Randy Roth, Editor

January 8th, 2010

January is Rotary Awareness Month

Upcoming Programs and Events

Presented by Program Chairman, Leland Hammerschmitt and his crew.

January 15-Dick Gibford-Cowboy Poet

January 22nd-Dr. Richard Rush-President CSUCI-State of the University

January 29th-Gil Cates-Creative Director, Geffen Playhouse-Producing the Academy Awards

February 5th-Sarah Lovering-Medical Marijuana-California Status

February 12th-Linda LeBrock-Boys and Girls Club Director

February 19th-Herb Rogove-Science (TBD)

February 26th-Special President's Program

In the Beginning....

Today's meeting served as the 2010 Rotary Club Assembly. Instead of a program, President Scott Smith presided over a series of presentations on various aspects of the club's activities and avenues of service.

  • The pledge was given by Greg Gamble
  • The 4-way test was read by Dr. Robin Bernhoft
  • Set up by Dave Neville and his team

 

Guests and Visiting Rotarians

Announcements. . .

 

Report from Amman

Amani returned from a trip to Amman, Jordan, where she attended a family wedding. According to Amani, there was much drinking, dancing and delightful food. Amani also attended a Rotary meeting in Amman and came back with the requisite flag. Welcome back, Amani!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rotarians respond to the Haiti tragedy

Rotarians are gearing up to deliver aid to areas of Haiti rocked by a powerful earthquake 12 January as a major international relief effort takes shape.

Thousands of people are feared dead after the quake, the impoverished nation's strongest in 200 years, crumbled government buildings, hospitals, schools, and shantytowns. Most of the capital, Port-au-Prince, is in ruins.

"Rotarians are working hard and fast to get help to those in Haiti," says Past RI Director Barry Rassin, of Nassau, Bahamas, who has previously coordinated relief efforts in the country. "We're at the same time working on long-term efforts."

More than US$75,000 has been donated to District 7020 in the Caribbean, according to Past District Governor Dick McCombe. The district will be coordinating much of the Rotarian relief effort through its Haiti Task Force, set up two years ago to administer all financial aid to the nation.

To learn how you can help, e-mail  District Governor Errol Alberga or visit the District 7020 website .

A six-member team of Rotarians from District 5890 (Texas, USA) have reported in safe after landing in Haiti for a humanitarian mission 45 minutes before the quake struck. They were scheduled to be there a week but will likely return early.

ShelterBox has dispatched about 500 containers of supplies to the affected area. A ShelterBox response team is being mobilized, with two members from the United States and one from the United Kingdom. Also, more than 100 Aquaboxes are being delivered to Haiti to provide safe water.

"We were in Haiti 18 months ago, delivering aid after a series of hurricanes left thousands homeless," said Lasse Petersen, general manager for ShelterBox. "We'll now be working closely with our contacts on the ground in the country to make sure we get aid to the people who need it most during the current crisis."

The Rotary Foundation will be establishing a donor advised fund for U.S. Rotarians who want to donate to help with long-term recovery.

RI President John Kenny and Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair Glenn E. Estess Sr. have sent a joint letter conveying Rotary's condolences to victims of the quake and asking for more information on how Rotarians can help.

Follow updates on the Haitian earthquake on the RI website.

 

Next Week

Next week's program will feature Dick Gifford, one of the founders of the Cowboy Poetry movement. Come prepared for beauty and inspiration.

Rotary Rose Parade Float a Winner

2010 Winner of the Tournament Volunteers' Trophy
  for best floral design of theme 35 feet or under.

Bryan Crawford of Ojai-West rides the float.  

For more, click here

 

Induction of New Member Hank Bangser

OUSD Superintendent Hank Bangser was formally inducted into the Club. President Smith pinned on the traditional Red Badge. Hank's sponsor was Maggie Cerminaro, and his mentor will be Kelly Randall. Welcome Hank!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fining:

Catherine Lee did a splendid job fining and fund raising by asking a series of questions about “firsts”. It should come as no surprise that many Rotarians have accumulated an extraordinary amount of trivial information. However, most Rotarians were surprised to learn that Boyd Ford has become a liberal.

 

 

 

 

 

The Program: Midterm Assembly

 

State of the Club Report

President Smith led off the State of the Club report by talking about the formation, goals and membership of the Strategic Planning Committee. The SPC is made up of the four Rotarians: the current and past president, and the future two presidents. The purpose of the SPC is to provide a long term focus on those issues which will span any single term of office. Scott spent some time talking about some of the issues that the SPC is examining: membership, technology, funding, and others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Secretary Judy Gabriel addressed attendance, membership, use of Club Runner, and the importance of supporting President Scott.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Frank Finck presented a short overview of the Rotary Ojai Foundation. One striking statistic was that over the years, the Foundation has distributed over $331,000 in scholarships to 177 students.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maggie C. presented a comprehensive report on a broad range of the activities of the Community Service Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Skankey made a presentation on the activities of the International Service Committee. A key element of his presentation is an estimate of the number of people impacted by each of the ISC programs. It was a reminder of how much good Rotarians can do when we work as a team.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzanne Collinsworth-Smith laid out some goals for her membership committee and asked that all of us work to build the club.

 

 

 

Cari Guerrero provided a quick overview of the Vocational Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dave Neville gave a quick summary of the work of the Club Service Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

Why Rotary?