The annual Westchester Rotary used book sale is around the corner, from May 24 to June 1 in the Ralph's parking lot at Sepulveda and La Tijera. If you have books to donate, you can drop them in the barrels at the Westchester YMCA (80th and Sepulveda), Covenant Presbyterian church (next door to the YMCA), 7151 W. Manchester Ave, and at the Westchester Senior center (Lincoln and Manchester). All of the book sale proceeds towards our international and community service projects, including the Home Makeover.

We are three weeks away from the Home Makeover project.  You can participate in several ways:

1) We're registered Karen here, so you can buy things that will go with the new decor.

2) Volunteer to help work on the house on any day between May 30 to June 2.  Send an e-mail to westchester.rotary@gmail.com to get scheduled.  We need people to paint, landscape, etc.

3) Make a donation to the project.  Send an e-mail to westchester.rotary@gmail.com for more information.

4) Tell your friends!

Thanks!

At our meeting today, we had a chance to hear and see the winners of our Club's speech and arts contest (co-sponsored with the Playa Venice Sunrise Club).

First, the winning video by Tor Anders Larsen.

 Next, we had a dance choreographed to the song "Breathe Me," to commemorate those who have been victims of violence.

The speech winner read her talk and the music winner performed some blues on the piano.  It was a great meeting and a wonderful opportunity for these great young people to show their talents.

Good luck to all of them at the District competition this Saturday at LMU!

Download the application and rules here.

In sport, there is no such thing as a sure thing, but Kim Rhode is about as close as one can get.  Kim has won an Olympic medal in each of the last five Olympic Games, including winning her THIRD Olympic GOLD MEDAL in London at the 2012 Games by hitting an astounding 99 out of 100 (MOVING) targets.  Kim's Olympic career began by winning gold in 1996 at just 17 years old and in London she became the first American in history in ANY individual sport to win medals in 5 consecutive Olympics Games . . . . and she has no intention of stopping there.  Kim expects to compete, '"or another 4 or 5 OLYMPICS."!!!

Kim was the 1st US athlete in any sport to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games and not surprisingly, the USOC has labeled Kim as one of the "Top 12 Athletes to Watch in 2012".  Kim is currently preparing to return to the Olympics in 2016!

The cost is $20 (for non-members) and includes a delicious 3-course meal (tax & tip included) and free self parking.

Five time gold medalist, Kim Rhode, returns as the featured speaker at the Rotary Club of Westchester’s meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 28th. We meet at the LAX Crowne Plaza Hotel at noon. $20 for non-members, includes delicious 3-course lunch (tax and tip included) and self-parking.

Be a part of history.  The shuttle Endeavour is coming home. 

The public is invited to hear a presentation by Monique Hudson of the California Science Center on the arrival and permanent display of Endeavour, which she will give at the luncheon meeting of the Westchester Rotary Club on Wednesday, September 19, 2012.  The meeting, which begins at 12:10, will take place at the Crowne Plaza LAX, 5985 West Century Boulevard, Los Angeles.

Endeavour, the workhorse of NASA's shuttle fleet, is scheduled to arrive at LAX the following day, Thursday, riding atop a Boeing 747.  She will ride the skies of Los Angeles at 1500 feet crisscrossing the basin for an hour affording millions the chance to see her final flight. 

Another unique opportunity to see the craft will take place on Friday, October 12, 2002.  On that day, Endeavour begins her crawl through the streets of Los Angeles and Inglewood, the first and only time that a space shuttle has moved through an urban center.  Westchester Rotary volunteers will be on hand to shepherd Endeavour as she lingers for several hours in Westchester in the parking lot at the corner of Sepulveda Eastway and La Tijera Boulevard.

NASA has retired Endeavour with the rest of the Shuttle fleet.  Following a fiercely competitive application process last year, Los Angeles, New York, Kennedy Space Center, and the Smithsonian won the privilege to house these international treasures.  The California Science Center will construct a home for the shuttle that will allow it to be displayed vertically with external fuel tanks to simulate launch position.

Luncheon price for non-members is $20 and includes a delicious 3-course meal (tax & tip included) and free validated self-parking.  Contact Edgar Saenz (310) 417-9900 or Cindy Williams (310) 568-1024 for more information.

