Calling all Financial Advisors! Help a Human Trafficking Survivor Thrive
Your District Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force is collaborating with GenerateHope to provide a financial advisor to mentor one survivor a month for one hour on the basics of budgeting, saving and other necessarily skills. Doing so will help these brave individuals thrive as they take back the lives they deserve. Your help would make a major impact!
In concert with Project Mercy, six new houses were built from April 23 - 30, 2022 for six happy families. Thanks go to the Cox and Meziere families, Ware Malcomb Architects and colleagues, and Chula Vista and Encinitas Rotary Clubs.
Project Mercy was really pleased to welcome back Encinitas Rotary after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic. Pat Davis spearheaded the event and was equally pleased to be able to welcome a lot of new Rotary and Interact members and share the house building experience with them. Encinitas Rotary has been a supporter of Project Mercy for many years and our longtime framers Chris Malek and Fritz Stelhern got back to working with them with the addition of a couple of our Mexican crew. Their family was the Arce Martinez family of seven. Mother Maria and the two youngest children stayed and played around the new construction all day. When she saw the completed new home, Maria broke down in tears, it was a touching moment for everyone.
Long-time friends Carmen Sandoval and the Chula Vista Rotary crew worked with the lead of Mike Meziere on April 23 to build a home for Concepcion Ramirez Tafolla and her extended family. Concepcion’s husband died a few years ago and she struggles to raise eight children on her own. Her daughter Alexandra has just had a new baby girl and Carmen was excited to bring them gifts for the baby as well as much needed food and items for the rest of the family. They spend nearly all their hard earned money from selling donuts on the streets, to pay for the land. The gift of a house and supplies paves a new way forward and gives them hope for their future.
Join the Rotary Club of El Camino Real (Oceanside) and the Rotary Club of Oceanside for a fun filled day of golf, food, and fellowship! Bid on their special virtual auction items, win special prizes including a $10,000 hole-in-one on a designated par 3! Participate in their sponsorship opportunities! All proceeds go towards furthering their efforts to support their community through various educational, youth, and homeless programs. For more information and to register visit the tournament website at www.trellis.org/rcogolf2022.
Since the first Rotary Peace Centers welcomed peace fellows 20 years ago, more than 1,500 of them have gained the experience, skills, and networks they need to build peace in their communities and around the world. Collectively, program alumni are making a tremendous impact through their work as leaders in conflict transformation, as well as in the areas of community and international development that make conflict less likely to occur. Rotary’s long-term commitment to peace education will continue to support leaders in the future. In fact, the peace centers program will expand, with the addition of a new certificate program in the Middle East or North Africa by 2025. This truly is a long-term investment.
ClubRunner is offering a Changeover Training Series for 2022 to help better prepare you for this upcoming Rotary year. They're holding a series of free webinars to help you brush up on your ClubRunner skills and knowledge. This is a don't miss opportunity.
Join them for these in-depth webinars starting on May 5 and continuing until May 21, 2022. New this year, they're offering both beginner and advanced level webinars for certain modules. These training sessions are open to all ClubRunner users at no cost. If the date has passed - no worries - they are recording each session.
Hosted by expert Product Specialists, they will be presenting webinars based on roles, club or district versions, and in-depth module deep dives. There will even be live Q&A available during and after the webinar!
Registration Details
Click here to view schedule and to register for individual sessions or visit www.clubrunner.com/training. Can't attend live? Not to worry, all sessions will be recorded and shared on our Community site after the series is complete.
The much anticipated and universally touted Rotary Club of Del Mar CHILI AND QUACKERS is back! Live and in person, the Rotary Club is hosting the 14th annual Chili & Quackers challenge. Join the fun for all ages at Powerhouse Park, 1658 Coast Blvd, Del Mar, CA on Saturday, May 21 from noon until 3:00 PM.
If you missed out on the first Membership Social on May 5, you have another opportunity on May 19, 2022. The District Membership Social is open to all Rotarians and an opportunity to invite potential Rotarians to meet and socialize.
Legacy Center Mission Valley 875 Hotel Cir S, San Diego, CA 92108 (Click Here for Driving Directions)
Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarians and friends helped the Nature Collective clear non-native plants at the San Elijo Lagoon and San Dieguito County Park on Rotarians At Work Day.
If you haven't signed up to assist with the Sat. May 14th City2Surf event in Del Mar be sure to get "on board" today as Rotarians throughout the county including Interact and Rotaract members as well as friends in the surfing community will take more than 50 inner city kids from Southeast San Diego and the South Bay surfing in Del Mar. City2Surf is a Learn to Surf program supported by Hope Leadership Academy, a faith based 501(c)3 organization and this can be a great opportunity to serve with arts and crafts, helping kids get in and out of wetsuits, photography and of course pushing kids in the water. There are already 20 volunteers signed up however there are a few open positions so contact Brett Morey at 858-602-2532 or register at: www.surfersunite.org/events.
Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship Takes Inner City Kids Surfing
Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Del Mar selected to work at Nativity Prep Academy on Rotarians at Work Day doing a variety of tasks.
Nativity Prep Academy is a private-independent, all-scholarship Catholic middle school and college-preparatory program for young men and women from low-income families who represent the first generation to graduate from college. Eleven years of support empowers our students to excel through high school, college, and beyond, becoming role models and leaders in their communities.
Nativity Prep Academy is Site for Rotarians at Work Day
The Rotary District 5340 Cinco de Mayo membership social at Aqua Hedionda Lagoon Foundation was a blast! 95 Rotarians and guests had a wonderful time celebrating Cinco de Mayo while taking the opportunity to meet and greet fellow Rotarians and potential Rotarians.
If you missed it, there is a Membership Social for San Diego on May 19 at the Legacy Center Mission Valley, so get in on the fun and fellowship by signing up on the District website.
Rotarians from Chula Vista Sunrise and Eastlake Rotary Clubs joined together with community members last week at Otay Elementary School to assist with cleaning up the garden. A shed was built, weeds were removed, and countless other tasks undertaken. Rotarians coming together on Rotarians at Work Day!
Otay Elementary Gets Assist with Cleaning Up in Garden
Come join us for an evening of fellowship as we cheer on our Padres team. Seats are located in left field at "The Point". Game Ticket: $35.00, 40.00 and $41.00 | Limit per person: 5 game tickets.
The electronic ticket(s) will be emailed to you by Patty Fortin, 5340 District Administrator, 30 days before game day. Here is the lineup:
The annual Goat for Joe Golf Tournament and Mental Health Fair is a fundraising event orchestrated by Dana and Andrea Albert through the San Marcos Rotary Club Foundation. Our presenting sponsor is Lawyers Title San Diego. This was created in memory of Joseph Aaron Nunez, Andrea's brother, who passed away by suicide in March 2017. There are several families in North County San Diego that may have a "Joe" in their lives that is struggling with mental illness such as suicidal behavior, anxiety, depression, schizofrenia, bipolar disorder, or any other debilitating mental disability.
Join the Encinitas Rotary Club for this celebration of international wines, spirits, local microbrews and outstanding cuisine from some of the region’s finest restaurants and caterers.
The 19th Annual Encinitas Wine & Food Festival is being held at Encinitas Ranch Golf Course. Guests will enjoy the beautiful grounds and ocean view, sample the wines and beverages from around the world, and taste the best dishes and desserts from our local restaurants and caterers. It’s truly a memorable occasion! Carpool & Win! Those who carpool with four or more to a car will have access to priority parking and be entered into a special prize drawing.
Feeding America was the beneficiary of the work by Santee-Lakeside Rotary club Rotarians and friends. Rotarians sorted corn - good from bad - and then bagged for distribution. Mixed in were some worms/caterpillars, which caused a few ‘ewes” before members purged them from the corn. Nothing was wasted. Discarded corn will be sent to a farm to feed pigs and the birds will love the worms. Altogether Rotarians bagged 1200 pounds of usable corn on the cob which will feed 600 families. To make the Rotarians at Work Day better than ever, District Governor Dan Gensler and Governor Nominee Don Fipps joined in on the fun.
The Encinitas Coastal Rotary Club has distributed funds to Carol’s House managed by the CRC. The funds will go to support the CRC’s Carols House. Opened in 2004, Carol’s House is a 24-bed emergency shelter for all victims of domestic violence; it offers residents a safe home for 45 to 60 days in the emergency shelter while receiving concurrent services. The club is so very pleased to give these funds to a very worthy local charity.
Photo from L-R, Rebecca Nussbaun, Chief Program Officer, Gretchen Mitchell, Fundraising Chairwoman, Marti Rosenberg, President Coastal Encinitas Rotary, and John Van Cleef, ECR member and CEO. Photos by Hugh Stone, Encinitas Coastal Rotarian.
Encinitas Coastal Rotary Donates $4,555 to CRC from Purse Bingo Event
Youth Service Month is a special time in Rotary. Throughout the month of May, members of Rotary clubs, Rotaract, Interact, and those involved in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and Rotary Youth Exchange celebrate the opportunities Rotary provides to connect, grow through service, develop leadership skills, mentor or be mentored, and have fun.
May 1 marks the beginning of Youth Services Month. What better way to kick off this theme than to announce that the Rotary Club of El Camino and the Carlsbad Rotary Foundation along with Union Bank recently made it possible for MiraCosta Collage and the Mira Costa College Foundation to award the 2022 Academic Medal of Merit to five outstanding students.
The Medal of Academic Merit is considered the college’s highest academic award and is bestowed annually to students nominated by the teaching faculty and who earned a minimum GPA of 3.75 in degree-applicable courses. Each recipient receives a $1,500 scholarship provided by community members, businesses and service organizations.
Winners are: Negar Farahbakhsh, Armando Gabriel Leon, Hayat Sherif, Gilbert "Gib" Barbo IV and Rocio "Rosey" Gutierrez.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR DISTRICT SERVICE EVENT: MEALS FOR UKRAINE
The Outreach Program would like to partner with Rotary District 5340 to help send 100,000 meals from San Diego to Ukraine. You may remember that the Distirct had a similar project two years ago during the pandemic when we packaged 10,000 nutritious meals to local families in need. Join us to assemble protein-rich meals during a fun service project with other volunteers. After the event, Convoy of Hope will ship the food to organizations feeding Ukrainian refugees in Eastern Europe.
A fantastic Rotary District 5340 Rotarians at Work Day event occurred in support of GenerateHope. This was the largest turnout todate with 30 Rotarians from Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club, Coronado Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Southeast San Diego, San Diego Rotary Club, La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, and Pacific Beach Rotaract! They made short work of landscaping, deep cleaning and painting projects. The true benefit of this venture was that Rotarians demonstrated the Human Trafficking survivors at this transition home that they are loved for who they are and that they matter!!
Clubs Join Together to Maximize Efforts and Show a Little Love
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary and over 30 Rotarians and family members picked up or cleared over 1,000 pounds of trash from a watershed as part of Rotarians at Work Day.
The Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo conducted their latest community cleanup at the Westwood Club to celebrate "Rotarians at Work Day". They had a great turnout of RB Rotarians to help and a steady stream of cars and truck dropping off disposable items, used furniture and gently used items. Interfaith Community Services came by for the furniture and Rise Resale Store took a lot of used items. EDCO Waste Services provided the club with three 40' trash containers. It was so successful they had to shut down early - but we'll be back!
Crawford Colts Thrift Store became a reality as part of Rotarians at Work Day this year. La Mesa Sunrise Rotarian Elena Lujan-Alba teaches at Crawford and responded to a student suggestion that one of the shipping containers on campus be converted to a student thrift store. She shared the idea with the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club and the project took off. The LMSRC organized a conversion event and were joined by The El Cajon Sunset and La Mesa Noon Rotary Clubs. Rotarians and students came out to paint, sort, saw, clean and support this joint effort. Elena's daughter designed the mural, students and Rotarians painted it. The day before, Rotarian Ron Rice painted the entire container inside and out. The shipping container was fitted with clothing racks, and Rotarians sorted donated clothing and hung it all on hangers. Next up: the planning of a grand opening.
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with fellow Rotarians and help grow our District! Join us for a fun-packed evening of fellowship on May 5 This is a District-sponsored event to give Rotarians and future Rotarians an opportunity to meet, greet and enjoy each other. Rotarians are $25.00 each. If your guest is a potential Rotarian, they attend free but they must be registered.
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary (CHNR) completed its first Scholarship Raffle on March 30, with the prize drawing on Monday, April 4. Karen Antonio, a CHNR scholarship recipient from 2021 and now a student at Cal State University San Marcos, was present to pick the winning raffle tickets.
Carlsbad HI-Noon Rotary, has, for the past 25 years, provided hundreds of thousands of dollars for scholarships to college/university bound Carlsbad high school students. Those funds were generated by major events. This year, however, those events were cancelled or reduced (due to Covid) and options were discussed to make sure funds were available for scholarships. The club decided to expand the scholarship offerings beyond colleges, to students interested in trade and technical schools as well. The application deadline for all scholarships was March 30, 2022.
The Scholarship Raffle was a success meeting its goal! At the CHNR meeting, Karen Antonio, picked the winners of the four raffle prizes:
1st prize - $5,000 to Jane Johnson;
2nd prize – a week at a condo on the beach for six people went to Nate Cobb;
3rd prize – an elegant wine basket with a $1,000 value was won by Karen Stoner; and
4th prize – a new television and gift certificates worth $500 went to Elaine Sullivan.
CARLSBAD HI-Noon Rotary Reports Results of Scholarship Raffle
A Peace Pole donated by La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club was installed at The Preuss School UC San Diego. To help promote the concept of peace, the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club, through its Peace Committee, donated a peace pole that became part of a newly created zen garden on the campus of The Preuss School UC San Diego. The project has been a cooperative effort between members of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary club and The Preuss School’s Interact club.
The words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” are inscribed on the pole in eight different languages, the choice of which was made by the students and reflects some of the languages spoken by Preuss' families.
The project started in the winter of 2019-2020 but was delayed due to COVID-19. With the help of retired teacher, Eric Romer, and Tamima Noorzay of UCSD, the project was finally able to be completed and was presented to the Preuss community on Thursday, April 21, 2022.
Join the Rotary Club of Carlsbad in a charitable golfing event benefitting the North County Lifeline Foundation whose mission is to build self-reliance among youth, adults and families through high-quality, community-based services. The charitable golf scramble is set for June 10, 2022. To register to play or to sign up as a sponsor, click here.
The process to make changes to the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International is handled at Councils on Legislation (COL) meetings that are held in Chicago every three years. A representative for each district goes to the Council to vote on legislation items that are submitted according to a specific timeline. I was the representative for District 5340 at the Council that just happened on April 10-14, 2022.
Rotary District 5340 members and Rotary District 4100 share fellowship together at the Padres vs. Reds game held on April 19. The Padres won the game 6 to 2. Don't miss out on the fun of baseball and the fellowship between Rotarians across the district. The next game is scheduled for May 10 when the Padres take on the Cubs.
