Welcome to August, the second month of our Rotary year. Hope you are enjoying your summer and taking time to create special memories with your families and friends.
Our Rotary members are our greatest asset, the engine that powers everything we do. This month we focus on growing and retaining club membership. That means we invite our friends and acquaintances to our club meetings, and once they join our club, we engage them immediately in an opportunity that will keep their enthusiasm energized.
Congratulations to the 26 clubs that registered 58 new members in June and July!
Please download the New Member Checklist and the Sponsor Checklist from our District website, www.rotary5930.orgto find best practices to keep our newest members engaged.
We also encourage you to visit each other’s clubs, observing the different ways a club meeting is organized.
Are you a breakfast club or a luncheon club, or prefer an evening meeting?
Do you recognize birthdays and anniversaries with a song?
Does someone share a corny joke or a brag?
Do you offer a “Rotary Moment” or a “This Day in History” or a “Special Quote of the Day?”
How do you recognize visiting Rotarians and guests?
Do any Rotaractors or Interactors come to your meeting?
Do you recognize “Rotary Student of the Month?”
Do you have door prizes or sing a patriotic song?
Do you phone any members who were absent to share what went on and to check in to see if they are OK?
Have you planned any socials with other clubs in your Hub? This can be an opportunity to meet other Rotarians and to bring non-Rotarian friends to the social to see what fellowship is like in Rotary.
Each club is unique and reflects the personalities of its members. In our District, we have 49 Rotary Clubs, 2 Satellite Clubs, and 5 Rotaract Clubs. Can we start new Rotary Clubs, Rotaract Clubs, or Satellite Clubs in our District?
Let’s see how many different clubs you can visit this year in our District. And remember that there are over 45,000 Rotary Clubs throughout the world, so when you are traveling abroad or in the United States, check in on a local Rotary Club, if you are able. You will be welcomed as a visiting Rotarian, and you will make new friends.
Congratulations to all the clubs for celebrating their leaders’ transition from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026. This annual change of leadership allows members to experience different roles within their club or district. Some roles require a three-year commitment to strengthen club or district administration practices.
Please visit the Rotary Learning Center to take courses directly related to your area of responsibility within your club. Visit: Rotary Learning Center.
Instead of conducting the Governor’s Annual Visit to individual clubs, this year I will be participating in multi-club events known as Hub Assemblies.
This Fall, I will be attending the Hub Assemblies for Laredo International Hub (September 20, 2025), the Upper Rio Grande Valley Hub (September 27, 2025), the Lower Rio Grande Valley Hub (October 4, 2025), the Heartland Hub (October 11, 2025), the Coastal Bend Hub (November 1, 2025) and the Northland Hub (November15, 2025).
The purpose of these regional assemblies is to strengthen the relationships among the clubs located in each hub, and to provide a one-day learning experience to inspire you to fulfill your potential as a community leader and address challenges facing your community through your service projects. The theme of these hub assemblies is “Empowering Clubs for Impact.”
These workshops are designed to deliver a dynamic and interactive experience through multiple themed stations tailored to the unique needs of each club. Key outcomes include:
Vibrant Club Development: Members will engage with tools and resources designed to help clubs grow and thrive.
Opportunities to Unite for Good: A customizable station will spotlight international service, youth programs, and other areas of interest identified by local clubs.
Collaboration with District Leaders: Meet with district representatives of different committees, such as the District International Service Chair, Dr. Patricia Abrego, whose insight will enhance discussions on global service opportunities.
Meaningful Connections and Solutions: Learn and share relevant knowledge, practical tools, and stronger networks to support the achievement of your club goals.
You will create your own butterfly effect within your areas of influence by making a difference in the lives of those you serve. Together, we are planting seeds for lasting impact.
Registration will open online this month for the six hub assemblies, once the locations are finalized and the prices are set. You might consider joining us for the first Hub Assembly in Laredo at Texas A&M International University, Center for the Study of Western Hemispheric Trade. Please visit our District website for further information: www.rotary5930.org.
These Hub Assemblies are being organized by your Hub leader, the Assistant Governors, Club representatives, and our District Learning Facilitator, IPDG Dr. Zehra Surani.
All club members are encouraged to attend their local hub assembly.
If you would like more information on these assemblies, please contact your Hub Leader or Dr. Surani.
We had 1,412 members on July 1 that are being counted in our "baseline" for purposes of collecting our district dues. Please note that Rotary International used the count of 1467 for our club dues to Rotary. Unfortunately, some clubs had not cleaned up their roster before being counted by RI. If we all participate in the Membership Olympic Games, we can reach 1,500 members!
If you need any advice regarding these Olympic Games, please visit our district website www.rotary5930.orgor contact PDG Andy Hagan at andyhagan05@gmail.com.
We invite all clubs to participate in our second annual Membership Olympics.
Our 2025-2026 District 5930 Membership Olympics kicked off on May 31, 2025, at the District Assembly.
The NINE Game Challenges must be completed and submitted not later than
Did you know that for each dollar you donate to The Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an authorized Global Grant, you will also receive 1 Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) recognition point which can be used to toward giving a Paul Harris FellowshipAward to a colleague or community member who demonstrates the principle of “Service Above Self?"
