Gala Lions Club celebration held at Crowne Plaza. Photos by Patricia Schallert

On Saturday, January 7, the Ventura Downtown Lions Club held their 100th birthday celebration at the Crowne Plaza.

The hundreds attending included Ventura Lions, club members from throughout Southern California and invited guests and dignitaries.

They enjoyed an evening of appetizers, cocktails an outstanding dinner and inspirational speeches.

Ventura Lions president Patrick D. Pothier welcomed all prior to the invocation by Lion Tom Hundley and pledge of allegiance led by Ed Rogoff.

Speakers and awardees included past presidents, district governors, VIP guests and First VP Maya Zumaya who will be the 100th President when she takes office on July 1, 2023.

The keynote speaker was International President Brian Sheehan who got the crowd cheering on their feet with his enthusiastic presentation.

Patrick Pothier stated “It is my great honor as President of the Ventura Downtown Lions to invite you to our 100th Birthday Celebration. Our history is rich in Lionism and in giving back to the community we love.”

“Our Club was chartered on April 27, 1923, by 51 outstanding local businesses and community leaders. One of them was Fred W Smith who went on to become President of Lions Clubs International for 1947 – 1948, and another was Charles Rea, the then Mayor of Ventura. Another was Erle Stanley Gardner, an attorney who became famous as the author of Perry Mason detective stories. While we’re celebrating our 100th Birthday, we can also celebrate that we have never had a repeat President, having 100 Presidents in 100 years. No other club can make that claim.”

“Our Club and its members have a rich history of civic service and of service to the community and beyond. There have also been 10 Members who have been the mayor of Ventura, and at least 20 who were city council members. Many have served as public officials on various public boards and commissions, on private boards and nonprofits, and as public officials in a wide variety of capacities. “

“While our history is rich, and our present is just as rich. We are dedicated to providing assistance to individuals and community organizations that are in need and support. These efforts include, but are not limited to, providing camperships for deaf children, free eye exams for those in need, scholarships for local students, Thanksgiving baskets for families that are food insecure, as well as supporting the Salvation Army food pantries. We participate in both community and beach clean-up days and we recognize America’s hero’s – the Military Veterans and First Responders. We support those suffering from diabetes and the researchers seeking a cure, efforts to help and assist those dealing with mental health issues, and a wide range of other worthy matters.”

“While our past and present is exciting, our future looks even brighter. As we celebrate the past 100 Years of Service at this Gala, we also begin to look forward to the next 100 years, and we are excited about what the future holds for us and the rest of the Lions around the world.”

These volunteers are what makes this program successful.

by Ross Williams

Kathy Powell is the founder of The Moving In Project, a local grassroots community effort that helps to provide furnishings for the newly housed homeless. This year they have provided furnishings for 120 households and have had the pleasure of serving 200 people. In the 2-½ years since its inception The Moving in Project has helped to furnish a total 234 households and created warm welcoming environments for 373 people.

Ten years ago Kathy lived in the neighborhood close to Harbor Church. There in the church’s courtyard homeless people would often congregate; playing music, using the facilities to shower and dress and spend time just hanging out. At the church were a variety of people; Veterans, those with disabilities or mental illness, those that struggled with abuse or addiction, those with financial hardships and elderly people who just couldn’t afford an apartment. Their stories were layered and tragic and always had some devastating circumstances that had led to their current situation. Kathy understood their positions. Their stories grabbed at her heart and so she began to help.

Kathy always wanted to be a chef and she had the opportunity to do so at Harbor Church where she ran the kitchen. “I always wanted to have a restaurant and I loved the experience. Everyone wanted to be a part of the restaurant.” Her favorite thing to make was quiche. A local country club would often donate food items after Sunday brunch and that allowed Kathy access to ingredients for daily fresh squeezed juices and the ability to explore her culinary creativity.

Then everything changed. The church closed their doors due to a controversy, but Kathy had already moved on and had been doing outreach in the homeless community in various ways. It was then that Kathy found out that she had cancer and although she won the battle she had to have a lung removed leaving her immune system compromised. With that her role as a volunteer was uncertain. Then the pandemic hit.

Shortly after the pandemic started the homeless were moved into hotels and motels via Project Room Key. When she was finally able to volunteer again a man that had volunteered with her called her called about a woman that he knew. She had been given permanent housing, and as great of a gift as that was, there was a problem. She didn’t have anything. Not a couch to sit on, not a plate to eat off of. Not a pillow or a lamp. A wonderful opportunity came with a lot of open-ended questions and concerns and to make things harder she was nearly blind.

