Hello friends and fellow Rotarians of Ventura East. As it has been written, “January Came In Like A Lion”. I know that the term is “March Came in” but these are unusual times, so I am going with January for now. The recent surge of infections has caused us all to re-evaluate our current plans. Many things are unsure if they will be subject to change. The most common things we are seeing are, hospitals are full and workers are in short supply. Restaurant workers are also in high demand. It’s no secret that a quick trip to the bank isn’t so quick anymore. It seems that everywhere that you look, you see “Help Wanted” signs. Inflation is on a steady rise with no signs of slowing down. It is no wonder that so many people have shorter tempers, depression, and the like.

 

That all being said, maybe that should be our new goal. Maybe we should focus on helping people in our own back yard. It has appeared to me that Rotarians are the happiest when they see the fruits of their labor- when they see that they are making a real difference. Maybe we should be more proactive in speaking with your neighbors and friends to see what is going on with their lives. What challenges they are facing. Maybe it is an older person, or a widow, ore someone with a disability. Maybe it’s as simple as a little clean-up chore around the yard. Maybe it’s a little fix-it project. Maybe it’s just lending an open ear to someone that has no one to talk to. Imagine the happiness that you could bring them. Maybe this could be the lesson that we could all learn from this pandemic.

 

We had a very successful service project last Saturday.  In a joint effort with the other 2 Ventura Rotary club, and The Ventura Downtown Lions club, we packaged 10,000 meals for The Rise Against Hunger organization. We had volunteers from our Rotaract club, and 2 interact clubs. We set up outside, the weather didn’t want to cooperate, so we did the work indoors. Finished and cleaned-up by 12:00 noon. A very special thanks to Bruce McGee, Margarida Eidson, Carin Kally, Joe Strohman, and our Rotaract volunteers.

Thank you,           

 

MEETING RESPONSIBILITIES

Greeter:                                          Attendance:                                     Introduction of Guests:  Bruce McGee

Inspiration:    Kat McGee              Flag:  Vance Thompson                  Opportunity Drawing:                                                                                                       

Future programs are as follows: