The Rotary area of focus for September is Education & Literacy. Education is one of the most powerful forces for change. It breaks the cycle of poverty, opens doors to opportunity, and builds stronger communities. Beyond knowledge, it gives people dignity, confidence, and hope.
On October 24, World Polio Day, Rotary will join partners, health workers, survivors, and advocates to reaffirm our promise to the world’s children: polio eradication is possible—and it’s a promise we will keep. As your club begins planning its World Polio Day activities, be sure to our WORLD POLIO DAY EVENT page to get a wide variety of polio-related resources. And don’t forget to register your club’s participation!
Strong public image helps Rotary Clubs tell their story, attract new members, and highlight the incredible service projects making a difference in our communities. To make this easier, your District Public Image team has developed a collection of ready-to-use resources designed to save you time and boost your club’s visibility. Here’s what’s available:
The torch is lit, the games are set, and it’s time for District 5840 to make membership growth a celebration! This year, we’re inviting EVERY club in our district to join the Membership Olympics 2025-2026—a fun, friendly competition designed to inspire action, strengthen engagement, and recognize the incredible work of our Rotary clubs.
On Thursday morning, August 7, 2025, District Governor, Craig Hardy had the honor of presenting the keys to a brand-new Can-Am All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) to Jimmy Dreiss, Fire Chief of the Divide Volunteer Fire Department. This critical piece of equipment was purchased through a grant from our District 5840 Foundation and secured through the dedicated efforts of AG Kristi Shepherd and PDG Kristy Vandenberg, both of whom joined him for the presentation.
The Rotary Club of Del Rio, with the support of community partners, local organizations, and businesses from across the city, has donated a total of $20,000 to help two fire departments in Hunt and Center Point, Texas, recover from the severe flood damage that struck the region earlier this summer.
It is the time of year that Rotary Club of Kerrville and Schreiner University come together to pack meals to help feed families in areas experiencing famine, natural disasters and other humanitarian crises. We will pack just over 15,000 meals.
On Friday, August 8, the air was filled with excitement as children eagerly tried on brand-new shoes, their faces lighting up with joy. District Governor Craig Hardy and his Chief of Staff, Christine Tovar, were there to share in the moment—personally fitting shoes on little feet and handing out colorful backpacks filled with school supplies and treats.
Volunteers from TeamPearl, Moussa Court and UTSA gathered at ABC of Southwest Texas and stuffed school supplies in over 100 backpacks for San Antonio's underserved youth.
Rotarians across District 5840 rolled up their sleeves and engaged in cleaning up an area devastated by the flooding in the Hill Country near Ingram. From clearing brush to picking up waste left behind from the rising Guadalupe River, Rotarians came together to help with the recovery as part of Disaster Aid USA's response.
On July 26, the 6th Annual Back-to-School Rally was held at the Boerne Independent School Administration Building. At this rally Boerne parents and students were provided with resources and service information in preparation for the new school year.
Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Blanco County visited each Blanco ISD campus on Monday morning, August 11, and presented each teacher with a Carnation and Thank You card. The card read: “We Thank you for teaching and caring for our kids and wish you a successful school year.”
Event Committee Chair Karen Montgomery delivers a check for $1240 and a large amount of snacks to the Needs Council to help with their Food 4 Kids program. The Needs Council Food 4 Kids program addresses weekend hunger in children who are identified as “undernourished.”
The Beeville Rotary Club Service Committee and friends of Rotary responded to the city's call to action to help wash windows of vacant/abandoned buildings along the historic downtown streets of Beeville. The community and businesses are most grateful to have Rotary's help to improve the appearance of downtown.
These are all photos from the Ingram Volunteer fire department, and the divide volunteer fire departments and local Rotarian's with the ATV they provided pictured. These volunteers have been working tirelessly since the horrible July 4th floods that hit our beautiful hill country.
Rotary Club of Fredericksburg Morning made a $5,000 donation to benefit the K-9 Patrol program of the Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office. The donation was made directly to 100 Club of Gillespie County, a 501c3 charity that financially supports local law enforcement.
Nimitz Rotary partnered with Texas Heritage VIneyard's quarterly Vino and Bingo for a Cause event held at Texas Heritage Vineyard's tasting room. The club provided food by donation and sold raffle tickets for gift baskets. The event raised $2,600 for the FISD Education Foundation.
The Oktoberfest Kraut Run is our 16th Annual 5K & 8K Timed Run, and 5k Walk sponsored by Fredericksburg Morning Rotary to benefit youth literacy and education needs. It is a family friendly event, held at 110 W Travis Street in Fredericksburg, TX on October 4, 2025 at 8:30 am. Participants can register at www.oktoberfestkrautrun.com or on the Athlete Guild website.
San Antonio members packaged weekly nutritional food supplies for children suffering from food insecurity, which includes 100,000 kids in Bexar County, at the Snack Pak 4 Kids warehouse. Our club also “adopts” two schools through the entire school year to distribute snack packs on a weekly basis. We’ve participated with this organization for more than 10 years.
On August 29 San Marcos Rotary packed school supplies for select local youth-serving nonprofits and for Misión De Candelilla, who takes them to nine needy villages in Mexico. Misión De Candelilla is a Fredericksburg based Christian medical mission organization.
The Rotary Club of San Antonio has revived its Monthly Round Table conversations, a tradition that echoes the very roots of Rotary. In 1905, founder Paul Harris invited three friends to meet, exchange ideas, and build friendships—the same spirit we embrace today.
San Antonio Airport Rotary Club member is the District 5840 Coordinator for the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians (IFSR). On August 17, 2024, he presented the IFSR Eagle Scout recognition certificate to Scout Paul b. at his Eagle Scout Court of Honor.
Recently the Rotary Club of Fair Oaks Ranch partnered with Las Palapas restaurant and neighboring clubs, Boerne Noon, Boerne Sunrise and the Dominion to fundraise to support Human Trafficking Prevention Education. Rotarians and other interested community members joined forces to enjoy tacos and raise nearly $3000 to continue this important work. Upcoming community education events are planned for September and October.
San Antonio North Central Rotary celebrated its partnership with the Takamatsu Rotary Club of Japan through an exciting two-week International Student Exchange, Jayden Tovar, Southside HS and Damion Dominguez, Churchill HS immersed themselves in local customs, cuisine and Japanese culture. In exchange Renta and Sayuri from Japan enjoyed our Cities Riverwalk, Fiesta Texas, a Missions Game and the traditional Texas Barbecue. The exchange not only broadened their horizons but also Built Goodwill and Better Friendship.
Join us in San Angelo on Thursday, September 25th for a fun casino night fundraiser benefitting local and international Rotary projects! Tickets are $75 each. Scan the QR code for more information.
San Marcos Rotary had a dozen members at the annual Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase at the Conference Center on August 28. The club staffed a booth to promote awareness of Rotary and membership. The president of the Chamber, Page Michel, is a Rotarian, and the MC for the event, Josh Paselk, is also a Rotarian.
The Fredericksburg Rotary Club recently hosted Fredericksburg High School Head Football Coach Bill Wilder and several of his senior football players. Coach Wilder introduced his players and gave an update on the upcoming football season for the Battlin' Billies.
Time banks benefit community members by operating on the premise that everyone has something to offer and that everyone’s time and skills are valued equally.
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