The Rotary Club ojai
 

reminder newsletter

July 8, 2016

On a sparkling July 8 day of temperate and exquisite beauty, a congregating horde of Rotarians converged on Soule Park Clubhouse for the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Ojai. A good time was had by most.


​In the beginning....

Accompanying the chatter of fellowship was ivory-tinkled extraordinaire Scott “Smitty” Smith, marking the occasion of the first meeting hosted by new president, Bill Gilbreth. He made the most of the occasion, walking us through the plentiful paces of the Club Assembly, where we learned all the myriad goings-on of the busy club.

But first ...

Set Up: Matt Clements and Bill Prather
Flag Salute: Frank Finck
Invocation: Leslie Bouche
Sign In: Don Reed

Guests:
Special Guest, Bob Roddick and Dr. Beth Prinz


ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONDOLENCES: To Ian McLean, on the passing of his beautiful wife, Virginia “Ginny" McLean, who, with her azure eyes sparkling and her easy, warm smile, made many feel the glow of her friendship. She will be missed.

Tony Thacher urged us to attend the opening of the museum’s newest exhibit, “Ojai Collects,” on Saturday, the 9th. The exhibit features the passions of more than a dozen residents, with curated selections of their personal collections, including Herman Rush’s impressive array of Frank Sinatra artifacts.

Freedom Run - Gilbreth’s first official act took place on the pre-parade dawn on the 4th of July, assisting Drs. Fauvre and Skankey on orchestrating the 1k run of kids ages 2 to 12. Turnout was phenomenal, with 90 youth participating.

Wednesday Band Concert. Our fearless(-ish) leader will lead the balloon parade by the gazebo in Libbey Park on July 13th. The band concerts, an Ojai tradition of decades-long tradition, featuring rousing music in the park, starting at 5 p.m. and are hosted by our sister club, Rotary-West.

CLUB ASSEMBLY
In a peek at the dignity and lofty discourse with which he plans to president, Prez Bill talked about the Italian airline pilot, who, after some hours aloft, told the passengers, “Bad news is we’re hopelessly lost. But the good news is, we’re ahead of schedule!”

Locating the club at coordinates 34 degrees 26 min. North latitude and 119 degrees, 14’ minutes West longitude, he proceeded to pass the baton/mic to …

 

 

YOUTH SERVICES

KAY BLISS

 

 
 


Kay ran through the busy range of programs with a powerpoint presentation, including …
Rotary Readers (Randy Roth will be seeking volunteers to aid 3rd- and 5th-graders)
RYLA - will send two local go-getting high-school students to Camp Ramah in the spring with hundreds of other students from around the district for leadership training.
Career Day at Nordhoff High School, featured 45 professionals and 180 seniors.

New programs being planned will build on Career Day and other initiatives to match up students with mentors in the community. Committee members include Patricia Teague Anderson, Mike Weaver, Larry Beckett, Sandy Buechley, Yolanda Flores, Jane Spiller, Leslie Bouche, Bill Gilbreth and Randy Roth.

 


VOCATIONAL SERVICES
COLIN JONES

 


After listing the existing and established programs of Vocational Service, such as the Portfolio Project and the Boy Scout Troop, and a potential Job Fair next year,  Colin gave an inspiring speech about the his goals to expand the reach of the vocational services to helping unemployed, under-employed and displaced people retrain for solid jobs, such as Simi Sunrise Club’s project. “Plumbers, nurses, welders - these jobs not only exist, they are well paid and respected.” As a business owner with 35 years experience, Colin would like to create similar opportunities for others. The committee hasn’t formed yet, but he’s looking for people who share his vision. (Sign me up!)

 


INTERNATIONAL SERVICES

MIKE WEAVER

 

“The International Service Committee is one of the most energized and effective groups I have ever been associated with and not just in Rotary,” said Weaver, who took the helm from Rob Clark.

He listed the countries and projects in which the club is involved, including Niger, Ghana, Honduras, India, Bosnia, Tibet and Cuba. Kay Bliss wrote a $71,000 grant for an economic development project in Bosnia, in which a group of women will grow tomatoes, sun-dry them, pack them in oil and sell them throughout the region. The project will only cost the club $5,000, a great example of leveraging resources.

 

 


POLIO PLUS

BOB DAVIS


Bob Davis reminded us “we’re this close” to eradicating this dread disease, down to two counties world-wide. Give generously.

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY

SERVICE

NATHAN KAEHLER


Nathan ran through the many programs, which have been helmed for many years by such club stalwarts as Dr. Fred Fauvre, who heads up the Physical Education Program to local students, and the Ojai Living Treasures. Other programs, Arbor Day (Al West), Health Forum (Dr. Marty Pops), and Community Grants (Betsy Watson) are ably thriving.

A new project in the works is a pavilion at Matilija Junior High School. “This one will be highly visible,” he said. The project came from a thwarted cleanup project at the school, and was conceived by Cheree Edwards, because as a realtor, she noticed that the first thing many young families check out when moving to Ojai is the schools. A pavilion would make the auditorium, used by many local groups, would make the school much more attractive and useful.


 

 

DON REED

TREASURER


Don ran through the club’s finances. We profited more than $4,000 last year, with total income on the order of $149,303. Plans are to increase the Taste of Ojai, the club’s main fundraising event, from $30,500 to $33,500, and to reduce the investment from the endowment from $13,500 to $10,000. The club’s balance sheet looks good, with almost $40,000 in reserves.

 

MEMBERSHIP

BETSY WATSON


Betsy’s committee includes some of the club’s most experienced hands - Jack Jacobs, Al West, Lerie Bjornstedt, Ian McLean, Sandy Buechley, Mike Malone, Colin Jones and Dave Watson. The objective is not to just bring in new members, but to guide people through the whole process, so they feel invested and comfortable with the club.

Before closing out the busy session, Bill Gilbreth noted that Jenny Owen was taking over from Cheree as Secretary, and that Mike Malone was our new President-Elect.
 

 

 

 

 

Gaveling the session to a close, Bill’s closing thought was from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken."

 


Respectfully Submitted, Bret Bradigan


 

 
 

You are invited to visit us at an upcoming meeting.

Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Ojai - #674
Ojai
Service Above Self
We meet Fridays at 12:00 PM
Soule Golf Course Banquet Facility
1033 East Ojai Avenue
Ojai, CA  93023
United States
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