2017-2018

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Category: 2017-2018

Allan Jacobs was an Ojai Native and local attorney. His death in October of 2017 interrupted his recognition but not his legacy.

Allan's volunteerism began early, according to his wife, Janet. He served in the Peace Corps in Bolivia from 1969 to 1971. While in Bolivia, he helped establish a coffee production cooperative in a small Andean village.

On return to Ojai, he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Rotary Club of Ojai. He traveled to Mexico on various service projects with his fellow Rotarians.

Allan's love of the outdoors and desire to preserve the environment has never wavered since this childhood years. He joined the Ojai Valley Land Consevancy in the early 1990's, helping to protect and preserve the Valley's open spaces. He enjoyed taking people on hikes in the trails around Ojai. He had an annual hike on his birthday to Nordhoff Peak, pledging charitable donations for each fellow hiker that made the trip.

Allan started the Ojai Rotary Educational Foundation starting with an endowment of less than $25,000. It has since grown to over $4 million dollars and provides more than $100,000 each year to college bound students and to assist local teachers.

Bret Bradigan, his mentor observed, "I can honestly tell you the trails around here will never seem quite the same to me again."

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Category: 2017-2018

Bob Denne is a great supporter of music, generous with his time and talents. Dr. Richard Gould observed, "Bob is the Energizer Bunny. He's a self starter."

Bob was born in Buffalo, N.Y. and moved to California when he was 10. He served in the US Army with service in Viet Nam. He describes himself as semi retired from his many years of work in the water treatment industry as a contractor, engineer, consultant and salesman. Bob and Laura (Living Treasure 2013) were married in 1970 and moved to Ojai in 1989. Laura is a retired OUSD music teacher.

Bob joined the Rotary Club of Ojai West in 2010 and spearheaded a $60,000 fund raising effort to provide the sun shades at the Ojai Community Playground in Libbey Park. Since 2015, he has been in charge of volunteers at the Ojai Wine Festival, the Club's major fundraiser.

Bob and Laura serve on the board of directors for the OJai Education Foundation, that raises more than $60,000 a year for local schools. He is also involved in raising money and awareness of the Summer Concert series in Libbey Park, maintaining the music library and raising money to fund improvements.

His nominator, Lillian Talley observed, "He's such a big supporter of music, but he has his hands in so many things."

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Category: 2017-2018

Julie Hamann spent her childhood dancing in her father's ballet studio. She learned ballet from her father and added jazz, tap, and song to her repertoire as a musical theater student at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. She later worked as a touring performer for Disney. She toured the United States and Japan.

Since moving to Ojai 10 years ago, she has brought her talents to staging the Nordhoff High School musicals. She relishes the opportunity to show students that everyone can dance.

She has found many ways to keep busy in Ojai. She performed in Ojai Strong: A Woman's life in Song to the benefit of the Ojai Woman's Fund and choriographed and starred in many of the musicals at the Ojai Art Center.

She began her volunteer work in Ojai as a new mother who wanted to get to know her neighbors and began volunteering at Monica Ros School while her son was a student. She became President of the PTA. She helped teach music at Monica Ros.

"I guess I never really think of myself as volunteering. I always just want to be a part of the community."

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Category: 2017-2018

"While Aryna and Phil have both individual and common interests, the way they work together creates synergy and exciting results for people of all ages in Ojai", observed Rikki Horne, in her nomination.

Caruthers and Swope have donated countless volunteer hours to the Ojai Education Foundation, the Ojai Tennis Tournament, the Ojai Film Festival, the Ojai Music Festival, the Ojai Women's Fund, the Ojai Valley Retired Men's Club, and the Ojai Valley Community Hospital Foundation Guild.

They met while working at IBM in Los Angeles, married, and moved to Ojai in 2003. Officially, they're retired, but you'd never know it by their busy schedules.

Swope has been involved with the Ojai Women's Fund since its creation in 2016, helping to raise over $120,000 in the past few years. It funds local non-profit groups to fund the arts, education, environment, health care, and social service programs.

Caruthers served as treasurer of the Ojai Education Foundation for 8 years. Close to a half a million dollars in grants and special projects have benefitted greatly the Ojai Unified School District.

Together, they help raise awareness and funding for the Ojai Valley Community Hospital Foundation Guild, including serving as chairs of its Nightingale Ball. "The Ojai Valley Community Hospital is so important to this community," Caruthers said. The fundraising has updated the essential services of the hospital and contributed to its financial stability.

For no prior experience in fundraising, they have managed to elevate the quality of life and well being to the Ojai Valley. "We know more people and have more friends in little ol' Ojai than we did in Los Angeles," quipped Phil.

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Category: 2017-2018

Richard and Sheryl McArthur arrived in Ojai in 1977. They are particularly fond of working with children. Richard, a charter member of the Rotary Club of Ojai West, initiated the group's Dictionaries in the Classroom project in 2002 in his Presidential year with Rotary. Every 3rd grader in the Ojai Unified School District is provided a dictionary. It is very often the first book that is actually theirs. Lesson plans are provided to teach the children how to use their new tomes.

Sheryl was named Volunteer of the Year of Lompoc while in Ojai. She divided her time between Ojai and assisting the city of Lompoc with its redevelopment plans.

The couple owns Ojai Lumber and manages 15 employees. "We feel fortunate that the Ojai community has supported our business," Sheryl stated. Ojai Lumber regularly donates theater set materials to the Ojai Art Center and Nordhoff High School.

In addition to supporting local education, they have donated materials for the local Boy Scouts. Richard has served as Cubmaster and both of their sons have become Eagle Scouts.

Cheryl is a 48-year member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, an organization that supports women's educational advancement internationally.

"We support anything that involves kids and education".