Home Page | Rotary District 5240

Rotary District 5240 consists of over 2900 members in 71 Rotary Clubs, nine Rotaract Clubs, and 58 Interact (high school) clubs. The District spans four counties in Central California - San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and Kern County – as well as a Chapter Club based in Guatemala and a Young Professionals Satellite Club in Westlake Village. Our clubs are active in all aspects of Rotary, including community and international service, youth programs, and fellowship activities.

Centennial Interact Canned Food Collection

The world of those experiencing hunger and homelessness seems very far from the students at Centennial High School, Bakersfield, CA. To bring this issue to the forefront of teen awareness, the Centennial INTERACT Club is illuminating this plight through its early Canned Food Drive. The Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week will be recognized Nov. 15-22 this 2020 COVID year.

The Centennial Interact Club has sponsored a drive-thru Can Food Collection project, Saturday, October 24th from 11:00AM – 3:00PM. This school year, it appears the Kern High School District will continue its restriction on campus activities that are also a part of this Interact Club’s association and its contiguous social base.

Tehachapi Rotary & Salvation Army’s Coats for Kids

On Wednesday, October 21st, Tehachapi Rotary donated 35 coats to the Tehachapi Salvation Army. These coats were purchased by monies budgeted by the club along with a donation from the Walmart in Tehachapi. Rotarians Rhonda Brady and Cathy Criger went shopping at the Burlington Coat Factory in Bakersfield and Walmart a few days before, choosing coats for teenagers at the request of Salvation Army. Tehachapi Rotary is happy to continue supporting the Coats for Kids drive and looks forward to its next service projects, Rhonda’s idea of a Twelve Days of Christmas food drive and participating in Salvation Army’s annual bellringing in front of different Tehachapi businesses.

An Update from ShelterBox

Join us online for “An Evening to Experience ShelterBox”

An Evening to Experience ShelterBox
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2020
8:00 - 9:00 PM ET
Join ShelterBox for an hour of inspiration, highlighting the lifesaving work you have enabled and the lives your support has transformed.

2020 Global Humanitarian Service Award presentation to Rotary International.

This event is free; registration is required. https://www.ShelterBoxUSA.org/Virtual

Rotary & Interact Clubs Keep Bakersfield Beautiful

At the invitation of Mayor Karen Goh, Bakersfield citizen volunteers in their socially-responsible masks, banded together to help beautify Downtown Bakersfield, Saturday October 17th. Among the sea of red shirted Centennial Interact Club members were dozens of volunteer Rotarians from East, West and Twilight clubs, including several city representatives. Home Depot donated six flats of perennial flowers for the planters at 'H' and Eye streets.

Centennial Interact Club

Bakersfield West Rotary Club Emergency Services Project

Bakersfield West Rotary Club Facilitates Donation of Ambulance to Hospital in Guatemala.

The Hall Ambulance Company of Bakersfield has generously donated an ambulance as part of an international service project organized by the Bakersfield West Rotary Club. The Bakersfield West Club will ship the ambulance to Guatemala for use by a small hospital located in the highland community of Santiago Atitlán in the Sololá Province of Guatemala. Bakersfield West Rotary is partnering with the Guatemala City West Rotary Club, who identified the hospital’s need for the ambulance.

Twilight Rotary of Bakersfield Donates to Homeless

While Covid-19 has been difficult for everyone, it has been especially difficult for members of our community who are homeless. The Bakersfield Homeless Shelter is a lifeline for many families with children and other individuals who are faced with the challenges of being homeless while trying to stay safe during a pandemic. Rotary Twilight members came together during a drive by and drop off "event" staffed by several Rotary Twilight members (with face masks and proper social distancing, of course). They dropped off and gathered a significant amount of much needed hygiene items, new underwear for adults and children, diapers, hand sanitizer, and face masks for later donation to the Bakersfield Homeless Center. For those staffing the drive by and drop off event, as well as those driving by to drop off items for donation, it was a much welcome "non-virtual” experience. The collected items were subsequently donated to the Bakersfield Homeless Center by Rotary Twilight President, Li Gibbs, Past President, Nancy Pollard, and Community Service Chair, Laura Williams. Seeing the large number of items collected and donated was a reminder to all of us that small clubs can make a big difference!

2020 Rotary Council on Resolutions

The Rotary Council on Resolutions meets online every year to vote on proposed resolutions and urgent enactments. Resolutions are requests to the Board or the Trustees to take an action that is outside the purview of the constitutional documents. A resolution should affect the Rotary world, rather than address local or administrative issues. An urgent enactment is a change to the constitutional documents, proposed by the RI Board, that the Board has determined cannot wait until the next Council on Legislation, which is held every three years.

