Stories

 

 

 

JOB WANTED:   

District 5340 is seeking a District Administrator.  This remote (work-from-home) opportunity is a part-time position of approximately 20 hours per week and will report to the District Governor.  

 

 

 

Congratulations to District Foundation Stewardship Chair, Marianne Ericsson, on another 100% score win stewardship for our District.  That means that our Global Grant reporting is up to date from all clubs and we are good to go for future grants. 

 

 

 

November is Rotary Foundation Month.  Start planning your club activities and programs.  Contact Foundation Chair Marge Cole, margecole81@gmail.com, if you need a speaker for your club

 

 

 

Thank you to the following District 5340 Rotary clubs that accepted the $250 Mathews match.  Additionally, other clubs are still in the process of contributing.  Together we are making a difference towards the eradication of polio!

 

 

              

                
The course will be a leisure 2 mile round trip stroll through Liberty Station.  Check route here. Walk the entire course or any distance you choose.

Old Mission Rotary member Don Krupp noted that "vital statistics" about the coronavirus pandemic don’t tell us anything about the vitality of those good souls we’ve lost to the virus.  Here in San Diego, the virus has taken lives of over 4,000 individuals. 

 

On Monday, September 13th, those vital statistics tell us four San Diegans died of Covid-19.  One of those four was our Old Mission Rotary club member, Kevin Cox.  In his memory, Don shared a statement Kevin had posted on his Facebook page in April 2020 as the pandemic was just beginning to take its toll.  Kevin posted it again in April 2021: 

 

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, September 21st, The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant of $7438 to the Americas Foundation.  Their mission is to give aid to disadvantaged children and promote binational community development on the Mexican side of the border. The primary approach of the Foundation is to provide talented, intelligent children living in underdeveloped neighborhoods the opportunity to study, experience the arts, and begin to realize their potential. The grant was accepted by the Founder and Director Christine Brady.

 

Join the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake for a spooktacular time on the water.  Join the club on Saturday, October 23 in a Haunted Harbor Boos Cruise aboard the tall ship Bill of Rights.  Join in on a light meal and beverages and enjoy the the outdoors on the San Diego Bay - even catching the sunset before a spooky fog rolls in. Costumes are highly encouraged - and so is dancing.  Prizes will go towards some of the best outfits of the evenings.  Ghouls and gals, signup today.  Boarding starts at 4:00 pm.  

 

Tickets are $75.  Pay through Venmo @RotaryClub-ChulaVistaEastlake.   Buy tickets.

 

Please join Calexico, El Centro, Brawley and Holtville Rotary Clubs in Celebrating 100 Years of Service Above Self!  Tickets available at: http://IVRotary100.com.
 
Event Details: 1921-2021 & 1922-2022
 
Special Guests! Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta and his wife Rashi will be attending!
 
Join us on January 7, 2022 at the Quechan Casino in Winterhaven, CA to celebrate this momentous occasion.  
 
Non-rotary members are welcome and encouraged to attend.
 
Club members from Districts 5340, 5500, 4100 and others will attend!
 

Every fourth weekend of the month, the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club celebrates their own Rotarians at Work Day.  On September 26, club members made almost 50 bags of socks and sundries for San Diegans experiencing homelessness.  They love serving the world together.   

 

 

Get in the holiday spirit and join the Rancho San Diego Rotary Club for a fun-packed day at the Holiday Extravaganza Street Fair on Saturday, November 13, 2021. 

 

For more information, please email Norma Wiberg or Heather Manion.

 

 

Ethan van Thillo of the Media Arts Center accepts a grant from the president of the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary, Miles Durfee. Media Arts Center San Diego provides new media tools and channels to create equitable and engaged communities where underserved voices are heard. The funds will be used to purchase cameras for their Teen Producers Program.

 

 

 

Want to get your club involved in a hands-on international service project close to home?
 
District 5340 is inviting all clubs and Rotarians to take advantage of an incredible opportunity to participate in our upcoming international service project -  Tecate House Build in Baja, Mexico on December 4, 2021.
 
We’ll be building 6 houses for deserving families and there are 2 ways your club can participate and contribute:

 

 

We need approx. 90 Rotarians, Rotaractors and family/friends willing to help build the houses-you don’t need to be skilled in construction to participate. Volunteers can register on the District website www.rotary5340.org  starting November 1st.

 

 

Join us for live music, great beers, wines and hard ciders! Food trucks will available and games to play! All proceeds to support local and international charities.  For more information or to buy tickets, click here.  

When asked about this, District Governor Dan Gensler said “The Rotary Clubs of Rancho Bernardo & Imperial Valley Global Grant project uses a modern fresh thinking way to educate migrant children. If you’re interested in getting involved in a Global Grant, please consider looking at this opportunity.”   Global Grant G-2801, provides internet education licenses, at a price of $40** per year, per student, to keep up their studies while traveling with parents in the fields. Talk about bang for your buck! 

 

7000 migrant children in the Imperial Valley portion of District 5340 have been without adequate schooling since the start of COVID. As their legal resident immigrant parents are doing the work to provide San Diego City and County with fruits and vegetables harvested there, we feel it’s important to assist their children. 

 

 

Join us for our 13th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday November 15th.  Proceeds benefit the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos and other charities. Sponsorship opportunities available.  To register go to www.sanmarcosrotarygolf.org.

 

The San Diego Coastal Rotary Club built a beautiful Free Little Library in southeast San Diego for Rotary's Literacy and Education Month.

 

They had the help of a Syrian refugee family that they have been mentoring for the past five years. The kids helped Rotarians sand, paint, decorate and even dig the hole for the post. Rotarians proudly placed  Rotary symbols but also adorned the library box with with inspirational messages.

 

Then to make the most of a good thing, they made the library post a 'peace pole' and put "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in English, Spanish and Arabic. Neighborhood kids have already borrow some books and added some books. So far it's a great success. 

 

Welcome to the newest Rotary Club of District 5340!

The Rotary Club of Sweetwater San Diego welcomed District Governor Dan Gensler at its regular meeting held at the IHOP in National City on Tuesday, September 14, 2021. 

 

  

 

 

 

On September 16, the Fallbrook Rotary Club joined forces with Save our Forest to assist in rebuilding the tree wells on eleven trees in the parking lot between the Library and the Fallbrook Art Center. Save our Forest is a Fallbrook Land Conservancy committee chaired by Jackie Heyneman. Their mission is to improve, enhance, and restore Fallbrook's environment through the re-establishment of native trees. Many thanks to our members who volunteered their time to keep Fallbrook a beautiful place to live, work, and play!

 

 

District 5340's  Anti Trafficking Task Force is sponsoring Point Loma Nazarene University’s Human Trafficking Research Conference, to be held virtually on Friday, October 15, 2021. Join for free and the convenience of your home to learn from a national roster of researchers on the best practices to spot and stop this scourge in our area.
 
Register today at https://ht-radar.com/2021-conference/ to reserve your spot!

 

 

 

 

Get ready to have some fun.  Do you love cruising?  District 5340 recently announced an opportunity for Rotarians to  cruise together and support the Rotary Foundation all in one.

 

Enjoy a beautiful and fun-filled cruise vacation and see the Gems of Southeast Europe with other Rotarians while improving lives. Your participation in this cruise will result in donations to The Rotary Foundation. The cruise sails April 2-9, 2023,
 
This is a river boat cruise on the Danube through portions of Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria & Romania. Visits to Austria and Turkey are also available by adding the pre and/or post-cruise extensions. 
 
For a short period of time you can make your $400 deposit by December 31, 2021 to save $750!  To obtain the brochure, click on the page links provided here:   Page one; Page two.

 

 

Another International service project has been announced.  This service project is open to all Rotarians throughout District 5340.  For more information, please contact Jeb Bakke at jebbakke@gmail.com or Kim Muslusky at kimmuslusky@gmail.com.  Phone numbers are also provided above.  

 

 

Del Mar Rotary Delivers the Peanut Butter!

In a normal year, the San Diego Food Bank serves about 10 percent of San Diego residents who are in need of food supplies. Before COVID, the Food Bank served about 300,000 people a month. Since COVID, the level of families who are food insecure and in need has increased dramatically and the Food Bank now serves about 600,000 people monthly through its various partnerships with community groups. 

When the Rotary Club of Del Mar asked what the Food Bank needed besides money, food bank officials responded with a request for peanut butter.  Peanut butter is typically only sold in prepackaged jars and is considered too expensive for the Food Bank to purchase.  Yet peanut butter is a good source of nutrition and very popular with area families.  Under the leadership of Rotary’s co-presidents, Suzy and Karl Wagner, and spearheaded by member Scott MacDonald, the Club mounted a campaign to raise funds and procure peanut butter for the Food Bank. As a result, one pallet of 18 oz. jars of peanut butter or 1,620 jars was acquired by the Club and delivered to the Food Bank August 17.  What an awesome project.  That's a lot of jars!

 

District's 5340's Conference was held over the weekend at the beautiful and newly renovated Hotel Del.  These photos give you a glimpse of the magic of the event.  

 

 

It’s happening! 

It’s been a long process, over a year in the making!  Del Mar Rotarians just received approval from the Del Mar Village Association and the City of Del Mar to refurbish the ageing benches on the beautiful streets of Del Mar. 

 

Thanks to the generous donation of Jim Watkins earmarked for beautification projects like this and the elbow grease of their very own Karl Wagner, Bill Rawlings, and Walt Strangman, they are on the way.  As you can see from the photos, the benches were in desperate need of their care.  They sanded, brushed, cleaned, and then oiled these benches back to their original beauty.  And they have quite a few more to do!  

 

This is another great service project that highlights the many good works Rotarians do.

 

Mark your calendars! October 2nd will be the kick-off for the Rotary Clubs of Carlsbad Oktoberfest fundraiser! This year, it will take place at the Carlsbad Strawberry Company (Strawberry Fields) from 12:00 - 8:00 PM. There will be German food, music, Oktoberfest beverages, activities for the kids and more. Tickets will be coming soon!

 

Get ready - in less than 120 days it will be New Year's Day 2022 and the Rotary Rose Parade Float will be rolling down Colorado Blvd in the 133rd Tournament of Roses.  

 

Want to decorate our float?  Support if financially?  Become an Ambassador?  Buy $100 raffle ticket to win the opportunity to walk in the parade?  Send Brett Morey an email at bretthmorey@gmail.com.

 

To learn more about the Rotary float go to www.rotaryfloat.org.

 

 

 

 

After two years of not being able to host Trivia Night due to COVID, the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Sunrise is  keeping their fingers crossed for April 22, 2022.  Please SAVE THE DATE and mark your calendars!  Be looking to receive registration materials sometime in January! 

 

 

 

 

 

You won't want to miss this wine and food pairing event.  Join the Del Mar Rotary Club for its 17th annual Sunset Soiree scheduled for October 5 at the Del Mar Plaza.  Tickets are available online and are $75 each.

 

The online auction will open September 28th and will close before the October 5 in-person event at the Del Mar Plaza. Online bidders will be offered “Buy it Now” opportunities and limited ability for participation in both our silent and live auctions after the online auction closes.  

 

Recently, Past District Governor Steve Weitzen was able to deliver a much deserved People of Action award to Fernanda Torres of the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club. Most people know Fernanda as a hard worker, developing our international MUN program over many years. Over the last year and a half, Fernanda has been extremely busy helping her local community in Tijuana.

 

Among other achievements, she has delivered food to hard hit poor communities during the worst days of the pandemic. She has also delivered thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment to hospitals, clinics and first responders over many months. She has done this at significant risk to her own health and safety  - a shining example of Service Above Self.

