The 2025 District Governor's Meeting was held at the Marriott in Mission Valley.
Toni Mecaro
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Del Mar!
It is an incredible honor to serve as president of our club for the Rotary Year 2024-2025 as we celebrate the Magic of Rotary.
The Magic of Rotary lies in its ability to build connections and foster understanding between people of different backgrounds and cultures, bringing people together to make a positive impact on their communities and the world. I joined this club in 2020, and every day since I have been in awe of the contributions our members make that support Rotary's 7 areas of service:
- Peace and Conflict Prevention / Resolution
- Disease Prevention and Treatment
- Water and Sanitation
- Maternal and Child Health
- Basic Education and Literacy
- Economic and Community Development
- Supporting the Environment
The Rotary Club of Del Mar creates opportunities for people to come together, learn from each other, and collaborate on meaningful initiatives that have a lasting, positive impact. The members of our club provide scholarships for students, support humanitarian projects, and participate in local community service efforts harnessing the power of collective action and goodwill to effect positive change.
We are committed to making a difference in the lives of others. If you are interested in finding out how you can make a difference, spreading a message of hope and service that transcends borders and boundaries, please join us at an upcoming meeting.
Toni Mecaro
This video summarizes just a few of our recent projects and the Magic of Rotary
What’s Rotary?
Rotary is where neighbors, friends, and problem-solvers share ideas, join leaders, and take action to create lasting change.
The District Training Assembly returns to the Liberty Station Conference Center on March 29. The program is packed, but you'll be finished by noon. Come learn about the workings of Rotary clubs, including secrets to growing membership and how to leverage ChatGPT to accomplish tasks faster. This year features District Governors from around Zone 26/27 who will give fresh perspectives on a variety of topics. Our own Janice Kurth again leads the session on Global Grants.
This training session is a fantastic opportunity for all members, but particularly for Red Badgers to meet Rotarians from around the District and to learn best practices. Also, if you're looking to become youth-certified, livescan fingerprinting is available at a discounted price.
We must have at least two members attend the sessions concerning District and Global Grants for our club to be eligible to receive grant funding.
Click HERE to register.
Our club is the host club for the District 5340 Model United Nations, which will be held at the Del Mar Civic Center the weekend of March 23. Organizers Kathy Reed and Klaus Gubernator need help with room set up the afternoon of Friday March 21 and with registration the morning of Saturday March 22. All members are welcome to attend the conference to hear the delegates debate two resolutions. Click HERE for details about the conference and email Kathy Reed for specifics about volunteer times.
Our recent blood drive at the Del Mar Civic center on March 6 was a great success. Thank you to all our members who donated. You are truly a special minority. According to the American Blood Centers, an organization representing blood centers across North America, only 3% of eligible donors in the United States donate blood. If you couldn’t make the March 6 drive, click HERE to schedule an appointment at a San Diego Blood Bank donation center near you. Thank you to Mary Savoy for organizing the drive.
Karen Lare, Chair of the Del Mar Lagoon Committee spoke at our March 6 meeting about the San Dieguito lagoon. The Lagoon committee works to preserve and enhance the areas of the San Dieguito and Penasquitos Lagoons that lie within Del Mar. Nearly 50 years ago, the San Dieguito Lagoon was designated as a sensitive resource area that qualified for protection under the Coastal Act. Later, focus grew to encompass the full watershed in the region with groups like the San Dieguito River Valley Land Conservancy and the Friends of the San Dieguito River Valley forming and working with government entities like Joint Powers Authority to acquire and manage lands in the newly-designated San Dieguito River Valley Park. A key milestone was the selection of the lagoon for a mitigation restoration plan that was part of permitting for the San Onofre Nuclear Power Plant. Restoration work began in 2006 and mitigation is ongoing. Now, the health of the lagoon is robust, and the area provides a range of recreational activities with the Dust Devil Trails east of the I-5, and areas that are part of the Coast to Crest Trail that will eventually include 71 miles from the shores of Del Mar to Vulcan Mountain near Julian.
Membership chair Dee House with President-Elect Pat Caughey (far left) and sponsor Klaus Gubernator (far right) inducted Michale Clark as our newest member.
We are delighted to welcome Michael Clark as our newest member. Michael was involved in Rotary when he lived in Kansas around 20 years ago. After living in San Diego since 2013, he’s ready to jump back in and we’re delighted to have him in our club.
