Welcome to Rotary District 5150

Rotary District 5150 stretches across Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties of the San Francisco Bay area. Our Rotary club members are people of action and inspired individuals who translate their passions into relevant social causes to change lives in communities, both locally and globally. Rotary International forms a global network of business, professional, and community leaders who volunteer their time and talents to serve communities and form strong, lasting friendships in the process.

District Governor Message - May 2025
Rotarians – we never stop trying to help others.  We serve, we continue with our beloved ongoing projects, we find new approaches – we never quit.  A need comes our way and instinctively we start looking for how to fill that need.

We don’t just look around our own communities, we search the world for where we can make a difference.  After all, charity begins at home but it certainly doesn’t need to stop there.  Plus, have you ever noticed that a dollar goes farther in locales beyond our own borders?  Or Vocational Service . . . 
 
Featured Events

Thank you to our generous sponsors! 

Platinum Sponsor

 


Vantage Wealth Management, LLC
VantageWealthMgmt.com

Silver Sponsors

 
 
First Federal of San Rafael
FFSavings.com
 
Cavalla Chiropractic
District 5150 Blog
Rotarian of the Month - May 2025
Rotarian of the Month - May 2025

Congratulations to Harry Thomas of the Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise — Rotary District 5150’s Rotarian of the Month for May 2025!

Harry Thomas has been a dedicated and tireless member of the Rotary Club of Novato Sunrise since July 2007. Over the past 17 years, he has exemplified Rotary’s values through extraordinary service, quiet leadership, and an unwavering commitment to his club and community.

Harry has served in nearly every capacity imaginable: from Club Treasurer and Board Member to Club President in 2012–2013. He’s held roles on a wide range of committees, including Community Service, Youth Service, Vocational Service, Fundraising, Bylaws, Investment, and Debunking. He has also been a long-standing member of the Club Administration team, ensuring the early morning meetings run smoothly and efficiently.

 

Membership Society: Honoring Our Top Member Sponsors
Membership Society: Honoring Our Top Member Sponsors
In Rotary, with everything that we do for others, for most of us the only thanks we’ll ever need is the joy and personal satisfaction we find when we help others as we do.  Yet, we also have a human need for recognition and to just hear “thanks” now and then.
 
Rotary recognized this need a while back, and through Rotary we have a recognition plan that most of our members have probably never heard of.  It has the very catchy name of the Membership Society, with differing levels depending on membership sponsorship.
 
How Rotary Decisions Are Made: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Council on Legislation
How Rotary Decisions Are Made: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Council on Legislation

Have you ever wondered how decisions are made at Rotary International? I’d like to shed some light on the process!

Every three years, the Council on Legislation—the governing body of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation—convenes to review and vote on proposed changes to our governing documents, including the Constitution, Bylaws, and the Standard Rotary Club Constitution. The Council also acts as an appellate body for decisions made by the RI Board of Directors.

Governor's Message - May 2025
Governor's Message - May 2025
Rotarians – we never stop trying to help others.  We serve, we continue with our beloved ongoing projects, we find new approaches – we never quit.  A need comes our way and instinctively we start looking for how to fill that need.

We don’t just look around our own communities, we search the world for where we can make a difference.  After all, charity begins at home but it certainly doesn’t need to stop there.  Plus, have you ever noticed that a dollar goes farther in locales beyond our own borders?
Planting the Seeds of Change: Environmental Grants Recap
Planting the Seeds of Change: Environmental Grants Recap
During the 2024-2025 Rotary Year, District 5150 offered clubs the opportunity to apply for small grants up to $1000 to support environmental projects in their communities. More than half of our Rotary Clubs took advantage of the opportunity, and 13 Interact Clubs also joined the stewardship effort.
 
As Spring comes into full swing, this is the perfect time of year for vision for these grants to come to fruition.  Here is an example of an environmental grant recently put into use by the Interact Club of Terra Linda High School:
 
Governor's Message - April 2025
Governor's Message - April 2025
Recently I’ve received several requests from fellow Rotarians, asking what Rotary and The Rotary Foundation are going to do about changes in our country’s political situation.  Invariably, in the same breath the individual adds that of course, we don’t touch politics or religion.  Many of the questions relate specifically to what a prominent person has shared about Rotary, or concerns over funding for our international projects. 
 
Rotary has taken a stand, a prominent, respected and admired stand for over 120 years, a stand that every Rotarian supports and respects.  We stand for the 4-Way Test, for Service Above Self, for the dignity of every human regardless of any type of demographic that others might use to divide us.  We stand for human respect not only for those we help locally and globally but also for our own members.  We stand for the values of diversity, for inclusion, for equity for everyone in our world. 
Rotarian of the Month - April 2025
Rotarian of the Month - April 2025

Congratulations to Elizabeth "Betsy" Chafcouloff of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Castro for being selected as Rotary District 5150’s Rotarian of the Month for April 2025!

A Charter Member and Past President of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Castro, Betsy has exemplified Rotary’s mission through her dedication to service, leadership, and humanitarian work. A licensed Speech-Language Pathologist since 2008, she has made a profound impact through her volunteer efforts in Cambodia since 2013.

 

Governor's Message - March 2025
Governor's Message - March 2025
Please take a moment, get up from wherever you are sitting, walk to any source of water near you and please don’t turn on the water.  Wasting water on what I’m suggesting doesn’t make sense, as water is precious. There is never a drop to waste.  Ever.
 
But you can make that decision by simply walking to the faucet and not turning the handle.
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Protecting The Environment
Rotary shares an interest in protecting our common legacy: the environment.
More than $18 million in funding from The Rotary Foundation has been allocated to environment-related projects over the past five years. Creating a distinct area of focus to support the environment gives Rotary members even more ways to bring about positive change in the world and increase our impact.
 
Learn more about our work

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