For more than 75 years, the Rotary Club of La Jolla has proudly served our local, national, and global communities. We’re especially passionate about supporting young people, through scholarships for college-bound students, Interact programs at La Jolla High School and The Bishop’s School, and our cross-border Tijuana Scholars initiative co-sponsored with the Rotary Club of Tijuana.
At our core, we’re a community of people who believe in making a positive difference. Guided by Rotary’s shared vision of a world where people unite to take action and create lasting change, in our communities and within ourselves, we invite you to experience the impact of Rotary firsthand.
If our mission resonates with you, we’d love for you to join us for a Tuesday lunch meeting at the historic La Valencia Hotel. Let’s connect and explore how we can make a difference together.
For 42 years, our club has been operating Scholars lab in Tijuana to benefit the youth who live near the landfill, one of the poorest parts of Tijuana. The lab is in a classroom that we funded in a community center built by the Rotary Club of Tijuana. Recently our President Russell King, president, Denise McGuire toured the lab with a David Cash, a coordinator from the Tijuana Rotary Club and our Clubs’ coordinator Tina Deroche. Sixth graders are carefully selected by the principal of the local elementary school for the program which continues through the 12 th grade. Classes are held on Saturdays and teach English and computer skills. Our club provides a $50 per month stipend to the families to compensate them for the money, their son her daughter might earn by working on a Saturday. Local college students assist our students in the classroom.
The Business Person of the Year Award recognizes a local business owner or employee who makes a significant contribution to the community through service and dedication. Hammer & Nails Hardware has served Pacific Beach and La Jolla in the same location on Turquois Street since 1946. Bill Meanley has owned the store since 1991 and joined the Ace Hardware cooperative in 2004. Bill and his team provide proactive and personalized support that exceeds customer expectations. The neighborhood store is known for long- time employees who build relationships with customers to find solutions to their home and yard needs. Hammer & Nails supports the community in many ways including sponsorship of youth activities and local school projects.
Bill has been a member of the La Jolla Rotary Club since 1994 and has been active in numerous programs and projects. He has supported the La Jolla High School Interact Club’s Tijuana home builds like nobody else. Supporting over 25 builds, Bill has allowed club leadership to procure up to $200 worth of supplies, hammers, and whatever is needed each time without question. These costs add up quickly and without his support, it would be very difficult to come up with the money as the cost of a home build has doubled over time.
We are honored to present Bill with the well-deserved Business Person of the Year Award in 2026 and thank Hammer & Nails for serving the community with genuine care.
Members of our Interact Cub at La Jolla High School came to our April 14 meeting to tell us about their three-day Rotary youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) experience Just completed. This is an intensive leadership training program for high school juniors which we sponsor every year. In a camp environment participants develop leadership skills, build conference, and make connections through workshops and activities. The purpose of RYLA is to develop, recognize and empower young leaders, and encouraging them to be able to be catalysts for a positive change in their schools and communities.
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