Stories

Leadership Manhattan Beach

Posted by Frank Hanzel on Sep 30, 2023
 
RISE was invited to share its mission and projects with Leadership Manhattan Beach, a local leadership development program dedicated to developing and uniting community leaders through a hands-on experiential training program and community project. RISE was one of nine non-profits invited to address the 2023-24 class as a potential project partner.
 
RISE gave a brief history of our formation as a cause-based Rotary club, and our focus on responding to the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. We highlighted our current focus on mental health and youth and our partnership with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). We were also pleasantly surprised to meet several fellow Rotarians at the meeting who were supportive of our efforts.
 
For more information on Leadership Manhattan Beach, see https://www.leadershipmb.org/
 Leadership Manhattan Beach Frank Hanzel 2023-09-30 07:00:00Z 0

Supporting a Safe Place for Youth (SPY)

Posted by Frank Hanzel on Sep 03, 2022

One of our earliest partnerships involved Safe Place for Youth (SPY) located in Venice, CA. SPY seeks to empower young people experiencing homelessness to thrive through community-driven solutions that address racial and social inequity.

Our earliest engagement with SPY was a volunteer event to help them reorganize their storage of donated items, and replenish their walk-in clothing closet that directly supports homeless youth. RISE followed this up with purchase of frequently-used items and sponsorship of a meal for homeless and at-risk youth.

At a subsequent volunteer event, RISE helped to organize and operate a holiday gift distribution that gave youth the opportunity to select a gift bag, receive a gift card, as well as choose items from an expanded clothing closet. The club was also able to purchase a much-needed clothes dyer for one of SPY's residential facilities.

For more information about SPY, see https://www.safeplaceforyouth.org/

 Supporting a Safe Place for Youth (SPY) Frank Hanzel 2022-09-03 07:00:00Z 0

Who are we, and how are we different?

Rotarians in Service for Equality (RISE) formed in 2022 and we are one of the youngest Rotary Clubs. Our club formed using a slightly different model than the traditional Rotary Club structure: we meet online, and have members from all across the country. While most clubs are tied to a specific geographic location, our club uses Zoom to come together. Prior to the global pandemic of 2019, this would have been unthinkable.

With modern tools and technology at our disposal, we are rethinking what it means to be part of the global Rotary community. While some of our service projects can't help but be impactful to a specific location, we seek to increase awareness of LGBTQIA+ topics using a national lens.
 Who are we, and how are we different? 2020-11-03 08:00:00Z 0