On Thursday evening, June 30 something magical happened - the transfer of responsibility from the outgoing Governor to the Governor-Elect. All of this set before 400 Rotarians representing all the clubs within the district. It was a night of great celebration and fellowship. President-elects were sworn in as well as the new governor, all under the backdrop of RI President Jennifer Jones' new theme of "Imagine Rotary" welcoming the 2022-2023 Rotary year.
Outgoing Governor Dan Gensler highlighted the many accomplishments of his year including a world-class District Conference and the partnership with Project Mercy with several homes being built by Rotarians in Mexico. Telling a story of its own is the combined effort of all Rotarians in District 5340 in achieving some significant milestones: A total of 650 projects were conducted this past year providing 60,000 volunteer hours and reinvesting $2.5 million back into our local communities.
There is no celebration without a lot of recognition and this night was no exception. Congratulations are extended to District 5340 Rotarian of the Year Maria Fernanda Torres Garcia, Rotaractor of the Year Derren Lechuga and City Heights Rotaract Club named Rotaract Club of the Year. Three clubs earned recognition as Clubs of the Year in the small, medium and large categories and they were Coronado Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Del Mar and the San Diego Evening Rotary Club. Marge Cole received the Service Above Self and received a standing ovation for all her work. People of Action Awards were given to Rachel Hopkins, PR Chair and Jeb Bakke, International Chair.
What a sendoff of the prior Rotary year and the welcoming the new Rotary. Congratulations to all.
