May 29, 2025 • 19 mins
A heartfelt conversation with Des reveals how a single moment transformed her entire Rotary journey. After spending three years as a casual member seeking business connections, everything changed when she witnessed a video of disabled people crawling on the ground being lifted into wheelchairs by Rotarians. "I was struck by how horrible their lives were," Des shares, "and then it showed Rotarians bringing wheelchairs to this community... their whole lives were transformed, the joy on their faces." This powerful experience ignited her passion for service and launched her into club leadership positions.
Des takes us through her evolution from club president to district roles, explaining the rewarding work of being an Assistant Governor supporting eight clubs. "It's such a great job," she enthuses, describing how she facilitated collaborative meetings between club presidents to share challenges, projects, and ideas. Her insights highlight the often-overlooked importance of district positions that strengthen Rotary's impact beyond the club level.
When life brought Des to Southern California, she approached finding a new Rotary home with characteristic thoughtfulness. "Every club has a different vibe, a different feel," she explains, emphasizing how important it is for members to find the right fit. Now settled with the Palm Springs Sun Up Club, she appreciates their active community projects and vibrant meeting environment while remaining open to whatever leadership opportunities might emerge.
Whether you're considering joining Rotary, looking to deepen your involvement, or simply curious about how service organizations transform both communities and individuals, Des's story demonstrates that Rotary's true power lies in connecting personal passion with meaningful action. Subscribe to Community Heroes of Hope to hear more inspiring stories of Rotarians making a difference locally and globally.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Community.
Heroes of Hope, a podcast wherewe shine a light on the
remarkable individuals andprojects in Rotary District 5330
that bring hope and change toour local and global communities
.
I am Judy Zelfikar, yourco-host and the current District
Governor of Rotary District5330.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And I'm Niren McLean, the Rotary District
Governor-Elect.
Together, we're diving deepinto the heart of the community
service, showcasing the impactof dedication and collaboration
in addressing some of the mostpressing challenges our
communities face.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Each episode, we'll tell stories of incredible
people making a difference,innovating solutions and
inspiring others to take action.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
We'll also be giving you a behind-the-scenes look at
the projects that aretransforming their lives, and
we'll discuss how you, too, canget involved, contribute and be
part of the positive change.
Whether you're a seasonedRotarian or just looking to give
back, this podcast is for you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So join us as we explore the journeys, challenges
and successes of people likeyou who have stepped up to make
a difference.
Let's celebrate the spirit ofcommunity and the power of hope
together.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Don't forget to subscribe to the Community
Heroes of Hope on your favoritepodcast platform.
Stay with us on this journey ofinspiration and let's spread
the message of hope further thanever.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Thank you for tuning in.
Let's get started.
Well, welcome, des.
We're so happy to have you hereon our newly vodcast, so we've
upped it a notch, so we're doingvideo and audio.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Thank you for having me.
I'm very happy to be here.
Awesome, can you tell us alittle bit about your Rotary
(01:45):
journey?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, sure, I'd be glad to.
So I started Rotary in 2007,and I was asked to be a speaker
at the Walnut Creek Rotary Club,which is in Northern California
, and my profession is I'm anestate planning attorney.
So I gave a talk on estateplanning and estate taxes and my
(02:07):
friend, who is a fellowattorney in a different area of
law family law, family law she'sa Rotarian in that club and
she's the one that invited me,and so after that meeting I
thought, oh, I, this, this mightbe something for me.
I think I might want to be aRotarian.
(02:28):
I could see my friend regularly, and then all these other
people seemed very nice, and sothat was how I started, and then
for about three years I reallydidn't do much other than be a
Rotarian, just be a regularmember, participate, do all the
(02:50):
service projects, get to knowRotary.
Exactly, that's right.
And then one day I was feelinglike, uh, I don't know if this
is going to work for me.
I don't know if I'm reallygetting what I wanted out of
Rotary.
I was hoping to get a lot ofbusiness.
I thought maybe it was anetworking thing at first.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Definitely not a networking it really wasn't.
