Home Page | Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak

We provide service to others, promote integrity and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through our fellowship of business, professional and community leaders. Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.

Special Upcoming Dates

Tuesday, February 10, 7:00-8:30am - February Board/Business Meeting - no guest speaker/program

Tuesday, February 24, 5:00pm - Club social, Paso Robles Brewing Co. in the SLO Ranch on Froom Ranch Way

Tuesday, March 31 - Dark, no club meeting

Friday, February 27 - Deadline for nonprofit organizations to apply for our Community Awards Program. Click here to download the application.

District Governor's Message for February

Posted on Feb 09, 2026

February is Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention/Resolution Month

This is a special time for Rotarians around the world to celebrate our commitment to promoting peace and resolving conflict. Our district is fortunate to have two dedicated Peace Chairs, Laura Berger and Willow Baker, working closely with our clubs.

My home club, Rotary Club of Westlake Village, will be holding a Peace Day on Friday, February 13, at a local park for children participating in the Safe Passages program. The day will include fun activities, art, music, and opportunities for members to share how young people can be peacemakers at home and at school.

Important Dates to Remember

Please save the following dates, we hope you can join us:

· Saturday, March 21, 2026 – District Leadership Assembly
This event is open to all Rotarians and Rotaractors and offers an opportunity to learn about all areas of Rotary. Additional information and registration details will be sent soon.
Time: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (via Zoom)

· Saturday, June 27, 2026 – District Stepdown and Awards Luncheon
Join us as we celebrate your club and district accomplishments and welcome the new leadership for the 2026–2027 Rotary year.
Time: 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Location: Thousand Oaks

To read DG Mike's entire message, including a January recap and update on the People of Action Campaign, click here.

RI President's February Message

At last month’s International Assembly, President-elect Olayinka “Yinka” Hakeem Babalola called on members of the Rotary world to live out our presidential message for the 2026-27 Rotary year: Create Lasting Impact.

This February, as we observe Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month, we have an opportunity to channel Yinka’s call to action into real change.

Peace is not simply the absence of war. A life free from conflict but marked by hunger, instability, or the inability to care for one’s family is not true peace. Peace requires liberty, opportunity, and respect for human dignity. Yet fear often blocks that path — fear of change, of cultural loss, of people we don’t understand.

Fear isn’t defeated through avoidance or aggression. Knowledge is the first step toward peace. Rotary embraces this idea. Our Rotary Peace Centers and their peace fellows, along with other peace education initiatives, demonstrate how knowledge builds trust and helps communities find solutions to conflict.

To read the RI Presiden'ts entire message, click here.

2025 K-12 Teacher Grants Awarded

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

Sinsheimrer Elementary

Juanita Canales, Phonemic awareness, reading and alphabet sound teaching tub supplies
Jill Laursen, Build a Business

SLOHS Interact Winter Clothing Drive

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!

Drive Thru BBQ a Sizzling Success!

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.

Neighborhood Food Pantry Donations Needed

Posted on Nov 21, 2025

Please bring non-perishable food items to any upcoming Rotary meeting so we may restock the pantry in front of Honorary Member Nancy Beighley's home. 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, feminine hygiene products and soap are also helpful. Cash donations will be used to buy more goods to add to the pantry. Thank you!

Join Our Club!

Posted on Jan 04, 2025

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!

Celebrating Our 27th Anniversary!

The Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo Daybreak is thrilled to have reached our 27th anniversary under Rotary International. These upcoming months, we will be sharing our legacy of the various service projects, fundraisers, charitable giving and fun that we have had. Chartered in 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)

2025 Student Scholarships Awarded

Congratulations to this year's Student Scholarship recipients, each from San Luis Obispo High School, and who will be starting their jouney in higher education this fall:

Linda Aguirre Rojas - Agricultural Business, UC Davis

Liam Alsbury - Aerospace Engineering, Cal Poly SLO (STEM Award sponsored by Chevron)

Eliza Flushman -Biological Sciences, Cal Poly SLO

Roman Lowell - Enginerring, Cal Poly SLO ((STEM Award sponsored by Chevron)

Funds for our annual scholarships come from our club fundraisers and the support of the community.

Congratulations to Our 2025 RYLA Scholarship Recipients

This year, our club is again sponsoring four students from San Luis Obispo High School to attend the 2025 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA). Each year, thousands of young people take part in this program worldwide. HIgh school students are chosen for their leadership potential to attend an all-expenses-paid weekend camp to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs within District 5240 select participants and volunteer Rotarians facilitate the event’s curriculum.

RYLA aims to:

Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders;
Encourage leadership of youth by youth;
Encourage youth to make a difference in their communities through volunteer work and social responsibility; and
Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth.

Congratulations to Ethan Chen, Parker Marroquin, Evan Priola and Madalyn Purdy!

Members - Get More Connected with Rotary!

Posted on Aug 04, 2025

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.