Reg & Sue Smith had the good fortune to attend as guests at the meeting of the Rotary Club of Westwood Village which is near the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). In fact they support a vibrant Rotaract Club on the UCLA Campus.
Whilst their Club is small they will have 3 members and 2 spouses attend RICON Melbourne and possibly another 2 are still considering attendance.
After the traditional Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, and their Song of the Day: God Bless America, the thought of the day was given by the meeting host and member Roozbeh Farahanipour, in whose Restaurant this meeting was held. The Restaurant is called Persian Gulf and prioritises service to military veterans and local Police and emergency first responders.
President Chris Gaynor is just completing his 2nd stint as Club President having attended during his Presidential year the 1993 RI Convention in Melbourne. While he will be unable to attend this years Convention, President Elect Stephen Day and his Wife Marsha will be attending.
Reg had the privilege of a 5 minute address and a banner exchange. He gave a brief Rotary Melbourne history, highlighting our first Club status and size, and the role Rotary Melbourne played in putting together the winning bid for the 2023 Convention. He highlighted Rotary Melbourne events for the Convention such as the Marvellous Melbourne Cocktail Party at the Windsor on Sunday 28 May, and the Starward Club hospitality event on Monday 29 May. Both drew a lot of interest. He highlighted the renaming of Rotary Park to the Rotary Melbourne Peace Park, and the Peace Bell Initiative that will be highlighted at the Convention. In encouraging the attendees to come and take a look at the Peace Park, Reg also highlighted the Rotary Floral Installation in the gardens opposite the NGV.
A highlight of the meeting was the presentation by guest speaker, Child Development Specialist, Chrys Rhodes who works for the Center for Childhood, a non-profit on the west side of Los Angeles helping families in need. She spoke about the Center’s work in supporting children facing challenging community and family circumstances to make responsible considered decisions about their auctions and behaviour. She was passionate about enhancing the quality of life for children, through developmental and learning experience, and developing parenting skills in a multi-cultural community in which there is too much neglect and abuse of children.
The usual post meeting fellowship revealed the biggest issue facing the Club is growing its membership and attracting younger members.
