ROTARY CLUB OF SANTA BARBARA

Serving Santa Barbara And The World Since 1918.

CLUB MEETINGS

Rotary Club of Santa Barbara Meeting

First and third Friday of each month.


Costa Kitchen and Bar at the Mar Monte Hotel

1111 East Cabrillo, Santa Barbara, CA 
View our Calendar to see upcoming meeting dates.
Time: 12:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

ABOUT THE ROTARY CLUB OF SANTA BARBARA

The Rotary Club of Santa Barbara was chartered by Rotary International on January 1, 1918 and has been serving those in need in Santa Barbara, our region, and the world since.

Our Club Members are dedicated to community service projects, both at home and abroad, including supporting foster youth in Santa Barbara County, working with Mayan families in Guatemala, and more.

Rotary Club of Santa Barbara members are a diverse group of local leaders in business, non-profits, education, government, and more.

Are you interested in making Santa Barbara, and the world a better place. Join our next meeting and talk with members about how to get involved!
UPCOMING EVENTS
RECENT ROTARY NEWS
Message from Prez Jim
Happy Monday fellow Rotarians.  Today is a holiday celebrating the life and teachings of famed civil rights leader Martin Luther King.  I can still remember, as a 14 year old, hearing the news of Dr. King’s assassination in Memphis in March, 1968, and the terrible violence that broke out across America.  America has changed a lot since those turbulent times, but I think we can all agree that we still have more to do. 
 
Today is also Inauguration Day in frigid Washington DC.  No matter who you were for in the last election, it’s a time to celebrate our representative democracy, and the orderly changing of power once again, for the 60th time in our nation’s history. 
 
We do not have a meeting this week, but will be back together on Friday, January 31, when Mayor Randy Rowse will be speaking to the club.  This will be a great meeting to bring prospective members and guests, but please remember to RSVP as soon as possible so we can have an accurate count for lunch.  The invitation you will receive has a link to RSVP, so it is very easy.
 
Last week’s meeting featured Kathy Gruver, who did a wonderful job talking about the causes of stress in our lives and ways to deal with its effects.  Kathy was funny, engaging and thoughtful, and I would have loved to have her speak longer.
 
Enjoy your week,
 
Jim
Message from the Prez
Message from the Prez
 
It’s 4:30 PM on Monday afternoon and I finally found time to write this week’s message from the President. 
 
Over the last few days, I have driven twice the Los Angeles area and had the opportunity to observe the massive fires from the safe confines of my car on the freeway.  It brought back memories of fires we have had here on the South Coast.  Such as the Tea Fire, the Jesusita Fire, and the Thomas Fire.  It now looks like more than two dozen people lost their lives, and over 12,000 homes have been destroyed. Hopefully, the winds in the next couple days will not reignite these fires and cause more destruction.
 
You should have all received an email from District Governor Sherry Sim about Rotarian efforts to help victims of the fire.  In case you missed the email, here is a link to the District Website where you can contribute to this effort: https://rotarydistrict5240.org/
 
We resume our regular meeting schedule this week with a meeting on Friday.  To help all of us fulfill our New Year’s Resolutions, our speaker will be Kathy Gruver, an internationally recognized speaker and motivational powerhouse.  It should be a great program.
 
And two weeks later, we are honored to have our Mayor Randy Rowse address our club about the state of Santa Barbara.  This should be a great opportunity to find out directly about what’s going to happen on State Street, fire protection in Santa Barbara, and what the City is doing about homelessness and affordable housing.
 
Enjoy your week and I’ll see you on Friday.
 
Jim
 
 
 
Message from the Prez
 
It’s another beautiful day in Santa Barbara!
 
I hope everyone was able to enjoy a beautiful weekend and enjoy the beautiful weather. I was able to fly on both Saturday and Sunday and the visibility was amazing.
 
In lieu of our normal meeting last Friday, a few club members joined me on a walk around the waterfront, braving the big waves on the breakwater and then dodging tourists on Stearns Wharf.  Afterwards we had a nice leisurely lunch at the Shoreline Café and several members took me up on my offer to buy the first round of drinks.  My Negra Modelo tasted great!  I was so inspired, that I joined the Friday night Happy Hour group at Finney’s in Goleta.
 
Since it is the second Friday of the month, we will not be having a meeting this week, but will start back up on Friday, January 17.  Our speaker that week will be internationally recognized speaker and motivational power house Kathy Gruver. It should be a great way to start the New Year.  And on January 31, Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse will be joining us to provide a State of the City report.
 
Enjoy your week and I’ll see you on the 17th.
Hub -- December 30, 2024
Good morning fellow Rotarians.  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas holiday and are enjoying some time off.
 
We had a fantastic holiday party on December 19.  Great food, entertainment and fellowship.  Was so good to see so many Rotarians enjoying themselves and celebrating the holiday season together.  A big thanks to Marlee King and the Club Service Committee for planning such a wonderful event.
 
We are starting the New Years with a walk this Friday in lieu of our normal lunch meeting.  Meet fellow Rotarians at the Shoreline Café at noon to walk out on the breakwater and then on to Stearns Wharf before returning for some New Years cheer back at the Shoreline Café.  Hope you can make it.
 
We have some great programs later in January, including inspirational speaker Dr. Kathy Gruver on January 17 to inspire us for the year and Mayor Randy Rowse on January 31 to update us on all the things going on in the City. Both meetings would be a great opportunity to invite guests or potential new members. 
 
Enjoy your week and hope to see you this Friday.
 
Happy New Years!