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
Finding Your Rotary Moment
A heartfelt conversation with Des reveals how a single moment transformed her entire Rotary journey. After spending three years as a casual member seeking business connections, everything changed when she witnessed a video of disabled people crawling on the ground being lifted into wheelchairs by Rotarians. "I was struck by how horrible their lives were," Des shares, "and then it showed Rotarians bringing wheelchairs to this community... their whole lives were transformed, the joy on their faces." This powerful experience ignited her passion for service and launched her into club leadership positions.
Des takes us through her evolution from club president to district roles, explaining the rewarding work of being an Assistant Governor supporting eight clubs. "It's such a great job," she enthuses, describing how she facilitated collaborative meetings between club presidents to share challenges, projects, and ideas. Her insights highlight the often-overlooked importance of district positions that strengthen Rotary's impact beyond the club level.
When life brought Des to Southern California, she approached finding a new Rotary home with characteristic thoughtfulness. "Every club has a different vibe, a different feel," she explains, emphasizing how important it is for members to find the right fit. Now settled with the Palm Springs Sun Up Club, she appreciates their active community projects and vibrant meeting environment while remaining open to whatever leadership opportunities might emerge.
Whether you're considering joining Rotary, looking to deepen your involvement, or simply curious about how service organizations transform both communities and individuals, Des's story demonstrates that Rotary's true power lies in connecting personal passion with meaningful action. Subscribe to Community Heroes of Hope to hear more inspiring stories of Rotarians making a difference locally and globally.
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. 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. Well, welcome, des. We're so happy to have you here on our newly vodcast, so we've upped it a notch, so we're doing video and audio. Thank you so much for joining us today. Thank you for having me. I'm very happy to be here. Awesome, can you tell us a little bit about your Rotary journey?
Speaker 3:Well, sure, I'd be glad to. So I started Rotary in 2007, and I was asked to be a speaker at the Walnut Creek Rotary Club, which is in Northern California, and my profession is I'm an estate planning attorney. So I gave a talk on estate planning and estate taxes and my friend, who is a fellow attorney in a different area of law family law, family law she's a Rotarian in that club and she's the one that invited me, and so after that meeting I thought, oh, I, this, this might be something for me. I think I might want to be a Rotarian. I could see my friend regularly, and then all these other people seemed very nice, and so that was how I started, and then for about three years I really didn't do much other than be a Rotarian, just be a regular member, participate, do all the service projects, get to know Rotary.
Speaker 3:Exactly, that's right. And then one day I was feeling like, uh, I don't know if this is going to work for me. I don't know if I'm really getting what I wanted out of Rotary. I was hoping to get a lot of business. I thought maybe it was a networking thing at first.
Speaker 1:Definitely not a networking it really wasn't.
Speaker 1:No, not in the traditional sense of what BNI or the Chamber or something BNI or something like that it is interesting because that question comes up a lot and there's a lot of business that's done between Rotarians, obviously because we have our four-way test trustworthy, you know, we're doing good for our community, so we like to do business with people that are doing good and come in alignment with our values. But it definitely isn't a BNI or networking in the traditional sense to BNI or networking in the traditional sense.
Speaker 3:No, and it takes time and really, when people get to know you, then over these many years, I have many Rotarians as clients now and many referrals, of course. But it took a long time and what I realized at about my three-year mark in Rotary was that Rotary isn't going to serve that purpose for me and I wasn't really paying attention enough. Or Mark and Rotary was that Rotary isn't going to serve that purpose for me and I wasn't really paying attention enough. And then one day there was a speaker at our club and he showed this video of people in another country in this case, but they were crawling on the ground For some reason. It just pulled my attention in that day and I just I was struck by how horrible their lives were just crawling.
Speaker 3:Was it from polio? It was just because they were disabled, and so, anyway, this particular presentation was about how Rotarians were bringing wheelchairs to this community and it literally showed the people being lifted up into these chairs and just their whole lives were transformed, the joy yeah, the joy on their faces, and it just like hit me like Rotarians are doing amazing work around the world. They're really helping people and I want to do that. I want to be a part of that here. And so then it really turned around for me and I got involved in my club. I became club secretary, I got involved with membership, I went on to become club president.
Speaker 3:I did the foundation or just all these things. I just jumped in and then I loved Rotary. After that it was it's been huge. And then I loved Rotary. After that. It was it's been huge, it's called that Rotary moment.
Speaker 1:Right, when you, when it really clicks and it's like oh, this, and it's different for everybody, because sometimes it's for you it was the wheelchair project, For others it might be, you know, water that somebody is able to get, For others it's a local, you know a local project they're doing with, maybe, homeless or kids. Everybody has a different Rotary moment, but that Rotary moment is pretty powerful.
