In the beginning…
On a lovely fall day Rotarians traveled to the magnificent Taft Gardens for service and fellowship. Co-President Bill Prather called the meeting to order at 12:15. Kelly Rasmussen provided some insight and levity by describing the mythical properties of the moon.
Visitors
We were graced with many visitors: Steve Adams, Diane Martin, Joyce West, Victoria Adams and Laura Davis.
Jaide Whitman
Jaide, President of the Taft Foundation, gave us an overview of the history and programs of the Taft Gardens. The most interesting of her comments:
Nature was John Taft’s first love
The property encompasses 264 acres, of which 12 acres are gardens
The endowment provides only 20% of the revenue needed to support the garden and its programs. The other 80% must come from fund-raising
The programs include: Art Residency, Restoration, Oaktopia, Self-guided walks
David White
David, of the “Once upon a watershed”, gave us an enlightening overview of the goals and activities of his organization. The overall goal of his organization is to connect children to nature. Points David touched on include:
- The Chumash history in this watershed
- 20 public schools participate in his work
- Green space is a true luxury and is a rarity in Oxnard and parts of Ventura
- The single most important improvement to the watershed will come with the destruction of Matilija dam
Fining by Bill Hatch
Two confessions during the fining were significant:
- Terry Beckett informed us that his grandson, who attends Bates College in Lewiston Maine, was not injured during the mass shooting.
- Jerry Marinuk trained over 80 people in CPR at Ojai Day
Craft Talk by Cruella De Ville
The craft ta
lk was a scary presentation by Cruella De Ville (AKA Christine Fenn). Cruella has 3 sons, has participated in 2 century bike rides and has climbed San Gorgonio twice. She met her husband Kent as a neighbor in La Canada. She attended the Fashion Institute and spent several years in training CSR’s in high end department stores. She loves travel, camping and her church, where she is studying to become a Deacon. For the past 17 years, she has been the Admissions Marketer for the Gables.
Welcome to Rotary Christine!
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