Welcome to Mountain View Rotary, “Where we’re more than a club, we’re a family.” It is an honor to be your President for the 2022-23 Rotary year, where our international call to action is Imagine Rotary and our club call to action is Imagine Mountain View Rotary.
I’m excited about the year ahead and it has already started out as a historic year. This is the first year Rotary International is being led by a woman, Jennifer Jones. I’ve had the privilege of meeting her and she is a dynamic leader with great intelligence and poise and I look forward to seeing how she elevates our club to new heights. One of my focus areas this year for our club is Engagement. Over the past 2 years we’ve been living a “remote” life due to the pandemic and my goal is to bring our members back together again, enjoying each other’s company and rekindling that spirit that brought you into Rotary and why you stayed in Rotary. We will continue many of our service projects like cleaning up Stevens Creek Trail, volunteering at different non-profits like Hope’s Corner and keeping our club engaged with youth projects like the Rotary Speech Contest, RYLA and ELC, and of course our All-You-Can-Eat Crab fundraiser. But, in addition, I intend to work with my board to create more opportunities for service events and activities, social gatherings and fundraisers. Also, I hope you’re able to join us in-person at our regular meetings and meet your old friends again and make new ones. To our new members, this is your opportunity to find a role in this club you’d like to lead and participate in. We’re a relatively small club, so you have the opportunity to find a cause you want our club to participate in and get us involved. We will support you! And if you don’t know what causes you want to support, let me know and we can review the number of causes Rotary is involved in.
I joined Rotary 10 years ago when I was searching for a way to give more of my heart. After having lunch with a friend of mine, he told me about Rotary and suggested I check it out. After visiting a few clubs in the area, it was my own home club that called to me. I can’t tell you what a blessing it has been. Through Rotary I not only made wonderful friends but it opened my eyes to local opportunities where I can get involved and make a difference. As Youth Chair I had the opportunity to manage the High School Speech Contest, interview students for RYLA and meet our local high school Interact clubs and leaders. In one of our service projects, I got introduced to Hope’s Corner, a local soup kitchen, which has become dear to my heart and where I continue to volunteer for the past 7 years. I also met Judy Hannemann, a long-time Rotarian, who encouraged me to run for the Mountain View-Los Altos High School board, which I couldn’t have done without her support, as well as the support of all the members in the club and everyone pitched in to help me get elected. I’m an example of where our club has given back to me more than what I’ve given to the club.
If you’re a member, thank you and make this a great year. If you’re thinking of being a member, you won’t find a more supportive and friendly group of members and we’ll immediately make you a part of our family.
Sanjay Dave
President, Mountain View Rotary 2022-23