Wayne Cusick, Past District Governor and Founder of the Paul Harris Society, peacefully took his last breath at 11:25 am on Wednesday, October 30 at his home in La Jolla. I was there with his wife Lee Ann and both daughters and his brother, Rick. Services for Wayne will be held on November 17 at 1:00 pm at St. Pauls Lutheran Church located at 1376 Felspar Street, San Diego, CA 92109. Services will be followed by a reception at the Pacific Beach home of Jennifer and Steve Grebing (daughter and son-in-law). Directions will be provided at the church services.
46th Annual District 5340 Foundation Seminar WHERE: UCSD, Institute of the Americas 10111 N. Torrey Pines Rd. La Jolla, CA 92037 WHEN: November 9, 2019 FREE FLU SHOTS available for Rotarians & guests from 8:00-8:45 am CONTINENTAL BREAKFAST: 8:00 am PROGRAM & CLUB PRESENTATIONS: 8:45 am to 12:00 pm Rotarians $30 Red Badgers $20 Rotaractors $20
Congratulations to the Banner winners for the Rotary Foundation Giving for 2018-19 Rotary Year!
The following clubs will be honored at our District Foundation Seminar on November 9 at UCSD for their outstanding achievements in the following areas:
District 5340 Governor, Marta Knight will help one person's dream come true! Next week, DG, Marta Knight will pick thhe name of a Rotary Superhero ina random drawing.This lucky winner will get to be a 2020 Rotary Rose Parade Float Outwalker! Make sure to check next week's Newsbits to find out who the lucky winner is.
It is my honor to personally invite my fellow Rotarians in District 5340 to get directly involved in the 131-year tradition of participating in the Tournament of Roses. This unique event puts Rotary International in front of over 70 million television viewers annually
One of the most fun ways to signup is to volunteer to decorate the Rotary float itself! This is an excellent way to share your experience with other Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, family members, friends and even prospective new Rotary members. Another way is to purchase tickets to the Rotary Rose Parade Holiday Party on December 30th. This is a special opportunity to have a wonderful dinner ($100/pp) with our 2019-20 Rotary International President, Mark Maloney and his wife Gay, along with 150-200 other fellow Rotarians from around the world. A third alternative would be to make an online donation of any amount to help support the cost of the float. Feel free to participate in one, two or even all three events.
You can visit www.rotaryfloat.org to get more information. Making a dream come true, or just helping others make their dreams come true.....the choice is yours!
The International Travel & Hosting Fellowship of Rotarians (ITHF) has 16 available hotel rooms in their block of rooms for the RI Convention in Honolulu for June 6 - 10, 2020. They are at the Ala Moana Hotel, which is within walking distance of the Ala Moana Convention Center.
These rooms are currently available: one queen bed for $201 per night and rooms with two double beds for $236 per night. There is a surcharge for more than two people in a room. Breakfasts are not included. A deposit of two nights lodging will have to be paid this month.
If you are inerested in securing one of thee rooms, please contact Rotarian Rick Harned at rickharned@gmail.com, ITH Administrator A deposit must be paid by December 1, 2019.
SDSU Rotaract is competing in the SDSU campus-wide initiative, Aztecs Rock Hunger for the 5th year a row as reigning champions, raising more than 9,000 pounds of food in 2018! From October 18 to November 10, 2019 they again will be fighting against food insecurity and need your help.
What is Aztecs Rocks Hunger?
Aztecs Rock Hunger is a SDSU university-wide initiative where they raise pounds of food to collect and donate to the San Diego Jacobs & Cushman Food Bank. Additionally, they are able to donate 20% of the monetary donations and support their SDSU Economic Crisis Response Team as well as support their A.S. Mobile Food Pantry through the help of this campaign.
How to Support
To donate online, anyone can visit their website. On the website, you will find a Online Virtual Food Pantry option to make donations. Once a donor has decided how much they want to donate, they need to stipulate who/organization they are donating on behalf of. In the box that says "Virtual Food Drive," donors need to put "SDSU Rotaract" and their chapter will receive credit.
Check out this video for more in-depth information.
Congratulations to Jessie Case, District 5340 Rotaract Representative, on being selected as one of 60 Rotaractors from around the globe to participate in the final two days of the 2020 International Assembly. She was selected from over 400 applicants. Jessie will have the opportunity to share, learn, and grow her Rotary experience alongside Governors-Elect from around the world.
