Thank you for taking the time to visit the Rotary Club of Santa Clara website. Our club was established in 1936 with only 15 members in attendance.  Today, with over 75 members, The Rotary Club of Santa Clara continues to be one of the stronger community supporters in the City of Santa Clara. I joined the club 9 years ago because I was able to see firsthand how the Rotary Club of Santa Clara positively impacted those less fortunate. I now have the honor to serve as the 2020-2021 club President.

 

I am proud to say that our club participates in many local and international causes. Most recently, our entire world dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Our club members were heavily affected like everyone else.  We immediately donated $10,000 and partnered with Makers Nexus who produced several thousand high quality protective face shields for our first responders.   These face shields were donated to several medical facilities in our county and across the country.  We also supported local restaurant businesses that were serving takeout.  Members in our club used their businesses or community contacts to get involved.  One member donated over 700 meals to first responders and another provided meals for children and homeless shelters.  Another member formed a community group of volunteers and produced face shields, delivered food to those people that could not leave their home, and assisted seniors that needed help.  These are just a few examples of the quality of our members and Rotarians at work.

 

In June, the Santa Clara Rotary Foundation partners with the City of Santa Clara and hosts the Silicon Valley BBQ Championships where professional BBQ teams compete.  This is the clubs largest fundraising event and it is held at Central Park.  For more information about the BBQ, please visit www.SVBBQ.com.

 

The Santa Clara Rotary Foundation funds several local events for our children.  Our “Steps for Success” program provides approximately 400 brand new shoes to children and our “Christmas for Kids” program provides 200 children with a gift from Santa Claus, a warm coat, and a special lunch. Both events are coordinated with the Santa Clara Unified School district and the generosity of Lexus of Stevens Creek and Royal Coach for transportation. Our Foundation also provides $32,000 per year in college scholarships for local youth.  We support the Rotary Youth Leadership, Camp RYLA, by sending youth to learn leadership skills, and we are directly involved in supporting the Enterprise Leadership Conference (ELC), where 60 local high school juniors attend a 3-day retreat and learn from Rotarian business leaders about starting and operating a business.  The club also contributes thousands of dollars to local community groups.  We also support and participate in global events with Rotary International.  Some initiatives we have been involved with are providing safe drinking water, providing medical supplies and Polio Plus, our common goal to eradicate Polio worldwide.

 

If you are interested about learning more about our amazing club, I would encourage you to attend one of our weekly meetings. We currently meet every Thursday afternoon on Zoom where we discuss topics relevant to our club and feature key-note speakers who present and share their ideas. I look forward to meeting you and any visiting Rotarians.  Please check this website for times and locations of our meetings.

Yours in Rotary,

 

Michael J. Sellers