Vocational Service

VOCATIONAL SERVICE 

 

Margaret "Margie" Hernandez

SAG Vocational Service

Rotary Club of Wilmington 

 
Greetings, District 5280 Rotarians!  I live in Carson, CA and joined the Rotary Club of Wilmington in 1989.  I am a native Californian, born in East Los Angeles (yes, like the Cheech and Chong song), whose family moved to Whittier, CA, when I was in seventh grade.  I was accepted to Stanford University following my graduation from Monte Vista High School (now the location of the Sheriff's Academy East).  My college major was Anthropology and my plan was to pursue a law degree.  Of course, all that changed when my first daughter was born.
 
When I joined Rotary I worked for the City of Los Angeles Harbor Department aka Port of Los Angeles.  Although I held various positions in several departments, my expertise was in general administration and contracting issues.  I retired in February 2010 and have served in many leadership positions throughout my career, which continue into retirement.
 
I enjoy visiting local Rotary clubs and spending time with Rotarians from various clubs at their meetings and social events.  I initially joined Rotary because I wanted to give back to the community.  Because of the many opportunities Rotary membership has given me to interact with young people, I believe I will be a Rotarian for life.  Whether it has been reading to students each week at a Wilmington elementary school, performing eye exams with Vision to Learn, distributing backpacks to children in Colombia and Mexico, distributing books to children at our annual Fiesta or working with Interactors and Rotaractors within District 5280, I have experienced so many Rotary moments that have energized my efforts to do more each year.
 
My bucket list includes visiting all the countries located around the Pacific Rim.  Thanks to Rotary International conferences and the annual humanitarian trips, I have checked many locations off the list.  I have many more to go!  I am hoping that my remaining years in Rotary will lead me to these countries and many more Rotary moments.
 

District 5280 Vocational Service

Many people ask me, "What exactly is Vocational Service."  It took me a while to figure this out given my duties in my club have always related to community service.  However, once I did a little research (and reviewed the information given to me by my predecessor, Olivia Patterson Ryan), I have come up with an answer.
 
As Rotarians, we all are assigned a classification.  This classification relates to our "vocation," which is how we make our living.  Vocational service is the way that we celebrate and share our vocation with others in our communities, especially our young people.  Each club in the District hosts events that relate to vocational service.  Some events celebrate certain vocations, such as teachers, police officers, and firefighters.  Other clubs work on literacy projects within their communities or in other countries, providing books to young children.  Many of our clubs host an Interact or Rotaract club, which provide a path from high school to college and, hopefully, to Rotary membership.  Yet other clubs host competitions for students in the arts and business.
 
 

District Vocational Service Events

As the SAG for Vocational Service, I am responsible for the annual Literacy Breakfast, the Ethics Forum, and the Pageant of the Arts.  Below I will describe each event and introduce its chair.  More information will be provided in the District newsletter, at the District breakfast and on the District website as these events approach.