Catch-Up on Rotary

August 5, 2014

Thank you District 5500 Governor Sally Montagne.  If you weren’t there you missed it!!  Sally joined Rotary after being forced (or should I say encouraged) to attend a meeting with her husband Ernie Montagne, PDG.    At the meeting they were talking about how to help kids, she got hooked on SERVICE!

Sally is a trial attorney who practiced law in Washington, DC and has worked in the US Senate and two White House administrations.  She is a graduate of Georgetown Law School and has taught at George Washington University.

Sally and her husband PDG Ernie have visited many places in their Rotary Travels but a special legacy they leave is in West Africa.  They helped develop and fund a number of large matching grants that included water projects.  She painted a picture of the unsanitary conditions of the water that the village people were using to drink and cook with.  She said that the farm animals were in the water and that the women would scoop up water and give it the children to drink.  During that time most women birthed up to nine children but usually lost three of them before the age of five.   The water project has helped them to flourish, get healthier and even grow crops and sell them at the market.  I was so moved by the story and dedication of both of them to create a sustainable life for the village people.

She complemented our club on all the time and money we have donated to help build a better community, in the Town of Marana and the the World.  The Marana Rotary shinned through two recent projects: With the hard work by Debbie Conover on the bus project and Randy and team last year in Brazil.

She said the four ways to evaluate a club’s effectiveness is:      

• Membership – our club has consistently grown over the last three years
• Support to the Foundation, our club give average of $185 per member to the District Foundation.
• Developing leaders
• Effective Service Projects

I will end by saying CONGRATULATIONS MARY STRAUS, on becoming the newest member in the Paul Harris Society.

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