It has been nearly three weeks since we last gathered together as a club, so it will be very nice to get together and see one another again this Tuesday! During our October 15, 2024 meeting at the Elks Lodge, we were treated to an excellent presentation by Larry Asmus and Ladd Seekins regarding their recent visit to Southeast Asia as a part of their voyage to the 2024 Rotary International Conference. Larry and Ladd visited Singapore (site of the conference), Malaysia, and Indonesia. Larry and Ladd displayed beautiful photographs as part of a well-organized slideshow presentation, and they guided us through their trip with outstanding narration, allowing us to enjoy the experience vicariously through them. While overseas, they met with several Rotary clubs along the way and exchanged club banners as a sign of international Rotary fellowship. A very special thank you to Larry and Ladd for their presentation during our last meeting and for representing our club so well at the International Conference.
Rotary Life and Elks Antlers Partnering for Community Service
Our Rotary Life Senior Class along with advisors Tawnya Rhoades Hensley and Ed Hensley have formed a partnership with the Elks Club Antlers youth program, which is headed by Elks member and San Bernardino Sunset Rotary Club member Elizabeth Cruz to work on community service projects. On Sunday, October 27, 2024, the two groups joined forces to make blankets for members of the community in need given the cooler weather.
There are also plans in the works for the two student groups to work together again in the near future to collect donated jackets, clothing, shoes, toiletries, and other items to be distributed to unhoused students and students in foster care, who will be identified and selected by the San Bernardino City Unified School District’s Access to Learning for All Students (ATLAS) Program. One of the hallmarks of our Rotary Life program is teaching high school students the importance and value of community service and volunteerism while adhering to the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. If you’d like to read more about the SBCUSD ATLAS program, please click here: https://sites.google.com/sbcusd.k12.ca.us/atlas/home
Rotary Foundation Month
November is Rotary Foundation month, which provides us with an opportunity to consider and reflect upon the wonderful things Rotary does throughout the world. It also serves as a reminder that much of this great work would not be possible without ongoing charitable donations to the Rotary Foundation. For the last 16 years, the Rotary Foundation has been awarded the highest rating (four stars) by Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charitable organizations in the United States. This rating is given only to those organizations that have strong financial health, a commitment to accountability, and transparency. Each month when we read our newest issue of the Rotary magazine, we see fantastic examples of humanitarianism and global community service that were made possible by donations to the Rotary Foundation from ordinary Rotarians throughout the world. While some Rotarians are blessed with affluence and can prioritize philanthropy, every Rotarian has the ability to give something every year. Thus, Rotary has established its Every Rotarian, Every Year campaign to encourage giving to the Rotary Foundation to support Rotary’s many great causes. Whether a Rotarian can donate $1, $10, $100, or even more, every dollar is meaningful, valued, appreciated, and will be put to good use. For more information about the Rotary Foundation or to donate, click here: https://www.rotary.org/en/foundation-build
Humane Society Fundraiser Recap
Our San Bernardino Rotary Club recently donated $1,000 to sponsor the Humane Society of San Bernardino and its 2024 “Howler Ween” fundraiser held Saturday, October 12, 2024 at the Humane Society’s headquarters in San Bernardino. This year’s event was styled as a “casino night,” with attendees trying their luck at poker, craps, blackjack, and roulette (using play money of course). Many attendees wrote checks and donated funds to support the Humane Society, and the event appeared to be very successful.
Attending this year were Rotarians and Humane Society Board Members Phyllis Kates and Terri Relf, as well as Rotarians Tawnya Rhoades Hensley, Ed Hensley, Brian Pellis, and Elizabeth Cruz (San Bernardino Sunset Club). As a “thank you” to the San Bernardino Rotary Club, the Humane Society provided a table placard at one of the blackjack tables so event attendees knew that Rotary was a proud sponsor. A few asked about Rotary, and we hope they will choose to become members one day!
President, Bill Orr 2024-2025
Rotary Club of Downtown San Bernardino
______________________
Rotary Club Website
Attention San Bernardino Rotarians,
You can now access the Rotary Club of San Bernardino website by entering the domain name: rotarysb.org and rcsb.net.
ROTARY LIFE ADVISORS
Freshman Class –
Sophomore Class – Lindsey Cobaugh and Shirley Jean
November is Rotary Foundation month, which provides us with an opportunity to consider and reflect upon the wonderful things Rotary does throughout the world. It also serves as a reminder that much of this great work would not be possible without ongoing charitable donations to the Rotary Foundation. For the last 16 years, the Rotary Foundation has been awarded the highest rating (four stars) by Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charitable organizations in the United States. This rating is given only to those organizations that have strong financial health, a commitment to accountability, and transparency. Each month when we read our newest issue of the Rotary magazine, we see fantastic examples of humanitarianism and global community service that were made possible by donations to the Rotary Foundation from ordinary Rotarians throughout the world. While some Rotarians are blessed with affluence and can prioritize philanthropy, every Rotarian has the ability to give something every year. Thus, Rotary has established its Every Rotarian, Every Year campaign to encourage giving to the Rotary Foundation to support Rotary’s many great causes. Whether a Rotarian can donate $1, $10, $100, or even more, every dollar is meaningful, valued, appreciated, and will be put to good use. For more information about the Rotary Foundation or to donate, click here: 
Our San Bernardino Rotary Club recently donated $1,000 to sponsor the Humane Society of San Bernardino and its 2024 “Howler Ween” fundraiser held Saturday, October 12, 2024 at the Humane Society’s headquarters in San Bernardino. This year’s event was styled as a “casino night,” with attendees trying their luck at poker, craps, blackjack, and roulette (using play money of course). Many attendees wrote checks and donated funds to support the Humane Society, and the event appeared to be very successful. 
