My fellow Rotarians,

I am so proud of all that we have been able to accomplish this year in LA5! In particular, I have been reflecting on our virtual meetings of late and the many high caliber speakers that strike the right balance between educational and inspirational. It is no easy task to secure speakers at a time when the competition for speakerships is unrelenting. That, however, does not stop LA5 from moving mountains to ready our lineup speakers for the coming year that will build on the success of this year. I urge my fellow Rotarians to continue to “zoom in” as the momentum is real. If it has been a while since you have last tuned into Zoom for one of our remote meetings, I encourage you to try again and join us!

My reflection would not be complete if I did not mention what a privilege it is to work on our Board, where along with Rick Gibson and Gary Jimenez we focus on the esprit de corps of our members. It is gratifying to know that even during a remote environment, we’ve still been able to introduce a number of new and accomplished members to our club this year. We can all agree that the COVID-19 pandemic has made for a difficult and unsettling time. As in every crisis there is opportunity, and adding hope to any equation will bring us closer making the best of our current situation and make progress where we can. I believe this because in my 17 years of experience with Rotarians, I have found members to be resilient and doers! More importantly, we always look for the opportunity to do more to lift up our community. Finally, I am grateful for our many accomplishments by our club, and for the generous and collaborative spirit in which we have done this. Our club is a gift and I am thrilled I get to share it with you.

Yours in Rotary Service,