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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.

Happy May, everyone! This month, we’re highlighting youth services, specifically our Interact Clubs. Did you know there are nearly 30 Interact clubs in our district? Interact clubs bring together elementary, junior high and high school students to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self. With the mentorship of Rotarians, Interact members take action to make a difference in their schools and community while having fun and making new friends. Thank you to our many clubs that sponsor Interact clubs and help grow our next generation of leaders.

I’m excited to share that our Rotary Foundation Cruise aboard the AmaKristina was a tremendous success. More than $76,000 was raised to . . .

Man holding money with text that says District Grant Hands-On Training, April 30

Club Administration Training with icon of person working at desk

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

Rotarian of the Month - May 2022

Congratulations to Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for May 2022, Brian Powell, from the Rotary Club of San Rafael!

Since 2012, Brian Powell has been the chair of San Rafael’s Scholarship Committee and a committee member since 2009.

Last May, Brian and his committee interviewed 25 applicants and awarded eight $3,200 scholarships to San Rafael High School (SRHS) Seniors (for a total of $25,600). These scholarships are provided by the members of the Rotary Club of San Rafael (RCSR) and the Rotary Manor. A new scholarship was created last year to remember Rotarian Gary Notti, past president of Rotary Manor.

Meet Sarah Guidas—Rotary Global Scholar

Rotary Global Scholars are our hope for the future. They strive to find the best in themselves and use their skills and talents to make life better for others in a true demonstration of Service Above Self. Sarah Guidas, District 5150’s Global Scholar for the coming Rotary year, is a prime example. Her scholarship will take her to the University of Sussex in the south of England to pursue a master’s degree in development studies, and her goal is to use the knowledge she acquires to make it easier for the world’s disadvantaged children to attend school. Sarah’s track record in helping others is already impressive, but she wants to do more, and we’re excited to be able to give her the opportunity to further her education in her chosen field.

Marin Clubs Unite to Support our Environment

On March 14-16, the Rotary Clubs of Ignacio, San Rafael, Novato and Novato Sunrise joined forces to plant 43 new trees at the College of Marin Indian Valley Campus.

The tree planting was part of a larger creek restoration and environmental project that benefited not only the aesthetics of the local landscape, but also our climate! More than 30 Rotary members participated under the guidance of College of Marin’s Master Gardener Neal Sparrow. The four clubs also contributed $5,500 to fund the project.

District Governor Message - April 2022

Happy April everyone! The work of Rotary begins in our communities as every community has its own issues and needs. Because of this, Rotary has focused our efforts in 7 key areas to maximize our impact, and these areas of focus include fighting disease, providing clean water and sanitation, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies, promoting peace, and the newest area of focus, protecting the environment.

This month, we are highlighting this newest area of focus as this is also the month of Earth Day which is celebrated worldwide on April 22. To honor this new area of focus, our Rotary Clubs in our District are coming together to participate in a Rotary Day of Service event this Saturday on April 9.

Update: Rotary Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine

Hello, everyone:

As a follow up to our first email regarding the situation in Ukraine, we have received more information from Rotary International on how we can support the areas in need through our Disaster Response Grants.

There are many groups who have reached out to Districts over this last week, but an option for you or your club is to support these areas of need through the Disaster Response Fund. This fund was also used during the COVID pandemic, and many clubs and communities directly benefitted from it. Please see the information below from our Rotary International Director, Vicki Puliz, and our Rotary Foundation Trustee, Larry Lunsford.

Rotarian of the Month - April 2022

Congratulations to Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for April 2022, Bill Gilmore, from the Rotary Club of San Francisco West!

Bill has been a proud member of SF west for 19 years. He stepped up in leadership right away and hasn’t stopped since, serving in every capacity possible. Bill faithfully attends club meetings and major events, and is often supportive of district events, too.

An architect by profession, Bill brings to his Rotary club strategic thinking, creativity, problem solving and perseverance to whatever challenge the club is facing.

District Governor Message - March 2022

Happy March everyone!

Each year we celebrate our incoming club leadership, and to kick this off, our President Elects attend the annual President Elect Training Seminars (PETS) in March. Our District Governor Elect, Gary Chow, led his team at this training event early this month, and it was the first time in 2 yrs that the event was held in person. The energy and excitement was palpable, and I am thrilled that these leaders will take our clubs and our District forward in this upcoming Rotary Year.

We have an opportunity to celebrate with our incoming club leaders at our Learning and Leadership Development District Assembly on March 26. This will be our first in person District Assembly in 2 years so we hope you will join us to celebrate our incoming Presidents and participate in learning opportunities. Register for our assembly and join us in our celebration.

COVID-19 Protocols for In-Person Indoor District Events

Rotary International District 5150 looks forward to welcoming everyone back to in-person events, and doing so in a way that’s safe for guests and event personnel in accordance with guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the State of California, and the public health departments of Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties.

For the 2021-2022 Rotary year, District -sponsored in-person indoor events will offer a virtual option (e.g. hybrid format) and include the following protocols:

Adapted from "RI President-elect announces 2021-22 presidential theme" by Ryan Hyland.

2021-2022 Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta is urging members to become more involved in service projects, saying that caring for and serving others is the best way to live because it changes not only other people’s lives, but also our own.

Mehta, a member of the Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India, revealed the 2021-22 presidential theme, Serve to Change Lives, to incoming district governors on 1 February during the Rotary International Assembly. The assembly, a yearly training event for district governors-elect, was originally set to take place in Orlando, Florida, USA, but was held virtually because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mehta spoke about how participating in service projects through Rotary changed him as a person and made him empathize more with the needs of others. Soon after joining his club, he helped carry out projects that benefited rural communities in India.

Many of you have asked how you can help survivors of the devastating fires in Northern California, the earthquake in Haiti, and Hurricane Ida along the Gulf Coast. Click an option below to learn how you and your club can provide financial assistance to support Rotary -driven relief efforts.

Northern California Wildfires Relief

Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts

Hurricane Ida Relief Efforts

ShelterBox and Rotary officially became project partners in disaster relief in 2012. This partnership is instrumental to Rotary's disaster response strategy. One of the most important elements of the relationship is the opportunity for Rotary members to serve countries affected by disasters. Members can also take action by connecting their own communities with disaster-affected communities worldwide. By working together, we're able to combine resources to support areas immediately after a disaster and make a start on long-term recovery.

Rotary members can help ShelterBox with its emergency disaster relief efforts by:

Raising awareness and funds to help ShelterBox support communities and families in their recovery
Volunteering with ShelterBox to educate others about disaster response and advocate for survivors as they start their recovery
Becoming your club's ShelterBox coordinator to keep up-to-date with developments during an emergency
As your partner, ShelterBox can help attract new members and inspire your community through raising awareness of the impact of our partnership around the world.

To host a fundraising event or to request a presentation for your club, contact a local ShelterBox Ambassador: Jim Carriere, Mitone Griffiths, or Larry Harrison.

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How You Can Help: Disaster Relief Efforts

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