August was exciting indeed!

It may have been vacation time, but Rotarians all over our district were buzzing with activity.  Major fundraisers took place, school supplies were bought for kids in need, Rotary scholars arrived from all parts of the world, over $155,000 in District Grant funds are being distributed to our clubs, 14 “Official Visits” were made, exchange students were exchanged, and one of our youngest clubs became a 100% Paul Harris Club!

September is New Generations Month

Now that school is starting, that special brand of “Service above Self” practiced by our Rotarians will get even more exciting.  More than 60 Interact Clubs will be coming to life in our high schools.  Rotaract Clubs are getting in gear in colleges and communities everywhere.  A fantastic LEAD (Leadership, Ethics, and Determination) weekend is planned September 25^th and 26^th for 100 or more very excited 8^th grade students.  The Rotary Four-Way Test is being recited in classrooms.  Projects are underway to distribute dictionaries to 3^rd grade students.  Educators and students are being honored.  Our Rotarians care about encouraging ethics and excellence in young people everywhere.

Rotaract

District 5340’s Rotaract Clubs are alive and well and planning the formation of a District- wide committee under the leadership of District Rotaract Chair Liz Raines (La Jolla New Generations Rotary Club) and District Advisor PDG Marge Cole (Mission Valley Rotary Club).  The group began meeting in the summer and are meeting twice monthly to continue the organization of the committee as well as planning a District-wide Rotaract Symposium the first weekend of October.  They are looking at possible sites for this symposium which will combine fun and fellowship, officer training, a keynote speaker and making plans for future events.  At this point in time the following Rotaract Clubs are identified in the District:

Club Name                                                         Sponsor Club(s)

Point Loma Nazarene                                    Point Loma

San Diego State University                           San Diego (Club #33)

San Diego Downtown                                    San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club

University of San Diego                                La Jolla Golden Triangle & Del Mar

University of California, San Diego           La Jolla Golden Triangle

There are clubs in the formation stage at Mesa College (sponsor club is Rancho Bernardo Sunrise); Mira Costa College (no sponsor club yet), and possibly at California State University, San Marcos (no sponsor club yet).  If you are interested in being involved with a Rotaract Club or helping to form one in your community, contact Liz Raines (lizraines@hotmail.com) or Marge Cole (marge.cole@yahoo.com).

Rotary Youth Exchange

Here’s the “Cliff Notes” version:  One of our Rotarians led a GSE team to Ecuador.  One of the GSE team members observed an active Rotary Youth Exchange program in Ecuador.  When she returned home, her son became interested in being a Rotary Youth Exchange student.  Just days before her son left for his one-year exchange to Ecuador, another Rotary Youth Exchange student from Spain joined her family for a year’s stay in the US.  

 The WHOLE story is MUCH more fascinating!  Click here:            http://www.rotary5340.org/news/pdf/news10-34.pdf                     Maddy and Joe have three children: Simone, Nadia and Alex.   In the photo, L-R:  Joe, Nadia, Simone, Gery, Maddy, Alex.

Our District Conference is less than two months from NOW!

Talk about excitement and FUN!  Don’t miss Fallbrook in the Fall October 21-24, 2010.

Our venues are truly outstanding.  The headquarters site is the Pala Mesa Resort – check out the accolades of its golf course, natural beauty, great restaurant, and wonderful accommodations at http://www.palamesa.com/Golf.aspx?id=layout.

Our venue for Saturday morning, The Grand Tradition, was just this week voted San Diego’s # 2 BEST PLACE TO GET MARRIED (second only to the Hotel Del Coronado!).  Take a peek at http://www.grandtradition.com/

And Friday evening at the Lazy Creek Ranch will be unbelievable.  This is a private collector’s fantastic estate -- including a railroad (North County & Pacific Creek Railroad) written up in national railroad enthusiast’s publications, antique automobiles all of which starred in the movies, a gold mine layout, and carefully displayed collection of movie props of all kinds.  Famous Dave’s BBQ will cater the event and the Jackson Band will entertain us.  WOW! 

Our speakers are also truly outstanding! 

The cover article of the most recent Rotarian contains several quotes from our Friday luncheon keynote speaker, Ann Lee Hussey.  Dr. Peter Salk will be telling us about his father, Dr. Jonas Salk.  Dr. Joe Serra is an icon on the polio eradication effort and a long-time close friend and Rotary mentor for our own PDG Dr. Bill McDade (of the San Diego Rotary Club). We expect a sell-out.  Sign up EARLY on the District website at http://www.rotary5340.org/conference1010/index.html.  Look in the Conference News Center section to register for home hosting and special tours.  Check the website frequently for late breaking news, new tours, contest plans, dress code ideas, and so forth.   Don’t miss the FUN by dallying too long!