Flu season is here, and the flu is making people sick in our community. As of late October, there have been two flu-related deaths and 362 cases reported in the County.
Flu can make you very sick and cause you to miss work, school and other activities. You might get so sick you have to be hospitalized. Every year, some people die from the flu-related complications, like pneumonia. Last season, 77 people died from complications from the flu and there was a total of 9,655 cases reported.
Unfortunately the flu is very easily spread. Someone with the flu can spread the virous to others up to six feet away. And you can get it and spread it to others even before you have symptoms. Some people like seniors, young children and those with chronic health conditions like heart problems, asthma and other lung conditions are especially vulnerable to flu-related complications.
There is an easy way to reduce your chances of catching and spreading flu. Rotary's Don't Wait Vaccinate Committee highly recommends you get the flu vaccine. It's widely available now throughout the county, including physician offices, clinics, retail pharmacies, County Public Health Centers and other locations. Free flu shots will be available at the Rotary Foundation Seminar on November 9.
Because of the surge in new polio cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Indian Government has announced they will hold one Polio National Immunization Day (NID) in mid-January 2020. This will likely be the last time a Rotarian can participate in an Indian Polio NID.
There is limited amount of space and we expect the NID trip to be filled within the next few weeks. Many Rotarians have enquired over the years on how they too can participate in an NID trip. This is their chance! Please let everyone know in your club about this life-changing opportunity!
Rotarians will travel to Delhi, India, where they will participate in the polio NID activities and attend other related Rotary events. The trip includes travel to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal, and Jaipur to visit the famous Rotary Jaipur Limb Factory.
Date of Departure: Friday, January 10, 2020
Date of Return: Tuesday, January 21, 2020
Per Person Costs based on double occupancy is $2,499 which includes
hotels transfers, Rotary events, participation in the NID activities,
most meals, sightseeing.
The above price does not include international roundtrip airfare or Indian Visa fees
The group size will be limited and confirmation in the program is on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who are planning to join us should take immediate action. Over the last two years, this program sold out in less than two weeks.
Click here for an informational document, including application. The material is also available on the Howard Tour's website.
International Assembly, the final week-long training session for incoming District Governors-Elect from around the world, is scheduled once again here in San Diego!
Please join us on Sunday, January 19 for a fun day as we welcome Rotarians and their partners to San Diego. To sign-up, click here.
There will be three (3) shifts at the San Diego International Airport to meet passengers as they arrive in the baggage areas and three (3) shifts at the Hyatt Hotel to greet the governors-elect at the hotel. The shifts will be from 8:00 am to 11:00 am; 10:30 am to 1:30 pm; and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
For more information, contact Susan Rezner by email at susanrezner@sbglobal.net or by phone at (858) 336-6474.
The Rotary Club of San Diego Coastal is "throwing" a fundraiser. They want to try something unusual and stress reliving - axe throwing - all for a great cause! The event will be held on Wednesday, November 6, 2019 from 6-8:00 pm at Battle Axe, 6330 Riverdale Street, San Diego, CA 92120 (Mission Gorge - Close to HWY 15 and Friars Road).
Participants will be coached by ax-perts in the fine art of axe throwing. You will get to practice and then compete in the games. Sounds unusual, right? See it in action - watch video. This is a creative fundraiser. The cost is $35 per ticket if purchased before November 6. It will be $40 at the door. This event is open to anyone over 18 years of age and 10-17 years of age with guardian present. Great pizza, pasta, and salad from Filippi's is included. Water and soft drinks are also included (sorry no alcoholic beverages while throwing axes around).
Proceeds will be used to support youth leadership through RYLA, LEAD and MUN programs for kids. To purchase tickets, click here.
The Rotary Clubs of Carlsbad and Coronado will be holding information meetings about Rotary's Youth Exchange Programs in preparation for the upcoming exchange year 2020-2021. These meetings are open to qualified high school students in San Diego County who are interested in youth exchange as an avenue to expand their life, enhance their cultural awareness, and be a world ambassador.
The meetings will be held on Wednesday, October 30 at 6:00 pm at both Carlsbad and Coronado locations Fliers providing details about the information can be obtained below by clicking on the location you prefer.