All Rotarians Welcome Wednesday, April 27th, 2022 at 9am Balboa Park, near the International Houses
The Rotarians from the E-Club of San Diego Global of San Diego have been working on putting together this peace pole for the past four years. Along with the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club they want to dedicate it at Balboa Park to raise awareness for Global Peace. With the war in Ukraine giving attention to world conflict, this is a very timely event, sending a message in 12 languages “May Peace Prevail on Earth”.
With over 10 million people displaced by the war in Ukraine, Rotary and ShelterBox work together in and around the region to provide relief. A nice PR video has been put together to demonstrate the collaboration of the two organizations. Click on the title if the video doesn't automatically come up or view online.
In celebration of Earth Day (March 22) and Rotarians at Work Day (April 30), San Diego Coastal Rotary Club will be cleaning and sprucing up one of our favorite places - the amazing Mission Trails Park, one of the largest, most beautiful natural parks in the US. Please wear your Rotarian at Work shirt, sun protection and sturdy, closed-toe shoes. Be sure to bring a personal water bottle to refill and your own work gloves, if you have them. Tools, gloves and know-how, along with snacks, ice water and Gatorade, will be provided. Family and friends are very welcome.
Volunteers under 18 years of age must have the volunteer waiver electronically signed by a parent or legal guardian. Volunteers under 13 years of age, must also be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian in order to participate. Here's a website to check out Mission Trails Park and find out more: Mission Trails Regional Park (mtrp.org) RSVP to Jenny Parker at jenny@jparkermd.net.
The World Health Organization reports, “Wild poliovirus transmission has fallen to very low levels with only one new case in 2022.” Only one case of wild poliovirus in 2022! Might this be the last ever reported case? What was once considered wishful thinking, is now within reach. Good-Bye Polio, Thanks Rotary.
This World Immunization Week (April 24-30, 2022) please help our Rotary District reach our $333,333 giving goal this year to end polio. Every Dollar contributed to the PolioPlus Foundation is doubled by the Gates Foundation, which means we will have raised $1 million toward our goal to end polio.
Drop us a line and let us know what you or your club are doing to promote Rotary in your community on Sat., April 30th. Don't have a plan yet? Perhaps you can link up with other clubs or make the drive up to Newport Back Bay to take part in the StandUp for the Cure event. More than 500 SUP riders including members of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship throughout SoCal will raise money for the Susan G. Komen Foundation and Breast Cancer Research. Yes there are plenty of ways to get involved so click here to complete the Google form or simply send an email to bretthmorey@gmail.com Brett Morey, Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle.
Kick off summer and Father’s Day Weekend with the 25th Anniversary Low Tide Ride & Stride on a NEW COURSE starting and ending at North Beach.
Drop your beach chair at Sunset Park for the after-party with vendor tents and Matt Heinecke on guitar. Don’t miss this local Coronado event hosted by the Rotary Club of Coronado! Your participation supports our wounded warriors and first responders. Register now for early bird pricing: https://lowtideride.com.
The Thousand Smiles Foundation announced upcoming clinics and is encouraging Rotarians to consider volunteering on one or more clinic dates. Thousand Smiles Cleft Lip and Palate Surgery and Dental Clinic will be held on the following days in 2022: May 6-7, August 5-6, November 4-5
At the following location:
Thousand Smiles Clinic, Av Mexico 124, Corner of Av Mexico and 18 de Marzo, Colonia Buena Ventura, Ensenada
If you are interested in attending, go to the Foundation website https://thousandsmiles.org, click on Volunteering and under that Sign Up.
Any questions, feel free to call Bob Chalfa at 619 843 2943.
Need a speaker for your meeting? Your AHT Task Force has you covered! The Rotary District 5340 Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force has created a Speakers Bureau with individuals from clubs in our district trained to provide information, education, and action opportunities to present to clubs regarding human sex trafficking and ways to get involved in combatting this $800 million illicit industry in our region. Research estimates between 3,000 and 6,000 individuals are being trafficked currently in San Diego County. We are happy to schedule a speaker to present to your club. Please contact us for more information about speakers and ways your club can get involved.
On April 3, PDG Steve Weitzen played in the Operation Game On golf tournament to raise money for wounded veterans. His playing partners were Bill Sutton and his son and Andy and Bret Geernaert.
Rotarian George Sousa served as their putting coach.
In addition, Bill sponsored two holes on behalf of the Del Mar Solana Beach Rotary Club. Rotarians were also volunteering to help with the tournament as well as many playing and supporting the cause. What a great way to show community support!
Rotary District 5340’s Model United Nations occurred this month. This action-packed 2-day extravaganza was held at Del Mar City Hall and was a huge success.
Pauline Lin-Endresen, San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club, and her Co-Chair, Klaus Gubenator, Del Mar Club, organized and led over 100 students from 17 schools. In addition, international speakers, teachers, advisors, Rotaractors, and many District 5340 Rotarians were involved throughout the year and on the weekend itself. Kevin Cahill, Del Mar Club, is the Chair – Emeritus.
During the pandemic, Pauline transformed the Model UN, with its 100+ students and teachers, to an online venue - impressing all involved. Pauline was thrilled to be back in person this year.
Guided by teachers and advisors, the students prepare all year. Student teams represent various nations around the globe, learning about their nations' biggest problems, biggest assets, and taking on that nations' point of view. Top-notch international speakers attend, speak, and inspire the students as they negotiate the globe's biggest dilemmas. San Diego State Rotaractors assume Model United Nations leadership roles as the Secretary-General.
Alongside other District 5340 members, to make this a highlight of students' high school careers. All Rotarians participating agreed that "we learn as much as the students" by helping with this event. President Ann-Marie commented, "It's also a lot of fun and a great way to get to know other District 5340 members."
Our District 5340 is the only one in the United States with a Rotary Model United Nations Program, started by our District's Pathways to Peace Committee thirteen years ago. Rotary International has a long and proud association with the U.N, with Rotarians involved in its charter, and having the highest consultative status of any nongovernmental organization. We are also partners with the U.N. in our PolioPlus initiative.
The organizers of a mini–Stand Down Veterans event is looking for additional Rotary partners (Point Loma Rotary is sponsoring). Organizers have assembled a list of items for “Survival Kits” for Veterans to be order from Dollar Tree. Most items come in a case of 24 units. There is an inventory list for both men and women to help you build the kits. This event is taking place in East County on April 21 from 10AM to 2PM at the VFW Hall, 136 Chambers Street, El Cajon. The San Diego Blook Bank will also be at this event.
The event will have representatives from the legal aid society, Veterans Village, Paul Mitchel Hair Salon, and Family Health for medical treatment. Service organizations can participate as well.
If you have questions, please contact Robert Cenko at robert.cenko@nw-w.com. There are four documents you can download to aid you in ordering kits from Dollar Tree as well as inventory lists for both male and female:
Look! Up in the Sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s golf balls? Encinitas Coastal Rotary Club announces their 6th Annual Golf Ball Drop to benefit the Navy SEALs Foundation, the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito Griset Branch, the Community Resource Center, and Just in Time for Foster Youth.
During World Immunization Week, 24-30 April, let’s advocate for polio eradication and the importance of vaccines to the health and well-being of our communities.
Vaccines are one of the greatest advances of modern medicine. They’re safe, effective, and save millions of lives each year. Our progress in the fight to end polio is proof that vaccines work.
The Global Polio Eradication Initiative estimates that the polio vaccine has saved more than 20 million children around the world from paralysis. We need to continue vaccinating children against polio, because as long as the poliovirus circulates anywhere, it is a threat everywhere.
The Old Mission Rotary club invites Rotarians to join them for their regular meeting on Tuesday, April 5 at noon to hear Dr. Caitriona Tilden speak on Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. The meeting will be held at the Legacy Resort and Spa Foundation Restaurant. A bio of the speaker follows:
Caitriona Tilden, Ph.D., is a Clinical Psychology Fellow at the San Diego VA/UCSD Consortium currently serving veterans at the San Diego VA Center of Recovery Education. She provides evidence-based, recovery-oriented care to Veterans with serious mental health concerns, specifically those who are experiencing psychosis. Chances are, we all know someone who has struggled with mental health challenges and suicide. Please join us for lunch at Noon on Tuesday, April 5th to learn about these challenges and where to find resources for help. This will be the first in a two-part series of presentations about mental health and suicide. The following week we have Dave Jones of the Escondido After Five Rotary taking on the subject from a very personal standpoint.
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger. We expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
On March 15, several Del Mar Rotarians met to show off their winemaking skills in a fun evening of competition and wine tasting at Solterra Winery. Outfitted with the necessary tools and a brief tutorial, we got into groups of 4 and 5 and experimented with finding a blend of wine that best suited our palate! Owner and Winemaker Chris Van Alyea did the judging and the team lead by Sharon Schendel came in first place with a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.
On Friday, April 1, with a packed house, Marsha Starr (also a Rotarian), the HIPNO DIVA entertained attendees with a great comedy hypnosis show featuring volunteers from the audience. This fundraiser was a joint effort between the La Mesa Rotary and the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary clubs. All proceeds fund the charities both clubs support. The event included both a live and silent auction. There was such interest in one of the live auction item that the donor offered it twice!
Do you enjoy golfing? If so, please consider joining the District Golf Roundup scheduled for April 26, 2022 at 2:30 PM at the Rancho Bernardo Inn. The fee is $45 and includes cart and range balls. This is a wonderful fellowship opportunity to meet other like-minded Rotarians while enjoying the beautiful sunshine of Southern California. If you are interested, please contact Bret Geernaert at bretg2019pres@gmail.com.
Old Mission Rotary Hosted a Sub-Regional Round of the Rotary District 5340 Four Way Test Speech Contest. (L-R) Chase Bergener (Coronado Club), Yen Lam (Club 33), Kylie Womack (La Mesa Club), Angel Aquino (Rancho Bernardo Club) and Rishab Bora (Carlsbad Club). As always, it was very difficult to rank the speeches as the students were all well prepared and passionate. Rishab Bora and Kylie Womack will be continuing on to the Regional Round of competition.
The Peace Pole Dedication Ceremony will be held at Balboa Park, near the International Houses, on Wednesday Aril 27th, 2022 at 9:00 AM. Representatives from the City of San Diego, Rotary District 5340 Governor Dan Gensler, and members from both San Diego Rotary Clubs will be in attendance. “In Rotary, we constantly look to get involved in projects that represent our mission, which includes promoting Peace. We aim to deliver a message of peace and unity, and we believe that in these challenging times, it would be significant to place a symbol of peace in Balboa Park, one of the most emblematic locations of San Diego.
Rotarians from the E-Club of San Diego Global and San Diego Downtown Breakfast Club to dedicate a Peace Pole at Balboa Park to raise awareness for Global Peace
On March 26, San Diego Coastal Rotary Club partnered with Coronado Rotary Club as well as PB Rotaract Club to help San Diego Coastkeepers clean up a riverbed in the Otay Valley Regional Park. This beautiful park surrounds the river and wetlands that run to the South Bay National Wildlife Refuge - part of the larger San Diego Bay Refuge Complex. Ranger Moises says that we picked up about 200 pounds of trash (mostly plastic) and helped haul away a 40 cubic yard trailer of debris from invasive trees in the area. Unfortunately, this was only a small amount of the work that needs to get done to keep our sensitive watershed areas healthy. All participants are enthusiastic supporters of Rotary's 7th area of focus and are planning on many more projects like this come.
On March 25, the Coronado Rotary Club held another great golf tournament. They sold out at 150 players. The tournament included a delicious lunch and dinner, putting contest and silent auction. There were lots of gift certificates to the pro shop for net, gross, long drive, etc, The money raised will go to Rotary projects (schools, youth sports, military & first responders needs, etc.) locally.
Rotary Club of Coronado Holds Successful Golf Tourney
Join us virtually for a conversation with John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International.
Tue, Mar 29, 2022, 12:00 PM PDT
Online and Free
Come hear the head of one of the largest civil society organizations in the world discuss what role everyday individuals and organizations can play in addressing the Ukraine crisis — from meeting humanitarian needs, to protecting human rights, to de-escalating the conflict.
Join us on Tuesday, Mar 29, 2022, 12:00 PM PDT for a conversation with John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.
Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club members gathered for their Pick to Give Community Outreach pPoject at the Samuel Bingham estate in RSF. They picked 45 crates of fresh oranges for a local Encinitas food pantry to supplement their offerings with fresh produce. It was a beautiful day! Thanks to Seeds of Hope, LCC Rotaract Club, and some nice Encinitas Rotary club members for their help with this project.
Rotarians, here is an opportunity for service: Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison recently received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in collaboration with a San Diego small business, CareVirtue, to develop a legal and financial education tool for caregivers of people living with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias. They are currently looking for people to participate in a survey that will help the research team build this tool. Click HERE for a copy of the flyer explaining this study.
At the Encinitas Rotary Club meeting last week, Rotary members pulled together and raised nearly $20,000 for relief efforts in war-torn Ukraine.
Rotary Club member Daphne Fletcher gave a presentation about her trip back to Ukraine in search of the long-lost relatives of her great-grandmother, who came to America from Ukraine in the early 1900s for a “better life.”
Check out the newest edition of District 5340's Immunization Committee's Newsletter. The topic focus is on the COVID vaccine and when to get a booster shot, Click here to download.
Check Out the March-April Immunization Committee Newsletter
On April 27, roll up your sleeve and join the Rotary Club of Poway-Scripps at their Blood Drive. The San Diego Blood Bank will help us. We'll be at the new Von's (10675 Scripps Poway Pkwy) from 9-2:30.
To participate you must schedule an appointment at sandiegobloodbank.org/donate or calling 619-400-8251. Appointments are mandatory and donors will need to bring a photo ID.
On Wednesday, March 16, Daphne Fletcher of Encinitas Rotary Club made a presentation about her visit to Ukraine to find family roots near Uzhgorod. Just 48 hours later, the Encinitas Rotary Club Foundation had a $22,000 bank-wire out the door based on refugee assistance pledges from Encinitas Rotary members, friends, and even meeting visitors.
The recipient, Rotary Club of Kosice Classic in Slovakia, is District 2240’s designated coordinator for humanitarian supplies. Through a signed donor agreement, Rotary Club Kosice Classic will use the Encinitas Rotary funds to procure supplies and get them to the Rotary Club of Uzhgorod-Skala, just across the border with Ukraine. Both clubs conducted daily assessments on the situation of refugees at the border. Mechanisms are in place to transport and distribute supplies. A number of other Rotary Clubs in Europe have been routing donated supplies through Rotary Club Kosice Classic. Encinitas Rotary’s monetary donation will provide Euros to purchase bulk supplies in Slovakia. Encinitas Rotary Club President Sherry Yardley stated, “All we needed to know was that fellow Rotarians were there to get the job done!”
