Today was a very special day for Riverside East Rotary!

Every year the District Governor visits all 60+ Rotary Clubs in the  District.  Today was our “Governor’s Visit” and we were joined by District Governor Richard Lemire, who founded our club 39 years ago.

Richard is personalizing each of his visits with a history of the club and today was no exception.  He shared stories of early members such as Bud Stone, Jeff Williams and Gary Echito and how they got the club off the ground.  He also honored current long-time members such as Dennis Grover, Dennis Sullivan, Rose Mayes and Past District Governor Bob Traister for their many years of service to Rotary.

We were also lucky to be joined by several friends including Jamil Dada, visiting from the Moreno Valley Rotary Club, Cal Boothby, Richard’s Chief of Staff, visiting from Redlands Rotary, and Mike Warren, President Elect of the Redlands Kiwanis Club.

Richard, thank you for your many years of “Service Above Self” and for all your hard work over the years supporting Riverside East Rotary and District 5330!

Today we were joined by Jennifer Goldware and John Corona from the Riverside Sport Hall of Fame. They told us about the organization, its mission and its impact on Riverside.

The Riverside Sport Hall of Fame is a city-wide organization that honors athletes, coaches and contributors from all sports throughout Riverside’s history. The first class was inducted in 2003. In addition to the Hall of Fame, the organization also has a Wall of Distinction and a President’s Award for people who have provided distinguished service to community athletics.

John taught U.S. History and coached at Arlington and King high schools for 40 years.

You can learn more at rshof.com.

Thank you Jennifer and John for joining us!

Also today, Manny Lincan received his member badge from President Nick Lopez. Congratulations Manny!

Today we were joined by Aaron Hake, Executive Director of the Riverside County Transportation Commission, who gave us an update on the many projects currently underway in Riverside County.

Today we were joined by Christian Thierbach, who spoke to the club about wills, trusts and protecting your legacy.

Thank you Christian for joining us!

On Saturday, October 10th, Riverside East Rotary hosted a rest stop at the Riverside Citrus Classic Bike Ride. Our stop was set up in front of Toyota of Riverside, where members and Interact students from Riverside STEM Academy handed out oranges, bananas, snacks and drinks to riders as they came through.

The Citrus Classic is put on each year by the Riverside Educational Enrichment Foundation (REEF) and raises money for education programs for Riverside Unified students. This year’s ride started at the Riverside Plaza and had routes of 100, 50, 30 and 7 miles. Riverside East Rotary was also a sponsor of this year’s ride.

Thank you to everyone who came out to help!

Today our very own Dan Smith gave his Talk of the Trade along with his wife, Brenda Urrutia. Dan and Brenda run Loyalty Shield Insurance, a family-owned independent insurance agency here in Riverside.

They told us about how they review policies for gaps, exclusions and limits, and how they work with a number of carriers to find coverage for difficult risks. They have over 30 years of combined experience in insurance and risk management.

Thank you Dan and Brenda! It’s always fun when our own members present.

On Saturday, September 26, members of Riverside East Rotary joined the American Red Cross for Sound the Alarm at Santiago Estates in Riverside. Volunteers installed free smoke alarms and shared fire safety education and escape planning with residents, helping make homes safer.

Thank you to our Rotarians Matt Morgan, Christopher Cox, Matt Goatcher, Chris Gray, and Jonathan Steele for showing up to serve.

We were also thrilled to be joined by Amelia, Andre, and Penelope from the brand new Riverside STEM Academy Interact Club. It was great to see the next generation of service leaders get started, and we can’t wait to see what they do next.

Riverside East Rotary is cheering on Tim Kelley, who is riding in the 2026 California Coast Classic Bike Tour to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation. Tim is putting in the miles for a great cause, and you can help him reach his fundraising goal by donating on his page: https://events.arthritis.org/participants/437793. Thank you, Tim, for pedaling for the millions of people living with arthritis!

We’re also proud to recognize Tom Evans, who has earned Paul Harris Fellow +5 recognition for his generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Gifts like Tom’s help fund projects that fight disease, provide clean water, support education, and promote peace around the world. Thank you, Tom, for living out Service Above Self!