In the Beginning...
Dierdre Daly welcomed Rotarians as they joined our weekly Zoom meeting.
President Michael Scar called the meeting to order.
Larry Beckett lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Marc Whitman gave the invocation.
President Michael thanked Larry and Marc along with Tara Saylor our Zoom coordinator and reporter Wendy Barker
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Bob Skankey was our lone visitor, broadcasting from his Airstream trailer, currently in Kingman, Arizona.
Paul Harris Awards
President Michael had Paul Harris Presentations to award:
Congratulations, and thank you to, Cheree Edwards +3, Marc Whitman, +1, Leslie Bouche +1, and Terry Beckett +5! There was also a reminder to donate to The Rotary Foundation.
Membership Minute
Jack Jacobs w
as called on, but admitted he “forgot to prepare.” Luckily, he was reminded that we are asked to focus on why we got into Rotary and why we stay as members.
The membership committee encourages everyone to ask a friend to attend a meeting as well as people who used to be Rotarian but have drifted away. Reach out to them and encourage them to attend, and hopefully, join again.
Cheree Edwards asked Bill Prather to share a quick story about his sponsor.
Announcements
Betsy Watson is in charge of a Superbowl pool. There are only 11 of 100 spaces left, at $5 each. There is no skill involved, just luck. With 4 winners, one per quarter, who will split all the cash. She asked that people call or text her for the last 11 spaces.
Mike Weaver reminded us that the Education Foundation is meeting Wednesday at 1pm via Zoom.
Deirdre Daly reminded us to pay our dues.
And Fred Fauvre said Living Treasures committee is meeting Thursday, 2/11 at 7:30 AM on Zoom. All invited to this Zoom Fest. Call or email Dr. Fauvre if you want to participate.
Rotary Humor
Confessions
We didn’t have a fine master in attendance but that didn’t stop Bob Skankey from pledging $100 for his 90th birthday. He said he feels young, and recently enjoyed a 30 mile bike ride.
Play about Katharine Graham debuts online
Deirdre encouraged people to attend a virtual fundraiser, a play by recent speaker
Robin Gerber at
Santa Barbara Center Stage Theater. The play is about former CEO of the Washington Post who defied the government by posting the Pentagon Papers, took on President Nixon in Watergate, and stunned her male executives who had bet against her success. It’s on Friday or Sunday with tickets $10 or $25. Tickets can be purchased at:
Centerstagetheater.org
The Program: Tony Thacher/Emily Ayala: Taste of Ojai/Ojai Pixies
Then it was on to our program of the day. Tara Saylor introduced a Taste of Ojai video featuring Tony Thacher and his daughter Emily Ayala. The video was shot in their Friends Ranches packing house on Maricopa Highway.
It was a really interesting video with Tony and Emily discussing the produce business. Farmers Markets, wholesale to grocery chains, individual sales at their packing house and especially this past year, their mail order business are all aspects of their successful business. The father and daughter duo also told us some of the history of the Thacher and Friend families in the valley. We didn’t have time to watch the whole video so please watch it online at:
Upcoming Programs
Therese Brown shared upcoming programs including Reins of Hope with Samantha Balcezak, which is located on Catherine Lee’s ranch.
Final Thoughts
President Michael ended the meeting with this quote:
When you do the right thing you get the feeling of peace and serenity associated with it. Do it again and again.
Roy T. Bennett