Share your LOVE for the Rotary!
Please take a moment to say a blessing for everyone in Lahaina Hawaii. This devastating wildfire rushed through the historic town of Lahaina, leaving nothing in its path. I would encourage our members to reach out to our fellow Rotary club of Lahaina to see if we can offer support from our club.
I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Old Spanish Days celebration in Santa Barbara. If any of our fellow Rotarians have any pictures of themselves with family or friends "dropping it like it's hot" please send them to Chris Clemens or Connie Green.
Please get loud about our efforts to support the Youth Foster's program of Santa Barbara. Often kids are removed from abusive homes in the middle of the night with nothing but what they're wearing at that moment, maybe some pajamas and that's it. Our club is leading the Rotary Cares Duffel Bag Project, lending a helping hand by donating 100 overnight/travel bags for these kids to call their very own. The cost of each bag is $107.00. If you would like to get involved and donate a bag, please email Jennifer LeMert at
jlemert@fnf.com. Thank you to Jennifer LeMert and all members that are actively working on this beautiful project.
Upcoming events, Fundraiser for Ukraine, "Eyes of War – Eyes of Hope" 100 Portraits of Ukrainian Refugees by Rich Wilkie, Santa Barbara Artist and Alex Gorelik, San Juan Bautista Artist. The event will start for viewing August 15th thru 18th from 10am to 4pm. Our fellow Rotarian Rich Wilke has asked for volunteers to help set up the reception Friday August 18th, 4pm to 8pm. The event will be located at 631 Garden Street – Community Arts Workshop. Please reach out to Rich Wilke at
rich@richwilkie.com for more event information. All profits from the event will be donated to the people of Ukraine through local non-profits.
Back to School Joint Service Project, Sunrise Rotary and Kiwanis are holding a collaboration service project to clothe 100 children from Cleveland School. The event will be held on Saturday August 12, 2023, from 7:30am to 11:00am at 1137 State Street (Old Navy), Santa Barbara. Kiwanis and Rotarian volunteers will work together to help children and their parents shop for a pair of shoes, clothes, and a jacket at Old Navy. All children will also receive a new backpack full of school supplies and enjoy a meal courtesy of McDonalds. To participate, and last-minute information please reach out to Diana Washburn at
dianajeansb@gmail.com.
Upcoming speaker August 18, The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara is pleased to welcome Past District Governor Wade Nomura to address our club regarding Rotary International's efforts to bring fresh water to Haiti. Wade is a well-known international speaker and workshop leader who has experience as a global humanitarian, community leader, successful businessman and champion athlete. Wade has presented to over 200,000 people across 15 countries, illuminating on how to maximize success, create impactful projects, and enhance team performance, through presentations ranging from conference keynotes to hands on workshops. To learn more about Wade Nomura and his international Rotarian impact, register for the event and come prepared to be amazed!
Be sure to check out the Rotary International Website and projects around the globe. A couple interesting highlights…
United States - At Folsom State Prison in California, small groups of inmates have shifted gears through a project of the nearby Rotary Club of Cameron Park. Since 2007 the club in the Sacramento area has collected used bicycles and delivered them to Folsom, where inmates repair them. Rotarians deliver as many as 500 of the refashioned rides each year to school children from low-income households and to organizations serving homeless people, veterans, refugees, and families displaced by wildfires. “The bike refurbishing program not only provides valuable skills and opportunities for our inmates, but it also allows them to give back to our community in a meaningful way,” notes Tracy Johnson, Folsom’s acting warden. “Although it’s a step toward rehabilitation, it’s a big leap toward creating positive change.” The club spends about $1,200 a year on the project. “I look at this as a win-win program,” says Don Fuller, the club’s immediate past president. “We’re picking up bikes that people don’t want. The inmates get a sense of satisfaction.”
(Information credited to Rotary International) Uruguay - The Rotary Club of Fray Bentos scooped up 320 servings of paella during a cook-off that has raised thousands of dollars for activities since 2016. Under the guidance of chef Eduardo Casales of La Tomasa restaurant, 23 of the club’s members peeled and cut vegetables to fill giant pans with the rice dish in April during this year’s event, which raised about $2,800. The secret ingredient? “The high quality of the inputs used added to the flavor that maintains this traditional paella,” along with the charitable deeds enabled by the proceeds, says Alfredo Batista Fernández, a past club president. The club, which maintains a bank of wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes loaned at no charge to people in need, has devoted the proceeds from the food sales to related causes, including the construction of 16 wheelchair-accessible ramps throughout the city of Fray Bentos, as well as at schools.
(Information credited to Rotary International) Indonesia - The Rotary Club of Jakarta Metropolitan has offered free health checkups since 2015 for older people, mothers and their children, and others. For its eighth medical fair in February, the club expanded its screenings to include homeless people. X-rays detected signs of tuberculosis, bronchitis, or pneumonia in 97 of the 223 people screened. The club followed up to help them overcome barriers to treatment. “Our solution is to involve the civil registry service office to help with the homeless peoples’ identification so that they can apply for government insurance and later go to a hospital,” says club member Inne Ongkodjojo. “From this incident, we see the need to provide for public health screening, especially for TB, which has a fast and widespread transmission,” says Arry Basuseno, the club’s immediate past president.
(Information credited to Rotary International) The theme this year is engagement and share your love for the Rotary. I highly encourage our members to get active and learn something new about the Rotary. Small steps forward to support the Santa Barbara Rotary Board, The Santa Barbara Rotary Foundation, a committee or be a part of a service project will build confidence and camaraderie within our club. Thank you to everyone, members and all that support the Santa Barbara Rotary Club.
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