SAN DIEGO – Point Loma Rotary Club is marking its 75th year of service and accomplishment in 2025.
At Rotary’s anniversary celebration on April 27, members reminisced about years gone by and all the good works and benefits the community has reaped as a result of the club’s efforts and initiatives.
Rotary Gov. Dianne Crawford shared the accomplishments Point Loma Rotary has had over the past 75 years. She asked club members to reflect back on all the lives that have been touched by their efforts, and to understand how all their local projects have shaped Point Loma.
She told members to feel proud of the many meals they’ve provided to those in need, as well as the many scholarships the club’s provided, opening doors for young students to make their mark on the world.
Rotary International, of which Point Loma Rotary is a part, is apolitical and non-religious. Rotary has over 46,000 member clubs internationally and a membership of 1.4 million. Its mission is to “provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.”
Two Point Loma Rotary members, Richard Thorn and Kay Barron, spoke of their club and what being a Rotarian means.
One of Point Loma’s longest-standing Rotarians, Thorn, pointed out the service group’s wheel logo symbolizes the “many different jobs, activities, and occupations that different members do.” He added, “Back in 1905, the original idea when Rotary was started was to have one person from each occupation in the club. That way, they would know that these are individuals who do business with a handshake, are people of integrity, and that the organization has broadened its bases.”
Barron became a Point Loma Rotarian in 2009 after moving to San Diego. She joined to meet new people and has remained out of a sense of commitment. “I wanted to get involved in the local Point Loma community,” she said, noting she was invited to attend a Rotary meeting by longtime member and retired dentist Flip Heintz. She added that she subsequently found a sense of belonging and joined the club.
“The people I met were lovely, and it was a very active organization that supported nonprofits, as well as doing wonderful things, getting involved out in the community,” said Barron.
“That was 16 years ago, and since then I’ve been involved in almost all of their activities, like Ride The Point (fall anti-cancer fundraiser). I feel like I’ve made a difference in the community – and made some lifelong friends,” she added.
Thorn noted Point Loma Rotary has given out “probably millions of dollars over the past 75 years” to needy and worthy charities and local organizations, like Moores Cancer Center at UC San Diego Health.
“We’ve also partnered with Rotary clubs around the world to do a water filtration project and bought two prenatal incubators in India.”
Pointed out Thorn, “Service above self – that is the original motto.”
San Diego Rotary Club
In 1911, a handful of people started a Rotary Club in Point Loma. Inspired by the “Service Above Self” activities of Chicago attorney Paul Harris, San Diego builder Ernie Shields met with 10 other community leaders to start Rotary of San Diego, the 33rd Rotary Club created. Today, this club has grown to more than 500 members and has directly or indirectly launched over 60 clubs.
San Diego Rotary Clubs have given back to their communities in countless ways including aiding orphans, needy families, and the physically challenged; supporting Big Brothers/Big Sisters; building homes for the homeless and schools and hospitals in Tijuana; hosting career counseling; donating tens of thousands of dictionaries to third graders; feeding the hungry; hanging holiday lights for seniors; offering job assistance; sponsoring visiting international students; supporting Little League baseball; and giving vocational guidance.
Wherever there is history being made, Rotary District 5340 members, including those in Point Loma, are making it.
Point Loma Rotary supports:
- Cabrillo Elementary School Arts Education, Liberty School
- Joint Sponsorship of Annual Vets Fishing Day
- Point Loma Youth Lacrosse
- San Diego Humane Society Kitten Nursery
- Camp Spirit (summer camp)
- Ryan Family YMCA
- St. Paul’s Senior Services Foundation
- Rotary Zones 33-34 Foundation (Hurricane disaster relief)
- Holiday Helping Hand
- Point Loma Library Children’s Books
- Out and About Peninsula Senior Transportation
- Ocean Beach Emergency Food Inc. (Loaves & Fishes)
- District 5280 Wildfire Disaster Relief
- Celebration of Champions (Rady Children’s Hospital)
- Point Loma Summer Concerts
For more information, visit PointLomaRotary.org.