No, not in the traditional senseof what BNI or the Chamber or
something BNI or something likethat it is interesting because
that question comes up a lot andthere's a lot of business
that's done between Rotarians,obviously because we have our
four-way test trustworthy, youknow, we're doing good for our
community, so we like to dobusiness with people that are
(03:36):
doing good and come in alignmentwith our values.
But it definitely isn't a BNIor networking in the traditional
sense to BNI or networking inthe traditional sense.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
No, and it takes time and really, when people get to
know you, then over these manyyears, I have many Rotarians as
clients now and many referrals,of course.
But it took a long time andwhat I realized at about my
three-year mark in Rotary wasthat Rotary isn't going to serve
that purpose for me and Iwasn't really paying attention
(04:04):
enough.
Or Mark and Rotary was thatRotary isn't going to serve that
purpose for me and I wasn'treally paying attention enough.
And then one day there was aspeaker at our club and he
showed this video of people inanother country in this case,
but they were crawling on theground For some reason.
(04:24):
It just pulled my attention inthat day and I just I was struck
by how horrible their liveswere just crawling.
Was it from polio?
It was just because they weredisabled, and so, anyway, this
particular presentation wasabout how Rotarians were
bringing wheelchairs to thiscommunity and it literally
(04:44):
showed the people being liftedup into these chairs and just
their whole lives weretransformed, the joy yeah, the
joy on their faces, and it justlike hit me like Rotarians are
doing amazing work around theworld.
They're really helping peopleand I want to do that.
(05:05):
I want to be a part of thathere.
And so then it really turnedaround for me and I got involved
in my club.
I became club secretary, I gotinvolved with membership, I went
on to become club president.
I did the foundation or just allthese things.
I just jumped in and then Iloved Rotary.
After that it was it's beenhuge.
And then I loved Rotary.
After that.
It was it's been huge, it'scalled that Rotary moment.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Right, when you, when it really clicks and it's like
oh, this, and it's different foreverybody, because sometimes
it's for you it was thewheelchair project, For others
it might be, you know, waterthat somebody is able to get,
For others it's a local, youknow a local project they're
doing with, maybe, homeless orkids.
Everybody has a differentRotary moment, but that Rotary
(05:49):
moment is pretty powerful.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
That's right, and that's another thing that I
really love about Rotary is thatwhatever people's passions are,
they can find an outlet for itin Rotary.
To help people Right, and I'veseen that time and time again
where people come in with theirown interests or people they
want to help or projects, andthey can make it happen.
You just have to have yeah it'snot super structured.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I mean it is structured, but it's not that
you can't have your ideas andyour passions that you can
fulfill, which is, it is prettyamazing.
So then you also decided, afteryour presidency, to take on a
district level responsibility.
How was that experience?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I did I first.
After I was president, my firstrole was I got involved with
the Sergeant at Arms committeesand I don't think we're doing
that as much down here inSouthern California but in
Northern California it's areally great service commitment
for Rotarians, and the sergeantat arms participate in all the
(06:52):
major district events PEDS, ofcourse, which is President
Eleg's training and assembliesand the sergeant at arms just do
everything from getting therooms ready to guiding the
Rotarians, to answeringquestions, to checking in people
, and so, anyway, I did that.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
So I want to stop for just a second, because somebody
that's not a Rotarian mighthear that word sergeant at arms
and think that you're, you know,running around at an event in
full.
You know armor and regalia.
You do have some regalia.
Usually it's a very colorfulvest and basically you're a
dedicated volunteer for thatevent, is that pretty much sums
(07:33):
it up?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, that's right.
Well, there was a wholecommittee that was a sergeant at
arms committee and it was runby a couple of key people.
Gretchen was the main personand she, so all the sergeant at
arms, would wear these rotaryvests to identify them.
You know, you'll sometimes seesergeant at arms at the larger
(07:55):
conferences.
Yeah, the internationalconference.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
They're always the wealth of information.
They usually know everythingthat's going on, kind of the
information people that you goto and they're directing traffic
and they're super helpful.
So what a great service thatyou had with that particular
committee.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, and everybody was so friendly and I got to
make some new friends and get toknow some of the other district
people at that time.
And there's another event thatI participated in called the
Rotary Leadership Academy.
