October is an exciting month for Rotary and specifically our Club in El Segundo. First, we just have our raffle for polio that's going on from Oct 17-24th for not only our members but the community to participate and help this wonderful cause. As we all know polio funds have been depleted in the last eight months due to the coronavirus and Rotary's desire is to help. We can be proud that in the ever-connected world of global health, the polio infrastructure that Rotarians have helped build is already being used to address — and stop the spread of — the new coronavirus, in addition to serving countless other health needs.
We also have festivities for Halloween that we are participating in with the El Segundo Recreation Department, the Kiwanis Club and the Woman's Club of El Segundo. Members are participating in handing out candy at the Car-stume drive by at Joslyn center on Halloween day, judging the house decorating contest from the community and doing crowd control walking along the Great Pumpkin sleigh with the POA.
Please do your part to donate to the Rotary Foundation. The mission of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
What impact can one donation have?
For as little as 60 cents, a child can be protected from polio.
$50 can provide clean water to help fight waterborne illness.
$500 can launch an antibullying campaign and create a safe environment for children.
FEATURED SPEAKER: Sean Story,IT and Cybersecurity Expert
Sean Story helps hundreds of businesses and their employees every year with technology. Born and raised in Silicon Valley, Sean’s technology skills began developing at a young age. He relocated to Playa del Rey, California where he completed his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. For over ten years, clients have trusted him with all of their information technology needs ranging from computer setups to fast WiFi, easy to understand user training, user management, computer and network management, mobile device management, robust cybersecurity, hardware procurement, IT infrastructure upgrades, new office IT infrastructure buildouts, VOIP communication systems, business IT plan formation, computer maintenance, password management, and support.
FEATURED SPEAKER: Lionel Uhry, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions & Development for Mar Ventures.
Lionel spoke to our club about the Pacific Coast Commons development which is a mixed-use residential development that re-imagines the underutilized parking lots along PCH currently used by Fairfield Inn, Aloft Hotels, and the Hacienda Hotel restaurant and conference facility.
FEATURED SPEAKER: Francesca DiBrito, Senior Vice President of Resource Development for Habitat for Humanity
The overwhelming need for housing in our communities has provided Habitat For Humanity Greater Los Angeles (Habitat LA) with a unique opportunity to change lives in our neighborhoods. Los Angeles ranks as one of the least affordable housing areas in the U.S., and yet Habitat for Humanity is one of the few - if not only - affordable homeownership programs that serves families and individuals earning 50-120% of the median family income. Cost burden and overcrowding are the most serious problems experienced by very-low-income Southern California residents. By working with volunteers, families, individuals, corporations, congregations, and donors, Habitat for Humanity is able to address this important housing issue throughout greater Los Angeles.
FEATURED SPEAKER: Roberto Vargas, MD, Assistant Dean for Health Policy and Inter-Professional Education at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science.
Dr. Vargas is leading University-wide efforts in health policy analysis and health services research. He supports efforts in action and advocacy consistent with the CDU Advantage and mission of promoting health equity and social justice. His professional interests combine health services research, clinical care, and community collaborative partnerships towards the design, implementation, and testing of interventions to promote equal access to quality health care and to reduce health disparities.
For me, Rotary is always about “Service Above Self”. I joined Rotary over 20-Years ago because I want to give back to my community...whether the community is El Segundo, where Studio Printing has been based since 1994, or the communities outside of El Segundo, and the world community. It is always about giving back, and helping all who need help. I am especially proud and thankful for MY El Segundo Rotary Club, for their annual support of the Peach Foundation. With the money, the Peach Foundation can continually support the children in the southern region of China and soon, the orphanages in Myanmar...to go back to school. And most importantly, I can truly call my fellow members “FRIENDS”.
Halloween’s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago, mostly in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1.
This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31 they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth.
In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other’s fortunes.
When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
For over 30 years, Rotary and its members have been committed to fighting to eradicate polio across the world.
The Polio Raffle is an initiative launched by our own El Segundo Rotary Club to raise funds and awareness for our efforts to eradicate polio across the world and promote the work of our global campaign, End Polio Now.
When a child receives life saving polio drops on mass immunization days in many countries, their little finger is painted with a purple dye so it is clear they have received their life saving vaccine.
Rotary’s pledge for a polio free world was made in 1985 when there were 125 polio endemic countries and hundreds of new cases every single day. In 2019 there were only 95 cases in the entire world but as long as there is one single case anywhere children everywhere are at risk.
Thanks to Rotary, and the support of our partners WHO, Unicef, CDC and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, there are now just two countries still classed as endemic: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Tell us what you think! We want to hear from you. Let us know if you have any suggestions or ideas; please email us at info@elsegundorotary.org. Thank you for your support.
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