Left to right: Bill Highland, Speech Contest Chair, Eliza - 1st Place; Angelyn - 2nd Place; Yenedith - 3rd Place; Aiden Berg - 4th Place; Steve Turner, District Governor
The 2025 District Speech Contest Winners Wowed at District Assembly
This year's District Speech Contest showcased four outstanding young people sharing their presentations on this year's theme, The Magic of Service. And, they hit it out of the park (as they say!)!! It was an incredible morning of listening to four very inspirational speeches by this group of outstanding high school students from across District 5180.
The event was made even more special and meaningful by having a group of Toastmasters International members serve as judges for the contest. These judges have many years of experience and training in Toastmasters and definitely raised the bar by providing their insights and input on the judging process. Rotary is pleased to have a partnership with Toastmasters with the opportunity to work together on our annual Speech Contest.
This year's Toastmasters judges included: George Jarosik (Head Judge), Robert Canthony, Andy Redick, Bill Inman (drove all the way from Reno!) and Dory Cox. Thank you for giving of your time to be a part of the Speech Contest.
A special treat was our own Peter Schroeder who performed his original song, "The Magic of Service" as part of the Speech Contest at District Assembly. What talent!! Thank you, Peter! You can hear his song on the YouTube link below.
Here are the YouTube videos of each of the winners presentations. They are well worth the time to listen and hear how each student addressed this year's theme.
And, finally, a BIG THANK YOU to all of the clubs who participated in this year's contest with a special THANK YOU to our Speech Contest Chair, Bill Highland, who truly shows us what 'Service Above Self' is all about.
Rotary Passport One got some awesome coverage for their very first fundraiser, the Crawfish Boil and Mardi Gras Celebration taking place on March 28.
Alex Fenner, from Rotary Passport One, and Anthony Trejo, from Active 20-30 Club, discuss this very special event and all the plans to raise funds for Bigger Than Us (BTU) Arts, a local nonprofit making the arts available to all youth providing instruments, lessons and so much more.
Attendance is limited to 100....yes, only 100 for this first Passport One fundraiser...so get your tickets now because you don't want to miss it!!! (Click here to purchase tickets!)
First Annual Crawfish Boil and Mardi Gras Celebration
Our District 5180 Rotary Youth Exchange program, chaired by Jeannine Sparks, was recently recognized for its work and activities by receiving a Silver Achievement Award!! Congratulations and well done!!!
The North American Youth Exchange Network (NAYEN) Annual Achievement Awards recognizes individual Rotary Districts participating in a variety of activities which cumulatively help create stronger Rotary Youth Exchange programs.
NAYEN sees these Annual Awards as a means to nurture the development of and cultivate participation in Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) programs.
The Rotary Club of Arden Arcade raised $35,000 in order to place 12 life-saving AEDs (defibrillators) in 12 local parks throughout District 5180. They are designed for an 8 year old to be able to call 911, get the code to open the unit and follow the directions!
Very nice and truly a lifesaver for potential cardiac incidents at local parks. Well done, Rotarians!!!
We have watched as our neighbors and friends in Southern California face one of the worst disasters our state has ever seen with the recent wildfires. In response to those impacted, our District reached out to local Rotary Districts 5300 and 5280 to see how best we could help and support the many Rotarians who have lost their livelihoods as well as their homes and possessions.
Working together with our District's Disaster Foundation, chaired by PDG Desiree Wilson, we are recommending that our Clubs and members directly support our fellow Districts and their wildfire relief efforts.
Here are the links to the District 5280 and 5300 wildfire disaster relief websites where you can donate:
Our fellow Rotarians have lost everything so our support means even more as the recovery from these wildfires will be long-lasting and take months and years to find a new normal after all they have been through.
I know they would do the same if our members and families were facing a similar devastating event.
In advance, my thanks for showing our true District 5180 Rotary spirit to help our fellow Rotarians and families as they recover and rebuild.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me either by email (stevet5180@gmail.com) or by phone at (916) 599-2402.
The best leadership training experience you will have (say our past attendees)!!
On February 1 & 2, 2025, at Sierra College, Rocklin, you will have the opportunity to learn skills and gain understanding of business and project planning, leadership, effective communication and facilitation skills that will benefit you at work, home and Rotary!
Registration is Now OPEN for District Conference 2025
Hosted by Districts 5180 and 5300
The Magic of Rotary will be in full swing at the 2025 District Conference at Disneyland Hotel Resort, 1150 W. Magic Way, Anaheim, on Saturday, April 12, 2025, with a full day of outstanding speakers, breakout sessions, music, food and fun.
