Hospice of the Conejo Exec Director- Kyle Jorey receives support check from Presidential Team
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BECOMING A ROTARIAN IS A MEANINGFUL EXPERIENCE....
Invite a friend, family member, colleague to join Rotary.
Encourage Them to Be Part of Something GREAT!!!
Why wouldn’t you want them to be part of an organization that feeds the hungry, cures the sick, provides education to women and children, provides clean water and sanitation. And now is taking on the environment. And have fun while were doing it!!!
See Dominic Pino for Membership Information
dvpino@outlook.com
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MANDATORY PARTICIPATION EVENTS FOR ALL THOUSAND OAKS ROTARIANS:
CHILI COOK-OFF-2027 TBD- SEE MARISSA BUSS
WINE FESTIVAL- June 13th 2027 - SEE DAVE MASCI
STREET FAIR -3rd SUNDAY in OCT 2026 SEE CRYSTAL EVANS
President Michelle Nash welcomed everyone to the "mighty Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks" and said she was happy to see everyone and shared that this is one of her favorite meetings of the year, because we get to spend time with the people that help this community thrive.
Michelle also let everyone know about the goal of the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks to complete 5,200 Random Acts of Kindness this year—that’s 100 Rotary members each doing one act of kindness every week for 52 weeks.
She challenged everyone in the room to join in and do the same, helping make our community a better place for all.
Inspirational Moment & Pledge:
Regina Biddings-Muro began her inspirational moment by reminding everyone of Rotary’s motto: “Service Above Self.”
She recognized all of the nonprofit organizations represented in the room, noting that they exemplify that motto every day. She asked, “Where would we be without those who walk among the most vulnerable in our community every day?”
Regina said that the nonprofits in the room are the invisible thread that holds our community together, whether they are helping seniors, supporting the homeless, or providing medical and dental care.
She closed by saying, "As a small show of solidarity, we are with you today. The TO Rotary Club offers support that is a stake driven deep into the ground. A quiet statement that says: We see the load, we respect the effort, and you are not carrying it alone."
Song:
Nancy Wohl came forward and led everyone in singing “America the Beautiful.”
Guest Introductions:
David Masci introduced the guests joining Jody and Keith Wintermute: Ewan McGuire and Hayden Wintermute. Also, guests of Mark Feigen were Tori McDonough, Ashley Seery, and David Seery. and guest of Judy St. John -Brad Wheaton.
President Michelle Nash welcomed Nate Harimoto back to Rotary and said she was happy to see him recovering from his accident.
She then invited Monica Murrietta, the club’s Foundation Chair, to come forward to present Nate with a very special recognition.
Monica began by explaining Rotary International Foundation’s seven areas of focus, all designed to help make the world a better place. She noted that the Rotary Foundation has contributed more than $4 billion to these causes.
Nate was then recognized for his contributions to the Rotary Foundation as a Major Donor - Level 2, a very prestigious milestone, recognizing donations of $25,000 to $49,999 to The Rotary Int'l Foundation.
When Nate accepted the award, he shared that since he joined Rotary in 1994 it has been his honor to be able to donate $85 a month to Rotary International and that is how he has achieved this level of contributions. He said he plans to continue doing so.
Monica Murrietta put in a Happy Dollar and thanked everyone who helped set up the room today. She also reminded Rotarians that there will be no Rotary meeting on August 20, as the club will be holding Fireside Chats the evenings of August 20 and 21.
Pat McCoy put in a Happy Dollar, saying this is his favorite meeting of the year and that he was excited to see more than 50 nonprofits receive support from the club.
Judy St. John shared that she was visiting the nursing home at University Village and ran into Judy Lazar. Judy is doing very well, although she is now in a wheelchair, and she sends her greetings to everyone at Rotary.
Pat Hanley put in a Happy Dollar because two people were there today from Team Rubicon, including her chainsaw instructor.
Michael Ladd put in an “I’m glad to be here” dollar. He shared that while driving back on I-40 from St. Louis, he suddenly saw headlights coming toward him. A wrong-way driver was traveling directly toward him. Michael pulled over as quickly as he could and was grateful that he avoided a head-on collision.
Somer Barwick put in a Happy Dollar because her son’s baseball team made it to the Baseball World Series. She said there were teams from all around the world, and her son did quite well, including being named the Batting Champion.
Paul Dryman put in a Happy Dollar in honor of all the nonprofits in the room.
Jason Corey put in a Happy Dollar to thank the club for sending a sympathy card after he lost his dog a couple of weeks ago.
President-Elect Victor Hayek came forward to begin today’s program. The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks presented donation checks to more than 50 local nonprofits. The funds were raised through the club’s three major fundraisers—the Street Fair, Chili Cook-Off, and Economic Forecast—during Darin Arrasmith’s 2025–2026 year. He invited President Michelle and Past President Darin to come forward to help him with the check presentation.
Darin then spoke about what it truly means to be a Rotarian. He explained that the money Rotarians work so hard to raise is ultimately given back to the community through donations to local nonprofits, making the effort especially rewarding.
Darin invited those in attendance to consider becoming a Rotarian. He encouraged everyone to find the time to get involved and reach out to the many people working together to make these community efforts possible. “Directly and indirectly, we want to make a difference as much as we’re able.”
Victor explained that a statement about each nonprofit would be displayed on the screen as its representative was called forward to receive a check. The nonprofits were divided into 10 categories as follows:
1. Health and Wellness
Bumblebee Foundation
Cancer Support Community
Conejo Free Clinic
National Multiple Sclerosis Society- MS Walk
Westminster Free Clinic
Mary Health of the Sick
Momentum United Cerebral Palsy
SNAP (Special Needs Aquatic Program)
Villa Esperanza
2. Cultural Arts
5-Star Theatrical Arts
Arts Council of the Conejo Valley
Lyceum Oaks Youth Orchestra
Stagecoach Valley Historical Society
TOArts
3. Youth Programs
Ventura County Council, Scouting America
CASA of Ventura County
Forever Found
Gold Coast Charities, Inc.
James Storehouse
Mando Youth Development
My Stuff Bags Foundation
Pinkard Youth Institute
Play Conejo
SAFE Passages
Thousand Oaks Police Charitable Foundation
Southeast Ventura County YMCA
4. Low-Income Support
Conejo Community Outreach
Community Conscience
Harbor House
Senior Alliance for Empowerment
St. Vincent de Paul
5. Housing and Community Development
Many Mansions
United Way of Ventura Co
Women of Substance, Men of Honor
Interface Children and Family Services
6. Food Insecurity
Aldelante Comunidad Conejo
California Lutheran University Community Cupboard
Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank
Ruben Castro Charities
7. Education
California Lutheran University Community Scholars for Black Lives Fellowship Program
Conejo Schools Foundation
Students Securing and Achieving Their Future in Education
Ventura County Chapter, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority
CIC Links, Inc.
The Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College
Noble Youth Project, Inc.
8. Seniors
Conejo Valley Village
Hospice of the Conejo
Senior Concerns
9. Veterans
Gold Coast Veterans Foundation
Canine Companions for Independence
10. The Environment
Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council
Team Rubicon
Ventura Regional Fire Safe Council
President Michelle closed the meeting by thanking all of the non-profits for being there and for the incredible work they do in our community, saying they make the world both locally and globally a better place
