WELCOME TO DISTRICT 5240
Rotary District 5240 is made up of over 3,000 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 Carpinteria 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. 
 
Stories From Around the District
Announcing our District Governor for Rotary Year 2022-2023

The Nominating Committee is pleased to announce  that  Scott Phillips from the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime has been selected to serve as District Governor during the Rotary year 2022-2023.

Scott is a member of the Goleta Noontime Rotary club since 2013. 

He went on to serve as the Club’s President in 2016-2017.  During that year the club was number one in the district for per capita giving to the Rotary Foundation’s  Annual Fund.

He has a wealth of Rotary experience having served the district in many  key positions including: The District’s Communications Chair,   Assistant Governor, Chief Operating Officer and he is currently the District Administrator ,the PRLS Director and President of District 5240 Charitable Foundation . 

In addition he is currently serving as an Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator for Zone 26.

Scott is the CEO of Synergy Computing, Inc which is an IT Managed Service Provider in Santa Barbara.  He  is a Certified HIPAA Security Professional and member of FBI InfraGard.

Scott is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society Member, Major Donor and member of the Bequest Society.

He was born and raised in  Santa Barbara where he continues to reside

He is always willing to learn new things and explore different ideas. He loves traveling , meeting people and experiencing different cultures. Most of all he loves to do all things Rotary.

We welcome Scott aboard and we are delighted that he is the youngest to be selected to this position and look forward to serving with him.

On behalf of Rotary District 5240, it is our pleasure to congratulate Scott Phillips as our District Governor for 2022-2023.

November Message from Savi Bhim
It started over 100 years ago with one man, Arch Klump, who had a vision to set up an endowment fund for the purpose of doing good and creating a better world.
 
A world where everyone has access to clean water and where children no longer die as a result of drinking contaminated water.
 
A world where the promise of a better life is attainable because education is accessible. 
 
Where dignity is restored and  dependency is shattered because someone can now write her own destiny thanks to a micro credit loan.
 
 A world where the vulnerable is protected and the homeless sheltered.
 
Where the hungry is fed and the sick treated.
 
Where suffering is alleviated and the hurting is stopped.
 
A world where through our humanitarian services & programs we build foundations of Peace across borders.
 
For over 100 hundred years this vision lives on through the Rotary Foundation.
 
It took one person to start it, it takes one person to continue it and  that person is you.
 
As Waldo Emerson reminds us “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived - that is to have succeeded”.
 
Let us continue to contribute to the Rotary Foundation so that we can leave the world a “bit better” than we found it.
 
Read more...
1000 New Members! Really?
By Scott Farrenkopf, Executive Assistant Governor, Region 2
 
Can You Get Service when There is No One to Serve?
 
How many of you have been to a restaurant and waited and waited for your food as your stomach growled and your patience wore thin wondering where is your waitress or waiter? Guess what? If you had no server then you would never be served! Without people (ie. the server) then the restaurant would cease to exist.
 
The restaurant is just like Rotary.  It serves.  The waitress/waiter is just like a Rotarian.  It delivers the service (a server).  The client is just like the beneficiary.  It needs served.
 
Hence, what we as Rotarians must realize is that there is no “Service above Self” without the Rotarian!  There is no action without the “Rotarian of Action!”
 
So if you wondered why Rotary keeps “membership growth and retention” as a hot ongoing topic of discussion, it should no longer be a subject of wonder.  Rotary will cease to exist and beneficiaries will suffer without Rotarians.
 
What continues to amaze me is why we cannot have a net growth when Rotary is such an unbelievable organization with such an amazing group of Rotarians.  We Rotarians know this but new potential Rotarians do not unless we take action.  We must recognize who might be a great Rotarian that is around us and we must make the ask!
 
The question is, “Why is every Rotarian not identifying just one high potential great new Rotarian each year and making the ask?”
 
Let me summarize with some simple math.  We have about 3200 Rotarians in District 5240.  If every District 5240 Rotarian asked one applicable candidate to a Rotary meeting and followed up to make the ask: “How would you like to become a member?,” then we would have 3200 potential new Rotarians.  Now let’s assume only 33% accepted and joined.  We would have still grown by +1000 new members!!!  District 5240 would have gone from 3200 Rotarians to 4200 Rotarians in one year!  This, of course, assumes there is no retention loss which I will discuss in another article.  Guess what?  District Governor Savi Bhim’s net District 5240 membership growth target goal of +1000 is really not all that crazy or impossible to achieve.  What the mind believes, it achieves!
 
