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WELCOME TO ROTARY DISTRICT 5240

Rotary District 5240 is home to nearly 3,000 passionate members across 65 Rotary and 4 Rotaract Clubs and 56 Interact Clubs. Our District covers four counties in Central California, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern, and includes unique clubs such as a Chapter Club in Guatemala and the globally-minded Rotary E-Club of One World D5240.

Clubs in our district are active across all avenues of Rotary service, local and international projects, youth development programs, leadership initiatives, and meaningful fellowship. Together, we are People of Action, making a lasting impact in our communities and around the world.

Dear Rotarians of District 5240,

What an incredible August! As I reflect on the past month and the many miles traveled across our District, what stays with me most is not the miles—it is the people. Everywhere I have gone, I have been welcomed with friendship, enthusiasm, generosity, and an unmistakable pride in Rotary. And now, as September begins, we have another wonderful opportunity to come together, celebrate our impact, and recognize the people who make that impact possible.

Join Us for Our Foundation Gala — September 12

I invite you to join us for our District 5240 Rotary Foundation Gala on September 12, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in Camarillo. This will be much more than a luncheon. It will be a celebration of The Rotary Foundation, our generous donors, and the extraordinary projects our clubs are making possible. Come hear inspiring stories about club grant projects and see firsthand how contributions to our Foundation are transformed into meaningful action.

And come hungry! Arrive at 11:00 a.m. and choose a country table, take your seat, and enjoy a dish representing that country while sharing fellowship with Rotarians from throughout our District.

I hope to see many of you there. Please register, purchase your ticket at District5240.org.

Thank You for an Unforgettable August

One of the greatest privileges of serving as District Governor is visiting our clubs. To the Presidents, leadership teams, and members of every club I visited in August: thank you. Thank you for opening your doors to me, sharing your projects and ideas, and making me feel so welcome. My heartfelt thanks, in the order of my visits, go to:

San Luis Daybreak • Nipomo • Grover Beach • Paso Robles • Los Osos • Cambria • Fillmore • Santa Barbara • San Luis Obispo • Solvang • Goleta Noon • Goleta • Santa Ynez • Lompoc • Thousand Oaks

To each Club President, thank you for your leadership and for the time and care you put into making my visit meaningful. I came away from every club inspired by what you are accomplishing. There were also some very special moments along the way.

A huge thank-you to Group 10 and Steve Curry for the lovely Multi-Club Dinner. Thank you to the Cambria Rotary Club, and especially Sue Robinson, for graciously hosting a wonderful dinner and making me feel so welcome. Paso Robles Rotary, what an experience! The Winemakers’ Cookoff was a wonderful citywide celebration of food, wine, fellowship, community, and Rotary. Solvang, thank you for the fun and fellowship at your Happy Hour party. And Goleta Noon, thank you for sharing your very special Portuguese Rotary 100th Anniversary stamp. What a unique piece of Rotary history.

September is Basic Education & Literacy Month

As you plan your September meetings and projects, I encourage every club to ask: What can we do to open a door through education? It might be supporting a local school, providing books, mentoring a young person, promoting adult literacy, funding a scholarship, or partnering with another organization.

Barcelona 2027 — Five Days to Save $200!

The 2027 Rotary International Convention will be held June 26–30, 2027, in Barcelona, Spain. If you have never attended a Rotary International Convention, put this one on your Rotary bucket list. Imagine thousands of Rotarians from around the world gathering in one extraordinary city—sharing projects, exchanging ideas, building friendships, and experiencing just how international Rotary truly is. Visit RotaryBarcelona2027.org.

September 17–21, 2026: $595 Beginning September 22: $795

As we move into September, let's continue to engage our members, serve our communities, support our Foundation, and tell the story of Rotary. Most of all, let's continue to:

Inspire Action to Create a Lasting Impact.

Love,

Margarida

Flash Mob October 3

All District 5240 clubs are encouraged to participate in the Flash Mob for 2026! Just display your sign whenever your club does a project or fundraiser. Click here to download the PDF artwork for your sign. You can also download a smaller 8 1/2 X 11 version to use as a flyer.

