It’s an honor to write to you as your President for the 2026–2027 Rotary year. Our club began this new chapter on July 1, and I could not be more excited about what we’ll build together. In just three years we’ve grown into a club with a real waterfront identity and a big heart for our community — and this year, we’re setting our sights higher still.
Our new Rotary International President, Yinka Babalola, has asked all of us this year to Create Lasting Impact — to look past the applause of a single event and ask what actually endures. It’s a question I’ve carried long before I held this title, and it’s the one I want to guide our year together.
I’ve spent my life as a registered nurse, and nursing teaches you that real change is rarely dramatic. It’s the steady presence at a bedside, the follow-up no one sees, the patience to stay with someone until they are truly well. Healing takes time, and it takes showing up — again and again, long after the urgent moment has passed. I’ve come to believe the same is true of service. The work that lasts is seldom the work that makes the most noise.
I didn’t come to lead this club by asking for it. I came to it by doing the work — packing the backpacks, making the calls, showing up for the projects and for the people. If I’m able to bring others in and lead today, it’s only because our members have served alongside me and know I’ll be right there beside them. That is the kind of leadership I believe in, and the kind I hope grows in each of us this year.
So as we plan the year ahead — the backpack drive, our youth sailors learning to read the wind, the shoreline we protect, the families we’ll serve in El Salvador — I’ll keep asking one honest question: not how good will this look, but what will still be here a year from now, or ten? A child who learns to read. A young person who finds a future on the water. A cleaner harbor for the next generation. That is the heart of our 250 Acts of Service Challenge — not 250 photo opportunities, but 250 real and lasting differences.
I’m grateful to serve as your President, and even more grateful to serve beside you. This is our Marina, and it belongs to all of us. Let’s do work that endures.
Yours in Rotary
Nancy Voss President
2026–2027
Exciting Announcement:
Our Roadmap for the Future
This month we reach a major milestone. At our July 23 Club Assembly, we’ll present — and ask members to adopt — our first Three-Year Strategic Plan (2026–2029): a shared roadmap with clear, measurable goals across all nine Avenues of Service. It’s the blueprint for everything ahead, from our humanitarian trips to our waterfront youth programs, and it’s built on your ideas. Come be part of the moment we chart the course together.
July At a Glance
A Look Back
Friday, July 4 – Independence Day Parade & Fireworks
What a way to launch the year! Our club rolled through the LAX Coastal Chamber Independence Day Parade with a float built around America’s 250th anniversary and our Boys & Girls Club Sailing Program — a real sailboat in tow, decked in red, white, and blue. Our members turned out in force, waving flags to a cheering crowd, and capped the day with fireworks over the water. A huge thank-you to Float Chair Samantha Peache and the entire crew who made it shine.
SMWYC Float Prep Day
LAX COASTAL CHAMBER PARADE
Members of the Rotary Club of Marina del Rey ready to roll, decked out for the Fourth.
All smiles beside our Boys & Girls Club Sailing Program float.
Fireworks on the Water- Our members capped off the Fourth of July with an evening in the Marina
Coming Up
Thursday, July 16 — Installation Celebration & Vision Kickoff at DRYC Our official transition into the 2026–2027 year. Meet the new board, hear where we’re headed, and help us launch the 250 Acts of Service Challenge.
Thursday, July 23 — Club Assembly at DRYC
We’ll close out the month’s planning by adopting our Three-Year Strategic Plan (2026–2029) and setting our priorities for the year ahead. Bring your ideas — and watch for the member service-interest survey so we can match your passions to our service tracks.
Thursday, July 30 — New Member Inductions + Speaker: Bridget Paskil, Natural History Museum at DRYC
We welcome our newest Rotarians, followed by a program from Bridget Paskil of the Natural History Museum.
Youth Sailor Spotlight: Brandon Cruz
Brandon Cruz first discovered sailing through the Boys & Girls Club’s Fast & Fun Sailing Program at age 16. His passion for the sport quickly grew, earning him a Junior Staff position the following summer. Now 19, Brandon is an ASA 101 Certified Sailing Instructor who mentors the next generation. What started as a new experience has become a passion and a career path, allowing him to inspire young people by showing them what is possible both on and off the water.
“The Boys & Girls Club introduced me to sailing, and it completely changed my life. I love it and now I get to help other kids experience it too.”
— Brandon Cruz
Back-to-School Backpack & Supplies Drive
Help send local kids back to class ready to learn. Every backpack we fill goes to a child in the Inglewood–Hawthorne–Lennox community through St. Margaret’s Center. Let’s fill ’em up!
Donate by Aug 13 — Bring new backpacks and supplies to any club meeting (and District Assembly). Look for the collection bin at every meeting through Aug 13. We deliver everything to St. Margaret’s Center by August 15.
Volunteer Aug 22 — Distribution Day — Join us at St. Margaret’s Center to hand backpacks directly to the kids who need them. Sign up at a meeting to claim your shift.
Distribution site: St. Margaret’s Center, 10217 S. Inglewood Ave., Lennox, CA 90304 — a program of Catholic Charities of Los Angeles. Questions or ready to volunteer? Contact Nancy Voss, President.
Save the Date
Sunset Sail 2026 — Dusk & Diamonds
Our signature fundraiser returns for its third annual voyage!
🚢 Wednesday, September 17, 2026 · aboard FantaSea One
An unforgettable evening on the water celebrating this year's honorees and the causes we serve. Sponsorship opportunities are now open — from Harbor Deck to Top of Ship — and there's a place aboard for everyone.
