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Wednesday, August
12, 2009 |
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The Kiwanis Club of La Cañada meets
every Wednesday at Noon
Visitors
are Welcome
Van
de Kamp Hall in Descanso Gardens
1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada, CA
91011
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Upcoming Events
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August 19, 2009
Skip Boyd, Rion Zimmerman, Jim
Philips
Craft Talks
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @
VanDeKamp Hall , Descanso
Gardens
August 21, 2009
Happy Hour Social
At the home of Wendy and Jim
Smith
4545 Briggs Ave, La Crescenta
August 26, 2009
Jim Stratton
“Apple For The Teacher Day”
Wednesday Lunch Meeting@
VanDeKamp Hall, Descanso Gardens
August 26, 2009
Jim Stratton
September 2, 2009
Ettie Lee
Youth and Family Services
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @
VanDeKamp Hall,
Descanso Gardens
September 3, 2009
Kiwanis Board Meeting
LaCanada Community Center, 7:00
PM
Jim Phillips
Dancing With The Stars
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @
VanDekamp Hall,
Descanso Gardens
September 16, 2009
Jayasri Majumdar Hart
Producer-Editor Director
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @
VanDekamp Hall,
Descanso Gardens
September 23, 2009
Carl Christensen
President’s Swan Song
Wednesday Lunch Meeting @
VanDeKamp Hall @
Descanso Gardens
September 30, 2009
INSTALLATION DINNER
Oakmont Country Club –6:00 PM
(THE CLUB IS DARK AT LUNCHTIME)
October 15, 1, 2009
Sunshine Kids Foundation
Wednesday Lunch Meeting,
VanDeKamp Hall @
Descanso Gardens
TRAVELOGUE SCHEDULE:
October 17, 2009- tba
November 21, 2009 – Crossing the
Mediterranean
February 20, 2010 – Egypt and
the Nile
March 29, 2010 – Inside
Iran
Today
April 17, 2010 – Burma
May 15, 2010 – Great Rocky
Adventure
Kiwanis Board Of Directors Meet
The First Thursday Of Each Month
At The La Cañada Community
Center– 7:00 Pm
February 5, March 5, April 2,
May 7, June 4, July 2, August 6,
September 3,
October 1, November 5, and
December 3.
Click
on the following button to view
the long term calendar
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WEEKLY MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
MUSIC
Piano
Music was provided by Tom Burros
OPENING
Nick
Berkuta, Presiding Officer, provided the opening statement
Ed
Moulton led the members in singing God Bless America
Mike
Leininger led the Flag Salute
Mary Gant
provided the Inspirational message from Ralph Waldorf Emerson:
Theme was “What Success Is”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Howard asked the members for
their donations in the Cal Nev Cans, funds are utilized to
support the “Dr. Program”
Mary Gant: Ask the members to
pass the Wine and Gourmet Food Event flyers and postcards to get
the word out.
Corey Stevens: asked for Auction
Items/Donations for the Silent Auction during the Wine and
Gourmet Food Event
.
Nick Berkuta: Reminded members
to sign the “sign - up sheet” for the Summer Happy Hour on
August 21, 2009 at Jim and Wendy
Smith’s house and also reminded members to bring Hors D’Houvres.
Jim Ackland: Travel Adventure
Diane De la Valle: reminded
members to sign up for the Installation Dinner on September 30,
2009. Wednesday Luncheon is Dark due to the evening event.
Ed Moulton: recognized past
President Bob Donnehold, who pioneered the Trivial Pursuit
Program that proved to be a money maker for the Club.
Skip Boyd: SLA…Dick De Gray and
Hal Thomas are doing better.
Birthdays: Harriett Hammons’
Birthday was announced. Harriett was not present to hear the
Happy Birthday song from the members (You missed it Harriett!!)
GUESTS
None Except the guest speaker, Louise Ghandi
Former Members:
Nick Berkuta recognized visiting former members, Bob Donnenhold
(and also Past President) and Theo Abelmanson. Ed Moulton led
the members in singing “Welcome Back”
HAPPY & SAD BUCKS
Paul Westmoreland: $1.00 Sad $
for the Dainuba car chase that killed 3 children in a pick-up
truck.
Pat Anderson: $1.00 Happy Buck
for the ground breaking of the corner lot on Foothill & Chevy
Chase on August 24, 2009. The building is the future house of
the La Canada Flintridge Bookstore, Greg Powell is the
architect.
Mark Alexander: $1.00Happy Buck
for the passage into law of the Bill sponsored by Member Anthony
Portantino that permanently bans heavy trucks/trailers from
Angeles Crest Highway.
Corey Stevens:$1.00 happy buck
for the good results of her physical and not getting a ticket in
a 1-HR Parking area.
Ellie Wildermuth: $1.00 happy
buck for the visit with her two grandchildren, two (2) boys ages
7 and 9.
Jim Phillips: $1.00 happy buck
because the football season is coming and he also gets to
present his craft talk next week.
Mary Gant: $1.00 happy buck for
her granddaughter and husband who are visiting from Saudi Arabia
(they spent 6 hours at the Immigration Office!!)
New member,
Pat
Luangeaktrakhul, and Mary Gant
Fred Schooley: $1.00 Happy buck
for Mary and Daryal Gant’s contribution of $800 to the Ed
Moulton Fund.
