WELCOME TO ROTARY DISTRICT 5240

Rotary District 5240 consists of almost 3,000 members in 69 Rotary 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, a Next Gen Club in Westlake Village, and the international-focused Rotary E-Club of One World District 5240.  Our clubs are active in all aspects of Rotary, including community and international service, youth programs, and fellowship activities.

MARTA BROWN, DISTRICT GOVERNOR 2023-24

Happy October! Fall is upon us and that means the 2023 District Conference is just around the corner. It is hard to believe we will be meeting as a District in only three weeks!
 
If you are thinking about having a blast in Bakersfield on October 20-21, it's time to kick things into high gear! Secure your spot and snag a room pronto! All the event details you need can be found at Rotary5240dc.com. And the best part? You can customize your experience – go all-in for the full Conference or just dip your toes in for a dinner or a day of awesomeness. See below for your options.
 
The party starts on Friday night at 6:00 PM with our legendary Foundation Fiesta. Imagine donning your wildest Fiesta or Western gear – this is a laid-back, wild, and fun evening you won't want to miss. The Foundation Fiesta will feature Tabitha Sparks from The Rotary Foundation. Tabitha is an annual giving officer for TRF in California and she will update us on the work of The Rotary Foundation and much more.
 
Saturday is all about learning, sharing, and bonding with our fellow Rotarians. Plus, we've got a surprise for you both Friday and Saturday evenings – it's our very own FUN Zone! Expect themed hospitality suites and endless mingling with Rotarians from every corner of the District, our Sister Districts, and some neighbors to our South.
 
I hope you will join us for this social event of the year.
 
If we haven't had the pleasure of crossing paths yet – I'm looking forward to meeting you very soon as I continue my visits or at the District Conference!
 
Having Fun,
Marta
 

DISTRICT 5240 CONFERENCE

  • Friday Registration: 4-7 pm
    • Foundation Fiesta Dinner: 6-9pm
    • Hospitality Suites at the Fun Zone: 8-10 pm
  • Saturday Registration: 7-10 am
    • Breakfast Buffet: 7:30 am
    • Morning Presentations: 8:10 am
    • Breakout Room Sessions
    • Lunch Buffet: 12-1:30 pm
    • Breakout Room Sessions
    • Dinner: 6-9 pm
    • Hospitality Suites at the Fun Zone: 8-10 pm 
 
 
District 5240 Foundation Gala Photos- Thank you to those who joined us on this special evening as we inch closer towards our District goal of $1 Million in Rotary Foundation Giving!  Click here for photos from the Gala!
Calendar
Stories From Around the District
Grover Beach 5 Cities and Pismo Beach 5 Cities Support Grover Beach Elementary in a Clean Water Project
In January 2022 the Grover Beach Rotary learned of Grover Beach Elementary’s efforts to provide a clean water project for a kindergarten in Viet Nam. This project is an educational fundraiser for the installation of a Gravity Water Project.  The school that Grover Beach Elementary decided to partner with is a residential Kindergarten that has difficulty providing clean water for its students in the Ban Lien District of Viet Nam.  Grover Beach Elementary decided to partner with Gravity Water, (c) 3 non-profits focused on turning rain into safe drinking water through a rainwater capture and filtration system to clean the water of waterborne Illnesses and diseases. The project was developed by Sienna Robertson, school counselor, with the support of principal Petra Reynolds. There is also an educational component of the project where students learn about the country and location of the school the project the students will be assisting. Students have begun corresponding with school members in Viet Nam.
 
The financial cost of the project was $2500. Early in the project, the Grover Beach Rotary got the ball rolling with a donation of $500. The students themselves undertook fundraising efforts and raised a total of $1500 through a variety of on-campus fundraisers. The Pismo Beach Rotary learned of the project and decided to also contribute with a $500 donation. This was a great project all around. It was a youth project conducted in an international way that will provide ongoing benefits to students on both sides of the Globe.
 
 
RC of Thousand Oaks and Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation Jointly Fund New Van for Gold Coast Veterans Foundation
The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and its affiliated Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation jointly provided $33,000 in funding to Gold Coast Veteran’s Foundation (“GCVF”), a local nonprofit, to purchase a van so it can increase its capacity to serve veterans in Ventura County through greater outreach efforts and veteran access.
 
The van increases the capacity of GCVF to rapidly serve veterans in need, with one-on-one, peer-to-peer assistance, enabling the nonprofit’s Mobile Veteran Outreach Program to reach and change the lives of a greater number of veterans.  The van is used to deliver food and to transport veterans to essential medical, counseling, employment and financial appointments.  The van is also used for wellness checks of at-risk veterans.
 
Positive outcomes ultimately expected from the new van include increased veteran employment and finances, food sustainability, successful outcomes with VA administrative issues and a better quality of life, health and well-being of veterans in Ventura County.
 
The new van includes a full vehicle wrap with GCVF information and that highlights the generosity of the Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks and the Thousand Oaks Rotary Foundation.  The project is also providing opportunities for Rotary Club members to volunteer in assisting with the Mobile Veteran Outreach Program.
 
Gold Coast Veterans Foundation is a local nonprofit dedicated to the care of the 43,000 veterans and their spouses who live in our community, and operates the only full service facility dedicated to veterans and their families in Ventura County.  Each year, GCVF services over 2,500 veterans who reach out to them for care, through various outreach, benefits access, housing, medical, financial, wellness/counseling and other programs.
 
 
Rotary Club of Cayucos International Service
A Peace Pole is an internationally-recognized symbol of the hopes and dreams of the entire human family. It stands vigil in silent prayer for peace on earth. Each Peace Pole bears the message May Peace Prevail on Earth in different languages on each of its four sides. There are estimated 250,000 Peace Poles in nearly every country in the world dedicated as monuments to peace.
 
The Rotary Club of Cayucos, in collaboration with the Cayucos Elementary & Middle School installed a Peace Pole on the school grounds in April 2023.  The Pole's message, May Peace Prevail on Earth, is listed in eight different languages, and braille.
 
Cayucos Rotary is excited to sponsor the Peace Pole, and hopes the Pole will inspire, awaken and uplift the human consciousness, starting with the students, teachers, parents, Cayucos community leaders and visitors. 
 
Rotary Club of Ojai - Membership
Our Membership Committee organized a couple of fireside chats for newer members at a local brewery. Our Fireside  Chats are smaller, more informal gatherings which give us an opportunity to get to know these newer members. It also gives the newer members an opportunity to ask questions about Rotary. At this particular meeting we had a light agenda about a specific Rotary topic e.g. TRF   What does it mean? What does it do?  We also hand pick some long time members to show up and share about how they got into Rotary and to say what Rotary means to them. It’s always a super feel good event.
 

Rotary International District 5240
C/O Synergy Computing, Inc.
5662 Calle Real #425
Goleta, CA 93117

info@district5240.org
844-999-5240