The Rotary Club of
Ojai
 

Ojai Rotary Reminder Newsletter
March 4th, 2022

Haady Lashkari, Editor

March is Water and Sanitation Month

Are you an established professional who wants to make positive changes in your community and the world? Our club members are dedicated people who share a passion for community service and friendship. 
Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.
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In the beginning...
 
The meeting was called to order by President Betsy Watson promptly at 12 noon.
 
The club took a moment to pause and honor the eight polio vaccination workers who were killed in northern Afghanistan last Thursday. They loved and were loved and their lives were stolen while they performed a life-saving service.
 
 
 
Welcome:
 
Marty Babayco led the invocation. The meeting was called to order and Betsy thanked Patricia Anderson for leading the Pledge of Allegiance, Marty Babayco for leading the invocation, Larry Wilde for Fining, Carl Gross as Photographer, Kathy Yee as Greeter, and Haady Lashkari as Reminder Editor.
 
Guests were welcomed:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kate Spiva, Head of School with the Monica Ros School and Kara Hooper O-Higher Ed.
 
On this date in history...
 
On This Date…2012 Vladimir Putin wins Russian Presidential election amid allegations of voter fraud. Unchecked for 10 years, and now he holds the entire world hostage with his cruelty and threat of nuclear war. Elections matter.
 
Announcements:
 
 On March 28, Wade Nomura will speak at the Tower Club home of Ventura Rotary South. Wade is past District Governor, the current mayor of Carpinteria and will be speaking on his book “Creating Destiny” let Betsy Watson know if you are interested in carpooling.
 
Upcoming meetings:
 
March 11, 2022, Lanny Kaufer, Medicinal Herbs of California-Book and Herb Walks,
 
March 18, 2022, Pradeep Kapadia, (PK)– Kapadia Education Foundation,
 
March 25, 2022 Tara Coble—Majestic Oak Vineyard on Wine Making and Vineyard Management,
 
April 8,2022, Megan Telfer-Co-Executive Director at Help of Ojai.
 
 
Sign up to volunteer for Taste of Ojai
 
Taste of Ojai Volunteer sign ups were distributed. Please contact Renee for volunteer opportunities, Terry Beckett for tickets and Don Reed for corporate sponsorships. This is our chief fundraiser at a new venue (Libbey Park) and we need all hands on deck. 
 
Mike Weaver, Peace Chair updated the club on Rotary International actions for refugees.  As one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, Rotary has made peace the cornerstone of our global mission.
 
We are deeply concerned about the Ukraine crisis and need your help. Rotary is made up of people of action, especially in difficult times. In response to the deepening refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have decided to prioritize contributions made to the Disaster Response Fund until 30 April 2022 to support disaster response grants for districts affected by these events.
 
These expedited disaster response grants can be used to supply water, food, medicine, shelter, and clothing. Half a million people have fled Ukraine and are in dire need of emergency aid. The United Nations estimates that number of refugees could grow to as many as 5 million people displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and around the world have stepped up their relief work, some working on the ground to help displaced families.
 
With your donation to our Disaster Response Fund, we can support communities and help rebuild lives during this tragic time.  You can donate to The Rotary Foundation's Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine here:
 
 
 
Confessions & Fining:
 
 
Larry Wilde led confessions and fining. So much good happening with our members!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Program: Kara Hooper--O-Higher Ed
 
 
 
O-Higher Ed was founded in 2019.  Its mission is to help students of the Ojai Valley access higher education, with a focus on those who are first in their family to go to college.  Students who are first in their family to go to college may start in the program as early as sixth grade and stay in the program through twelfth grade.
Founder Kara Hooper spent twelve years as the Associate Director of College Counseling at The Thacher School before founding O-Higher Ed.  Beyond her work with O-Higher Ed, she serves as the Athletic Coordinator for the Matilija Middle School PTO and as Assistant Scoutmaster for BSA Troop 504 in Ojai; she also serves on the board of the Ojai Valley Library Friends and Foundation (OVLFF) and Monica Ros School.  She lives in Ojai with her husband, Jeff, their two boys, and their dog, Karma.
 
O-Higher Ed has two components:
 
First, and perhaps most critically, O-Higher Ed runs a middle school program called Get Ready!, which partners with Matilija Middle School.  This program is specifically for students who would be first in their family to go to college. Matilija’s student population includes 52% of its students on free and reduced lunch. 
 
Additionally, Matilija students performed 19 points below the state standard for English and 43 points below the state standard for math in 2019. For students to overcome these deficiencies, they must start in middle school to progress towards preparation for college.
 
The goals of Get Ready! include helping students strengthen their study skills and their soft skills like public speaking, to learn about colleges and universities, and to engage in long term planning of their academic program.  Students meet in a group setting weekly throughout the academic year.
 
Once students graduate from Get Ready! to high school and the broader O-Higher Ed program, they meet for one on one sessions once every four to six weeks.  In these conversations, students review academic progress, engage in both short term and long term goal setting, and complete course planning to be sure students are Cal State and UC eligible, eventually shifting into managing the college process.  Meetings increase in frequency in 11th grade to once a month in the second half of the year; in 12th grade, they occur weekly or bi-weekly to support the college application and financial aid process.
 
Learn more on O-Higher Ed by visiting:
 
 
 
Final thoughts...
 
“If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.”
 
–Chinese Proverb
 
 

You are invited to visit us at an upcoming meeting.

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