I am back!
You know life has a funny way of creeping up on you. Just when you think you have everything under control it sneaks up behind you.
Let’s start with reminding everyone that attendance is very important. You can now go on line and make up a missed meeting. As stated in our by-laws a member must attend or make up at least 50 percent of club regular meetings in each half year. Attend at least 30 percent of this club’s regular meetings in each half year. If a member fails to attend as required, the member’s membership shall be subject to termination unless the board consents to such nonattendance for good cause.
We had the privilege of meeting Pedro Acosta’s family. His mother and father paid us a visit. Due to a slight glitch at Nana’s we had to have breakfast at IHOP.
Pedro hails from Peru. His interest is sports primarily soccer. Randy had a nice reception in his home for the Acosta family. Many Rotarians enjoyed the fellowship. Thanks Randy and Deb.
The last week in February we heard Zak Royse. He is the caseworker for Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick. His passion is veterans. One of his challenges is to be a conduit to speed up the backlog of veteran’s claims.
Linda Hampton told us that Los Conquistadores donated 4,000 pounds of quality food. This was the surplus from the Accenture golf tournament.
Our 
recipient Tiffany Obermeyerd recieved a $500 scholarship. She is majoring in medical administration. She will graduate from Pima Medical in the summer of 2014. At present she is working for a dermatologist. We look forward to her coming back and reporting on her successes.
John Swift and Jo Holt are co-chairing the Jim Click Jeep ticket sales. That money is free and clear directly to the club. We have until October let’s get out and hustle. Pick one of our causes that is close to your heart and raise money for same.
March 4 our speaker was Donna Gillette from the Blake Foundation in connection with Easter Seals. They help young adults become contributing members of the community.
March 8 a group of us manned the hot dog/snow concession at the Ora Mae Harn park. It was hard work but we had good fun and fellowship. A big thanks to John Dooling’s family. We don’t know what we would have done without them. A special thanks to our two young volunteers Pedro and Tyler (John’s granddaughter). Thanks to my dancing partners Deb Hume and Suelee Edwards.
George and I attended the Diamond Rio concert at the Fox theater sponsored by the Presidio Rotary Club. They sing country western and spiritual songs. An uplifting group.
This week on March 15th the Marana Community Food Bank is sponsoring a sixties dinner and dance. Marana Rotary will have a table. Looking forward to the dancing and singing.
This month our MCATstudent was Dominic Carlos, a junior at MCAT. He was accompanied by his dad, Shock Carlos and teacher Paul DiCaro. Dominic has shown an increased level of maturity in the last several months, but what has really gotten the staff’s attention is his completion of 5 classes independently since January. He seems to have recognized that a high school diploma is within reach and has been working hard to earn it. Originally he was projected to graduate next spring, but if he continues to work this hard he may graduate as early as Oct 2014. He hopes to pursue a career in the health field and possibly be a nurse. Dominic is a leader among his peers. His friendly personality with both students and staff make him a popular student around MCAT. It never fails to amaze me what these kids can do once they change their mind set.
Our vocational speaker this month was John Swift. If you missed it you missed a dynamic presentation. For those of you who do not know John’s hobby is falconry. He was raised with a very good Christian ethic. He worked for numerous YMCA and learned how to raise money. The “Y” embodies spirit, mind and body. We are very fortunate to have such a great member. Thanks John for all your thoughts and ideas.