Rotary Community Heroes of Hope
Introducing "Rotary Community Heroes of Hope" - a podcast dedicated to showcasing the profound impact of Rotary in District 5330 and beyond. Join us as we explore the remarkable stories of rotary heroes and initiatives that are transforming communities and creating hope around the world.
Rotary Community Heroes of Hope
Journey to Leadership: Nyron McLean's Inspiring Rotary Impact and Mentorship
Have you ever wondered how a career in humanitarian aid could lead to a prominent leadership role in a global organization? Welcome to an inspiring conversation with Nyron McLean, Rotary District Governor-Elect, whose impactful journey from leading medical teams in post-earthquake Haiti to becoming a pivotal figure in Rotary is nothing short of remarkable. From a speaking engagement at the Rotary Club of Covina to his integration into the Riverside Sunrise Club, Nyron's story is a testament to the power of mentorship and the supportive environment within Rotary. Listen as Nyron reflects on the rapid ascent to becoming a Rotary Club president and how leaders like past District Governor Rudy Westervelt inspired him to pursue further leadership roles within the district. The essence of Rotary's empowerment and growth opportunities comes alive through Nyron's experiences and insights.
Join us as we explore the parallels between Rotary's leadership development and corporate management programs, focusing on structured mentoring and the nurturing of future leaders. Nyron sheds light on the comprehensive training offered to district governors and shares the excitement of connecting with a global network of Rotarians at the International Assembly in Orlando. As 2025 comes to a close, the promise of Rotary as a transformative force globally shines through, underscoring the significance of storytelling in amplifying the efforts of community heroes. These narratives of hope and positive impact are what we aim to share, reinforcing our commitment to spreading hope and celebrating the community of individuals dedicated to making a difference in the world.
Hello and welcome to the Community. Heroes of Hope, a podcast where we shine a light on the remarkable individuals and projects in Rotary District 5330 that bring hope and change to our local and global communities. I am Judy Zelfikar, your co-host and the current District Governor of Rotary District 5330.
Speaker 2:And I'm Niren McLean, the Rotary District Governor-Elect, and I'm Niren McLean, the Rotary District Governor-Elect. Together, we're diving deep into the heart of the community service, showcasing the impact of dedication and collaboration in addressing some of the most pressing challenges our communities face.
Speaker 1:Each episode, we'll tell stories of incredible people making a difference, innovating solutions and inspiring others to take action.
Speaker 2:We'll also be giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the projects that are transforming their lives, and we'll discuss how you, too, can get involved, contribute and be part of the positive change. Whether you're a seasoned Rotarian or just looking to give back, this podcast is for you.
Speaker 1:So join us as we explore the journeys, challenges and successes of people like you who have stepped up to make a difference. Let's celebrate the spirit of community and the power of hope together.
Speaker 2:Don't forget to subscribe to the Community Heroes of Hope on your favorite podcast platform. Stay with us on this journey of inspiration and let's spread the message of hope further than ever.
Speaker 1:Thank you for tuning in. Let's get started. Rotary is very interesting in that it has a change every year. Every year, we change from one president to the next, one district governor to the next and, in the spirit of the turning of the wheel, we are going to have our new co-host District Governor-elect, niren McLean, joining us. And today we're going to learn a little bit more about Niren, what his goals and dreams are for his year as District Governor, and welcome him to the Rotary Community Heroes of Hope podcast, niren welcome. Thank you, judy, glad to be here. Well, tell us about your journey to becoming the District Governor-elect.
Speaker 2:Well, my journey really started with the work that I was doing in Haiti after the earthquake. After the earthquake, where I led now about 34 teams of doctors, dentists, nurses and surgeons down to perform free medical care in Haiti. After the earthquake, and over a period of eight years or so, we led 34 teams and saved thousands of lives and performed numerous health care clinics and surgeries, etc.
Speaker 1:And were you a Rotarian at that time?
Speaker 2:I was not. I was actually invited by the Rotary Club of Covina to speak to them about the work I was doing and they said well, are you a Rotarian? I said no, and they said why not? I said I don't know anything about you guys.