District 5340 makes its entrance to the PETS general session (upper left). Don Fipps, Pat Caughey and Sharon Schendel (upper right). Past District Governor Don Fipps with District Governor Nominee Jeb Bakke (lower left); District Governor-Elect Luis Carranza (lower right)
District 5340 Presidents Elect (upper left); Sharon Schendel with a word that describes her (upper right); San Marcos Rotary Club President-Elect Cathy Baur and Assistant District Governor Ally Abbott hold up the theme banner; District 5340 Presidents-Elect find their balloons at the District breakout session icebreaker
President-Elect Pat Caughey traveled to the Los Angeles Marriott to meet up with around 800 Rotarians at the 2025 Southwest President-Elect Training Symposium, or PETS. Southwest PETS brings together Presidents-Elect from districts in California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, Montana and Hawaii for sessions aimed at maximizing the value their clubs bring to member Rotarians. Member Sharon Schendel also attended as Chief of Staff for District Governor nominee Luis Carranza and Past District Governor Don Fipps oversaw the welcome dinner.
Part of our benchwarming crew (l to r): Steven McDowell, Suzy Wagner, Lorelei Nielsen, Linda Strangman and Bill Rawlings
Our benchwarmer crew was back out in force on February 20, this time targeting the benches, tables and waste cans at the Del Mar Civic Center. Thank you Club Services Chair Suzy Wagner for organizing the event and member Bill Rawlings for coordinating the supplies. This project is part of our ongoing effort to help maintain these fixtures around Del Mar.
On February 13, 2025 we held our competition to determine our representative for the District 5340 music competition. The competition was tough, but we selected pianist Chloe Lee, a student at Torrey Pines High School, to advance to the regionals, where she was selected as a finalist. The finals will be held Saturday March 22 at the Carlsbad City Library (check back for the time). Thank you to Garrie Rhodes for organizing the event.
Another Paul Harris Fellowship for Donna Fipps, who adds a second Ruby to her Paul Harris Fellow pin to recognize her as PHF-7. Donna donates via Rotary Direct, which allows her to donate a specified amount to the Rotary Foundation on a regular basis.
Here's the first edition of our video newsletter for 2025. Click HERE if you'd like to register to participate in the Del Mar Village Association's Community Clean Up on January 18.
Six of our members leave this week for a friendship exchange to the Tamil Nadu region in southern India. They’ll attend meetings of several clubs, visit Rotary projects, and explore historic Hindu temples and other sites. The exchange will continue in late April, when our hosts will come to visit District 5340. We hope that you’ll participate in the exchange; email Janice Kurth to learn about ways you can show our guests the beauty of District 5340.
Dawn Cox completed all the tasks for new members, so membership chair Dee House waved her magic wand at the December 19 meeting to convert Dawn's badge from red to "blue". We were delighted that Dawn’s daughter Brylee could join us. We now have a free red badge and we'd love to pin it on a new member soon!
Our club secretary’s Susan Maronde’s son Harrison is part of Burrito Boyz. For the past 640 Sundays, Burrito Boyz teen volunteers have come together to assemble and serve hot breakfast burritos to unsheltered individuals in San Diego’s downtown. They also provide comfort and hygiene items. Each week, the teen volunteers are asked to learn the stories of at least two people whom they’ve helped. In January, Burrito Boyz will be offering warm clothing to the people they serve. Please bring new or gently-used warm clothing to the January 9 meeting and Susan will contribute this clothing for distribution on an upcoming Sunday. If you can't make the meeting, email Susan to arrange a dropoff.
Also on January 18, we have another sleeping cottage project in partnership with the Mission Circle of the St. James Catholic church in Solana Beach. We’ll be at the Unicorn Village in Vista, which serves youth at risk for homelessness, to finish out interiors of sleeping cottages. Work will start at noon. Email Pat Caughey if you’d like to help.
The Del Mar Village Association is sponsoring a community cleanup on Saturday January 18 from 10AM to 11:30AM. Register in advance by visiting the event link in the video description. Participants are encouraged to wear gloves and bring a water bottle and reusable bag or bucket, as well as a trash grabber if they have one.