Right, it's a little different,nothing similar exactly here in
(08:30):
Southern California, but it waswhere the district governors
sought out emerging Rotaryleaders and invited them.
They would contact the districtgovernors, would contact the
club presidents and there were72 clubs in that area that I
started in and they wouldnominate people who they thought
(08:50):
would be interested in moreleadership in Rotary.
And so I had participated inthat and also met a lot of the
district leaders at that time,because that program is run all
by the DG.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah, the district leaders and the past district
governors yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah, past district governors and the present ones
also had roles, so it was a niceway to get to know the
leadership in the district andalso for them to keep active,
which I loved, yeah.
And so then from there I guessbecause I've met some of the
district governors at that pointthen I was invited to serve as
(09:31):
an assistant governor in myregion, which in my group of
clubs, which had eight clubs,and so I was the assistant
district governor for thoseeight clubs.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And explain what does the, what are the duties of the
assistant district governor forthose eight clubs, and explain
what are the duties of theassistant district governor.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
It's such a great job .
I loved it.
Actually it's probably been.
I mean, being club presidentwas really really fun, but it
was also a huge commitment.
Commitment being assistantgovernor, uh, was really fun,
(10:09):
but a lot less commitment butmuch more personal, in the sense
that I got to know all the clubpresidents and we would meet
monthly and we would share.
My job as the assistantgovernor was to facilitate these
group meetings with the clubpresidents, that they could
collaborate and talk about theirchallenges and their projects
and their fundraisers, and so Ifacilitated this group of
(10:33):
leaders to share their ideas andthat part of it was just really
fun for me.
And then I would get to visitthe assistant governors, of
course, visit all the clubs andshare information from the
district governor.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So the assistant governor is is that kind of the
personal link from the districtgovernor to the club presidents
year and I can't believe my yearis almost over, I only have two
more months but that theassistant governors in a lot of
ways are far more important thanthe district governor, because
(11:07):
you have that direct contactwith your eight clubs and as
district governors we have theentire district that we're
trying to reach out to and getyou know.
Visit all the clubs.
We may get to every club atleast once, but you as an
assistant governor can meet withthem multiple times and I think
that that position is one ofthe most important positions in
our district leadership and it'ssuch a joy to be able to see
(11:31):
these wonderful leaders be ableto work with their clubs and
help mold and help support anddo all the things that the
assistant governors do.
So that is incredibly.
I think it's the most importantposition we have in our
district.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
It's very important, as you were just describing.
It's also really fun.
It's also a great opportunityto get more training in the
higher levels of Rotary, becausethere's so much more past the
club level that people don'trealize.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, All the work's done at the club level, but
there is definitely a lot ofinformation and you want to
bring that to the clubs rightAll this information helping
make their path easier and morefulfilling and being able to
make a greater impact.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yes, and also giving them resources, the district or
even the zone or beyond thatthey might not know about.
So the AGs really work with theDG district governor to get
this information to pass throughto everybody on a more personal
level and it really does helpeverybody.
(12:41):
It's a great role.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Absolutely so.
Then what brought you toSouthern California?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
There were a number of reasons.
I moved to Southern California.
I grew up in San Diego, so Ialways spent half of my time
more or less in both places, andmy son ended up graduating high
school and going to San DiegoState.
And my mother lives in PalmSprings, she lives in Cathedral
(13:09):
City, and I just was ready for achange.
You know, with COVID and my lawpractice, I discovered that I
could work anywhere, right.
So I've been doing quite a bitof traveling in these last few
years and working remotely indifferent places, and so when it
came time to my son leaving thenest, I thought, well, what do
(13:31):
I want to do?
Where do I want to go?
And I chose Palm Springs mostlybecause it was close to them,
but also because I really havebeen falling in love with Palm
Springs in terms of how muchthere is to do here and how many
Great you know.
(13:53):
The people seem to be very nicehere and active in the
community, which I love, andthere's so many great theater
events and things.
And I will have to say that Istarted my move here about an
hour away from here, in a placecalled Canyon Lake, which is a
little closer to yourneighborhood.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
I know quite a few people that live in Canyon Lake.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Yes, and so there's not really a Rotary Club there.
