In the beginning…
On a lovely winter day, President Cheree gaveled the best Rotary club she knows to order, and invited all to join in fellowship and service. Cheree thanked all those who made the meeting possible. We had two visiting Rotarians: Susan Weaver and Frank Ortiz. We had several guests: Greg Gray, Jennifer Barry, Kathy Wedhein, Jamie Fleming and Regina Hersh.
Upcoming Programs:
Christine Golden gave a preview of upcoming programs: On 2/ 14, Astronomer Jonathan Swift will discuss the latest in his field; On 2/21, Marty Babayco will discuss his musical; on 2/28 we will honor this year’s crop of Living Treasures. Dr. Fred Fauvre, who runs the Living Treasures program encouraged all to submit their nominees soon.
Rotary Foundation:
Nathan K. gave a quick but comprehensive overview of the functions and programs of the Rotary Foundation, and touched on projects for Nomad Women, English Immersion, Motorcycle Repair, and especially Polio Plus. Nathan encouraged all of us to make our donations on line since it makes the accounting easier and airtight.
Pack your parachute award:
President C took delight in awarding this month’s award to Kay Bliss. After President C listed all of the contributions Kay makes, the room gave Kay a standing ovation when she received her award. Congratulations Kay!
Fining: Colin Jones:
Colin’s theme was important events during the month of February. Since none of the victims were able to correctly guess the years, Colin was successful in extracting a lot of loot for the good of the club.
Frank Ortiz: District Rotary Foundation Chair
Mike Weaver introduced Frank Ortiz, who serves as District Chair of the Rotary Foundation. Frank gave an uplifting talk about the good work of the foundation. In particular, Frank focused on the “Triple Crown Donor Circle”: which consists of the Paul Harris Society, leading to Major Donor Status, and finally the Bequest Society. Any Rotarian who participates in all three will be recognized as a “Triple Crown Donor”.
Program: Jamie Fleming of the Chamber of Commerce
Bret Bradigan introduced Jamie Fleming, Director of Ojai C of C. Jamie provided a brief synopsis of his prior life with Disney Studios and Universal Studios. Even though Jamie has been with the C of C for only a year and a half, he has already made his mark with several news initiatives:
- “When in Ojai” website
- Visitor Info table in Libby Park
- New Map
- Mixers
- Free Business consulting
- Educational Seminars
- Restaurant Week
Jamie spoke about his desire for additional initiatives:
- Increasing Broadband availability
- Chess play in Libby Park
- A stage for Libby Park
Adjournment
President C adjourned the meeting with an inspiring quote from Helen Keller:
“Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much”.