Earlier in 2024 the Global Grant we partnered on to renovate the maternity ward at Prince Regent Charles Hospital in Bujumbura, Burundi was completed. Dugan Lamoise reported on our efforts to build on that success through a Global Grant to renovate the hospital’s neonatal ward. In addition to this renovation work, we plan to partner on another Global Grant that will supply critical equipment and support for neonatal care training for the medical staff.
Rosalie Morin-Doré, the niece of our Past President Brett Mattei, is a nurse practitioner with clinical experience working in regions of Canada that, like Burundi, are under-resourced and remote. Rosalie was eager to contribute to a Rotary International project, and she recently spent a week at Prince Regent Charles Hospital rounding with the clinicians and documenting practices to understand the training and equipment needs that would be best addressed by a Global Grant. During her visit Rosalie trained the ward staff on kangaroo mother care with guidance from Drs. Karin Davies and Pat Bromberger, who were leads on our Global Grant in the Gondar region of Ethiopia. Rosalie’s work will be instrumental for a critical part of any Global Grant, the needs assessment and we’re grateful for her contributions to our ongoing work in Burundi.
We were honored that Del Mar Mayor Tracy Martinez took some time to update our members on important city issues. Mayor Martinez focused on three projects: the undergrounding program, affordable housing plans, and train track relocation. The undergrounding program is in response to Measure Q and funded by a one cent sales tax. The multi-year project will replace overhead electricity and telecom cables with buried lines and proceed across eight districts. Pilot work around Tewa Court and 10th street is already complete. Mayor Martinez said that skyrocketing construction costs over the past years present a major challenge, but the city remains committed to completing the work. For affordable housing, Mayor Martinez emphasized the importance of ensuring that the number of affordable units defined by the Regional Housing Needs Allocation, is appropriate. One option the city is exploring is construction of around 60 units on the Del Mar fairgrounds. Mayor Martinez ended with a discussion of the three options SANDAG presented to relocate the train tracks that run along Del Mar. Option A removes above-ground track in Del Mar with trains entering and exiting a tunnel between Carmel Mountain Road and the 56. The underground tracks would run along the 5 before returning to the coast beneath the San Dieguito Lagoon and connecting with tracks near the fairgrounds. The Fairgrounds North tunnel would start south of the Solana Beach station and travel under the fairgrounds. Option B also has a tunnel starting in Carmel Valley that exits near Jimmy Durante Boulevard, which would be raised for the tunnel. Tracks would be buried under part of the Torrey Pines reserve and the City of Del Mar rather than lagoon. Option C has the shortest tunnel that enters near the Torrey Pines State Beach north parking lot and exits under Jimmy Durante Boulevard. A bridge would carry the tracks over the lagoon. The portal infrastructure for this option could enter residential properties. Mayor Martinez said that for Del Mar, the highest priority is to minimize the need for eminent domain and avoid options that involve portals.
Here's the latest edition of our video newsletter. We remember our last surviving charter member, Monty Woolley, who recently passed away.
Here's the latest edition of our video newsletter that highlights some of our club's recent activities and upcoming events.
Debbie King of the CRC (center) with Community Service Chair Steven McDowell (left) and President-Elect Pat Caughey, whose wife Jenny is a CRC volunteer
Debbie King, Senior Director for Donor Relations of the Community Resource Center (CRC) was our speaker for the September 5, 2024 meeting. Debbie is also the current president of the Rotary Club of Vista. Celebrating the 45th anniversary of its founding, CRC currently helps over 7,000 clients annually to have healthy food, stable homes and safe relationships. To expand its impact, in 2022 the CRC began a $10 million capital campaign, One Community • One Heart, to upgrade their main campus in Encinitas. Construction is slated to begin in 2025 and will provide an accessible building that has efficient workspaces for CRC staff and meeting spaces both for confidential appointments and educational workshops for CRC clients. The new Food & Nutrition building will have a sheltered entry walkway that leads to an interior reception area that offers clients needed privacy and dignity as they wait for service. The building also has increased storage and intake area for food and supplies, and includes a flexible space for cooking demonstrations that instruct clients on how to prepare and enhance their family meals. Debbie addressed questions about the evolution of the holiday baskets, which were a favorite volunteer opportunity for members. The CRC now gives clients gift cards to area retailers. These gift cards give families served by the CRC greater choice and the ability to select items that are tailored to their needs.
