In the beginning...
Under the sparkling, low-winter sun, Rotarians ambled (no sashaying on display) into St. Thomas Aquinas fellowship hall for the Jan. 12th meeting, whereupon t
hey were greeted by Christine (Imelda) Fenn while Dave (flip-flopper) Brubaker extracted the lucre. Wendy Barker led us in the pledge of allegiance while Bill Hatch inspired us with an anecdote about honking his horn with impatience while not seeing the pedestrian that was slowing traffic, a cautionary tale meant to get us to slow down and take a breath.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Guests included Cheree Edwards’ brother from Columbus, Ohio, where he met up with her in Nevada for an extended road trip.
Prior to the Great Re-Convening, we ushered our guests through the lunch line where Jayne and her crew fed us the deliciousness that is Chinese chicken salad with egg rolls.
Co-President Dr. Carl presided over the gratitude given to Jerry Maryniuk and Chris Williams for setup; Sue Gilbreth on roving mic; and your humble correspondent as Reminder editor.
Coming Programs
Jack Jacobs first told us about the recent film “Boys in the Boat” about the 1936 U.S. rowing team, featuring the same inspirational coach that also taught his much-missed brother and club stalwart Allan Jacobs during his college days at Cal-State Berkeley, where he starred as the coxswain on their crew.
Jan. 19th: Fiona Ma, California’s Secretary of State, will grace us on Jan. 19th, a huge get for the club.
Jan. 26th: Judith Vander, musicologist and composer, will talk about her work with the Wind River Shoshone Indians, and perhaps some of the backstory of her Darwin Cantatas, in which she explores the theme of natural selection through music.
Polio Plus
Bob Davis asked us 
to reach deep as new wild polio infections dropped to 11 worldwide last year, and that he predicted in four-five years this dread disease would be a distant nightmare.
Club Services
Kelley Rasmussen passed around the spreadsheet for signups for vital club services such as setup-takedown, inspirational moments, pledge, roving mic, etc.
Rotary Education Foundation
Erstwhile president Mike Weaver introduced the new officers for this club’s crown jewel, with Jeff Loebl taking over for him after six years at the helm, with Terry Beckett as treasurer and Christine Fenn as secretary.
Announcements
The Ojai Storytellers Festival is hosting an event at Old Creek Ranch Winery on February 14th, featuring past-club presenter Debra Erhardt with her “Naughty Tales” and music by Ted Lennon. Check out OjaiStoryFest.org for this sure-to-be memorable event.
Fining
Ren 
Adam came a’cropping to a smattering of applause, with net woman Liz Sampson roaming the room.
Confessions
Confessions included Cheree, who talked about her epic road-trip adventure with her brother, and Bret (yrs trly) who sought burgeoning comedians for a stand-up course starting at the end of January and running through March with two performances, where club members are encouraged to jeer and throw rotten tomatoes. Those brave few who raised their hands included Greg Webster, “Little” Bret Nighman, Tara Saylor, Catherine Lee, Carl Gross, and possibly, with encouragement, Deirdre Daly.
He thereupon fined Kay Bliss, Rod Owen and others with questions, such as: “Whose shoe collection rivals Imelda Marcos’ 2,700 pairs?” A. Christine Fenn. “Who is known for wearing flip flops on every and all occasions?” A. Dave Brubaker. Rod Owen did know that steelhead are the endemic Ventura River species, but he still graciously paid.
Mid-Term Club Assembly
As it was the twice-annual opportunity for members to hear about all the club activities, Dr. Gross started off with his recitation of the concluding half-year and plans for the next half.
Peace Committee
So far, the Peace 
Committee hosted an inspiring event at the Gables, where a Peace Pole was installed with stirring speeches by co-pres Bill Prather and performances by the Japanese drummers. Dr. Jerry M also coordinated a Peace Pole installation in western Ukraine, his ancestral stomping grounds.
Networking events included Rotary Club of Ojai-West, veterans, Women’s Club and the Lions Club. Programs and projects are being planned with the Ojai Unified School District. Membership goals are seven new members. A formidable challenge is finding a technical go-to person to update the website and set up the room for Zoom and presentations.