 Know someone who has participated on a National Immunization Day?

We want to HONOR NID participants at our District Conference Friday luncheon.  Be sure they register for the event AND let Maureen Eberle (San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary) at meberle@san.rr.com know who they are -- so we can prepare special buttons to identify them.

Know someone who has a very personal interest in polio?

Maybe you or someone in your club is a polio survivor?  Maybe you know someone (family member? friend?) who had the disease.  We ESPECIALLY invite these folks to our District Conference Friday luncheon.  Rotarians, register on the District website.  Non-Rotarians (aka potential Rotarians) should contact Conference Chair Bob Franz (Rotary Club of Fallbrook) at bobfranz@sbcglobal.com for a special price and for reservations.  We want to make special buttons for these folks too!

Really cool club newsletter

Thank you to the clubs that share with me their innovative and EXCITING weekly club newsletters.  From time to time, I will share one of these club newsletters with you in this publication.  This month it is the The Tattler from the La Mesa Rotary Club. 

Deanna Price (La Mesa Rotary Club) is the author.  Deanna volunteered to do so about four years ago as a way of getting more involved with her club.  At the end of each year, she gathers together the weekly editions and nicely binds them into a volume of the history of the club’s achievements and activities!  Very, very cool.  Deanna uses Microsoft Publisher.  In addition to being the The Tattler Editor, Deanna is a full-time physician in a busy private practice AND she is the President of her Rotary Club! Click here to see the current edition of the The Tattler  http://www.rotary5340.org/news/pdf/news10-32.pdf

Really cool club website

Likewise, I see some really great club websites and I’ll also share one with you from time-to-time in this publication.  Scott Carr (San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club) is the guru of all things technical at his club.  He is also the President Elect.  Scott designed their website in 2006 to help club communications, not only with the outside world, but within the club.  Says Scott, “I think by every metric, it has succeeded. We regularly see new people come in to our meetings, and they mention they found us through the website.”

The website has actually comes in two parts – the public site powered by Adobe Dreamweaver and Adobe Contribute -- and the private member site powered by MemberOutpost.com. 

The SD Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club has a strong presence on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Meetup.com.  They also have a YouTube channel, as well as a Twitter feed that is nearing 300 “followers”.Check out the club’s really cool website at http://www.sdrotary.org/.

 Really Really cool YouTube

Check out this Mission Valley Sunset Rotary Club YouTube – which was projected on the giant Jumbotron at PETCO Park before the game on August 11^th!   Click here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ognbHrzYvjE&feature=youtu.be

Take their advice – Text ROTARY to 41411 now!  Then go visit one of their really cool meetings!

The IRS is calling YOU

Hopefully not, but RI has sent us some important announcements from the IRS which YOU should read carefully. If you are the president of a relatively “small” club, this is a great time to be SURE your club has submitted an IRS FORM 990.  Click here to learn about a one-time special offer from the IRS http://www.rotary5340.org/news/pdf/news10-30.pdf.

If you are the president of a relatively “large” club, be aware that your monthly dues statements to your members must include a special statement.  Read the paragraph “Tax Deductible Status” in this document very carefully http://www.rotary5340.org/news/pdf/news10-31.pdf

Not sure if you are a “small” or “large” club?  Read both.  And if you have any questions at all please do not hestitate to contact your local counsel or tax advisor.

Camp Pendleton Rotary Club achieves 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club status

Congratulations to the Camp Pendleton Rotary Club which on August 12^th, 2010 became the sixth club in Rotary District 5340 to be designated a 100% Paul Harris Club.  They are the “youngest” club to do so in our district’s history – chartered June 30, 2005.

(For the record, the other clubs in our district that have achieved this high honor are Rancho Santa Fe (2009), Rancho Bernardo (2008), La Mesa (2006), Escondido Sunrise (2005), and Torrey Pines (2002)).

The Camp Pendleton Rotary Club is small, but mighty -- they have been hugely effective in serving their community – the Marines/Sailors and their families aboard Camp Pendleton!  Their club president, Linda Sundram, is quick to point out, “…our success has to a very large part been due to the support of our fellow Rotary clubs and the public….”   As an example, just last week a semi-trailer truck arrived on

Camp Pendleton FULL of furniture for Marine families donated by Rotary Clubs in District 5330, just to the north of us.  It was the result of a “chance” meeting of the wives (Valerie Owen and Linda Sundram) of D5330 DGN Greg Owen and D5340 DGN Larry Sundram at a recent Rotary training event.  Says Linda, “Isn’t that what Rotary is all about?”