Representatives from all Rotary districts vote as a Council on Resolutions on proposed enactments and resolutions. Adopted resolutions are then considered by the RI Board or The Rotary Foundation Trustees. Urgent enactments that have been adopted will amend the constitutional documents, and will take effect one month after the Council on Resolutions report has been sent.

The 2020 Council on Resolutions will take place 15 October through 15 November. This year there is one emergency enactment and twenty-seven resolutions for consideration. As a Rotarian in District 5240, you have the right to review the proposals and provide comments to the District’s representative.

A list of the resolutions and instructions on how to read a resolution can be downloaded by clicking here. If you have comments or questions, please send them to the District 5240 Council Representative PDG Nick Frankle via email at nickdg1617@earthlink.net. Be sure to include your name, contact information, club name, resolution number and whether your comment is in favor of or opposed to the resolution.

All comments must be received by November 1. Results of the Council on Resolutions will be posted on the District 5240 website when they are announced.

October Message from DG Deb Linden

World Polio Day Special Event:
October is a special month in Rotary! On October 24, we celebrate World Polio Day when we join together to celebrate our success so far in eradicating Polio and raise funds to “Get to Zero.” Our Group 8 clubs have organized a very special event for World Polio Day and everyone is invited. Craig Needham, an attorney in San Jose, will share his amazing and inspiring story of being raised by him mother while she was confined to an iron lung after being paralyzed from Polio. Click on the flyer below or on this link to register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcocOmrpjIsGtecQY1o1iqPcOQiHbGA_5hH

Rotary Alumni Reconnect Week:
October 5-11, 2020 is Rotary Alumni Reconnect Week, a special time to renew relationships with former Rotary program participants, including Peace Fellows, Youth Exchange Students, RYLA students, Rotary Scholarship recipients, and former Rotaractors and Interactors. Take some time to reach out to these Alumni and invite them back into the Rotary family. Invite them to your virtual club meetings or schedule a special virtual social to reconnect and hear their stories. Every Rotary Alumnus is a potential Rotary Member!

Virtual District Conference:
We are SO excited for the Virtual District 5240 Conference, LIVE on November 6-8, 2020! A detailed agenda is now posted on the Conference website at www.rotary5240dc.com.
Here is your Call to Action for the conference:

Register: Registration and info are now available at www.rotary5240dc.com. Cost is only $25 per person ($10 for Rotaract members; youth under 18 are free).
Share What Rotary Means to You: We want to hear what Rotary means to our members, and we will be compiling the responses into a cool video that will be shown at the conference. All you need to do is shoot a short video of yourself responding to the following question: “To me, Rotary is ____________________.” Your response should be a max of five words long. And be sure to hold your smart phone in landscape mode (sideways). Email your videos to Ron Regier at rsregier@gmail.com. Please share with your members and encourage them to submit videos.
Display Your Project or Fundraiser: Advertise your club projects, grant opportunities, or fundraisers with a free Virtual Booth. If you are interested, please contact Berni Ann Lewis at bernilewis1@gmail.com.

Rotary Newsletters:
Did you know that Rotary publishes electronic newsletters in over a dozen topics, including leadership, membership, youth, service, and peace? You can subscribe for free for any of the newsletters and they will be emailed you on a regular basis. They contain super relevant and interesting information. To see the list of newsletters and to subscribe, click on this link: https://my.rotary.org/en/news-media/newsletters

Rotary Zone Institute:
Each year, our Rotary Zones (Zones 26/27) convene a Rotary Institute, which is similar to a district conference but bigger and open to Rotarians throughout the two Zones. There are 30 Districts in Zones 26/27. This year, our Zone Institute will be virtual from Thursday, November 12 to Saturday, November 14, 2020 and is open to everyone! The cost is $49 per person.

Here is the link to the Institute website that includes registration and additional information, including a detailed schedule: https://zone2627.org/2020-rotary-institute. You will see that on Thursday and Friday, there are special classes in a variety of topics that you can sign up for.

In Memory of Staci Ingram:
Finally, let us all remember and pay tribute to Staci Ingram who died late Tuesday night September 22, 2020, from a sudden and unexpected illness. Staci was a member of the Rotary Club of Ventura and an incredibly active and valued member of her club and her community. She was a wonderful mother and spouse and an accomplished professional at Roth Staffing Companies. She was generous with her time and her talents and she supported her Rotary club and the community of Ventura in countless ways. She has left a legacy that will live on long after her passing.

Staci’s family has set up a Go Fund Me account to assist with funeral expenses. Here is the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-honor-of-staci-ingram. Please keep Staci’s family and the members of the Rotary Club of Ventura close to your hearts as they deal with this tragic loss.

Camarillo Rotary Helps FoodShare

The Rotary Club of Camarillo recently donated $7,000 to FoodShare of Ventura County to help feed people in need during the Covid19 pandemic.

