President Laura mentioned that she's planning on having a Club Assembly on February 2nd in which all Avenues of Service will be at a table to talk about what they do. She also encouraged us all to wear our Holiday sweaters at next week's December 15th meeting. This is NOT an Ugly Sweaters contest but feel free to wear one if you'd like. Hopefully there won't be confusion on just what constitutes an Ugly Sweater.
Laura had us all sign Get Well cards for Peter Cicciari , Roger Coger, Louis Kruglov, and Bill Fox who are are all not feeling well. Send them your best wishes.
Also, please be sure to download the ClubRunner App. It provides access to everything Rotary and is extremely helpful in keeping up with what's going on with the Club and contacting other Club members. A link to the App is provided at the end of this Bulletin.
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Dorina Timbol lead the Invocation this morning. Today's Quote of the Day should look familiar to those that heard Dorina this morning.
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Flag Salute
Larry Borovay lead us in Saluting our Flag this morning, a Flag that represents the greatest nation on earth.
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Harry VanDyck would have welcomed our Guests this morning if we'd had any.
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Zoom was our Greeter this morning.
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Sal Ventura has been proposed as a New Member (Second Notice). Sal is a retired Chemical Engineer and MIT graduate who moved to Simi Valley 5 years ago. Laura met Sal at the recent Street Fair and she invited him to our wine event. He then volunteered at our Senior Thanksgiving dinner so we've already put him to work! As a youth, Sal was in the Peace Corps and has a desire to serve others. A good fit!
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Fernando Estevez, International Service Co-Chair, announced a new initiative that our Club can get involved in. It is a school in Guatemala for At Risk youths aged 12-18 called Asociacion Ak' Tenamit. The school has over 600 students and is a model globally for its effective grassroots approach to vocational education, income generation and health care.
Rotarians have been huge supporters for over 20 years contributing medical supplies and equipment, funds and labor for new dorms and classrooms, solar energy equipment, computer labs, restaurant equipment and supplies and family water filters.
The opportunity is to be part of a Rotary Team trip from March 25, 2023 to April 2, 2023 for 8 nights. The total estimate for the trip is between $1,500 and $2,000. Expenses include airfare, hotel, meals and ground transportation. This will involve a flight to Guatemala City and then a short flight to Puerto Barrios which is about 40 minutes away from Ak' Tenamit. You would stay in the Hotel Villa Caribe in Livingston. A 20 minute scenic boat ride each morning down the Rio Dulce River takes you to the school. Each Team Member will have the opportunity to participate in their chosen activity at the school. Meals will be provided at two safe and delicious restaurants that are owned by the school and staffed by students.
Please let Fernando know if you'd like to participate. His email is:
The result above is of a Bill Klepper (with a K)-lead Happy Face Hill cleanup this past Saturday, December 3rd. More pictures below.
Left to right: Bob Whalen, Laura Berger, Bill Klepper, Peter Carrube, James Winstanley and some guy who wandered in off the street. When asked why she wore a white sweatshirt for a job involving the spraying of brown dye, Laura said it wasn't a problem since it was Herschel's.
Leigh Seaton is coordinating our Quarterly Blood Drive on Thursday, January 5. 2023. Please schedule your donation with Leigh. His email is:
Leigh told us this morning that the two other Simi Rotary Clubs will be participating. He also said that our Club had its highest participation rate ever two events ago and our lowest participation rate ever at our last one. Leigh is looking to get back to a high rate of participation with this event so please schedule your donation now with an email to Leigh.
Leigh Seaton
The Group 5 meeting held on Sunday, December 4th at the Sunset Hills Golf and Tennis Club was a big success. It was a brunch that featured Howard Berger, an Academy award winning make up artist as the Guest Speaker. Everyone had a great time with lots of excitement and fun. Laura thanked Dorina Timbol for her MC role.
Dorina's eye was so realistic looking that someone thought it was real and was ready to defend her!
Family of Rotary Holiday Evening and Concert
Saturday, December 10th
Geovanny Ragsdale said that there are now only 5 seats remaining for the upcoming event on Saturday, December 10th. You need to get your reservation in soon if you want to participate. We will leave at noon and the concert is at 2 pm. This will include a trip to Los Angeles to enjoy a Master Chorale program with dinner afterwards. Tickets are on sale for $50 per person and this includes transportation to and from the event. See Kailey or Geovanny for more details. You can RSVP on the following link:
A final headcount is needed so please RSVP ASAP to reserve your seat. A luxury bus will be leaving from the Junkyard at 12:00 noon, returning around 5:30 PM.
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is the “the finest-by-far major chorus in America” (Los Angeles Times) and a vibrant cultural treasure. Hailed for its powerful performances, technical precision, and artistic daring, the Chorale is led by Grant Gershon, Kiki & David Gindler Artistic Director; Associate Artistic Director Jenny Wong; and President & CEO Jean Davidson. Its Swan Family Artist-in-Residence is Reena Esmail.
Description: This will be multi-Club cleanup of Camp Rotary at Corriganville that will also involve repair and painting of the seating area. More details to follow.
