AA month in President Liz's Rotary life!
If each of us were to tell our story of “a month in the life of Rotary,” they would sound quite different. With so many opportunities, meetings, committees, and events, our calendars may vary, but our experiences will have some commonalities.
Every time you show up with Rotary, you’ll be with interesting people who do good. That’s why I keep showing up. I’ll share what my past month in Rotary was like, and you can think about yours–and what you want your next month to include!
In the past month or so, I…
- Hosted a Fireside chat with 4 of our new members, learning what attracted them to Rotary and sharing what’s available through our club and the global organization. Thank you to Donna, Erika, Stephen, and Steve for bringing your curiosity and stories. Thank you to Membership Chair Kirk as well as Jann and Boris for co-hosting.
- Heard from Rotary Youth Exchange student from Japan Risa Shimada and got to see some of her original art. Thank you to Angelique and Scott (and Erik and Lisa) for being host families.
- Shared stories and admired wildflowers while hiking the Fremont Trail on a sunny day with members, friends, and a dog. Thank you to Diana and the social committee for organizing it.
- Brainstormed fundraising strategies over potato skins at Harry’s Plaza Cafe. Thank you to Angelique for bringing us together and building momentum, and to Tina for your leadership on our upcoming game night.
- Played skeeball and learned about a fun bar I hadn’t been to before at our monthly happy hour. Thank you to Social Chair Christine, Marjorie, and the social committee for planning this unique happy hour.
- Attended another Rotary club’s fundraiser–Pins for Polio–and was reminded that the Rotary spirit unites our local clubs (and that I’m terrible at bowling). Thank you to Boris and Gabriel for helping represent our club at the event.
- Talked about peace poles and collaboration opportunities with the other Rotary clubs in Santa Barbara over tea. Thank you to Gary for leading our Peacebuilder efforts, designing peace pole wraps, and exploring how we can do more together.
- Got inspired by Rotarians from four counties at the virtual District Leadership Assembly. Without leaving home, I got great ideas for fundraising, club service, and more. Thank you to District Training Co-Chair and club member Chris for coordinating this event, and to Karen, Margo, Graham, Stephen, Angelique, and other club members who attended!
What’s not listed are all the moments within the moments–the conversations. Every time I show up, I learn more about at least one of our members, and I feel so grateful to know you. Our club members are incredibly interesting! Please keep sharing about your next trip, your professional accomplishments, your family struggles, your health concerns and triumphs, your hobbies, your pets…It’s the connection I feel in these moments that make me show up again and again.
The next time you show up–to a meeting, a service project, or a happy hour–I invite you to watch for these moments of connection for yourself. Who do you get to know just a little bit better (and realize that you’re glad you did)?
Membership updates:
Speaking of interesting people who do good, I want to share an update about Oscar Zavala. He recently resigned from the club to honor a shift in his priorities and availability. While he won’t be a regular member, he is welcome back anytime! He has contributed so much to the club over the past six years, and was even honored as a Rotarian of the month recently after being the dreamer and the doer in our multi-club Rise Against Hunger meal-packing event.
Oscar did not announce his exit broadly before leaving, but you can reach out with personal messages of thanks and appreciation if you’d like.
We also received a club resignation from Maria Long. I thank her for her service to the club. A couple of years ago, she joined the team that went to Celaya, Mexico, to assist with an eye clinic that provided 35 sight-restoring surgeries. Like me, she is a boomerang, who once left the club and rejoined--so perhaps we'll see more of her!
Liz Alves,
President, 2025-26
