Orinda Rotary Club

Orinda Rotary Club Club meets on Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at 28 Orinda Community Center, Orinda, CA

Earlier today, the Rotary Club of Orinda celebrated a truly remarkable milestone — the 100th birthday of our longtime Ro...
05/28/2026

Earlier today, the Rotary Club of Orinda celebrated a truly remarkable milestone — the 100th birthday of our longtime Rotarian, Carter Wells! Carter is the first member in our club’s history to reach and celebrate this incredible centennial birthday milestone with us.

What makes this even more inspiring is that Carter still drives himself to our Rotary meetings every Wednesday and continues to embody the spirit of fellowship and Service Above Self. A proud longtime resident of Orinda, Carter served our country in the United States Navy and was also well known locally through his dry-cleaning business.

Carter officially turned 100 years old on Saturday, May 23, and we were honored to celebrate this special occasion with him today. An amazing 49 of those years have been spent as a dedicated member of our Rotary Club.

Congratulations, Carter, on your 100th birthday! Your life, service, dedication, and friendship continue to inspire all of us. We are grateful to celebrate this extraordinary milestone with you.

Earlier this afternoon, the Rotary Club of Orinda proudly awarded $13,000 in scholarships to six outstanding graduating ...
05/20/2026

Earlier this afternoon, the Rotary Club of Orinda proudly awarded $13,000 in scholarships to six outstanding graduating seniors at Miramonte High School during the school’s Senior Awards Ceremony.

Congratulations to Abby Warren, Reid Thompson, Reese Akel, Emma Wang, Alexander Kim, and Charley Matthews for being selected as recipients of this year’s Rotary Club of Orinda Scholarship Awards. Special recognition goes to Reid Thompson and Reese Akel, recipients of our STEM Scholarship Awards, honoring their exceptional accomplishments and dedication in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

During the ceremony, our Rotary President, Bill Waterman, had the honor of presenting scholarship certificates and checks to these remarkable students, whose academic achievements, leadership, character, and commitment to service truly reflect Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

The Rotary Club of Orinda is proud to support these talented young individuals as they begin the next exciting chapter of their educational journeys. We are confident they will continue to make a meaningful and positive impact in their schools, communities, and beyond.

Congratulations also to all graduating seniors everywhere. May your passion guide you toward your purpose, and may your future be filled with success, happiness, and endless opportunities.

Last Friday afternoon, members of the Rotary Club of Orinda and our guests returned to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and...
05/18/2026

Last Friday afternoon, members of the Rotary Club of Orinda and our guests returned to the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano in Concord, continuing our long-standing tradition of service.

We’re proud to support their mission with a $2,000 donation we made during our visit, which will help provide approximately 4,000 meals for those in need. With 97 cents of every $1 donated going toward food distribution.

For nearly seven years, since July 2020, our club has been volunteering at the Food Bank once a month and making yearly donations. This cause is one of the many ways we contribute to our community and beyond.

The Food Bank serves over 465,000 people each month across the two counties, providing 3.5 million meals through 70 weekly distributions. It’s inspiring to support an organization that ensures our neighbors have access to nutritious food.

Together, we’re making a difference one meal at a time at the Food Bank of Contra Costa and Solano.
We’re always looking for more volunteers to serve alongside us at the Food Bank and through other Rotary service projects.
Want to get involved?
Email us at: [email protected]
Call: 925-366-8077
Learn more: www.orindarotary.org
https://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubOfOrinda/

What an exciting and inspiring afternoon we had earlier today at our Rotary luncheon meeting as the Rotary Club of Orind...
05/14/2026

What an exciting and inspiring afternoon we had earlier today at our Rotary luncheon meeting as the Rotary Club of Orinda proudly honored the Orinda Union School District (OUSD) Teachers of the Year (2025~2026)!

We were delighted to recognize six outstanding educators who exemplify excellence in teaching, leadership, dedication, and commitment to the success of students throughout our community.
Congratulations to the following honorees:

• Sean Brennan – Del Rey Elementary School
• Stephanie Randelman – Glorietta Elementary School
• Suzy Kisch – Orinda Intermediate School
• Elizabeth Sarica – Sleepy Hollow Elementary School
• Cherise Gutierrez – Wagner Ranch Elementary School
• Stephanie Sado – OUSD District-Wide Teacher of the Year (recognized across multiple school sites)

Our Rotary Club was truly honored to celebrate these exceptional educators. Rotary President Bill Waterman presented each teacher with a special honorarium, an engraved plaque, and a commemorative check as a token of appreciation for the tremendous impact they make every day in the lives of students.

A special thank you to Dr. Brian Ingleby, OUSD Director of Human Resources, for assisting with the presentations, and to Clay Deanhardt, Rotary Club Secretary, for coordinating this meaningful event.

We also extend our appreciation to OUSD Superintendent Aida Glimme, Board President Katie Shogan, and Board of Trustees President Hillary Weiner, guests, and fellow Rotarians who joined us in recognizing these remarkable educators.

