RKC (ROSEMEAD KIWANIS CLUB) WEEKLY REPORTER – 07/21/2008

Greetings to our K-Family (Kiwanis affiliated partner group of clubs), RKN (Rosemead Kiwanis Network) and other friends

          Below are:

· NEWS: Recent developments and activities related to Rosemead – this week focused on the passing of a long time friend.

· EVENTS: Activities in and around Rosemead, with emphasis on Rosemead Club meetings and Rosemead Kiwanis Network and community activities.

· FAX OF LIFE: An inspirational email attachment, courtesy of Scott’s Valley Kiwanis. This one is entitled “Who Packed Your Parachute?”

Know someone who should be receiving these free emails?

Send their name and email address to kcrosemead@aol.com

NEWS

PASSING OF THELMA BOYD: It is with sorrow that we report the passing of Thelma Boyd, a California Mission Inn resident and frequent attendee of our regular Kiwanis meetings held at CMI.  She died suddenly and peacefully in her sleep this past Thursday night/Friday morning.

In a joint statement to her friends, which includes the entire Rosemead Kiwanis Club, her three surviving children (Tom Swan, Jan Dennis, and Jim Swan) wrote:

“Thelma made a lot of friends in her lifetime and we know all of you will miss her as we already do.  She had a way of never saying anything bad about anyone, even when we deserved it.  She had a positive influence on everyone she came in contact with.  She was graced with the love of God all her life and she was given the final gift of a merciful death.  We love her so much and will continue to love her and her legacy.

Thank you for knowing and loving our mom.”

To Thelma, your grace and presence will be missed.  Peace.

                                                        --- Art Landing, RKC Reporter Editor

SUMMER EVENTS: Concerts in the park, dedication of the Maryvale Reading Resource Center , community Safety Meeting and celebration of Neighborhood Watch are all among events included in the calendar below.

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS:

THURSDAY JULY 24, 2008 – RKC MEETING: Maryvale (special meeting –

Lunch at CMI with adjournment to Maryvale.

In conjunction with Bookends, San Gabriel Kiwanis and others, the Rosemead Kiwanis Club has been helping to develop a Reading Resource Center at Maryvale (which began operations as the Los Angeles orphanage over 150 years ago).  See the “Special Report” below. The center is now complete and we will be part of a July 24 open house starting at 1:30 pm on the second floor of the Laboure building. Maryvale’s address is 7600 E. Graves Avenue.  The open house is being coordinated by Maryvale’s RKC liaison, Kiwanian Joanie Rudesill (626/280-6510 x204), who is also the center coordinator. Our Kiwanis luncheon will be at our normal California Mission Inn location with adjournment to Maryvale at 1:10.  

FRIDAY JULY 25, 2008 – ROSEMEAD PARK CONCERT: Cold Duck Band

Live music in an atmosphere suitable for a family picnic. Bring food and a blanket and prepare to enjoy beginning at 7:00 pm as part of the bi-weekly “Rockin Rosemead Summer Concert.” Series. For further details see the band’s website at http://www.coldduck.com/theboys.shtml

THURSDAY JULY 31, 2008 – RKC MEETING: (Regular Meeting)*

(details to be announced)

TUESDAY AUGUST 5  2008 – NATIONAL NIGHT OUT

The City of Rosemead Public Safety Department will be celebrating the 25^th Anniversary of National Night Out honoring the Neighborhood Watch program. Included will be a Block Captain Recognition Award Ceremony honoring all past, present and future Rosemead “Block Captains.” Location will be the Rosemead Safety Center – see under August 13, below, for directions and contact information.

THURSDAY AUGUST 7, 2008 – RKC MEETING: (Regular Meeting)*

Details to be announced – Board meeting at 11:00

WEDNESDAY,  AUGUST 13, 2008 – Rosemead Safety Meeting

The monthly Rosemead Community Safety meeting begins at 7:00 at the Rosemead Pubic Safety Center, 8301 East Garvey Avenue (one block east of San Gabriel Blvd on the northeast corner of the intersection with Charlotte) Rosemead, CA 91770. The information telephone is  (626) 569-2290, x 224 c/o Mandy Wong. Parking will be available in the adjacent Zapopan Park parking lot. Please enter off of Garvey Avenue.