Click here to see a list of the remarkable “Service above Self” projects (so far) of the Camp Pendleton Rotary Club – our newest 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club --              http://www.rotary5340.org/news/pdf/news10-33.pdf

Honor Roll

As a regular feature of this publication, I am going to include an “Honor Roll” to highlight clubs that have achieved remarkable accomplishments.  Here is the list through the end of August (unless otherwise noted).   Congratulations to:

Net New Members (through July 2010, August data not yet available)

Rotary Club of Vista, President Tim Aspell – Net + 4

Rotary Club of Escondido, President Linda Bailey – Net +3

Rotary Club of Escondido Sunrise, President Peggy Reiber – Net +2

Rotary Club of Del Mar Solana Beach Sunrise, President Jan Parsons – Net +1

Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, President Dory Beatrice Griffith – Net +1

Rotary Club of La Mesa, President Deanna Price – Net +1

Approaching 100% Sustaining Member Club status ($100 or more to the TRF Annual Programs Fund)

Rotary Club of Oceanside, President Vernon Allen – 45% so far

Rotary Club of Mission Valley, President Jean Kerr – 41% so far

Rotary Club of Borrego Springs, President Jim Bennett – 37% so far

Achieved or exceeded PolioPlus challenge

Rotary Club of Chula Vista, President Lisa Johnson -- $2,325

100% Paul Harris Fellow Club

Rotary Club of Camp Pendleton, President Linda Sundram

Presidential Citation (at least 25 points in each of 4 categories)

(None so far, but as soon as you are confident you will qualify, let me know)

Building Communities

The Rotary Club of Brawley and Club President Larry Allen wanted to help out the school age children of their local military families, so they made a trip to the NAF El Centro and met with Command Master Chief Ted Gallinat and Public Affairs Officer Michelle Dee.  Master Chief Gallinat had requested pencils and paper for 75 students.  The Brawley Rotarians went shopping and filled the shopping cart to the brim.

In the picture, left to right, are Rotarian and Past-President Greg Smith, Command Master Chief Gallinat and Rotary Club of Brawley President, Larry Allen.  

Bridging Continents

Rotary Friendship Exchange is a worldwide program for cultural exchange, which encourages Rotarians visiting Rotarians across international boundaries.  In this program, Rotarians from one country travel with their spouses or partners to visit another country where they are hosted and treated as family by Rotarians in that country. District 5340 will be hosting its first ever Rotary Friendship Exchange team from Turkey.

    Six couples will arrive on September 26^th, and stay until October 7^th.  Twelve Rotarians in District 5340 will welcome the visitors into their homes, giving each visitor the opportunity to stay in two different houses in two different communities.  The visitors have a full schedule, including hiking, beaches, the Miramar Air Show, the Midway, Coronado, a school visit, Pt Loma Rotary’s Oktoberfest, harbor tour, Balboa Park, shopping and more.  They also will enjoy the more mundane  things we do that would be new and different to them: grocery stores, freeways, our food, quiet neighborhood walks, our car culture, Mexican food, and sunset picnics in a beach park.

    Many, many thanks to these Rotarians and families for hosting our visitors: Louise & Steve Andres, Krishna & Bonnie Arora and Linda Stouffer-La Jolla Golden Triangle; Marge Cole-Mission Valley; Juliet Cunningham-Carlsbad Hi-Noon; Cindy (La Jolla) & Tom Goodman (La Jolla Sunrise); Tom Harvey & Bonnie Drolet and Dick & Lynn Stevens-Encinitas; Janice & Matt Kurth-Del Mar; Susan Bleicher McNeil & Steve McNeil-San Diego Downtown Breakfast; Andrew & Betty Molnar-Encinitas Coastal; Larry (Vista) & Linda Sundram (Camp Pendleton); and Dick & Debbie Thorn-Point Loma.

    We also are planning two outbound Rotary Friendship Exchanges, with a trip to India in January, 2011 and a trip to Turkey in April, 2011.  If you are interested in meeting or helping with an outing with the team from Turkey, or participating in one of the outgoing trips, contact Louise Andres, District 5340 Rotary Friendship Exchange Chair, at louiserandres@gmail.com .

How can Rotarians help Pakistan?

The disaster in Pakistan is beyond comprehension.  How can Rotarians help?  We can contribute cash to a special fund The Rotary Foundation has established to provide matching money to grants for Pakistan.  For details, click here

Rotarians are also encouraged to contribute through a list of experienced disaster relief agencies, among which is Shelter Box.  Shelter Box prepositioned over 1000 boxes in Pakistan in anticipation of the disaster.  More are being flown in regularly along with needed water filteration systems.  For the latest information on these efforts, click on http://www.shelterbox.org/

So who gets THIS newsletter anyway?

This monthly Governor’s Newsletter is sent routinely to our district leadership and to Club Presidents and Club Secretaries.  Club Presidents, do you think YOUR club members might find it interesting?  If so, it is up to YOU to pass it along to them.