How It All Started…
Beautiful day, great crowd, and plenty of good vibes. Rotarians and friends showed up for some solid fellowship and a tasty lunch. President Kelley kicked things off with a warm welcome to everyone.
Dr. Fred Fauvre led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Inspirational Moment
Wendy Barker shared a nice reflection for the start of the month:
Welcome to September — the OTHER New Year.
Schools start earlier these days, but for a lot of us September always felt like the real beginning of the school year. New clothes, new supplies, new routines, and hopefully a few new friends. It was packed with fresh chances to try things and learn. A real refresh.
September can still be that. Is there something you’ve been meaning to rethink or restart? Something you want to put some fresh energy into? Now’s a pretty good time.
Make this a September to remember.
Fun Fruit Facts
President Kelley brought in some jujubes from the tree in her backyard. (No, not the sticky movie candy.)
It’s a small deciduous tree or shrub that grows 16–33 feet tall, usually with thorny branches. You can eat the fruit fresh or dried — mild, pleasant flavor. Honestly, until today I thought “jujube” was just what came
with your Raisinets at the movies.
Visiting Rotarians and guests got a warm welcome after a great lunch from Gusto’s.
Big Thanks to Our Crew
Shout-out to everyone who keeps these meetings running smoothly:
Setup & Tech — Polly Hawkins and Bill Prather
Greeter — Terry Becket
Pledge — Dr. Fred Fauvre
Inspirational Moment — Wendy Barker
Roving Mic — Rod Owen
Fining — Dave Watson
Net — Bob Eisler
Reporter — Carl Gross
Editor — Randy Roth
Treasurer — Dave Brubaker
Announcements
After the meeting, Betsy Watson met with her Community Service Committee. More details coming soon.
Taste of Ojai is right around the corner. Have you been working on sponsorships? This is our big fundraiser — the money goes straight back into local and international projects, scholarships, education programs, and more. Every sponsorship helps.
New member Ed Webster gave an update on the Topa Topa tutors who are reading with kids in grades 1–3. Nice work.
Catherine Lee needs your blood! The bloodmobile
rolls in on September 11. Sign up online or check with Catherine for the details:
Rotary Club of Ojai – Bloodmobile
703 El Paseo Rd. (Matilija)
Ojai, CA 93023
Open 10:00 AM – 1:45 PM
donors.vitalant.org/dwp/portal
Coming Up Next Week
Craft Talks from our newest members, Polly Hawkins and Dana White. Should be fun — come hear their stories.
Fining — Dr. Dave Watson
Dave did his usual efficient job of collecting a few dollars for the club.
Bob Davis showed up late after heading to the old meeting spot. Church or Soule Park? Either way, it cost him.
Randy Roth celebrated the arrival of his first grandchild. Congrats, Randy!
Dave Watson marked his wedding anniversary and shared a quiet moment remembering his late wife.
Dr. Fauvre got hit just for being born in Southern California. Tough break.
Renee picked up another fine — her fourth in recent weeks. The streak continues.
Leah Hecker and Kelley Rasmussen also contributed to the cause.
The Program —
Korinne Bell, Ventura County department of Agriculture
Korinne Bell runs Ventura County’s Department of Agriculture and the Division of 
Weights and Measures. She’s worked across a ton of programs: pesticide enforcement, pest exclusion, certified farmers’ markets, organic certification, Pierce’s Disease control, disaster assessment, and the annual Crop and Livestock Report.
California really is the breadbasket of the world, and her department has a big job keeping crops safe, invasive pests out, and chemicals under control.
She talked through some wins and some challenges — the oak trees dying in Soule Park, the drop in local hemp farming, and green waste coming up from LA that can carry pests.
The latest Crop Report came out in June. It includes “cost per dollar” numbers that show how inflation is hitting local farmers.
Thanks, Korinne — really solid, timely talk. She left with a gift of fruit, which felt pretty fitting.
Final Thought
“Agriculture is the most healthful, most useful, and most noble employment of man.”
— George Washington
