Bill Fox stood in for Demi, our Sergeant at Arms, in getting the meeting started.
Geovanny Ragsdale lead our Invocation today.
Leigh Seaton lead us in our salute to the flag.
President Bill reminisced about how he first got into Rotary. It started with him being asked to pour beer at the Cajun Festival. Bruce Bromberg chimed in and said that was his introduction to Rotary as well. Is anyone picking up on a theme here? The point being, of course, is that people want to be a part of something that gives back to the community. And, yes, pouring beer at the Cajun Festival is giving back to the community.
Rotary,and our Club specifically, offers people the opportunity to be part of an organization that is all about giving back to the community. This includes the many Fundraisers and Service Projects our Club sponsors. As Bill said, where else but through the Rotary could he have met Leon Russell, Eddie Money, the Clydesdale horses or hike the Big Sky Ranch. And through these various activities, you meet some life time friends.
President Bill Klepper
Our next meeting will be February 4th, 2021. It will be on Zoom .
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Please remember to bring a friend or an acquaintance to our next meeting, even if the meeting is by Zoom.
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A screen shot of some results from the Virtual Painted Rock Class
The Painted Rock challenge continues. We are looking for people (all ages!) to help paint rocks in order to assist in finding a Kidney Donor for Ginny. Dr. P and Sophie Klepper held a 'virtual' class on how to paint the rocks yesterday, January 27th. They said the class went great and everyone had a fun time. But, more importantly, this activity increases the visibility of Ginny's need. To view the virtual class on YouTube, please click on the following link:
And, of course, the push continues to find that donor. If you need to learn how to Share on social media, please reach out to Team Ginny and they will be glad to help.
Please remember that The Samaritan Center is still in need of chaperones on Wednesday nights. This effort allows those without a roof over their head to have a safe and warm place to spend the night. The hours needed on Wednesday night are from 7 PM to 7 AM the next morning on Thursday.
Please see John Tolson if you can help out.
Ryan and Larry gave us an update on the Drive In Concert by Queen Nation. Tickets are now on sale and selling fast. They are expecting a Sell Out. See below for a link to ticket sales.
The date is set for April 2nd and they are looking for a lot of help. As noted previously, this type of venue will require more volunteers than the Drive-In Movie venue. So please consider helping out.
There will be an opening act at 5:00 PM and then Queen Nation comes out at 6:00 PM. They will play until about 7:30 or 8:00 PM. A Sign Up Sheet will be coming out soon. Please keep an eye out for it and consider helping per the hours noted above.
Peter Cicciari talked about how the Rotary Foundation is at the core of what Rotary International is all about. That core is providing help eradicating diseases and providing clean water world wide. To honor the many people who have contributed to the Foundation, Peter held a drawing today awarding a Paul Harris Fellowship to three of those people. The winners were Karen Thompson, Louis Kruglov and Carolyn Boucher. Congratulations!
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We had the following Guests this week:
Sam Wolfe
Linus Kojelis
Fred Thomas (Prospective Member)
Julius Sokenu (Guest Speaker)
John Ioprieno (Guest Speaker)
David Yoshitomi (Guest Speaker)
Mr. Sam Wolfe
Mr. Linus Kojelis
Mr. Fred Thomas
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We had three Guest Speakers today. First, we heard from Mr. Julius Sokenu, interim President pf Moorpark College. He was assisted by Mr. John Ioprieno.
We then heard from Mr. David Yoshitomi. He's the Community Services Manager with the City of Simi Valley. In that position, he's also the coordinator for Simi Valley's Business Incubator, his subject today.
Mr. Julius Sokenu
Mr. John Ioprieno
Mr. Julius Sokenu, interim President of Moorpark College, gave us an update on the College. He started by sharing a very impressive statistic. Moorpark College is rated the Number 1 Junior College in the State of California and is rated Number 4 nationally. And Simi Valley is one of the main feeders into the school. What a jewel we have in our own backyard! He also acknowledged the generosity of the community. With 16% of the students homeless and 49% suffering from food insecurity, much help is needed and much help is received.
Following are slides from Mr. Sokenu's presentation:
Mr. David Yoshitomi
Mr. Yoshitomi spoke about the Simi Valley Business Incubator. Its purpose is to provide a career path for students who aspire to own a business and are not necessarily interested in college. It is a hub for entrepreneurs to come together and obtain resources to launch a business. Many cities and institutions are doing this, some with moderate success. While there have not been many home runs, the environment it produces encourages the spirit of entrepreneurship. This attracts other entrepreneurs.
Simi Valley has wanted a Business Incubator for some time now. It finally came to fruition in 2017 through the collaboration of the Youth Employment Service, the Chamber of Commerce and the local community. Events have been held in the Cultural Arts Center such as a speaker series with local business owners. Covid has stopped the use of the Cultural Arts Center so they have now turned to webinars. The first webinar subject was starting a business in Covid times. Several local consultants participated in that. There is a retreat planned for March 1st, the purpose of which is to check in and see how they want to proceed with the program.
Mr. Yoshitomi ended by saying that his committee is looking for volunteers to participate and serve in this effort. He's looking for people who have experience in the local business community; people who are familiar with business models; people who understand the local community; people familiar with the legalities involved in owning a small business; and, ideally, someone with a small business. Here's the website and Facebook page:
Rotary Club Finder Need to find a club to do a makeup? Or find out where Rotary clubs meet while you are traveling? Click here to access the Club Finder page on the RI website.
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