Home Page | Rotary District 5240

Rotary District 5240 is made up of over 3,300 members, from 72 clubs, in 4 different counties within California, United States. We meet regularly to not only form bonds and friendships, but we also strive to improve lives locally and around the world.

There have been so many inquiries asking where people can help with the current fire disaster in our beloved District. There are several avenues people can donate money:

Ventura County Community Foundation (This is the foundation we worked with last year with the Thomas Fire.)
District 5240 Charitable Foundation - If you want to donate to our D5240 Charitable Foundation, send checks to: District 5240 Charitable Foundation, Attn: Barry VanderKelen, Chair, 1212 Marsh St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. Write "Fire Relief" in the memo section on the check.
In response to the #HillFire and #WoolseyFire, United Way of Ventura County and United Way of Greater Los Angeles have created the Southern California Disaster Relief Fund to support long-term recovery for affected low-income individuals and families. Make a donation online at www.unitedwayla.org/en/give/disaster-relief-fund/ or text ‘UWVC’ at 41444 for Ventura County only.

Sandi Schwartz

District Governor 2018-19

Rotary District 5240

District 5240 2021-22 Governor

Dana Moldovan was a partner in a high tech company that was acquired by a public company. After completing her contract with the buyer, Dana started a 501©3 nonprofit organization, Children Skills for Life, whose mission is to help children build their future through education, and began working full time on humanitarian projects.

Dana joined Rotary International in 2002 and is an active member of Newbury Park Club, District 5240. She is Past President and was always involved in the Club in International and Local Community projects; she is the Club Grants expert. Dana served as the Club International, Grants and Foundation Chair, District Chair for the 100^th Anniversary District Foundation Gala, District Country Coordinator for Youth Exchange. At the Rotary International Level Dana serves as Inter Country Committee - General Secretary and National Coordinator for USA. Dana is also part of Rotary International Action Group for Peace.

Dana is Major donor level 1, Bequest society member level 2, Paul Harris Society and Benefactor member, and completed Master PRLS.

Dana traveled extensively for Rotary projects. She has participated in polio immunization campaigns in Nigeria and India. She has traveled to Honduras, El Salvador, Nigeria, Israel, India, Mexico, and Turkey to remain involved in various projects.

Her initial accomplishments began with the first ICC involving a U.S. District, with Romania. Her involvement continues today with Mia’s Children, which helps abandoned children, and most recently, she developed several world global grants with Israel and USA partners for Romanian infants with major heart problems. It has grown to include the training of Romanian heart surgeons in Israel and bringing expert international medical teams to Romania to perform surgeries and save babies and in the same time train local doctors and medical personnel. She facilitated a full 10,000-book wing in a library honoring the Newbury Park Rotary Club, which was recognized by the U.S. Ambassador in Romania. Most importantly she participated in revitalized Rotary in Romania, which suffered from the communist suppression.

Dana has a passion for “peace and conflict resolution” and women rights. She participated on several missions of Reconciliation working with minorities of Syria and also was involved in Peace Building Projects in Israel and more recently she is involved in projects for supporting and training women in peacebuilding and leadership with the purpose of creating a Worldwide women peacebuilders network that could work actively on peace projects and offer support for each other.

Dana participated at 11 Rotary International Conventions, so far. In the last several years she was a presenter talking about Peace and Conflict Resolution and Prevention Projects and Initiatives at Rotary International Conventions, Zone Institutes and Peace Conferences.

Dana also is involved with other nonprofit organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County, Centinela Youth Services of Los Angeles,

PACE Universal, Blue Heron, PACIS Project of Pepperdine University School of Law, and Advisory Board of the Pepperdine School of Psychology & Education for the Social Entrepreneurship and Change Master Program.

Dana joined Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) in 2013 and is an active member. In April 2015 Dana became an MBBI Board Director. MBBI is an approved Rotary International Service Partner.

Dana participated at the 2013 MBBI Congress in Istanbul, Turkey, where she was a presenter and she was the 2015 MBBI Congress Chair that took place in Bucharest, Romania, in partnership with the Rotary District of Romania. Dana was involved in organizing the 2017 Peace Congress of MBBI in partnership with several Rotary Districts in The Hague, Netherlands.

Dana is a trained mediator and mediated hundreds of cases in the Los Angeles Courts.

Dana has a Master Degree in Electrical Engineering and Telecommunications, a Certification in Business Management from UCLA and a Master Degree in Dispute Resolution from Pepperdine University.

Dana was awarded the 2017 District Best Small Club International Award, 2016 Rotary Otto Stoll Award; District Governor Citation RC Newbury Park during her Presidential year; District 5240 Outstanding Achievement Award 2007 – 2008; 2005 District Governor Special Recognition.

Dana became District 2241 Romania, Honorary Member since 2008 in recognition of the service rendered to help that District.