Download Sign

HOPE

Reprinted from Rotary Magazine, August, 2026

In 2025, John Weiss completed his second term as president of the Rotary Club of Morro Bay, California, and his daughter, Jessica Bailey Weiss, started her first. The passing of the baton would turn out to be more significant than either of them knew.

John had been a dedicated Rotary member since Jessica was a teenager.

Rotary Club of Nipomo Begins Median Beautification Project

On September 17 & 23, the Rotary Club of Nipomo rolled up its sleeves and got to work on an important community beautification project along W. Tefft Street.

What was once an unkept, weed-filled median has now received a much-needed makeover, thanks to the hard work of our Rotary volunteers. Members spent the morning spreading bark throughout the medians, creating a cleaner, more attractive appearance along one of Nipomo’s busy roadways.

This project marks Phase 1 of a larger vision for these medians. The immediate goal is to use the bark to help suppress weeds, reduce ongoing maintenance, and give the area a more finished and cared-for appearance.

Cleveland Elementary Students Get a Back-to-School Boost Through Community Partnership

One hundred Cleveland Elementary School students and their families received a special back-to-school boost when Old Navy Santa Barbara opened its doors to participating families for a private shopping event organized through a partnership of local community organizations.

Kiwanis of Santa Barbara and Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Sunrise, together with Unity Shoppe and Old Navy Santa Barbara, helped local students prepare for the new school year. Students were selected by Cleveland Elementary School. Kiwanis and Rotary provided funding for $100 Old Navy gift cards and backpacks for each student, while Unity Shoppe provided school supplies to fill the backpacks.

Pollinator Gardens Are Popping Up across D5240 – time to join

Planting pollinator gardens has attracted eight Rotary Clubs and community partners from Cambria to Ventura. They are springing forth from Rotary District 5240’s partnership with Monarch Joint Venture. This program provides free seeds, pollinator plants, and technical assistance to participating clubs.

Every Rotary Club in District 5240 can create a pollinator garden and help bees, butterflies and more to thrive. Pollinators account for one third of the food we eat and play a vital role in keeping our ecosystem healthy. Unfortunately, pollinator populations have declined by as much as 40% due to climate change, urbanization, pesticides, and other factors. The Rotary Clubs in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern Counties are on vital pollinator pathways. Thus, this is an ideal environmental service project for every club to support.

SERVING SMILES BEFORE THE SCHOOL BELL RINGS

Today Cambria Rotary kicked off the new school year by serving a hearty breakfast of eggs, potatoes, bacon, fruit, muffins, sweets, juice and coffee to teachers, administrators, clerical staff, custodians, and maintenance teams.

The 6 a.m. start was a little tough, but the smiles we received made every minute worth it. Here's to a fantastic school year ahead!

Solar Power Strengthens Nicaragua Water Project

In 2018-19, after years of planning, the Rotary Clubs of Ciudad Sandino and Santa Barbara Sunrise carried out a $152,000+ Rotary Global Grant water project in the two rural communities of Cuajachillo 2 and Trinidad Central in Nicaragua. At that time, we piped clean water to 576 locations, including 567 homes, two elementary schools, a community learning center, two health centers and four churches. This project has proven to be very successful. The volunteer water committee, known as CAPS, has expanded delivery of water to 600 families (3,000 people) and is financially sustainable. They now have four full-time employees: one in charge of the repumping station, an office person handling bills and payments, the meter reader, and a roving person who helps read meters and fixes pipes when something breaks. Some new families have joined the system while others have had their water cut off for lack of payment. As an example of its economic success, one family used to pay $50 per month for water and they now pay $6.00! Families even have washing machines, which has vastly improved the lives of women in the communities.

Pismo Beach-Five Cities Rotary Helps YMCA Collect Over 280 Backpacks for Local Students

Club partners with the SLO County YMCA's Satellite Club to support Lucia Mar's Families in Transition program

The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach-Five Cities partnered with the SLO County YMCA this summer for the YMCA's 7th Annual Backpack Giveback Drive, helping local students head back to school prepared and confident.

Douglas Trawick, a new member of the club's Satellite Club and an SLO County YMCA representative, spearheaded the drive after bringing the opportunity to the club. Members responded generously, and Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic — owned by club members Dr. Joel Conn and Dr. Sarah Conn — served as a community collection site, with Practice Administrator Michelle Wright helping coordinate donations.