 

Fernanda designed, built and installed a beautiful 15 foot peace pole in a new park in the Natura Community as Peace Chair of her club.  She is also working on a new training program with the Institute of Economics and Peace.

 

Fernanda is co-chairing the Latin American Peace Symposium. She is on the board of the Boys and Girls Club in Tijuana and was San Diego Coastal Rotary Club's Rotarian of the Year in 2020. She is also the bi-national liaison for Districts 5340-4100 and is helping to forge a new partnership for future projects together in the area.  If that isn't enough, Fernanda agreed to be the  San Diego Coastal Rotary Club's International Chair and has more plans to do good work.

 

Great job, Fernanda!
>>

 

 

 

 

How can Rotary empower students who live in extreme poverty?  Join us and hear how Deborah Plotkin brought technology to the classroom in Uganda at the District 5340 Conference!

Deborah will illustrate how she is working with at the Rotary Vijana Poa Mbale Technology Hub and providing technology and employment education to enable and advance economic empowerment in Mbale, Eastern Uganda. This project strives to help youth to sustainably and economically advance their lives, and that of their families and communities. Come see Deborah and all our fabulous speakers and members at the District 5340 Rotary Conference on September 10-12th.  Register here.   Don't wait!  It's less than two weeks away!

 

More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. 

Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.

 

All clubs are encouraged to integrate Rotary's monthly focus into their service and speaker events.

Don't miss your opportunity to hear from John F. Germ, Chair of the Rotary Foundation at this year's District Conference which is just two weeks away - September 10-12 and being held at the newly renovated Hotel Del Coronado.  Click below to register.  

 

 

 

The Rotary E-Club San Diego Global (RECSDG) has been supporting, through small District grants, 16 students in a program that allows them to start a business and finish their high school education in Guatemala.  This past year, five of these students were chosen to go on to college programs based on their outstanding grades and have completed their first semester with flying colors. 

 

They did this despite COVID's economic effect on their country’s health and economy.  These students have proven their worth – working together on menstrual pads, ecological soap and masks (see photos) to earn money for their tuition, and to help support their families.  The Rotary grants have also helped pay their tuition. 

 

 

Thanks to the generosity of Rotarians and friends, the Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship raised over $1k recently for breast cancer research.  The 2021 crew consisted of Rotarians from throughout District 5340 including Jim Davies, Michael Slentz, Christine Muhart, Brett Morey, Jenny Parker, Vince Ponce and Krista Davies from Pacific Beach Rotaract.  They also had Lake Arrowhead Rotarians Bob & Diane Gladwell as well as friends in the surfing community from Orange County for a fun morning of stand-up paddle boarding raising funds and awareness for StandUp for the Cure benefiting the Susan G. Komen Foundation and other breast cancer research groups.  Those wishing to participate can still contribute to honor a loved one or friend by clicking here.

 

The Rotary Club of Coronado has a new president with a long history in Coronado, a talent for math and an abiding curiosity about the world.  

Rob Taylor was born in Washington, DC, but soon moved to Coronado when his dad, a Naval officer, was stationed in Coronado.  Rob’s father passed away when Rob was four years old, and the family settled in Coronado where Rob attended school, graduating in 1962.  Rob had started school one year early, skipped a grade in high school and graduated at age 16.    His desire to follow in his father’s footsteps led him to apply to the US Naval Academy, where he was rejected for being colorblind.  Graduating from MIT and UCLA with degrees in mathematics, his talents for math and the French language were to guide his career.

 

Computers were a new field when Rob got his master’s degree. He joined Hughes Aircraft, programming training screens for weapons officers learning to use their armaments and anti-radar tools, followed by a satellite telemetry project.  He soon changed jobs to work for Xerox, which at the time aimed to compete with IBM in the nascent mainframe computer field.  When Xerox got out of the computer business, Rob found himself between jobs. A fraternity brother told him about a technical writing job with another department at Xerox, translating French software manuals into English, and paid by the page.  Rob’s rare combination of technical knowledge coupled with his French skills made him invaluable.  He had the good fortune to be brought on fulltime and transferred to work in Paris for two years.

 

 

Where has the summer gone?  We are just three weeks away from our District's End Polio Now (EPN) Wine tasting event. This event is being held on the first night of the Rotary District Conference, Friday, September 10, 2021 at the Hotel Del Coronado on the Windsor Lawn overlooking the ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

Calling all first responders!! The Rotary District 5340 will be recognizing over 100 first responders in a moving commemoration on September 11, 2021 - the 20th Anniversary of 9-11.  Do you know someone who is a first responder (including health care workers)? We would love to invite them to our commemoration ceremony to formally thank them for their service to the community!

The ceremony will take place in the Crown Room at the Hotel Del Coronado at 8:00 a.m., with an arrival time of 7:00 a.m. Please contact Dan Gensler with names by emailing him at dgensler@rotary5340.org.  

 

Thank you to our Platinum Sponsor: Prime Lending - www.carranzagroup.com.

 

 

Don't miss out on this fun-filled and inspiring event.  The District Conference is on September 10-12 at the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado.  If you haven't registered and would like to attend part or all of the conference, please click here.  

 

 

38 facial cleft reconstructive surgeries were accomplished this past weekend for these infants.  The surgeries were performed under specialized pediatric anesthesia during the August 2021 Rotary-Smiles International partnership mission in Mexico. 

Not counting the vast humanitarian value, the estimated cost benefit, using USA values, was well over $200K USD which included the donated hospital care, anesthesia, CranioMaxillofacial surgery, nursing,  and complex- staged treatment plan formulations.

These children will usually need 5-7 staged treatments done over their growth and development,  and when Thousand Smiles treat their primary procedure, they are fully accepted into their program. They then plan for these children to receive each of their staged treatments, which enable them to enter and contribute to society with abilities to eat, breath, speak, hear, and SMILE properly, allowing them to hold and perform any future employment. 

Credit goes to the Thousand Smiles  team who donate their skills as well as pay their own travel expenses,  Rotary District 5340's Club of Carlsbad (including Dr. Jeffrey Moses, Surgeon), the Solmar Foundation, H. ESPECIALIDADES,  Club Rotario Los Cabos,  the program's Communications Director, Leticia Gottwald with the Gottwald University and follow up Maxillofacial Surgeon, Dra. Macrina Bustos of MaxiMed.

Please like their FaceBook Page for SmilesInternationalFoundation.org where you can get updates of Rotary Club of Carlsbad's other children's mission projects in Tecate, Mexico.
 

 

Has something ever changed you forever? Four years ago Camille Newbern had a lifechanging experience on her first service trip to East Africa. Since then she has led San Diego Rotary’s efforts to open a 200+ bed hospital in Atiak, Uganda.

 

Join Camille at the 2021 Rotary District 5430 Conference on September 10-12 2021 to hear about the project’s inception, the journey to build a healthcare facility halfway across the world, and how she found herself in living “Service Above Self."  This is a story you are not going to want to miss!

Sign up for the conference here.  

 

Meet our inspiring Rotary Conference speaker Stephen Brown, past trustee from the Rotary Foundation and member of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club. Steve will share his experience with the Aral Sea Basin project, which focuses on resolving water conflict issues in Central Asia.  

This international project involves individuals from Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Krygyzstan, and Iran. The professionals assisting the project are from universities in Netherlands, Costa Rica and U.S., with Rotarians assisting from all three countries. Come listen and be inspired by his work!

 

Click the register button below to sign up for the District 5340 District Conference.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you'd like to support the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club by attending this event or if you need more information, please go to www.lajollagrotary.org.

 

 

 

 

Do you want the opportunity to "Serve and Change Lives" with clubs in our District?  We are going to be featuring volunteer opportunities both locally and internationally in a new column entitled Service Projects - Local and International.  The column will provide details of the service project and contact information for questions and for volunteer signups.  

 

We welcome submissions from all clubs.  The emphasis is on providing  volunteer opportunities in which others can join with you on the project.  Let us know what your club is doing.  This is what we will need from you to guarantee we can promote your volunteer effectively.  

 

Please submit your information to the Newsbits Editor, Sandy Pugliese at sandyp304@gmail.com.

 

 

Noe Crespo, PhD, MPH is an Associate Professor and is the Division Head of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science in the School of Public Health at San Diego State University. Old Mission Rotary knows Noe for his dedication and amazing success with the VIIDAI Public Health Program in San Quentin Mexico. At VIIDAI, Noe helped institute many programs to improve and monitor the health of migrant farmers who work in the tomato plantations of Baja. 

It is very significant that Noe praised the efforts of our own Don Krupp and his Corona Conversation series.  Noe writes: “Thank you for sharing this important message with Rotary members. I am doing research on COVID and the vaccines and it is important that organizations such as Rotary  unite to fight the pandemic and promote the vaccines. Together we can overcome this virus and rebuild stronger.”   Don describes his weekly talks over the last year an a half as a "labor of love."

 

 

Don't miss the opportunity to join Rotarians, Rotaract, Interact, family and friends on Saturday, August 14 as they launch Stand Up Paddle Boards from the Mission Bay Aquatic Center (MBAC) to raise funds and awareness for Breast Cancer Research.  Benefactors include the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Van Andel Institute and Hackley Community Care for breast cancer research.  Register online to join the team or make a donation to Honor a loved one. 

 

For those who want to come on down and cheer wear some pink and look for the Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship tent next to the MBAC as the team takes to the water.  You can rent a StandUp Paddle Board at the event for as little as $28.  Use this fun filled event as a recruitment tool for your club by inviting friends in the community.  For more info text "SUP" to 858-602-2532 or visit: https://surfersunite.org/events.

 

 

Chula Vista Sunrise Rotary Club members Gina, Trish and Sophia and friends volunteered during July working in conjunction with the South Bay Sustainable Communities to help clean up the bay at the  "J" Street Marina.  

 

Either on land or in kayak, these volunteers made a difference by collecting a vast assortment of trash washed ashore though the drainage systems or discarded randomly by community members.  

 

The presentation of Paul Harris Fellow recognition is The Rotary Foundation's way of expressing its appreciation for a substantial contribution to its humanitarian and educational programs. It is named for our  founder, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International with three business associates in 1905. Rotarians often designate a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person whose life demonstrates a shared purpose with the objectives of The Rotary Foundation.

 

On Saturday, July 24, 2021 the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club had the honor and pleasure of recognizing Abraham Saddas, Vice President of the Community Food Connection in Poway as a Paul Harris Fellow. 

 

The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club is committed to a project every month.  The month of July included cleaning the neighborhood around Diego Hills Charter School.  They also stocked their free pantry for hungry students.  What a nice way for the students to start a new school year!

 

 

Come join in on an event for all Rotarians and their families and friends. Join us for the Fern Street Circus San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club Extravaganza.

 

You will see amazing performances by circus professionals throughout the evening.  Tight-rope walking and juggling lessons are available for kids and adults.  In addition to this world-class circus, there will be live music, local food, and beverages for both adults and children. 
 

 

The first month of serving as your District Governor has been a privilege and honor.  I have been welcomed with open arms and warm hospitality in my visits to the clubs.  As a member of a larger club, I am amazed and delighted to see the impact our small and medium sized clubs are making on local communities and communities throughout the world.  

 

Attention Rotary Club Presidents and Membership Chairs.  District 5340 will be holding its first Membership Seminar of the new Rotary year on Saturday, August 14 from 9:00 - 10:30 AM via Zoom.  This seminar will have a short training session followed by two breakout sessions to bounce ideas off other presidents and membership chairs.  You will not want to miss this.  Please register and your Zoom link will be emailed to you.