Speaker 3:That's right, and that's another thing that I really love about Rotary is that whatever people's passions are, they can find an outlet for it in Rotary. To help people Right, and I've seen that time and time again where people come in with their own interests or people they want to help or projects, and they can make it happen. You just have to have yeah it's not super structured.
Speaker 1:I mean it is structured, but it's not that you can't have your ideas and your passions that you can fulfill, which is, it is pretty amazing. So then you also decided, after your presidency, to take on a district level responsibility. How was that experience?
Speaker 3:I did I first. After I was president, my first role was I got involved with the Sergeant at Arms committees and I don't think we're doing that as much down here in Southern California but in Northern California it's a really great service commitment for Rotarians, and the sergeant at arms participate in all the major district events PEDS, of course, which is President Eleg's training and assemblies and the sergeant at arms just do everything from getting the rooms ready to guiding the Rotarians, to answering questions, to checking in people, and so, anyway, I did that.
Speaker 1:So I want to stop for just a second, because somebody that's not a Rotarian might hear that word sergeant at arms and think that you're, you know, running around at an event in full. You know armor and regalia. You do have some regalia. Usually it's a very colorful vest and basically you're a dedicated volunteer for that event, is that pretty much sums it up?
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's right. Well, there was a whole committee that was a sergeant at arms committee and it was run by a couple of key people. Gretchen was the main person and she, so all the sergeant at arms, would wear these rotary vests to identify them. You know, you'll sometimes see sergeant at arms at the larger conferences. Yeah, the international conference.
Speaker 1:They're always the wealth of information. They usually know everything that's going on, kind of the information people that you go to and they're directing traffic and they're super helpful. So what a great service that you had with that particular committee.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and everybody was so friendly and I got to make some new friends and get to know some of the other district people at that time. And there's another event that I participated in called the Rotary Leadership Academy. Right, it's a little different, nothing similar exactly here in Southern California, but it was where the district governors sought out emerging Rotary leaders and invited them. They would contact the district governors, would contact the club presidents and there were 72 clubs in that area that I started in and they would nominate people who they thought would be interested in more leadership in Rotary. And so I had participated in that and also met a lot of the district leaders at that time, because that program is run all by the DG.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the district leaders and the past district governors yeah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, past district governors and the present ones also had roles, so it was a nice way to get to know the leadership in the district and also for them to keep active, which I loved, yeah. And so then from there I guess because I've met some of the district governors at that point then I was invited to serve as an assistant governor in my region, which in my group of clubs, which had eight clubs, and so I was the assistant district governor for those eight clubs.
Speaker 1:And explain what does the, what are the duties of the assistant district governor for those eight clubs, and explain what are the duties of the assistant district governor.
Speaker 3:It's such a great job. I loved it. Actually it's probably been. I mean, being club president was really really fun, but it was also a huge commitment. Commitment being assistant governor, uh, was really fun, but a lot less commitment but much more personal, in the sense that I got to know all the club presidents and we would meet monthly and we would share. My job as the assistant governor was to facilitate these group meetings with the club presidents, that they could collaborate and talk about their challenges and their projects and their fundraisers, and so I facilitated this group of leaders to share their ideas and that part of it was just really fun for me. And then I would get to visit the assistant governors, of course, visit all the clubs and share information from the district governor.
Speaker 1:So the assistant governor is is that kind of the personal link from the district governor to the club presidents year and I can't believe my year is almost over, I only have two more months but that the assistant governors in a lot of ways are far more important than the district governor, because you have that direct contact with your eight clubs and as district governors we have the entire district that we're trying to reach out to and get you know. Visit all the clubs. We may get to every club at least once, but you as an assistant governor can meet with them multiple times and I think that that position is one of the most important positions in our district leadership and it's such a joy to be able to see these wonderful leaders be able to work with their clubs and help mold and help support and do all the things that the assistant governors do. So that is incredibly. I think it's the most important position we have in our district.
Speaker 3:It's very important, as you were just describing. It's also really fun. It's also a great opportunity to get more training in the higher levels of Rotary, because there's so much more past the club level that people don't realize.
Speaker 1:Yeah, All the work's done at the club level, but there is definitely a lot of information and you want to bring that to the clubs right All this information helping make their path easier and more fulfilling and being able to make a greater impact.
Speaker 3:Yes, and also giving them resources, the district or even the zone or beyond that they might not know about. So the AGs really work with the DG district governor to get this information to pass through to everybody on a more personal level and it really does help everybody. It's a great role.
Speaker 1:Absolutely so. Then what brought you to Southern California?