Nearly two dozen Rotarians from six clubs gather to perform some much-needed landscaping and light house cleaning for a North County home for human trafficking survivors. Thanks so much for the team at Refuge for Women who had us out! Clubs represented included Rancho Santa Fe Rotary, Southeast San Diego Rotary, La Jolla Golden Triangle, Oceanside Rotary, and Rancho Bernardo Rotary. Thanks to everyone who came out to help.
Rotary District Members Spruce Up Human Trafficking Survivor Home
In response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, The Rotary Foundation has created an official channel for donors around the world to contribute funds to support the relief efforts underway by Rotary districts and has designated its Disaster Response Fund as the main avenue for contributions.
The joint Point Loma Nazarene University/Rotary District 5340 “Ending Human Trafficking” Summit was a resounding success with more than 300 community, government, law enforcement, and non-profit leaders gathering to collaborate on how we end this $800 San Diego County illicit industry. Nearly two dozen Rotarians were also present.
On March 14, members of the Rotary Club of Del Mar met at the La Colonia Branch of the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito in the Eden Gardens neighborhood of Solana Beach to refurbish the access ramp to Casita de Gloria.
Members installed new handrails and a fresh coat of paint to provide a pleasing pathway to the Casita, which houses mentoring programs and other club activities. Outside the casita, El Jardin de los Ninos provides hands-on experiences in organic gardening.
Casita de Gloria was named to honor Gloria Castellanos, who spearheaded the La Colonia branch, and currently serves as the La Colonia clubhouse manager.
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary completed its 22nd house in Tijuana on Saturday, March 12, 2022. Thanks to Chairman Ray Green and his team - Laura Green, Rocco Ciesco, Estela Mitrani, Christian Chapman, Kate Hanham, Paul Kartzke, Mark Packard, and Vic Gausepohl, this project was a great success.
A lot of effort went into planning this successful project, including planning meals and hydration options as well as finding ample storage to house the donated materials for the construction and furnishings.
The build in Tijuana was like going to the symphony. It was a well-orchestrated effort with everyone playing their part in harmony.
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Builds Their 22nd House in Tijuana
The crisis in Ukraine is having devastating consequences on civilians as families flee their homes. According to the United Nations, more than 2 million people, most of them women and children, have sought refuge in neighboring countries and across Europe, while about 1 million more people have been displaced within Ukraine.
Rotary and Rotaract clubs in Europe and around the world have taken swift action and are working with members nearby to provide food, water, medical equipment, and shelter for refugees.
Rotary's Disaster Response Fund is a general fund to receive contributions for worldwide response to natural disasters. The fund typically provides for Disaster Response Grants of up to $25,000, made to Rotary Districts to assist on the ground in these disaster areas.
Due to the growing humanitarian and refugee crisis taking place in Ukraine and the impacted surrounding countries, on March 2, 2022, the Executive Committee of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation, acting on behalf of the Trustees, agreed that the sudden and extreme needs prompted by the crisis in Ukraine warrant immediate action to bring relief in these impacted areas.
Please note that District Grant reports are due by April 1. The report is for Rotary year 2021-2022. Please submit your report to matchinggrants.org. If you have any questions, please contact District Grants Chair Elana Levens-Craig at levenscraig@hotmail.com. or by phone at 619 993-7805.
The Optical Mission of the Rotary Club of Meycauayan East of District 3770 in partnership with sister club, the Rotary Club of Sweetwater San Diego, was started last October 16, 2021 with the aim of providing comfort to at least 100 school children with eye problems. In early 2022, COVID conditions eased up in the Philippines allowing the mission to resume providing free eye consultations, examinations, testing and eye glasses to elementary school children in the nearby communities of Meycauayan City. Pictures show members of RC Meycauayan East led by President Ernie Tolentino, DGN Rudy Enriquez and AG James Javier.
This week a small group of Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotarians and friends picked 410 pounds of oranges and delivered them to the Community Food Connection in Poway on Thursday morning. This is just one of many projects this club participates in - another great job!
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary produced another Book Faire for Jefferson Elementary students this week. Mo Taylor chaired the team: Dave Dana, Yvonne Finocchiaro, Eric Lodge, Harry Peacock and Helen Wells. Carlsbad Union School District Superintendent Churchill and Jefferson Principal Carla Bos also attended. Every student was able to select and to buy two books for a quarter each. All the happy faces were a wonderful sight for all participants.
The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club (LJGTRC) will perform their eighth San Diego Police Department (SDPD) community service project on the weekends of March 19th and 26th remodeling a large portion of the Department’s Northeastern Division which provides protection to the San Diego communities of Miramar, Mira Mesa, Scripps Ranch, Rancho Penasquitos, Carmel Mountain, Sabre Springs, 4S Ranch, and Rancho Bernardo.
La Mesa Noon Rotary Club hosted the annual music contest this week. Although these kids haven’t been playing for long, they were terrific! Each was awarded prize money for their efforts!
Join us! The Rotary Club of Coronado is presenting its 26th Annual Coronado Rotary Charity Golf Tournament at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course on Friday, March 18, 2022.
Your entry fee of $250 includes green fees, luncheon, beverages and post-game barbecue, as well as prizes for closest to the pin on all par threes and longest drives for men and women. Don’t have a foursome? No problem! We will match you with others so everyone can play. It’s a full day of fun starting at 10:30 AM with registration and a putting contest. Shotgun start using a scramble format will commence at 1:00 PM.
The Thousand Smiles Foundation was established by a group of Rotarians from the San Diego area in 1985, to provide free professional medical treatment to patients with maxillofacial deformities who, without our help, would go untreated, to use our facilities to provide dental care to under privileged children and to promote a bilateral interchange of medical, dental and surgical techniques between the medical professionals from the USA and the countries in which we work.
The Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo Sunrise is sponsoring a blood drive on March 26. If you can donate, please do so as there is currently a shortage of blood in San Diego County.
Date: March 26, 2022 Time: 10-3:30 PM Location: 12156 Carmel Mountain Rd #300 Panera Bread Parking Lot San Diego, CA 92128
There has been an outpouring of concern on how we can help the citizens of Ukraine who are experiencing tremendous suffering and loss with thousands of women and children fleeing the country. My classmate, District Governor Dana Moldovan from District 5240 (California Central Coast) is originally from Romania. In her conversations with our fellow Rotarians in Romania she said, “Refugees are arriving in Romania with almost nothing, some are just walking over the border. Most refugees are women and children as the men are staying behind to defend their country. It is still winter and yesterday it snowed again at the border.” Of course, we’re all seeing the disturbing images on the news and naturally wondering how we can help.
We have coordinated with District Governor Adrian Luca & District Governor Elect Florin Marginean from Romania Rotary District 2241 to provide support for the refugees. Contributions will be used for food, clothing and shelter for the women and children refugees.
If you wish to help, please make your checks payable to:
Rotary District 5340 Write: “UKRAINIAN REFUGEES” in the memo line. Mail check to: Rotary District 5340 5052 Clairemont Drive #178651 San Diego, CA 92117
Use the Donate Now Button to donate using your credit card.
Thank you for your generosity!
District 5340 Governor, Dan Gensler
How Rotarians Can Help Ukraine Humanitarian Efforts
By any measure this year’s Presidents Elect Training Seminar was historic. We’ll start with appearance of Jennifer Jones, the first woman president of Rotary International in its 117-year existence. It was the first time for District 5000 from Hawaii to join Southwest PETS. The other districts in attendance were: 5320, Orange County; 5280, Los Angeles; 5330, Riverside; 5495, Greater Arizona; 5240, Santa Barbara; 5300, Pasadena; 5500, Tucson; and, of course, 5340 from San Diego and Imperial County. It was the first time in two years that PETS was in person. It was held at the LAX Marriott hotel. There were over 350 presidents elect getting ready to lead our clubs.
The Chula Vista Rotary delivered 200 boxes of Girl Scout cookies to the healthcare heroes at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center. They showered local heroes with appreciation for their ongoing love and care for our community! Thank you to all the Chula Vista Rotarians who donated and participated in this service project. Here is the response they received from healthcare workers at Sharp Chula Vista: "Thank you again for the cookies! They went a long way to spread love! And the added detail of a homemade card made them extra special."
The club sent cookies to the ICU and to the Emergency Department, since they have been most impacted during this time, and it’s hard for them to leave the units. The rest were distributed during our “Show Love” event for staff on Valentine's Day.”
The club conducted a second round of Girl Scout cookie deliveries! In collaboration with Neisha’s Dance & Music Academy, the Rotary Club of Chula Vista donated cookies to the Heathcare Heroes at Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista.
Chula Vista Rotary Shows Love to Healthcare Workers
Clean water is a basic need for human beings. When people, especially children, have access to clean water, they live healthier and more productive lives. However, at least 3,000 children die each day from diseases caused by unsafe water, which is what motivates our members to build wells, install rainwater harvesting systems, and teach community members how to maintain new infrastructure.
While very few people die of thirst, millions die from preventable waterborne diseases, providing the impetus for our members to also improve sanitation facilities in undeveloped countries. Members start by providing toilets and latrines that flush into a sewer or safe enclosure and then add education programs to promote hand-washing and other good hygiene habits.
March is Rotary water and sanitation month so San Diego Coastal Rotary Club will be partnering with SD Coastkeepers on March 26 to clean up a waterway in the Otay Valley Riverbed as well as adding native trees. We will be ridding the area of debris before it has the opportunity to make it out the ocean. We will also be doing some restoration work that will improve the ecosystem and eventually prevent run off of rainwater in the area. All Rotarians are invited to assist with this project.
ARE YOU REGISTERED? The District Training Assembly is a great opportunity for officers, committee chairs and club members, new and old, to learn how to manage programs, projects and best practices from knowledgeable Rotarians. The District Training Assembly is especially beneficial in educating new members/Red Badgers about Rotary, its programs and the resources available in the district.
Two members of any club planning to apply for a District Grant MUST register and attend the District Grants Seminar.
The Global Grants Seminar will be held from 12:10 to 1:30 PM - two members of every Club planning to apply for a Global Grant are required to attend this seminar.
Online registration is open, and classes are filling up so don't delay. Click on register now set up your classes.
The Optical Mission of the Rotary Club of Meycauayan East of District 3770 in partnership with sister club, the Rotary Club of Sweetwater San Diego, was started last October 16, 2021, with a goal to provide comfort and improved sight to at least 100 school children with eye problems.
The Misson resumed last Saturday, February. 19, 2022 following improved Covid 19 conditions in the Philippines, which have eased up and normalized a bit. The group conducted free eye consultations, examinations, testing and eyeglasses to elementary school children in the nearby communities of Meycauayan City. There efforts continued on February 26, 2022.
Photo: Members of RC Meycauayan East led by Pres. Ernie Tolentino, DGN Rudy Enriquez and AG James Javier
Rotary Club of Sweetwarter Partners with the Rotary Club of Meycauayan East
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary presents its first Scholarship Raffle to fund the scholarship pool for high school seniors who reside in Carlsbad. This year, funds will support scholarships for college, trade and technical schools.
Do to Covid restrictions, fundraising events are off the table. Taking a creative posture, Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary club elected to hold a raffle to help support their scholarship efforts. The goal is to sell 2500 tickets between now and March 30, 2022. Cost of tickets are $20 for one and $100 for six tickets. Due to regulations, purchase of tickets online is prohibited. Tickets can be purchased through Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotarians or through mail: Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club Foundation, PO Box 130175, Carlsbad 92013. Your tickets will be sent to you. The drawing will occur on April 4 at the club's regular meeting.
Club's president-elect gathered this weekend at the LA Marriot to attend the Presidents-Elect Training Session (PETS). This is the first PETS in-person gathering since 2020. Participants receive a first-class training session geared toward arming them with the tools to be effective leaders for the upcoming Rotary year. Team building and networking are essential components of the training session as is inspiring stories and a lot of cheerleading. Make sure to ask your club's president-elect what they learned and even better ask them how you can help during their tenure as president.
Congratulations are extended to Rancho Bernardo Rotary club members Mike Fuqua and Jim Hyldahl who were selected to be inducted into the Rancho Bernardo Hall of Fame. Jim and Mike join five other Rancho Bernardo Rotarians in the Rancho Bernardo Hall of Fame: Mike Stelman, Karen Stelman, Dave Brooks, Scott Lawn and Don Glover. Their achievement was noted in the Rancho Bernardo News.
Click here to read the article. It is very clear that the Rancho Bernardo Rotary club members are People of Action.
Photo: Mike Fuqua on left with Jim Hyldah on the right.
Rotarians Michael Fuqua, Jim Hyldahl selected for Rancho Bernardo Hall of Fame
The District Grants Policy for 2022-2023 has been published and you will find the link below. To be considered for District Designated Funds (DDF), the sponsoring club must be current on all District and Global Grant reporting; be current on Rotary International and District dues; enter Rotary Foundation giving goals on MyRotary.org by August 1, 2022 and ensure projects comply with the District 5340 Youth Protection Policy.
To be eligible for district grant DDF, the Rotary club requesting the DDF allocation must have contributed either a minimum of $50 per capita to the Annual Fund or a total of $5,000 to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation for the 2021-2022 Rotary year. Two club members must attend the District Grants In-person (District Training Assembly on March 19 - to register click here) or Online Training by June 1, 2022. Trainees must also complete and pass the District Grants online quiz by June 1, 2022. Potential Primary Contacts are strongly encouraged to attend the District Grants In-person or Online Training.
Two motorized scooters were donated by the Rotary Club of Sweetwater San Diego to the community of the Order of the Most Holy Savior and St. Brigitte in Tijuana, Mexico for use by their elderly and ambulation impaired members. Blessings and turnover ceremonies were held last Sunday, February 20, 2022 at St. Charles Catholic Church Parish Hall, which was attended by Sweetwater Rotarians led by club president, Marissa De Luna.
Group photo shows seated from left, VP Rosie Mallari, Pres. Marissa, Rtn Pat Quebada, and Rtn Veronic Villanueva. Standing from left, Rtns. Fatima Larcome, Joy Vicente, Carmelita Vicente, Jason Larcome, Severo De Luna, K of C Joe Bajo, Sec. Romeo Villanueva, Philip Villanueva, Florian Pet, Freda Pet, K of C Frank & Margaret Dominguez.
Motorized Scooters Donated by the Rotary Club of Sweetwater
Friday March 11, 2022 Doors open: 7 PM, Show Starts 8 PM United Portugueses S.E.S Hall 2818 Avenida de Portugal San Diego, CA 92106
Join the Point Loma Rotary Club for an evening of comedy. Proceeds from this event will fund community and international charities. This is the 19th year the Club has held this fundraiser. What a great opportunity to share laughter and camaraderie with fellow Rotarians. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased through the link provided below.
