Final club meeting of the 2025-26 Rotary Year - June 16, Rebecca Crow, Member Craft Talk, and an end of the year recap of our club activities
Monthly Club Social - Tuesday, June 23, 5pm at Cafe Roma on the patio; no morning meeting
Do you like to have fun? Enjoy hanging out with great people? Want to serve your local and international community? Pursue your philanthropic interests? Do you enjoy the dynamic of a small club with members that like to kick off the day with laughter and friendship? Did we ask about having fun? Then come visit our club! We have a goal this year to add at least 10 new members to bring their enthusiasm for "service above self" to our efforts.
Our club meets every Tuesday from 7:00-8:30am at Hoagie's, 1234 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo. You don't have to be invited to attend, but if you know a Rotarian in our club, reach out to them and you can be their guest. (We have great breakfast meals of your choice!). Information about our club's activities, including the weekly lineup of speakers, can be found at slodaybreak.org and if you have questions, email us at slodaybreak@gmail.com. Come check us out, we'd love to meet you!
June is Rotary Fellowships Month, a time to celebrate one of Rotary's greatest strengths: the connections we build through shared interests, professions, and passions.
Rotary Fellowships bring together members from around the world who share common recreational, cultural, and vocational interests. These groups create friendships that extend far beyond club, district, and national boundaries while strengthening international understanding, goodwill, and peace.
As Rotary Founder Paul Harris reminded us: "Fellowship is wonderful; it illuminates life's pathway, spreads good cheer, and is worth high price."
Whether your passion is cycling, photography, wine appreciation, sailing, aviation, music, or countless other pursuits, Rotary Fellowships offer opportunities to connect with like-minded Rotarians while enriching your Rotary experience.
District Stepdown and Awards – Saturday, June 27th
Speaking of fellowship, I invite you to join us as we "Unite for Good" and celebrate the incredible accomplishments of our clubs and Rotarians during the 2025-2026 Rotary year.. Go to https://rotarydistrict5240.org/events/district-stepdown-luncheon-awards/ to register.
Thank you Mike for your incredible leadership this year!
As my year as president of Rotary International comes to a close, I offer my heartfelt thanks to each member of our global Rotary family. Your kindness, warmth, and dedication have changed my life.
During this year, I had the privilege of traveling across our world, from San Francisco, birthplace of the United Nations, to the innovative Rotary clubs of Nigeria. In every place, I saw Rotary members and our partners working side by side to create lasting, positive change, reminding me that our strength lies in shared purpose.
That spirit leads naturally to a simple truth: Rotary is not something we attend, but something we do. We are not spectators. We act, and through that action, we transform our communities and ourselves.
As we continue this work, we must keep our focus on building conditions for peace. Rotary is, at its core, a peace machine. But maintaining that machine requires intention, commitment, and steady effort.
That same resolve is needed now as we push toward polio eradication. The final mile is often the hardest, but we cannot falter in our promise to the children of the world.
You have shown that when we Unite for Good, there is no challenge we cannot meet if we stand together. Let us carry this momentum forward with courage, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the safety and prosperity of all.
We are proud to award this year's scholarships to the following students from San Luis Obispo High School:
Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Awards:
- Wesley Bisheff - Cal Poly State University
- Gabriel Jantos - Colorado School of Mines
- Mila Shih - Harvard University
Scholarship Awards:
- Ruby Blackburn - Northwest Nazarene University
- Jennifer Cabrera - Fresno State University
- Ruby Gonzalez Torres - California State University Channel Islands
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Sponsorships:
- Lucy Beck
- Christopher Estrada
- Tina Gonzalez
- Nyla Huebler
- Noah Jones
- Seth Jose
Supporting the education of youth has been a hallmark of ours since we chartered our club in1996. We raise resources through our annual fundraisers, including our Drive-Thru BBQ every September. Funds go to support grants to K-12 teachers, graduating high school students, the Interact Club at SLOHS, and to sponsor high school students to attend a four day leadership camp every April.
Congratulations and our deepest gratitude for their impact on our community to the following organizations that were awarded grants from our club this year:
Pregnancy & Parenting Support of SLO County
SLO Noor Foundation Health Clinics
Pictured here left to right: Will Almas Committee member, Barbara Alarcon SLO Noor Foundation, Grace Post Lumina Alliance, Linda WIlson Committee chair, Berni Ann Lewis Committee member, Terri Benson First Tee Central Coast, Bernadette Bernardi Literacy for Life SLO.
Congratulations to the recipients of our annual grant funding. These dedicated teachers are launching amazing programs and activities with their students, in part with the assistance of our support. Our thanks to these dedicated professionals that are creating the next generation of thoughful leaders.
