Pearl Chase dedicated her long life to making Santa Barbara a more beautiful place to live.
Cheri Rae, author of A String of Pearls: Pearl Chase of Santa Barbara, will share the story of how the Boston-born visionary accomplished that lofty goal and left her mark on her adopted home—from her childhood arrival in 1900 to her passing in 1978.
Partners in Education invites you to join Readers Are Leaders, a pilot literacy program that connects trained volunteers with TK–3rd grade classrooms to help students build foundational reading skills and confidence.
Now in its second year, the program is expanding to five Santa Barbara Unified School District elementary schools, and you are invited to get involved!
Training & Support: No teaching experience needed. We provide training and simple activities to follow with young readers 1:1 or in small groups.
Free Background Checks: Volunteering in schools requires Live Scan & TB clearances. We will cover the cost!
Attending the Rotary International Convention in Taipei was a fine way to begin my year as club president. Inspiration was everywhere: in the general sessions, the breakouts, random table conversations, excellent videos, and in the wonderful dance and musical performances. I was especially impressed by the speeches, particularly those delivered by Rotary International president Francesco Arezzo, and by his successor, incoming president, Olayinka Babalola. Both were eloquent, helping those in attendance to grasp just how powerful Rotary is as a force for good in the world.
And there were 37,000 of us there! The parade of nations at the opening ceremony was stirring: 200 flags were presented, one for each country where we’re making a difference. There was the proof: Rotary isn’t just a club—it’s a United Nations. Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, Australia—for four days I rubbed shoulders with the world. Heading to the convention center on the subway from my hotel my first morning, I sat with three other Rotarians, a woman from New Zealand and a couple from Latvia. I thought to myself, I’m in the right place!
I’ll say more at our club assembly on Tuesday, July 7. See you then.
Peter
Please bring a backpack to our meeting next Tuesday
It's time for our annual backpack collection event. Backpacks will be filled with supplies and delivered to the Montecito YMCA for distribution to kids ages 5 to 18 in YMCA programs, including childcare and homeless support services.
The number of backpacks collected has increased significantly year over year. Let's keep the streak going!
Your donations will ensure that every child has the tools they need for the new school year.
President Peter Beuhler with Past President Sese Ntem
President Peter Buehler began his Rotary year with a Club Assembly. He reviewed the strategic priorities for our club which include:
Being intentional about community engagement and maximizing member participation
Focusing on our public image (raising awareness about the Rotary Club of Montecito)
Building our capacity to do good in the community (thinking beyond numbers when we think about membership growth)
Peter also engaged us with stories from the Rotary International convention in Taipei, Taiwan. It was a very well attended event with 37,000 participants from around the globe.
Featured speakers included incoming RI President Olayinka Hakeem "Yinka" Babalola of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria with his presidential message of “Create Lasting Impact," and Malala Yousafzai, the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize laureate, speaking about girls' education and peace.