Description: Fixing fencing posts at the pioneer family area of the cemetery
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Dr. P is organizing his yearly Bike Assembly Party on Saturday, December 10th starting at 8:30 AM at Monte Vista. See flyer above for details.
Dr. P let us know that there is a budget shortfall for the Bike Assembly this year. A shortfall to the tune of $5000! We are feeling the affects of not having the Cajun Festival. He is working with the two other Simi Rotary Clubs to see if they can pitch in but he's also asking for our Club's help as well. He's asking for each member to sponsor a bike for $100. He talked about how giving a bike to an underprivileged child is indeed a Rotary moment. Asking for a show of hands for sponsors, many members didn't hesitate. See picture below. Please let Steve know if you can also sponsor a bike as well.
You can text Steve at (805) 813-4127 or email him at:
Karen Thompson is organizing her yearly Target Shopping Spree. It will be held Saturday, December 10th at 7:00 AM at the Target store at 2907 Cochran Street.
Karen said that since we have 58 homeless High School kids in our school district, this year we will be sponsoring them. Each shopper will be provided $250.00 and, with the Rotary money and the money promised from the PTA, we have enough for 38 kids to shop. However, Karen put out a request to see if anyone can sponsor all or part of the $250.00 in addition to what is already committed. Please let Karen know ASAP by texting her at (805) 469-3871 or by email at KarenYourRealtor@aol.com. Chas can bill you through your Rotary account.
Karen said that we are sponsoring 38 students and is STILL in dire need of shoppers. SHE NEEDS 10 MORE SHOPPERS! Please let Karen know if you can help by texting her at (805) 469-3871 or by email at KarenYourRealtor@aol.com.
Karen Thompson
Larry Borovay is organizing an Ensenada Cruise. Following is an email from Larry's contact and some details from Larry.
Email from Larry's contact:
I have a group set up for the March 17-19 weekend. Pricing for a category 8D balcony based upon double occupancy is as follows:
Cruise - including taxes and fees: $516.20 per person.
Insurance - $65 per person.
If it is one person in the room, the rate would be $104.20 less. Additionally, I will add $25/stateroom onboard credit.
Note that this is the most that a person would pay for the cruise for that category stateroom. When someone commits, I price the room out with the current promotion to see if there is a better rate, and we can apply that. If they want a different category, then we can price that out, too, at the current rate. For example, today the rate would be $33/person less. Insurance is based upon the cruise rate and could vary too.
Here is the kicker - in order to be sure that you have these staterooms held in the group, we need names and deposits by DECEMBER 14, 2022. The deposit of $50/person is nonrefundable. The final payment is due January 2, 2022.
A note from Larry:
Our goal is to have lunch with some of the Rotary Members (Club Rotario Ensenada Centenaria) and to visit one of their projects.
We will be boarding the "Carnival Radiance" on Friday March 17th at 5:00 pm in Long Beach and will be at sea on Saturday, March 17th.On Sunday, March 18th we will arrive in Ensenada at 8:00 am and will depart at 5:00 pm. We will arrive back in Long Beach on Monday, March 19th at 7:00 am.
Larry Borovay
Laura mentioned that we will be placing the Simi Smiles rocks at Corriganville on January 21st at 10:00 AM. The exact location of the placement is still being discussed but SAVE THE DATE for this fun event.
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Bruce and Dana
Steve and Melody
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“The Joy of brightening other lives, bearing each others’ burdens, easing each other’s loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of the holidays.” –W. C. Jones
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Anni Sumby, Executive Director of the The Samaritan Center of Simi Valley, is having a raffle in support the Center. Tickets can be purchased either at the Center, the Chamber of Commerce or Singh Auto Parts (see flyer above).
Jake Finch previously gave us an update on the Gift Card program she initiated with the Club last March. These were the Gift Cards that were donated to help Simi Valley school kids and their families in need. Jake gave us some stark statistics. She said that there are 214 children in K-12 that are homeless here in Simi with 58 of those in High School. In addition, there are 63 Foster Children, 27 of whom are in High School.
The good news is that, since last March, 115 Gift Cards have been donated totaling $4,875 with $1,850 of that being disbursed to those in need. Over $3,000 of that amount was from our Club alone! Our Club is AWSOME!
More help is always appreciated Jake said and that while Gift Cards to Kohls and Target are helpful, she said that she's also looking for Gift Cards to stores like Aldi and Smart & Final as well.
The Simi Valley Police Foundation is hosting a charity event on Saturday, December 10th in support of Spark of Love. See Bill Klepper for details.
When the secretary adds a new member to our roster, you will receive an automatic email that gives you your login ID and a temporary password so that you can access the web site (ClubRunner). This gives you the opportunity to upload a photo and enter a permanent password. You can go to the public portion of our website (no login required) and see the calendar, list of officers, birthdays, past bulletins, etc. The link to the public portion of our website is:
There is a phone app that can be downloaded to your phone; everyone should have that app on their phones. You will have to download the app and then log in the first time. After that, the login portion is not required.
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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!
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Our next meeting on December 15th will be In Person at the Best Western Posada Royale, 1775 Madera Road. The Music Company of Carolers will be performing to get us all in the Holiday Spirit.
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