Speaker 1:Oh, good question.
Speaker 2:So they asked me immediately to join their Rotary Club and I said, well, I live in Riverside. And what was really remarkable to me and I think this should be not lost on anybody but they said, hey, no problem, we'll plug you in with a club in Riverside.
Speaker 1:Right, because we are Rotarians and services above self all over the world. All kinds of opportunities and clubs that you can join right.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and they took the time and actually fit me in with the perfect club, which is the Rotary Club of Riverside Sunrise and my mentor is Jim Rector and it was a perfect club for me to join and I've been a Rotarian ever since that was 2012.
Speaker 1:Wow, very good, very good. And then, what was your progression in that club? Did you become Rotary Club president? When did you do that and tell us a little bit about?
Speaker 2:that I became Rotary Club president probably about a year and a half after I joined, the lady who was going to be president got transferred to Arizona, I believe, and they said, well, would you like to be president? I said no, it's kind of early. They said, don't worry, we'll be there to help you. And they were. And that made it pretty tremendous because they were there to support me every step of the way and make sure I didn't take the train off the rails.
Speaker 1:It's so funny because that's one of the things that you know that my mentors when I was Rotary Club president for the Rotary Club of Temecula. They're like you can't break it, just get in there, you know, and go, because there's so many people at the club level to help you and mentor you and really work together Because it's not one person right.
Speaker 2:Right and it makes a difference. It makes a difference. It gives you that strength you need to either make decisions or to know that, if you make a bad decision, they're there to guide you.
Speaker 1:They'll help re-correct you Absolutely. There's lots of opinions. It's all good, there's no shortage of opinions.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there's lots of opinions. It's all good. There's no shortage of opinions, yeah, so that's how I became president and then, luckily for me, I was actually president in the year. My district governor was past district governor Rudy Westervelt, and he was an amazing, amazing leader and he led from the front.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and he still is right. He's still very involved in the district, very involved, very involved, and has a great history of being a peacemaker and quite a leader in our district.
Speaker 2:And he did both. The year he was district governor he also started a global peace conference here and it was extraordinary.
Speaker 1:But everything he led from the front, and that's who have really inspired me to consider being a district governor. And then, when you were finished being president, how did you transition into being involved at the district level?
Speaker 2:I did. Past district governor Manzoor Massey asked me to head up his district training assembly.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:And then he asked me to assist in heading up the district conference because Mary Brown, who had done that, had to take some time off for some personal things. So I stepped up and helped that and was just given opportunities to lead and develop along the way.
Speaker 1:You know. It's interesting that you say that, because I think one of the things that we don't talk enough about in Rotary is the leadership opportunities and the development opportunities that we all have. I know I have grown to be a better leader by being a part of this process, and it is a great opportunity for individuals out there that are really looking to sharpen their leadership skills, to become a Rotarian and get involved at a leadership level, whatever level that might be, whether at the club or at the district.
Speaker 2:And I think that's very important for us to show and to me that's one of the attractions of Rotary is that if somebody is a manager working for General Motors, cvs, rite Aid, it doesn't make any difference If we can show them that, in addition to doing good in the world, in addition to benefiting your community, showed them that, in addition to doing good in the world, in addition to benefiting your community, you're also learning good practical management skills, organizational skills, scheduling skills, discipline, interpersonal relationship skills, building skills. All of that comes to play and we can better their career. And they do good in the community. Why would you not join Rotary?
Speaker 1:Right, I think we just made an ad, by the way. So tell us about Niren the person. Tell us about you as a family member and what do you do in your professional life.
Speaker 2:In my professional life. Well, my background is finance. I'm an East Coast boy from Massachusetts and, unfortunately, a Patriots lover, who right now is a tough place to be for the last three or four years. But I am a father. I have two daughters. My older daughter, Erin, is a psychotherapist, lives in Maryland, and my younger daughter, Erica, is doing her residency, graduated from USC School of Dentistry and she's doing her residency in Tucson.