Your club officers will benefit from the leadership and team-building skills they’ll learn during their upcoming district training assembly. They’ll also hear about new district initiatives and how districts can support club innovations. Find exercises in the District Training Assembly Leader’s Guide to help your teams work together to define new goals and strategies for their year in office.
RI recommends that club officers and committee chairs complete the courses for their roles before attending district training assembly sessions. Role-specific learning plans are available in the club leadership catalog.
Two years of COVID economy followed by the rising cost of food at the grocery store (7% food inflation) have impacted almost everyone, but it has pushed many in San Diego past the tipping point: They cannot afford to buy food for their families. This flows down to school children sitting in class, distracted by being hungry.
LaJolla Sunrise Rotary has teamed with the (Irwin) Jacobs and Cushman San Diego Food Bank to sponsor a virtual food drive. The food bank is the largest in San Diego. They have more than 200 food distribution sites and provide food to more than 1/2 million people per month. They are a non-profit 501c.
Recently, our District Governor-Elect Chuck Pretto submitted an article to the Rotary Voices, an online blogging site featuring all things Rotary. His topic was I like the Rotary logo. It was thoughtfully written and worth sharing with members of District 5340. He’s a big believer in the power of the Rotary logo. So much so, Chuck plans to give every member in our district a Rotary pin during his visits to clubs. He hopes it will help start more conversations between members and the next generation of Rotary and Rotaract members. Below is his article:
I like the Rotary logo — the one with the wheel and the word “Rotary” next to it. It’s not always a popular opinion though. Some members prefer the old Rotary wheel and continue to use it, even though it was retired nearly a decade ago. In some ways, I get it. We Rotary members can be traditionalists.
The modern Rotary logo has something that the old one doesn’t though: name recognition — literally. The word “Rotary” (or Rotaract) is in big letters. It’s easy to read and most importantly, it’s easy to identify. I experienced that difference first-hand when I started wearing the modern Rotary logo on my lapel pin.
From my dental hygienist to the person bagging my groceries, I was getting asked about Rotary everywhere. I never had this level of engagement before! You know why? Because we aren’t a big corporation like Starbucks with a logo you just know. The wheel doesn’t mean anything to the public. By adding “Rotary” to the wheel, our logo becomes much more identifiable. And because of that, I’ve had many delightful conversations with people. Some have even joined our club meetings to learn more about Rotary. It’s been a great recruitment tool.
This month, Santee-Lakeside Rotary club members and friends of Rotary donated much needed supplies to the Fisher House San Diego. Fisher House's Mission of serving military by providing a "home away from home," at no cost, for their families while they are hospitalized caught the attention of the club who wanted to help. These homes allow military families to focus on the medical care and recovery of their loved one.
Photo: Santee-Lakeside president, Laura Purdom delivers supplies to Fisher House San Diego
Come join us for an evening of fellowship as we cheer on our Padres team. Seats are located in left field at "The Point". Game Ticket: $35.00, 40.00 and $41.00 | Limit per person: 5 game tickets.
The electronic ticket(s) will be emailed to you by Patty Fortin, 5340 District Administrator, 30 days before game day. Here is the lineup:
”The Rotary Foundation is the life blood of Rotary.” “Without the Foundation, there would be no Rotary. Rotary was Wayne’s passion and I will continue to support that passion” |LeeAnn Cusick, Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, (Wayne Cusick, Founder of Paul Harris Society D5340).
By giving from your heart each and every year, you’ll support families and change lives. Paul Harris Society gifts have helped provide:
Vocational training for teachers establishing an early childhood education center in South Africa
Water filters, toilets, and hygiene training to prevent fluorosis, diarrhea, and other diseases in India
A scholarship for a medical professional in Italy to research treatments that minimize mortality rates among premature babies
Peace-building seminars for 200 teachers and 1,300 students in Uganda
Treated mosquito nets and medical services that prevent malaria in Mali
Thousand Smiles Foundation held a successful February clinic two weeks ago. The Foundation would like to thank those who supported it! Many thanks to the Point Loma Rotary club for sponsoring the volunteer lunches at the clinic. We had a very tasty taco luncheon. Gracias to the Lake Elsinore Rotary club for sponsoring the patient/family lunches as an ongoing project they have had for many years! Appreciation goes to the Centenaria Rotary of Ensenada for their ongoing logistical support as liaisons to the Baja Community. The Santee Rotary club gifted our kids with hundreds of toothbrushing kits, and the Highway 78 Rotary club supported us with books in Spanish, nutrition lessons, as well as internet magic! And of course, all our dedicated volunteers from other Rotary clubs and medical/dental people. We cannot function without this core of dedicated people! The Foundation is also grateful for Jimbos Markets for their ongoing support of our nutrition education and their donations!
Two more clinics have been added to the Foundation's existing six clinics a year agenda. In March, they will be holding a pediatric clinic for Baja special needs children who would otherwise go unseen for dental care. They will also do another one later in the year. We are continuing to find more ways to serve the needy population in Baja.
Rotary District 5340 and the San Diego Women’s Foundation (SDWF) are joining forces to support community-based organizations that are providing support services to Afghan Refugees in San Diego County. These organizations are providing very important services and goods to the thousands of incoming families in San Diego County that require assistance with emergency food, housing, clothing, legal services, transportation, health care and so much more.
This first-of-a-kind community collaboration for our Rotary District will include financial support from both organizations and volunteer opportunities for all members. To date, we have assembled $30,000 in support for this important cause, and we expect this to grow significantly. We have an anonymous donor that has agreed to match $10,000 in additional donations.
What was the Fallbrook Village Rotary doing last Saturday? They joined the annual Baseball Bash at Ingold's Sports Park passing out bouncy balls to the kids! At their Rotary table, Rotarians shared the message about “Service Above Self,” handing out flyers, pens and business cards while some parents signed up to get more emails about our events! Everyone learned about the club's fundraisers and how Rotary works to eradicate polio! The smiling kids and bouncy balls were hopping all over the parking lot!
Don't forget to register today for the 2022 District Training Assembly! Held only once a year the District Training Assembly (DTA) is a great opportunity for officers, committee chairs and club members, new and old, to learn how to manage programs, projects and best practices from other Rotarians. The District Training Assembly is especially beneficial in educating members about Rotary, programs and the resources available through the District. Online registration is open, and classes are filling up, so don't delay! Visit the District website today to register and select your classes!
Two members of any club planning to apply for a District Grant MUST register to attend the District Grants Seminar, immediately following the District Assembly. Additionally, for those clubs planning on applying for a Global Grant, two members of your club need to attend the Global Grants Seminar being held as part of the District Assembly from 12:10 to 1:30 PM.
It's time to create a little excitement for Rotarians at Work Day as District Governor Dan Gensler has tasked Brett Morey, Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle and Founder of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship to help clubs throughout D5340 to promote their hands-on service events. As many of you know, the late Bob Watson of the Rotary Club of Coronado encouraged Rotarians throughout D5340 to select a hands-on project the last Saturday of April so that we could unite to share how Rotarians make a difference in our community. This concept of Bob's became a global phenomenon as thousands of clubs around the globe have since adopted his vision as well.
Join members of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship, Rotarians, Rotaract, Interact members, friends in the surf community and others as we clean up Ocean Beach on Saturday, February 12 at 8:00 AM. Wear your favorite NFL team jersey or any other sports team jersey and invite others to join in the fun by texting "OB" to 858-602-2532 or simply register online at: www.surfersunite.org/events.
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Wish to join others from Southern California up at Newport Back Bay for a day of fun? Well check out all the upcoming service events for Rotarians, Rotaract and Interact members as well as friends in the surfing community at: www.surfersunite.org/events.
On Tuesday, February 1st, the Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant to the Committee of 100 to help them in their efforts to preserve Balboa Park. The grant of $10,000 will be used for the preservation of the facade of the Balboa Park Gymnasium.
Photo: Roger Showley is the President of the The Committee of One Hundred and works to preserve Balboa Park’s architecture, gardens and public spaces.
The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary Presents Grant to the Balboa Park Committee of 100
Several members the Chula Vista Eastlake Rotary club made a trip to a home for abandoned seniors in La Rumorosa, Mexico on February 5th. They dropped off food, blankets, and gently worn clothing. But the main purpose of the visit was to scout out the repairs needed at La Casa Para Pobres Desamparados. The electricity is out in the kitchen and a dedicated electrical box is needed to handle the load for the electric water heater. Another visit is planned to ensure the electrician the club helped facilitate was able to complete the job. For now, though, they were glad to make a small dent in their ongoing needs.
One of the seven areas of focus of Rotary we don’t seem to talk about very much is peacebuilding and conflict prevention (the actual area of focus is named "Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution"), which is the theme for the month of February. It is often, however, the conflicts that occur throughout the world that are the root causes of poverty, despair, economic hardship and poor health. Take for instance the major deterrent to polio eradication: the difficulty in vaccinating children in war torn countries. Rotary International as an organization understands this relationship and therefore is deeply invested in supporting individuals and programs that will develop leaders who are committed to seeking ways toward peace. The path toward peace begins with understanding and respect for the differences that make us unique.
Join in on a night of hilarity on April 1 at 7:00 PM at the La Mesa Community Center. This event is a joint effort by both the La Mesa Sunrise and La Mesa Rotary clubs. 100% of the proceeds go towards sustainable projects the clubs have selected to participate in. Tickets are $25 and can bepurchased at www.laughlamesa.org.
We are pleased to confirm that the 2022 Rotary International Convention will be an in-person event in Houston, Texas on June 4-8, 2022.
We are offering a special registration rate of $495 through 28 February. Click here to take advantage of this offer.
All Rotary International convention and preconvention participants must either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 OR provide a negative result from a COVID-19 test taken no more than 72 hours before arrival at the convention.
Check https://on.rotary.org/3umeujx for updates as we continue to determine what safety protocols are necessary, based on the current recommendations for safe gatherings from the CDC. We will see you in Houston!
At Sharp HealthCare and other health care facilities, thousands of dedicated individuals still face a daily struggle against COVID-19. Driven by a love for their work and a love for the people entrusted to their care. They continue to work tirelessly, preventing illness and saving lives. As Rotarians and People of Action, let’s return the empathy. Sharp HealthCare has given us the means to make a difference: Send a Valentine, donate meals or share a message from your heart. This is similar in practice to sending letters to soldiers, sailors and airmen overseas, thanking them for their service. All the contact information and links follow below.
Held only once a year, the District Training Assembly (DTA) offers training on a variety of subjects to Rotarians, including club officers, directors and committee chairs to help them be effective club leaders. ALL ROTARIANS - especially Red Badgers - are welcome and encouraged to attend.
More information will be coming out on a weekly basis so please be on the lookout for these postings. Postings will include a registration link and course information.
For those participating in District/Global Grants, this assembly will have a special Global Grants Seminar that requires two members of every club planning to apply for a Global Grant to attend. Start deciding who those participants will be.
Help us provide some needed spring sleaning at a Human Trafficking Survivor Home in North County March 5 from 8 AM to 12 PM. We’ll be doing some much-needed, non-skilled outdoor gardening, weeding and deep cleaning for this wonderful healing facility while demonstrating to its residents that Rotarians care about their well-being.
Members of the Chula Vista Rotary spent the morning of January 29 in service and fellowship, volunteering at Feeding San Diego.
La Mesa Sunrise Rotary
Members of the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary is doing their part to spread joy around San Diego. They made California poppy seed bombs out of clay to throw around the community and brighten our world.
Route 78 Rotary Club
Route 78 Rotary members Ashley Anello and Tamara Stark presented a check from their club for $500. as well as food to Unicorn 🦄 House in Oceanside.
Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club
The Rotary Club of Santee Lakeside is proud to support Paws for Purple Hearts San Diego. Rotarians Lori Bird, Laura Purdom and Taylor Henderson presented a grant check of $1,000 to help them continue their amazing work with Veterans.
Mark your calendars today for a very important training session put on by the District's Foundation Committee. The Foundation Training Session will be held on February 9 at 4:00 PM. This will be a Zoom meeting. Topics to be covered include Major Gifts and Major Impact for Changing the World and information on how your club can become a Promise Club.
Register in advance for this meeting: After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Don't delay, register today!
The Escondido After Five Rotary Club is getting ready to hold its annual fundraiser on February 26, celebrating ten years of providing scholarships, giving joy to families during the holidays, supporting veterans and empowering youth in the community.
Come celebrate Al Owens, the first recipient of the Club's Spirit of the Community Award. The event will be held at the Morgan Run Club and Resort from 5:00 PM to 10: PM. The address is 5690 Cancha de Golf, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92091.
Proceeds will benefit Felicita Elementary, Mission Middle School, Valley High School, Del Lago Academy, San Pasqual Academy, Operation Standown, Salvation Army, Education COMPACT and Rising Star.
Please contact Sue Barajas for more information and to obtain tickets at suebarajas@hotmail.com. Each ticket is $75 or two for $140.
The Route 78 Rotary Club is holding is signature fundraiser - their 8th Annual Mariachi Festival on April 10, 2022 at the California Center for the Arts. VIP Tacos & Tequila VIP event begins at 12:30 PM, Concert begins at 3:00pm.
This year will feature Mariachi Champaña Nevin from San Diego and world-renowned singer Monica Abrego, along with Baile Folklórico by Tierra Caliente.
Those attending need to show proof of vaccination or a recent negative COVID test and remain masked indoors.
RI President-elect Jennifer Jones imagines a Rotary where members act to make their dreams become reality and they make the most of their club experiences. She urges members to engage more with each other and use these connections to build partnerships that change the world. Speaking to District Governors-elect at this year's Governor's Training Assembly, RI PE Jones announced that the 2022-2023 Rotary International Annual Theme is Imagine Rotary!
Be on the lookout! District 5340's Immunization Committee is publishing a monthly Vaccine, Health & Wellness Newsletter. The first edition of the Newsletter can be obtained here. This Committee has been instrumental throughout the years in bringing public awareness of the importance of vaccination to Rotary clubs and the public-at-large - most notably the Polio vaccination efforts. Each month, Newsbits will publish the link to the most current edition of the newsletter making it convenient for you to access it in a timely manner.
The Rotary Club of Del Mar proudly supports the Del Mar Lifeguards through its grants program. Part of this year's grant went towards the purchase of the pictured EMT kits. To date two lifeguards have been able to complete EMT training, and more are scheduled. They are also available to Del Mar Firefighters.
After the Rotary Club of Del Mar completed the refurbishment of the benches in Del Mar so beautifully, the community service team was asked to also refurbish the tables, chairs, and benches at City Hall. The City of Del Mar will be recognizing all who participated during their February 7th meeting.
Del Mar Rotary Club Making a Difference in Their Community
Did you know that Rotary Clubs can sponsor incoming Afghan refugee families?