There was one in Lake Elsinore,one in Menifee, one in Murrieta
.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
And those just weren't great fits for me at the
time.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Well, I'm glad that you made it to Palm Springs and
it made it into the Palm SpringsRotary.
Well, I'm glad that you made itto Palm Springs and it made it
into the Palm Springs Rotary and, as our audience may or may not
(14:53):
know, rotary is a worldwideorganization, so when you do
move from one place to the next,it's going to be.
So.
You plugged into the PalmSprings Club, correct?
Tell us a little bit about yournew club, your new club
experience and what you're doingthere.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Sure, and I ended up joining the Palm Springs Sun Up
Club, very vibrant club, veryvibrant, very active group of
people which I've, I discoveredright away they were just, I
mean, rotarians everywhere arewelcoming every.
You know, every club I've goneto Rotarians are the same, right
(15:25):
, they're just generous, warm,giving people who you know want
to help in the community andusually have good, good
professions that they'recontributing to friends you know
their societies with.
So I, I, I do like rotarianseverywhere.
But, and I have to give a shoutout to the murrieta club, that
(15:46):
club was really fun too and,yeah, and very active.
But palm springs sunup club, uh,they meet in a really fun
location called the maizelcenter, very vibrant, active
area.
This particular club is veryactive with many of the projects
(16:06):
here in the coachella valleywhich I liked.
Uh, the this is a breakfastmeeting which I I liked for me,
if I, if I was going to go inperson, I wanted it to be a nice
environment and a good meal forme to have, right, just
important to me.
Other clubs meet, you know, ina, in a college meeting room or
(16:27):
something like that, and thatworks for them, you know, with
no special lunches or anythingbut for me I wanted something
different, and so I tried somedifferent clubs and that's a
really important thing different, and so I tried some different
clubs and that's a reallyimportant thing too it's not a
one and done.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
You know every club has a different vibe, has a
different feel, has a differenttime, different food, and you
know when, when people arelooking to serve their community
and be a part of theircommunity, want to be a part of
Rotary.
It's not just one club thatthey have to choose from.
They have so many, and manycities have multiple clubs
within their city or there'susually multiple clubs.
(17:03):
Even if it's not in their city,it's in a nearby city to choose
from.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Yes, that's right, that's absolutely right.
And you have to find the clubthat you feel like you really
want to go to, right.
That's important because, youknow, even though Rotary doesn't
have a membership attendancerequirement anymore they used to
, so you know you couldn't missa meeting without a slip or
(17:29):
whatever, but still it's fun.
But still, you, it's fun.
It's more fun when you get toknow the Rotarians in your club
because you, you know that's apart of the joy of being in
Rotary is the fellowship.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So what do?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
you think is your future in, in, in this new club
and this new district.
Any future plans?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Yeah, I you know I'm open to the future.
I really do enjoy beinginvolved at the district level
or maybe beyond.
I like that.
At that level people are verycommitted to Rotary and, you
know, at the club level you'vegot people from all walks of
life who have a lot of differentkinds of motivations for being
(18:16):
in rotary, which is fine, as myown experience shows right.
So I I like the club level andI intend to participate in my
own club and I'm open todistrict opportunities that come
up or needs that come up.
I don't have a set goal at thispoint in terms of what you know
(18:41):
.
I could see being a districtgovernor at some point or maybe
doing some other district orzone level work, but I don't
really know.
I'm just taking it one day at atime and seeing what comes
along.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Well, I appreciate you joining us and telling us
your Rotary story.
Well, I appreciate you joiningus and telling us your Rotary
story.
It's really nice to have you inDistrict 5330, and I look
forward to seeing what wonderfulthings that you're going to be
doing in our district somedaysoon.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Thank you, Judy, and you've been an inspiration to me
personally.
Already I appreciate yourcommitment to Rotary and all
these great technological thingsyou're adding to this district.
This is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
We're just keeping everybody on their toes.
You know, that's what we got todo.
That's what we got to do, allright?
Well, thank you so much forjoining us and have a wonderful
day you as well.
