2018 Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Special Section

Photo by Glenn Marzano.

Get ready to yell out “B-I-N-G-O” at the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary’s most festive event, the Luck O’ the Irish BingoFest! With the motto “Service Above Self,” being a member of Rotary is all about giving back, both locally and globally, but the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotarians also live by their unofficial motto of “We are Fun! We are Friendly! We Help Others!” Events like the Luck O’ the Irish BingoFest epitomize this sentiment. “As Rotarians, we’re always looking to help and be of service, but we’re also looking to have fun while we do it,” said club President Gwen Vuchsas. ‘This is one of my favorite events of the year because of the energy in the room. There’s a ton of camaraderie, delicious food, great music and the thrill of seeing if your card comes up a winner.” The Luck O’ the Irish BingoFest will take place on Saturday, March 17 starting at 6 p.m. The event will take place on the campus of Visitation School, located at 8740 Emerson Ave.

in Westchester. The cost to attend is $50 and includes 10 games of bingo, a buffet with both traditional Irish fare and Italian food provided by Cantalini’s Salerno Beach and entertainment. The games pay out $100, with the final blackout card paying $500. Cash door prizes ranging from $100 to $300 will also be awarded to three lucky guests. “We invite the whole community to join us at this fun event,” said Vuchsas. “You’ll meet new friends and learn what Rotary is all about. Most importantly, however, attendees are helping us support some

• Cantalini’s Salerno Beach • Drollinger Charitable Trust • Los Angeles World Airports

• Loyola Marymount University • Marina del Rey Hospital • Playa Pharmacy

Have you ever wondered what Rotary is or thought about joining a club for a meeting? I’ve been a member of Rotary for 26 years, and joining was one of the best things I’ve ever done! The Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club was founded in 2005, and since then, we’ve helped make a positive impact in our community and abroad. Whether we’re flipping pancakes to raise money for local fire stations, participating in district humanitarian projects, helping to end polio or providing scholarships and grants for local education, each Rotarian can find a project to be passionate about and participate.

Our weekly breakfast meeting, held on Wednesdays at 7:15 a.m. at Whiskey Red’s in Marina del Rey, brings us together for fellowship, fun and to discuss our current projects. And you never know who is going to visit our club! Sometimes it’s our local firefighters, our police captain, business leaders, musicians or international Rotarians in town to visit. We love having visitors, so let us know if you’d like to visit our club! You may even decide to join! Once you’re a member of the

really worthy community projects, events and organizations, while having a green beer, bidding on great silent auction items and hoping you’ve got a lucky bingo card!” Events like the BingoFest help the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club raise money for its community, youth, vocational and international service projects. Some of these projects include supporting Fire Stations #5 and #63, providing bears to USC County Children’s Hospital, scholarships, supporting teachers with the Teacher Mini Grant program,

• Playa Vista/Brookfield Residential • Plotkin Family Foundation club, you become part of the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary family, and will hopefully make lifelong friends like many of us have. That’s why in addition to our weekly meetings, we host a monthly happy hour, social outings and parties. We’ve already started off 2018 strong by giving away more than $17,000 at our Teacher Mini Grant Program to local teachers, helping build a Habitat for Humanity home in Culver City and volunteering to run the pancake breakfast at the Rock Roll & Run

Westchester • Playa del Rey • Marina del Rey • Playa Vista HomeTown News

End Polio Now and sponsoring community events like the Fourth of July Parade and AMCS’ Spring Gala. To purchase tickets for the Luck O’ the Irish BingoFest, please call (310) 963-9494 or visit playavenice.org.

The Four Way Test The Four-Way Test is a nonpartisan and nonsectarian ethical guide for Rotarians to use for their personal and professional relationships. The test has been translated into more than 100 languages. Of the things we think, say or do: • Is it the TRUTH? • Is it FAIR to all concerned? • Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? • Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

• Rainbow Acres • SuperbTech • William H. Hannon Foundation for Education! We’re also currently collecting mobility devices (crutches, canes, wheelchairs, walkers, etc) for Crutches 4 Africa. We’ve got a lot more projects, events and giving in store for a great Rotary year, so stay tuned! Whether you’re new to the community, looking for a dynamic group to get involved with or looking to volunteer with people that are passionate about community and giving back, please come check us out! We love new members, and we’d like to invite you to our Rotary family to share our enthusiasm for “Service Above Self!” Visit our website at playavenice.org to learn more about our awesome club!

GWEN VUCHSAS, PRESIDENT

PVS Rotary Special Section

March 2018 • Page 11