Kathy wanted to help. She reached out to her network and asked if anyone could contribute. The donations poured in and they kept coming. Soon the program took shape. Lynn Gellar helped Kathy start The Moving in Project and different people stepped up to volunteer in various ways. One woman makes bathroom boxes, another makes stationary boxes. Some make kitchen boxes. A local shelter hires a guy with a box truck to transport furniture and veterans come and help with the moving process. One man was living on the streets for 12 years. Now he’s found a way to give back by becoming a volunteer driver for the program.

The three main sources of donations are realtors, the community and houses of faith. Case managers work to find the homeless a place to live. That’s the hard part. Kathy’s role is to get the furniture for the people. She asks important questions in order to understand each individual’s specific needs. What they like, what they need, if they enjoy cooking, and if they have any kids. Then people get to pick out their furniture.

The costs of operating the program are approximately $ 1,000 a month, from storage rentals to U hauls and that $1,000 can make for a huge impact. It keeps furniture out of the landfill and gives the furniture a whole new life. Not to mention it keeps Kathy’s life vibrant and jam packed.

People are implored to donate, but only items that are in good condition. When discussing the condition of the donated items Kathy says “The items have to be good enough to give to a family member that you like!”

The Moving in Project is associated with the nonprofit Lift Up Your Voice to End Homelessness.

If you would like to contribute to The Moving in Project please contact:

Kathy Powell 805-910-8860 [email protected].

Aera is committed to improving the lives of citizens.

The City of Ventura and Aera Energy partnered to provide 120 Thanksgiving meals to low-income families enrolled in the Ventura Unified School District. Each Thanksgiving meal included a turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetables, a pie, and other traditional thanksgiving meal sides.

“Many of these families, identified by the school district, rely on this program each year to help make ends meet,” said City of Ventura Recreation Manager Emily Fox. “The holidays can be financially challenging for many. We’re grateful to local community partners that help us alleviate some of those burdens during this season of giving.”

Thanks to a more than $4,300 donation from Aera Energy, the City purchased ingredients for the Thanksgiving meal kits. Meals were packed into reusable bags by employees and volunteers from the City and Aera on Monday, November 21, at the Westpark Community Center. The bags were dropped off at schools throughout the Ventura Unified School District (VUSD) by City staff and distributed to select families by VUSD staff before the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Aera is committed to improving the lives of citizens in the communities where we live and work,” said Aera External Affairs Advisor Amy Fonzo. “We see that rising costs for life’s necessities are making it even more difficult for people to justify spending their limited funds on a single Thanksgiving meal. We hope this food allows our residents a moment to pause and enjoy time spent with family over a hearty meal this Thanksgiving.”

Who was able to read the Breeze first?

On October 20-27th, a delegation of 15 people from the Ventura Sister City Association (VSCA) went down to Ventura’s first and only Sister City, Loreto Baja Sur, Mexico, to participate in the 325th year of Loreto’s founding. Loreto served as the first capital of California, and it has ties to Ventura through its Mission and the headquarters for the five island Mexican National Park off of its coast in the Sea of Cortez.

The trip included a visit to San Javier, an older mission in the Gigante’ Mountain range, boat rides out to the islands, a stop at a working ranchero where goats are raised, visits with artists, the Loreto Fire Department and a foster home and a beach clean-up. Additionally, we had an orientation session with Eco-Alianza, on organization that supports and collaborates with, which is dedicated to environmental protection of the Sea of Cortez and promotion of ecotourism.

Most importantly, the delegation got to participate in the four-day celebration of Loreto’s founding, including the presentation of a proclamation from Ventura’s Mayor and City Council to their Mayor and Council. Pictures and a video of the trip can be found on the Ventura Sister City Facebook page.

This is the second year in a row that the VCSA has partnered with the Hermosa Beach Sister City Association (HBSCA), as Hermosa Beach has been a Sister City of Loreto for 55 years. Beyond the October visit, which coincides with Loreto’s founding on October 25, 1697, the VSCA is working on developing trips to enhance our purpose of building cultural exchanges in the arts, with our museum and with our schools. If you are interested in getting involved with the Ventura Sister City Association, please visit our webpage at VenturaSisterCity.org.