Bye-bye.
So that wraps up this episodeof Heroes of Hope.
We are so happy that we have anaudience out there listening.
We want you to subscribe, shareand tell your friends about the
(19:42):
Rotary Community Heroes of Hope, because that's how we get the
word out about the impact we'rehaving in this world.
Hello and welcome to the Community.
Heroes of Hope, a podcast wherewe shine a light on the
remarkable individuals andprojects in Rotary District 5330
that bring hope and change toour local and global communities
.
I am Judy Zelfikar, yourco-host and the current District
Governor of Rotary District5330.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
And I'm Niren McLean, the Rotary District
Governor-Elect.
Together, we're diving deepinto the heart of the community
service, showcasing the impactof dedication and collaboration
in addressing some of the mostpressing challenges our
communities face.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Each episode, we'll tell stories of incredible
people making a difference,innovating solutions and
inspiring others to take action.
Speaker 2 (00:43):
We'll also be giving you a behind-the-scenes look at
the projects that aretransforming their lives, and
we'll discuss how you, too, canget involved, contribute and be
part of the positive change.
Whether you're a seasonedRotarian or just looking to give
back, this podcast is for you.
Speaker 1 (01:00):
So join us as we explore the journeys, challenges
and successes of people likeyou who have stepped up to make
a difference.
Let's celebrate the spirit ofcommunity and the power of hope
together.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Don't forget to subscribe to the Community
Heroes of Hope on your favoritepodcast platform.
Stay with us on this journey ofinspiration and let's spread
the message of hope further thanever.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Thank you for tuning in.
Let's get started.
Well, welcome, des.
We're so happy to have you hereon our newly vodcast, so we've
upped it a notch, so we're doingvideo and audio.
Thank you so much for joiningus today.
Thank you for having me.
I'm very happy to be here.
Awesome, can you tell us alittle bit about your Rotary
(01:45):
journey?
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Well, sure, I'd be glad to.
So I started Rotary in 2007,and I was asked to be a speaker
at the Walnut Creek Rotary Club,which is in Northern California
, and my profession is I'm anestate planning attorney.
So I gave a talk on estateplanning and estate taxes and my
(02:07):
friend, who is a fellowattorney in a different area of
law family law, family law she'sa Rotarian in that club and
she's the one that invited me,and so after that meeting I
thought, oh, I, this, this mightbe something for me.
I think I might want to be aRotarian.
(02:28):
I could see my friend regularly, and then all these other
people seemed very nice, and sothat was how I started, and then
for about three years I reallydidn't do much other than be a
Rotarian, just be a regularmember, participate, do all the
(02:50):
service projects, get to knowRotary.
Exactly, that's right.
And then one day I was feelinglike, uh, I don't know if this
is going to work for me.
I don't know if I'm reallygetting what I wanted out of
Rotary.
I was hoping to get a lot ofbusiness.
I thought maybe it was anetworking thing at first.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
Definitely not a networking it really wasn't.
No, not in the traditional senseof what BNI or the Chamber or
something BNI or something likethat it is interesting because
that question comes up a lot andthere's a lot of business
that's done between Rotarians,obviously because we have our
four-way test trustworthy, youknow, we're doing good for our
community, so we like to dobusiness with people that are
(03:36):
doing good and come in alignmentwith our values.
But it definitely isn't a BNIor networking in the traditional
sense to BNI or networking inthe traditional sense.
Speaker 3 (03:44):
No, and it takes time and really, when people get to
know you, then over these manyyears, I have many Rotarians as
clients now and many referrals,of course.
But it took a long time andwhat I realized at about my
three-year mark in Rotary wasthat Rotary isn't going to serve
that purpose for me and Iwasn't really paying attention
(04:04):
enough.
Or Mark and Rotary was thatRotary isn't going to serve that
purpose for me and I wasn'treally paying attention enough.
And then one day there was aspeaker at our club and he
showed this video of people inanother country in this case,
but they were crawling on theground For some reason.
(04:24):
It just pulled my attention inthat day and I just I was struck
by how horrible their liveswere just crawling.
Was it from polio?
