Welcome to June – the month where we focus on Rotary Fellowships! Pickleball, chess, railroads, bicycling, wine, beer, recreational vehicles - these are just a few of the many Fellowships available to Rotarians and their families to enjoy.
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.
Rotary Fellowships help expand skills, foster vocational development and enhance the Rotary experience by exploring interests while developing connections around the world.
Pictured here: Tom Cicchini (Point West Rotary), District Polio Plus Chair, receiving the Service Above Self Award at the 2022 District Conference
Welcome to May – and our opportunity to turn our focus to Youth Services! Having visited every club in our district, I got to see and hear about all that our clubs did this term that served young people. What a wonderful variety of events, projects and service activities!
Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders.
Our programs help younger leaders build leadership skills, expand education and learn the value of service.
In addition to Rotary’s youth programs – RYE (Rotary Youth Exchange), Interact, Rotaract, the annual speech contest and RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening) camps – our clubs have developed their own programs to meet the needs of young people in their areas.
(Photo Caption: a shot of me with Dick Jones, first major donor for Gridley Rotary, and Lisa Van DeHey, club president.)
Welcome to April – Rotary’s Maternal and Child Health Month! An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care and poor sanitation. And all of these causes are preventable!
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger.
(This is me at a recent InnerWheel Spring High Tea, with Linda Daniels, InnerWheel USA president, and Rosemary Lamb, InnerWheel D519 Chair.)
Did you have water from your kitchen or bathroom sink today? Did you worry about whether it was safe to use? For most of us, we aren’t afraid of the water we drink daily and even with recent droughts, we still have enough water to drink. But in many areas of the world, people suffer from water not fit for drinking or bathing... or not enough clean water.
Welcome to March – Rotary’s Water, Sanitation and Hygiene month!
WASH is an acronym that refers to the global development issues of water, sanitation and hygiene. While each issue is a separate field of work, they are also interdependent on the presence of the other and represent a current global crisis.
This picture is from a recent club visit where the guest speaker was Deepa Willingham, the Past District Governor of District 5240 and founder/CEO of PACE Universal (Promise of Assurance to Children Everywhere).
Welcome to February – the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day. While the history of Valentine’s Day and the story of Saint Valentine, its patron saint, is shrouded in mystery, what’s not a mystery is that February is also Rotary’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention month!
Promoting peace and conflict resolution is one of Rotary’s seven areas of focus. This is not an area of focus that many of us have taken much time to learn about, even though Rotarians are some of the best at finding ways to build peace and understanding between people from very different backgrounds, cultures, traditions and language groups. From Rotary Peace Centers, Peace Fellowships, Peacebuilding clubs and districts, and a myriad of projects locally and globally, Rotarians strive to make our world a better place by promoting peace. What if we thought about Rotary as not just a collection of service clubs but as a global peacebuilding force??
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)
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.)
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)
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
Please join us for an evening of celebration and inspiration, marking the great work of our district, both locally and globally!
When: Oct. 30th 6 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Where: DoubleTree Inn - 2001 Point West Way, Sacramento
Guest Speaker: Bob Rogers, Zone 27 EndPolioNow Coordinator and member of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol. Bob, a polio survivor will share his personal story of how he came to be a Rotarian and his commitment to raise funds for PolioPlus.
And just like that, the first month of the Rotary year has gone by and we’re in August! Rotary has named August as the “Membership/New Club Development” month. Membership in our District is off to a fabulous start with several clubs inducting new members. How wonderful it is to share the gift of Rotary with someone and give them the opportunity to become a Super Hero!
Now that a new member has joined, what does your club do to keep them engaged? Just after their induction is when a new member will feel the most excited about their decision to join your club. Engaging them to keep that feeling high will enhance their experience, for the new member and the club. Don’t leave a new member alone to try and figure out how they fit into your club – invite them to join your club’s activities, service projects, fundraisers and socials as soon as possible.
(This is a photo captured during my presentation to the Carmichael Rotary Club, which has a fun tradition of giving visiting district governors a Stetson cowboy hat!)
Last year's support for Rotary Foundation from District 5180 blew through a 26-year-old landmark!
In our 2020-2021 Rotary year, all 37 clubs in District 5180 contributed to both the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund and PolioPlus! That had not happened in 26 years (since we became D5180 in 1995)!
Under the able leadership of District Governor Brent Hastey and District Foundation Chair Joe Scheimer, our Rotarians showed their support for The Rotary Foundation, which is the lifeblood of Rotary. It is what allows us to continue “doing good in the world.”
The RI Annual Fund provides funding to support our global grants and district grants. During the past Rotary year, (ending June 30, 2021), D5180 Rotarians donated a total of $297,280 to the Annual Fund!
There's no time like the present to reserve your seat at the 2021-22 Rotary District 5180 Conference - IN PERSON - at Montbleu Resort, Casino and Spa in lovely South Lake Tahoe!
Join us April 29 - May 1, 2022 for a weekend of celebration, awards and fun. Our theme is "Creating Today's Super Heroes."
We've already lined up our keynote speakers:
Adrienne Bankert - formerly of KCRA Channel 3 and Good Morning America
Have you ever wondered how to get involved at the district level, work on a district committee or just wanted to expand your service beyond your club? We’ve got the answer for you!
Several district committee chairs are looking for additional committee members for next Rotary year (starting July 1, 2021) to assist in supporting clubs and members in our districts…are you ready to step up?
Below are the opportunities to expand your service within our district. If something looks interesting to you, contact the chairperson of that club for more information.
Welcome to May – and our opportunity to turn our focus to Youth Services! Having visited every club in our district, I got to see and hear about all that our clubs did this term that served young people. What a wonderful variety of events, projects and service activities! 
Welcome to April – Rotary’s Maternal and Child Health Month! An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care and poor sanitation. And all of these causes are preventable!
Welcome to February – the month we celebrate Valentine’s Day. While the history of Valentine’s Day and the story of Saint Valentine, its patron saint, is shrouded in mystery, what’s not a mystery is that February is also Rotary’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention month! 
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!
Welcome to December and Rotary’s Disease Prevention and Treatment Month! 
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.
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!
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.
And just like that, the first month of the Rotary year has gone by and we’re in August! Rotary has named August as the “Membership/New Club Development” month. Membership in our District is off to a fabulous start with several clubs inducting new members. How wonderful it is to share the gift of Rotary with someone and give them the opportunity to become a Super Hero!
Last year's support for Rotary Foundation from District 5180 blew through a 26-year-old landmark! 
There's no time like the present to reserve your seat at the 2021-22 Rotary District 5180 Conference - IN PERSON - at Montbleu Resort, Casino and Spa in lovely South Lake Tahoe! 
Have you ever wondered how to get involved at the district level, work on a district committee or just wanted to expand your service beyond your club? We’ve got the answer for you!