The Sponsor Circle Program is a community-led resettlement initiative that allows everyday Americans to take on the responsibility of welcoming Afghan newcomers to their communities. This is an emergency response launched to ensure that all arriving Afghans receive welcome and support. The Sponsor Circle Program pairs Afghan newcomers with community groups eager to provide support. Your Rotary club may be interested in sponsoring a family. For more information please click link: https://www.sponsorcircles.org/. The Program also provides application support sessions Monday-Friday; you can sign up here: https://www.sponsorcircles.org/application-support-sessions.
It’s not every day that Rotary celebrates a club centennial, but Rotarians from District 5340 had that honor this year when Imperial Valley clubs celebrated 100 years of service. Rotary clubs celebrating 100 years were Calexico, Brawley, Holtville and El Centro. Imperial celebrated 25 years.
Making the event even more special was the attendance of Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta and his lovely wife Rashi. President Mehta was the keynote speaker for this event and his speech left everyone motivated to keep working and growing Rotary by focusing on the goal of everyone bring one and everyone keep one.
The two-day event was held at the Quechan Casino Resort in Winterhaven, California on January 7 and 8. Two Districts (D5340 and D5500) were represented at the event including D5340 Governor Dan Gensler, Governor-Elect Chuck Pretto, and Governor Nominee Don Fipps. Past District Governors Marge Cole and Mel Gallegos and his wife Judy attended as did Zone Director Vicki Puliz and Assistant Governors Melissa Short and Hortencia Armendariz.
The celebration included a tour of the area, a social hour to kick off the event and breakfast for the committee members with President Mehta and Rashi. The evening included videos of charter members sharing their experiences of service above self and why Rotary is important for communities and the world.
The planning of the centennial began in 2020 under leadership of committee chair Clifford Caldwell who acknowledged all the hard work put into making this celebration one to remember. Kudos went out to leaders of District 5340 committee members Eric Freeman, Bob Barros, Robert Menvielle, George Marquez, Hortencia Armendariz, James Garcia, Dillon Faubion, Maria Lucas, Ross Daniels and Peggy Price.
There is no better way to covey the excitement of the evening better than with pictures. Below you will find a sampling of camaraderie experienced during the celebration.
Imperial Valley Clubs Celebrate 100 Years of Service
Congratulations to Point Loma Rotarian Mike Whitehurst on receiving the Citation for Meritorious Service from the Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees. Mike has served on the District Foundation Committee for many years--in the role of District Grants Chair and now as Major Gifts/Legacy Giving Co-Chair. He has done a number of grants in India and has traveled to India as part of his involvement with these grants.
We will present his award at his club meeting and at the District Governor's Dinner at the end of this year.
Join us to help end Human Trafficking in San Diego March 4 at the Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA 92106.
Please sign up for this terrific summit that your District Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force is conducting with Point Loma Nazarene University and the San Diego County Office of Education.
The regional summit will feature some inspiring speakers and provide you with tips and tools to help prevent someone in our region from becoming a victim of this $800 million illicit industry.
The event is free, but registration is required. Reserve your spot today!
Amy Scruggs, author of Lights Camera Action (on Amazon) will be speaking at a District wide meeting hostd by the Rotary Club of San Francisco (District 5150). This event is being held on Zoom on January 13, 2022 at 5:00 pm. District 5150 is opening this meeting up to any Rotarian who may be interested in becoming more savvy in the art of media communication.
A new club is forming that has grown out of the Mission Gorge Rotary Club (now defunct). It will be called the Mission Valley Evening Rotary Club. They will be meeting on Tuesday, January 18 at 6:00 pm at the Mission Valley Library (Fenway Parkway Center) Community Room. If you are interested or know someone who might be interested, please let them know about this meeting. All COVID protocols will be obserbed (vaccines, boosters, masks) as required by the library.
For more information, contact Past District Governor Marge Cole at marge.cole@yahoo.com.
On December 4, 2021, over 25 Rotary clubs from the US and Mexico teamed up to donate and build seven houses for families in need in the Trebol community by Tecate BC. Once they all left and celebrated the great deed, Elena and Ivan Alba from the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary club set out to donate all the money they would spend on Christmas gifts for friends and family to, instead, purchase furniture and housewares for the seven families who received new homes. With the help of generous donations from several Rotarians and two clubs (from Del Mar and Tijuana), and the help of Fernanda Torres, they were able to bring the gifts of furniture and other items to those families in need. Almost $5000 was raised, and all the wares were purchased in Mexico (stimulating their economy) and delivered on December 18. Elena and her mother sewed and installed almost 30 sets of curtains to beautify the homes. Indeed, the spirit of giving was felt by all, when Charlie (a young, handicapped man) had his dream come true by replacing his single broken crutch with a brand-new set of forearm crutches that would enable him to more easily get around the hilly terrain. Two expecting mothers received brand new pack-n-play bassinet/cribs for their new-borns to come. The Rotary spirit of generosity knows no borders.
Family Gives Up Presents to Furnish Homes Built by Rotary Members
The Rotary Magazine recently featured a story about two La Mesa Sunrise Rotarians - Ivan and Elena Lujan-Alba and their two girls who traveled the world for one year with an emphasis on doing service projects whereever they could. You can read the story here.
While traveling the family also created a blog so that each of them could reflect on their experiences. You can read what this trip meant to them in their own words: https://albaworldtour.wordpress.com
Register now for the District Membership Workshop taking place on Saturday January 15, 2021, from 9-10:30 am. This is a virtual Zoom workshop open to all Club Presidents, Presidents-Elect, AG's, Membership Chairs and committee members.
District 5340 is happy to announce that we have engaged the services of Patricia Fortin (likes to be called Patty) as the new District Administrator. Patty will work with the existing District Governor line to organize the affairs of the District. She has an extensive background in corporate processes and task management and we very much look forward to having Patty tackle the administrative duties associated with managing the day-to-day operations of the District.
Patty is excited to begin her new role on Monday January 3rd. She will be working twenty hours per week with the following office hours:
Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday: 10:00 am to 2:00 pm Tuesday and Thursday: 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Join us during Human Trafficking Awareness Month to discover the collaborative anti-trafficking efforts of our region and why you're vital to the cause. This event is free with lunch included. Sign up here as space is limited!
AGENDA
11am–12pm Exhibitions and Registration
12pm–1pm Presentation and Lunch
1pm–2pm Exhibitions
Sponsored by Rotary District 5340 through the Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force. Hosted by Point Loma Nazarene University and the County of San Diego.
It's a New Year and the future of Rotary is in your hands! As is tradition for many, a fresh perspective and personal goals are set with the hopes of making a difference in some aspect of life. What about your Rotary ambitions? Do you aspire to leadership? How about membership growth?
RI President Shekhar Mehta has a final message before the end of the year, to bring with you into 2022.
“This is the time to take a bigger, better, bolder approach through both club and district projects that can impact more people. Reevaluate where you are with your goals. Create strategies that can sustain change over years, not months. Everyone deserves a long, healthy life. When you Serve to Change Lives, your actions today can help extend the lives of others.”
Thank you Shekhar for taking us through this year, we’re grateful for your leadership and look forward to the new year. Follow this link to read Shekhar’s full message to Rotarians and peacemakers: https://on.rotary.org/3mflV7d.
Earlier this month, Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo and Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club members joined forces with fellow Rotarians throughout District 5340 (San Diego and Imperial counties) and District 4100 (Baja California, Mexico), high school and college students in the service organization’s Interact and Rotaract clubs. Their efforts were featured in an article found in the Union Tribune on Thursday, December 30, 2021. Read article.
Vocational Service is the essence of Rotary and serves as the foundation from which we serve our communities around the world. Vocational Service calls on us to empower others by using our unique skills and expertise to address community needs and help others acquire or refine skills and advance their professional opportunities.
The 2022 Rose Parade marks the 42nd consecutive year the RRPFC has spearheaded Rotary’s representation in America’s New Year Celebration. This year’s theme, “Changing Lives Through Education,” aligns with one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus, Basic Education and Literacy. A sixteen-foot-tall owl embodies both the spirit of self-improvement and Rotary’s determination to make the tools of education available to everyone in every land. Books, a quill pen and a hybrid apple/globe symbolize the importance of education throughout the world.
To view Rotary's float in this year's Rose Parade, click here.
Three Santa Elves from the Santee-Lakeside Rotary club delivered presents to a Home of Guiding Hands’ residential group home in San Diego. The club adopted this group home as one of its holiday projects. It’s their hope that Covid restrictions will be lifted next year so that club members and residents can party together.
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary is at it again… bikes for the Carlsbad Boys and Girls club families. On December 12, the club purchased, assembled and presented 43 bikes for Carlsbad kids. CHNR members, family members and four members of TREK Bikes worked together to “get it done.”
Happy Holidays! As we approach the end of the year it’s a great time to reflect on what we have and to be grateful for all the good we have done as Rotarians during this first half of our Rotary year. We have distributed funds for 70 District Grants and have 10 Global Grants in the works. 150 Rotarians from 27 clubs built seven houses in Tecate, Mexico and as Rotarians we have supported and engaged our community like no other organization.
For those Rotary clubs who are participating in the Navajo Water Project spearheaded by District 5495, here is an update on the team's work to bring clean running water to the Navajo Nation.
In early 2020 (pre-Covid) nine in-home water systems from our Rotary global grants were installed in the small community of Dilkon on the Navajo Nation. Then in early April 2020, due to the severity of the pandemic on the Reservation, tribal leaders instituted lockdowns, curfews and work-stoppages that brought our work to a halt. While it was sad to pause this work, we all understood the need for caution given how hard the Navajo were impacted by Covid-19. Few were aware that by May of 2020 the Navajo Nation had become the epicenter of the outbreak in the world - worse by half than New York and New Jersey on a per-capita basis.
So, we pivoted. We worked with DigDeep and the Rotary Foundation to quickly authorize that $75,000 of our first Dilkon global grant could be allocated to emergency above-ground water tanks. These tanks helped the Navajo have access to clean water and of course to adhere to hand-washing protocol. The emergency water tanks held them avoid the contact that occurred routinely at regional wells where they would have otherwise needed to fill buckets, cans and barrels with enough water to survive.
On Tuesday, December 7th Old Mission Rotary met at the Copley-Price YMCA for a Holiday Gift Wrapping luncheon. Members enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by the onsite cafe and then organized and placed toys into colorful bags. Labels on the bags indicated if the gifts were for a boy or girl and for what age. Club members also donated toys to the effort. The toys will be distributed by the YMCA staff and volunteers to children living in the immediate inner-city area.
The Copley-Price Family YMCA opened its doors to the public in 2014 and proudly serves one of the most diverse communities in San Diego, offering a supportive environment for people in the City Heights, El Cajon, Kensington, Hillcrest, Talmadge, and North and South Park areas.
Over the years Old Mission Rotary has partnered with the Copley-Price YMCA even before their new facility was built. The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary contributed $300,000 to help set up a teen center and computer lab that primarily serves student from nearby Hoover High School.
In addition to their physical fitness facilities and programs, the Copley-Price YMCA is dedicated to serving the local City Heights Community. This effort includes health and wellness programs as well as scholarships to help local residents afford membership.
Photo caption: ((L-R) Old Mission Rotary members Donna Maytum, Shari Stauder, Bob Chalfa, President Michelle Malin, Gloria Chalfa, Executive Secretary Stan Vogelsang, Copley-Price YMCA Executive Director Julian Villegas, Eric Benink, Matt Risi and Charlotte Cofield.
Gift Wrapping Luncheon at the Copley-Price Family YMCA
On Saturday, Dec 4th, 20 District 5340 Rotary clubs, four Rotaract clubs and La Jolla Interact Club crossed the US/Mexican border to meet with five Mexican Rotary clubs and Project Mercy personnel in a little rural community named Trebol, halfway between Tijuana and Tecate.
Over 150 Rotary-involved people met to build seven houses during that one day. Jeb Bakke, District 5340 International Chair and his committee, (Kim Muslusky, Assistant Governor Mike Fugua, Fernanda Torres) worked from both sides of the border to make the event happen. They partnered with Project Mercy, a 30 -year-old 5013c that builds small houses in Baja for homeless people.
The District 5340 International Committee raised over $52,000 during a 3-month period from local Rotarians to make the event happen. Each house had a cost of $6,800, out houses were $700. There were also six solar lamps purchased, six tables and four chairs for each house as well - all through donations from various clubs.
District 5340 provided three buses to take the volunteers across the border, lunch for all of them as well as bottled water. District 4100, thanks to Fernanda Torres and Carlos Carillo, 4100 International Chair, arranged for a special hotel rate at the Grand Hotel in Tijuana for the night for those who wanted to stay over – and a special dinner, with music and entertainment.
Both District Governors Dan Gensler and Octavio Sanchez were in attendance along with other district dignitaries. One of the goals of this event was to promote more cross-border interaction between both districts. There is now a video being made of this event.
"This project was a great opportunity for Rotarians who have never been able to participate in an international project to work hands-on in something important– less than 50 miles away from San Diego!” said Jeb Bakke. “It opens your eyes to the needs that exist in other countries”.
District International House Build Project Success!
The Rotary Club of El Cajon Sunset recognizes that Thanksgiving Day is very special for many families in the community. However, for underserved areas of San Diego many families still struggle to put a decent meal on the table. This year the Rotary Club of El Cajon Sunset provided Thanksgiving food baskets to 10 families (feeding 68 people) in City Heights on November 28 - 29, 2021. Many of these families are recent immigrants who are beginning their lives in the United Sates with limited resources. The club also helped recent Burmese immigrant families enjoy a BBQ at Miramar Lake Park on Thanksgiving Day. Many families who do not eat turkey received $50 gift cards to area grocery stores to purchase meat of their choice.
Thanksgiving Day Assistance Provided by Rotary Club
The Rotary Club of El Cajon Sunset held its community grant award night on Nov. 18, 2021. In this event, San Diego Tema Sister Cities Association was awarded $2000 for a school computer lab in Tema Ghana (picture below). Several Sister Cities were represented, including Panama City and Yokohama Japan.
Water or Children Africa of El Cajon was awarded $3000 for its continued rain harvesting and storage water tanks for schools in Kenya. Haiti earthquake relief efforts and mentorship efforts for youth were also funded at $500 each.
Yesterday, Santee-Lakeside Rotarians, friends of Rotary, and Rotary scholars assembled about 1,000 boxes for the Santee Santas' Foundation. The club is proud to partner with such a wonderful organization that is providing much needed food and holiday gifts to members of our local community.
December is Rotary International family month with a focus on disease prevention and treatment. Globally, Rotary is recognized for its signature project, the eradication of polio in the world.
As a Rotarian, you play an essential role in ensuring that Rotary Foundation programs can continue to create positive and lasting change in your community and around the globe. The future of The Rotary Foundation depends on Rotarians like you, and that’s why we want you to be one of the first to see Rotary’s 2021 Annual Report.