Bob Martin: $1.00 for taking the
train from SJ Capistrano and making it to the Club meeting.
Jim Ackland: $1.00 happy buck
for 61 years of blissful marriage.
Dave Spence: $1.00 happy buck
for Ellie who hails from the state of Ohio, Dave just returned
from a school reunion in Ohio.
THE
PROGRAM
Nick Berkuta wore many hats
during the luncheon, aside from being the Presiding Officer, he
also introduced the Speaker, Louise Ghandi from the Verdugo
Young Musicians Association. Mary Gant was the sponsor.
Background of Verdugo Young
Musicians Association (VYMA)
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A 501 (c) (3)
Non-profit organization dedicated to providing first-rate music
education.
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Members of the
VYMA enhance their musical skills through professional coaching
while they discover the dedication, teamwork and joy of making
music together.
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YYMA was started
in 2001
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Servicing
Children Grade 8-18 in the San Fernando and San Gabriel Valley
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Program covers
youth orchestra, classical music.
VYMA Orchestral Programs
All students with a minimum of
one year private instruction are welcome. Repertoire is
carefully selected to meet the abilities, aspirations and
educational needs of students at varying levels of musical
development (beginning through advanced). In addition to the
orchestra rehearsals, VYMA offers sectional coaching by
experienced and accomplished professional musicians every week.
All ensembles have multiple performance opportunities throughout
the year. Past venues have included theatres, libraries,
museums, parks, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion for the LA
Philharmonic’s Symphonies for Youth and the Walt Disney Concert
Hall.
VYMA’s Community Outreach
Program:
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Community
Outreach program will be launched in September 2009, the “El
Sistema” Pasadena Program.
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“El Sistema” will
be targeting Elementary Schools in Pasadena, Grades 1-6
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Initial number of
enrollees will be 80 schoolchildren
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Program will
provide free instruments and free classical music instructions..
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Geared for
children who are not able to afford private music instructions.
The Pasadena Program is
patterned after El Sistema Venezuela.
Louise Ghandi provided the
Kiwanis Members with a background on El Sistema Venezuela.
El Sistema Venezuela is a
“revolution”, it is a fight against poverty. The focus is in
the classical music field.
El Sistema was founded 35 years
ago by Jose Antonio Abreu, an economis, politician and also a
musician; his goal is to fight poverty.
Louise Ghandi also provided the
members with Venezuela’s economic background:
Venezuela’s population has
extreme poverty level of 40-60%. Compared to La Canada that has
7.50%, Los Angeles is 15.00%, State of California is 14.00% and
USA is 13.00%. The “best” in Venezuela is 40.00% which is a big
difference. Venezuela boasts of swamps, barrios that are
densely populated, it is a breeding ground for crimes and highly
infected with crimes. Living conditions are pitiful with no
electricity, no running water, no system for waste disposal and
hence, there is garbage everywhere.
In Venezuela, El Sistema is
financed by the Government. The poor children are provided with
free instruments and high quality instruction of orchestral
classical music. The program serves up to 250,000 Children and
Youth in Venezuela.
El Sistema has worldwide
programs, as well as programs in Los Angeles, Baltimore, New
York and Miami.
Louise Ghandi compared the
founder of VYMA as the ”Mother Teresa of Music”, she described
Jose Antonio Abreu as a savvy politician, economist and
musician.
Louise Ghandi further stated
that with the music instruction, the children become
astoundingly good musicians, they are taught to repair and make
the musical instruments.
Excellent choirs and orchestras
are formed and young conductors are developed from different
towns in Venezuela.
Louise Ghandi stated that the
“El Sistema Program” in Pasadena will initially cost $125,000
for one year. They need eighty (80)musical instruments,
currently they have forty (40). Donations are encourage, in kind
i.e. instruments or money donations.
Louise Ghandi announced The
Gustavo (Conductor) Concert scheduled for October 3 at the
Hollywood Bowl with 18,000 spectators expected.
In closing, Louise Ghandi
stressed that the “Revolution is Coming” with the start of the
Pasadena School Program. The “Revolution” is expected to have
the following results:
·
Transform the
children completely, i.e. develop discipline among the children
·
Increase their
concentration power
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Increase their
learning ability particularly in Math
·
As the children
will be coming from different family backgrounds, the program
will see the transformation of the families, i.e. developing
more self esteem, including the parents.
·
The Program is
all inclusive as it will serve special needs children, blind,
deaf, juvenile children in prison.
·
The program will
provide intense training to 1st , 2nd and
3rd Graders that will transform them into providers
of high quality music.
VYMA’s Community Outreach “El
Sistema” Pasadena Program: Mission is to Fight Poverty through
Classical Music!!!
For More information on VYMA,
please visit their website,
www.vyma.org
OTHER STUFF
Winner of the 50/50
Drawing:Joel Smith (In absentia)
Secret Greeter: Bachy Bachmayer
Master of the Cash Box: Pat
Luangeaktrakhul (New Member)
This Week's Reporter:Emelita
Bituin
This Week's Photographer: Diane
De La Valle
Webmaster, Newsletter
Reporter/Coordinator: Jeb Long
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