Club Presidents and Club Foundation Chairs can download their monthly Foundation Giving Report that identifies how many points the club and individual members have acquired, and which can be put towards awarding a Paul Harris Fellowship recognition to a deserving servant leader.
Go to MyRotary.org website, scroll down to Membership and Foundation Reports, Contribution and Recognition, District Giving, Club Recognition Summary. This report provides the Foundation Recognition Points available to the club and to individual members, which then can be used to recognize an individual, using the Recognition Transfer Request Form.
And when you complete a community service project, please share your photos and story with Adriana Contreras Hernandez, our District Public Image Chair, and Bettsy Pizana (our webmaster).
And then enter your project information into the Rotary database by going to MyRotary.org, scrolling down to and clicking on Rotary Club Central, and select Service Projects on the left-hand side of the page. This will take you to where you can enter your new service project information (https://spc.rotary.org/ ). Enter this data as soon as you finish your project so that you do not forget to report it.
The information collected there automatically calculates the number of service projects you conduct this year – which then are tallied against your goal established for number of service projects. Please contact Andy Zamarripa for further assistance
We have created new District Committees focusing on different development issues.
DISTRICT LITERACY COMMITTEE:
Literacy is one of the key priorities for Rotary. The goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support literacy and basic education. This is important as only 34% of students in the United States reads proficiently. We know literacy is the foundation for learning.
The literacy committee will dedicate its expertise to build awareness of the importance of literacy. The current literacy committee members are Elsa Cardenas-Hagan, Sonia Quintero, Carmela Petraitis, Ceci Gomez, and Lucy Cadenas. There are many projects for literacy in the district, however, one of the goals of the literacy committee is to ensure implementation of evidence -based projects that are also sustainable and scalable.
Stay tuned for our next newsletter and updates from the District 5930 Litearcy Committee.
Our District Health Committee is developing a partnership with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Public Health Region 11 (Harlingen) and Public Health Region 8 (Goliad Field Office) to support public health campaigns regarding immunizations, especially back to school campaigns, and health promotion for the prevention of common communicable diseases.
DSHS for Region 11 is developing three storybooks around the health risks of measles, pertussis, and hepatitis B, and our local Rotary Clubs can help to disseminate these publications at public libraries, schools, and community events.
If you would like to learn more about this Health Committee, please contact the Chair, Dr. JoAnne Settles at: joanne.settles@victoriacollege.edu.
With the help of our District IT/DATA Coordinator, Andy Zamarripa, and our Hub leaders and Assistant Governors, we have begun a review of our member profiles, verifying and updating contact information, and removing inactive members from our rosters.
We invite the club Presidents and Secretaries to review their membership and ask members to update their profiles in MyRotary.org. That means all members need to have an account open for the Rotary International website.
And who needs to open their account with MyRotary.org? Over half of our members do not visit the Rotary International website to take advantage of all the resources that are available there.
We need accurate emails and phone numbers so that you can receive emails from our District and from Rotary International. This communication is very important, especially in the event of an emergency. We want to keep you informed if we have to activate our District Disaster Plan.
We can generate monthly reports on club membership and club foundation giving. For assistance with data editing and report generation, please contact Andy Zamarripa atazamarripa@gmail.com.
Attention Club Secretaries. Our District Secretary, Norma Hernandez, is pleased to assist you in adding or deleting information in Clubrunner or MyRotary.org. For assistance, please contact Norma at norma.rotaryd5930@gmail.com. We also recommend you take a course online at the Rotary Learning Center.
The District Youth Committee is chaired by Judge Greg Perkes and ensures that anyone participating in activities with youth is trained on the Rotary Youth Protection Policy.
If you are interested in serving on this committee, please contact Judge Greg Perkes.
In March, communities in the Rio Grande Valley were impacted by floods, and our District received a $25,000 Disaster Grant from The Rotary Foundation.
The coordinator of the Grant, PDG Eddie Bartnesky, worked with DG Elaine Hernandez and Project Arise to identify 27 families who received serious water damage to their homes in three communities in Edinburg, Pharr, and Alamo. The grant is providing new beds for these families valued at $20,580.46. We will be distributing the beds to these families in mid-August. If you would like to help with the distribution of these beds, please contact DG Elaine Hernandez at ehernandez2125@gmail.com.
The remainder of the grant will be used to purchase equipment/tools for our Disaster Trailer.
Many of our district Rotarians donated their time to assist with the muck-and-gut efforts organized by Disaster Aid USA in the Harlingen area after the floods. Do you recognize anyone in this photo?
For further information, please visit: www.dps.texas.gov › txHomelandSecStratPlan2021-2025.
Here is a photo ofPDG Eddie Bartnesky, receiving a delivery of beds for 27 families as part of a $25,000 disaster grant he received from the Rotary Foundation in response to the March flooding in Hidalgo and Cameron Counties. We will distribute these beds to families through distribution sites in Edinburg, Pharr, and Alamo in mid-August.
If you would like to help with volunteer work during the distribution and bed setup in the homes of the beneficiaries in August, please contact PDG Eddie Bartnesky or DG Elaine Hernandez.
Good to go for a set of seminars on how to effectively build leaders in your Rotary and Rotaract clubs. Facilitators will share experiences and knowledge on how to move beyond simply managing to truly leading your club by building effective leaders. These seminars will provide the basics on powerful strategies you can use to boost morale and energize your club.
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