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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 June, everyone! What a busy two months we have had in our District and our clubs! We celebrated our Clubs and their accomplishments at our annual District 5150 Conference. The first in person conference in three years, we were thrilled to celebrate all of you and your hard work in our communities. Congratulations to all of our clubs and for those who received awards for their accomplishments. We also created a video for all our clubs as a thank you to you and your commitment to our communities.

This month began with the opportunity to see our global family in Houston, Texas at our Rotary International Convention. This was the first. . .

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

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 - June 2022

Congratulations to Rotary District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for June 2022, Liane Nicolas, from the Rotary Club of Peninsula Starlight!

Liane is a charter member of Peninsula Starlight, from contributing to the creation of by-laws through introduction and charter parties. She has been on the Rotary rosters for two plus years, but she has been a longtime active member in the Rotary family, participating with her father, Dennis Pettinelli of the Rotary Club of Belmont & Redwood Shores, and her husband, Jonathan Nicolas at the Rotary Club of San Carlos. Over the years, she has supported innumerable fundraisers, projects, events and socials.

2021-22 Club Excellence Award Winners

The Club Excellence Awards serve as a guide for Rotary Clubs to strive for excellence as they create new and better ways of providing service both locally and globally. This year, Rotary clubs submitted award entries into eight categories. These categories measured different functions of each clubs, from outward service to our communities, administration and management, raising Rotary's visibility, engaging with future leaders, and ensuring our members have a fulfilling experience.

Congratulations to all of our winners! Your success is our success and we salute you for all that you accomplished this Rotary Year.

District Governor Message - May 2022

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 support Polio eradication through The Rotary Foundation. Thanks to the many people from multiple districts that joined us for the cruise, and to AmaWaterways for their continued support.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Welcome to Rotary District 5150

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