Our Sergeant at Arms, Demi Fox, got the meeting started with some vigorous exercises. The moans and groans were attributed to the two week layoff.
Deb Davila lead the invocation this morning.
Leigh Seaton lead us in the flag salute. He's the old guy to the left behind the old guy.
Bob Donnelly welcomed our Guests.
President Bill talked about the Five Club meeting held last week and what a wonderful speaker Steve Chealander was. Lt. Col (Ret.) Chealander carried the nuclear football for President Reagan. Bill then talked about the recent Cinco de Mayo event just held that involved bringing a full lunch to the police department's day shift and then a dinner to the night shift. Jose Martinez (Mission Burrito) provided the food and it was paid for by Simi Sunrise and the Police Foundation of which our own Fred Thomas is currently president.
Bill cited these as examples of what sort of people you get a chance to meet and what sort activities you can get involved with by joining the Rotary. So, another reminder to invite a friend to one our breakfast meetings and let them see and hear first hand what we're all about. Breakfast is on Bill!
Bill also noted that this meeting was the test run for Kathryn Scroggin's hybrid meeting idea. There were Club Members joining today's meeting via Zoom as mentioned in a previous Bulletin. Kathryn thanked Don Rusnak, Steve Pietrolungo, Tim Gray and Chas Wilson for helping on that.
Kathryn Scroggin
======================
We are VIRTUAL next week, May 13th, due to the Board Meeting. The meeting will by ZOOM!!!!!
======================
Please remember to bring a friend or an acquaintance to our next meeting. This is a GREAT way to grow our membership! And the guest's lunch is taken care of.
======================
Rocky Rhodes
Team Ginny Update
Spread the message!
Rocky spoke to us today about wanting to donate a kidney to someone specifically and then finding out you're not a match to that person in need. When that happens Rocky said you have the option of donating your kidney ON BEHALF of that person in need, or ON BEHALF of anyone for that matter. This can sometimes trigger a series of donations.
Also a reminder about Dorina's Facebook page and about copying the Save a Life note with phone number and posting it on your Facebook page. And all business owners and friends of business owners, please exhibit the Team Ginny flyer in your business and send Dorina a picture of that. Every bit helps and you never know where or how that hero will be found.
If you need to learn how to Share on social media, please reach out to Team Ginny and they will be glad to help.
Larry Borovay and Laura Berger, co-chairs of the 2021 Octoberfest, confirmed the time and location of this event. It will be held on October 9th at the Rancho Simi Community Park, AKA the Duck Park. Save the date as volunteers will be needed. Larry thanked Mike Kort for offering his help and guidance with this. The Evening Club has put on this type of event previously and it was very successful.
The first order of business this morning was to create a Beer Committee. It took a lot of arm twisting but Laura was able to convince 8 poor souls to serve on this committee. They include Stephanie Shannon, Mel Vines, Bruce Bromberg, Herschel Berger, Cindy Jacoby, Karen Thompson, Steve Pietrolungo and Brett Goldsmith. It's a tough job but someone's got to do it.
Laura Berger and Larry Borovay
======================
Mike Kort, from the Evening Club, joined us this morning to talk about his Club's upcoming event. It will be a Drive In Concert with an 80's theme and he's looking for volunteers to help out. This event will be very similar to the Queen Nation Concert our Club recently put on. The concert is set for May 22nd in the afternoon so please let Mike know if you can help out.
As an aside, Mike said that after attending our meeting this morning he now understands the secret to our Club's success. Unlike his Evening Club meetings, we don't serve alcohol at our meeting - yet.
Also, please know that Mike's Rotary Club is giving all service clubs a 20% discount on tickets and VIP packages for this concert.
Leigh Seaton announced the Happy Face Hill cleanup. It is set for May 22nd and we will meet at the site at 12:30 PM and expect it will take a couple of hours to complete the work. Bring gloves, rakes, weed wackers, etc., whatever you have.
'Ol Man Seaton also announced a date for the Smoke Alarm installation at the Crest Mobile Home Park here in Simi. It is set for June 12th. More details to follow.
Leigh Seaton
Arun Sharma talked about the Covid crisis that India is suffering through right now. It is devastating the country and a lot of help is needed. As many know, the bond between India and Rotary International is strong and deep. To that end, Larry Borovay, our International Chair, spoke about a $20,000 Global Grant that came from the following Rotary Clubs:
- Moorpark $1,000
- Cambria $5,000
- Thousand Oaks $12,000
- Simi Sunrise $1,000
- Cayucos $1,000
This $20,000 was matched by the District. This will go a long way to help out those in need.
Arun Sharma
======================
Deb Davila announced Bill's Demotion. It will be June 26th at 5:00 PM. See Deb for details and don't tell Bill about it. Deb warned everyone that Bill will try and get it out of one of us. Don't buckle, be strong!
Deb Davila
======================
Our Guests today included:
Mr. Steve Hise
Mr. Brian Dennert
Mr. Mike Kort
Ms. Ginny Donnelly
Mr. Rocky Rhodes
Chief John Spykerman (Guest Speaker)
Steve Hise
Brian Dennert
Mike Kort
Ginny Donnelly
Rocky Rhodes
======================
Our Guest Speaker today was Chief John Spykerman with the Ventura County Fire Department. Chief Spykerman is the Division Chief for the East County Operations.
Chief John Spykerman
Chief Spykerman got into his line of work naturally. Both his father and uncle rose to the rank of Battalion Chief. In fact, his Dad became the voice of the Ventura County Fire Department. Safe to say, he came by his career naturally.
Before we let him speak though, he had to prove his mettle in a similar fashion to previous guests, Yes, the dreaded water balloon toss was brought out. And it was a brutal contest with Larry "The Smasher" Borovay. The Chief passed this most manly of tests and he was allowed to continue with his talk.
Chief Spykerman started by saying that the Fire Department's goal is that 95% of all fires be less than 10 acres in size. He said it's probably closer to 25 acres but that's still a good number. As far as this year's fire season goes, he's predicting a normal one even though we had a very dry rainy season. This is based on the water content of the brush and trees for this time of year, which is fairly normal.
He also spoke about a program called the Fire Hazard Reduction Program (FHRP). This deals with methods that can be utilized to reduce the impact fires will have, especially in residential areas. This program is a model across the nation and has even been looked at as far away as Australia.
He touched on evacuations during fires. The bottom line, he said, is that you can not be forced to leave your home during a fire. But, if you stay in place and find yourself in need of help, the help that comes is being diverted from fighting the fire. Not a good situation. And, once you do leave your home, you can not return until the green light is given by the authorities.
Chief Spykerman is also very excited about the Fire Department's newest acquisition - two Blackhawk water dropping helicopters. The current helicopter can carry 340 gallons while these Blackhawks can carry 1000.
He ended by saying that in times of emergencies, make sure you are relying on a trusted news source for your information. A good source for this is their website (vcfd.org) or the county's emergency website (vcemergency.org). And, finally, keep your smoke detectors in working order!
Chief Spykerman wearing "The Hat" proudly
Larry showing great form
======================
Happy Birthday Bruce! Looking good for 75.
Happy Anniversary Tim! What's in the cup?
Bob and Ginny and.....
John deep in thought
A potential member?
=================================
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.
============================
Thank you for reading this week's bulletin!
If you cannot do your weekly assignment it is up toYOUto find a replacement.
.jpg)