Save the date and register NOW to host District Governors Elect (DGEs) coming to San Diego for the last time. The International Assembly will be moving to Florida after the January 22, 2020 event. Help make this the most memorable Host Hospitality night ever! Host two or 50! We need your help individually or as a club to pick up DGEs from the hotel, provide dinner and fellowship for a few hours and return to the hotel by 10:00 p.m. Click on the link below to register. Contact Michelle Candland for details.
Registration link. Go to the bottom and click on "information for District 5340 Host Rotarians" and sign up,
Cygnet Theatre is hosting a Rotary night for each of their upcoming season plays; the first event is Friday, November 1 at 8:00 pm to see the musical, The Last Five Years. The theatre is setting aside $10 for each ticket purchased to go towards their Student Matinee educational programs. Each year they bring groups of high school students in for free to see live theatre (often for the first time) and provide an on-campus pre and post program.
If interested, please share with your respective clubs and others as this is open to all Rotarians. See above for season offerings . Use coupon code SDROTARY when purchasing tickets. Tickets: (619) 337-1525 or visit the theatre's website.
It's time to register for Rotary Day at the United Nations. This year's theme is "Connecting for Good," and the event will focus on community-based solutions to the global refugee crisis. Mark your calendars for November 9th and take part in this wonderful event.
Find full information about Rotary Day at the UN and registration details by clicking here.
District 5340 Rotary Golf League announces its first fun tournament on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 at Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf Course.
It will be a shotgun start at 1:00 pm and will cost each player $65. There will be a match play between clubs which will continue through the year until our final tournament at the District Conference in April 2020.
For more information, and/or to sign up a team from your club, contact tournament director, Bret Geernaert at geeraertb@yahoo.com or 858 354-9002.
The Rotary Friendship Exchange program, introduced in 1984, allows Rotarians the opportunity to experience another culture or geographic area first hand, in another country or a different part of the USA. The goals of the program are to advance human understanding, goodwill, and peace through person-to-person contact across national and regional boundaries. A Friendship Exchange differs from most tourist experiences in two notable ways: team members stay in the homes of Rotarians, and they are guided during their stay in a given locale by their hosts and other local Rotarians. Rotary Friendship Exchange is funded entirely by the program participants, and exchanges are carried out at no expense to Rotary International.
Exchanges are reciprocal, meaning that we send a team to another Rotary district (outbound) and that district, in return, sends a team to visit us here in District 5340 (inbound). Each visit to the other district lasts about two weeks. Given District 5340's interest in service, we strive to share and involve inbound team members in the delivery of local services. We encourage our outbound teams to seek service opportunities in the districts they are visiting.
Be a part of this unique program, either as a member of an outgoing team or by hosting an inbound team. Trips are forming for 2020. Check out the District 5340 RFE page or send an email to our RFE chair at d5340rfe@gmail.com.
Have you ever wanted to make a huge, life-changing impact on the lives of others...in the comfort of your pajamas? You can be a "maestro" and make a meaningful and lasting impact on star students from just across the border! The Rotary Club of La Jolla has a need for teachers to assist for only one hour a week with their scholars lab in Tijuana. You don't have to know Spanish. All classes are taught via Skype to students selected as the "best" in their classes, based on their success in their primary schools. It's a successful, proven program and it needs YOU, and, its FUN!
For more information, including a robust job description, please contact Dr. Davis Shaw at drshaw@sbcglobal.net. Click here for a quick look at the program video. It will take a few minutes to download.
Ride the hidden, unridden, and forbidden Point Loma to support pancreatic cancer research. The Point Loma Rotary Club is hosting its 7th Annual Jim Krause Memorial Charity Ride the Point on November 9, 2019. The bike ride starts and ends at Liberty Station and traverses exclusive scenic bike routes around beautiful San Diego. The ride includes 10/25/62 mile distances to accommodate different levels of bicycling experience. This local all-volunteer ride has raised over $135,000 for pancreatic cancer research at UCSD Moores Cancer Center.
The public is invited to the free healthy lifestyle expo at Oggis in Liberty Station from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm with local vendors, music and refreshments. For more information on Ride the Point, visit the event website or follow us on Facebook.
District 5495 invites all District 5340 Rotarians to attend their annual USA/Mexico Friendship and Global Grants Exchange Conference being held November 7-11, 2019 at the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Participants will tour the rim at Grand Canyon Village, See Kolb Studios, and have time to hike, bike or just spend time contemplating on of the most spectacular natural wonders in the world. Saturday night will feature a down home western BBQ at Big E's Steakhouse.
