A very successful Rotary District 5150 District Assembly on March 24th when more than 400 Rotarians signed up for the Action packed Assembly, cheering for the incoming Presidents and District leaders, in one of the best attended Assemblies in recent years.
District Governor Elect Steve Wright unveiled his theme, "Hope in Action", which goes hand-in-hand with Rotary International President Elect Stephanie Urchick's "The Magic of Rotary". DGE Steve called upon Rotarians to share the Magic of Rotary with Hope in Action: work, effort, care, plans, passion, money to make dreams come true, and to make being a Rotarian irresistible! Beloved keynote speaker, Jon Kaufman of H2OpenDoors and Global Water First talked about "A District of Impatient Optimists"; an accurate description of this group of eager Rotarians and an inspiring speech encouraging us to put Hope in Action to make the world a better place.
In addition to the 24 excellent classes covering Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus, Five Avenues of Service and fundamental club administration at the breakout sessions, new this year was the Project Fair. Rotarians and clubs were eager to showcase their signature projects with more than 40 project booths. Our district Rotarians were engaged and excited. The Rotary Club of Foster City Rotarians cooked up the famous ribs, and longtime SF Fisherman’s Wharf member Roger Kaufman treated Project Fair attendees with his delicious Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream.
Colorful international flags served as a backdrop for the Assembly and highlighted Rotary’s reach and influence Worldwide! Special appreciation goes to Bob Jacobsen, who designed, built and painted all the flag poles/stands, and PDG Mary Bates, who led the efforts in purchasing the flags. Bob works behind the scenes for most district technical issues and for the first time, as incoming Chief of Staff, Bob was in front of the mic inviting Presidents-elect to come forward to be celebrated.
PDG Gary Chow presented Tim Mullery, Redwood High School Head Custodian, with our Paul Harris Fellow, thanking him for his help with our many Assemblies. Honoring community contributions with a PHF is an action PDG Gary advocated for during his year!
Thank you to all who attended and helped to make this a successful event. Congratulations to the Presidents-elect and our incoming Leaders! We thank you in advance for your commitment to serve and lead while you put Hope in Action and share The Magic of Rotary!