It was just because they weredisabled, and so, anyway, this
particular presentation wasabout how Rotarians were
bringing wheelchairs to thiscommunity and it literally
(04:44):
showed the people being liftedup into these chairs and just
their whole lives weretransformed, the joy yeah, the
joy on their faces, and it justlike hit me like Rotarians are
doing amazing work around theworld.
They're really helping peopleand I want to do that.
(05:05):
I want to be a part of thathere.
And so then it really turnedaround for me and I got involved
in my club.
I became club secretary, I gotinvolved with membership, I went
on to become club president.
I did the foundation or just allthese things.
I just jumped in and then Iloved Rotary.
After that it was it's beenhuge.
And then I loved Rotary.
After that.
It was it's been huge, it'scalled that Rotary moment.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Right, when you, when it really clicks and it's like
oh, this, and it's different foreverybody, because sometimes
it's for you it was thewheelchair project, For others
it might be, you know, waterthat somebody is able to get,
For others it's a local, youknow a local project they're
doing with, maybe, homeless orkids.
Everybody has a differentRotary moment, but that Rotary
(05:49):
moment is pretty powerful.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
That's right, and that's another thing that I
really love about Rotary is thatwhatever people's passions are,
they can find an outlet for itin Rotary.
To help people Right, and I'veseen that time and time again
where people come in with theirown interests or people they
want to help or projects, andthey can make it happen.
You just have to have yeah it'snot super structured.
Speaker 1 (06:14):
I mean it is structured, but it's not that
you can't have your ideas andyour passions that you can
fulfill, which is, it is prettyamazing.
So then you also decided, afteryour presidency, to take on a
district level responsibility.
How was that experience?
Speaker 3 (06:31):
I did I first.
After I was president, my firstrole was I got involved with
the Sergeant at Arms committeesand I don't think we're doing
that as much down here inSouthern California but in
Northern California it's areally great service commitment
for Rotarians, and the sergeantat arms participate in all the
(06:52):
major district events PEDS, ofcourse, which is President
Eleg's training and assembliesand the sergeant at arms just do
everything from getting therooms ready to guiding the
Rotarians, to answeringquestions, to checking in people
, and so, anyway, I did that.
Speaker 1 (07:13):
So I want to stop for just a second, because somebody
that's not a Rotarian mighthear that word sergeant at arms
and think that you're, you know,running around at an event in
full.
You know armor and regalia.
You do have some regalia.
Usually it's a very colorfulvest and basically you're a
dedicated volunteer for thatevent, is that pretty much sums
(07:33):
it up?
Speaker 3 (07:34):
Yeah, that's right.
Well, there was a wholecommittee that was a sergeant at
arms committee and it was runby a couple of key people.
Gretchen was the main personand she, so all the sergeant at
arms, would wear these rotaryvests to identify them.
You know, you'll sometimes seesergeant at arms at the larger
(07:55):
conferences.
Yeah, the internationalconference.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
They're always the wealth of information.
They usually know everythingthat's going on, kind of the
information people that you goto and they're directing traffic
and they're super helpful.
So what a great service thatyou had with that particular
committee.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
Yeah, and everybody was so friendly and I got to
make some new friends and get toknow some of the other district
people at that time.
And there's another event thatI participated in called the
Rotary Leadership Academy.
Right, it's a little different,nothing similar exactly here in
(08:30):
Southern California, but it waswhere the district governors
sought out emerging Rotaryleaders and invited them.
They would contact the districtgovernors, would contact the
club presidents and there were72 clubs in that area that I
started in and they wouldnominate people who they thought
(08:50):
would be interested in moreleadership in Rotary.
And so I had participated inthat and also met a lot of the
district leaders at that time,because that program is run all
by the DG.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Yeah, the district leaders and the past district
governors yeah.
Speaker 3 (09:08):
Yeah, past district governors and the present ones
also had roles, so it was a niceway to get to know the
leadership in the district andalso for them to keep active,
which I loved, yeah.
