Club News March 2020 - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Month
The Rotary Club of Simi Sunset is a group of leaders that meets regularly to form bonds and friendships and we strive to improve lives locally and around the world.
President's Message
Welcome to March Sunsetters,
We enjoyed an un-bee-lievable February. After fine tuning our leadership skills with the Ventura Leadership Academy, we traveled to India with our own Amanda Wilson, who regaled us with her NID trip. She even shared some of the fine dining that she experience by bringing Chaat and Samosas. The remarkable work that Rotarians are doing to eradicate polio throughout the globe has limited this awful virus to just two countries and soon to just old medical books. We had a buzzing good time with JJJBees where we learned all about the Apis mellifera, or honey bee. We finished the last week with the Make a Wish Foundation. The incredible work that they do to help make a dream come true for children with terminal diseases brought a tear to everyone's eyes.
Now we are on our way to a packed March with the Group 5 Dinner hosted by our own club. We will have Rotary District 5240 Governor, Savi Bhim visiting us and during her visit, we are honoring three individuals that make a huge impact on Simi Valley. There will also be a special St. Patty's day meeting, so wear some green and show your Irish pride even if you are only 1/1024th Irish or less. March is also when we
deliver books to local elementary schools and read to the children with our "Reading by 9" project on childhood literacy.
Rotarians are wonderful people who give so much of themselves. Our club is certainly no exception. I'm truly grateful to all of our club members for the time, dedication, and resources they contribute to make Simi Sunset Rotary so great.
Pattie Braga is a Director at the Ventura County Leadership Academy. Much like Simi Valley Leadership provided by Simi Chamber of Commerce, the Ventura County Leadership Academy connects and cultivates a diverse network of passionate, capable leaders through an immersion in both critical issues shaping Ventura County and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Pattie came to tell us all about it.
Simi Sunset club member, Amanda Wilson, shared her recent experience on a National Immunization Day (NID) trip to India. NID is a yearly activity that usually consists of Rotarians from all over the world heading to India for a couple weeks where planning committees organize strategic teams that conduct door to door immunizations. The goal... to End Polio Now! During the door to door immunizations, Rotarians provide drops for children to help their bodies become immune to the virus. Amanda shared that 170 - 172 million children were immunized in one day. Our district, along with our club, helps to support members that would like to go. Our District NID Coordinator, Anil Garg (also present this evening) has been on over a dozen NID trips to aid our district team in India.
Jeremy Jensen was a very delightful and passionate speaker about his business, JJJBees. His company was founded in 2010 as a result of the rapid decrease of bees in captivity, over the last decade. The importance of saving the bees has been the primary motivation for the company and its continued growth. Since its foundation, the company has grown to 200 hives. Jeremy provided excellent insight as to how bees exist in nature and how they behave. He also provided us all with a taste of honey. Nice touch!
Patty Mullins is the CEO of Make A Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties. Make A Wish grants wishes to children who are battling life threatening medical conditions. Patty's chapter was founded in 1985 and has granted the wishes of more than 1,750 local children between 2 1/2 - 18 years of age. They serve Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties. Patty believes that the wishes that are granted are game-changers for these children and she shared many of their touching stories.
President's Message