The Escondido East Rotary Club delivered 170 hot turkey meals to homebound seniors on Thanksgiving Day. A big thank you to Darol and Linda Caster for organizing the event. Thank you also to Mikki’s Restaurant on Valley Parkway in Escondido for preparing the meals and Rotarian’s delivering them.
Looking to have some fun? Like to laugh? Join the La Mesa Rotary and La Mesa Sunrise Rotary clubs on April 1, 2022 for a night of comedy and hypnosis. This is the time to save the date on your calendar. More information will be forthcoming closer to the date.
A great group of Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotarians and friends showed up on November 13 to pack all the makings for a hot breakfast. The package has a vitamin mix, soy protein, oat meal and a cinnamon apple flavor. All elements were grains or powders measuring 252 to 254 grams to be exact when combined. Club members finished 1728 packages of 6 portions packed 48 to a box in 36 boxes to go to the San Diego Food bank. Do that math and that is 10,368 portions. The Community Outreach Program out of Iowa is the non-profit who has the concept and excellent execution. Great job everyone!
Giving Tuesday happens once a year, but your gift of Rotary will make a difference for a lifetime. This Giving Tuesday, consider making a special gift to The Rotary Foundation and together we can continue Doing Good in the World.
Good morning fellow Rotarians! The Quintessential Auction is underway – benefiting the many local and international service projects of the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club! The auction will be open through December 2, but bidding is already underway – so sign up now!
We’re excited to gather again in-person so we can connect, share ideas, and strengthen our relationships in an atmosphere of friendship and learning. The 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas, USA, offers us that opportunity – and we remain optimistic that we’ll be there together 4-8 June 2022.
The deadline to register at the reduced rate is fast approaching. You have until 15 December 2021, so sign up and pay today to take advantage of significant savings. You’ll have the chance to cancel for a full refund until 30 April 2022, minus a $50 per person administration fee.
Are you and your club aware of the great work that Girl Scouts San Diego (GSSD) is doing to promote girls in our community? Girl Scouts is the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to practice a lifetime of leadership, adventure, and success.
The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club is hosting Diego Carneiro, Master Cellist and orchestra director for La Orcestra Joven del Ecuador (Youth Orchestra of Ecuador) at their December 3, 2021 regular meeting to provide an opportunity for Rotarians to hear his music and learn his story. Diego is participating in a global grant between the Rotary Club of Colville (Washington State - District 5080) and the Rotary Club of Quito Ecuador de Quito Valle Interoceànico and is on a fundraising tour to assist in funding the global grant (#2128505).
The Imperial Valley Centennial Committee is pleased to invite you to hear RI President Shekhar Mehta during their Centennial celebration January 7-8, 2022. The event will take place at the Quechan Casino and Resort located at 525 Algodones Road, Winterhaven, CA 92283.
The agenda for the weekend is as follows:
Friday Jan 7 (All times are Arizona time)
5:00 PM Rotary Social by the pool with RI President Mehta Quechan Casino Resort (Business Casual Attire)
Saturday Jan 8 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Matching Grants Workshop 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm Centennial Celebration of Clubs 6:00 pm - 6:30 pm Keynote Speaker:
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm RI President will recognize new members – Rotarians and Paul Harris 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm Dinner (formal attire)
Meals on Wheels is looking for volunteers to help deliver home-cooked meals to seniors living in San Diego County. Volunteers delivering meals allows Meals on Wheels San Diego County's seniors to remain independent by providing nutritious meals and critical safety checks. Sometimes a volunteer is the only person their seniors see all day. Meals on Wheels San Diego County could not serve over 4,000 seniors each year without the help of their gracious volunteers.
It was quite a day on November 16 for Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary (CHNR). Over 70 Rotarians, family members and friends worked in partnership with The Outreach Project to package and box meals for 10,000 people. The food will be presented to the North County Food Bank for distribution.
The Outreach Project presented the bulk food and CHNR members worked in teams in an assembly-line approach to package all the food. It was boxed and recorded for future use, and, we were told, it was done in record time.
CHNR identified “food insecurity” as its main service focus in 2020 and that focus continues. In fact, the North County Food Bank presented Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary with its Group Volunteer Award last Wednesday at its awards ceremony. President Raegan Matthews accepted on behalf of the club and LeAnn Rytz is the hardworking Community Service Director who coordinates the club’s service activities.
Thanks to all who participated in this well-organized service project!
As you likely know, our community is expecting a large number of Afghan refugees in the next few months. Many Rotary clubs have been asking how they can help. D5340 Rotarians, supported by District Governor Dan Gensler, can provide assistance in many ways through the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a federally designated resettlement agency in San Diego that is in need of some assistance.
Over the course of a month, the Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club and Friends of Rotary gathered and then donated sweaters, sweatshirts, and socks to Saint Vincent de Paul. There were so many donations that it took several trips to deliver it all. It shows, once again, how amazing and giving Rotarians are. Thank you to all those who helped make this project a success, especially to Elana Levens-Craig who coordinated this activity.
Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a grant benefiting the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet (SDCYB).
San Diego Civic Youth Ballet was founded in 1945 and has been the resident ballet school in Balboa Park ever since. In addition to offering high-quality, affordable, year-round training in the Casa del Prado studios, SDCYB produces three major productions at the Casa del Prado Theater each year: a full-length spring ballet, Fairy Tales in the Park each summer (which benefits the Scholarship Program) and the classic holiday production of The Nutcracker. There is also an annual Spring Showcase of the school and the SDCYB Performance Ensemble (which is comprised of the highest-level dancers) performs at special events throughout the community.
SDCYB Development Manager, Christine de Pagter accepted the funds and announced that they would be using the $5000 grant presented on November 16th for furniture and dancing equipment.
Photo Caption: (L-R) Art Pratt Foundation Board Member Cynthia Drake, Old Mission Rotary Executive Secretary Stan Vogelsang, Art Pratt Foundation President Miles Durfee, Development Manager of the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet Christine de Pagter, Art Pratt Foundation Board Member Gary John Collins, Old Mission Rotary President Michelle Malin and Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Charlotte Cofield, Judi Copeland and Donna Maytum.
$5000 Grant Presented the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet
Rotarian Max Gurney, was honored by Torrey Pines Rotary Club at their Torrey Pines Rotary Veterans Program on November 10th. The 100-100-year-old Army Veteran served in North Africa, Sicily and Italy in WW II. He just returned from an Honor Flight tour of Washington DC where he was the fourth oldest veteran on the trip.
Fallbrook Village Rotary Club
Our Rotarians created posters for returning Marines. Everyone pulled out the stickers, crayons, markers and poster boards to make a military homecoming special.
On Tuesday, November 9, The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a $5000 grant to the Brother Benno Foundation. The funds will be used to update their administrative offices. The grant was accepted by the Kathleen Diehlmann who is the President of the Brother Benno Foundation.
The non-profit started in 1983 as a soup kitchen in downtown Oceanside inspired by Brother Benno Garrity, a Benedictine monk who was well known for his tireless service to the poor in the Oceanside area.
In 1991, the Brother Benno Foundation moved its services to its present location, a 12,000-square foot warehouse at 3260 Production Avenue in Oceanside, which has been divided into a dining room, full kitchen, children’s reading room, administrative offices, shower room, clothing room, computer lab, chapel, restrooms, and warehouse space.
Photo Caption: (L-R Front) Art Pratt Foundation President Miles Durfee, President of the Board of Directors of the Brother Benno Foundation Kathleen Diehlmann and Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Donna Maytum. (L-R Back) Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Gary John Collins, Stan Vogelsang, Charlotte Cofield and Judi Copeland.
The La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Club recently held their meeting outside at 7:00 am at the La Jolla Coast Walk Trail. During the meeting, a fundraiser check was presented to Brenda Fake, Rotarian and Chairman of Friends of Coast Walk Train. The fundraiser - 2nd Annual La Jolla Sunrise Rotary Walk for the Trail - benefits the Reconstruction of Goldfish Point Observation Platform, which was also supported by a $3,000.00 District 5340 matching grant.
Reconstruction of Goldfish Point Observation Platform
Member Profile: Robert S. Brewer and the Downtown Breakfast Club
This month we profile Robert S. Brewer and the Downtown Breakfast Club. Bob is a member of the Downtown Breakfast club. As is his wife Retired Federal Judge Irma Gonzalez.
The crew of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship has a fun beach cleanup planned for Saturday Nov 20 from 8AM to 10PM at Mission Beach (Tower 13 South of Belmont Park). This event is open to the family of Rotary (Rotarians, Rotaract & Interact members), family & friends.
Photo above: Calexico Rotary President George Marquez presents Calexico Police Officer and fellow Rotarian Victor Legaspi with a $1,000 donation for the annual Kids ‘N’ Badges Christmas shopping spree.
In addition, Calexico Rotary President George Marquez presents Helen Palomino from Cancer Resource Center of the Desert with a $1,000 donation. These funds are part of a Rotary district grant that is specifically designated towards providing monetary support to Cancer patients traveling out of county for specialized medical treatment. Photo below.
Calexico Rotary Club Presents $1000 Donation Checks
Most of us are familiar with the reference to the "Twelve Days of Christmas" but did you know about the Twelve Months of Rotary? Rotary has identified a theme for each month. The monthly themes are meant to highlight the wide range of Rotary's good work and give clubs some suggestions, timing and guidance for their programs and activities. Here is the list. You can also download a PDF with samples of the graphics used for each Rotary month.
January - Vocational Services
February - Peacebuilding and Conflict Resolution
March - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene
April - Maternal and Child Health
May - Youth Services
June - Rotary Fellowships
July - New Leadership (can change annually with the beginning of the new Rotary year)
August - Membership and New Club Development
September - Basic Education and Literacy
October - Community Economic Development
November - Rotary Foundation
December - Disease Prevention and Treatment
Click here to download a copy of Rotary Monthly Themes.
The Coronado Rotary Club's Committee to Protect the Environment recently spent a Saturday morning picking up trash in the Otay River Delta, a National Wildlife Refuge. This video is a short story of the men and women who were there and why they feel so strongly about this cause and why Rotary's seventh area of focus is so important.
In honor of Don Fipps being selected as the District Governor Designate I'd like to reprise his member profile which was featured in the March 14, 2021 Sunday Morning Musings.
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Currently, Don is the Assistant Governor for Area 3 - Carlsbad Hi Noon, Carlsbad Evening, Tri City and San Marcos. He is also serving as Governor-Elect Dan Gensler’s chief aide.
I just returned from spending four days in Imperial Valley visiting 6 Rotary clubs. I had the most amazing experience with my time in the Valley. Did you know that the first club in D5340 was San Diego, Club-33 and that the next three clubs formed in D5340 where in the Imperial Valley? The Imperial Valley Centennial Celebration is coming up in 2022. Stay tuned for more information.
On Wednesday morning, I visited the Imperial Breakfast club where President Peggy runs an efficient meeting, and we inducted several new members. From there, I headed out to Blythe and the Steaks and Cakes restaurant, where the Blythe Rotary Club has been meeting for many years. It was a pleasure to see everyone and a special thanks to Mike Cusick who helped me get my flat tire repaired. From there I headed to Calexico for the evening meeting with President George Marquez where we inducted one (out of four) new member. We enjoyed the best homemade Mexican food you could ask for. The Club surprised me with a sombrero, serape, and a bottle of tequila.
Special thanks to District Governor Dan Gensler for stopping by the 100 Wave Challenge. Members of Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship including: Derren Lechuga (Past President of Pacific Beach Rotaract), Brett Morey (Founder of SURF and Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle), Vince Ponce (Rotary Club of Carlsbad Hi Noon) along with Ken Barrett (Past President of the Rotary Club of Del Mar Solana Beach) knocked out 100 waves each on Saturday, Oct. 23rd at Oceanside Harbor. Each of these men along with 30 others on the Degree 33 Surfboards 100 Wave Challenge team helped raise over $65,000for Boys to Men Mentoring and at-risk teens. In fact, this 12th Annual event has broken $300,000 and is tracking to eclipse last year's record of $509,000.
There is still time to give, volunteer as food runners as well as participate. Check out the following on the Surfers Unite website, take a look at their Events page for an upcoming beach clean up and ugly sweater paddle out and text "100Wave" to 858-602-2532 to get involved. Together we change hearts and lives for fatherless teenage boys and build men of integrity and purpose. Thanks to the generosity of Rotarians Brett is about to break $11,000 to sponsor 11 kids in this program.
Several clubs throughout District 5340 participated in the End Polio Now fundraiser held in Balboa Park on October 24. District Governor Dan Gensler joined and together Rotarians helped raise money to eradicate Polio. A huge shout out to Rotarians from Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club, Encinitas Coastal, Mission Gorge, Santee-Lakeside, Coronado Rotary Club, La Jolla Triangle, Del Mar, SD Coastal, La Mesa and Rotaractors from Encinitas, Pacific Beach, City Heights and San Diego. Following the 3.5 mile walk, participants were treated to breakfast burritos, juices and mimosas sponsored by the City Heights Rotary Club.
Several other clubs took to the streets in local neighborhoods and along boardwalks to raise awareness for the End Polio Now campaign. It was a great effort by all.
Chula Vista Sunrise Rotarians spent Saturday morning collecting well needed items for the Chula Vista Animal Care Facility. The good works continued at the "J" Street Marina working with students from Hilltop High School's Interact and Eco clubs. They used kayaks donated by Harry at CV Kayak in cleaning up trash in the bay.
Chula Vista Sunrise Rotary Tackled Multiple Service Projects this Past Weekend
Sign up for the online Ecology Day Conference Nov. 6 hosted by ESRAG’s Western North America Chapter! Open and free to everyone, the morning panels showcase internationally renowned speakers. The afternoon sessions focus on the environmental work of youth and young adults In Rotary. The conference starts at 9:)) am Pacific Time.
In the world of mixers, the makings of a successful soirée involve the combination of nice music, delicious food, inspiring atmosphere, and great conversation. The 17th annual Rotary Club of Del Mar Sunset Soiree trumped all basic requirements with its abundance of hors d’oeuvres, fine wine and microbrews, the perfect music, a million-dollar ocean view home, and a picture-perfect sunset.
The event goal to raise $50,000 was exceeded, allowing the Rotary Club of Del Mar additional funds for local and international projects. The club thanks everyone associated with the Soiree, including the approximately 300 attendees.
The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce that Don Fipps from the Rotary Club of Del Mar has been selected to serve as District Governor during the Rotary year 2024-25.
In accordance with the provisions of Rotary International Bylaws Article 12, Rotary District 5340 created a Nominating Committee to review and interview candidates. This year's Committee included eight past, current, and future District Governors. and was chaired by Immediate Past District Governor Steven Weitzen.