Speaker 2:My wife and I, some 23, 24 years ago, started a company called Planet Life where we have homes for at-risk teenagers. These are kids that are taken away from their families by Child Protective Services for mental, physical, sexual abuse, sexual trafficking and that sort of thing, and so we provide, first and foremost, a safe place for them to live, and then we provide significant therapeutic care for them to deal with the trauma that they've experienced. They all have PTSD because they've had just horrific things happen to them, and so we try to provide an environment where they're able to deal with those things appropriately but also still be a teenager, and we only deal with teenagers which are the toughest ones, but that's the ones my wife loves. But hey, we expect you to get up, go to school, do well, play football, be a cheerleader, play in the band, whatever the story is Right.
Speaker 1:try to have a quote unquote normal life. Normal is not a great word, typical would probably be a better word. Yes, typical teenage life right.
Speaker 2:Right, right, the prom, the whole nine yards. So we provide all of those things and help them overcome it. Some have a much tougher road to hoe than others, but we have a good success rate and so we're doing doing that. So that's what keeps me busy when I'm not uh when you're not doing, I'm not doing rotary out of the 36 hours in my day, like yours, right right, that's.
Speaker 1:That's just how it is. It is very obvious, naira, that you have a service heart deep, deep deep down in everything you do, both in your personal and professional life. How has the journey to becoming a district governor gone. I mean, what made you think about applying to become a district governor?
Speaker 2:Well, I got to tell you a lot of the district governors Barry Valdez, rudy Westervelt, manzo Massey, dan Goodrich, don Casper, almost every single one of them, starting off with a gentleman who's no longer with us called Fred Ford. But he said you know, fred said one day you're going to be a good district governor. And I hadn't even. It wasn't even on my mind.
Speaker 1:It wasn't on the radar. What are?
Speaker 2:you talking about. But everybody kind of lent that orientation, provided the opportunity, sat and talked and said have you ever considered being a district governor or further leadership in the district? And gave me opportunities. And so I think that it's something I never honestly wanted to do, but it's something I thought I could do very effectively, and certainly working with you has been a wonderful joy, I've got to tell you. You're, just as my mother used to say, the catch meow. Well, I appreciate that.
Speaker 1:We all have to help each other right. And that's part of what you were just talking about mentorship. So not only is it a great opportunity for individuals to gain leadership, it's also a great opportunity for us, as the current leaders, to bring those others that are coming into a leadership position to mentor them, to help them, to help them with their confidence, to be a sounding board for them. And that's what makes a strong organization when we're all working together to rise each other up, correct.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I really think that, at least from my perspective, I'm trying to bring, and I think I'm going to be bringing, a more business-like approach to the district. The district is the corporation right and we serve our communities locally and worldwide. But any corporation Procter Gamble, general Motors, xerox, ibm they have a management training program where they identify potential future managers. They have a management training program where they identify potential future managers. They give them opportunities, they move them around in different positions, they provide them education, which we have RLI and Rotary Learning Center and a variety of other things but we give them the opportunities to grow and develop and then, whether they want to be district governor or just want to be a better Rotarian, we've provided the resources for them to do that. So I think we need to be very decisive about structuring a mentoring program where we're looking for and identifying people who can benefit the district and who can benefit from the various resources we are and have that passion for Rotary and having an impact and give them the opportunities.
Speaker 1:And we've got a team working on that. Tell us a little bit about your training to become a district governor. You've been going through it for the last year.
Speaker 2:I've been going through it and this year is the most active, I have to say. Rotary has an extraordinary training program and they're always seeking to improve that which I really like Right. So at the end of, for instance, at the end of this particular year of training, when my DGN year, they put out an extensive survey asking what did we do right, what did we do wrong, what can we improve on, what new things do we want to add? And they were really seeking quality content. It wasn't one of these things kind of to pacify yeah, we're not patting each other on the back.
Speaker 1:You did a great job, no we really want to know how could we do better.
Speaker 2:How could we do better? And they've already started to incorporate some of those recommendations into changing up the training program. But it's very extensive. Both is your DGND year. You're kind of just getting your feet wet. The DGN year, the DGE year, is where the rubber meets the road.
