As Rotarians and their Guests, filed in, Fern Barishman tickled the ivories.  Co-President Bill Prather assembled the congregation with the tintinnabulation of the Rotary bell.  He welcomed us to the best Rotary Club that he knows, celebrating 75 years of “Service Above Self”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue Gilbreth led the Pledge of Allegiance while Jack Jacobs delivered the following inspirational thought:

 

 

I recently attended a white coat ceremony for my daughter, and it provided me the inspiration for today’s inspirational moment.  For those of you who do not know and to provide context, I will explain what a white coat ceremony is… it is when a fellow doctor of medicine bestows a white coat to a prospective physician who is beginning their educational journey to becoming a doctor themselves.  Anyhow, the keynote speaker focused his presentation on the significance of the white coat, but he also mentioned using it as a tool to find your “Why”.  Use it as a symbol, a representation of why you are here… lay it on the bed, admire it, when you have just studied for 10 hours straight, pulled an all-nighter, haven’t seen family in months, smell like formaldehyde…. Pull out that coat and find your why…  Why are you subjecting yourself to this, what is your goal and how do I achieve it?

 

My mind immediately went to parallel of volunteerism… why do we wake up at 2am to begin chalking streets for the street fair… why do we stand for 6 hours straight slinging beer for the chili cook-off, why do we give our time, talent and treasure to and for the benefit of strangers?  For some, the Mother Theresa types, they are just inherently great, amazing, giving people, but that is not everyone, and certainly not me… Most, I would suspect, have a reason for their volunteer involvement… a why.

Is it the camaraderie of the club, is it due to an impactful person in our lives, is it a childhood experience or is just because of the vegetable medley we get served at the lunch every week?  Whatever IT is, it is our why…

 

Sometimes in our busy lives, we forget that why, my challenge to everyone and the reason I am up here giving this inspirational moment… is just to remind us all that we walked through that door once for a reason, and maybe that original reason is no longer our why, maybe because of the good you have seen this club deliver, you have a new why.  But, always remember that why, whatever It was or whatever it may be now, because when you find your why, it is so much easier to find your way or how.

 

After a sumptuous repast, we reassembled.

 

There were no visiting Rotarians, but a few guests were introduced, but was unable to capture their names.  Please have your guests sign in at the welcome desk.  It was so nice to see Fred Coleman in the audience.  

 

 

These meetings have many moving parts and it is your expertise that keeps the train on time.  Bill thanked the following for making our meetings so special:

Room Setup—Jerry Maryniuk

Reminder Editor—Carl Gross

Photography—Carl Gross

Pledge of Allegiance—Sue Gilbreth

Inspirational Moment—Jack Jacobs

Greeter—Leslie Bouche

Roving Mic—Liz Sampson

Welcome Desk—Deirdre Daly

Keyboard Stylings—Fern Barishman

 

Last Week—We welcomed Marta Brown at our home away from home, Kent Hall.  Marta described our Club, “You are a mature Club.  Your Club has a lot of things going on, but the most important is the positive energy I felt in the room!”

President Prather thanked our Board for all they did to make Marta’s visit successful. 

 

We received the sad news of the sudden and untimely death of Dottie Combs, spouse of Jim Combs. Bill invited us to reach out to Jim and his family.  Betsy is working on helping them. A sympathy card was circulated.

 

Community Service—Betsy announced the Nordhoff Cemetery cleanup which is a joint project of service organizations in the Valley.  Please contact Betsy for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bret “the Elder” Bradigan took the dais and spun tales of his yourth, the Underground Railroad, escaping slaves, and spiritual encounters befitting upcoming Halloween.  Bret, we really enjoy your stories and your ability to communicate relatable tales.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upcoming Programs—Jack Jacobs and his committee have a great lineup:

 

10/20/2023—Antonio Sacre—Storyteller’s Festival

 

10/27/2023—Taft Gardens Tour

 

11/3/2023—Marty Pops—Medical School Admissions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fining and Confessions—Terry Beckett

 

Terry had no problems with this repentant congregation

 

Kevin Davis celebrated a recent favorable legal action. 

 

Bill Hatch just landed a major contract for gloves for the military.

 

Bob Davis reminded us of how close we are to ending polio and World Polio Day October 24^th.

 

Janet Jacobs had a birthday.  She also wanted to keep those killed and injured in the Middle East conflict in our hearts and minds.

 

Fern announced that she would be playing at the Synagogue tonight.

 

 

 

 

Fining centered around early years of computing:

When was the MacIntosh introduced: 1984 (Remember the Superbowl Ad?)

What was the memory in a MacIntosh: 128K

Rod Owen and Betsy Watson were summarily fined and fleeced.

 

 

Barry has served as the Chief Deputy Director of the Ventura County Health Care Agency since February 2020. Prior to joining the Health Care Agency, he led the Human Services Agency for 12 years. He helped to implement transformative initiatives related to the Affordable Care Act, the Continuum of Care and the Reform for Child Welfare.

Barry has received recognition for spearheading information technology projects with statewide and national impact, including a risk assessment tool for Adult Protective Services and the first integration of multiple data systems for foster care givers through a mobile application – Foster Health Link. Most recently, he played a key leadership role in creating a 58-county Joint Powers Authority to run one of the State’s largest automation systems. The California Statewide Automated Welfare System will be an integrated eligibility and case management system that will support key public assistance programs which will operate under one system by 2023.

The Health Care Agency is the largest department in the County of Ventura and employs approximately 3,000 people, 1,100 of those in direct patient-care positions. It is a comprehensive health care system which ensures access to quality, cost-effective, culturally sensitive health care for all. The system encompasses the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC), Santa Paula Hospital, Inpatient Psychiatric Hospital, 24 primary care clinics, 11 specialty care clinics, the Public Health Department, Emergency Medical Services, the Behavioral Health Department and the Ventura County health Care Plan. VCMC is also home to the top-rated (by Doximity and U.S. News & World Report) Family Medicine Residency Program in the United States and achieved an “All Cases” meritorious award for surgical care. It is also the West County Level II Trauma Center.

Mr. Zimmerman listed us as the 8^th best county in California for healthcare.  He described the critical nature of the pandemic and the shortages, triage issues, and effect on medical providers.  

He described the EMS system in Ventura County, functioning of Public Health, and health/wellness services.

Barry, thank-you for your presentation.  A box of citrus was presented by Bill.

 

 

 

“He who has health has hope and he who has hope has everything.  Let’s build wellness rather than treat disease.  A healthy outside starts from the inside.  It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.”

 

Mahatma Gandhi