Any challenges to the selection of District Governor (Rotary International Bylaws Article 12.030.7) are to be received by Steven Weitzen, Chair of the Nomination Committee, by close of business on Friday, November 5, 2021. Challenges may be sent via email toweitzen5@aol.com. If no challenges are received, the selection of the Nominating Committee becomes official.
Don Fipps Selected to Serve as District Governor 2024-25
District 5340's Foundation Committee will be hosting a TRF (The Rotary Foundation) training session on November 15, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. via Zoom
Donating to Rotary means clean water and sanitation. Health and hope in areas that were once ravaged by diseases like polio. Economic development and new opportunities. Your financial help makes all this happen, and more.
This training session is especially important for club presidents, AGs and Foundation chairs,. Its an opportunity to learn about all the giving options Rotarians can participate in and how important donations are to the success of Rotary International and our local District and Rotary clubs. You won't to miss it.
Please join the Rotary Club of Del Mar in donating the gift of life through blood donation this Thursday, October 28 at the Del Mar Civic Center Parking lot - 1050 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar, CA 92014. Reservations are encouraged.
HUGE shout out to the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club for their work with Refuge for Women SoCal in getting this meditative sail shade area created! It's such a healing place for those recovering from the trauma of human sex trafficking in America! Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANBNGKGu1YE
On Tuesday, October 19th, The Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary presented a $5000 grant to San Diego Oasis. Oasis is a unique educational program for adults 50+ who want to continue to learn and be productive throughout life. The grant money will be used to buy books for students at Title 1 elementary schools in under served neighborhoods. Kristin Amicone of Oasis solicited our membership to volunteer for reading programs in inner city schools.
Photo: (L-R Front) Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Cynthia Drake, Donna Maytum and Charlotte Cofield. San Diego Oasis Director of Intergenerational Programs Kristen Amicone, Art Pratt Foundation Board Member Judi Copeland, Old Mission Rotary President Michelle Malin and Art Pratt Foundation President Miles Durfee. (L-R Back) Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Gary John Collins and Stan Vogelsang.
The Rotary Club of Point Loma is holding a Ride the Point fundraiser benefiting UCSD Moores Pancreatic Cancer Research and local San Diego charities on November 13, 2021. Ride the Hidden, the Forbidden and the Unridden. You can check out the video here. Don't miss your chance to participate. Register now! Ridethepoint.org.
The San Diego Coastal Rotary Club is sponsoring the FREE showing of the documentary the Biggest Little Farm at the Landmark Hillcrest Cinemas (3965 Fifth Avenue #200, San Diego, CA 92103) November 17 at 6:30 p.m. This documentary movie takes you on the epic journey of how a farm can change the world! It's open to all Rotarians, family and friends.
Celebrating Rotary's 7th area of focus, the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club wants to change your perspective on how you see farming, nature and humanity. Check out the trailer. RSVPs are required. Get your tickets by clicking here. There are only 190 seats available.
As World Polio Day approaches, the Rotary community is getting ready to amplify our message about eradicating polio to protect the world’s children from this devastating disease.
Together, we’ve made tremendous progress. Now it’s time to intensify our fight to make polio the second human disease ever to be eradicated. Last year, the World Health Organization’s African region was certified free of wild poliovirus, showing that eradication is possible even in very difficult circumstances. The wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We can use World Polio Day to advocate for the support we need to end polio in countries where it still paralyzes children.
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.
District Grants
The District has received Rotary Foundation Designated Funds in the amount of $115,330. Congratulations to the clubs who will be distributing the 70 District Grants in their communities. Make sure to post pictures on our matching grants page.
Rotary Foundation Month
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!
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:
“Dear diary 4-1-20: This month will fully test our spirit and resolve as individuals, parents, children, friends, citizens, Patriots, countrymen and humanity worldwide. Don't give in to bad or negative behavior. Stay informed and positive. Do what you can to help others. Pray incessantly. Know we will get through this and be smarter and wiser from the journey. Stay safe!
Old Mission Rotarian Kevin Cox was inducted into the club on October of 2018. He passed away from Covid-19 on September 13th, 2021.
Photo Caption: (L-R Back Row) Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Cynthia Drake and Gary John Collins and Art Pratt Foundation President Miles Durfee. (L-R Front Row) Art Pratt Foundation Board Members Donna Maytum and Larry Edwards, Founder and Director of the Americas Foundation Christine Brady and Old Mission Rotary Executive Secretary Stan Vogelsang.
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.
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 - Tijuana House Build in Mexico on December 4, 2021. This project is in collaboration with Project Mercy. For traveling ease, the District is providing a bus to the location.
We’ll be building 6 houses for deserving families and there are two ways your club can participate and contribute:
Volunteers
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 although there is a strong need for skilled workers.
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.
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.
When fully funded, the grant will help around 700 children complete at least one year of schooling. School Districts throughout the Imperial Valley will supervise and administer the Education of Students and provide Mobile Devices (tablets, etc.) to run the Virtual Internet Programming.
The Club is asking fellow Rotarians, their Club and Foundations to pledge funds to help meeting their December 1 deadline for Grant Funding.
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.
Join the Pacific Beach Rotaract Club at its 5th Annual Pub Crawl for Polio on Saturday, October 9, 2021 from 1:00-6:00 PM as they take over Pacific Beach bars and raise money for Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.
The theme is Decades - dress in your favorite decade's attire! 20's, 60's, 90's... up to you - there will be a costume contest! Participating bars include Waterbar, PB Ale House, The Local, and Backyard.
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.
Did you know you could help fund the float and possibly walk in the parade simply by buying a $100 raffle ticket or contribute $500 to become a Rotary Float Ambassador? In fact, the drawing for those who purchase a raffle ticket or become a Club Ambassador or a Rotary Float Ambassador will be Saturday, Nov 13. Purchase your tickets online before the 12th. The winner could be you!
On New Year's Day 2022 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? How about attend a special Holiday dinner Dec 30 with Rotary International President & 200 friends. Questions: bretthmorey@gmail.com.
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 $400deposit 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.
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 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!
And during the month of October 2021, they will be holding their Oktober-Feast event to support their local restaurants. Ticketholders can enjoy promotions from various Carlsbad restaurants. Website coming soon!
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!
We are getting close to the final registration date for the District 5340 Conference! Play a round of golf at the beautiful Coronado Golf Club, network at a service project to construct water purification indicators, bid on fabulous items in an online and in-person auction to benefit End Polio Now and enjoy a relaxing bike/run/walk along the coast in Coronado, to name a few! Rotoractors are welcome and can enjoy special discounted pricing for the conference!
Don't miss this event of the Rotary fall season! Sponsored by:
Your District 5340 AHT Taskforce has some great volunteer opportunities for you and your club to participate. Reach out to Dave Oates at david@publicrelationssecurity.com to sign up! Space is limited:
September 25, 8:30am – Noon – GenerateHope landscape/clean-up work. It’s our second visit to this Bonita transition hope for survivors of human trafficking. Our beautification efforts are much needed and will demonstrate to the residents that folks care about them! Think of it as a Rotarians at Work project. We’ve got 25 slots available so be sure to secure yours TODAY!
October 9 – 8:30am – Noon – Refuge for Women landscape/clean-up work. This will be our first visit to this North County location between near the I-15/CA 78 intersection. We’ll conduct similar work that we’ve done for GenerateHope for the same purpose. There are 25 openings, so be sure to sign up ASAP!
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.
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!
How can Rotary Empower Students Who Live in Extreme Poverty?
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.
RI Foundation Chair John F. Germ to Speak at Conference
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.
Photo: Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship Raises Over $1k for StandUp for the Cure & Contributes $1k to Life Rolls On Foundation
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.
Don't miss out on the next opportunity to serve as Surfers Unite Founder and Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle Brett Morey has a couple Life Rolls On events on the calendar. Life Rolls On Foundation assists adaptive surfers (disabled children & adults) and the La Jolla Shores event will take place Oct. 16. Volunteer opportunities also exist thanks to Surfers Unite as the Super-Girl Pro in Oceanside features the top women surfers in the world Sept. 17-19. Sign up to volunteer for any of these unique, fun and relevant events to grow your club as we bring the family of Rotary together.
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 ourDistrict'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.
Humanitarian, Rotarian and Past RI Foundation Trustee, Stephen R. Brown of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle speaks to Fox 5 about the face-to-face meeting of his Afghan colleagues with an Afghan official about the school their club opened in 2004 for both boys and girls in Jalalabad. Brown said the Taliban member applauded their work, including the education of girls and young women. That’s been part of the narrative Taliban leaders have been pushing lately, too. Brown said the Taliban even offered security for the schools. He remains cautiously optimistic that the Taliban will allow them to continue operating the school.
Group Funding Education In Afghanistan Cautiously Optimistic Amid Taliban Takeover
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.
Warning! Visiting Rotarians in District 5340 are warned that meal portions at Old Mission Rotary meetings at the Legacy Resort and Spa are too big! Find out for yourself and check out the brand new, impressive Legacy Resort and Spa on Hotel Circle South in Mission Valley.
Old Mission Rotary meets every Tuesday at noon except for the fourth Tuesday which is a 6PM and is a no host evening social at the hotel (next evening social on August 24).
The lunch cost for visiting Rotarians is $25 and $15 for Rotaractors. Parking is free with validation.
To RSVP please call or text Matt Risi at (619) 993-3913.
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.
August 2021 Rotary-Smiles International Partnership Mission in 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!
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.
Rotary District Conference Speaker Stephen R. Brown
World Polio Day is coming up quickly on October 24th! Join this Virtual Workshop on "How to Create a Successful World Polio Event" on August 26, 2021 at 5:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
This workshop will help you plan and implement a successful World Polio Day event for your clubs. Make sure your event raises awareness and support for eradicating Polio worldwide. Click here to register and support for eradicating Polio worldwide!
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.
The La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club lost a long-standing and very active Rotarian, David Ballesteros. David was a dedicated father, husband, friend, professor and Rotarian who dedicated his life to helping people around the world.
As a dean at SDSU, he assisted countless students in becoming future leaders within the San Diego and Imperial County communities. As a Rotarian for over 37 years, David held numerous leadership positions within the Calexico Rotary Club and the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club, where he led numerous district and global grant partnerships that delivered aid to the less fortunate in countries such as Ecuador, Mexico and Honduras.
David had long envisioned a future where technology would make it possible to create a truly global Rotary club where members from around the world could meet virtually and work together to effect positive change on a global scale. This vision came to fruition in 2016 when he helped found the Rotary E-club of San Diego Global. 5 years later, the Rotary E-club of San Diego Global continues to thrive with members in 6 countries and 3 Global Grants successfully completed.
David touched the lives of many of us and he will be dearly missed. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 22nd at 11:30 AM at Funeraria del Angel at 753 Broadway, Chula Vista.
Rotarian David Ballesteros passed away on August 5th.
Rotarians, we are just a month away from our annual District Conference scheduled for September 10-12, 2021. This year we will be holding the conference at the newly renovated and renown Hotel Del Coronado. Be one of the first to see the hotel's new look. What a wonderful place to hold a conference on a beautiful summer weekend. You won't want to miss it.
Club Projects
Showcase your club projects at the District Conference on September 11th! Order your table ASAP as space is limited. Email suzanne.manuel6@gmail.com to reserve your spot today. Please include name, club, and project name. You must be registered for the Conference to participate.
New Rotaract Pricing!
Registration includes Saturday day with conference, breakfast, lunch, beach game, and Pub Crawl Fun. Dinner is not included.
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.
What is your project about?
When will your project occur - date, time, location?
Who can help?
Who is the contact person?
Are there other resources needed?
Please submit your information to the Newsbits Editor, Sandy Pugliese at sandyp304@gmail.com.
Photo Caption: The Corona Conversation with Don Krupp is a weekly feature now included in our Old Mission Rotary Zoom Meetings.
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."
Corona Conversation is Praised by Public Health Leader
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.
Last Week to Register for the StandUp for the Cure event Benefiting Breast Cancer Research
August is Membership Month, which means it’s time to celebrate your Rotary club, your members, and the good you do in your community and around the world.
There are many ways to join in the celebration, but here are a few activities to get you started:
Say it loud, say it proud! Let everyone in your social network know that you are a proud member by changing your Twitter and Facebook profile to the I’m a Proud Member, I’m a Proud Rotaractor, or I’m a Proud Interactor graphic. Copy and save the graphic as your profile picture for August.
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!
Great Project Conducted by the La Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club
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.
It has been a long, frustrating year and a half for everyone who loves to serve our young people. Come join in the fun as the LEAD Conference restarts the District’s in-person youth programs!
Rotarians and Rotaractors are invited to be Advisors at District 5340's LEAD (Leadership, Ethics, Aspirations & Determination) Conference. Best of all – there is no charge to Rotarians, Rotaractors, or to their clubs for serving as LEAD Advisors!
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.
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.
Old Mission Rotary Club Presents Check to DG Dan Ginsler
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.
The Rotary Club of Coronado's tradition of caring for the environment grows exponentially with Rotary International’s Seventh Focus. Coronado Rotary’s new committee looks toward action and education.
Historically, for decades, Coronado Rotarians have reached out to help the environment through service projects such as monthly Saturday Beach Clean-ups, planting trees, and helping enhance local school grounds during Rotarians at Work Days. For Coronado locals and visitors alike, it is not unusual to see Rotarians in blue vests placing flags along Orange Ave, and more and more these days, at Central Beach, Tidelands Park and along the Bay at the Cays and the Strand.
The last Rotary year included many challenges, and we have much to be proud of — from Africa being declared wild polio-free and the strengthening of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, to our efforts to support COVID-19 vaccinations and awarding our first $2 million Programs of Scale grant.
Learn more about what we achieved this year in General Secretary John Hewko’s report to the convention.
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!!
Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club Participates in the Spirit of the 4th
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.
In 2015 Vista’s Rotary Club dedicated the above Military Memorial Wall. The County of San Diego generously contributed $20,000.00 toward the project and private donors contributed another $45,000.00.
The wall, a black granite tribute approximately sixty feet long by five feet high, is located along Rotary Lane on Vista Village Drive immediately east of Main Street and adjacent to the sports field of the Magnet School on Civic Center Drive at E. Vista Way. The City of Vista has participated in maintaining landscaping on a portion of Rotary Lane, but a portion of the property adjacent to the school property, over 100 yards in length, remains without any landscaping or improvements.
The next phase of the project will landscape and beautify the entire length between the school parking lot and Main Street, and is planned for completion in the spring of 2022. The County of San Diego has again generously contributed $25,000.00 to the project estimated at a total cost of approximately $72,000.00.
