Rotary District 5240 is made up of over 3,300 members from: 72 Rotary Clubs located in 4 counties of Southern California; The Rotary E Club of One World which spans over 6 continents; The "National Chapters" of The Rotary Club of Carpenteria Morning which connect local clubs to members in other states and countries. We meet regularly to form bonds and friendships and we also strive to improve lives locally and around the world.
District Governor's Message
District Assembly March 16, 2019 Bakersfield where the native dress is denim
No parent should have to watch their child die before them. I am one of the mothers who lost her child at 22 weeks gestation, so I never got to meet her. BUT, that does not prevent me from thinking of her almost every day and hoping to meet my daughter someday in the hereafter. It was never intended that we outlive our children, and yet it happens more often that you think.
April is Maternal and Child Health month in the Rotary world. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year from malnutrition, inadequate health care, or poor sanitation, all of which can be prevented.
Rotary takes a very aggressive and proactive approach to providing care and services to mothers and children. From upgrading and increasing neo-natal equipment to a hospital in rural Brazil, to running a camp for children to have lost a parent or sibling in the fighting in Ukraine, Rotary is there.
Our District does so much for children, including cataract surgeries for children in Central America, hearing-aids, orphanages for homeless children, and of course the never-ending fight to end Polio.
Take the time today to call each of your children and tell them you love them. And Mothers, make sure you do everything you know to stay healthy so that you are here for them. Be grateful that we live in a world where we have access to adequate healthcare. Give generously to The Rotary Foundation (remember my goal of $33.00 for every 5240 Rotarian to donate this year to the annual fund) so that programs continue to promote healthy Moms and children.
Sandi Schwartz
District Governor 2018-19
Official District Governor Visit Moments
Group 2 All Club Meeting March 9th with Rotary's first woman Club President Sylvia Whitlock as the guest speaker
Paso Robles Sunrise Crab feed March 10, 2019
RI Citation of Meritorious Service recipient Matt Lallo from the Thousand Oaks Rotary Club. Their sister club from Tijuana came for the ceremony.
Avenue of Service Spotlight - Community
Groups 10, 11, & 12 Hold A Joint Meeting
On February 18th the Assistant Governors for Groups 10,11 & 12 hosted an opportunity for Club Presidents, PE’s and Club Service Chairs to hear directly from 2 District speakers. This effort was enthusiastically received with 30 local Club Officers and District Representatives in attendance. The response from those attending was very positive and opened many eyes to the deep District resources available to local Clubs. The most valuable take-away referenced by
those in attendance were the hand-out materials and the opportunity to ask questions directly of District Area of Service, and Special Program Chairs. Others mentioned the great value in networking with District leaders as a resource for future projects. Finally, the opportunity for a frank exchange of ideas and the ability to share both successes and disappointments that Clubs experience in implementing service projects and job shadowing programs was appreciated. The event was so successful that a second Group 10, 11 & 12 Joint meeting with District speakers will occur on April 8th.
The first presentation was given by Larry Edwards (Rotary Club of Solvang) on the districts Job Shadowing Program followed up with a question and answer period. The second presentation of the evening was given by Fernando Aguirre (Bakersfield East Rotary) current District 5240 Community Service Director. His presentation went through many topics in regards to Community Service at the local level as well
what District staff can do to assist the clubs with questions and resolutions of issues that may arise.
Important topics covered included:
Why Community Service is important in every community.
Why participating in community service projects will not only benefit the community but Rotarians and volunteers as well.
Why it is important to put together multiple Rotary Club Community Service Projects or join another club in their projects.
Why it is important to have continuity in their clubs from year to year (share the knowledge of previous directors).
Keep you club informed on monthly or quarterly basis on what is happening with community service.
Importance of recognizing those in your club, Interact, Rotaract or community individuals who help or support club projects (Service Above Self) or (Spirit of Rotary) for community partners.
Update on the need to revamp the District Community Service Projects page with current projects their clubs are doing on annual ongoing basis.
It's important to know that your Leaders and District Staff are a valuable resource. Please utilize their knowledge and skills by contacting them and/or scheduling creative meetings such as these.
Rotary International Service Above Self Award!!!
It is with honor and excitement we announce that Rotary International has chosen Bill Dutton from the Rotary Club of Santa Barbara to be one of only 150 members world-wide to receive the Service Above Self award for 2018-19. DG Sandi and DRFC Wade Nomura made the surprise announcement at Bill’s home club on March 15, 2019.
Bill has worked in the non-profit world most of his professional life. He has served as an executive director with The American Red Cross for more than 30 years. He started in Rotary 38 years ago and has held numerous club and district positions, including the Chair of the District Visioning Committee. However, his service above self really shines through in his work with the SEE program (Surgical Eye Expedition). Bill organizes trips to over 75 developing countries, helping over 600 volunteer surgeons bringing sight to the blind and visually impaired. During some troubled times for the organization, Bill came out of retirement and was hired as Executive Director for SEE until a CEO could be found. Bill’s devotion to SEE is stunning. While organizing trips, Bill is also fundraising for equipment and supplies. His love of Rotary, his dedication to the work of his club and District, and his personal commitment to helping others in his community and around the world earned Bill this well deserved and prestigious award.
