GIVING BACK: Learn about all the good the Rotary Club of Coronado does year-round

Rotary Club of Coronado

Community Service with a Smile

By Jeanmarie Bond

As the guest editors of this issue of Crown City Magazine, it seemed fi tting to explain more about what the Rotary Club of Coronado is, and what we do. Overall, the main objective of any Rotary Club is service — to the community, in the workplace and throughout the world. More than 250 members comprise our Coronado chapter alone, all devoted to the same mission — “Service Above Self.” Remarkably, our membership grew during the pandemic, unlike so many other clubs and organizations that experienced steep declines these past two years. That’s because our local community seems to have a heart for service. However, our mission is not only to provide humanitarian service in our local community and throughout the world, but also to encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and strive to build goodwill and peace in all that we do.

We support various local, national and international causes — including the military, veterans, public health and safety, the environment, educational enrichment, youth development and resources for impoverished and underserved communities — the list is seemingly endless. In order to accomplish our mission, Coronado Rotary hosts three major fundraising events each year.

This month, on Friday, March 18 at the 26th Annual Coronado Rotary Charity Golf Tournament at the Coronado Municipal Golf Course, 30 foursomes will tee off at 1:00 pm to raise funds for the 60+ fi nancial grant projects our chapter supports. In addition to their green fees, registered golfers will enjoy lunch, beverages and a post-game barbecue, as well as prizes for

closest to the pin on all par threes, and the longest drives for men and women.

Then, on June 18, the 25th Annual Low Tide Ride and Stride invites the entire community to participate in a family-friendly event by walking, running or biking a picturesque fi vemile course on the beach during low tide. The race has grown signifi cantly since it began a quarter century ago and off ers challenges to the ardent athlete, as well excitement for the youngsters and participants as they delight in the stunning view.

Rotary Club of Coronado is so committed to the worldwide eff ort to eradicate polio, that members have actually traveled to foreign countries to help with the cause. Here, Rotarian Dr. Suzanne Popp administers polio vaccines to small children. Local Rotarian Dan Gensler, who this year is the Governor for our local Rotary District 5340, celebrates during his run at the annual Low Tide Ride and Stride.

Then, every September is our annual End Polio Now Winetasting event, where participants enjoy vintage selections from premium local wineries while bidding on one of a kind live and silent auction items, raising funds to eradicate polio from the face of the earth. Last year was a banner year for this elite fundraising event, as the club raised approximately $90,000. When matched by a pledge from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the resulting combined donation was $270,000 to Rotary International’s End Polio Now campaign.

Not only do we raise funds to support local, national and international causes, including the nearby Warrior Foundation, San Pasqual Academy, Limbs of Freedom, Barrio Logan College Institute, Coronado Schools Foundation, Camp Able, Safe Harbor Coronado and Coronado High School Senior scholarships among many others, we also “roll up our sleeves” and perform countless hours of community service through volunteerism and hard work.

This deserving young man beams at the prospect of fi nally being able to walk, skip and jump. Hundreds of limbless people in Mexico have received state-of-theart prosthetic devices over the past 20 years thanks to the volunteer eff orts of Rotary Club of Coronado.

In December, Coronado Rotarians joined with volunteers from other local chapters to build seven new homes for impoverished families south of Tecate, Mexico. Dozens of local Rotarians put in thousands of hours last winter and spring volunteering at the Sharp Coronado Covid-19 vaccination clinic at Coronado Community Center. Three to four Saturdays each month, our bluevested environmental advocates, carrying multigallon buckets and bags, comb our local beaches, parks, sidewalks and streets for unsightly trash left behind by others.

Rotary Club of Coronado is so committed to the green movement that they formed a Committee to Protect the Environment, co-chaired by Ivan Dunn (pictured) and Zayanne Thompson.

Every year, Coronado Rotarians band together to decorate a fl oat in the annual Fourth of July Parade — and it’s always a winner!

Coronado Rotarians provide dinners to families of Wounded Warriors staying at Fisher House at Balboa Naval Medical Center, when pandemic protocols allow, ensuring they have wholesome meals to eat while tending to their loved one. We are actively involved in the Everyone a Reader Program, providing funds for books for our local elementary school children to explore and also volunteering in the classroom, when protocols allow, sitting side-by-side with eager students to improve their reading skills.