The funds are being used to purchase thousands of cardboard boxes for food items being distributed at community pop-ups. This is the largest grant that Camarillo Rotary has given FoodShare.

September Message from DG Deb Linden

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

As I finish my first two months visiting clubs virtually, I am blown away by the creativity and adaptability our clubs have demonstrated during these challenging times. Despite the impact of COVID-19, our clubs are continuing to serve their communities, getting creative in their fundraising, and recruiting new members. Rotary truly Opens Opportunities and you should all be immensely proud!

District Conference Registration Now Open!
Our District 5240 Virtual District Conference is November 6-8, 2020, and registration is now open. You can find more information and a registration link at http://www.rotary5240dc.com.
Here are some highlights:

Friday evening opening celebration: Party for Polio! Featuring Jim Messina of Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco
Saturday and Sunday morning General Sessions with incredible keynote presenters.
Saturday Breakout Sessions – choose your own training opportunity.
Virtual Project Expo
Networking, virtual meetups, and more!
Only $25 for Rotarians & guests, $10 for Rotaractors, and free for Interact members or youth under age 18.

Promote your Business!
Did you know that the District has a place where you can promote your business for other members to find? Well, we do! It is our online District 5240 Rotarian Business Network where you can add your business and where members can search for Rotarian-run businesses in our District. Let’s support each other! Go to https://www.rotary5240.biz for more info and to add/find a business.

Community Service Opportunity during COVID:
Are you or your club looking for a community service activity you can do safely even with the COVID restrictions? The California Coastal Commission has an opportunity for you (and you don’t need to live near an ocean!). The Commission has designated every Saturday in September as Coastal Clean Up Day in your own Neighborhood. For safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites this year. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. Cleaning your neighborhoods, local parks, streets, and storm drains helps protect our coast. Trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to become beach and ocean pollution. Help clean the beach by picking up litter in your community with your household. And if Saturdays don't work for you, don't let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time. Go to https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html for more information, including a “Most Unusual Item” contest.

Step Up for Polio!
Don’t forget…we’ve launched our District-wide Step Up for Polio project, a way you can raise funds for PolioPlus through a personal fitness challenge. Click on the Step Up for Polio flyer in this newsletter for more information. Let’s all get moving and Step Up for Polio!

Public Image Grants Still Available:
There are still funds available to clubs for Public Image grants from the District 5240 Charitable Foundation. Have I piqued your interest? Go to https://www.rotarydistrict5240.org/sitepage/district-public-image-grants to learn more.

Finally, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Past District Governor Loretta Butts’ husband, John Butts, passed away on August 19, 2020, of health complications related to cancer. Loretta was our District Governor in 2014-2015 and John was her "official driver" for her club visits and her #1 cheerleader, not only during her DG year, but throughout their lives together. Loretta and John were married for 25 years and friends for much longer. John was a generous and giving soul and would support and encourage Loretta in whatever she undertook. John’s wish was to be cremated and no services will be held. If you would like to reach out to Loretta with a card or note, you can mail them to her at 7400 Pinal Ave., Atascadero, CA 93422

Take care and stay safe,

Read Previous Stories...

Rotary District 5240 encourages clubs within the District to submit short articles, "Club Stories," to be published on the District Website and in the District Newsletter. Take advantage of this FREE opportunity to showcase your club's accomplishments. Here are the guidelines and the "how-to" for submitting your stories.

WHAT qualifies as a Club Story?

Club Stories are highlights of District 5240 Club-specific activities. The following examples illustrate activities that qualify as District 5240 Club Stories (upcoming or after the fact):

Community Service Projects
Youth Service Projects
Vocational Service Projects
International Service Projects
Club Service Projects
New Membership Highlights
Club Fundraising Events
Member Award Recognitions

HOW do I submit my Club Story?

After you make sure the story qualifies as a "Club Story," you may submit it by emailing ALL of the following items to stories@district5240.org:

A short summary of the activity, minimum 50 words and maximum 250 words. Please submit as a Word doc and proofread prior to sending. If the content is copywrited/re-used from another source, permission must be granted and please reference the source.
Include 2-3 of the best photographs taken from the activity. If there are individuals included in the photo, please include names and Club titles of each Rotarian. (If there is a YouTube video link taken from the event, please include as well).
Include the contact information of the most appropriate Rotarian that others may reach out to regarding the featured story.

WHERE will my Club Story be posted?

The three most recently published Club Stories will be highlighted on the homepage of www.rotarydistrict5240.org, while an archive of previous Club Stories will be included and available to view under the menu tab, District -> Archived District Stories.

Your story may also be selected for the District Newsletter which goes out to our nearly 3300 active members.

WHEN will my Club Story be posted after I submit?

Depending on the amount of Club Stories in the cue, your article could take as short as 24 hours or up to 2 weeks to be published after all necessary information is received.