Flag: Margie True
 
Song: Ray Taylor led a rousing rendition of  Take Me Out to the Ball Game in honor of the Dodger's success so far this season. 
 
Invocation: Charles Bloomquist.  Reflecting on the passing of his sister-in-law two years ago today, Charles said that in Rotary we celebrate the birth of our children and grandchildren and all the happy occasions of our lives. He also said that we are also there to support one another during the difficult times and that is what a family is all about. Our club is indeed family and for that he is grateful.  
 
Invocation:        ​
For friends, good, fun and fellowship, especially the fellowship of Rotary we give our sincere thanks.  May these tokens of your bounty nourish our physical bodies in
preparation for the challenges that are ours in Rotary. Keep us always mindful of the needs of others and keep us always attuned to our calling in Rotary. We ask these things in the Name of your Eternal Truth. Amen.
 
Guests: 
Sabie from the Simi Valley AM club
Kristen Beck, YMCA Program Director and guest of Patrick Yarrow. 
 
Dapper Spar - Rotary AHA Moment:
Dapper said that when his mother passed away he was looking for something meaningful to do. Rotarian Mark Jaffa invited him to a Rotary meeting.  Jock McKenzie said Dapper would be running the youth program and that was that. Dapper loves Rotary and he will do it for the rest of his life!
 
Announcements:
 * Harvey's daughter’s surgery went well and is now recovering.  It would be nice to let Harvey know we are thinking of him and praying for his daughter, Lisa (via e-mail).
 
* The Thousand Oaks Wine Festival is on August 18th at the Westlake Hyatt. 
 
* August is membership month for Rotary. All are encouraged to bring future members
 
* Kelly Honig is now the publisher of The Flag. She thanked Andy and Joy for their assistance. Our Rotary's primary source of communication is The Flag.  If you have any announcements, events or other information, please send it to Kelly for publication.  The Flag will come out every Friday.  Kelly  requested volunteers for note taking at the meetings. 
 
* Margie True spoke about the Stuff the Backpack project, which was a huge success due to Margie and Nadine Larson and our Rotary volunteers pictured here.  Margie thanked everyone for the help. 231 backpacks went to local children in need.  Margie emphasized that we need a new back pack donor.  In the past, our chapter has purchased 100 backpacks at $18 each.  It usually costs $50 to $90 per pack based on grade level. 
 
* Christina Auda
MOW needs a volunteer for this Saturday. Patrick will do it!
 
*Fine Master Bloomquist was in FINE form today. Members who were fined were:
 
       Nadine Larson: Her son and his fiancé have set a wedding date on September 15, 2017, joining the rest of us blissfully happy souls. Fine Amount: $40
 
       Patrick Yarrow has been selected as one of the celebrated 40 Under 40 by the Greater Conejo Chamber of Commerce, as pictured in Conejo View Magazine. Fine          Amount: $4  (major discount on fine for volunteering to do Meals on Wheels on 08/05/17!)
 
       Ray Taylor for being selected as the Conejo Valley's 2017 Man of the Year, as pointed out by Kelly.  Fine Amount: $100
 
Craft Talks by Brad:  
 
Kelly Honig: Kelly was sponsored by Ray Taylor and her mentor is Nida Brown.  She is an attorney, and was born in Akron,  Ohio. During her childhood she lived in Pakistan and Ghana, West Africa.  Her family then moved to Sacramento.  She graduated from UC Davis, and McGeorge School of Law/University of the Pacific.  She is the wife of Keith.  Her son Charles is 21 and a senior at the University of Oregon (GO DUCKS!).  Her daughter Meredith is 19 and was a Cornhusker, but is now going to be an Aggie at UC Davis.  They also have 3 dogs and a guinea pig. Keith is an attorney and worked at AIG, but is now between jobs.  Kelly was a maritime lawyer. 
 
Kelly likes being on TV, hanging with Ray, and now knows all 5 breweries in Westlake Village. Her most amazing trip was an East Africa Safari and highly recommends it.  She would like to go to a beach like  Fiji for vacation. She doesn't like to cook,  and spaghetti with meat sauce is her favorite. She doesn't like liver or lima beans. She likes 80's music, which is now considered "classic." She plays tennis, gardens, and reads a lot. This summer she is hanging out with her college kids. Her favorite marine mammal is the manatee and her favorite land mammal is the rhino. 
 
Semih Sinik: Crackpots? No! Craft Talks? Yes! Semih was sponsored by Steve Kerrigan and his mentor is Pastor Dickey, but Bob now helps him.  His classification is Imaging Technology.  Semih sells high speed cameras, some of which shoot 10,000 frames per second. The military , universities, and manufacturers buy them. Semih was born in Istanbul,  Turkey on the European side. He came to the US as an exchange student when he was 15, and ultimately ended up in Eerie,  PA. He has two older sons, one of whom lives in London and the other lives locally.  His wife's name is Stasia, and they have one son, who is working in New York this summer and will return to Harvard to finish his degree in Finance in the fall.  Semih and Stasia met at Kodak, while both were working there.  
 
Semih says his work can sometimes be dangerous.  He has been near radiation and falling helicopters, but has so far escaped unscathed. He and Stasia love to travel and like Tahiti and Bora Bora.  He also loved Botswana, Thailand, the Philippines and India.  He likes rock music and has been going to the Outside Lands concerts in SF every year.  His favorite food is Turkish cuisine, and his wife Stasia is a good cook. He enjoys downhill skiing in Park City, and also loves soccer. He played professionally
for a year before coming to the U.S. permanently. 
 
 
Mike Dutra:  President Lee was Mikes'sponsor and celebrity CRAFT host Brad Ormsby is his mentor. Printer is his classification.  Mike is the owner of Candu Graphics and is in the business of high speed printing.  He was born and raised in Venice, California.  He went to Venice High School, and helped fix the Myrna Loy statue. He also watched Grease being filmed at the school. He is married for the second time to Cindy and together they have five grown children. He lives in Newbury Park.  He initially went to Pierce College for a degree in forestry and joined the Forest Service.  His tenure there was short after his first assignment was to clean Andy Gumps.  He returned to Northridge to get a business degree.  
 
He and his wife recently won a Fiji vacation at a charity event, so they will be traveling there soon. His favorite food is the chicken taco, but also likes fish tacos. Mike likes music and recently bought an internet radio station called Radio Candu. He and Cindy do not have pets, but they do have one grandchild.  He enjoys golf  and volunteering for nonprofits.  He is currently helping the YMCA.  Mike has enjoyed his time at Rotary. 
 
Four Way Test - Bill Hang
 
President Lee adjourned the meeting