 

 

 

The Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club will be hosting a special virtual screening of the acclaimed documentary “Wild Climate” at 6:30 pm, Tuesday, August 10, 2021. The film explores the impacts of climate change on the rural communities of the West. From abrupt changes in lifestyle to crop & wildlife losses, drought, wildfires and high temperature events are having devastating impacts on millions of people.

 

 

Join members of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship at the Mission Bay Aquatic Center on Sat., August 14 for the 2021 StandUp for the Cure event raising funds for breast cancer research including the Susan G. Komen Foundation and other organizations.  

 

 

Nominations for District 5340 Governor 2024 - 2025 are due no later than October 10, 2021.  Please submit nomination documents (Club Nominee Resolution Form, District Nominee Application Form,  Ballot, Guidelines, Timeline), to the District mailing address provided below:

Rotary District 5340
5052 Clairemont Drive #178651
San Diego, CA 92117
 
Interviews for District Governor 2024 - 2025 are Saturday, October 23, 2021, beginning at 9 am.

 

District 5340 Governor Dan Gensler visited Old Mission Rotary on Tuesday, July 21st. At the meeting, President Michelle Malin presented Dan with a check for $1500 for the Rotary International End Polio Now Campaign.

 

Despite the dramatic success of the many decade campaign against Polio started in 1985, it is crucial to continue working to keep the world polio-free.

The City Heights Rotaract Club is starting off the year strong with a great turn out at their FIRST service event of the year.  Thank you to their director of service Yesenia for creating the project.  Rotaractors gathered at Teralta Park and helped out artists with cleaning, raking and general prep[ before they continue the Teralta Mural beautification.  The Club also collected tons of trash while they were there.  

 

 

Here's an opportunity for Rotarians to share their creative solutions with Rotarians all over the world.  Every month, Rotary magazine looks at a different membership dilemma and solicits answers from readers.  You may really enjoy this.   Read the dilemma for the next issue and send your responses to magazine@rotary.org.

 

Join the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club (DMSB Rotary) for their first, fun LobsterFest dinner and fundraiser on the beautiful outdoor patio of the Del Mar Hilton on September 18, 2021 from 5-8pm. This will be their  major fundraising event of the year  supporting many humanitarian projects, both locally and internationally. 

Congratulations to the Coronado Rotary Club.  Their float won 1st place for the 7th year in a row at this year's Coronado 4th of July Parade.  Coronado has a long history of participating in the parade and for setting out flags along the main road.  New president, Rob Taylor, wowed the crowd as Uncle Sam!  Get a glimpse of Uncle Sam in this three-minute video.

 

 

17 Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club members volunteered at the “Spirit of the Fourth” fireworks celebration on July 4th.  Crowds numbered in the thousands and they enjoyed food trucks, a silent auction, some great live music and a traditional fireworks extravaganza.

 

Rancho Bernardo Middle School was the perfect venue for the event as there was plenty of room for the kids to play and the crowds to feel comfortable.  It was so great to see this annual fireworks display and family night return. The crowds were huge, and a great time was had by all!!

 

 

In front of nearly 400 Rotarians and guests, Past District Governor Steve Weitzen announced winners of District 5340's year-end awards during  festivities at the Governor's Dinner held last month.  Congratulations to these outstanding clubs ands Rotarians for their  outstanding accomplishments during this past Rotary year.  Thank you for making Service Above Self  the center of all you do.

 

 

Join us for an informal gathering to discuss the role of District Governor (dinner included).  This is a great opportunity to ask questions and meet folks who have held the role in the past. 

 

 

 

July is Rotary’s New Leadership Month. Congratulations to all the new Club Presidents! Rotary has designated months to help clubs develop meeting agendas, projects, or public image campaigns based on these special occasions.

 

As the incoming District Governor of Rotary International District 5340, which includes 61 Rotary Clubs comprising 3,000 members in San Diego and Imperial Counties, Dan Gensler is no stranger to both challenges and honors.  He has been a member of The Rotary Club of Coronado since 1996 and was named Rotarian of the Year in 2004.  In addition, he served as President from 2006-07. 

 

 

 

Huge thanks to the two dozen Rotary District 5340 members, family, and friends that came out to GenerateHope on June 19 to perform some much needed facility repairs/cleanup. 

 

A big thank you goes to Mark Rodriquez and the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club for spearheading the amazing landscape project!  There was also great representation from the Coronado Rotary Club, San Diego Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake, and the Rotary Club of Southeast San Diego.  These Rotarians made a difference in the lives of several human trafficking survivors.  Congratulations on a job well done.

 

 

 

The El Cajon Rotary granted $10,000, plus a Matching District Grant of $4000, to support of the Salvation Army's new community center, in 2020. Specifically, the club’s donation offset the equipment costs for their new kitchen. The equipment and hood were key components of this new kitchen.  The new kitchen will support senior, youth, and family programs.

 

The Salvation Army's new building and kitchen plans to provide classes to teach seniors and other Food Bank clients how to make healthy meals with the emergency food they receive through our food bank. This kitchen will be used during the Salvation Army's annual free Thanksgiving and Christmas Community meals, which will serve the large low-income senior population in our community. They serve 120-130 seniors daily through the various programs offered.

 

 

This week we are proud to feature District Governor Steven Weitzen in an unfiltered and unscripted video musings.  To view the video select "Read More" below.    

 

 

 

Rotarian Max Gurney recently observed his 100th birthday by traveling to Monaco, where he was and still is well-known as a friend and associate of Prince Rainier, Princess Grace, and the entire Grimaldi family. Max is a veteran of World War II and a career executive with Pan Am Airlines. He has been a Rotarian for 57 years, and he’s still counting!

The Torrey Pines (La Jolla) Rotary Club will commemorate our long-time member at a special, in-person noon meeting on Wednesday, June 30 at the Mt. Soledad Veteran Memorial. Rotarians who wish to join our celebration should contact Gordon Shurtleff <plssunrise@sbcglobal.net> or Henri Migala <hmigala@hotmail.com> for information about the meeting and the modest cost of lunch. 

 

 

 

 

San Pasqual Academy (SPA) is a San Diego County first-in-the-nation, residential education campus designed specifically for foster youth.  SPA has developed a remarkable 20 year, “Best in the Nation”, 95% high school graduation rate for foster children. This is particularly amazing compared to the nation wide foster child high school graduation rate of 50%.  

 

This week, La Jolla Sunrise Rotary with a matching grant from the Paula and Oliver Jones Family Foundation, awarded Rotary Scholarships to nine graduating seniors who elected to continue their education.  These nine Rotary Scholars are continuing their education thru a combination of trade schools,  junior colleges or four-year colleges.

 

 

On Tuesday, June 15th the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a $6,000 grant to the Waldorf School of San Diego located in City Heights. Funds will be used to purchase tools to help maintain buildings and landscaping. Pictured (L-R) Director of Development Andrew Holets, Art Pratt Foundation President Eric Benink, Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Cynthia Drake and Charlotte Cofield, Waldorf School Facilities Manager Pete Barber and Art Pratt Foundation Board Member Judi Copeland.

Coronado Rotary Club’s Committee to Protect the Environment (CPE) teamed up with Chula Vista-Eastlake Rotary Club on Saturday morning, June 5th to collect trash in recognition of World Environment Day. They cleaned along Frontage Road and the Bay Bike Path near the south San Diego Bay.  The 30+ members of Coronado’s CPE are joined by others in the club almost every weekend to clean along the bay, the Silver Strand, or Orange Avenue. These are in addition to over 18 years of monthly beach clean-ups hosted by the club. 

 

Rotarians felt great about the positive impact they made at this partnering event between clubs in support of the new Rotary International Area of Focus which emphasizes local, national, and international actions to protect the environment. 

 

 

 

 

Fresh off a recent beach clean-up event with high school students from University City High School, Rotarians and Rotaractors joined up to beautify Mission Beach.  The crew filled more than 24 buckets of trash and recyclables in less than two hours and the buckets, trash bags and gloves were donated by Dixieline Lumber.  This was all part of the Surfers Unite Rotary Fellowship.

 

Discover not only how this exciting Rotary Fellowship is expanding the Family of Rotary in District 5340 but in 32 countries around the globe.  Learn how you can use your hobbies and interests to successfully grow your club. 

 

 

"Take me out to the ball game...if they don't win it's a shame."  Well, the Cubs took the game from our Padres but we all managed to have a great time as Rotarians.  Charlie Crew from Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club was especially excited that he caught the Padre's home run ball! Special thanks to Erika Rodriguez for handling the logistics on the e-tickets.  Truly "Service Above Self."

 

 

 

 

On Friday, May 28, Rotary Vaccine Volunteers gathered to celebrate the 50,000th COVID 19 vaccine administered at the Sharp Coronado satellite clinic.  The Rotary Club of Coronado donated well over 2,000 hours to help keep people safe from the pandemic.  Alongside other volunteers and Sharp Coronado staff, our dedicated team worked all shifts Monday through Friday starting in January to support and provide shots to the large numbers of people seeking vaccinations. Rotarians made patients feel welcome, calmed their nerves and moved them through the process efficiently.   

 

Sharp HealthCare is more than grateful for this outstanding volunteer effort.  

 

 

 

Your District’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force will be conducting some much needed spring cleaning and beautification projections the morning of June 19 at a human trafficking survivor safe house in the South Bay. The facility is operated by GenerateHope. Approximately 10 slots remain. Lunch will be provided. Contact Dave Oates at david@publicrelationssecurity.com if you’re interested. 

 

Torrey Pines Rotarian Max Gurney with San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria on Memorial Day at the Mt Soledad Veterans Memorial. Max is a WWII veteran and served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. He will be celebrating his 100th birthday on June 10th in Monaco.

On May 19th, Escondido Rotary After Five had their first official in person meeting at Fusion Restaurant in Escondido since the pandemic closed the club's live meetings. Club members received their COVID-19 vaccinations and Club Service Director, Carol Szytel, was able to organize a meeting room that complied with COVID protocols.

 

A delicious lasagna dinner was served and club members were joined by  special guests District Governor, Steve Weitzen and Assistant Governor, Bret Geernaert present to induct eight new Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). International Service Director, Kela Sconce, worked tirelessly to help the last eight members obtain their PHF and with these inductions, After Five has a 100% Paul Harris Fellow membership!

The evening was a great celebration of Rotarians that continue to help the club's community with service and treasure despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic. Everyone had a great time catching up and being able to share some fellowship outside a video screen. They were honored to share this great milestone with Governor Steve Weitzen, AG Bret Geernaert, and Rancho Bernardo Rotarian Gayla Williams and Golden Triangle Rotarian Bev Fritschner. Club Secretary, Gary Szytel, who just celebrated his 39th Rotaversary opened the meeting with a beautiful song.

 

A video of the song and Governor Steve’s address to the club can be seen on the After Five webpage Home Page and Facebook page. 

 

 

 

The murder of George Floyd last year and the increasing awareness of the need for diversity, inclusion, and equity in society struck a nerve with several RB Rotary Club members.  So, in March 2019, incoming President Alex Robertson asked John Goodrich to head a team to see how we could make a difference.

Beginning with three (3) members meeting weekly, and eventually growing to a committee of nine (9),  the Diversity in Action Committee brainstormed, made a lot of phone calls, traveled several dead ends, hit COVID stimies, and eventually found some successes. All research and planning searched for:

 

 

On Saturday, May 22, Rotarians from the Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club showed up bright and early at the East County Transitional Care Center (homeless shelter open to families who want to have long-sustaining sobriety and a relationship with God) located in El Cajon.  

