in-seat service all evening long). While the game wasn't all that thrilling (except for the Angels home run with the fireworks - but they lost 1-2 to the Texas Rangers), a fun time was had by all - and all for a good cause!

Roll on our 4th Annual Angels event for polio in 2011!
















Michael Fell to speak at Irvine Spectrum Rotary Club

Michael Fell is a former Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney with over 18 years experience as a prosecutor and over two years experience as a civil litigator who has been dedicated to victims rights his entire career. Mr. Fell has been recognized for his commitment to victims, including, but not limited to the awards listed below:

Ambassador of Peace Award (2003) for his work with victims of hate crimes and in developing a tolerance program for youth (TURN - Teaching Understanding respect and Non-violence);

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Diligent Prosecutor Award (1995, 1996, 2006) for his work with DUI victims and prosecuting DUI cases;

Victim Witness Assistance Program Recognition Award for his diligent work with crime victims.

Mr. Fell currently represents the Adenhart, Pearson, Stewart and Wilhite families in the criminal prosecution of the Defendant, Andrew Gallo under Marsy’s law. (Nick Adenhart (former Angels MLB pitcher, Henry Pearson and Courtney Stewart were killed and Jon Wilhite was seriously injured after they were hit by Mr. Gallo, a drunk driver, on April 9, 2009)

Accordingly, he will be speaking about victim advocacy and his work with Marcy's law.