Four generations of Rotary (l to r): Klaus Gubernator, Kathy Reed, Betsy Winsett, Dee House
We're delighted to welcome Betsy Winsett as our newest member. Betsy is "fourth generation" Rotary in terms of member sponsors: Dee House (far right) sponsored Klaus Gubernator, who sponsored Kathy Reed (second from left), who sponsored her good friend Betsy Winsett for membership. Friendships are just one way that Rotary International grows!
Diane Crawford with her husband Michael Crawford
The annual visit of the District Governor is always a highlight on our calendar. District Governor Diane Crawford is a member of the Rotary Club of Southeast San Diego and has been a Rotarian since 1997. She was District 5340 Rotarian of the Year for 2011/2012. Diane served on the District 5340 Leadership team to assist 16 District Governors in a variety of roles, including Assistant Governor, District Membership Chair and Strategic Planning Chair. For all these roles, Diane drew on her broad expertise in sales and business management.
Toni Mecaro hands over a check in thanks for a rescue from Lifeguard Rick Schwering. A post-rescue gathering (l to r): Lifeguard Rick Schwering, Lifeguard Amara Dumas, Toni Mecaro, Lifeguard Mark Tankserly, Deputy Chief Mark Rathsam, Chief Jon Edelbrock photo credit, Susan Maronde
There’s no end to the fun of being president of the Rotary Club of Del Mar. Last month President Toni Mecaro was in the winner’s circle at the Del Mar Racetrack, and this month she was saved from going over a cliff by the Del Mar Lifeguards. In gratitude for their help, Toni handed her rescuers a check to support rescue training and other activities of the lifeguards that help keep residents and visitors of Del Mar safe.
Toni Mecaro recognized as a Major Donor
Pat Dougherty joined the Bequest Society
Susan Maronde (lower right) became a Paul Harris Fellow and Sharon Schendel is now PHF-3
District Governor Diane Crawford honored our club’s commitment to the Rotary Foundation by recognizing several members. President Toni Mecaro received recognition as a Major Donor. Toni donated all commissions she earned in organizing the District 5340 cruise in April to the Rotary Foundation. Pat Dougherty was honored for joining the Bequest Society, whose members make provisions for Rotary in their estate planning. Susan Maronde received her first Paul Harris pin and Sharon Schendel received her PHF+3 pin. Gifts to The Rotary Foundation are essential to securing and growing Rotary programs throughout the world.
Donna and Don Fipps picked up their latest Canine Companions puppy, Hayden VII, at the McClellan Palomar Airport in Carlsbad last week. Hayden is Donna’s ninth Canine Companions puppy and she will split her time between the Fipps’ home and the home of co-raiser Elizabeth Connors. Donna’s previous puppy, Rosebud, is continuing to do well in her advanced training at Oceanside and if all goes well, she’ll graduate in November.
Scenes from the social (l to r): Dee House with Mark Barry (wearing a recent find from the St. Peter's Thrift Shop), members waiting for their scoop, owner Sarah Wynn personally scooped the ice cream
After our regular meeting, many of our members walked three blocks south to Wynston’s Scoop Shop in Del Mar for an ice cream social. Founder and Owner Sarah Wynn kindly opened the shop a bit early and personally scooped a variety of different flavors on offer. Some flavors, including Blue Moon (Michiganders, IYKYK) are always there (personal thumbs-up for Perfect PBC) and others rotate, so there’s always something new to try. We’re grateful to Wynston’s for offering tastes at the Sunset Soirée.
If you have gently used Halloween costumes, please give them to Janice Kurth before October 1 so she can deliver them to the Del Mar Solana Beach Rotary Club’s costume drive for Support the Enlisted Project (STEP). Many enlisted families have challenges providing basic needs and Halloween costumes can be outside their means.
The annual Don Lapham Memorial Dinner to benefit the Mexican American Educational Guidance Association (MAEGA) will be Tuesday September 3 at Tony’s Jacal restaurant in Solana Beach (click HERE to watch a video about Tony’s Jacal- an icon in the San Diego restaurant world). Tickets are $25 and include an enchilada-taco combination plate with beans, rice and salad. Click HERE to purchase tickets online (donations can also be made at this site).
The Rotary Club of Del Mar is a registered 501c4 non-profit organization.
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