Most importantly, we thank ALL OUSD teachers for the passion, experience, skill, and collaborative spirit they bring to their classrooms and school communities. Your dedication to students and commitment to education help shape the future of Orinda every single day.

Earlier today at our Rotary meeting, we had the pleasure of recognizing the winners of this year’s Frank Isola Field Day...
05/14/2026

Earlier today at our Rotary meeting, we had the pleasure of recognizing the winners of this year’s Frank Isola Field Day!

Congratulations to Ellie Dickinson and Kai Krimmel of Del Rey Elementary, who were named High Point Girl and High Point Boy and received their plaques from Rotary President Bill Waterman and Secretary Clay Deanhardt with their proud parents in attendance.

Del Rey Elementary also took home the prestigious Mr. Steve Cup, awarded to the school earning the most overall points. Principal Maple Lai proudly accepted the trophy alongside the two winners.

A huge thank you to all the students, teachers, principals, volunteers, Rotarians, and Miramonte High Interact members who helped make this wonderful community tradition another great success. Special thanks to Miramonte High School for the use of their track and field facilities!

What a fantastic day of fun, sportsmanship, and community spirit at Orinda Rotary’s 73rd Annual Frank Isola Field Day he...
05/08/2026

What a fantastic day of fun, sportsmanship, and community spirit at Orinda Rotary’s 73rd Annual Frank Isola Field Day held on Saturday, May 2, at Miramonte High School Stadium!

For more than seven decades, this cherished Orinda tradition has brought together students, families, teachers, volunteers, and community members for a day filled with excitement, teamwork, and friendly competition. Students from Orinda elementary schools proudly showcased their speed, strength, determination, and school spirit while competing in races, relays, long jump, softball throw, and other track-and-field events.

It was especially heartwarming to see proud parents and grandparents cheering from the sidelines, many reminiscing about participating in Frank Isola Field Day themselves years ago. Events like this truly highlight the strong sense of community and tradition that make Orinda so special.

A very special THANK YOU goes to Rotarian Clay Deanhardt for his outstanding leadership, organization, and calm coordination in making this large community event such a success. We also extend our sincere appreciation to all the dedicated volunteers, including fellow Rotarians and the wonderful Interact Club members from Miramonte High School, who worked tirelessly throughout the day helping with the races, field events, scoring, setup, snack stand, and overall event operations.

Most importantly, congratulations to all the students who participated and gave it their all! Your enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship made the day truly unforgettable.

Thank you to everyone, students, parents, teachers, volunteers, and supporters, for helping continue this incredible 73-year tradition and making another Frank Isola Field Day a memorable celebration for our community!

What an incredible weekend we shared at the District 5160 Conference, “Building Bridges,” in Santa Rosa!From inspiring k...
05/06/2026

What an incredible weekend we shared at the District 5160 Conference, “Building Bridges,” in Santa Rosa!

From inspiring keynote speakers and engaging breakout sessions to fun-filled activities like the Carnival party, beer and wine tasting, and a memorable tour of the Charles Schulz Museum, the conference was truly a wonderful experience.

Most of all, it was inspiring to enjoy the camaraderie, fellowship, and shared spirit of service with fellow Rotarians from across District 5160.

At our April 22 meeting, Miramonte High sophomore Anaya Poddatoori inspired us with a vision for a Solar Panels Project ...
04/28/2026

At our April 22 meeting, Miramonte High sophomore Anaya Poddatoori inspired us with a vision for a Solar Panels Project at Little Flock, an orphanage, school, and medical/dental clinic serving three remote villages in South India.

Here in this pic. are Aruna, Anaya and our Rotary president, Bill Waterman.

Reliable solar power will help keep these vital services running year-round, especially during outages caused by heavy rains.
Anaya, along with his family, including Orinda Rotary President-Elect Aruna Poddatoori are working to bring this project to life.

You can help make a difference!
If you’d like to support this meaningful project, please reach out to our club or message us directly to learn how to donate.

It was a wonderful and rewarding day as we joined fellow Rotarians and other volunteers to help clean up and beautify ou...
04/25/2026

It was a wonderful and rewarding day as we joined fellow Rotarians and other volunteers to help clean up and beautify our city during Orinda Action Day!

It was especially heartwarming to see children enjoying the Annual Earth Care Carnival, hosted by Mindful Littles—a fun and educational way to inspire the next generation to care for our environment.

Volunteers were treated to snacks and a light lunch, making the day even more enjoyable.

A heartfelt thank you to the City of Orinda, in partnership with the Orinda Community Foundation, Orinda Women's Club, Mindful Littles, and local businesses for sponsoring this meaningful event and helping make a positive impact in our community.

04/25/2026

Rotarians were hard at work cleaning up in our Parks and Streets earlier this morning during Orinda Action Day.

Address

28 Orinda Way
Orinda, CA
94563

Opening Hours

12pm - 1:30pm

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