Speaker 1:The district governor-elect year is the toughest, I think, because you really have to do all that planning lots of phone calls, lots of meetings, people coming in, coming out. And you can't actually do anything yet, which is somewhat frustrating, but you have to get it all ready.
Speaker 2:You have to get it all ready in lots of moving parts, as somebody says, like herding cats, but a lot of people want to help. There's a lot of passion for Rody, which I really love, and that's the invigorating part, because people want to make a difference, and so that's what we're here to do is to help everybody make a difference in our district, and it's exciting, it's very exciting.
Speaker 1:And you in our district, and it's exciting. It's very exciting and you're about ready to head off to to an exciting event that's happening at the first of February. Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:I'll be going off to International Assembly, which will be in Orlando, florida, where they fly in all of the district governor elects from all over the world for us to go through district governor training world, for us to go through district governor training and come out the other side prepared to lead your districts. So that's exciting. I know that, at least I feel that the training that we have in our zone, in our zones 26 and 27, is extraordinary and I think that we'll be well prepared for what they're going to offer for International Assembly. But I'm excited to meet other district governors from around the world.
Speaker 2:To me, that's the power of Rotary. When you go to International Assembly, when you go to Rotary International Convention and you're there with 30, 40, 50, 60,000 people from around the world who share a passion for changing the world and making an immediate impact. It's invigorating, it's inspiring. We're part of something that's huge and I think a lot of people miss that. We do things in our local community but they don't realize that those communities stretch across the globe Right, and we're really having an impact far and near. And you can collaborate with people far and near. And when you're sitting in a class that's being taught from a lady from Cairo, and somebody else from Johannesburg, and somebody else from Tokyo and somebody from Toronto and Buenos Aires. It's like my God, this thing is massive.
Speaker 1:It is amazing. I'm so excited for you a deeper relationship with the core group of district governors in our zone, which we are all fast friends and all work together seamlessly on a regular basis, and then being able to expand that network of friends and Rotarians from around the world. I am so excited to hear how your experience is going to be and I'm excited for you.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited too. And look at the needs that are happening right now in our community today, because we have the fires burning in Los Angeles and we have your district governor friends and my district governor elect friends in 5300 and 5280. And we're trying to do something with 5330 and everybody else around us to have an impact and to help people Right. So that's the beauty and the power of Rotary and I think I want to share that with everybody. The power of Rotary. We underestimate it.
Speaker 1:I would agree 100%. The power to be able to come together quickly to address needs in a community like we're experiencing with with the fires, is unprecedented. Right, I mean it, it was all 30 of us from the western half of the united states are actively within our district working on supporting those that are affected by those fires and instantly, like as the day the fires came out, that was already being put into place and we're all working together I mean, where else do you say hey, you know what, do you have a room?
Speaker 2:Do you have a room? Do you have a spare room? Do you have that? Can you take in a family?
Speaker 1:And people go yeah, absolutely, done, done, done, done, done, yeah, bring them in, no issues, bring them on. Yeah, I love that. I love that. It's a beautiful thing.
Speaker 2:It is a beautiful thing.
Speaker 1:You're about ready to really get into the heavy training of your presidents. Tell us about how many presidents that you're responsible for helping and what are your goals for them.
Speaker 2:Right now I'm responsible for, I believe, 61 clubs we have, but looking at growing that and we have a number of different avenues that we're going to utilize this. The goals really are a couple of things. One is for people to realize to unleash their passion they need. I think we've been throttled in some cases. I think people don't realize the size and the scope and the magnitude of the organization they belong to. You know, it's like the United States. You're in one little state, Rhode Island or Idaho and you don't realize that there's an enormous country that you belong to. Rotary is an enormous organization with resources, looking to change the world and committed to changing the world.
Speaker 2:Right and dedicated, yeah, and dedicated, and so one of the things I want to do is to reignite that passion in people to changing the world Right and dedicated, yeah and dedicated. And so one of the things I want to do is to reignite that passion in people to change the world wherever you're going to make a difference, and then share that. And that's what helps with membership. Membership's, not the membership chair's, responsibility. It's all of our responsibility 100%.