 

Club members helped beautify the center's playground with pulling weeds, hedge trimming and landscape management.  The highlight of the day was the interaction between Rotarians and residents of the facility.  Much can be said for personal story sharing and mutual respect for those who have been down on their luck or fighting addiction battles.  

 

The Santee-Lakeside Rotary club is involved in supporting the East County Transitional Center with not only landscape management but also with grants for various projects.   In addition, the club sponsors a "Give a Sheet" toilet paper drive each year.  Give a Sheet is the club's service project culminating at the annual  installation event at the end of June when Rotarians fill the stage with reams of toilet paper.   One can only imagine how much toilet paper the center goes through in a year's time.

 

 

Rotary District 5340 is teaming up with the San Diego Padres to offer four top-tier games with special seats at Petco Park reserved exclusively for Rotary members. Rotary has a long history of involvement with the Major League Baseball franchise. 

 

We are thrilled to invite you to our 2021 Chili and Quackers Challenge! As a past participant in our Rotary club events, you know how much fun we can quack up! Join us at Viewpoint Brewing Co. on June 7, 2021 at 5:00 PM to watch the races in person or watch the Zoom broadcast! 

Three Cup races feature organizations and activities supported by the Rotary Club of Del Mar.

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Clubs of El Camino Real and Oceanside invite you to join them for their 40th annual golf tournament on Monday, June 21, at the El Camino Country Club in Oceanside. It will be a scramble format.  For sponsorship and registration information, please go to their website or scan the QR code below.  They look forward to seeing you for a fun day of golf. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you care deeply about your community and looking for ideas to bring about positive change?  Registration is live for the Rotary Peace Fellow Global Peace Conference on June 19, 2021.   24 hours of peace talks, skills-based workshops, and networking is an opportunity you will not want to miss! This virtual event is free.

 

Learn more and register for FREE by visiting https://bit.ly/3tM83lL.

 

 

 

The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary recently issued a grant to the Flying Leathernecks Museum.  The grant for $6,000 was accepted by retired Colonel USMC Victor Bianchi and retired Brigadier General USMC Mike Aguilar.  The funds will be used for electronic equipment for their oral history programs and presentation capabilities. 

 

The Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum is a United States Marine Corps aviation museum has been operating at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar since 1999. 

Unfortunately, The museum can no longer use the land on the air station and has been closed. The museum leadership are looking for a new home with both a physical location and a larger online presence.

The museum contains exhibits and artifacts relating to the history and legacy of United States Marine Corps Aviation. The outdoor exhibits included 31 historical aircraft, multiple military vehicles and equipment. Indoor exhibits featured photographs, artifacts and artwork from the early days of aviation to the present. The museum maintains and restores vintage aircraft used by the United States Marine Corps (USMC) through work performed by employees and volunteers. In the last 12 months, 28,000 people from around the world came to the museum.

 

 

 

 

Kimberly Schafer, Past President of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club and District 5340 AHT Steering Committee Member, is donating $1 from each sale of her Ring Thing products to local human trafficking efforts. 
 
Use the Ring Thing® at the gym, salon, golf course, while traveling or at home. The Ring Thing will give you peace of mind knowing your treasured rings are protected and close to you. And it makes a perfect gift!

 

 

Marge Cole

 

Marge Cole, Past District Governor 2009-2010, is still very much involved with our clubs and District.  She chairs the Foundation committee and is the advisor for the City Heights Rotaract club and the newest chartered club - the Mission Gorge club.  And, there is so much more to Marge than that.  Her story is so compelling.  Let’s find out the rest of the story.

 

 

Congratulations to the Fallbrook Rotary Club on their 75th Anniversary. 

 

The Club continues to thrive and just recently welcomed four new members: Bob Coleman, Patty Sargent, Janet Silver, and Kenneth Wesson.  Pictured below are the initial Charter Members of the Fallbrook Rotary Club. 

 

 

 

Sponsorship Opportunities for the 2021 Rotary District Conference 

 

To help ensure the success of our annual conference, we are opening up sponsorship opportunities! All the details for sponsorship levels of platinum, diamond, gold, and silver for the 2021 District Conference can be found on the Sponsorship page. In addition to sponsorship levels, there are naming opportunities for the Friday and Saturday evening events. 

 

 

Recently, Diane Bell, Columnist for the San Diego Union Tribune featured an article about Rotarian Fary Moini’s  and the Golden Triangle Rotary Club’s long-time efforts to build and run a girl’s school in Afghanistan and the implications that the impending withdrawal of American troops from the area may have on the school, it’s girls and the future of women’s rights.  The article is below and is printed in its entirety.  

 

 

We have great news -the Governor's Dinner has SOLD OUT!  You can still participate from home by joining in via Zoom.  Please register for Zoom with the link below.

 

Cocktails: 5:30PM to 6:15PM

Program and Dinner: 6:30PM

 

 

Rotarians, here is a rare opportunity for your club and its members to have a significant and lasting impact on health outcomes in Equatorial Africa.

 

Uganda has 47 million people in a country the size of Oregon.  It has an extensive network of 3165 hospitals and clinics. 2930 of these are outpatient (some including maternity) facilities.  Our host country sponsor, the Naguru, Kampala Rotary Club, with NGO Bulamu Healthcare International, Uganda, have identified a great need for vital signs equipment in outpatient facilities in that country. 

Taking vital signs for each outpatient visit has been the standard of care in Western medicine for decades. However, because Uganda’s outpatient facilities lack basic equipment and supplies, only 1-2% regularly check breathing, blood pressure, oxygen saturation and the like. As a result, serious health conditions are going undiagnosed and not treated. (Bulamu’s research shows that when adults have their BP taken, 23% are diagnosed with serious health conditions (e.g., Hypertension).) With this equipment and training we can help identify health issues early, allowing healthcare providers to provide or refer patients to the medications or treatments they need.

 

 

A hybrid event - in-person and online was successfully held on Saturday, April 3, 2021, where Rotarians and friends from the San Diego-Tijuana community attended the Rotary Club of Coronado Binacional Ninth Anniversary Gala to raise funds for the club's ongoing projects, primarily the construction of water treatment plants for nine schools located in the rural area of Nueva Rosita, Coahuila, Mexico. Hosting a top fashion show and live concert by local talent, the in-person portion of the event was held in Torre Cosmopolitan, only minutes away from the San Ysidro port of entry, with strict adherence to hygiene guidelines.

 

All proceeds from the event will fund Rotary’s efforts to provide clean water to schools and children in rural areas as well as other club projects.

"Our cause efforts have been possible thanks to the support of 19 Rotary clubs and 10 districts that joined our water project. Our mission is to continue with this type of action for the benefit of the most vulnerable population," said Joselyn Mejia, President of Rotary Club of Coronado Binacional.

 

Congratulations to the Club for a very successful event!

 

 

 

Join us on June 7, 2021 at Twin Oaks Golf Course (San Marcos) beginning at 10:00 AM.  The cost for the round is $55.00, which includes cart and range balls.  The snack and beverage bars are open for 19th hole fellowship.  We will have a Closest to the Pin contest for men and women.

Get a group together from your club and join us for fun and fellowship on the golf course.  Contact Tee Times Coordinator Bret Geernaert at (bretg2019pres@gmail.com ) or 858-354-9002 to reserve  a tee time for yourself and golfers from your club.  

If you can’t make it this date, mark your calendars for July 12 at Balboa 18 Golf Course in San Diego.  More information on this coming out soon.

 

San Diego Coastal Rotary Club 'adopted' a Syrian refugee family in 2016. It started with simple 'welcome to America' gifts but members have become very close to this family over the years. They have taken them on field trips, secured them a car and celebrated holidays together. The family, feeling the love,  has participated in the Club's service projects like Feeding San Diego. Rotarian, Jenny Parker helped dad open his first checking account and get a credit card. She was able to help one of the children get into Preuss next year!  She taught mom to drive and the kids to swim. In return, she had some wonderful meals and memories. The family honored her by naming their youngest child after her (Jana). 

 

One of the toughest problems for the family has been housing. They (all 9 of them) have been living in the same two-bedroom  apartment (600 square feet) since they arrived. It has been impossible to find another larger affordable place to rent.  They were unable to get into  Section 8 housing, low income housing or secure a home from Habitat for Humanity. This last year has been exceptionally hard with the pandemic stay at home orders. The apartment they live in is falling apart and the area is horribly crime-ridden.  Graciously, Jenny has decided to buy a house and let them rent. The kids can have a back yard and mom will have a kitchen for a catering business.

 

It's probably the worst time to buy a home in San Diego because there is so little on the market and prices are skyrocketing and the competition is fierce.  Homes are selling over the asking price in less than 24 hours of being on the market.  

 

Jenny has met all kinds of generous Rotarians interested in helping this family in various ways but she is looking for anyone who can help them find a home. She is looking in Southeast San Diego with a price range of $500 -$550K.  Fellow Rotarian Craig Hothem is the real estate agent.   If anyone knows of any potential leads, please let Jenny know.  She can be reached at 619-985-2999.

 

 

 

 

 

The Coronado Rotary Club’s Bob Watson “Service Above Self” Award was presented to Ana Ramirez at the Community Center/COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic at the Wednesday, April 21 meeting of Rotary.  She was nominated by Rotarians Nora Allen, Mary Griffin and Steve Duermeyer.  Ana is Sharp Coronado Hospital’s Patient and Volunteer Coordinator.  

At the height of the holiday surge of COVID-19 cases, on January 13, Ana was tapped to establish the clinic and coordinate more than 500 volunteers to support and administer vaccines at the Coronado Community Center.  Scheduling and managing this number of volunteers is difficult, but Ana handles every encounter gracefully and deploys her volunteer team very effectively, constantly adapting to changing circumstances.  When one reads of the long delays at other vaccination sites, Ana’s ability to manage the demands seems all the more remarkable, as those receiving vaccinations at the Coronado site have minimal wait time. 

 

 

The San Diego Coastal Rotary Club sponsored 300 meals with the USO for Servicemen this last Wednesday night and was able to deliver the meals and toys in person. It happened to be on 'dress as your favorite superhero' night so they came in costume to deliver the meals. It was one of the most fun and rewarding service projects the club has experienced.

 

On Saturday, April 24, Rotarians at Work Day,  three Rotary clubs teamed up to put the finishing work into the La Mesa Community Garden at MacArthur Park. La Mesa Sunrise, El Cajon Sunset and La Mesa built 2 new planters and carried them into the garden, removed weeds, moved large rocks to line the bottom of the fence, built some metal shelves, leveled the ground, added mulch and spread it out to cover the bare dirt, and filled the planters with garden soil!

 

The La Mesa Community Garden at MacArthur Park opened yesterday, May 1.  The garden has 41 plots, including four that are ADA accessible.

 

The garden sits near the city's public swimming pool, net to the former site of the clubhouse for Sun Valley Golf Course, which closed in 2017.

 

On Saturday April 24, 2021, a large group of hearty Coronado Rotarians gathered at the home of Rotarians Deb and Bob Syverson in Coronado Cays to clean up the beach behind their house. The event recognized "Rotarians At Work Day" which is a world-wide annual Rotary event founded by former Coronado Rotarian Bob Watson. 

 

On Friday, June 4, the Rotary Club of Carlsbad (RRC) will host the first-ever Rotary Club of Carlsbad Charity Golf Scramble benefiting the North County Lifeline. The RCC Charity Golf Scramble benefiting North County Lifeline is our premier fundraiser for the year.  What promises to be an unforgettable day of friendly competition, fellowship with friends and unbeatable entertainment. The tournament will be held at the St. Mark Golf Course in San Marcos with registration starting at 11:00AM, tee off at 1:00PM, dinner/auction around 6:30PM and then fun, music and cocktails before wrapping up around 8:30PM.