Origins of a Global Grant

Why should you give to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund? Your contribution to the Annual Fund is the primary source of support for Rotary Club projects worldwide. “To ensure that the funds for the projects are there when needed,” says Past RI President Ron Burton, “all contributions to the Foundation’s Annual Fund are invested for three years.” When the three years period is up, the investment earnings of your gift go toward the operating expenses of the Foundation. Your principal is split 50/50, with half going to our District Designated Fund and half going into the World Fund, a pool that the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation use to match grants where they are most needed.”

To better explain how the TRF Global Grant process works, I want to tell you about a project that I am personally involved with that originated on my trip to India last January. Prior to joining the D5240 2018 NID team in Delhi, Kay Bliss, Susan Weaver and I spent five days visiting the Prashanti International School in the city of Puri, India. Puri is in the state of Odisha on the Bay of Bengal. Odisha is one of the poorest states in India - 80% rural, with many families living well below the poverty index, often on less than 50 cents per day.

District 5240 NID Trip 2019

District 5240 is putting together another team of Rotarians to India to participate in a NID (National Immunization Day) on February 3-4, 2019.

The trip will most likely start on January 28th and end around February 9th 2019. Besides the activities on Feb. 3rd, door to door immunization will be conducted over a few days starting on the 4th (we will do door to door immunization only for 1 day). This will entail some long hours and lots of walking (which means you need to be in good shape, physically and mentally).

Here are some guidelines that will influence the selection process:

New Generations District Conference Recap

84 in attendance for Conference Sat. Oct 6th in Bakersfield

22 Rotaractors in attendance

Speakers:

R.I. Zone Dir John Matthews

PDG Wade Nomura

PDG Deepa Willingham

R.I. Dir. Steve Solomon

DG Sandi Schwartz

Keeping Paso Robles Beautiful

The Paso Robles Rotary Club connected with their local Interact club to help clean up the Salinas River Bed this last Saturday. Rotarians and Interactors in Action, together, helping keep Paso beautiful.

Disney Tickets for Non-Profits and Schools

Disney Parks and Points of Light are celebrating family volunteerism by rewarding nonprofits and schools in the United States with Disney 1-Day Park Hopper tickets for hosting – or participating in – family volunteering activities.Eligible organizations create and register projects, track family volunteers, and complete projects to receive complimentary park tickets from Disney. Projects can benefit the organization directly, or support another community effort or need. The more volunteers participating in your project, the more tickets you earn – up to 20 tickets! Tickets may be used to reward volunteers, as a contest prize, for a fundraiser, or in other creative ways.

Council on Resolutions 2018 Vote

The Council on Resolutions meets online each year. Representatives from all of Rotary’s districts vote on resolutions that clubs, districts, the RI Board, and the General Council or Conference of RIBI have proposed. The RI Board of Directors will consider all resolutions that the Council adopts. Learn more about the Council on Resolutions.

If you are a Council representative, sign in to vote.

View the current resolution proposals: 2018 Council on Resolutions: 15-Oct to 15-Nov

Rotary Club of Montecito Gives $12,500 in Scholarships to Santa Barbara City College Students

In partnership with the SBCC Foundation, the Rotary Club of Montecito and its supporting foundation is pleased to announce a contribution to provide ten $1,250 scholarships to high performing Santa Barbara City College students. Montecito Rotary Club has long prioritized education as a key area of focus by providing financial support to ensure Santa Barbara’s local youth are able to maximize their potential.

“For more than 25 years, the Rotary Club of Montecito has provided scholarships for students in the Vocational and Career Technical Studies at Santa Barbara City College; the total amount of support provided during this time exceeds $100,000,” said Rotary Club of Montecito Foundation Treasurer John Glanville. “This year the club funded ten scholarships for a total of $12,500. These scholarships cover a range of vocational endeavors including a variety of medical studies, automotive and marine diving technologies, cosmetology, journalism, computer systems, and theatre arts. The club membership believes in the mission of SBCC to educate and provide opportunity to students seeking worthwhile careers in a variety of career technical fields.”

Ventura Club Starts Free Eye Clinic

Chris Brashears of the Rotary Club of Ventura was looking for more to do one day and was thinking about helping people locally as opposed to internationally. He realized that his club sends money overseas when they have plenty of people in their own back yard that could use some help.

In Chris' Rotary Club he has three eye retired doctors (optometrists) so it occurred to him that if the club could find a space, they could open up a clinic to provide free eye exams and glasses to those in need. Chris is on the Salvation Army Advisory Board of Directors and contacted to Lt. Fabio Simoes at the Salvation Army and asked him to help find a space. The Salvation Army found a space in their Oak Street, Ventura location.

Making a Difference: One Family, One House at a Time

Each year the Ventura Rotaract club partners with California based non-profit Corazon to travel to Mexico and build a home for a family in need. With over 50 volunteers, plus additional help from family members and neighbors of the family, the house is constructed on an already finished slab to a turnkey house in a single day!

In the first half of the day, volunteers split up into groups focusing on different tasks. Rotaractors are encouraged to participate in jobs they may not have much experience or no experience in, from hammering walls together to painting large sheets of siding. Lunch is provided by the family, friends and neighbors and is always a welcome break from the hard work.

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
International 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.