Introduction
On an warm winter afternoon, Bill Prather gaveled the first Rotary meeting of the year to order. Therese Brown led the Salute to the Flag. Bill Gilbreth spoke of the emotions he felt during and after the recent fire: loss, recovery, gratitude and celebration. Thanks Bill for putting into words what many of us are feeling.
Bill Prather spoke about the spirit of Ojai in the aftermath of the fire: “truth telling and soul searching”. In particular he praised the spirit of community support and generosity. He quoted a Fresno firefighter who remarked that in all his years of fighting fires, he’d never seen a community come together like Ojai has. Bill encouraged us to devote 2018 to “love and laughter”. Will do, Bill.
Don Reed spoke about the Rotary donation of $50,000 to Help of Ojai to support those hurt by the fire. Don made the point that Help of Ojai is the only organization already established, ready and able to respond quickly in this emergency. Mike Weaver made the point that, based on his observation, the funds were being managed prudently and spent efficiently.
Cartoon
Announcements/Confessions/Fining
Dr. Watson ran the fining portion of the meeting. When he asked for confessions, there was an outpouring of heartfelt relief that Ojai had largely been spared from the worst of the fire, and gratitude that many of the victims of the fire had received help, often from total strangers.
When the fining started, Dr. Watson showed that he is a master of extracting money from his audience with an amusing line of questioning: what is the actual NFL name of the mascots of the various teams. While many people love football, it seems like not many people know the names of the mascots. Well Done Doctor.
Program: Chip Fraser
Brett Bradigan introduced Chip Fraser, a recently retired educator and administrator from Ventura USD. Chip is the founder of “It’s my life”, a program whose mission statement reads:
“All students have the ability to resolve the complexities of life by developing their potential, asking questions, identifying problems and creating solutions”
Chip opened by stating that the educational system is failing students. In the space of just a few minutes, Chip touched on a variety of themes. Here are the ones that stood out for me:
· Not every student has to go to college to be a success.
· JDGI Club: “just don’t get it” club.
· Many kids are “annoyed or bored” by school.
· Success means finding something you are passionate about.
· Learning to listen is more important than learning to speak.
· Kids can find their own way
Bill P. adjourned the meeting at 1:30