We also sponsor and support the Coronado Interact Club at CHS, where dedicated and heartfelt local high school students perform various service projects throughout the year. Most notably is their involvement with the Hacienda Orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico where, prior to the pandemic, the teens traveled three to four times each year to provide fi nancial support, complete desperately needed projects and simply spend time with the children living there.

Perhaps most pivotal of all are the thousands of dollars and countless volunteer hours devoted to Limbs of Freedom in Ensenada, Mexico, where hundreds of children and adults lacking limbs have been fi tted with state-of-the-art prosthetic devices over the past 20 years. Whether because of injury, illness, accident or birth defect, these deserving individuals’ lives are changed as each is personally fi tted with their own device, manufactured completely on-site at the clinic. Recipients are typically from impoverished backgrounds and completely lacking medical insurance, so without the aid of these local

volunteers and prosthetic technicians, their life situations and futures would be bleak.

But there’s so much more to Rotary than philanthropic But there’s so much more to Rotary than philanthropic support and acts of service, as Coronado Rotary is also a venue for fun, friendship and fellowship on a weekly basis. At lunchtime meetings every Wednesday — held at either Coronado Cays Yacht Club, Coronado Yacht Club or the Hotel del Coronado — more than 75 Rotarians gather for a delicious meal while discussing routine club business, then hear an insightful presentation from an engaging speaker with the aim of “learning something new” at every meeting. This year alone, Coronado Rotarians have heard from experts about everything from “Music Forbidden by the Third Reich” and “What is from “Music Forbidden by the Third Reich” and “What is Bitcoin” to “Aboard the USS Mercy” and “History of the Holiday Bowl,” and that doesn’t even begin to cover the range of topics discussed each week. Presentations are range of topics discussed each week. Presentations are always varied and intellectually engaging, leaving listeners always varied and intellectually engaging, leaving listeners walking out the door with another “aha” moment. walking out the door with another “aha” moment.

When the pandemic hit, our local Rotarians proved When the pandemic hit, our local Rotarians proved that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” Undaunted by the challenges of virtual meetings, the Undaunted by the challenges of virtual meetings, the Rotary Club of Coronado invested in the technology Rotary Club of Coronado invested in the technology necessary to ensure that every individual, regardless of necessary to ensure that every individual, regardless of location or skill, could participate fully in weekly meetings. location or skill, could participate fully in weekly meetings. Ours are more than mere Zoom meetings since the club Ours are more than mere Zoom meetings since the club purchased the cameras, computers, electronic devices, purchased the cameras, computers, electronic devices, software, A/V equipment, a speaker system and other software, A/V equipment, a speaker system and other apparatuses necessary to allow members and guests apparatuses necessary to allow members and guests to participate from anywhere. Word spread quickly, and to participate from anywhere. Word spread quickly, and Coronado Rotary has become a model for other clubs in Coronado Rotary has become a model for other clubs in our region, with Rotarians requesting to visit regularly so our region, with Rotarians requesting to visit regularly so they can learn directly from the source how we make the they can learn directly from the source how we make the magic happen. There is arguably no other Rotary Club in magic happen. There is arguably no other Rotary Club in our region that makes its meetings so easily accessible on our region that makes its meetings so easily accessible on a technological scale. a technological scale.

If you have a heart for service, want to give back to the If you have a heart for service, want to give back to the community, and would like to be enlightened by engaging community, and would like to be enlightened by engaging speakers, all while making myriad new friends and speakers, all while making myriad new friends and enjoying fun-fi lled conversations and events, the Rotary enjoying fun-fi lled conversations and events, the Rotary Club of Coronado is perfect for you. Feel free to reach out Club of Coronado is perfect for you. Feel free to reach out to us at offi ce@coronadorotary.org or 619-435-8334. To to us at offi ce@coronadorotary.org or 619-435-8334. To learn more about programs and events, visit our website learn more about programs and events, visit our website at www.coronadorotary.org at www.coronadorotary.org

• Jeanmarie Bond has lived in Coronado for 24 years, • Jeanmarie Bond has lived in Coronado for 24 years, and happily raised her two adult sons in this community. and happily raised her two adult sons in this community. She is proud to be a member of Rotary. She is proud to be a member of Rotary.