 

The Santee Lakeside Rotary Club collaborated with the Santee Mobilehome Owners Action Committee, Inc. to help with yard upkeep in two mobile home parks in Santee.  Residents who can no longer take care of their yards are at risk of eviction notice if left unattended.  Joining Rotarians were a number of young family members wanting to get into the dirt and pull those weeds!  This is the second year that the club has selected helping seniors as their project for Rotarians at Work Day.  

 

 

Good morning.  I'd like to introduce Dianne Crawford, my guest columnist for this week's edition of Sunday Morning Musings.  Dianne is our District Governor Designate 2023-2024 and she is from the Rotary Club of  Southeast San Diego.  Dianne has been a long-standing leader in membership development and many other things for District 5340.  Enjoy her her excitement for Rotary.

 

...............................

 

Charlotte Cofield, Community Service chair for Old Mission Rotary was so impressed by STAR/PAL (Police Athletic League) that she reached out to the organization last summer for a potential service related project partnership.   Her goal was to tackle head on the lack of communication between law enforcement and inner city youth that has created a never-ending stream of violent tragedies across our nation.

The mission of STAR/PAL is to engage underserved youth with law enforcement and develop trusting and long-term relationships. STAR/PAL offers free programs for undeserved and at-risk youth in San Diego that are led by law enforcement officers.  These programs focus on violence prevention, mentoring, leadership, civic engagement, outdoor enrichment, and physical fitness.

Old Mission Rotary assisted STAR/PAL with a school backpack give away in the fall and with distributing Thanksgiving dinners in November.  On Thursday, April 22, 2021 at STAR/PA's Colina Park facility in City Heights, STAR/PAL  designated Old Mission Rotary as their "Community Partner of the Year!" 

 

Congratulations to Old Mission Rotary for outreach efforts to make a difference in the lives of youth!

 

 

Rotarians from two South Bay clubs -- Chula Vista Sunrise and Chula Vista Eastlake, celebrated Rotarians at Work Day volunteering at the "J" Street Marina. Working to support the South Bay Sustainable Communities (SBSC), Rotarians cleaned up trash in the water and land, resulting in numerous buckets of debris. A special thanks to Chula Vista Kayak for providing the kayaks, and the SBSC for providing the grabbers, gloves, buckets and more! It was a beautiful morning on the bay and the clubs hope to stay involved with this project in the future. Great work Rotarians!

 

Old Mission Rotary Club's Art Pratt Foundation selected The Youth Assistance Coalition to be one of its beneficiaries.  The Youth Assistance Coalition (YAC) was founded in 2017 by a group of motivated volunteers who saw the pattern of youth homelessness in San Diego and wanted to break it. From the beginning, YAC has focused on a community approach to breaking this pattern, and has built up powerful partnerships with many other organizations in San Diego who are also committed to helping these youth get off the streets in a lasting way. So far this year, they have provided 110 youth with stable housing.

 

 

Fernanda Torres

 

The Community Interact Club of Chula Vista Sunrise is collaborating with the City of Chula Vista, the South Bay Ecojustice Team, and the South Bay Sustainable Communities non-profit to host a virtual South Bay Earth Week event next week in conjunction with the City of Chula Vista Earth Day @ Home Event! 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Blythe is having a drawing for a Remington 11-87 super magnum 12 gauge shotgun at $10 donation per ticket. The drawing will be held on June 11 and participants need not be present to win, but must be CA or AZ residents and legally eligible to own a firearm.  All proceeds go toward scholarships.  Please contact club president  Juliette Singler if you’d like tickets.  You may email here at: juliettesingler@yahoo.com.

 

Rotarians at Work Day is Saturday, April 24.  Please make sure you wear your Rotarians at Work Day shirts and take lots of photos.  Share your story!  

 

You can send your story (a paragraph or two) to Newsbits editor Sandy Pugliese at sandyp304@gmail.com.  Stories need to be submitted by Friday at noon to be included in the subsequent Sunday edition of Newsbits.  Include the who, what, when, where and why so we have a complete story and don't forget those pictures!  We can't wait to learn what your club did to improve your community and to promote Rotarians as People of Action!  

 

 

 

Join San Diego Coastal Rotary Club for a 5K walk on May 9, 8:30-9am. 

Hands of Peace empowers young people to find their voice, share their narrative and develop the compassion and skills they need to resolve conflict and serve their communities.  Hands of Peace, San Diego has has many new programs focused on local San Diego youth. Rotary clubs in San Diego have partnered with Hands of Peace for many years now with service work and district grants. 

 

 

 

 

On Friday, April 16, the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo  held a blood drive in the Albertsons parking lot.  A big "thank you" goes to the Club for recognizing the importance of blood donation especially during this pandemic and to  all who took the time to donate blood at this event.  

 

Mark your calendars for an exciting opportunity to connect with Rotary members worldwide at the 2021 Virtual Convention: Rotary Opens Opportunities, June 12-16. Registration is now open offering a limited time special rate of $49. After 21 days, you will pay $65 to register.

 

Nothing brings home the importance of World Vaccination Week than our present time dealing with the coronavirus.  

 

During World Immunization Week, April 24-30 , join with Rotary to combat vaccine hesitancy and misinformation by spreading the facts about why #VaccinesWork.

 

 

Join the Fun with Fellow Rotarians on May 3, 2021 at Admiral Baker Golf Course!

 

Our last outing at St. Mark Golf Course in April included District Governor Steve Weitzen, (pictured above -far right) enjoying a day on the links. Two of our Rotary golfers won closest to the pin:  Dana Albert (San Marcos RC) & Cathy Hayes (La Jolla RC).  Congratulations!

 

 

 

The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club hosted the March 30 semi-regional Four-Way Test Speech Contest for local high school students via Zoom.  The speech contest, created by Chicago Rotarian Herbert Taylor in 1932, is a  public speaking contest which incorporates the components of Rotary's Four-Way Test.

The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club is hosting a Career Day with the 11th grade students at the Preuss School (UCSD), which serves students from underserved communities who will be the first in their families to go to college. We provide the Career Counsellors to chat with the students via Zoom on Wednesday April 21 between 11:45PM and 1:30 PM.  

 

 

 

Sharp HealthCare is reaching out again to District 5340 asking for Rotarian volunteers.  With the closure of Petco Park immunization site, Sharp now offers four locations to administer Covid-19 vaccine to qualified individuals.  Sites are in Chula Vista, Kearney Mesa, La Mesa and now San Marcos.   

 

 

Are you interested in supporting survivors of human trafficking right here in San Diego County?

 

The Rotary Club of Carlsbad has a Global Grant that will do just that!  The grant will help fund the club's effort to provide crisis intervention services to survivors in San Diego.

 

For more information on how you can become a part of it all and work to put a STOP to human trafficking during the 2021-2022 Rotary year, please contact Malena Bennett by email at M@AskMalena.com.

 

 

 

Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs can all participate in a one-day International Service project in Chula Vista on Saturday, April 24th.

 

 

 

Here is your opportunity to help improve the health of those seriously ill during the Pandemic crisis.  Join Rotarians across the District in donating blood on Friday, April 16.  You must make an appointment by either calling 619 400-8251 or signing up online at sandiegobloodbank.org/donate.

 

Our District Training is this upcoming Saturday!  Hundreds of Rotarians have already registered to attend the District Virtual Training Assembly set for this Saturday, April 10 and we expect to be at full capacity! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn more about Rotary.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please join us for the 2021 Virtual Convention: Rotary Opens Opportunities, June 12-16, 2021. Registration opens in mid-April.

 

 

Last year's Rotary International President Mark Maloney  awarded District 5340 the 2019-2020 Rotary Citation.  Our District is one of 93 worldwide to receive this prestigious award.

 

 

 

This past week, the Santee-Lakeside Rotary club presented a check for $1000 to the East County Transitional Living Center (ECTLC). With a mission to provide transitional housing and restore lives, the ECTLC is a faith based 501 (C) (3) corporation.  They offer four distinct transitional living programs, religious and secular, designed to fit the needs of most homeless families and/or individuals.

 

TCTLC offers case management, affordable temporary housing for those who have lost their way due to the economy and they also offer a no-cost one-year program for those desiring a religious discipleship training program.  

For over a decade, the Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club and the Santee Food Bank have been working side-by-side in helping Santee families in need.  The collaboration comes in many forms from purchasing much needed refrigeration units with the help of Rotary District Grants to helping the Santee branch of the US Post Office with their Stamp Out Hunger Drive sorting, weighing food items donated by postal patrons and then delivering food products to the food bank for distribution.

 

Most recently, the Santee Lakeside Rotary club issued a $3,000 District grant to help support the food bank's effort to provide COVID relief to families needing a hand up.  This past weekend, the club  delivered food items to shut in seniors in mobile home parks throughout the City of Santee.  As People of Action, club members enjoyed the project so much that they adopted one of the mobile parks for ongoing monthly delivery service. 

 

 

 

 

Old Mission Rotary hosted the Sub-Regional Round of the District 5340 Four Way Test Speech contest on February 16th.  In this round of the competition they heard from four high school students from clubs across the district.  

The rules for the competition are all the same throughout the district and students have between five and seven minutes to deliver a talk that is judged on content, organization, delivery and application of the of the Rotary Four Way Test.

Year after year, our Four Way Test Speech Contests have been flawlessly organized and executed at Old Mission Rotary by Eric Benink.  Nancy Vaughan of the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club was recognized for her multi-year service as chair of the District 5340 Four Way Test Speech Competition. District Governor Steve Weitzen and District Governor Elect Dan Gensler also attended our Zoom meeting.

 

 

This month we profile Don Fipps of the Del Mar Rotary Club.

 

 

The next speaker in our series is The Rotary Foundation Trustee Brenda Cressey on March 16, at 4:00PM via Zoom.  She will talk about The Rotary Foundation and it's current challenges and successes.  All District 5340 members are strongly encouraged to attend.

 

 

The Escondido and San Marcos Rotary Clubs will be holding a clothing drive on Saturday March 20, 2021 from 8am to 11am, in front of the Escondido City Hall at the corner of Broadway and Valley Parkway. They are asking Rotarians and community members to donate clothing that will be made available to the homeless VETS attending the North County Stand Down slated for mid-April.

 

 

Looking for an easy way to increase impact?

 

More and more people are discovering a simple and efficient way to give.  Join the hundreds who support The Rotary Foundation with a tax-wise gift from their IRA each year.

 

 

Please join Rotarians from around District 5340 for a Rotary Golf Roundup—April 5, 2021

 

Join us at St. Mark’s Golf Course in San Marcos.  Bring a team from your club and enjoy Rotary fellowship.  Tee time is 10:00 am.  The cost is $49.00 which includes shared cart, green fees and range balls. To facilitate planning, please make your reservations by March 29. 

 

You may contact Tee Captain Bret Geernaert at bretg2019pres@gmail.com to make a reservation and for details.
 

 

The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary recently issued a grant to RiseUp Industries!

RISE Up Industries is a nonprofit that prepares the formerly incarcerated for careers as CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine operators in their full service machine shop. Former enemy gang members and convicts work side by side, helping one another to complete the Re-entry Program and make positive life choices. The kinship they have fostered is an inspiration and proof that training and rehabilitation work!  Graduates of the program typically find immediate employment.

 

The Art Pratt Foundation presented a grant of $4,094 to purchase a bead blasting machine that is used to smooth manufactured parts for anodizing. Joe Calbreath is a member of their board of directors and accepted the funds and showed us an engraved plaque that will be mounted on the Bead Blaster Machine.