Each year the LA County DA recognizes citizens who go above and beyond to prevent or stop crimes. Westchester Rotary is proud to host this event each year.d to host this event each year

The Rotary Club of Westchester is now seeking to identify worthy families to consider for its fourth “Rotary Home Makeover” project. If you know a deserving family in the Westchester/Playa Del Rey area who should be considered for this year’s Home Makeover, please send their name, address and phone number to Rotary Home Makeover, 8939 S. Sepulveda Boulevard, #518, Westchester, CA 90045 by June 30. Please include up to 250 words about why the family deserves a home makeover, whether the family owns or rents, and ages of children in the family. Include your contact information as well. Submissions must be made by June 30, 2012. If you are interested in contributing goods or services to this project, please call (310) 645-2295.

The annual Westchester Rotary Book sale is coming up from Friday May 25 through Saturday June 2nd in the Ralph's parking lot at Sepulveda and Manchester in Westchester. You can donate books at Armstrong Printing Co. 524 West Arbor Vitae Street, Inglewood, or call Rod Tyler at (310) 677-6132.

We're starting to lineup auction items for our March 16th Murder Mystery FUNdraiser, including exciting African safari packages. They are 4- and 5-night packages that include all meals and morning and evening drives. The packages expire one year after the date of purchase.

The 4-night package retails for $5,000 and the opening bid will start at $1,950. The 5-night package retails for $6,250 and the opening bid will start at $2,450. Details on the packages are available at www.ezulwini.com..

All the proceeds go towards supporting Westchester Rotary's international and community service projects, including the upcoming Extreme Home Makeover.

 This year's Westchester Rotary spring FUNraiser is a Murder Mystery night on Friday, March 16th at the LAX Crowne Plaza Hotel.  Cocktails at 6pm and dinner at 7pm.  All proceeds go to support Community Projects including the next Home Makeover.  For event information contact Rich Musella at rbmusella@earthlink.net or 310-649-0374.

Westchester Rotary had its annual welcome of the outbound New Zealand Rotary Youth Exchange students.  During their stay they went to Venice, Santa Monica, Disney/CA Adventure, and Universal Studios.  One night they were hosted by the Club for dinner (see the picture) and another they had a pizza party with the Westchester, St. Bernards, and El Segundo Interact Clubs.  The 42 students came from all 6 Districts in NZ and were chaperoned by Debbie and Ross Loomans of the RC of Otorohanga (D9930).  The students will spend a year with a host Rotary Club in North America or Europe.

The Rotary Art, Music and Speech Contests are here! Entrants must currently be enrolled inhigh school (Westchester or St. Bernards) or home schooled at the highschool level in Westchester or Playa del Rey.

Acceptable media for the art contest: Oil, watercolor, drawing, photograph, sculpture.

The music contest is open to musicians of orchestral instruments and to singers. Applicants must provide their accompanist if necessary.

For the speech contest, speeches shall be between 4-6 minutes with a 30-second grace period. Contestants will be disqualified if the speech does not fall within the allotted time.  Speaker shall identify a current challenge within their family, school, community, state, nation, or abroad and answer: “How can one solve this problem by using Rotary's Four Way Test?"

Entrants will compete at the Westchester Club level during February 2012. Club winner will win a cash prize of between $200 and $1,000 for each discipline, in the sole discretion of the Westchester Rotary Club vocational chairman.

Club winners in each discipline will advance to the district finals on or about March 3, 2012. Awardsof $1,000, $500, and $250 will be given to the top three district finishers.

District winners in each discipline should be available to attend at the District 5280 Annual Conferencein San Diego on Saturday, April 21, 2012.  Art work will be displayed at conference.

Applicants must complete application, which includes parental permission for contestants under age 18.

For details and an application, you may contact Edgar Saenz, Westchester Rotary Clubvocational chair, (310) 753-1668.

Westchester Rotarians joined a band of more than 130 volunteers to makeover the home of Jackie Hunt and her 17-year-old son, Wesley. In 2001, at the age of just 46, Jackie suffered a massive stroke that severely affected her speech, left her bound to a wheelchair and changed her life forever. Once vibrant and active, she struggled to do the things we all take for granted - brushing her teeth, cleaning her house and using her nearly inaccessible bathroom. To make matters worse, Jackie is slowly losing her eyesight as a result of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited disease that is gradually shrinking her field of vision.

You can pay your dues or for other Rotary events using the Pay Now button below.  Note that a 4% handling charge will be added to the amount.