The venue for their conference meetings and lodgings is the Grand Canyon Squire Inn at the entrance of the park in Tusayan. This conference is the perfect opportunity to get involved in Rotary Foundation Global Grants. Bring a project from your own club or a cash commitment and find an international project to sponsor. Your members will have a fantastic time taking action, doing good in the world and making new Rotary friends. Plus, they'll learn so much from the experienced grant teams in both host districts.
The Rotary Club of Pakuranga invites you to join the Ultimate 18 Day Rotary Tour of New Zealand, slated for September 11-28, 2020. The Tour key highlights are:
Tour includes two meals in Rotarians' homes and two Rotary meeting visits.
Tour size is limited to 26 persons (within a 30/33 seater coach).
Accomodations will be 4-5 star facilities and includes all breakfasts.
Two-night stays in all big city stopovers and "not too early" start times.
A professional "Top Tour Guide" will travel with you throughout the tour.
The 18 day tour includes both the North and South Islands of New Zealand
The La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club is working on an opportunity for Rotarians of District 5340 to walk the Camino de Santiago in the Spring of 2020. Spanish Steps owner, Judy Colaneri, has offered to provide a one-week, van-supported journey along the Camino.
Since the 10th Century, pilgrims have made their way to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, via a network of trails known as the Camino de Santiago. In the Spring of 2017, Rotarians and spouses from District 5340 walked this pilgrimage as a fundraiser for La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club with the help of Spanish Steps, a Spain-based tour company which focuses on Camino de Santiago walking tours. This journey will be repeated this Spring with all profits going to the La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club for service projects.
The special promotion discount available to Rotarians for next year's RI convention in Hawaii has expired. However, there is continued good news - there is a reduced early registration fee for those who register by December 15, 2019. Registration is available to Rotarians with a My Rotary account online at http://www.riconvention.org/en/honolulu. To see video highlighting next year's convention click here.
Photo: Mark McAnelly (L) and Stan Vogelsang traveled down to San Quentin in Baja along with Jerry Hosenkamp to participate in the VIIDAI public health project.
A team of Old Mission Rotary traveled to San Quentin Baja over the weekend of October 25-27 to participate in the ViIDAI semi-annual public health program. Their team consisted of Stan Vogelsang, Jerry Hosenkamp and Mark MCAnelly. Wildfires along the Mexican coast re-routed their convoy inland and extended their five-hour trip into 10 hours! Old Mission Rotary funded a 15 passenger van that Mark McAnelly used to drive students from the SDSU School of Public Health to the project.
The Viajes Institucional Integración Docente Asistencial Investigación IVIIDAI) program is a collaboration between the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California (UABC) Medical School, San Diego State University (SDSU) School of Public Health and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) Medical School. VIIDAI's mission is to create an opportunity for students and faculty from these three universities to work together to provide medical services and public health education to migrant farm worker communities in Baja, California. The migrant farmers that work in the tomato plantations of San Quentin are Mixtec Indians from Oaxaca who speak their native Indian language.
Old Mission Rotary has participated by partnering with the Colonia Lomas de San Ramon Escuela Primaria Bilingue Salvador Diaz Miron Elementary School. The school has evolved to become the center of the community life. Old Mission Rotary teams ask what the leaders of the school need and want and then work to provide it by coordinating local construction contractors who hire local workers and buy supplies in the community.
Over the past 15 years, Old Mission Rotary has funded a kitchen, library, computer lab and a lunch patio shade structure. Old Mission Rotary paid to paint the school and install toilets and electrical lighting. A huge recent improvement was a water purification system that Old Mission Rotary helped to fund that now supplies clean water distribution piping. The schools kitchen was recently vandalized and so the Club will be funding a new secure kitchen with secure concreate and steel walls.
Special thanks to the remarkable Rotarians who participated in this important International Service project for Old Mission Rotary.
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The Rotary Friendship Exchange program, introduced in 1984, allows Rotarians the opportunity to experience another culture or geographic area first hand, in another country or a different part of the USA. The goals of the program are to advance human understanding, goodwill, and peace through person-to-person contact across national and regional boundaries. A Friendship Exchange differs from most tourist experiences in two notable ways: team members stay in the homes of Rotarians, and they are guided during their stay in a given locale by their hosts and other local Rotarians. Rotary Friendship Exchange is funded entirely by the program participants, and exchanges are carried out at no expense to Rotary International.
