Thank you, Rotary family, for making my birthday celebration at our meeting so special. Celebrating with all of you, as we closed out Hispanic Heritage Month, was the best gift I could have asked for.

That meeting was also a highlight for another reason. Randy Friedman, Public Information Officer for Ventura County Animal Services, shared his talk with us, and it was inspiring to see the impact his organization has in our communities. Thank you, Randy, for the work you do and for spending time with our club.

Why This Month Matters

I’m Colombian, and that heritage runs through everything I am: the hard work, the resourcefulness, and the refusal to quit when things get hard. I watched my family live that every day. They taught me that you don’t wait for opportunity to be handed to you. You build it.

Earlier this week, I attended Té con Limón, hosted by Senator Monique Limón. Hearing that 41% of Californians are Hispanic was a powerful reminder of how deeply our community shapes this state. Sitting in a room with the first mother and Latina to serve as Senate President pro Tempore made me proud of where I come from and of the legacy Hispanics have built in this country. When a young Latina sees someone like her in a seat of leadership, she thinks: sí se puede. If she can, I can.

A Call for Equity

I’m honored to carry that with me as president of the Rotary Club of West Ventura County. I also want to be honest, because honesty is part of respecting this community: hard work alone has never been enough. Hispanic women are paid about 53 cents for every dollar a white man earns. That isn’t a gap in effort. It’s a gap in equity.

Rotary’s motto is “Service Above Self,” and I believe that includes serving the whole community in front of us. Ventura County is rich with Latine families, entrepreneurs, students, and leaders, and our club should look like them, listen to them, and walk beside them.

Three Ways You Can Help

1. Invite someone new. Bring someone who doesn’t look like the usual Rotary room, such as a Latina business owner, a young professional, or a neighbor who has been serving quietly for years.
2. Support Latina-owned businesses. Spend your money where you want to see equity grow.
3. Speak up. When you have a seat at a table where pay, hiring, or promotions are decided, ask: Are we paying people fairly?

Thank you to our founding members, who laid the foundation for this club, and to every one of you for the work you do. Let’s honor where we come from and commit to a future where no woman, in this room or beyond it, is valued at 53 cents on the dollar.

¡Sí se puede!

Cynthia Torres

 President, Rotary Club of West Ventura County

"Catching the Wave of Service"