FEATURES | By Dr. Fred Fauvre

Living Treasures of Ojai Named

Sanford Drucker

Both of Ojai’s Rotary Clubs — Ojai Rotary-West and the Rotary Club of Ojai — have announced their selections of this year’s Living Treasures of Ojai from among dozens of nominees.

Martha Ditchfield, among other projects, runs the Ojai Valley Family Shelter, providing basic needs for hundreds of homeless people in the Ojai Valley every year. She was for many years the president of the Ojai Federation of Teachers.

Bryan and Nicki Crawford volunteer extensively in the community, including Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Parent Teacher Association at Mira Monte School, basketball coaching, PONY Baseball, Ojai Eagles Football and the Nan Tolbert Nurturing Center.

Becky Beckett, principal at Chaparral High School, is a well-established science educator and environmentalist. She is the co-founder of the Health Science Academy.

Leonard Block has decades of grassroots community service and was the founder, and one-man committee, for the Thanksgiving Food Baskets. The Korean War veteran has lived in Ojai since 1990. He also conducts farm tours for local school children.

Marquita Flemming has devoted countless hours as co-chair of executive committee of the Ojai Women’s Fund as well as volunteering as the artistic director of the Nordhoff High School spring musicals. She also acts as her neighborhood librarian with the “little library” in front of her house.

Betsy King Watson has dedicated years of service to Ojai, including serving many key roles in the Rotary Club of Ojai — serving multiple tours as Community Service Director, Membership Chair, Grants Chair, secretary of the Ojai Educational Foundation as well as years of service at the Gables of Ojai.

The Living Treasures of Ojai was a project originated more than a quarter-century