EVENT RECORDINGS
INTERVIEW WITH THE OJAI VALLEY NEWS – APRIL 9, 2022
The Ojai Retreat Cultural Center continued its monthly series of live, plus zoom interviews exploring Ojai community issues.
On Saturday, April 9, 2:30 pm, the series continued with Ojai Valley News owner/publisher Laura Rearwin Ward, news editor Marianne Ratcliff, and reporters Perry Von Houten and Kimberly Rivers.
Local newspapers have been struggling, losing 2,200 of them since 2005. A few local residents have recently purchased Ojai’s 130-year-old journal of record as Ojai Media and led by Publisher Laura Rearwin Ward.
What is the state of Ojai’s local newspaper, what are its values, challenges and vision for the future? Take a look inside the inner workings of our community’s newspaper and join in the discussion with the team bringing the news to our valley. This interview was conducted by Ellen Hall.
BENEFIT CONCERT FOR UKRAINE – APRIL 3, 2022
Local community music group “Smitty and Julija” curated a live music program for peace with local musicians who donated their efforts for this event. Julija Zonic happens to also be an Eastern European war refugee from the Balkan War in the 90’s.
This program included:
– Special appearance and statements from Ukrainian war refugees recently arrived in Ojai
– Ukrainian and Eastern European classical and folk songs from Ukrainian artists
– Professional concert violinist Kathleen Robertson
– Smitty and Julija and Ojai Retreat board member David Post
The music was outdoors at the Pink Moment Event Center.
All donations that go to the non-profit Ojai Retreat Cultural Center (501,c,3) and are tax-deductible. The Ojai Retreat Cultural Center has sent all donations (with no deductions) to the non-profit organization TeamHumanity (www.TeamHumanity.info) located in Chicago. Team Humanity works in cooperation with the World Central Kitchen (WCK). Your donation will go directly to support families at the Ukrainian border who are in desperate need of shelter, food, and humanitarian aid.
We are grateful to all who joined us that Sunday, and will continue to make a difference together!
Team Humanity acknowledges the receipt of your donation of 6,506.00 USD received through wire transfer on April 14th, 2022. Click here to see the receipt.
INTERVIEW WITH MARC WHITMAN, ARCHITECT – MARCH 19, 2022
The Ojai Retreat Cultural Center began a monthly series of live zoom interviews exploring Ojai community issues.
On March 19th the series began with architect Marc Whitman discussing his idea for the development of the Ojai Unified School District as an Art School. His idea has stimulated many in the community to visualize an adult education center that is not only an art school but perhaps includes environmental studies, a space to learn trades and even a teachers college to enhance the careers of the many teachers in the Valley. He was interviewed by Ellen Hall at the Ojai Retreat.