And so then from there I guessbecause I've met some of the
district governors at that pointthen I was invited to serve as
(09:31):
an assistant governor in myregion, which in my group of
clubs, which had eight clubs,and so I was the assistant
district governor for thoseeight clubs.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
And explain what does the, what are the duties of the
assistant district governor forthose eight clubs, and explain
what are the duties of theassistant district governor.
Speaker 3 (09:48):
It's such a great job .
I loved it.
Actually it's probably been.
I mean, being club presidentwas really really fun, but it
was also a huge commitment.
Commitment being assistantgovernor, uh, was really fun,
(10:09):
but a lot less commitment butmuch more personal, in the sense
that I got to know all the clubpresidents and we would meet
monthly and we would share.
My job as the assistantgovernor was to facilitate these
group meetings with the clubpresidents, that they could
collaborate and talk about theirchallenges and their projects
and their fundraisers, and so Ifacilitated this group of
(10:33):
leaders to share their ideas andthat part of it was just really
fun for me.
And then I would get to visitthe assistant governors, of
course, visit all the clubs andshare information from the
district governor.
Speaker 1 (10:47):
So the assistant governor is is that kind of the
personal link from the districtgovernor to the club presidents
year and I can't believe my yearis almost over, I only have two
more months but that theassistant governors in a lot of
ways are far more important thanthe district governor, because
(11:07):
you have that direct contactwith your eight clubs and as
district governors we have theentire district that we're
trying to reach out to and getyou know.
Visit all the clubs.
We may get to every club atleast once, but you as an
assistant governor can meet withthem multiple times and I think
that that position is one ofthe most important positions in
our district leadership and it'ssuch a joy to be able to see
(11:31):
these wonderful leaders be ableto work with their clubs and
help mold and help support anddo all the things that the
assistant governors do.
So that is incredibly.
I think it's the most importantposition we have in our
district.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
It's very important, as you were just describing.
It's also really fun.
It's also a great opportunityto get more training in the
higher levels of Rotary, becausethere's so much more past the
club level that people don'trealize.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
Yeah, All the work's done at the club level, but
there is definitely a lot ofinformation and you want to
bring that to the clubs rightAll this information helping
make their path easier and morefulfilling and being able to
make a greater impact.
Speaker 3 (12:19):
Yes, and also giving them resources, the district or
even the zone or beyond thatthey might not know about.
So the AGs really work with theDG district governor to get
this information to pass throughto everybody on a more personal
level and it really does helpeverybody.
(12:41):
It's a great role.
Speaker 1 (12:42):
Absolutely so.
Then what brought you toSouthern California?
Speaker 3 (12:48):
There were a number of reasons.
I moved to Southern California.
I grew up in San Diego, so Ialways spent half of my time
more or less in both places, andmy son ended up graduating high
school and going to San DiegoState.
And my mother lives in PalmSprings, she lives in Cathedral
(13:09):
City, and I just was ready for achange.
You know, with COVID and my lawpractice, I discovered that I
could work anywhere, right.
So I've been doing quite a bitof traveling in these last few
years and working remotely indifferent places, and so when it
came time to my son leaving thenest, I thought, well, what do
(13:31):
I want to do?
Where do I want to go?
And I chose Palm Springs mostlybecause it was close to them,
but also because I really havebeen falling in love with Palm
Springs in terms of how muchthere is to do here and how many
Great you know.
(13:53):
The people seem to be very nicehere and active in the
community, which I love, andthere's so many great theater
events and things.
And I will have to say that Istarted my move here about an
hour away from here, in a placecalled Canyon Lake, which is a
little closer to yourneighborhood.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
I know quite a few people that live in Canyon Lake.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Yes, and so there's not really a Rotary Club there.
There was one in Lake Elsinore,one in Menifee, one in Murrieta
.
Speaker 1 (14:26):
Right.
Speaker 3 (14:28):
And those just weren't great fits for me at the
time.
Speaker 1 (14:32):
Well, I'm glad that you made it to Palm Springs and
it made it into the Palm SpringsRotary.
Well, I'm glad that you made itto Palm Springs and it made it
into the Palm Springs Rotary and, as our audience may or may not
(14:53):
know, rotary is a worldwideorganization, so when you do
move from one place to the next,it's going to be.
So.