 

 

 

Old Mission Rotary President Gary John Collins won the Union Tribune Cartoon Caption Contest for Sunday, February 28th! Steve Breen, the newspaper cartoonist, selected President Gary among ferocious competition. I guess we shouldn’t be too surprised as Gary was a stand up comedian decades ago!  

 

 

 

 

For the 2020-21 Rotary year, some District Grants may not be possible due to COVID restrictions and cancellations.  We understand that clubs may want to reallocate funds to another project.  

 

 

 

Every day we see more and more signs that we are starting to return to "normalcy". One sure indicator is Rotarians back out in the community helping people and fulfilling their calling to be "People of Action".   Here is the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club team under the direction of Jim Hyldahl with coordination from Alan Turner (Seven Oaks) and Cathy Glover (Mirador) that mounted 19 new Neighborhood Watch Signs in the Seven Oaks Community and two in the Oaks North Community of Mirador.

 

This is the second time in the last few years that Rotarians from the Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club have mounted Neighborhood Watch Signs and they remain available to help any other Rancho Bernardo Community that needs assistance in mounting such signs.

 

 

 

 

It’s Tee Time!  The Rotary Club of Coronado is presenting its 25th Annual Jim Laslavic Charity Golf Tournament at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course on Friday, March 19, 2021.

 

 

"This week's Sunday Morning Musing we have as our guest columnist District Governor-Elect Dan Gensler from the Coronado Rotary club.  Dan will offer his Musing which I am sure is outstanding."

 

 

To better support the growth of global grants, The Rotary Foundation Trustees recently approved policy changes to help balance financial resources with program demands. These changes will take effect 1 July 2021.

The global grants program has been a tremendous success since it launched in 2013-14. That first year, the Foundation awarded 868 global grants worth $47.3 million. By 2019-20, the number of global grants awarded increased to 1,359, worth $95.6 million. While global grant funding increased by more than 100%, contributions to the Annual Fund, which is the primary source for global grant funding, did not keep pace. The demand for global grant funding is far greater than what is available.

 

 

 

 

Since the pandemic started, more connections have been made between the Rotarian clubs of San Diego and Tijuana in order to provide much needed assistance to Tijuana. Fernanda Torres (Peace Chair, San Diego Coastal Rotary Club and D4100 and D5340 liaison) and Carlos Carrillo (D4100 International Service Chair and Pro Peace Committee Chair)  spearheaded  these collaborative efforts. Last April, DDFs sent thousands of pieces of PPE to frontline workers in Tijuana and then, beans and rice were distributed to people unable to obtain food during the lockdown. Last Thursday, another 3370 pounds of food was distributed to at risk communities on Tijuana. The Rotary Club of Tijuana Milenio Minarete helped channel the funds from San Diego clubs to buy food.

 

This project would also not have been possible without the support of Mark McAnelly of Old Mission Club of San Diego, the main sponsor. Mark led the effort to obtain funds from his club and drove his own truck to deliver the food. This new campaign is called Granitas de Esperanza or Grains of Hope. The aim of the campaign is not just to provide food, but to spread the message of hope to the community of Tijuana and build binational collaboration among clubs.
 

 

 

The District Training Assembly offers training for ALL Rotarians including club officers, directors, committee & program chairs to help them be effective club leaders.  

 

 

 

Since 2001, Doors of Change has been transforming the lives of homeless youth, one young person at a time. The work with youth ages 17-25 years old.

 

 

Incoming RI President Shekhar Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, revealed the 2021-22 presidential theme, Serve to Change Lives, at this past week's virtual Rotary International Assembly.  He urged district governors-elect to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes not only other people's lives, but also our own.  Read more about the 2021-22 presidential theme.

 

 

Come help with the vaccination process for San Diego's senior community.  Gary and Mary West PACE welcomes both medical and non-medical volunteers.

 

They are looking for  volunteers to join them in San Marcos, CA - Monday through Saturday.

 

Join in on a special Zoom meeting

February 24, 2021

6:00 pm Pacific Time

 

Join us to hear immediate Rotary International Past President Mark Maloney speak about Rotary during the past year and what he believes the future holds for Rotary.

 

Rotary Peace Month by San Diego Coastal Rotary Club When: Feb 3, 10, 17 2021 6 pm Pacific Time (US and Canada) Register in advance for this meeting:

 

https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZcsdu6gqT4uGNV1CpNBO3Aa4rDN3... After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

 

 

Of the 60 million people displaced by armed conflict or persecution, 90% are civilians. Half of those civilians are children. That’s millions of reasons why Rotary is so engaged in service projects, fellowships and other Rotary-sponsored campaigns in pursuit of peace in our world.  Learn more.

 

 

 

Coronado Rotary Club’s Flags on the Avenue
 
One of the District’s most notable and commendable community projects is the Coronado Rotary club’s Flags on the Avenue.  The Flags on the Avenue is the signature project of the Coronado Rotary club. 
 
Eleven times a year the Coronado club places American Flags on both sides of Orange Avenue - the main street in Coronado.  It is a stirring sight as you can see from the pictures.

 

To schedule an appointment, please click here.  

 

 

Rotary clubs are stepping up to help local efforts to vaccinate individuals  against the Corona Virus.  Below you will see members of the Coronado Rotary Club who have been consistently volunteering at Sharp Coronado's vaccination site.  Next you will see members of the Chula Vista Rotary Club participating as volunteers at the Sharp HealthCare site in Chula Vista. 

 

You can sign up to volunteer at any Sharp vaccination site by going to the following website: https://www.sharp.com/health-classes/category/sharp-lends-a-hand-52.  Rotarians report this has been a fun and purposeful volunteer experience and many are signing up for additional shifts.   

 

SEND IN YOUR VOLUNTEER PHOTOS AND BE FEATURED HERE!

 

 

 

 

 

The 2021 Rotary International Convention, scheduled for June 12-16, 2021 in Taipei, Taiwan, will now be a virtual event in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.   For more information and to learn about convention, pre-convention and ticket refunds, etc., please visit: https://on.rotary.org/3r5uYYB.

 

 

Over the year, The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club  harvested over 16,000 pounds of fruit and vegetables and  donated  the produce to local food banks.   The club is looking for additional harvesting  opportunities.  They have  branded themselves with this ongoing COVID-19 service project and wish to continue their efforts.  

 

If you know of any opportunity for harvesting, please have those interested contact  Fern Hall of La Mesa Sunrise Rotary at 619-742-4131. The club will gladly pick and distribute their yield to local food banks and families in need.  

Masks and COVID precautions are followed during harvests and it is important to note that they are insured.  

 

 

Please join this Rotary Human Traffic Summit - Offering Hope for a Better Tomorrow - Wednesday, January 27 at 9:00 EST.  

 

Human trafficking -- whether in the form of modern-day slavery, forced labor in in supply chains, debt bondage, sex trafficking, domestic servitude, or online child sexual exploitation – is a transnational multi-billion dollar criminal activity that the 2018 Global Slavery Index estimates to impact over 40 million men, women and children in over 167 countries on any given day. The U.S. State Department’s 2020 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report recognizes that government must play a role in eradicating human trafficking but “governments cannot succeed alone; actions at the local level play a critical role ...[because] the grinding reality of fighting modern slavery takes place not on world stages, but through the dedicated actions of...individual community members who are often the eyes, ears and hearts of the places they call home.” The TIP Report makes clear that we need to add a 4th element to the traditional 3P Paradigm of Prosecution, Protection, Prevention: Partnership.

 

 

 

The Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club is thankful for the amazing work Meals on Wheels San Diego does in the community and were proud to assist them with their mission to support independence and well-being. The club recently gifted a $500 grant to support the organization.  In addition, club member Elana Levens-Craig is a volunteer delivering meals directly to recipients homes.  

 

The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary club started the New Year with picking fruit for those in need.  Food banks be warned: "here we come" says members of the club.  Thanks to Fern Platt, Jeff Hall, Ivan Alba, Janet Bertolucci Castaños, Erin, Maddie, and Ivy for doing all the hard work.

 

 

Team Rotary volunteers on the first day of COVID vaccines in Coronado thanks to the tremendous organizational efforts of Sharp Coronado staff!  Participants exclaimed "it feels good to be part of the solution".  

 

Everyone knows from watching TV and other news sources that COVID-19 vaccinations are not occurring as fast as they should.  Sharp HealthCare has decided to open a supersite in the Sears building in Chula Vista to help facilitate the ramp up of the numbers receiving vaccinations.  This past week many Rotarians responded to the call for volunteers to help get the program off the ground.  Many have reported back that it was an excellent experience and provided meaningful work.  Thank you to all who were able to give of your time. 

 

On its first day, Sharp had 1,800 registered folks qualifying for the vaccine shot.  It is estimated that by the end of next week, the clinic site will have the capacity to administer vaccine to 5,000 people daily.     The need for volunteers will continue for some time to come as health care providers ramp up their efforts to get more vaccine into the arms of qualifying participants as soon as possible.  

 

 

Happy New Year. It's fruit picking season! Citrus trees around San Diego County are ripe with fruit. Last year several clubs including La Mesa Sunrise picked and donated fresh citrus fruits to local food banks. La Mesa Sunrise alone harvested and delivered over 16,000 pounds of oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and other fruits and vegetables. We encourage all clubs to get involved! Let's do our part to find a partial remedy to the challenge of hunger and nutrition in San Diego County.

 

 

 

Sandy Pugliese is the publisher and editor of Newsbits - the District newsletter you are reading now.  Sandy also maintains the District web site: rotary5340.org.  For this, and more, I am eternally grateful to Sandy for what she does.  She makes me sound half decent and keeps me in line with unreasonable deadlines.

 

 

Last year, Rotary formed a strategic alliance with Toastmasters International. As part of this collaboration, Toastmasters has developed a structured curriculum of communication and leadership courses for Rotarians and Rotaractors. 

 

This past week, Past RI President Barry Rassin spoke via Zoom to District 5340 leadership on the topic of the 7th Avenue of Service - the Environment.  He also responded to a variety of questions on topics affecting Rotary worldwide.     Shown below is the link to view the Zoom presentation.  

 

When Christine Testa, a speech therapist at Pomerado Elementary School, told her father about the distance learning needs her students were encountering. Alan Turner, Christine’s father and membership chair for the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo began to raise funds specifically for distance learning needs at Title I elementary schools in the Poway Unified School District (PUSD). 
 
In a short time, Alan raised funds from Rotary members.  Mike Fuqua, the president of the Rancho Bernardo Rotary club’s foundation provided an additional matching gift. Together they donated over $6,000 to the PUSD Foundation specifically for students and families in need of hotspots, Internet access, headphones and other equipment to help ensure students are able to learn and work at home. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone with a current nurse or physician license can volunteer to vaccinate through Sharp HealthCare.  If you qualify and are interested, please contact Dr. Jenny Parker at jenny@jparkermd.net for more details.  HOT OF THE PRESS: More information will be coming out soon about how Rotarians throughout San Diego County can help in the vaccination effort with Sharp HealthCare.  There will be positions open for non-medical volunteers as well.  Stay tuned.

 

 

Yesterday, Part II of the District's Membership Seminar occurred.  Members asked that the Zoom session video be distributed to enable others to take advantage of the rich conversation and ideas shared today.  You can watch the seminar by clicking on this link.  

 

Earlier in the week, over 1,200 passionate Rotarians signed up to listen to John Hewko, RI General Secretary and his suggestions on how clubs can survive for the future.
 