Speaker 2:And if we live the four-way test that we claim we believe in, then that should be. People should see a difference in how we conduct ourselves and make a difference and go that way. So it's to really expand the membership and to attract new people to Rotary. So that's one thing. And then expand our foundation we have, whether it's dealing with local fires here in Southern California or earthquakes around the world or whatever the story. I mean. Just think that polio in 1985 was a grant that somebody wanted to do in the Philippines and now we've almost eradicated this disease from the face of the planet. That's an extraordinary effort.
Speaker 1:Right and a consistent effort that millions of Rotarians have participated over the years. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So again, that's where passion and commitment. And somebody had a crazy idea hey, let's do a polio campaign. And people said, let's eradicate it Right.
Speaker 1:So bring your passion for service to Rotary and let's see what we can do together to do good in the world.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. We want people who want to change the world. We want people to unleash their passion and have an impact, and we want to support them and provide them the resources to do that, whatever that is. So that's what we're all about.
Speaker 1:Well, I will tell you that I enjoy serving with you. You're a pleasure to work with. I'm excited that you're going to be our new co-host here on the Rotary Community Heroes of Hope. What do you think about the podcast and what are you looking forward to doing here with us on our podcast? Well, I'm excited about the podcast and what are you looking?
Speaker 2:forward to doing here with us on our podcast.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm excited about the podcast. It is. You've actually, quite honestly, you brought a huge number of creative outlets for the district, whether it's the podcast, whether it's the digital billboards on the side of the road. You've brought an amazing opportunity for us to get into the 21st century and that's, you know, it's not your daddy's Buick anymore. We have to look at using 21st century tools to attract 21st century people to Rotary, and so we have to adapt. And I know a lot of people have bemoaned. Well, you know, back in Daniel Boone's day.
Speaker 1:Well, time to move on. We're not there yet.
Speaker 2:But down to a wound today. Well, time to move on. We're not there yet, but Donnick Kunz can happen at.
Speaker 1:Kentucky Rifle and let's move forward together. We are in the digital age. Let's put it to our good use. Yes, yes.
Speaker 2:So I'm looking to really continue to really build on what you've already done, and that is really to expand and identify and let people hear about our community heroes of hope and hopefully to inspire new people, particularly non-rotarians. I'd love for more non-rotarians to hear about this so they say what is this Rotary thing that's doing? These people are really just knocking out of the pocket. How do I get involved? Is there a Rotary club near me? Who do I need to talk to?
Speaker 1:That's what excites me, because I hear how and see in our communities there are a lot of people that are very passionate about doing service and I'm just looking forward for them to join us at Rotary and join in on all the wonderful service opportunities that Rotary gives us, both here in our communities and around the world, and working together to really do do great things in the world and it's working together is a key because when people, when we invite people to our the work that we do in the community, they actually can see us committed to making a difference.
Speaker 2:It's not just talking about it or it's not just writing, writing a check. We're actually committed. Hey, come help me clean the streets. Hey, come help me teach some kids. Hey, come help me do this. And it's that passion, when people see you walk the walk, that makes the difference. You got to walk the walk.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well, niren. Any final thoughts?
Speaker 2:My thoughts are let's finish out 2025 year with a bang and let's start 2025, 2026, and rock on and make Rotary the greatest thing that ever happened to this planet.
Speaker 1:And keep it rolling right. Keep it rolling, keep it rolling and keep telling the stories. Keep telling the stories About the wonderful community of people that are doing wonderful things in our world, and the community heroes of hope.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, absolutely. You've done a great thing.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad to have you on board as my partner here, so let's go tell some stories.
Speaker 2:All right.
Speaker 1:So that wraps up this episode of Heroes of Hope. We are so happy that we have an audience out there listening. We want you to subscribe, share and tell your friends about the Rotary Community Heroes of Hope, because that's how we get the word out about the impact we're.