In the beginning…
Rotarians and other altruists gathered in the Zoom ether
to engage in badinage, led ably by our own Patricia Anderson. With the troops warmed up, President Michael Scar opened the meeting. Janet Campbell led the Pledge of Allegiance to this great Nation, followed by Kathy Yee who delivered a profound Invocation. Thanks were given to Tara, our Zoom host with the most, Terry for posting the Zoom link, and yours truly for Reminder Editor. Thanks to all for making our meetings so special.
_______________________________________________________________
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Bob Skankey shared a Zoom frame, checking in from somewhere in Utah.
It was nice to see Dave Scarlett checking in!
Our Speaker, Gracie Douglas was welcomed.
_______________________________________________________________
Upcoming Events and Programs
Therese gave us the rundown of upcoming events:
May 19th—Scholarship Awards on Zoom at 6:30 PM—Janet Campbell and Dr. David Watson
May 21st—Kevin Davis—Freedom of the Press
May 28th—Dark-Memorial Day Weekend
June 4th—Community Grant Recipients and their projects—Betsy Watson
_______________________________________________________________
Announcements
Dr. Fred Fauvre announced the 2021-2022 Living Treasures. They were:
Severo Lara
Tiarzha Taylor and Danny Everett
Roger Essick
Katherine Broesamle
Haady Lashkari
Come join us for the Living Treasures Induction Ceremonies at the Ojai Valley Museum on June 24th from 4:00 to 5:30.
_______________________________________________________________
Cartoon
______________________________________________________________________________
Fining and Confessions
There being no one to lead the Fining, we relied on the consciences of 4 Way Tested Rotarians to fall on their swords:
Janet Campbell admitted to getting a new car. It was a Toyota C-HR with great gas mileage.
Pradeep Kapadia has been frustrated on his project to provide sorely needed oxygen concentrators to India. “There are none to be found.” He will contact Rotary International for guidance.
Therese Brown confessed that she was in Florida to attend her daughter’s white coat ceremony. This was the next step to becoming a veterinarian. Congratulations!
Bob Davis has just returned from Seattle where “the weather was better than Santa Barbara.
_______________________________________________________________
The Program—Gracie Douglas—Flourish Ojai, Center for Inspired Living
Therese Brown introduced Gracie Douglas, media and design consultant for Flourish Ojai
Gracie Douglas is a graphic designer and media consultant who currently lives and works in Santa Barbara. She began her career in her hometown of Olympia, Washington and then relocated to Southern California to escape the rain, landing in Ojai for a few years with her partner Henry, an Ojai native.
She has been involved in events and projects both large and local, designing content for the Professional Golf Association, Hustler Casino (the casino… not the magazine!) but finds that she genuinely enjoys working with local businesses and building lasting relationships with community brands. In her capacity at Flourish Ojai, Gracie acts as the media & design consultant, handling advertisements, social media, and other collateral development.
She is pleased to find herself working among Ojai community members that make up a small but mighty team, led by Founder & Creative Director Diana Syvertson. Though she is working remotely from Santa Barbara, she is excited to still be involved in the daily happenings in wonderful Ojai
“What if there was a center where people could come and connect with beauty, feel at home and develop their life’s dreams in a space of encouragement and trust?" Welcome to Flourish Ojai.” This is the mission of Flourish Ojai.
The Center, located at 214 W. Aliso in Ojai was a former nunnery affiliated with Villanova School. Through the efforts of Diana Syvertson and her dedicated staff, that dream has taken form. It is a place where people could come and connect with beauty, feel at home and develop their life’s dreams in a space of encouragement and trust.
The Flourish Ojai Center is available to the public to rent space for events in Ojai. There are various rooms on the first-floor catering to the various needs. A full complement of digital and technology needs are available. A kitchen and catering are available.
Flourish Ojai supports many programs such as the 6 Ft. of Connection, Back to Our Roots in celebration of Earth Day and the Rose River Memorial (celebrating the lives lost to the pandemic). There is a fellowship program which is designed to rally the Flourish Ojai community to support entrepreneurs (including social entrepreneurs) with big dreams!
Gracie, thank-you for a great presentation! For more information, go to their website by clicking on the link below:
