Santa Paula Rotary Club meets new District Governor Wade Nomura
August 26, 2011
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Santa Paula Rotarians learned their new district leader is a dynamo when Wade Nomura was introduced to the club at a recent meeting.
Nomura is a charter member and the past president of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning.
During his tenure as president, the Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning was named the Best Small Club in District 5240. A multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society Charter member, Rotary Foundation Benefactor, Bequest Society member and Major Donor, Santa Paula Rotary Club President Ken Breitag said Nomura has served on the district level in various capacities and is the district’s only Certified Master PRLS Instructor.
“Wade has a passion for Rotary” that has encompassed more than 17 international projects including Polio Plus. “He had polio as a child,” but Breitag said it did not deter Nomura from becoming a famous BMX racer and bicycle designer as well as an acclaimed landscape designer/contractor.
Nomura noted that Santa Paula Rotary for an “amazing” 88 years has been providing “outstanding service to the community.” He added he had greatly enjoyed the district social hosted by the club, an afternoon play and reception at the Santa Paula Theater Center.
Nomura’s said the theme for the present Rotary year is “Reach Within to Grasp Humanity,” a reoccurring goal of Rotarians. “As district governor I become supporting staff” in helping each club in the district reach their goals and, Nomura said, “resources are what I can bring to clubs.”
His own Rotary history was one of first not wanting to become involved. Nomura’s wife Roxanne, his childhood sweetheart, was president of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning before he was.
Nomura was a Rotarian for about a year before a project to provide clean drinking water to a disease-stricken Mexican village first caught his interest and then sparked his passion. “I said I would go” where his bilingual skills and knowledge of engineering, horticulture and water issues would be utilized.
“The first time we were there it was for discussions; the second time we were negotiating with the government” to create the infrastructure for the small village. The sheriff of the village told Nomura water is life and thanked the Rotarians “for bringing us life.”
Nomura found himself becoming more and more involved in Rotary and his own childhood memories of suffering from polio were brought back when he heard of the Polio Plus program. “I said wow, something that ties me to Rotary,” which led to Nomura finding himself in India for five days helping to immunize more than 900,000 children under the age of 5 years old.
Nomura urged Rotarians to impress upon those they meet “what Rotary means to you,” and in the process they might just encourage a new member.