THURSDAY AUGUST 14, 2008 – RKC MEETING: (Regular Meeting)*

Details to be announced  

THURSDAY AUGUST 21, 2008 – RKC MEETING: (Special Meeting)

Change of location: Monterey Park Boys and Girls Club featuring details of the new national working relationship between Kiwanis and the Boys and Girls Club.

THURSDAY AUGUST 28, 2008 – RKC MEETING: (Regular Meeting)*

Details to be announced  

WEEKLY FAX OF LIFE INSPIRATIONAL E-MAIL: “Who Packed Your Parachute?- See attached file

     (Note: the rosemeadkiwanis.org website now has a two year accumulation

       of Fax of Life inspirational monographs available for review  – see the Fax

of Life link at bottom of the “Newsletters” section of the website.)

SPECIAL REPORT: Maryvale Reading Resource Center

      – by Frank DiNoto, Past Kiwanis “International President

In the Spring of 2006, a meeting was held at Logsdon School with Kathleen Leighton, Principal, to review the Rosemead Kiwanis sponsored student activities during the school-year. At that time, Kathleen, who soon would become a mother, stated that she hoped that a student-library would be developed, and we agreed this would be an excellent club project.

Shortly thereafter, at a meeting in the Rosemead City Hall, Suzanne Coscarelli from Reading Is Fundamental was present and was told that Kathleen hoped to establish a library at Logsdon School. Suzanne stated she knew the person who could make the wish a reality and immediately left the meeting room. She returned a few minutes later and stated that Robin Keefe, President of BookEnds, was interested in making this dream come true. BookEnds conducts book drives in schools and distributes the books in low-income areas. It immediately designated certain book drives for Logsdon.

A short time later, a meeting was held with Robin at Logsdon School. We were all in agreement that the proposed library room was too small, windowless and inappropriate. Fortunately, Sr. Betty Marie Dunkel, Les Forman and others from the Maryvale staff came to the rescue by moving the proposed project to Maryvale provided it was developed as a “Resource Reading Center (RRC).” Government funding is available for “RRC’s” but not for “libraries,” and Maryvale already had some computers, reference books and other items available for the RRC. 

Maryvale is the successor to the LA Orphanage and for more than 150 years has been under the guidance of the Daughters of Charity. Maryvale is now the home of 80 to 85 court-committed, abused young and teenage girls, and Logsdon is the on-campus school that they attend. Maryvale’s Mission is to help each child achieve fulfillment, dignity and self-esteem. in an environment of stability, love and respect.

At an interclub by the San Gabriel Kiwanis Club, Bob Bodkin, President, learned about the proposed project and immediately became a key figure in its design and overall development. The original Maryvale room for the resource reading center was replaced by twice the space. Student participation in the development is a key to its success. Rough cost estimates for the development were made, and Sr. Betty Marie said, “We’ll pray a lot” to find the funding sources.

In March 2007, Robin Keefe arranged a very helpful Committee tour of two recently modernized, public-school libraries in East Los Angeles. Many of their features were incorporated into the RRC’s final layout that was prepared by Bob Bodkin. With Bob’s lead and to minimize costs, we also looked at furnishings and equipment just removed from offices prior to their sale to used furniture stores.

In the early stages of construction, Robin was working with a 501(c)(3) organization that wanted to liquidate and needed to dispose of its assets to tax-free organizations. As a result, Maryvale received a $40,000 check for the development of the RRC, and this permitted renovation and all new equipment and furnishings. Our prayers were answered!

With the assistance of Kiwanian and Superintendent Virginia Peterson, a meeting was arranged with library personnel from the Garvey School District to review the methods for book classification and user systems. The same persons also attended a meeting at Maryvale, and their recommended systems were adopted for the RRC.

About 12,000 books were received from BookEnds and other book drives, . Under the leadership of Kiwanian Joni Rudesill, about 7,300 of those books were properly classified and are now included in the RRC, in addition to the 200 to 250 books that Maryvale had previously.  Many of the remaining books will go to other RRCs or libraries. An excellent project made possible by volunteers.

                            * - unless otherwise indicated, Kiwanis meetings are at 12:10 in

                                 California Mission Inn chapel’s multipurpose room, 4807 Earle

                                 (north of Mission and south of Grand ½ block on west  side of

the street), Rosemead. Street parking is normally required.

. Know someone who should be receiving these free emails?

Send their name and email address to kcrosemead@aol.com