VOCATIONAL SERVICE

 

Vocational Service is one of Rotary’s Avenues of Service. 

Vocational Service calls every Rotarian to:

  • Aspire to high ethical standards in their  occupation;
  • Recognize the worthiness of all useful  occupations, and;
  • Contribute their vocational talents to the problems and needs of society.

Rotarians, clubs, and districts should implement the following strategies in their support of Vocational Service:

  • Strengthen the emphasis on vocation and classification in new member recruitment and induction.
  • Identify means of emphasizing vocation in club activities.
  • Create a stronger emphasis on business networking with integrity in Rotary at the club and district level.
  • Focus more attention on business networking with integrity as a means of attracting and mentoring the new generation.
  • Emphasize the connection between the Four Way Test and the Rotary Code of Conduct (formerly called: Declaration of Rotarians in Business and Professions) and their importance to the values of Rotary.
 
The Pageant of the Arts is a combination of four competitions for high school students in the areas of art, dance, music, and speech.

Literacy Breakfast

The Literacy Breakfast is an annual event that focuses on issues related to literacy within our local communities.
The Ethics Forum is a Rotaract team competition for college students.  Each team selects a topic of current interest and uses the Rotary 4-Way Test to analyze it.
 
PAGEANT OF THE ART

The Pageant of the Arts is a combination of four competitions for high school students in the areas of art, dance, music, and speech.  The competitions are held simultaneously in a building complex at Loyola Marymount University which includes an art exhibit space, a music auditorium, a dance studio and an adjacent building for the speech contest.  Individuals and teams compete for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and Honorable Mention in each contest.

Chair, Kathrine Russell, and her team do an excellent job of organizing and directing each area of competition.  They have all been performing this labor of love for several years and are committed to the event.
 
Each club in the District can enter one student in each area of competition.  Some clubs conduct their own competitions in order to send the top winner to the Pageant.  However, it is not necessary to host a competition.  Clubs may have their local high school, boys & girls club, or YMCA nominate a student to compete in any one of the areas of competition.  Attending the Pageant is an awesome experience as you see the wonderful talent that is brought to the event.
 
District Rotarians are strongly encouraged to attend this dynamic event.  We also invite the top winners to attend either the District conference or a District breakfast to showcase their talent.  It is important for clubs to begin the process now to identify possible high school students for these competitions.  Any questions can be directed to Kathrine Russell at her email address: kruss922@gmail.com
 
LITERACY BREAKFAST

The Literacy Breakfast is an annual event that focuses on issues related to literacy within our local communities.  This year's keynote speaker is Paul K. Chappell, the Peace Leadership Director for the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.  A graduate of West Point and an Iraq war veteran, Paul created the idea of Peace Literacy after his time in the military.  He is the author of The Road to Peace, a seven-book series about waging peace, ending war, the art of living, and what it means to be human.

The first Literacy Breakfast occurred in relation to Lawry's Restaurant's efforts to encourage participation in ESL literacy among its primarily Spanish-speaking workforce.  Lawry's founder, Lawrence Frank, joined the LA5 Rotary Club in 1916.  In partnership with Rotary District 5280, the Frank family, and Lawry's Beverly Hills continues its long tradition of philanthropy and community involvement by providing the venue and breakfast for this event.
 
ROTARACT ETHICS FORUM

The Ethics Forum is a Rotaract team competition for college students.  Each team selects a topic of current interest and uses the Rotary 4-Way Test to analyze it.  Initially, each team is given ten minutes to presents their topic and analysis.  The Ethics Forum judges will critique each team and provide suggestions for improvement.  Each team then presents again for five minutes and receive feedback from the judges.  The final three teams are determined and present for a final round of three minutes each.  The judges then determine the first, second, and third place winners.

The first place team wins a prize of $1500; second place is $750; and, third place is $375.  In past years there have been teams from California State University, Fullerton; California State University, Northridge; Marymount California University; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, Irvine; and University of Southern California.  We hope to have Los Angeles Harbor College and Santa Monica College participate in the 2019 Forum.
 
All Rotarians are encouraged to attend this event, especially those clubs who host Rotaract teams.  It is always beneficial to have an audience to support each participating team.
 
Additionally, we are looking for possible sponsors to cover the food expenses and prize awards to be made at the event.  If you are willing to support the event, please contact SAG Gwen Vuchsas at:  gvuchsas@secoteam.com
 
Contact us
 

Gwen Vuchsas

SAG Vocational

gvuchsas@secoteam.com
 
 

Kathrine Russell

Pageant of the Arts Chair

kruss922@gmail.com