In addition, before the start of our opening session at 12:00 Noon on Saturday, a special Disney Leadership Institute training session will be held at 9:00 am for those interested in attending.
There are also a couple optional events hosted by District 5300 that you are invited to attend if you want to arrive Friday afternoon (see the conference registration link for more information on the two optional events).
TWO STEP REGISTRATION!
HOTEL REGISTRATION:
Make your room reservation now! The special rate for the conference is $369.00. A limited number of rooms are reserved at this rate. To secure a room, please contact the Disneyland® Resort by booking online 24/7 at https://www.mydisneygroup.com/GDDD25Aor calling (714) 520-5005, Monday - Friday, from 8 am to 5 pm PST.
IMPORTANT: You must indicate you are with District 5300 when registering for your hotel room!! Do not state you are with District 5180!! (This is due to a constraint we have with the resort so thank you for your attention to this detail.)
Reservations must be made by Thursday, March 20, 2025, our cutoff date or before the group rooms are sold out, so do not delay. Prevailing rates may apply after this date or when the group rooms are sold out, whichever occurs first. Rooms are subject to availability.
***Beginning Monday, October 21, 2024 you will be able to use the same link to purchase Discounted Special Group Theme Park Tickets. The online ticket store will close Thursday, April 10, 2025, at 9:00 pm. These special ticket prices are NOT available once you arrive at the Resort.
Bring your family and friends along so they can benefit from the specially-priced tickets!
CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:
Click here to register for the District Conference. As noted on the registration page, everyone from District 5180 will register under "Guest Registration."
The cost of the conference (which includes lunch, dinner, breakouts and the special Disney Leadership Institute Training session) is $238.00.
Looking for the perfect experience for a 15 to 18 year old person to have that will change them forever??
It's Rotary Youth Exchange's (RYE) long-term and short-term exchanges to see another country, learn about another culture and language....and so much more!!
Applications are now open for prospective Rotary Youth Exchange students for the 2025-26 school year. Go to our website.... www.rye5180.org.... for more information and to start the application process.
Applications are due by October 15, 2024, or the date determined by your sponsoring club.
Questions?? Reach out to Jeannine Sparks, District 5180 Rotary Youth Exchange Chairperson, at: chair@rye5180.org
Rotary Youth Exchange - An Opportunity of a Lifetime
You are invited to join your fellow Rotarians and friends as we celebrate the United Nations International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 21, 2024, with a special program organized by our District's Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee.
Through its Peace Centers and Peace Fellows, Rotary has a long history of promoting peace and remains committed to creating lasting change that improves lives and creates a more peaceful world.
On September 21, from 9:00 am to 12:00 Noon, we are celebrating the Day of Peace with guest speaker, Dr. Preston Lindsay, a highly respected peace and conflict scholar, and a panel of dynamic youth leaders sharing their thoughts on what it means to promote peace in our communities.
Dr. Lindsay's presentation, A Culture of Connectivity: How to Have A Peaceful Thanksgiving Dinner, will be timely and meaningful as we consider what each of us can do to promote and maintain peace whether at home or across the globe.
Dr Lindsay is a scholar and educator specializing in peace and conflict studies, social entrepreneurship, and community development. He holds a Ph.D. in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Manitoba, an MA in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University, and a BS in Social Science Education from Brigham Young University-Idaho.
Currently, Dr. Lindsay is focused on developing a peace center, peace curricula for secondary education, and expanding research on grassroots-level peace indicators.
You will want to set aside the morning of September 21 to hear Dr. Lindsay and our youth panel at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd, Sacramento. Be watching for signs directing you to the building location.
This event is free and open to all so invite your family and friends!
Stephanie Urchick, our 2024-2025 Rotary President, hails from Pittsburg, PA, brings her vision to Rotary of being irresistible. That means the "experience is so compelling, so fun, so dynamic that people are drawn to it and don't want to leave." (Rotary, July 2024, p21) That is part of what drives her theme for this year -- The Magic of Rotary. She says members create that magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member of Rotary.
as the 2023 Bernard Osher Philanthropist of the Year
On April 3, 2024, the Network of California Community College Foundations honored the Rotary Foundation and the Rotary Clubs of California as the 2023 Bernard Osher Philanthropist of the Year.
“This house is a huge hug for a lot of families that come in,” said UC Davis social worker Courtney Corbitt, who has partnered with the Oak Park Rotary House Foundation to identify patient families in need of long-term temporary housing.
