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Latest News & Stories


Ray Sanford
Mar 27, 2024
What's in a name?
When a Rotary club name includes a specific geographic location, it can signal the area of service and influence – either a benefit or a...


Ray Sanford
Mar 24, 2024
The Wisdom of Paul Harris
These quotes from Paul P. Harris encapsulate fundamental principles of Rotary: leadership through service, the importance of kindness and...


Ray Sanford
Mar 21, 2024
Impossible Goals
I've always been a fan of the saying, "Impossible is just a word thrown around by small men." The story I want to share today isn't mine,...


Ray Sanford
Mar 19, 2024
Handouts vs. Hand-Ups
In the realm of community service and global aid, there's a nuanced balance between offering immediate relief and fostering sustainable...


Ray Sanford
Mar 14, 2024
Ultimate Networking
Walking into my first Rotary meeting many years ago felt like stepping onto a stage without knowing my lines. The room buzzed with the...


Ray Sanford
Mar 13, 2024
Overcoming PTSD
Paul Worley, a retired Gunnery Sergeant from the United States Marine Corps and the Barn Manager at The Shea Center, has a story that...


Ray Sanford
Mar 11, 2024
Man in the Arena
Theodore Roosevelt's "Man in the Arena" speech, delivered over a century ago and just five years after Rotary was founded, continues to...


Ray Sanford
Mar 7, 2024
Big Dreams
Our potential is immense, filled with passions, ideas, and dreams ready to make an impact. Sometimes, these dreams feel out of reach, as...


Ray Sanford
Mar 4, 2024
The Nature of Genius
Richard Feynman, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk are three individuals who have left indelible marks on their respective fields—physics,...


Ray Sanford
Mar 1, 2024
Narcissistic Selfies
I grew up taking photographs. My parents had rented a house in the orange and lemon groves in the north part of Claremont that had a...


Ray Sanford
Feb 28, 2024
Bootstrap Marketing
Note: This also applies to small business startups. Guerrilla Marketing is a concept first put forth by Jay Levinson, an ad executive who...


Ray Sanford
Feb 25, 2024
Unsung Heroes
In the heart of Irvine Rotary's community service lies a tale of unspoken dedication to service, epitomized by a figure whose...


Ray Sanford
Feb 24, 2024
Empowering Solutions
Martin Fisher and Nick Moon were no strangers to the limitations of traditional aid in Africa. They saw firsthand how well-intended...


Ray Sanford
Feb 23, 2024
Learning to Learn
Jim McCleery is my lifelong friend. He was best man at my wedding and whenever we periodically catch up, it’s like we never had a break....

Ray Sanford
Feb 21, 2024
Polio Results
A friend sent this chart that shows the dramatic effect of Rotary's Polio Plus project on the world. The only thing preventing the final...


Ray Sanford
Feb 20, 2024
Rotary Projects
In towns and cities around the world, we Rotary club members come together, driven by a shared passion for service and community...


Ray Sanford
Feb 16, 2024
Lifelong connections
About the time my son went off to college, I found myself searching for something more, a way to fill the void and connect with others on...


Ray Sanford
Feb 14, 2024
Guerrilla Marketing
This is an example of a fun, low-cost guerrilla marketing campaign from SJC Rotary member Dave Koffs. He created an ad/flyer with a...


Ray Sanford
Feb 12, 2024
Rotary's Governance
Let's chat about how Rotary makes decisions and plans for the future, focusing on two important meetings: the Council on Resolutions and...


Ray Sanford
Feb 9, 2024
Struggle, Worth & Legacy
In an age of instant gratification, we tend to shun hardship. Yet, it's the difficult that gives us purpose, that assigns weight to our...
Join us in serving our community…and the world.
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