Rotary Notes
July 11, 2025
In the beginning…
Brand new President Sue Gilbreth, wearing a cheerful pink dress, invited Rotarians to join in fellowship and service. Dave Watson led the Pledge and Bret Bradigan gave an inspiration.
Guests
Christine Fenn returned to loud applause. DG Mike Dutra was warmly welcomed.
Announcements
- President Sue thanked those who helped the July 4 Fun Run to be such a success, and gave special praise to Colin Hurren and Taundra Roddick.
- President Sue informed us that she’d reached out to Kerrville, Texas Rotary with an offer to help them recover from the devastating flood and loss of many childrens’ lives.
Club Assembly
President Sue then kicked off the annual Club Assembly, where plans are made and responsibilities are assigned for the smooth running of the Rotary Club for the upcoming year. Sue asked for the Chair of each committee to provide an overview of their plans for the year. Sue outlined her priorities for her year as President:
- 100% member participation
- Introducing “Fireside Chats”
- New member socials
- Service Projects together
- RCOEF awareness
- Support for each committee
The Committee Chairmen/Chairwomen then made their presentations:
Programs: Bruce Hanson
Bruce announced that every slot in the upcoming year schedule has been filled.
Fining: Ren Adams
Ren promised that he would continue his stellar service as our fining master. His presentation was greeted with desultory applause.
Social Media: Chris Williams
Chris described his ambitious plans to increase Rotary’s effective use of social media. Chris asked members to forward to him anything items that might be interesting or useful.
Youth Services
Taundra Roddick and Colin Hurren laid out their plans to serve the youth of Ojai Valley.
Vocation: Bob Eisler and Liz Salmon
Bob and Liz described their plan, which has 4 components: Fred Clapp Award; 9th grade mock interviews; Grants to Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts. They asked for new ideas of service.
Membership: Bill Prather and Cindy Frings
Bill laid out his ambitious plan to not only replace those members lost to attrition, but to increase our membership by 10. At this juncture, DG Mike Dutra described some initiatives he has started to increase membership: for example, a pin honoring those who bring in a new member, a “people of action” award, etc.
Peace: Amy and Bill Warlick
Amy and Bill gave a passionate pitch for devoting time and attention to peace. Among their points, the following most impressed me:
- Peace is the first cause of Rotary
- Polarization and divisiveness are on the rise
- Lack of dignity leads to conflict
- Civil discourse needs to be protected
- Contempt closes communication
Community Service: Clint Hagan and Rod Owen
Clint and Rod described the elements of Community service:
- Bob Skankey award
- $45k in Community Grants
- Ojai Family Shelt
- Shred Day
- Adopt-a-family
- Support Mesa
Public Relations: Leah Heckler
Leah outlined her initiatives:
- Creating a new mental image for Rotary
- A new Logo
- Updated Website
- Publicizing major events: Scholarships and Taste of Ojai
International Service: Mike Weaver
Mike described the major elements of the International Service Committee:
- Little Big Bootcamp
- Pranti School
- Street Girls of Ghana
- Global Scholarships to a physician in Botswana
- Educating girls in Afghanistan
Call To Service
Once the chairmen of the various committees had completed their presentations, President Sue invited all Rotarians to meet with the various committees and sign up to serve. An enthusiastic crowd headed to the table!
Welcome President Sue! We wish you to have a successful year and pledge to work with you!