More social events are planned, as the annual beach party at Larry Wilde’s and Dennis Guernsey’s Faria Beach bungalow was so well received, as was the potluck at Sarzotti Park. Tara Saylor and her merry band of party planners got a well-deserved shout-out. Also more recognition programs like Rotarian of the Month are planned.
Membership
Deirdre Daly urged us
to have handy our “elevator speech” why people should join the club. She passed around the “Why Join Rotary?” List, which basically boiled down to “Do Good. Make Friends. Have Fun” in addition to lifeskill like public speaking, having friends on the ground around the world with the 1.4 million fellow Rotarians and family projects.
Financial Report
Notorious flip-
flopper Dave Brubaker gave us a state of the club’s finances report, which was all good. The club is breaking even, all accounts reconcile, we are showing a small profit on lunch costs, a Roatan project donation, and the social events committee. The annual Taste of Ojai fund-raiser has been postponed to the Fall, but the club is in robust financial health in the meantime. He also broke down where the $350 dues go and which programs they support.
International Committee
Chair Mike Weaver ran us through this vital committee’s work, which meets monthly on Wednesdays at the Ojai Museum. Except this week, in which Zoom was setup because of the cold. Projects include the installation of a generator at the Prashanti School in India; support for a Ukrainian orphanage, business plan tutoring overseas, and a new clinic in Niger.
Community Service
Chair Betsy Watson ran us thro
ugh the project list, appended as thus:
"Summer: informal work days at Cluff Vista park, organized by Christine Golden
Monthly during the Fall: Clean-up days for native plant restoration at Stewart Canyon. Working with volunteers from the Ojai Green Coalition and the Land Conservancy. Led by Dr Jerry Marynuik
November: Cooperated with other service organizations to clean up Nordhoff cemetery before Veteran’s Day - Lion’s Club, Rotary West, Veterans groups, Ojai Women’s Club
December: We provided Christmas gifts and gift cards to a family of 6 and 2 senior citizens. Cooperated with HELP of Ojai.
Dr Bob Skankey Humanitarian Awards
• CPR training for Nordhoff students
• AED share with Ojai Music Festival
• Community Grants (Jeff Loebl, Chair) Committee: Christine Golden, Clinton Haugen, Kelly Rasmussen, Betsy
• Community Shred Day April 6 at Nordhoff welcomes all hands on deck for a fun project!
• Arbor Day - seeking production assistant to work with Al West.
• Living Treasures
• Dr Bob Skankey Humanitarian Awards"
Vocational Service
Larry Beckett notified us that t
he Portfolio Project was put on hold for the time being,
until the 7th and 8th graders are better assimilated Into Nordhoff. A “Career Tech” program is being designed.
Our Boy Scouts sponsorship of Troop 504 is proceeding apace, and it was discovered that there is no Girl Scout troop in the valley.
People were urged to be thinking about outstanding, ethical businesses deserving of the Fred Clapp Business in Ethics Award.
Bret Nighman sought some help for special events, particularly the Fall’s Taste of Ojai event, which he co-chairs with Deirdre. Also, he put out another plea for help with tech support.
Youth Services
Don Reed updated u
s on the Nordhoff “Ranger Quest" tutoring program, in which adults, including a few from the club (Don and Big Bret) as well as members of Rotary West and Ojai Educational Foundation, help designated students with Language Arts and Math homework on Thursdays and Fridays at 2 p.m. The Rotary Readers program is being resurrected by Randy Roth as well. Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, a districtwide program for high school students is held at Camp Ramah and our club will send two earnest future leaders. And the “Service Above Self” contest will also continue.
Peace Committee
Cheree Edwards spoke of the Bret N.-dubbed “Peace, Love & Wine” committee which meets at Cheree’s with an afternoon tipple, and their projects including the aforementioned Peace Pole at the Gables and in Ukraine, and not to forget the Christmas Cards which they mailed out with stock remaining from the Ghana Street Girls program provided by Kay. And the committee will host an off-site meeting on February 23 at Matilija Peace Pavilion.
Concluding Remarks
After the inspiring updates on the busy club, Dr. Gross sent us home with Pele’s quote: “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
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