In Rotary District 5890, We're People of Action!
 
 
 
 
 
HISTORY OF ROTARY DISTRICT 5890
 
The Texas spirit is not just a state of mind, it is a way of life.  Texans are known for their generosity, their self-reliance, their individualism, their patriotism, and their sense of family…of belonging to and caring for their community.   The same is said for the Rotarians and Rotaractors in Rotary District 5890.  It is a family of caring, hardworking, generous people. 
 
With Texas being the second largest state in the United States (second only to Alaska), it is known for its wide-open spaces.  The drive across Texas from the border of Louisiana to the border of New Mexico, is 870 miles.  Distances within District 5890 are quite similar.  You’d drive 126 miles one-way to go from Lake Jackson TX (very near the Gulf of Mexico) to Brenham TX (in the Texas Hill Country) and you’d drive over 100 miles one-way to get from Weimar TX in the West to Baytown TX in the East. Yet, in spite of the vast distances, the Rotarians of District 5890 consider themselves all one family.  It would not be surprising for a Rotarian in Lake Jackson, to drive to Brenham for ice cream!  Or for a Rotarian in Brenham to drive to the Gulf Coast for fresh seafood. 
 
District 5890 is diverse, not only in its population but in its industries.  Where else can one touch a real spaceship that once flew in outer space, brush shoulders with astronauts, avoid rattle snakes, see a cattle drive come through the streets of downtown Houston, learn of innovative biomedical medical technology at the largest medical center, the Texas Medical Center in the world, while enjoying the tastiest ice cream, Blue Bell Ice Cream  in all of Texas, all within a day’s drive?  (The ice cream, by the way, is well worth the drive!).
 
Man’s first trip to Mars is on the near horizon and is being planned here at NASA ‘s Space Center Houston, and just up the street on Houston’s west side is the Energy Corridor.  Houston is considered the energy capitol of the world and is both the headquarters and the intellectual capital for virtually every segment of the energy industry including exploration, production, transmission, marketing, supply, and technology.
 
Today the district 5890 is comprised of sixty-four Rotary clubs (forty-two of which have been organized since the end of World War I), eight Rotaract clubs, over seventy Interact clubs, twelve EarlyAct FirstKnight Character Education Curriculum campuses, and at the time of this writing, over 2,700 Rotarians call District 5890 their home.  There are doctors, lawyers, oilmen, judges, artists, small business owners, large business owners, male and female business owners, large corporations and small corporations; there are painters, writers, cattlemen, ranchers, bakers, real estate brokers, bankers and musicians; there are psychologists, psychiatrists, medical doctors, medical researchers, teachers, professors, accountants, CPAs, tax advisors, financial advisors, veterinarians, social workers, stay-at-home moms and global trekkers. District 5890 has them all!
 
From the Space Center Rotary Club to the Brenham Rotary Club to the Houston Energy Corridor Rotary Club to the Houston Skyline Rotary Club, District 5890 is filled with hands-on, “we got this” Rotarians and Rotaractors.   Just as diverse as its people, is the diversity of the service projects both at home and abroad.  The true generosity and the mindset of “service above self” of District 5890 Rotarians spans the globe. 
 
As District 5890 Rotarians, we gather books to be distributed around the world with our Books for the World Project.  We are directly involved with programs to help hardened criminals find hope and forgiveness through the Darrington Prison Seminary Project.  We provide sweat equity and monies which provide much needed eye surgery at the Guerrero Clinic in MexicoWe created and continue to provide ongoing support for The Children of the Dump in NicaraguaWe combat human trafficking right on our own back yard with our Human Trafficking Task Force. 
 
Our District 5890 Peace Committee brings diverse people together to tackle the issue of racism.  Through the Fire Fighters Home Project, we provide free housing to firefighters and first responders who come to the Texas Medical Center for cancer treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center.  And we built and continue to support the Jesse H. Jones Rotary House, which is a hotel adjacent to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) for cancer patients.   We are heavily involved in developing the youth of today through our Rotary Youth Exchange Program.  District 5890 Rotarians have welcomed and continue to welcome with open arms, Rotarians from around the globe as part of Rotary Friendship Exchanges. 
 
We recognize and honor those who contribute to achievement in space through their Rotary Club of Space Center RNASA awards (Rotary National Award for Space Achievement) just as we recognize and honor outstanding young college football players through the Rotary Lombardi Award. Monies from this event alone, add up to the multi-thousands of dollars and are used to support cancer research and patient care.  These are just a few of the many programs in which District 5890 Rotarians are involved. 
 
District 5890 also strives to be innovative and fresh.  As such, a Rotarian came up with the idea of the Rotary District 5890 Yellow Pages.  Launched in 2021, the Rotary Yellow Pages is a directory for Rotarians in District 5890 to use to network, refer businesses, conduct job searches, provide mentorships and encourage fellow Rotarians in their businesses by supporting each other.  It is the first of its kind (that we know of). 
 
Of course, all of these programs require money to operate.  And this is where the Rotary District 5890 Texas Spirit shines the brightest.  Two of the most well-known fund raisers are the Katy Wild West Brew Fest held annually by the Katy Rotary Club, and North Shore Fish Fry, held annually by the Rotary Club of North Shore.
 
We give generously to our local communities, to the international community and to the Rotary International Foundation.  District 5890 has Arch Klumph Society members, major donors, and benefactors and bequest society members.  Many of our clubs are 100% Paul Harris Society members as well.  District 5890 is a generous district, not only monetarily but also in sweat equity.  We see the need; we take action; and we give with loving arms.
 
All of this, however, takes strong Rotary leadership, at the club level, at the district level, and at the Zone and Rotary International level.  District 5890 is the home district to Rotary International President's Executive Assistant (2020-21), Andy Smallwood and Rotary International Director (2020-2022), Suzi Howe
 
Andy served as Rotary International Treasurer 2013-14 and Rotary International Director 2012-14.  He is a member of the Gulfway-Hobby Rotary Club.  Andy and his wife Anita continue to serve Rotary International and District 5890 as strong leaders in both the local and international communities.
 
Suzi has served Rotary as an RI training leader and as a member of the Leadership Development and Training Committee. She has also been a regional Rotary Foundation coordinator, host committee adviser for the 2022 Rotary International Convention, and vice chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee.  Suzi and her husband Bill are members of the Rotary Club of Space Center and just like Andy and Anita, Suzi and Bill are strong leaders, passionate about Rotary and its causes.
 
And, in 2022, District 5890’s current District Governor (2021-2022), Michelle Bohreer, was named as one of Houston’s 50 Most Influential Women.  Quite the honor, considering that Houston has a population of several million people!
 
District 5890, which began as District 589 in 1956, has a proud past and a shining future.  Rotarians of District 5890 embrace the essence of Rotary. 
 
For further detailed information on the clubs in District 5890 including where they are located and when and where clubs meet, click here for an alphabetical list by club name, or click here for a map where you can sort by meeting day of the week or meeting time (breakfast, lunch or evening.)