Stephanie Shannon, Sergeant at Arms, opened with some thoughts on the future. She said that, coming out of the pandemic, this is a great opportunity for the Club to renew and refresh ourselves. Referring to the Club as Simi Sunrise 2.0, she looks forward to the coming Rotary year and then brought the meeting to order.
Richard Perini lead the Invocation this morning. He read an Invocation that was written by a Rotarian during World War II that was very appropriate for our time.
Steve Hise lead the Pledge of Allegiance. This is NOT Steve being lazy - this is Steve from June 6th.
Laura Berger welcomed our Guests.
Our Guests today included:
Mr. Bernardo Perez
Mr. Rob Garfinkel
Mr. John Shamoun
Mr. Chris Barnett
Bernardo Perez
Rob Garfinkel, right, with Steve
John Shamoun
Chris Barnett, left,, with Jim
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President Kathryn said that this coming Rotary year will be about Reflecting, Regrouping and Renewal. She said there are many things we can learn from the pandemic and that we will draw on that experience to help guide us through this next year. Kathryn also welcomed several people on Zoom this morning and reminded everyone of that option.
The Rotary theme for this month is Transition appropriately enough. In that spirit, Kathryn took the opportunity to acknowledge the new Board as well as the new Support Staff. All were presented with a pin by Kathryn that was much appreciated. She said that those leading this transition, the Board and herself, are available to answer any and all questions. The key to success is Communication so please use the Board to communicate your thoughts and concerns.
Kathryn then presented badges to our past president, Bill Klepper, and our president-elect, Laura Berger. Kathryn said that Bill had completed a most difficult year and had learned to quickly adapt to the situation. After Bill received his Past President badge he wanted to know why he didn't get his Banner as well. Kind of soured the occasion.
Laura was thanked for all of her hard work. Kathryn said the president-elect position is in and of itself a full time job. Combine that with organizing the Oktoberfest with Larry and her other Rotary duties and that makes Laura a very busy person.
Congratulations and Thank You Bill and Laura for all you do and have done!
Lastly, Kathryn introduced the new gift that the Club will be giving to our Speakers. Since time is such a precious commodity, Kathryn felt that an Hourglass would be a fitting gift.
The current Board, not all pictured, from left to right: Dan Jaeger, Larry Borovay, Tim Gray, Bill Klepper, Laura Berger, Mary Paseta, Deb Davila, Vince Dulcich, Cindy Jacoby and a little bit of Chas Wilson.
Kathryn and Bill
Kathryn and Laura
Our new Speaker's gift. Does not include the bell though.
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Carolyn Boucher thanked Bruce Bromberg for handing out Team Ginny flyers and cards at a Chamber event and reminded us that Team Ginny is available to speak at meetings, gatherings, etc. in order to get the word out.
She also said that Team Ginny will have a booth at the Street Fair this year. She's looking for ideas that will attract people to the booth and , consequently, lead them to the Team Ginny website. One idea mentioned was to give out tickets to Disneyland for a verified visit to the website. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please contact Carolyn.
Laura Berger and Larry Borovay gave us an update. Laura said that Pacific Beverage has agreed to be a sponsor which is great news. In the course of conversations with Pacific Beverage, Laura was told that every Oktoberfest that Pacific Beverage has been involved with has sold out. Laura expects the same with ours.
Larry told us that the tickets will sell for $40 and will be going on sale shortly. He said that there will be VIP tents with a $100 admission fee along with the opportunity to be a Table Sponsor for $1000. The table will sit 12.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THERE IS A NEW LOCATION!!!!!!!!!!
The 2021 Oktoberfest event is being held from 11:30 AM to 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 9th at LEMON PARK
Save the date as volunteers will be needed.
Laura and Larry
Leigh
Leigh reminded us about this Saturday working with Simi Rec and Park in cleaning up graffiti at Hummingbird Ranch. He's looking for a count on volunteers. so let him know if you can help. It is set for Saturday, July 17 at 7:00 AM. Park at the base of the hill.
Let Bill Klepper know if you're interested in this Golf Classic
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Kathryn said that tickets will go on sale and registration will open up today for the District 5240 Conference. It is being held October 8th-10th at the Ventura Beach Marriott and will be the first in-person District event since the beginning of Covid. Unfortunately it conflicts with our Club's Oktoberfest which is on October 9th but please participate if you can.
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Our Speaker today was unable to make it at the last minute so President Kathryn did some quick thinking on her feet and took that time to open up the floor to various topics. She started with the issue of our venue. We will be at the Junkyard through July and she has been working very hard to find a replacement. She, along with Leigh Seaton, have spoken to several establishments but they haven't found one that fits the bill yet. One of Kathryn's main objectives is to not increase the dues and that narrows our choices. She said that many of the Clubs are having the same problem. She ended that topic by saying that we are who we are and that we will be good and do good. Where we meet does not define us.
Kathryn then asked for ideas from the Club for activities or events that we could involve ourselves in. They could be locally as well as internationally. She pointed to the Covid work that Savi Bhim and Arun Sharma are doing in India as examples. Arun gave us a quick, and impromptu, update in that regard. He said that he and Savi have been in contact with their Indian counterparts and money should be transferred next week to India.
Steve P. had some ideas he wanted to share. One idea was that since so many actors and actresses live here in Simi and that many films have been made in and around our area, we could sponsor a film festival. We could also include films made by our local students. If you recall, our Club worked with Santa Susanna High School's film club on a film festival this past year. Another idea he had was to hold a contest amongst the local schools to beautify their school or some local community area. Our Club would then judge the results and award a winner.
Jim Visage shared an idea for an activity that he had in mind. Out of his work providing food for the home bound during the pandemic, he saw many instances of the elderly needing help with their homes. He saw homes in disrepair and homes with debris piling up that we could help with. Many felt that this was a great idea.
Kathryn ended the meeting by challenging us with this: Go out and perform one act of kindness or help someone in need today. Make the world a better place the true Rotarian way!
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Happy Birthday Cindy!
Happy Club Anniversary Kim!
Thanks Arun
Great poem today Dan! This is what a poet should look like
Bob isn't used to being on this side of the camera
Control Center, where it all happens
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We are meeting at the Junkyard In Person on July 22nd! Remember you also have the option to attend by Zoom as well.
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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.
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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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