WELCOME TO DISTRICT 5240
Rotary District 5240 consists of over 3000 members in 71 Rotary Clubs, nine Rotaract (young professional) Clubs, and 58 Interact (high school) clubs. The District spans four counties in Central California: San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, and Kern County. Our clubs are active in all aspects of Rotary, including community and international service, youth programs, and fellowship activities.
Stories From Around the District
Camarillo Rotary Helps FoodShare
Camarillo Rotary Helps FoodShare
The Rotary Club of Camarillo recently donated $7,000 to FoodShare of Ventura County to help feed people in need during the Covid19 pandemic.

The funds are being used to purchase thousands of cardboard boxes for food items being distributed at community pop-ups. This is the largest grant that Camarillo Rotary has given FoodShare.

 
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September Message from DG Deb Linden
Dear Fellow Rotarians,

As I finish my first two months visiting clubs virtually, I am blown away by the creativity and adaptability our clubs have demonstrated during these challenging times. Despite the impact of COVID-19, our clubs are continuing to serve their communities, getting creative in their fundraising, and recruiting new members. Rotary truly Opens Opportunities and you should all be immensely proud!
 
District Conference Registration Now Open!
Our District 5240 Virtual District Conference is November 6-8, 2020, and registration is now open. You can find more information and a registration link at http://www.rotary5240dc.com. 
Here are some highlights:
  • Friday evening opening celebration: Party for Polio! Featuring Jim Messina of Loggins & Messina, Buffalo Springfield, and Poco
  • Saturday and Sunday morning General Sessions with incredible keynote presenters.
  • Saturday Breakout Sessions – choose your own training opportunity.
  • Virtual Project Expo
  • Networking, virtual meetups, and more!
  • Only $25 for Rotarians & guests, $10 for Rotaractors, and free for Interact members or youth under age 18.
Promote your Business!
Did you know that the District has a place where you can promote your business for other members to find? Well, we do! It is our online District 5240 Rotarian Business Network where you can add your business and where members can search for Rotarian-run businesses in our District. Let’s support each other! Go to https://www.rotary5240.biz for more info and to add/find a business.

Community Service Opportunity during COVID:
Are you or your club looking for a community service activity you can do safely even with the COVID restrictions? The California Coastal Commission has an opportunity for you (and you don’t need to live near an ocean!). The Commission has designated every Saturday in September as Coastal Clean Up Day in your own Neighborhood. For safety reasons, there are no large, centrally organized cleanup sites this year. Instead, cleanups will be self-guided and close to home. Cleaning your neighborhoods, local parks, streets, and storm drains helps protect our coast. Trash travels through storm drains, creeks, and rivers to become beach and ocean pollution. Help clean the beach by picking up litter in your community with your household. And if Saturdays don't work for you, don't let that stop you! You can clean up any day, any time. Go to https://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/ccd/ccd.html for more information, including a “Most Unusual Item” contest.
 
Step Up for Polio!
Don’t forget…we’ve launched our District-wide Step Up for Polio project, a way you can raise funds for PolioPlus through a personal fitness challenge. Click on the Step Up for Polio flyer in this newsletter for more information. Let’s all get moving and Step Up for Polio!

Public Image Grants Still Available:
There are still funds available to clubs for Public Image grants from the District 5240 Charitable Foundation. Have I piqued your interest? Go to https://www.rotarydistrict5240.org/sitepage/district-public-image-grants to learn more.
 
Finally, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Past District Governor Loretta Butts’ husband, John Butts, passed away on August 19, 2020, of health complications related to cancer. Loretta was our District Governor in 2014-2015 and John was her "official driver" for her club visits and her #1 cheerleader, not only during her DG year, but throughout their lives together. Loretta and John were married for 25 years and friends for much longer. John was a generous and giving soul and would support and encourage Loretta in whatever she undertook. John’s wish was to be cremated and no services will be held. If you would like to reach out to Loretta with a card or note, you can mail them to her at 7400 Pinal Ave., Atascadero, CA 93422
 
Take care and stay safe,
RC of Simi Sunset Donates to Make-A-Wish
RC of Simi Sunset Donates to Make-A-Wish
The Rotary Club of Simi Sunset was asked by Make-A-Wish to support a local Simi Valley resident. Joey fell into a swimming pool when he was 18 months old. The accident dramatically changed his and his family's lives. Now at the age of 15, he suffers from a nervous system disorder which has left him confined to a wheelchair. He can communicate through a tablet and with smiles and noises. His wish... An adaptive swing! Many wish kids avoid large groups during COVID-19 as it could put their health at risk. Having this swing would allow him to enjoy being outside with his family.
 
 
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Message from Polio Plus Chair, Jim Lewis
Message from Polio Plus Chair, Jim Lewis
Dear Fellow Rotarians in District 5240,

As most of you know eradicating Polio from the face of the earth is Rotary International’s #1 objective. In 1985 that objective began. At that time there were 126 countries in the world endemic with 3 types of polio. 350,000 children and adults were paralyzed with one of the 3 types every year. Over the past 30 plus years, through the very hard work of those countries, Rotary, WHO, CDC, UNICEF and in 2007 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, we can celebrate that all but 2 of those countries are polio free. The last countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the only ones with wild polio cases. The good news is this week we have seen zero cases of Polio in the world. And even much better news Africa has been declared by WHO as completely Polio Free…this is such fantastic news, I felt I had to share it with all of you. Check out the links to Rotary and Time Magazine's articles:

 
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RC of Cambria Delivers Food and More
RC of Cambria Delivers Food and More
The Rotary Club of Cambria recently purchased and delivered bags of cereal, juice, canned fruit, snack bars and other snacks to over 90 families identified as being in need. They were also made aware of the concern about the children in low income families falling behind in school due to the difficulties of distance learning. Many of these children are in households with adults that have little or no education and cannot provide their children with the educational assistance needed. They were able to purchase 186 age appropriate activity books and games to give them a head start for the school year. These were delivered along with the bags of food.
RC of Moorpark Community Service Project
RC of Moorpark Community Service Project
The Rotary Club of Moorpark gathered donations and purchased badly needed school supplies in support of students at the Moorpark Food Pantry Plus. Although they followed physical distancing guidelines, it provided them with an opportunity to be social as they filled 300 bags with school supplies. It was a fun community service project that made a big impact on the lives of their students.  Club President, Kelly Best always says, "many hands make light work." They all look forward to another social gathering like this one very soon!
Santa Ynez Rotary Clubs Donate $33,500
Santa Ynez Rotary Clubs Donate $33,500
The COVID-19 virus has altered life for all of us. Many residents have found themselves unable to provide basic needs for themselves and their family. Local nonprofits have stepped up and are working hard to meet the huge surge in demand. However, the need is great with the increase in demand coupled with the loss of several nonprofits main revenue stream; thrift stores. These organizations are struggling.

The four Rotary Clubs in the Santa Ynez Valley; Buellton, Los Olivos, Santa Ynez and Solvang, have united together contributing a total of $33,500 to local nonprofit organizations. The nonprofits selected are doing outreach in our community feeding hundreds of people daily with prepared meals and produce bags. These include home bound seniors and children out of school. Not only prepared meals are being provided, but help getting medications delivered, sewn masks and other needs. Our nonprofits are doing an incredible job by collaborating to be sure there is no gap in service to our community.
 
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August Message from DG Deb Linden
Membership Month:
August is Membership and New Club Development Month in Rotary and now is the time we need your creativity! To reverse several years of declining membership in our District, we need to grow membership in our clubs and start new, innovative clubs. We are only constrained by our imagination! New, non-traditional clubs are being starting all over the world, including passport clubs, flex clubs, family clubs, caused-based clubs, young professionals clubs, virtual e-clubs, and almost any kind of club you can think of.

Want to learn more about new club models and club flexibility? Click HERE Want a whole bunch of resources and tools to help your club attract and retain members? Click HERE

$52.40 Challenge:
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund is the backbone of Rotary projects throughout the world. Contributions to the Annual Fund come back to our clubs in the form of District Designated Funds (DDF) that can be used to help fund local and international projects. Support for the TRF Annual Fund is an investment in our own clubs! In 2020-2021, to encourage support for the TRF Annual Fund, the District has created the $52.40 Challenge. Clubs that achieve a certain level of giving will receive special recognition. Click HERE for all the details!
 
Rotary and COVID-19:
As you all know, we are experiencing a significant and dangerous increase in COVID-19 cases and many of the transmissions are being traced back to small gatherings, such as friends and families gathering together (especially those involving unrelated people). All four counties in our District – SLO, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and Kern – are now on the State watch list and additional restrictions regarding gatherings have been implemented. Rotary International recently announced that the Rotary insurance will not cover claims for COVID-19 cases. I know we are all eager to convene our club meetings and socials in person, but I urge you to use caution and make safe, prudent decisions. The safest way to hold club meetings right now is virtually. In addition, the RI Board of Directors has declared that members shall not be penalized if they choose not to attend a club, district, or RI function because of the COVID risk. As such, it is important to have a virtual option for members who do not feel comfortable or safe gathering in person. District staff is available to any club who needs assistance in this area. Please stay safe!

District 5240 Facebook Page:
If you want to learn about all the cool things our clubs in our District are doing, not to mention upcoming events and celebrations, be sure to join our District 5240 Facebook Group at this link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RotaryDistrict5240
PDG Wade Namura Appointed 3 Rotary International Positions
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PDG Wade Namura Appointed 3 Rotary International Positions
District 5240's Past District Governor, Wade Namura, has been given the opportunity of being appointed to three Rotary International positions this year! He is now the Multidistrict PETS Alliance Chair for 2020-2021, he took over as the TRF Cadre Technical Coordinator Chair for Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene, and he has been appointed as the Regional Organizer of all cadres of North America; one of seven globally! Below is a summary of what the roles entail including how clubs in our district can benefit.
 
Assistance Available for Global Grant Projects
The Rotary Foundation has appointed PDG Wade Nomura as the global Chair of the Cadre of Technical Advisers for Water Sanitation and Hygiene. In addition, The Foundation has initiated a pilot program of Regional Organizers to help club and districts increase their humanitarian projects globally by utilizing the skills of the Cadres in the global grant application stages as well as throughout the project. There are seven Cadre Regional Organizers selected from throughout the world to assist with the implementation of this program, Wade being chosen as one of the seven to lead all TRF Cadres of North America plus English speaking Caribbean countries. This role incorporates grants for all Areas of Focus. Stay tune for more information and if you would like assistance from a TRF Cadre on any aspect of a grant or project, please contact: wade@wadenomura.com
 
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Share Your Club 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
  • Youth Service Projects
  • Vocational Service Projects
  • International Service Projects
  • Club 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:
  1. 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.
  2. 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).
  3. 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.
 

We hope that you take advantage of this promotional opportunity for your Club!

Questions about Club Stories? Please email stories@district5240.org for assistance.
Questions about the website? Please email website@district5240.org for assistance.
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