Many requested the video of John's message. Notes and the full video of John's message can be accessed by clicking on this link.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The  Rotary E-Club San Diego Global is asking for help supporting the victims of Hurricane Etna in the Honduras. The devastating hurricane hit some of the poorest  communities in Honduras who were already suffering from the effects of Covid 19.

 

The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club held a Christmas gift drive-thru for 65 families served by the ProKids-First Tee on December 18 in Oceanside.  ProKids-First Tee's mission is to challenge underserved youth to excel in life by promoting character development, life skills and values through education and the game of golf.  

 

Gifts, books and bicycles were distributed to families in a fun drive-thru filled with music and lots of Christmas spirit.  

 

This was the fourth holiday event the RSF Rotary Club held this Christmas season for underserved children in the direct community.

 

 

 

Please join the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club in their Zoom meetings in February. They have planned some exceptional speakers for Peace and Conflict Resolution Month and want to open up the opportunity for Rotarians throughout District 5340 to participate. Their meetings are Wednesday night from 6-7:30pm and speakers usually start around 6:45pm. The 4th meeting is a social.

 

 

Here are the dates and speaker bios:

The International Service and Pro Peace District Committee for Rotary District 4100, through DG Guillermo Nava, Carlos Carrillo, Chairman of the District Committee and D4100-D5340 Liaison, Fernanda Torres managed a campaign to deliver face masks to the police of the Municipality of Tijuana and the security departments of the State of Baja California.  

 

This efforts was conducted by the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club providing a total of 20,000 face masks.

 

The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club recently dropped off over 350 holiday toys and 200 stuffed animals for children at Solutions for Change.  Solutions for Change is a residential program in Vista currently housing 32 mothers, four dads, and 80 children in the program.  The program aims to break the homeless cycle  with skills, knowledge and resources.

 

The Rotarians had generous support from the community.  Rotarians set up an Angel adoption event at the RSF Post Office.  Hundreds of Angels were displayed on a Christmas tree and each Angel gave the age and gender of a child.  Sponsors from the community "adopted"  these Angels at the post office and then turned in their Angels by bringing the appropriate unwrapped gift to a designated location.  Rotarians also held an identical Angel adoption event of their own. 

 

This is the fifth year the RSF Rotary Club has collected toys for Solutions for Change.

 

 

Together, we possess the ability to break the cycle!
 
District 5340's dedicated Anti-Human Trafficking task force proudly launches a series of initiatives that are designed to increase the awareness of San Diego County's human sex trafficking scourge and generate measures to help prevent individuals -- primarily young people -- from becoming victims. 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonsall Rotary club president Jeff Johnson (left) works with friend Dave at the 12/20/2020 benefit effort to provide food and gifts to needy families in Ambergris Caye, Belize.  Jeff and Dave helped prepare over 500 meals that were distributed that day brightening people's Christmas.
 

 

Sharp Healthcare Anesthesiologist and Rotarian, Jenny Parker helped administer first Tier COVID vaccinations to Sharp Healthcare Vice President of Orthopedics, Mary Ellington who is Rotarian in the La Mesa Rotary Club.   

 

Dr. Parker wore her Rotarian at Work shirt helping promote Rotary's efforts to encourage vaccinations. 

The Rotary Club of Fallbrook has been adding new members even while meeting virtually through Zoom.   Their newest members are Anna Beath, a realtor, and Kenneth Wesson who is retired. 

 

Unfortunately, the club also lost two members recently:  Griffin Hamilton had moved here from Carlisle, PA where he had been a long time active member of the Rotary Club of Carlisle.  Griffin passed away unexpectedly shortly after he joined the Rotary Club of Fallbrook.  Mike (Myron) Reed (shown in picture) lost his battle with pancreatic cancer just before Christmas.  Mike had been a member of Rotary for 67 years and had served as the President of the Wilshire Rotary Club before moving to Fallbrook.  Mike’s passion in life was to serve the community which he did through many service organizations and also through his generous financial support.  

 

To our Rotary family: May the spirit of the holidays fill your hearts with joy and contentment.  

Photo: Old Mission Roatarian Gil Klecan won the 1946 World Championship Soap Box Derby Race when he was 15 years old! We never know what amazing talents and stories we have in our Rotary Club!
 

Gil Klecan has been a member of Rotary since 1999 and a member of Old Mission Rotary for 21 years. Gil was born on the open plains of Kansas and moved to San Diego as a young boy when his father took a job at the Ryan Aeronautical Company. 

One morning, a 15-year old Gil was walking to school, an aerospace engineer stopped his car and recruited Gil on the spot as the driver for his new go cart design.

Soon Gil was competing and winning until he won the 1946 World Championship Soap Box Derby Race in Ohio! Gil took his prize money and invested it in property. He has prospered in his career in residential and commercial real estate ever since. 
 

 

On December 15, 2020, The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant of $6,000 to Villa Musica. 

Founded as a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation in November 2005, Villa Musica is a vibrant gathering place where people of all ages and backgrounds can come together to take music lessons, play in an ensemble, or participate in a workshop. Villa Musica’s goal is to create a focal point for community music education in San Diego, where students and teachers can meet to exchange ideas and experience the joy of making music. By creating a supportive and creative environment for the study of music, they aim to inspire many San Diegans to make music making part of their lives.

 

 

The Art Pratt Foundation grant will help fund the new “Music on the Move” program. Villa Musica will purchase a bus and take music to the public. 

 

 

Chula Vista Sunrise President Jeff, Thiel, Past Co-President Rochelle Carroll and President-Elect Nancy Kerwin show off all the gifts brought in by club members that were taken to our Adopt-a-Family last weekend. We were determined to make this their "Best Christmas Ever" while the dad is deployed!

 

 

Some of the members of the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club recently met outside at the beautiful home of Sophia Alsadek to assemble hygiene products that were collected for the foster teens of San Pasqual Academy. The safety guidelines of social distancing were followed. The Rotarians were masked and socially distanced and they safely went out of their way to assemble these bags to make the holidays brighter for the foster students and alumni of San Pasqual Academy. Items collected included shampoo, shower gel, toothbrushes, toothpaste, chapstick and socks and were placed in beautiful, decorative tote bags. The foster teens greatly appreciate these useful items, especially during these uncertain, difficult times.

 

 

This is a virtual workshop open to all Club Presidents, President-Elects, AG's, Membership Chairs and committee members.  Please join us and learn important strategies for retaining and attracting new members to your club.

 

The Escondido East Rotary Club delivered 120 Turkey dinners to homebound Seniors on Thanksgiving Day. The Club also delivered 1,200 pounds of turkey to Interfaith to be used for meals of those needing a nice cooked Thanksgiving dinner. A special "thank you" to Rotarian Darol and Linda Caster for getting this organized for the senior's delivery. Rotarians Wayne Brunner and Steve Yerxa for delivering to Interfaith. The many Rotarians and friends who helped deliver meals and a special "thank you" to Rotarian and Branch Manager of First Republic Bank, Dolly Cooper. Her bank donated the funds to pay for all the meals - $1,000. 

 

 

Over the two nights the District Rotaract spent at the San Diego Food Bank, they packed 1,200 boxes (over 28,000 meals!) for the senior food program. Thanks to everyone who came out! Rotaractors are looking forward to the next district service project. 

 

 

This program is being held on Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 11:30 am EST (Washington DC time).

 

Please click here to register.

 

Click here to register for this informative Zoom presentation.

On Saturday, December 5, Santee-Lakeside Rotarians assembled 1300 boxes for the Santee Santas Foundation readying them to provide their signature effort -   an annual holiday food and children’s toy distribution.  The club is proud to partner with such a wonderful community organization and has done so for the last six years.

 

This is a tough year for so many people and hopefully the food and gifts these family  receives for the holidays will be a bright spot for them in 2020.   It is expected that over 400  families will benefit this year from this effort.  Santee Santas Foundation has been bringing the holiday spirit to Santee for more than 65 years.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rotary E-Club San Diego Global invites you to a recording of their recent guest speaker, San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan. 

Torrey Pines Rotary Club member, Gordon Shurtleff and his wife, La Jolla Rotary Club member Penny Shurtleff, visited the Vineland Rotary Club in New Jersey on November 24, 2020 via Zoom to help them (club) celebrate their 100th year anniversary.
 

 

In keeping with Coronado Rotary tradition stretching back to 1929, Santa will come to Coronado to spread joy to all.   Santa, Mrs. Claus, and their trusty elves will slowly cruise through Coronado neighborhoods between 1 and 3 p.m. Sunday, December 13.   Santa's route begins in the Village, before entering the Cays and then Strand military housing.  

Old Mission Rotary provided funds for full Thanksgiving meals for two deserving families in City Heights. The food baskets were delivered by STAR/PAL on Saturday, November 21st by a procession of five low-rider cars escorted by San Diego Police Department black and whites! Charlotte Cofield and Lee Kaminetz represented Old Mission Rotary.  Charlotte Cofield is our club’s Community Service chair and she was so impressed by STAR/PAL that she reached out to them in the summer. Our first opportunity to support them was a school backpack give away in the fall.

 

The mission of STAR/PAL is to engage underserved youth with law enforcement and develop trusting and long-term relationships. STAR/PAL offers free programs for undeserved and at-risk youth in San Diego that are led by law enforcement officers. These programs focus on violence prevention, mentoring, leadership, civic engagement, outdoor enrichment, and physical fitness.

 

 

 

Max Gurney of Torrey Pines Rotary is a 99 year old WW2 veteran who served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. On Sunday, November 15th, Max was recognized with other WW2 veterans at a ceremony atop Mount Soledad at the National Veterans Memorial. 

 

All Rotarians of District 5340 thanks you Max for your service.  

 

On Tuesday, November 17th, the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant to Sandy Carter (R) who is the president of San Diego Military Outreach Ministries. Their mission is to serve active duty junior enlisted families (E5 and below) with basic needs to help stretch their limited funds.

 

Everything is given free in appreciation for their military service. Families can visit their center or one of the "pop the trunk" pick-up events on military bases to pick up children’s clothing, infant diapers, baby food, toys, small household items and furniture. The Art Pratt funds of $3800 will be used for an office printer, a freezer to store frozen food and a new branded event canopy.

 

Officers of The Rotary Club of Bonsall present a donation to the Fallbrook Food Pantry. Treasurer Denise Wilson and Community Service Director Karen Estes handed off a $250 check to Carolina Miller to support the Adopt-A-Family drive in Fallbrook. The donation will be used to buy food and clothes for needy families to boost their enjoyment of Christmas in these difficult times.

 

The Bonsall Rotary Club continues to serve the community through service and donations even though meeting in person isn't currently possible. 

 

 

Rotary E-Club of San Diego Global has just received a shipment of masks  made with  authentic native fabric by our entrepreneur Guatemalan high school seniors whom have qualified for university studies starting January 2021. (None of their parents have gone beyond the 6th grade) . 

 

 

 

We are pleased to announce awards given during the Zone Institute held this past Saturday.  District 5340, under the leadership of 2019-2020 DG Marta Knight earned the following recognition:

 

 

 

 

The District Environmental Sustainability Committee is pleased to invite all Rotarians to attend this presentation: Discovering & Protecting the California Chaparral, on November 17, 2020, at 6:30 p.m.

 

If you missed the November 7 Foundation Seminar, you are in luck.  Thanks to Rotarian Don Fipp, the seminar was recorded and now available for you to watch.   The seminar was very inspiring, showcasing several District 5340 Matching Grant projects.   You'll want to take the time to watch!

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Chula Vista Sunrise recently completed their November service project.  They put together Thanksgiving dinner bags for families in need. Ten bags were prepared by club members on Saturday, November 14 to distribute to families through the Chula Vista Community Collaborative. Each bag consists of all the fixings and a gift card for a delicious holiday dinner. 

