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Club Information
Welcome to the website of the Rotary Club of Ventura East!!
Ventura East
Service Above Self
We meet Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Poinsettia Pavilion
3451 Foothill Road
Ventura, CA  93003
United States
DistrictSiteIcon District Site
VenueMap Venue Map
Bulletin Editor
Jeff Hata
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Meeting Responsibilities
Attendance
McGee, Kathy
 
Flag Salute
Masterson, John A.
 
Greeter
Devera, Ayn
 
Inspiration
Blackwell, Tim
 
Joke of the Week
Hata, Jeff
 
Opportunity Drawing Donor
O'Leary - Namikas, Melody
 
Rotary Club of Ventura-East
Elevator Speech
 
We are a leadership organization comprising of local business, civic and professional leaders.
 
We are a nonpolitical, nonsectarian service club.
 
We meet regularly to get to know each other, form friendships and through that we are able to get things done in this community. Like:
  • Scholarships at 5 local high schools,
  • Interact Clubs at 3 local schools.
  • Support the YMCA, City Center, Ventura Botanical Gardens
  • Promote literacy and career guidance in schools
 
Internationally we support a huge project our club started called GoCare in Nicaragua and contribute to eliminating Polio worldwide.
 
The Rotary Club of  Ventura-East meets Thursday noon to 1:30 at the Poinsettia Pavilion in Ventura. Come and learn more about Rotary's humanitarian service, high ethical standards in all vocations and help build good will in this community.
Speakers
Jun 01, 2017
Teaches biology, earth science at Buena High school
Jun 08, 2017
teaches for academia, business, government, and the military
Jun 22, 2017
Japanese Internment During WWII
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Ojai West Wine Festival
Lake Casitas Recreation Area
Jun 11, 2017
12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
 
Step Down Dinner
Tower Club
Jun 22, 2017
6:00 AM – 9:00 AM
 
Push-em Pull-em Parade
Jul 04, 2017
 
Important Links
Ventura Rotaract Website
GOCARE
Rotary District 5240 Website
Operation Splash Slideshow
ClubRunner Tutorials
Rotary Links
Rotary International
RI President Home
About Rotary
Joining Rotary
Rotary History
Rotary Foundation
For New Members
Sponsors
Interested in being a sponsor?
Download the website sponsorship guide
President's Message
Husam Hishmeh
member photo
As we reach our final stretch of our Rotary year, we have to remember how you win a race, the winners usually start a race very fast and finish it even faster.  This was the year where we grew our membership by 25% and we fixed our finances by hiring a bookkeeper.  We helped in many events in our community and had a few successful fundraisers. With this being said what really counts is how we finish.  We must keep inviting friends and acquaintances to join Rotary.  This year is almost over, Harriett, Rich and few other people will be in Atlanta for The Rotary International Convention.  My step down dinner party will be held on June 22nd at the Tower Club.
 
This Wednesday from 5-9 p.m. we have a community service meeting and social combined to help the Rotaract Club with their fundraiser at Dominos... all you can eat pizza for $10.00 a person.  It is a private event to help raise money to build a house for a poor family in Mexico.. please join us for fun and great food.
 
This Thursday we will be inducting two new members into our club David Morris and Ayn Devera.  The week after
will be Greg Jones.  A very exciting time for our club, please make it a point to welcome the new members and learn about them.
 
                         Life is not about winning the race. Life is about finishing the race.
                                                                                                                        Marc Mero
 
New Member Proposal
 
The following
has been proposed as a new member of
the Rotary Club of Ventura-East:
 
Name:                          Margarida Eidson
Classification:                Business Management
Proposer:                      Jeff Hata
Publication Date:           May 16, 2017
 
 
 
Any objections to this person becoming a member of our club should be brought to the attention of the President, President-Elect or any Director within ten (10) days of this publication.
Stories
Meeting May 18, 2017
President Husam led us in the Flag Salute.
 
Kathy McGee gave our Inspirational Message.
 
President Husam reported that the Rotaract Fundraiser made $1,350 which will go towards their upcoming Mexico build.
 
Guests and visiting Rotarians...
Guest of Ashley Pope was Diane Quinn. Guest of Ayn DeVera was Alison Radcliff. Guest of President Husam was Steve Bennett. Guests of Kris Hansen were Annette Garcia and Tonya Page. Guests of Bill Gray were Kim, Tyler and Mason Gray. Guest of Joe Strohman was Greg Wordell. Guests of the club were Greg Morris, Ayn DeVera and Margarida Eidson.
 
Steve Bennett spoke about a Cornhole tournament to benefit youth exiting Child Protective Services. 
 
Tim Blackwell inducted Ayn DeVera and David Morris into the club.
l-r Tim Blackwell, Wendy Pazen, Ayn DeVera, David Morris, President Husam, Bill Crookston
 
Judy Hoag spoke about our upcoming Poinsettia Sales.
 
Alison Thompson gave our Joke of the Day.
 