So each of you needs to ask yourself, first “Why can’t I ask just one person who I know that would make a great Rotarian to a meeting?” and second “Would you like to join our Rotary club?”  If not then what is preventing you?  You surely love Rotary enough to insure its continued existence!  You have the heart of Rotary.  So be a “Rotarian of Action” and commit to do so!
Is Corporate Membership for You?
By Tim Trujillo, Executive Assistant Governor, Region 1
 
A Rotary Corporate Membership plan can be set up for Business Owners/Corporate Heads that are on the go. Either you, the Corporate Member or another representative you choose from your workplace is invited to all Rotary functions.
 
Read more...
Cookies for $500?
Barbara Butler is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of China Lake and deservedly so.
 
She is 92 years old and she has been baking cookies for the club’s annual fundraising dinner for as long as she can remember and she still does.
 
Barbara’s cookies are sought after and the 10 to 15 dozens that she donates to the club is usually auctioned off anywhere from $500.00 and up.
 
She has a long history with the RC of China Lake and her late husband was a past president of the club.
 
Barbara still drives to the Club meetings in her champagne-colored car which she nicknamed “Bubbles”.
 
When asked if she would ever share her recipe …not just yet. For now, she prefers to share her cookies.
 
She is a joy to be around and perhaps that is the secret to her longevity.
 
Barbara is a treasure and is cherished by the RC of China Lake.
 
Kern County Rotary Clubs Join Forces to Support Housing Project for Homeless Veterans
By Cheryl Scott, President, Rotary Club of Bakersfield Breakfast
 
BAKERSFIELD, CA.  On November 12, representatives from Rotary clubs throughout Kern County, along with District 5240 Governor Savi Bhim, helped break ground for an innovative housing project designed to provide permanent housing for 12 local veterans (and up to two dependents per veteran) who are currently homeless or at risk of falling into homelessness.  The project is located in the Oildale area of Bakersfield and is funded, in part, by more than $26,000 contributed by Rotary.
 
The “tiny home” project, called Covey Cottages, will include 12 stand-alone, 400-sq. ft. homes, each of which includes a bedroom and a living area, plus a bathroom and kitchen.  All six Rotary clubs from Bakersfield, plus the Shafter and Tehachapi clubs, combined funds for the project, then applied for and were awarded District grant funds for a grand total of $26,080.  The Rotary contribution will fund construction of a 13th building on the campus, serving as the common building, where supportive services and laundry facilities will be available.
 
Read more...
Looking for Options to Grow Your Membership?
 
By Tim Trujillo, Executive Assistant Governor, Region 1
 
You may want to consider a program the Rotary Club of Tehachapi has found to be a good way to boost membership – it’s called the Associate Member program. We’ve had it in effect for a couple of years and it has increased our numbers by 8 additional Rotarians.
 
Our Regular club membership dues are $70 per month and cover all costs including weekly meals, social events, paid registration for all District and RI conferences, conventions and Rotary training events.
 
Here’s how the Associate membership plan works:
Read more...
Foundation Month Focus: Peace & Conflict Resolution
By Susan and Mike Weaver
 
As Rotary nears completion of its goal of eradicating polio, many have asked: “what's next?” Where will the incredible talent and resources of Rotary be directed now?  The challenge that has in recent years risen to the forefront is that of increasing peace and resolving conflict.
 
For many, the pursuit of Peace (with a capital P) seems amorphous, hard to get one’s arms around, difficult to know where to start and what exactly to do. The challenge of eradicating polio must have seemed equally daunting when the End Polio Now campaign began, but that didn’t stop determined Rotarians. And that same determination can be used to promote peace and resolve conflicts. The key in this, as it was in the fight against polio, is to enlist able partners and bring our resources to bear on the effort.
 
This emphasis on Peace is not new. It dates back to 1917 when Paul Harris said: "It is easier to interest men in war than in peace; it, therefore, requires more moral courage to talk peace than war."
 
Read more...
 
 
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
  • International 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.
 
Events Calendar
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Upcoming District Events
 

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4-Way Test 2019/2020
 
 
 
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