Welcome to the Rotary District 5180 website.

Welcome to Rotary District 5180! 

We are a group of passionate and dedicated people working together to create lasting change in our local and global communities. Our district includes 37 clubs, covering 7 counties in Northern California (greater Sacramento area) - from Oroville to Walnut Grove and from West Sacramento to El Dorado Hills.

Beyond our service work, our commitment includes building membership in our clubs as well as creating meaningful relationships that last a lifetime. We are also committed to financially supporting the causes and people we care about through The Rotary Foundation.

One landmark effort of The Rotary Foundation is the EndPolioNow campaign, started in the mid-80s, to eradicate polio from the world. We are so close! The latest news across the globe is that only 5 cases of wild polio virus were identified last year! This is a huge achievement in our fight to eradicate polio – but we need to keep our support up to meet our end goal!

If you are looking for a place to connect and serve, please reach out to me.  I would love to tell you more about Rotary and the good works of District 5180!  Click here to send me an email. 

Looking forward to sharing more with you!

 
Yours in Service,
Desirée Wilson

2021-22 Rotary 5180 District Governor

District 5180 News

District Governor's Message: January
As the New Year dawns, I hope it is filled with the promises of a brighter tomorrow. As glasses are raised and fireworks explode into the sky, it’s important to recognize the special symbolism that the New Year brings – new beginnings and fresh starts. A time to appreciate all the good things that the past year has given us and all the good things that are yet to come. Despite the many challenges of 2021, Rotarians continued to do what we do best... serve to change lives! And for that and for all of you... I am forever grateful!
 
Besides the start of the new year, January is also Rotary’s Vocational Services month! 
 
(Image of some our district leaders honoring newly retired Sacramento Police Chief Daniel Hahn with the Paul Harris Fellow)
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District Governor's Message: December
Welcome to December and Rotary’s Disease Prevention and Treatment Month! 
 
We believe good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.
 
Disease results in misery, pain and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to Rotarians. We lead efforts, both large and small - setting up temporary clinics, blood donation centers and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access.  
 
We design and build infrastructure that allows doctors, patients and governments to work together. 
 
(This is a shot of me with Rotary President Shekhar Mehta at the Zone Institute in November.)
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District Governor's Message: November
November is the month Rotarians around the world celebrate our Rotary Foundation – the charitable arm of Rotary that provides funding for us to continue to positively impact lives in our communities.
 
It was at the 1917 Rotary International convention that outgoing Rotary President Arch Klumph proposed setting up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” That one idea, and an initial contribution of $26.50, set in motion a powerful force that has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects, transforming millions of lives around the globe. The Rotary Foundation helps Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment and alleviating poverty.
 
(Photo of me with Wyn Spiller, the Zone 27 Endowment/Major Gift Advisor)
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District Governor's Message: October
Rotary’s theme this month is Community Economic Development. There are many factors that come into play as to why economic development is such a challenge in areas of the world. One key factor is the health and well-being of a community’s families who provide the workers, as well as consumers, for a local economy. Thus, Rotary’s commitment to eradicate polio is just one part of helping communities grow and remain economically strong and stable.
 
As fall arrives so has World Polio Month with October 24th being World Polio Day. We have a lot to celebrate this year. As I write this, new cases of polio identified in the world this year are… 2! Yes, only two new cases – one each in Pakistan and Afghanistan. And, it’s been more than 35 weeks since the last case was identified! 
 
In 1988, when the Global Polio Eradication Initiative was launched, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year!
 
We are truly close to eradicating this disease from the world…thanks to Rotary and our partners. But, we cannot let up on our efforts…we must continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine until the World Health Organization proclaims us polio free!
 
One of my Rotary moments was participating in a polio immunization trip to India in 2018. What an amazing feeling to be able to hold a child and put the drops of vaccine in their mouth knowing they would not be affected by this disease! It was a life-changing experience for me, and eradicating polio became my Rotary passion.
 
In support of our polio eradication efforts, I will be bike riding 100 miles in the ”Ride to End Polio” in Tucson, AZ, on November 20. Several other Rotarians in our District will be joining me on the ride, including Joe Scheimer (Fair Oaks Rotary), Steve Brozosky (Folsom Rotary), John Messner (Folsom Rotary), and Martha Ng (Midtown Rotary) – we’ll all be riding to raise funds to continue our fight of this disease.
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Want an Easy Way to Donate to PolioPlus?
You’re in luck!  Join the PolioPlus Society by donating $100 this year to the PolioPlus Fund. You can also commit to donating at least $100 per year to the fund until the World Health Organization declares the world polio free! That makes you a PolioPlus Society member!
 
Rotarians and others (remember, non-Rotarians can donate as well!) who donate to the fund will be recognized with a framed certificate, special PolioPlus Society lapel pin and an End Polio Now wristband.  Donations to the fund will also count towards becoming a Paul Harris Fellow.

So, here’s all you need to do: go to the End Polio Now donation page and fill out the online form. You can determine the amount you want to give and set it up as recurring or a one-time gift. If you would prefer to download a form and fill it out by hand, you can go to the District 5180 End Polio Now page on our website and click the link on the left to download the PolioPlus Society commitment form.
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Rotary Youth Exchange
If you've ever wondered what the experience is like for students that participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange, meet Sofia, an outbound exchange student, and hear first hand from her about the life-changing experience. 
 
 

District Governor's Message: September
Welcome to September... and Rotary’s Basic Education and Literacy Month! The ability to read, write and comprehend is critical to economic development for individuals and communities. Literacy helps a person navigate the world with dignity, and allows them to take control of their lives, advocating for themselves, their families and for their community.
 
More than 775 million people over the age of 15 are illiterate. That’s 17 percent of the world’s adult population. 
 
Here are some of the ways we, as Rotarians, can help others through literacy and education:
  • Tutoring/mentoring children or adults
  • Building Little Free Libraries
  • Participating in District 5180’s Dictionary Project
 
{Image: DG Desirée Wilson with John Paul Jones, of the Fair Oaks Rotary, during August's Superhero Training Camp}
 
Those are just a few of the opportunities we have to make a difference in the world. Let’s use this month to focus on and implement some of these ideas and projects, building on the passion we have for helping others.
 
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Oak Park Rotary House provides hope, free accommodation for patient families
From UC Davis Health Press Release:
 

(SACRAMENTO) — For more than eight years, Oak Park Rotary House has been a beacon of hope for patient families at UC Davis Children’s Hospital.

“This house is a huge hug for a lot of families that come in,” said UC Davis social worker Courtney Corbitt, who has partnered with the Oak Park Rotary House Foundation to identify patient families in need of long-term temporary housing.

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News from Rotary International
Owori will become first Ugandan to head Rotary International

Business leader Samuel Owori will become first Ugandan to head Rotary

PolioPlus is engaging reluctant communities by addressing basic needs

PolioPlus is engaging reluctant communities by addressing basic

Challenge from a Champion

 

Rotary Projects Around the Globe January 2022

Rotary Projects Around the GlobeJanuary

How to talk to someone who is vaccine hesitant

Tips to have that talk

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Our 2021-22 Rotary International Theme: