At the January 18, meeting, members and guests heard a presentation by Irene Zapata, Teen and Adult Librarian for Lynwood Library.
Before the presentation, there was mention of several events, including an announcement by guest J.D. Whitaker of the 7th Annual Gospel Brunch, on Sat, Feb 3, 10am – 2pm, in the Bateman Hall Auditorium, organized by Senator Ricardo Lara, California's 33rd District, whose district includes the City of Lynwood. The event, which will be well-attended, is free, but it is necessary to obtain a ticket from the Lynwood Senior Center. J.D. Whitaker will be both the Master of Ceremony and the principal speaker. The theme this year is: “African Americans in Times of War”.
There was also a discussion of Fireworks Sales coordination. Daniel read verbatim from a statement he wrote at a recent Rotary meeting of actions that must be taken immediately in order to try to avoid having to pay a rental charge for use of the space provided for the fireworks stand in the Food 4 Less Supermarket parking lot, which is a part of Plaza Mexico property. President Joe Wang briefly talked about one of the first steps being to obtain information on this issue from the representative from Phantom Fireworks Co., whose first name is Justine.
Vision to Learn Program. Joe Wang stated that the next LUSD School to visit will be Abbott ES on Fri, Jan 19, at 9am. Joe and three other Rotary volunteers stated they would attend.
Youth act Roosevelt ES 5 K Run assistance. Youth act will participate in a 5K Run event at Dodger Stadium on Sat, Mar 17, which begins at 6am. There will be carpools organized from Lynwood. Participants need to be at Roosevelt ES at 5:30am to join a carpool. This is a part of the LA Marathon event. Lynwood Rotary members are encouraged to participate in this event. (Note that there is also a 5K Run being held by Rotary District 5280, on the same day, Mar 17, St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, in Griffith Park for Polio. (More info later)
Irene Zapata, Teen and Adult Librarian, talked about a variety of programs at the Lynwood Library in which she is involved. For example, Passport Services, at the Lynwood Branch are offered by appointment. Also, the Library branch has a program to provide library cards to all LUSD students in the third grade. Rotary member and LUSD Superintendent, Gudiel Crosthwaite, commented that the school district has been very much involved in this program. Other examples of library workshops were explained in two flyers: a workshop on the art and tradition of Chinese Calligraphy, and a workshop on bringing harmony into one's life through the art and practice of Feng Shui.
A major new program that Ms. Zapata is leading is a citizenship training program. She got the program started with first classes in the fall of 2017. But now Irene has the lead responsibility in getting a community nonprofit organization to fund this citizenship training program on an ongoing basis. English classes are a part of this program. Daniel encouraged everyone to visit the Lynwood Library to see how well the community uses it.
In response to a question from Daniel as part of his introduction to Irene's presentation, Irene talked about a recreational activity that is, being a part of a dance group. For the last year Irene has been a member of a Salsa and Bachata style dancing group. The location is the Third Street Dance Studio, near West Hollywood. She will participate in a Performance of the LA Bachata Festival, Feb 15 – Feb 19, at the Westin Hotel near LAX. On Friday, Feb 16, Irene says she expects to be part of the performance, which will include dancing by both the performers and by the audience, with charge for a ticket of $45.
Daniel Miller / Omar Franco / Rowland Becerra
Public Relations and Community Outreach for the Lynwood Rotary Club