We have had a few major Rotary District events this year:  Rotary District Avenues of Service, Rotary Presidential Dinner with President-Elect Jennifer Jones, and Women in Rotary.  However, the granddaddy of our Rotary District events annually has been and will be our Rotary District Conference.  All of our club and district leaders have had a challenging time this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  As we welcome the Spring and hopefully the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, our Rotary Clubs are getting out of the dark and are welcoming back our Rotarians back to the in-person and/or hybrid meetings. 

 

What a great opportunity we have in getting back to normal than attending our annual District Conference from April 22 to 24, 2022.  We will kick off the District Conference with lunch on Friday, April 22, 2022, at the Blackhawk Museum in Danville, California.  I invite all Rotarians in our District to come together and re-ignite our passion for fun and fellowship with lots of entertainment and music.  On Friday and Saturday evenings, our Rotarians will be able to enjoy fun and fellowship at the Hospitality Suites at the hotel where the North (Areas 1 to 5) will battle the South (Areas 6 to 10) for the famous Cupertino Cup.  The Rotary Club of Niles-Fremont will also be introducing a new trophy, the Uni-Tea Cup, to be awarded to a club that shows the most spirit and unity by coming with a large group of Rotarians to the Conference. 

 

By registering to attend, you will enjoy the diversity of our District by the performance of Chinese, Indian and Serbian cultural groups singing and dancing on stage.  You will be delighted to see our District Interactors in action by competing for prizes in-person under our Interact Talent Contest on Saturday dinner, April 23, 2022, and under Richard D. King Speech Contest on Sunday brunch, April 24, 2022.  Our District’s talented Rotarians will entertain you at the House of Friendship where you will be able to reconnect with old friends and make new friends while enjoying project showcase by our Rotary Clubs and purchasing Rotary merchandise from the Rotary vendors.  You can see the list of the entertainers on our District Conference website:  dc.rotarydistrict5170.org.  If your club would like to have a booth, you can complete the registration form for House of Friendship which follows this article in the newsletter.

 

On Friday evening, April 22, 2022, we will have a collaborative fundraising effort between our District, the Wheelchair Foundation, and the Ana and Vlade Divac Humanitarian Organization to raise funds to support the establishment of the Mohanji Peace Center in Serbia and to ship one container of 280 wheelchairs there.  “A Pathway to Peace” fundraiser will offer a VIP reception, live and silent auctions featuring National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer in Vlade Divac, former Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings star with other NBA Celebrities.