 

 

 

What a great day to be a Rancho Bernardo Rotarian! A group of eight RB Rotarians and friends and a large group of cheerleaders gathered at Skydive San Diego in Jamul to skydive to raise money and awareness of the need to eradicate Polio. Although World Polio Day this year was October 24, they decided to celebrate it October 31 to also honor their own Don Glover who celebrated his 80th birthday by skydiving for the second time (his first was five years ago when he turned 75!). There were nine (9) skydivers - Six from RB Rotary and three from Poway Scripps Rotary - Kristin Rayder, Evan Rayder and Mike Villarino supported by Past President Karen Herreros and her daughter. It was a team effort definitely showing how Rotary Clubs can work together.

 

 

 

We hope you’ll join us in Taipei to Feel the Energy. Don’t forget to invite your friends — download the promotional kit and share our official video about Taipei on your social networks.

 

 

Old Mission Rotarian Gary Stemple once again organized and lead a team from Old Mission Rotary to a Project Mercy special fall construction event on a three-acre site in Chula Vista. Volunteers worked on the components for five pre-assembled houses which have been transported to Tijuana for final assembly into single family homes. In normal times, houses are built in Tijuana on site and presented to grateful families at the end of the workday.

 

Project Mercy - Baja provides basic but sturdy homes in Tijuana, Mexico for impoverished families that live in desperately poor neighborhoods or Colonias.

Old Mission Rotary Club Foundation has donated $2500. Each of the 20 homes being built this year cost about $5000 each to build.

 

 

 

 

The morning of the 28th of October,  members of the Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps were up and at 'em at dark o'clock to participate in a virtual walk for World Polio Day. Rotarians in our district were encouraged to walk together last week in support of ending polio. The BIG club question - who is brave enough to walk at 6:30 a.m. when it is 57 degrees outside? Well, just a handful of us and one early rising dog. President Dave walked at Big Bear Lake and literally phoned in his walk to Past President Karen, Kristin, Don (joined with his granddog, Red), and Melanie who met at Miramar Lake. 

 

 

The Rancho Santa Fe Rotary (RSF) club members volunteered October 16 at Rancho Santa Fe's Helen Woodward Animal Center.

 

The Helen Woodward Animal Center (HWAC) has been helping animals in the community for over 40 years.  HWAC is a no-kill facility that receives no government funding so it relies on the Orphaned Objects Resale Shop among other creative ways to support its mission.  Orphaned Objects Resale Shop supports HWAC through financial contributions estimated $250,000 annually.  One hundred percent of the proceeds from the sales at this high-end boutique thrift stores go directly back to HWAC.  

 

 

The District 5340 Rotary Foundation Committee and District Governor-Elect Dan Gensler, have approved the following policies attached below for Rotary Foundation Grants for the 2021-2022, Rotary year.

Collage of photos taken from Facebook showcasing Rotarians and Rotaractors promoting Rotary's End Polio Campaign on October 24, 2020.

 

 

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club will be holding a Blood Drive on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, 2020 from 11:3am - 5:00pm, in conjunction with the San Diego Blood Bank. 

 

Rotary International and District By-laws require the Immediate Past District Governor to provide each club an independently reviewed annual statement and report of district finances within one year of serving.  The attached statement and report will be discussed and adopted at our 2020 District Conference.

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Del Mar announced today that although 2020 has seen cancellations of many events, the popular CHILI AND QUACKERS and DUCKY DERBY events will bring the community together once again. This year, the format will be a Quadruple Crown, four race event. On Monday, October 26, 2020, at 5:45pm, the 8th annual Ducky Derby will be virtual for the first time ever. Prizes include cash (up to $300) and a Ranch 45 dinner and wine pairing (valued at $500). 

 

The Rotary Club of La Mesa Sunrise held a pottery sale at the home of Club President Elly Dotseth this Saturday, October 17.  Elly is a professional potter and offered up some of her wares for the benefit of Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.  The sale netted $800 towards Polio Plus.

 

The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club is known for its harvesting efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Their efforts support organizations that provide food to families experiencing food insecurities during this troubling time.

 

The Club is routinely in route to a location offering harvesting opportunities of local produce.  They bring along with them friends and family and they use these harvesting quests as a means to interest others in joining Rotary. 

 

This time round, the harvesting netted 60 bags of apples.  The perfect fruit for those fall pie bakers.  

 

 

 

 

 

Join us for an exciting Rotary Foundation Seminar.  The seminar will be held via Zoom.  Everyone is encouraged to attend.  Invite your friends and family to join in.  They will walk away with a deeper appreciation for all the good work Rotary does locally and world-wide.  

 

 

 

Plan a fun event for your Club to celebrate the AMAZING success of Rotary International’s very successful program to eliminate polio from the face of the earth.

 

In September, all of Africa was declared Polio-free after four years without a case.  We are down to just two countries—Pakistan and Afghanistan—and World Health teams are going into those areas again to give the precious drops to children to save them from the scourge of Polio.  

 

If your club is participating in World Polio Day events, either club-sponsored or in the District's Virtual Polio Walk (see flier in this edition of NEWSBITS), you can pick up End Polio Now pins and wristbands to distribute to those who are participating in celebrating World Polio Day (Week)—October 24—31.

 

 

We invite you to learn more about this $800 million illicit business in our region and what you can do about it.

 

Being an essential worker during this pandemic means potentially exposing themselves and their families to COVID-19 while performing their job duties.  Essential workers are having to deal with new stresses of adding physical distancing measures to their jobs, shifting work hours, changing childcare needs with school closures among many other challenges, all while serving our community.  They are making sure there is food, water, electricity, trash, sanitation services, and health care services. 

 

 

Through The Rotary Foundation, we invest in emerging leaders who are using their skills to make the world a better place. We have the amazing opportunity in Rotary to participate in this work by offering scholarships that enable these young leaders to expand their skills and make connections with other professionals in their fields.

During Reconnect Week 5-11 October, we celebrate these alumni and hold activities designed to keep them connected. These alumni serve as ambassadors for Rotary, joining a growing network of peacebuilders and service-minded professionals who are partnering with us to do good in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

The District Environmental Sustainability Committee is pleased to invite all Rotarians to attend this presentation: Sustainable Investing – A Force for Positive Change, on October 20, 2020 at 6:30 p.m.

 

 

It began when Dale Long, Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club's president-elect, suggested that the Club volunteer to gather fruit in local orchards to donate to the Community Food Connection. In short order, the Club could see  there was still a greater need for more support, prompting Kim Varey, the Club's community chairperson to ask members to step up and do more.

 

 

Men of good heart and soul.  We send condolences to their families and friends and to  members of their respective Rotary clubs.  We share in your sadness.  

 

Obituary links:

 

John Brown: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/john-brown-obituary?pid=196859481

David Ringrose: https://history.ucsd.edu/news-events/oneoff/ringroseObit.html

 

 

World Polio Day

 

October 24th marks World Polio Day. World Polio day is always observed on the 24th. That date is so random. Even though the 24th falls on a Saturday this year, why not the 1st, 10th 15th or 20th?

"The Walk 4 The Trail" fundraiser is an exceptional way for your Rotarian Club members to get together in small groups, enjoy the amazing views from the iconic La Jolla Coast Walk Trail and in a COVID responsible, outdoor setting.  There is a sunrise (7-9:00 am) and sunset hike (4:30-6:30 pm) to chose from.

 

Looking for great ideas on how to switch up meetings?  Here is an example of the creativity Rotary clubs are known for:  The Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club is trying a new creative approach to Rotary meetings by having its members gather in their cars for drive-in  meetings.  Planning requires the following to be considered:  

 

The Drive-In Rotary requires the program/speakers  to understand A/V is not necessarily available.  The club uses a cell phone number for their members to TEXT questions to the speaker.  The club conducted its  2019-2020 Annual Awards Ceremony via Drive-In Rotary so they could take good pictures and at least have their honorees FEEL the support they enjoy from the membership.

 

 

To register go to: www.pacificbeachrotaract.org

 

 

 

 

A District Anti-Human Trafficking ZOOM Workshop will be held on October 13, 2020 at 6:30 pm.  This will be the first of two sessions.  We invite you to learn more about this $800 million illicit business in our region and what you can do about it.

 

Making a difference in the lives of young teenage boys growing up without a positive role model is nothing new to members of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship.  In fact, Brett Morey, Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle and Founder of Surfers Unite has been involved with the 100 Wave Challenge for Boys to Men Mentoring for the past four years.  Brett leads the charge on the Degree 33 Surfboards team and has involved a half dozen Rotaractors and Rotarians in District 5340 as a result.  Rodger Dougherty of Club 33 (RC of San Diego) has been participating in the 100 Wave Challenge since the inaugural year in 2010.  A Lifetime Member of Surfers Unite and Senior Director of Public Affairs for Kaiser Permanente, Rodger has also been a huge financial supporter of the annual fundraiser for Boys to Men Mentoring.  Talk about dedication, Rodger even completed the 100 Wave Challenge solo while on the East coast on business a couple years ago.  

 

 

Greetings from District 4400, Ecuador!   
 
It is our pleasure to invite you and your Club to attend our XV Rotary Project Fair to be held online on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th of November 2020. 
 

 

Congratulations to the District Foundation Grant Sub-Committee for the successful submission and approval by Rotary International of the 2019–2020 District Grant Report.

 

The 2020-2021 District Grants block grant application for $152,233, was submitted and approved by Rotary International. This year we have 46 clubs with 96 grants totaling $150,525, of matching funds. Funds will be wired to our District Grant account. Clubs with approved grants need to make sure that their banking information is correctly uploaded in the matching grants.org website so funds can be forwarded.

 

On Wednesday, September 9, the Rancho Santa Fe (RSF) Rotary Club picked up 300 meals from Culinary Wizard Catering in Rancho Santa Fe and headed down to the the USO San Diego Liberty Station.

 

 

The District Environmental Sustainability Committee (DES) is pleased to inform all Rotarians that the San Diego Green Building Council is hosting its 3^rd Annual Sustainability Award and the application deadline is October 16^th.  Rotary Clubs have created a wide community of businesses and nonprofit organizations and this event is a great opportunity to showcase their green business practices. The DES encourages Rotarians, who may find an interest to this event, to apply and share with organizations or businesses that are looking to celebrate their best practices.

 

This past Saturday, the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club along with 50 other volunteers from 10 other San Diego clubs and a group from PB Rotaract Club worked with the Outreach Program to package over 10,000 nutritious meals.

 

The La Mesa Sunrise Club has been busy this past month providing scholarships and food deliveries to recipients of the Learn4Life schools.  Learn4Life schools help students with needs that cannot be met by traditional public schools.

 

After 23 years, Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary’s BocceFest - our fun fundraiser, bocce tournament, craft beer tasting, and auction has been cancelled due to the pandemic.  However, because the need of our services and support for many non-profits is even greater these days, Rotarians called on past Bocce sponsors and donors, who have generously pledged over $36,000 as of September 9.  To celebrate this milestone, the Del Mar Solana Beach Rotary will be hosting a BocceFest Celebration of Giving via a Zoom Webinar on Tuesday evening, September 15, from 5:30pm-6:30pm.

During Rotary Alumni Reconnect Week, October 5-11, Rotary members and alumni will gather to share their experiences, network, and exchange ideas for staying involved in Rotary. Join the action! Create a post on social media and tag it #RotaryReconnect. Hold a virtual meeting with alumni to share ideas. Invite an alum to speak at your online club meeting.