Denim & Diamonds Foundation Gala raises $40,000. for PolioPlus in one night!

District 5340 kicked up its heels at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido and had fun and raised funds at the same time.   Each ticket to the Gala included a $25.00 donation to the The Rotary Foundation’s End Polio Now campaign—which will be matched by an anonymous donor.  Club Foundation Chairs should send in the Multiple Donor Form (TRF form 094 en) listing the names of Club members who attended the Gala along with their RI ID numbers, so that their donation can be credited to their account.  These are due to the District Office by November 30.   Our Rotary cowboy hats are off to Escondido Rotarian Jack Campell who began the bidding from the floor with a $5000. donation to PolioPlus which was quickly  matched with over $15,000. in  additional pledges from the floor.  Thanks to the wonderful committee who  put this event together including Trudy Armstrong, Debbi Stanley, Peter Wolf, Dale Bailey, and Mel and Judy Gallegos.  Thanks to Mike Dunlap of the Escondido Sunrise Rotary Club for his generous donation of wine and the Stone Brewery in Escondido for the donation of the beer.   A good time was had by all!

 

Check out our Group Study Exchange (GSE) Team in Ecuador on their Blog

Our District is  currently being very well represented by a GSE Team of educators led by Rotarian/Assistant Governor Marta Knight, Chula Vista Sunrise Rotary Club,  as they travel around District 4400 (Ecuador).  They have an almost daily account of their activities at this address: http://ecuadorgse09.blogspot.com/   Their stories are interesting and range from eating cuy (guinea pig) to being interviewed on national TV.  They will return on Saturday, December 5, at 11:00 PM on American Airlines (Terminal #2)—join the welcome home team and greet them at the airport.  We will have an exchange Team from District 4400/Ecuador visiting our District in February 2010. 

 

International Host Hospitality Night is coming on Sunday, January 17

Once again our District will have the honor of hosting District Governors-elect from all around the Rotary World on Sunday, January 17, beginning at 4:00 PM.  Many Clubs and Rotarians have already signed up to host some of our International Visitors.  If you are interested in getting to meet some of these interesting and dedicated Rotarians sign up on our website:  www.rotary5340.org/hospitality/hosts.html   If you are interested in participating in the Escondido Rotary Club’s Host Hospitality event, which will be similar to the Denim & Diamonds Gala, you will be able to sign up soon on the District Website for that event as well. 

 

Presidents and Presidents-Elect will meet on Saturday, January 30

District Governor Marge Cole and District Governor-elect Dave Breeding are working together to plan a continuity event for Presidents and Presidents-Elect on Saturday, January 30, 2010 at the Vista Entertainment Center (435 W. Vista Way Vista, CA 92083-5892).   Presidents-Elect will have Pre-PETS activities from 9:00—10:30 with DGE Dave while Presidents will meet with DG Marge and share best practices in the following areas: Membership, Fundraising, and Communication & PR (websites, newsletters, news articles, etc.).  Everyone will meet together at 10:30 with PDG Pam Russell to hear about the Future Vision Pilot and how it will work for our District.  Following the Future Vision presentation, we will have lunch together.  Having this meeting together will allow Presidents and Presidents-Elect to carpool if it is convenient.   This will be a great continuity event and allow Clubs to keep the Rotary momentum going.  Mark your calendars for this important event—more information and registration on the website will be available soon.

 

Presidents-Elect to attend PETS 2010 in Los Angeles in February

All Club Presidents-Elect are reminded to sign up for PETS at the LAX Marriott February 19-21, 2010.  Registration is available at this address: http://www.socalnevadapets.org/   If you are a current Club President or Assistant Governor, please make sure your Club President-Elect is registered and plans to attend PETS.  It is a wonderful weekend of training, inspiration, and motivation and it will help Presidents-Elect carry on the great work that is going on in our Clubs all over the District.

 

District Conference “Early Bird” Discount extended through January 31
District Conference Chair Luene Corwin announced that the “Early Bird” rate of $180.00 will be extended through January 31—a $20.00 savings over the full registration cost of $200.00.   A registration link will soon be on the District website so you may sign up online.  Until then you can download the registration form at:  http://www.rotary5340.org/resources/general.html  and mail it to the District Office when complete. This year’s conference will be held in the Imperial Valley and the theme is “Cultivating Cooperation.”  The dates of the Conference are May 14-16, 2010.  The home base hotel is the Brawley Inn (http://www.brawleyinn.com/). You can make room reservations for only $79 per night if you call 1-800-541-4567 and identify yourself as a Rotarian.  There will be a “Best Ball Scramble” golf tournament on Friday morning at the Del Rio Country Club with prizes and fun golf as well—you don’t need to be a golf pro to have a good time.  Our featured conference speaker will be PDG Ron Denham, Chairman of the Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group (WASRAG), who will tell us about exciting possibilities for water projects worldwide.  We will have field trips to see water and geo-thermal sites in the Imperial Valley as well.  Our workshops and plenary sessions will be in the new Science Center at Imperial Valley College and we will enjoy a BBQ and party on Saturday evening at the Pioneers’ Museum—right across the street from the college.  This conference will be fun, casual, interesting, and very relaxed.  Come out to the Valley for a warm welcome and sunshine!

President-Elects to attend  PETS 2010 in Los Angeles in February.

All Club President-elects are reminded to sign up for PETS at the LAX Marriott February 19-21, 2010.  Registration is available at this address: http://www.socalnevadapets.org/   If you are a current Club President or Assistant Governor, please make sure your Club President-elect is registered and plans to attend PETS.  It is a wonderful weekend of training, inspiration, and motivation and it will help President-elects carry on the great work that is going on in our Clubs all over the District.

 

Going to the Montreal Convention? Deadline for Early Bird Rates is December 15

You can register online (https://rotary2010.com/) and also select Host Organizing Events and a hotel on the Montreal Convention website.  Our District Chair for promoting the Montreal Convention is Ed Knight, Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club.  He can provide you with brochures and more information.  This should be a great event in a beautiful city!

 

Rotary and Boy Scouts Connect to Celebrate Scouting’s Centennial Celebration in 2010!

Rotary District 5340 and the Boy Scout Council of San Diego and Imperial Counties will join together to celebrate and serve their communities.  The first celebration will be an Adventure Camp in Mission Valley Shopping Center (Southeast corner parking lot area near I-8 freeway).  This will be a miniature “camp” with active things for participants to do including a ropes course, etc.  We plan to have a Rotary information table there and we need volunteers to staff the table on Saturday, January 9 and Sunday, January 10.  If you can help please contact Carl Kruse (kruser1@san.rr.com).  Our other Scouting connections will be “Scouting for Food” Drive, the first week of March.  Rotarians will be asked to bring non-perishable food items (canned goods, etc.) to their Rotary meetings that week, and there will be Scouts and/or Scout Leaders there to collect them and to take them to the local food banks for needy families.  Our final connection will be Rotarians at Work Day on Saturday, April 24, 2010.  We will provide a list of local Scout troops in the area and we ask Clubs to invite the Scouts and their Leaders to join our Rotary Clubs in their Rotarians at Work Day Project and help demonstrate our motto of Service Above Self in our communities.  Congratulations are also due to Alan Noblitt of the Poway Rotary Club and Jerry Heatherington of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club for achieving Rotary’s Cliff Dochterman Scouting Award for service to the Scouts in their communities.  Our many Rotarians who have been Scouts or involved with Scouts are invited to join the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians (http://www.ifsr-net.org/index_2.html)