Bishop's Peak Elementary
- Maya Lord, TK classroom supplies
- Kiley MacLeod, Communication/Social Skills Learning Stations
- Marifrances Williams, Play, Talk, Know - TK Science and Literacy Starter Kit
Hawthorne Elementary School
- Fiona Lloyd-Moffett, Reflections of Us: Nurturing Identity, Caring Connections Through Dolls
Sinsheimer Elementary
- Juanita Canales, Phonemic awareness, reading and alphabet sound teaching tub supplies
- Jill Laursen, Build a Business
We recently stocked the pantry in front of Honorary Member Nancy Beighley's home following the Multi-Club Social on April 26 where attendees contributed a wagon cart of goods. In addition, the drawing at the event garned funds for us to go out and buy more supplies for for her pantry and the one located near Past President Victor Herrera's home. Please bring non-perishable food items to any upcoming Rotary meeting. Nutritious canned food such as tuna, fruits and vegetables, energy bars, soup, rice, pasta, peanut butter, cereal, and instant coffee are all good choices. In addition, personal care items such as toothpaste, shampoo, feminine hygiene products and soap are also helpful. Cash donations will be used to buy more goods to add to the pantry. Thank you!
The Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak is nearing its 28th anniversary under Rotary International. Chartered on April 30, 1998 thanks to the sponsorship of the Rotary Club of SLO and the Rotary Club of SLO de Tolosa, over almost three decades, we have been demonstrating "Service Above Self" throughout local and international communities. Check out our archive of photos on Facebook and Instagram.
DID YOU KNOW? SLO Daybreak has created several significant projects that have added value and charm to our community, many in collaboration with other Rotary Clubs. These include:
- The Water Wheel at the SLO Children's Museum
- The Bandstand at Mitchell Park (2000)
- The Community Garden at Meadow Park (2010)
- The Landscaping Projects at the SLO Botanical Garden (2013) and SLO County YMCA (2012)
- The Exercise Course at Laguna Lake Park (2013)
- The "Make Change Count" donation meters (2014)
- The Viewing Platform at the SLO Regional Airport (2015)
- The Amphitheater at the County Office of Education's Rancho El Chorro site (2017)
- The Playground at 40 Prado Homeless Services Center (2018)
- The Courtyard at the Octagon Barn (2019)
- The Commemorative Green Benches at the Rotary Community Garden (in memory of Rotarian Brian Conroy, 2019) and Laguna Lake Golf Course (SLO Daybreak, 2023)
- The Disc Golf Course at Sinsheimer Park (2021)
- The Painting and Repair of the Jack House and Gardens fencing (2022)
- The Mural at Restorative Partners' Bridge Cafe (2023)
- The Neighborhood Pantry on Ferrini Road, hosted by Honorary Rotarian, Nancy Beighley (2023)
- The Born Learning Trail at De Vaul Park (2023)
- The Two Pergolas at Woods Humane Society (2025)
- The Refurbishing of the Rotary Pavillion at Laguna Lake (2026)
- The Peace Pole Installation in Mission Plaza (2026)
Our Interact Club at San Luis Obispo High School completed their winter clothing drive with items donated to 40 Prado. Way to go, Interact Club members, and thank you to all that donated clothing!
Thank you to our local community for coming out to support our Drive Thru BBQ on September 18, including the San Luis Obispo High School Interact Club, the Cal Poly Rotaract Club and all our sponsors - American Riviera Bank, Carmel & Naccasha, CoVelop, Mustang Private Wealth, Obispo Wealth Management, Richardson Sotheby's International Real Estate - Linda Wilson, Shalimar and The Sanctuary Tobacco Shop crew for the fantastic meals. Funds raised will go towards our annual student scholarship programs for high school students working to advance their education. Catch a peek of the event here on KSBY.
Show your SLO Daybreak pride, share it with others and don't miss out on any Rotary news, events, recognition, photos and club meeting announcements! Not on social media? Totally fine. Just bookmark and check out our club website regularly to stay in the know and please update your information with us and Rotary International as it changes. It's an important task that helps our club run smoothly. Any questions on how to access and update your information, contact Club Administration Director, Char Rosales, she can assist you.
- Is your personal/professional member profile up to date at SLODaybreak.org? Click here. Why? Your fellow members and committee chairs want to be able to contact you, your Club President wants to celebrate milestones with you and your family and your Board of Directors needs your information to be correct for quarterly reporting to our District and Rotary International.
- Are you following SLO Daybreak on Instagram? Click here. Why? See what we are up to with events, speakers and community service projects.
- Have you "liked" SLO Daybreak's Facebook page? Click here. Why? See what our club and other clubs in SLO and in our District are achieving and make new friends with other Rotarians.
- Have you "liked" the District 5240 Facebook page? Click here. Why? Rotary is a local, regional and international service organization and our connectivity with our District leadership and the oversight of its 68 clubs brings us together with 1.4 million members in over 47,000 clubs all over the world.
- Have you created a My Rotary account at Rotary.org? Click here. Why? My Rotary is where you can see your history in Rotary, your status in overall contributions to the Rotary International Foundation and how your impact is changing the world.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
United States of America