Speaker 3:There were a number of reasons. I moved to Southern California. I grew up in San Diego, so I always spent half of my time more or less in both places, and my son ended up graduating high school and going to San Diego State. And my mother lives in Palm Springs, she lives in Cathedral City, and I just was ready for a change. You know, with COVID and my law practice, I discovered that I could work anywhere, right.
Speaker 3:So I've been doing quite a bit of traveling in these last few years and working remotely in different places, and so when it came time to my son leaving the nest, I thought, well, what do I want to do? Where do I want to go? And I chose Palm Springs mostly because it was close to them, but also because I really have been falling in love with Palm Springs in terms of how much there is to do here and how many Great you know. The people seem to be very nice here and active in the community, which I love, and there's so many great theater events and things. And I will have to say that I started my move here about an hour away from here, in a place called Canyon Lake, which is a little closer to your neighborhood.
Speaker 1:I know quite a few people that live in Canyon Lake.
Speaker 3:Yes, and so there's not really a Rotary Club there. There was one in Lake Elsinore, one in Menifee, one in Murrieta.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:And those just weren't great fits for me at the time.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad that you made it to Palm Springs and it made it into the Palm Springs Rotary. Well, I'm glad that you made it to Palm Springs and it made it into the Palm Springs Rotary and, as our audience may or may not know, rotary is a worldwide organization, so when you do move from one place to the next, it's going to be. So. You plugged into the Palm Springs Club, correct? Tell us a little bit about your new club, your new club experience and what you're doing there.
Speaker 3:Sure, and I ended up joining the Palm Springs Sun Up Club, very vibrant club, very vibrant, very active group of people which I've, I discovered right away they were just, I mean, rotarians everywhere are welcoming every. You know, every club I've gone to Rotarians are the same, right, they're just generous, warm, giving people who you know want to help in the community and usually have good, good professions that they're contributing to friends you know their societies with. So I, I, I do like rotarians everywhere. But, and I have to give a shout out to the murrieta club, that club was really fun too and, yeah, and very active.
Speaker 3:But palm springs sunup club, uh, they meet in a really fun location called the maizel center, very vibrant, active area. This particular club is very active with many of the projects here in the coachella valley which I liked. Uh, the this is a breakfast meeting which I I liked for me, if I, if I was going to go in person, I wanted it to be a nice environment and a good meal for me to have, right, just important to me. Other clubs meet, you know, in a, in a college meeting room or something like that, and that works for them, you know, with no special lunches or anything but for me I wanted something different, and so I tried some different clubs and that's a really important thing different, and so I tried some different clubs and that's a really important thing too it's not a one and done.
Speaker 1:You know every club has a different vibe, has a different feel, has a different time, different food, and you know when, when people are looking to serve their community and be a part of their community, want to be a part of Rotary. It's not just one club that they have to choose from. They have so many, and many cities have multiple clubs within their city or there's usually multiple clubs. Even if it's not in their city, it's in a nearby city to choose from.
Speaker 3:Yes, that's right, that's absolutely right. And you have to find the club that you feel like you really want to go to, right. That's important because, you know, even though Rotary doesn't have a membership attendance requirement anymore they used to, so you know you couldn't miss a meeting without a slip or whatever, but still it's fun. But still, you, it's fun. It's more fun when you get to know the Rotarians in your club because you, you know that's a part of the joy of being in Rotary is the fellowship.
Speaker 1:Exactly.
Speaker 3:So what do?
Speaker 1:you think is your future in, in, in this new club and this new district. Any future plans?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I you know I'm open to the future. I really do enjoy being involved at the district level or maybe beyond. I like that. At that level people are very committed to Rotary and, you know, at the club level you've got people from all walks of life who have a lot of different kinds of motivations for being in rotary, which is fine, as my own experience shows right. So I I like the club level and I intend to participate in my own club and I'm open to district opportunities that come up or needs that come up. I don't have a set goal at this point in terms of what you know. I could see being a district governor at some point or maybe doing some other district or zone level work, but I don't really know. I'm just taking it one day at a time and seeing what comes along.
Speaker 1:Well, I appreciate you joining us and telling us your Rotary story. Well, I appreciate you joining us and telling us your Rotary story. It's really nice to have you in District 5330, and I look forward to seeing what wonderful things that you're going to be doing in our district someday soon.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Judy, and you've been an inspiration to me personally. Already I appreciate your commitment to Rotary and all these great technological things you're adding to this district. This is wonderful.
Speaker 1:We're just keeping everybody on their toes. You know, that's what we got to do. That's what we got to do, all right? Well, thank you so much for joining us and have a wonderful day you as well. Bye-bye. 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 having in this world.