Club News August 2020 - Membership & New Club Development Month
The Rotary Club of Simi Sunset is a group of leaders that meets regularly to form bonds and friendships. We strive to improve lives locally and around the world.
President's Message
Current and Past club members came together recently and were joined by friends, potential members, and spouses. It was everything to me to sit and talk face to face with so many great people over a beer and food. Some wore masks some did not. We practiced partial social distancing as we spread across several tables. It was a great night that will carry me on to the next time I can be with everyone in person again. I keep hearing that things are starting to get better but that is not how it feels. I joined Rotary not just for the ability to do good in the community but to be with a likeminded group who share my vision of a better world. While our club meets weekly on Tuesday nights, the great thing is that even with COVID we still have over 2/3 turnout. 10-15 people come out to "The End of The Road" with an additional 10+ on Zoom. I still miss the full room of the Golf Club and standing behind the podium. Something that I have not had the chance to do.
I want to ask the club that even if you are zooming that you still make it to the meetings and stay involved. One day this will all be over and the reasons that you got involved will be possible again. Jump on early and stay on late. Talk to members you have not seen in a while. Catch up on all the little things that you have missed from not being in the big room. We miss you every time you are not there. Raise a glass and share a story. Remember that Rotary Opens Opportunities but sometimes you need to login to zoom to see them.
Our District Governor, Deb Linden, and Group 5 Assistant Governor, Dylan Gunning gave us a visit to see how we run things. Both of them dropped some knowledge on us and encouraged us to keep pushing forward during COVID. Congrats to Mike Kort for being presented with a District 5240 People of Action Award by our DG. You truly deserve it!
Kelly Behle, Library Director at the Simi Valley Public Library gave us an update on how they are accommodating the public and students during quarantine. Especially since school is back in (online) session. The Library is providing curbside pickup. The public can now put items on hold and pick them up at the library. We also learned that their online library service, Hoopla, has an even broader selection.
Ken Craft, CEO of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission Zoomed with us to tell us a little about the non-profit organization. Hope of the Valley's mission is to prevent, reduce and eliminate poverty, hunger and homelessness. It is their intent to provide hope, hot meals, housing, health services, and healing. They believe that everyone deserves a second chance. There are many ways to get involved, in particular, donations and volunteering are welcome. To get more information or to contact them, please visit their website: HopeoftheValley.org
We zoomed with Tony Freinberg, Founder of Edendale Strategies. Edendale Strategies is a consulting firm, focused on communications council and crisis management. Their clients include Fortune 100 companies and famous artists (actors, directors, musicians, etc.) Tony shared some interesting stories about how he helps his clients convey their message effectively.
A club social!!! It's been a rough half year not being able to catch up with fellow club members. But socializing is what Simi Sunset does best and we easily fell back into the swing of things. We met up at Tarantula Hill Brewing Company in TO where they provided more than enough space, huge tables, food, and excellent beer. Hopefully, there are more of these in the near future!
President's Message
