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Before and after today’s meeting items from the Westwood Village Rotary Club’s archives were available for viewing. On display were photos and scrapbooks from past years.
Co-President Mark Rogo started the meeting at 12:30. He reiterated that the Rotary theme for this year is “Unite for Good”. Christine Clayburg commented on the theme and mentioned how Rotary has helped her.
Today’s friendly greeter was Jim Crane. Jim Meyer led the pledge of allegiance. PP Mike Newman presented the Thought of the Day with a comment about this year’s Rotary theme. He mentioned the good works of the International Medical Corps which assists people all over the world and has goals like those of Rotary International. Both organizations are non-discriminatory, non-religious, non-political and adhere to the “Golden Rule”.
Guests at today’s meeting were Christine Clayburg’s long-time friend, Diane Greenaway, and co-President Mark Rogo’s assistant Barbara Schneeweiss. Clinton Shuddy was invited to present a “Merchant Minute”.
PE elect Bob Simon commented on current events in Iran and mentioned an interview on the news with Roozbeh Farhanipour, a leader in the 1999 uprising in Iran before he was forced to flee the country.
PP Ed Gauld led the group in the song “You Are My Sunshine” while wearing one of his numerous hats.
Co-President Mark Rogo acknowledged various members of the club. Because John O’Keefe always wears a bowtie instead of a tie, co-President Mark presented John with a Rotary bowtie to wear at meetings. Co-President Mark recognized super-UCLA fan Bill Roen as a Paul Harris Society Member and announced that Bill has been selected as “Rotarian of the Month”. PP Tom Barron displayed his latest woodworking project, which is a portable case for the members’ name tags. His workmanship is excellent.
Co-President Mark displayed slides of birthdays, wedding anniversaries, and Rotary anniversaries for various club members. Monetary “fines” have been renamed “recognition” and “donations” to reflect that the money is donated to the club’s Rotary fund. He mentioned that his daughter has been included in Time magazine’s issue about current inventions.
Today’s meeting included a “Merchant Minute” by Clinton Shuddy from Oakley’s barber shop on Gayley Avenue in Westwood. Oakley’s began in Salt Lake City in 1898 but moved to downtown Los Angeles in 1925. In honor of their 100th anniversary, the shop offered haircuts at the price in 1925 – only 25 cents! There will be another anniversary celebration in 2029 to mark 100 years in Westwood.
Co-President Mark asked Clinton Shuddy to demonstrate a haircut, and the club selected PP Tom Barron as the recipient. It was understandably a very quick haircut, and PP Tom accepted it in good humor.
PPx2 Steve Day presented pins for members who are Paul Harris Fellows. The funds to the foundation are used to support humanitarian projects. Today’s donors were Chuck McCreary and John O’Keefe who is a 7-time donor.
Additional announcements included a reminder from Phil Gabriel about the upcoming homeless count for the area on Thursday, January 22nd. The meeting place is the Westwood Presbyterian Church. The results of the count are used to determine distribution of funds.
VP Peter More mentioned that on Monday 1/26/2026 some members from our club are planning to attend an early morning meeting of the Manhattan Beach Rotary Club. Anyone wanting to go with PP Peter and PP Mark Rogo should contact either one of them.
On Friday, February 13 a pre-Valentine’s Day event is being planned at the home of co-President Ben Fisher in Mar Vista. Details will be forthcoming, so mark your calendars for a fun social evening.
Bruce Willison, Dean Emeritus of the Anderson School of Business at UCLA, was pleased to introduce today’s speaker, Margaret Traub, who serves as head of global initiatives at the International Medical Corps.
The International Medical Corps is a U.S. non-profit organization providing world-wide humanitarian aid. It is a non-political and non-religious organization with goals like those of Rotary International.
Margaret Traub graduated from Columbia University and was previously a journalist at CNN and a participant in “Good Morning America”. She currently travels around the world for the International Medical Corps. She began her presentation with a short video about the IMC’s assistance in various countries. The IMC operates in over 30 countries, including the United States. Since its founding in 1984, the organization has assisted millions of people. The organization provides care in disaster zones and also offers vaccinations, maternal health care, nutrition, and clean water.
The International Medical Corps typically aid when requested by a government or provisional authority. It is staffed by local people in various locations. Because local residents are involved, the organization maintains a low profile so that their employees will not be targeted if they are working in a war zone.
Margaret Traub provided some examples of the organization’s projects. In Gaza, the IMC has established field hospitals to serve the civilian population, and at one point 4,000 people were treated daily. In Sudan about 17 million people have been displaced because of civil war and have needed assistance. The organization provided care in Ukraine in 2014 after the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula and has been assisting Ukrainians during the current Russian invasion. The International Medical Corps also helps Americans affected by natural disasters such as hurricanes. At the beginning of 2025, the IMC provided health care and shelters following the fires in the Los Angeles area.
At the end of her presentation Margaret Traub responded to various questions.
In response to a question about funding, she mentioned that the organization is funded by governments (about 15%), by individuals, and by foundations such as the Gates Foundation. She mentioned that funds from USAID have been restored. Their staff members receive salaries, and the organization also relies on volunteers.
There was a question about aid to Iran during the current crisis, but as of now the organization has not received a request. However, the International Medical Corps has operated in Iran in the past.
Today’s meeting included a full schedule of announcements, acknowledgements, and information. The presentation by Margaret Traub was very informative and well received.
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