Message from Speaker Jennifer Strong
“Thank you Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotarians for welcoming me into your club this morning. It was truly a special time and an honor to be with all of you! While this is an incredibly difficult time, it is also a time for each and every one of us to reach beyond what we believe is possible and embrace the power that we all have as Rotarians to lead the way in the recovery of our communities. The efforts of the Lake County clubs in the creation of the Rotary Fire Relief Fund 2 years ago led to nearly $1M in funds raised and the effective deployment to fire survivors of the devastating fires in 2015 and 2016 in Lake County. That work is still going on today. But that fund, along with the knowledge and expertise of the Lake County Rotarians, has now been expanded to the 4 counties affected by the recent devastation throughout our combined communities and renamed the Rotary District 5130 Fire Relief Fund.
The donations have been coming in and the total in this new fund is now approaching $1.5M with more on its way. But we need to keep getting the word out to everyone we know. What we are all faced with right now is vast and, at times, overwhelming, but we all have the power to lead our communities through this and come out the other side better and stronger. The power of this fund is in the grass roots, boots on the ground, zero overhead efforts of a diverse and well-connected group of Rotarians that we all are. The expanded Rotary fire relief committee, comprised of Rotarians from throughout our 4 counties, has been working very hard to identify the holes and begin the deployment of funds in a disciplined and efficient manner directly to the people most in need. Now is our time to roll our sleeves and get this done. I hope that each of you will proudly wear your Rotary logo and help lead the way to recovery. One thing you can do right now is to get the word out – there are programs such as the Business Recovery Grant Program already up and running and cash donations are still needed. Encourage everyone you know to go to the www.larca5130.org website for more information. Thank you again for letting me be with all of you this morning and please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance.”