Fernanda Torres, Peace Chair of the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club and the bi-national liaison for Districts 5340-4100 created an extraordinary peace pole for a new park in the working class Natura community of Tijuana. The peace pole is an impressive 15 feet high and beautifully decorated by hand by Fernanda. Each part of the decoration was symbolic with many emblems of Rotary as well as the wishes for peace on earth in English and Spanish. The pole is dedicated to the children of Tijuana. Helping Fernanda create, transport and erect the pole was Carlos Carrillo, chair of the International Service and Pro Peace Committee for the 4100 district and Mark McAnelly from the Old Mission RotaryClub. This was truly an amazing international peace effort!
The unveiling ceremony for the peace pole was held Tuesday, June 29 and attended by Rotarians from the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club Old Mission Rotary Club and Golden Triangle Rotary Club as well as many Rotarians from several clubs in District 4100. A distinguished Peace Fellow Bogdan Matuszynski was in attendance. There were also dignitaries from Tijuana, members of the Natura community and, most importantly, Fernanda's parents (proud Rotarians). The Natura community was developed as a unique peace building community with efforts from the Ruba organization to bring the community together with a book club. Several talented ballerinas from the ABC Carvajal Dance Academy helped entertain the audience after the unveiling. Fernanda, the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club and several other Rotarians plan to continue to work with this Natura community in the start of a partnership and the sponsorship of a Rotary Community Corps.
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.
An Exclusive Interview with District Governor Steven Weitzen
With the 2020/21 Rotary year coming to an end, so does the tenure for this year's District Governor.
Newsbits (NB) sat down this week with District Governor Steven Weitzen (SW) to have a conversation with him about this Rotary year, his thoughts on the future of the District and his own future in Rotary.
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad recently released substantial donations to various North San Diego County organizations as part of the Day of Giving - a day of giving and unity.
Ava Payne, President of Rotary Carlsbad said “I’m in awe of the commitment, passion, and selflessness our four Day of Giving honorees demonstrated, stepping up through their organizations to assist those unable to help themselves. A noble purpose resulting in a profound and prodigious impact.”
Jeffrey Sitcov, President and Founder of Doors of Change said “Doors of Change is so appreciative of Carlsbad Rotary for their generous donation to help San Diego Homeless Youth get off the streets and live productive lives. Since 2001 over 2,200 Homeless Youth have done this because of the help of many organizations like Carlsbad Rotary. "
Sue McLeod, founder of Got Your Back San Diego, added, “Our existence heavily relies on generous donations from reputable philanthropic organizations like the Rotary Club of Carlsbad. They have, in large part, allowed us to move forward in these trying times. Our mission of providing food to school age children conveys to them that someone cares and that children matter #youmatter. Thanks Rotary!”
The Rotary Club of Carlsbad made substantial donations to the following North San Diego County groups who have seen increased demand along with additional challenges resulting from last year’s pandemic:
Devil Pups- Helping boys and girls from all backgrounds gain self-confidence and learn to take responsibility for their actions. https://devilpups.com/
Doors of Change- Solving Youth Homelessness through Empowerment and Self Sufficiency. https://doorsofchange.org/
Got Your Back San Diego- A weekend food assistance program developed specifically for children attending San Diego County schools. https://www.gotyourbacksandiego.org/
Scott McClatchey, Community Service Director for Rotary Carlsbad said “Day of Giving is an annual tradition where our club recognizes local charitable organization’s doing amazing work in the community. This year’s program was particularly inspirational because of how difficult the past year has been, yet through it all these four organizations pivoted in order to continue their mission serving as a lifeline for our community’s most vulnerable population.”
Each organization received a check from the Rotary Club of Carlsbad (pictures shown above).
Carlsbad Rotary Provides Much Needed Donations to North County Charities
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.
May was Mental Health Awareness Month. Supporting that effort, On May 15, 2021 at Goat Hill Golf Course in Oceanside, the Rotary Club of San Marcos held its 4th Annual Goat for Joe Golf Classic. The tournament was started by co-chairs Dana and Andrea Albert to create awareness and the de-stigmatization for mental illness. Funds raised supported Trucare’s behavioral health and suicide prevention programs. Truecare is a community healthcare provider for the underserved communities of North San Diego and Riverside Counties.
With over 120 golfers in attendance, the day consisted of lots of fun, food and fellowship. A check for $10,000 was presented to Michelle Gonzalez, CEO and Carmen Huertero, Board Chair.
Save the date - next year’s tournament is scheduled for May 14, 2022. Mark your calendars today!
Rotary Club of San Marcos Raises Funds for Behavioral Health Programs
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.
Art Pratt Foundation of Old Mission Rotary provides grant to the Waldorf School
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.
In 1943 Abraham Maslow wrote a paper entitled: “A Theory of Human Motivation.”
The paper explored in a pyramid fashion how one moves from the lowest level of the pyramid up to the highest of five levels. As one achieves and becomes satisfied at one level, they are then motivated to move on to the next level. And so on.
The lowest level of the pyramid is physiological needs. These include things that are essential for survival. Such as food, water, warmth, rest and breathing. Once those needs are met, one is ready to move up the pyramid to the next level.
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.
Registration is now open for the 2022 Rotary International Convention in Houston, Texas. Join us next year to explore what’s possible in Rotary, in Houston, and in yourself.
Whether you’re new to Rotary or a longtime member, it will be an unforgettable experience. Learn more at convention.rotary.org/houston.
Register and pay by June 16, 2021 to take advantage of the promotional rate of $425. Don’t miss your chance to Discover New Horizons at the 2022 Rotary International Convention!
2022 Rotary International Convention:Registration Now Open!
Rotarians from the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club expanded its efforts in support of the Poway Food Connection (Food Bank).
What started as fruit picking from small local orchards and then donating the crop to the Food Bank has now evolved to also helping regularly to collect donations from grocery stores and packing boxes of items for the Food Banks’ three-times a week pickup schedule.
Over time, some members of the Rancho Bernardo Noon Rotary Club became volunteers as well seeing that there was a continuing need for help. The Poway Food Connection supplies over 700 boxes of food to needy families in North County weekly!
Additionally, the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club stepped up to paint the facility and conduct minor repairs over the past year. Recently, it was determined that there was a need for a new entrance ramp and patio flooring. After all the work in securing estimates and obtaining funding was arranged, the cost of lumber doubled. To the rescue came both the Rancho Bernardo Noon Rotary Club and the San Diego North Sunrise Rotary Club who donated the extra funds to finish the job. San Diego North also joined in on the rebuilding project.
This is a shining example of the power of Rotary – a need is identified - then things get done. If a club needs help, other clubs step up to lend a hand and soon it is a collaboration!
"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."
Pictured: From Left to Right are classmates: Brett Morey, Past President of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle (2013-14), Chuck Pretto, District Governor Elect Designate and Past President of Club 33 (SD Downtown), District Governor Steven Weitzen and Past President of the Rotary Club of Del Mar Solana Beach as well as International Photographer and Brand Marketing Coach Nikki Incandella. Steve and Chuck were right, Nikki will be a Rotarian soon enough simply by being a friend of Brett's.
Our member profile this month is on Rotarian and Assistant Governor, Luis Carranza.
Luis is a member of the Rancho Santa Fe club. He is a Past President and has served as an Assistant Governor for Area 8 (Old Mission, Kearney Mesa San Diego, Southeast San Diego, the E-club - Marian Pavlovich and the Mission Gorge Rotary club).
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.
Your registration for Rotary’s 2021 Virtual Convention is your passport to visit an abundance of environmental exhibits in the virtual House of Friendship. This is your best opportunity to explore project ideas and create connections as you network with fellow Rotarians working on an array of solutions to damage to the planet wrought by human activity.
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:
Better understanding cultures and issues foreign to most members, and
Taking action. They updated the club several time during the year.
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.
I have been thinking about what it means to be in Rotary and what Rotary means to us and those we serve. Rotary really meets the needs of people of all ages - from womb to tomb. Everyone benefits from Rotary as lives are touched all over the globe.
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.
With five weeks left in this Rotary year, I am beginning to reflect on where we have been, what we have done and where we go from here. I came into this term with high hopes to make a difference; to advance the ball and change that which could be changed and accept that which could not yet be changed.
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.
La Jolla Golden Triangle’s newest project comes to life during border visit on May 12
La Jolla Golden Triangle’s International Committee (Committee) has just taken on a cross-border project called Pads at the Border. Rotarians, Fary Moini and Jan Percival, a recent SDSU graduate and Rotaractor McKenna Avery visited the border last Wednesday to deliver pads and other supplies.
When Rotarians pulled their car into the middle of Tijuana’s migrant street camp, the call went out quickly: “Mujeres! Solamente Mujeres!” (Women! Only Women!) and within 45 minutes, they finished distributing over 1,200 sanitary pads to a long line of women and teenage girls.
These women and girls are among the 1,500 residents of the El Chaparral migrant camp, just a stone’s throw from the U.S. border. This unofficial – and unwanted – tent city materialized in February, shortly after President Biden’s inauguration. Fleeing violence at home in Central America, Haiti and Africa, these migrants refuse to leave as they wait for a chance to apply for asylum in the U.S.
Rotarians visited in order to help relieve the distress of women and teenage girls whose menstruation is a monthly nightmare. With no money to purchase pads and no privacy to wash and dry their underwear, it’s a barbaric and humiliating situation, with the potential to be a public health crisis.
Before heading back to San Diego, they made a second stop at the Templo Embajadores church located in the rugged Scorpion Canyon on the west side of Tijuana. This church-turned-shelter now houses an additional 500-600 asylum-seekers. They quickly distributed clean, new underwear to women and girls, in addition to Pedialyte purchased at Costco in Tijuana. Dehydration is taking a terrible toll on some of the children housed at Templo Embajadores.
Committee members realize that long-term solutions are beyond their short-term scope, but they are committed to helping NOW. With support from organizations like Rotary, they hope to continue our deliveries as long as there are women and teenage girls in these grievous circumstances.
Their recent visit was made possible by their alliance with Linda Carroll, co-founder of One Story at a Time, a non-profit that provides humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable people and sentient beings in Mexican border towns. Case manager Maria Lourdes Arias Trujillo (known as “Lulu”) was their guide and translator. A long-time humanitarian activist, Lulu’s compassionate familiarity among the migrants made their visit to the street camp, and shelter, feel non-invasive.
To neighbors, friends and Rotarians who donated to support this visit, please know that the Committee members pledge to use all resources with integrity and care. They will not give up. To donate to Pads at the Border, please visit just1atatime.org. Where it says “ write us a comment” please designate “Pads at the Border.”
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.
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.
Photo Caption: One of the many impressive aircraft displays at the Flying Leatherneck Museum is the "Lady Ace 09," the CH-46E Sea Knight helicopter evacuated Ambassador Graham Martin from the rooftop of the American Embassy in Saigon in 1975 during the last hours of the Vietnam War.
Flying Leathernecks Museum is the recipient of grant
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, 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.
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!
Rotary Club of Coronado Binacional celebrates its 9th anniversary with a gala
In January 2020, three Rotarians and their wives from the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo traveled to India to participate in a Mega Polio Campaign hosted by the Rotary Club of Agra Tajmahal in Agra, India. It was an amazing journey and experience that was truly life changing.
In light of the crises facing India with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo is raising money to help our fellow Rotarians in Agra, India provide COVID-19 Support Kits to community members. India is experiencing an unprecedented surge of people flooding hospitals after testing positive. These kits will allow people to quarantine at home while monitoring their temperature and oxygen levels. Check out a current story on KGTV 10 https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/rancho-bernardo-rotary-club-answers-call-for-help-from-indian-group.
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.
May is Youth Services Month in the Rotary world. We, in District 5340, are very involved in youth services and programming. We have covered some of the programs in earlier Musings. Now we will take an overall look at what it is we do.
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.
Seniors Receive a Lending Hand at Mobile Home Parks
15 members and friends of the Encinitas Rotary Club emerged from the COVID cocoon, masked and physically distanced, to paint offices at the Community Resource Center (CRC) in Encinitas. CRC programs include reduction and prevention of domestic violence, case management assistance, shelter and counseling for abuse victims, and food distribution to those in need. Club members had a great time working together and seeing each other outside of a Zoom window!
Said President Kerry Witkin: "The CRC work project was our club's contribution to Rotarians at Work Day, a worldwide call for all Rotarians to participate in a community service project on the same day in April. It is rewarding to be part of an organization that lives its motto "Service Above Self."
Encinitas Rotary Club paints offices at the Community Resource Center
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.
Your District Anti-Human Trafficking task force has another excellent workshop on tap.
Join us for this insightful overview of how businesses in San Diego County and elsewhere are banding together to educate the San Diego employees to identify and effectively report indicators of sex trafficking. You’ll receive ideas that you can implement in your workforce the next day!
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!
Photo caption: Members of Old Mission Rotary at the STAR/PAL awards ceremony on April 22nd. (L-R) Donna Maytum, Steve Nuñez, Community Service Chair Charlotte Cofield, President Gary John Collins and Matt Risi.
Old Mission Rotary is the "Community Partner of the YEAR!" for STAR/PAL
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!
Jim Floros, CEO of the San Diego Food Bank will be the speaker at the San Luis Rey Rotary club meeting scheduled for May 11 at 7:15 a.m. at the Broken Yolk Resturant located at 2434 Vista Way, Oceanside, CA 92054.
The Club would like to invite club presidents OR their designee to attend and hear Jim's 30-minute presentation. Club presidents should call Ron Wilson at 760-705-6553 to let him know if they or a designee will be attending,
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.
This month we profile Fernanda Torres of the San Diego Coastal Rotary Club. Fernanda is the President nominee for the San Diego Coastal club. In the meantime, she is the club’s Peace Chair.
Fernanda lives in Tijuana and has not been able to come across the border because of the pandemic. Hopefully, that will change in the next few months when she can join her club members as they begin to meet in person.
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.
A month-long clean-up team challenge at Agua Hedionda Lagoon is slated for April 30 to May 21 (Friday's only). Its a great opportunity for businesses to support an environmentally friendly initiative, build team relationships, cater to a captive audience, and gain brand recognition.
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.
In the Rotary world, the last Saturday in April is designated Rotarians at Work Day. Rotarians at Work Day continues to grow. Each year, clubs around the world identify a hands-on project that all members can participate in to help the local community. The day is a great way to revitalize our clubs, bring in new members and generate publicity for Rotary.
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!
Four-Way Test Speech Contest Semi-Regional Results
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.
In the Rotary world, April is Disease Prevention Month. So, let’s address this very important matter.
My grandmother told me on many occasions that your health is everything. She probably was right. Many, if not most of us, take our health for granted. We are the lucky ones.
Yet, there are over 400 million people in the world who can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care. We, in Rotary, believe good health care is everyone’s right.
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.
The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce that Don Fipps from the Rotary Club of Del Mar has been selected to serve as District Governor during the Rotary year 2024-25.
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 Club of Coronado has a new president with a long history in Coronado, a talent for math and an abiding curiosity about the world. 