You plugged into the PalmSprings Club, correct?
Tell us a little bit about yournew club, your new club
experience and what you're doingthere.
Speaker 3 (15:05):
Sure, and I ended up joining the Palm Springs Sun Up
Club, very vibrant club, veryvibrant, very active group of
people which I've, I discoveredright away they were just, I
mean, rotarians everywhere arewelcoming every.
You know, every club I've goneto Rotarians are the same, right
(15:25):
, they're just generous, warm,giving people who you know want
to help in the community andusually have good, good
professions that they'recontributing to friends you know
their societies with.
So I, I, I do like rotarianseverywhere.
But, and I have to give a shoutout to the murrieta club, that
(15:46):
club was really fun too and,yeah, and very active.
But palm springs sunup club, uh,they meet in a really fun
location called the maizelcenter, very vibrant, active
area.
This particular club is veryactive with many of the projects
(16:06):
here in the coachella valleywhich I liked.
Uh, the this is a breakfastmeeting which I I liked for me,
if I, if I was going to go inperson, I wanted it to be a nice
environment and a good meal forme to have, right, just
important to me.
Other clubs meet, you know, ina, in a college meeting room or
(16:27):
something like that, and thatworks for them, you know, with
no special lunches or anythingbut for me I wanted something
different, and so I tried somedifferent clubs and that's a
really important thing different, and so I tried some different
clubs and that's a reallyimportant thing too it's not a
one and done.
Speaker 1 (16:43):
You know every club has a different vibe, has a
different feel, has a differenttime, different food, and you
know when, when people arelooking to serve their community
and be a part of theircommunity, want to be a part of
Rotary.
It's not just one club thatthey have to choose from.
They have so many, and manycities have multiple clubs
within their city or there'susually multiple clubs.
(17:03):
Even if it's not in their city,it's in a nearby city to choose
from.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
Yes, that's right, that's absolutely right.
And you have to find the clubthat you feel like you really
want to go to, right.
That's important because, youknow, even though Rotary doesn't
have a membership attendancerequirement anymore they used to
, so you know you couldn't missa meeting without a slip or
(17:29):
whatever, but still it's fun.
But still, you, it's fun.
It's more fun when you get toknow the Rotarians in your club
because you, you know that's apart of the joy of being in
Rotary is the fellowship.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Exactly.
Speaker 3 (17:46):
So what do?
Speaker 1 (17:46):
you think is your future in, in, in this new club
and this new district.
Any future plans?
Speaker 3 (17:53):
Yeah, I you know I'm open to the future.
I really do enjoy beinginvolved at the district level
or maybe beyond.
I like that.
At that level people are verycommitted to Rotary and, you
know, at the club level you'vegot people from all walks of
life who have a lot of differentkinds of motivations for being
(18:16):
in rotary, which is fine, as myown experience shows right.
So I I like the club level andI intend to participate in my
own club and I'm open todistrict opportunities that come
up or needs that come up.
I don't have a set goal at thispoint in terms of what you know
(18:41):
.
I could see being a districtgovernor at some point or maybe
doing some other district orzone level work, but I don't
really know.
I'm just taking it one day at atime and seeing what comes
along.
Speaker 1 (18:52):
Well, I appreciate you joining us and telling us
your Rotary story.
Well, I appreciate you joiningus and telling us your Rotary
story.
It's really nice to have you inDistrict 5330, and I look
forward to seeing what wonderfulthings that you're going to be
doing in our district somedaysoon.
Speaker 3 (19:06):
Thank you, Judy, and you've been an inspiration to me
personally.
Already I appreciate yourcommitment to Rotary and all
these great technological thingsyou're adding to this district.
This is wonderful.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
We're just keeping everybody on their toes.
You know, that's what we got todo.
That's what we got to do, allright?
Well, thank you so much forjoining us and have a wonderful
day you as well.
Bye-bye.
So that wraps up this episodeof Heroes of Hope.
We are so happy that we have anaudience out there listening.
We want you to subscribe, shareand tell your friends about the
(19:42):
Rotary Community Heroes of Hope, because that's how we get the
word out about the impact we'rehaving in this world.
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