At the District level, Bill never wants the spotlight. He will work himself to the bone for efforts like the 4 Way Test, District Awards Committee, the aforementioned District Visioning Committee, and District Vocational Director to name a few. Always a gentle soul with a quiet demeanor, Bill is truly a gift to the Rotary world.
Congratulations, Bill Dutton!
Ventura Rotary's 100th Year
You are Invited!
Celebrating Through the Decades
Ventura Rotary's
100th Year
Great Gatsby
Saturday
May 4th, 2019
6:00 PM Until 11:00PM
Pierpont Inn Pavilion
550 San Jon Road
Ventura, CA 93001
Dinner, Dancing, Sharing Memories
Danny Ds Swing Band & DJ $75.00 PP
Barbara Asbel
(805) 444-1930
Rotary 5240 Business Networking Site
Discover and connect with great local businesses in your local neighborhood like dentists, hair stylists and more. Support fellow Rotarians.
In these webinar sessions, subscribers will get a guided tour of ClubRunner's features and how it will help you automate, streamline and enhance communication for your club. There are various specialized sessions available to help you get the most out of your level of site access.
Operation Footprint, provides training, medical equipment, and supplies needed to enable doctors in Honduras to diagnose and treat children who have deformities due to untreated clubfoot that prevent them from participating in educational, family and normal childhood activities. Each year in January, surgeons from the United States who are members of our cooperating organization Operation Footprint Baja Project travel to Tegucigalpa, Honduras to perform surgical procedures that will correct or mitigate the impact of clubfoot on the lives of children in Honduras. The local public Hospital San Felipe supports the project with staff, equipment and four operating suites.
Bakersfield North put on a couple Community Service Projects...
The Wine Mafia is held each year as a fund raiser to augment the income from Dinner at the Derby. Dinner at the Derby nets about $120,000 each year and Wine Mafia $20,000 to $25,000. At the Dinner at the Derby, Youth Connection get the first $20,000 and then we split the rest. That makes their income around $75,000. 30% goes into their savings account (investments) and 70% is spent on charity and scholarships. The foundation has organizations that depend on their contributions; therefore, they need two fundraisers.
Their second, Trunk or Treat, is put out by the Sherriff's Department in Bakersfield for the neighborhood in Oildale, CA. It benefits Standard Middle School - the underprivileged kids there go to there local Kohl's Department Store and the club takes them on a shopping spree to get them some school supplies and clothes.
The Rotary Club of Simi Sunset recently did their annual Reading By Nine community project.
The event took place on Thursday, February 28, 2019 at Arroyo Vista and Knolls Elementary Schools in Simi Valley.
This long time community project started with the Rotary Club of Simi Sunset getting a Rotary grant to help fund the purchase of hundreds of books for an elementary school. This year's club Community Service Chair, Stephanie Sieminski and club Secretary, Amanda Wilson, then coordinated with Simi's School District to find out which elementary school had the most need for new books. This year, the combined donations from the Simi Sunset Club and Rotary Grants helped provide enough books for TWO schools -- Arroyo Vista Elementary and Knolls Elementary. Stephanie then coordinated with the schools to plan a day where Rotarians can deliver the books to several classrooms, possibly read a story or two, and get the children excited about reading. One of Rotary's key causes is to support basic education and literacy.
The Rotary Club of Thousand Oaks is trying to raise $100,000 as part of a massive campaign to purchase a new building for Manna. Manna is a Conejo Valley food bank that has been providing food assistance to friends and neighbors in need since 1971. The Rotary Club is hoping to inspire Rotarians throughout the district to contribute by making a tax-deductible contribution through the Thousand Oaks club’s foundation.
Info about the current home: • Currently serving about 1,000 people a month in a pantry the size of a single-car garage. • Our facility has difficulty managing the more than 1,900 annual food drives. • We now rent warehouse space to hold much of our non-perishable food donations. • We have limited parking for clients, donors, volunteers and staff. • EVERYTHING happens at the front door! • Limited volunteer opportunities due to inadequate outdoor lighting.
Hosted by Rotary Club of Pismo Beach/Five Cities in collaboration with Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Eco Clubs!
This much-anticipated event is a joint evening social the week the District Governor visits their Clubs. They have been doing to this since they chartered the Grover Beach Club -- over 15 years ago. It is hosted by their Charter Member Steve Curry – providing the BBQ and venue. Members bring the potluck side dishes and beverages and as you can see it is a Family event with their future Rotarians (their kids) and spouses alike. They hope that this is sort of a “thank you” for all that the District Governor sacrifices during their years of service and also provides them a warm welcome – and with four clubs participating it is definitely all about the Fellowship.
Important topics covered included:
