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PROGRAM: CLUB ASSEMBLY - President Darin said it has been an honor to serve the past 6 months and to be a part of the inner workings of the club. He thanked his advisors-Vicki Arndt, Martin Anderson and Jeff Borenstein for their support and knowledge.
He said success means something different for everyone. He thinks the immeasurable growth of our fellowship and impact we have made this year is his definition of success.
He is proud that we are able to give up our 'old school ways' to embrace change and attract more and younger people to Rotary. We started the year with 99 members and have lost 6 for various reasons and have gained two new members. So we have a long way to go to hit our goal, but he has said since the beginning of his year, he is more interested in quality over quantity, and he feels we have added 'quality' members.
He talked about our fundraisers- the Street Fair, Chili Cookoff, Economic Forecast and the Wine Event (which supports our TO Rotary Foundation). He talked about the importance of RYLA and said our club is sending 10 students this year.
Rotary Int'l adopts a new constitution every 3 years and that was accomplished this year. Our club also updated and amended our club's By-Laws and Continuing Resolutions to be more in line with the way we do things and to make it an easier transition for the next leadership team and board.
He is proud we have already elected our Pres Elect Nominee-Victor Hayek and excited for our Pres Elect Michelle Nash to take over next year. She will be attending "PEL" in February, which was renamed President Elect Learning, instead of PETS-President Elect Training.
Laura Conway then spoke about charitable giving through the foundation. This giving supports life changing humanitarian needs. The club currently has 77 PH Fellows and 31 Major Donors. Out of 67 clubs in district 5240, Thousand Oaks Rotary is the leader in Foundation giving. Last year donating $85,631. For the 2025-26 Rotary Year we have not hit the goal of Every Rotarian Every Year. 66 out of 98 members have contributed so far.
John Bradley then provided an Executive Treasurers Report, saying that we simply are in "great shape". He said the club is on budget for administrative expenses having spent $51K of the $110K budget so far. The Street Fair is currently showing a profit of $60,000. Though most of our fundraising dollars are allocated at the end of the year, the club has already supported some youth projects and international projects to the tune of $20,000.
Susan Murata then came forward to talk about the importance of continuing to add new members. She said (as she did during her year as President of the Club in 2012-13) that when it comes to membership, Size Matters! It's important to add new, passionate members to our roster....this ensures we will continue to thrive and to grow. Why wouldn't you want someone you know to be a part of this. She encouraged members to ask a friend to join.
Vicki Arndt said the International Committee is working on 2 grants that should be approved shortly. India Vocational Training and the expansion of the Conejo Free Clinic. They are also working on another one for the second phase of the Castro Limone Cancer clinic in Tijuana. She mentioned that this weekend 18 Rotarians are heading to Tijuana to distribute hearing aids-that funding is provided by a district grant. She mentioned other district grants we have supported-Harbor House, Hospice of the Conejo Underprivileged Grief Support.
Dorothy Sullivan then came forward to talk about her experience as a new member. She said the on-boarding process was wonderful. She was provided Rotary Information, given a mentor to continue to work with her. She said the New Member Assignment list is totally doable and helpful. She mentioned that she has participated in a couple of our programs- the Story Book Project and Reading is Fundamental. She said in both cases she appreciated the fact that Trevor Tyloch reached out personally to explain both programs and asked her to participate. She feels this personal touch is important for new members.
President Darin then ended the meeting and thanked everyone for attending.
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