Happy $'s: Tim Hughes, Wendy Pazen & Harriet Clune.
Three Ventura Rotary Clubs Invest in the Ventura Botanical Gardens for Today and Tomorow
By Mary Kay Doubek
 
Saturday, April 29 was Rotarians at Work Day for 1.2 million members globally.  In Ventura, the Downtown, East, and South clubs joined forces on a single project so they could make a bigger impact in the community they love.  “Ventura Botanical Gardens is an ideal place to show the power of Rotary,” stated Downtown Ventura Rotary President Betsy Chess.  “60 local Rotary, Rotaract (18-30 ages), and Interact (high school ages) members set aside their Saturday morning and were able to clear invasive plants and brush from a quarter mile stretch of trail above Summit Drive.  There certainly was an impressive stack of weeds when we were done.”
Joe Cahill, VBG Executive Director, added, “The trails are in use more than ever this spring.  Along with the 60 Rotarians on site that day, there were thousands of trail walkers and 500 or more participants and spectators in the Ventura Police Department-sponsored Mud Run.  Later that afternoon, the Ventura Climate March came through the gardens too.  We are pleased to have everyone enjoy the special beauty here after the rains of winter.  All the flowers and plants have prospered, but so have the invasive plants.  In several places, the trail was nearly impenetrable through a seven-foot tall wall of mustard.  It is amazing how quickly these volunteers were able to get the job done.  Thanks to Rotary, now visitors to the upper trail can see where they are going!  An added benefit is that we got a jump start on reducing brush that is a concern during fire season.  It was such a positive experience; I look forward to working with more large groups of volunteers from other local clubs. 
After working up their appetites, Rotarians were treated to Domino’s Pizza from East Ventura Rotarian Husam Hishmeh at the future site of Rotary Plaza at VBG.  It was the first visit to the site for many Rotarians, who were enthusiastic about putting the Rotary name up at Ventura Botanical Gardens.  As they munched their slices of pizza, project organizers Bruce and Kathy McGee of Rotary East described the features to be developed for Rotary Plaza.  It will include a gathering place for 50 or more people, as well as the Rotary Wheel and Four Way Test, symbols of the “service above self” motto that Rotarians live by.  They will be placed in a setting which offers unobstructed panoramic views of the gardens below, as well as city hall, and the ocean and islands beyond.
“We are confident we can build the financial support within Rotary to make this investment in Ventura Botanical Gardens,” said Bruce McGee.  “Any way you look at it, Rotary Plaza is a fantastic project.  Foremost, we want to endorse Ventura Botanical Gardens, the best and biggest new public asset in Ventura in our lifetime.  VBG is already a gift to every member of the community we love, and it will be enhanced dramatically over the next 30 years to be enjoyed for many generations to come.  Secondly, the superior location of the plaza at a crossroads by the top of the first trail, will naturally attract people.  Many will stop to look and learn about the values of Rotary via an online app they can access on their mobile phones.  Founded 110 years ago and now counting over 35,000 clubs globally, Rotary is committed to serve others near and far.  Now, more than ever, the world needs more people who live by our club’s guiding principles of truth, fairness, goodwill, and friendship.  Who knows, some visitors to Rotary Plaza at VBG may even decide to become Rotarians themselves in their own communities.” 
 
 
News from Rotary International
When we introduced Rotary Club Central in 2012, it revolutionized goal tracking and planning for clubs and districts — no more filling out paper club-planning forms or passing along boxes of historical club information every time a new leader took office. Rotary Club Central offered clubs and districts a quantifiable way to begin measuring local and global impact, specifically membership initiatives, service activities, and Rotary Foundation giving. But as with any technological advancement, in a few short years, Rotary Club Central began to show its age, and Rotarians took notice. They...
 
At its January 2017 meeting, the Rotary International Board of Directors adopted a new zone structure for Rotary clubs. Rotary bylaws require the Board to complete a comprehensive review of the 34 Rotary zones no less often than every eight years to ensure that each zone has an approximately equal number of Rotarians. The Board’s previous review of the zones occurred in 2008. The Board earlier approved the creation of three regional workgroups to develop rezoning proposals for Asia, Europe/Africa, and the Americas. These workgroups comprised one representative (either a current director,...
 
Through The Rotary Foundation, Rotary members have supported thousands of projects that promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, save mothers and children, support education, and grow local economies. We’ve also led the fight to eradicate polio worldwide. As part of our celebration of the Foundation’s centennial, we’re honoring 20 global grant projects with special recognition. Learn more about the projects using our interactive map.
 
The Atlanta Host Organization Committee is offering some good old-fashioned Southern hospitality at the Rotary International Convention from 10 to 14 June. It has planned a wide range of activities featuring everything from good food and music to inspiring tours of local landmarks. If it’s your first convention, these events are chances to meet fellow Rotarians from around the world, and if you’re an experienced convention goer, you can catch up with old friends. Hall of Fame baseball player Hank Aaron will host Rotarians for a “Strike Out Polio” night at the new SunTrust Park, where you’ll...
 
When Teguest Yilma helped found the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa Entoto in 2002, she thought polio had already been eradicated from most of the world. But while Ethiopia had been free of the disease, Yilma was shocked to learn that new cases had started cropping up in surrounding countries such as Somalia. “I was thinking, it’s not possible, we can’t be free if the countries around us are not free,” she says. Yilma, the managing editor of Capital, Ethiopia’s largest English weekly newspaper, has brought a journalist’s skills to the fight against polio. She became vice chair of the Ethiopia...
 
Published by the Rotary Club of Ventura-East (c)2015