Dear fellow Rotarians and friends,
Our District has an amazing first quarter of creating hope in the world, in our communities and in our clubs – many service projects, locally and internationally, have been championed by our members! I have visited 38 out of the 63 Clubs in our District. Each Club is unique in its culture and style, however, Service-Above-Self is front and center in each Club!
A heartfelt Thank-You from Maui was shared in this newsletter - Rotary International Disaster Relief Grant, United Way, CVS/Long’s, and individual Rotary Clubs from near and far all work together to support Maui fire survivors in rebuilding their lives. A special shout out to the Rotary Club of Santa Cruz Sunrise that provided “Rotary at Work” vests and hats for Rotarians in Maui to wear when volunteering at Disaster Relief Centers!
During my District Governor Visit, I often start with a question: What does the District do for you (Club and its members)? The well-attended Avenues of Service (AOS) event at West Valley Community College on Saturday 9/30/23 was an example of what the District does for Clubs and Rotarians – learning and collaborating opportunities and fun networking get-togethers! AOS offered eight informative Breakout Sessions ranging from Grant Training to Membership, a Project Fair showcasing a variety of service programs, and the Lunch Program was an introduction of two non-profit organizations (World Vision for International Service & Ambassadors of Compassion for Teen Mental Health). Breakfast and Lunch were enjoyed with fellowship chat, cheerleading performance, raffle drawing and live auction! Thanks to AOS Chair Geeta Kadambi and her team of dedicated, creative, and fun Rotarians! All presentations from the Breakout Sessions will be posted on the District Website soon – thanks, Web Master Arley!
Congratulations to Phil Dean, member of the Rotary E-Club of Silicon Valley, who received 2022-2023 Rotary International’s Distinguished Service Award!
Upcoming District events include the following:
Wednesday, November 1st, 2023@5:30pm-7:15pm – ZOOM-only District Fellowship-Leadership Meeting themed “Diwali Celebration” with fabulous performances and games to win prizes. Calling all ZOOMers, don’t miss the Rotary fun! Zoom link and an Agenda will be emailed to all Rotarians soon.
*Please click on all emails from District 5170 to read it briefly – delete if you are not interested but you may just be curious enough to attend.
Monday, December 4, 2023 @4:30pm – All aboard the Train of Lights from Fremont. The District has reserved the whole Train of Lights so bring your family and friends for a ride through the redwoods, parade, Santa’s visit, and much more holiday fun!
Saturday, January 13, 2024 @8:30am-12noon with Lunch Option – This is an all-hands on opportunity to reflect on achievements and challenges in the 1st half of Rotary Year 2023-2024, and to strategize Spring actions to sprint through the latter half of the Rotary year to the finishing line of June 30, 2024. Plenty of reflections and exchanging of ideas accompanied by awesome performances and fun activities!
Please check out the club activities in this Newsletter – you may find interesting and fun activities to attend, some you will want to bring your family and friends, such as the Ghost Walk hosted by the Rotary Club of San Juan Bautista on October 27 and 28 from 6pm-8:30pm. There will be ghost sightings and paranormal activities!
I look forward to visiting 25 Clubs before mid December!
Enjoy Halloween, Thanksgiving, Diwali, and the holiday season is coming up fast!
Hung Wei, District Governor 2023-2024
Past President and Member of the Rotary Club of Cupertino
