July 6, 2021 

 

 

Denise has secured an Aide Station at the intersection of Coachline and Silver Bell Roads for the Tour de Tucson in late November.  Seven club members indicated their availability to assist.  Further details to follow which will address health and safety protocols.

 

Randy announced that Don Jorgensen is seeking the District 5500 Governorship for 2024/2025 and introduced a resolution for the Club’s endorsement.  The club enthusiastically passed the resolution and will endeavor to complete the required paperwork by July 31.  Congratulations Don!

 

There will be a Board meeting Wednesday, July 7 to be held virtually.

 

Randy welcomed Jen Shaw as the newest member of Marana Rotary.  Jen gave a brief intro having recently arrived in Marana by way of southeast Tucson and Colorado.  She is a single Mom of two, active in the Chamber of Commerce and a sales associate of Allstate. Randy warmly welcomed Jen and gently reminded her of her responsibilities as a Rotarian.  The meeting warmly welcomed Jen to the Marana Club.

 

Happy Bucks (abbreviated session due to technical issues and time constraints)

 

 

Raffle drawing, Lynne drew the 2 of diamonds.   The pot continues to grow.

 

 

Audio issues continue to plague us in our hybrid meetings despite heroic efforts made by Peter, Harold, Richie, John and others.  Confidence is high that improvement will continue and victory is to be achieved.

 

Presenters - Amy and Victoria of the Northwest Fire District spoke to the meeting on the dangers of monsoon flooding and heat-related health issues in the Tucson basin.  Amy has been with NWFD for four years, the last two of which were dedicated to her passion, public education and awareness.  Veronica came to the NWFD from Bisbee where she experienced first-hand the power and destruction of flash flooding in Miner’s Gulch running through a major part of town.  
 

Amy described the intensive training given to first responders for swift water rescue.  She reminded us that flash flooding is an inherent risk of living in Pima County and that, despite the common sense rules, many long-time residents as well as new arrivals become complacent about entering flooded roadways.  Interestingly, in 2017, we ranked number 8 in the nation for deaths due to flooding.  And over half of fatalities were vehicle related.  Quite the statistic for an arid, desert environment.  We hear it every year; rescues and fatalities result from drivers ignoring barricades to enter flowing roadways under the belief that the water isn’t that deep, swift, or dangerous.  Amy made the important point that only one foot of water will make a vehicle buoyant.  Despite decreasing monsoon activity since 2014, rescues and fatalities remain some of the highest in the nation.

 

Veronica presented the dangers of heat-related illness.  The stages begin with Heat Cramps and progress through Heat Exhaustion and, finally, Heat Stroke.  How to recognize each of these progressively worse conditions were explained and the “do’s and don’t do’s” described for each case.  Again, despite common sense, we see the horrific results of ignorance every summer.  Particularly alarming are the cases of infants or pets left in cars.  Veronica showed graphics of temperatures rising within vehicles (even with windows partially open) for outside temperatures ranging from 80 to 120 degrees.  Even at 80 degrees, the results were rapidly catastrophic.

 

Amy’s and Veronica’s presentations focused on two themes.  1) NWFD places a great deal of emphasis on rescue and 2) there is constant public education in order to avoid having to utilize that expertise.

 

Final thought- as this is my first set of meeting minutes produced, I welcome any feedback.  Too dry?  More/less detail?  Warning- I tend to become more sardonic and editorial as comfort level grows!
 

submitted by: Andy Swarthout, Secretary

 

 

Marana Rotary Meeting Notes. 

 

June 15 Meeting

 

Attendance: Lynne, John D, John Z, Dan, David, Mary, Laura, Sulee, Andy, Richie, Peter, Harold B. and Randy.

 

Few announcements: Banner year (3rd in district % of members who donated to Rotary Foundation Fund, #1 in per capita for district)

 

June 26 installation at 6 p.m. for Randy Brooks as president for 2021-22. 

 

Sugar Skulls game this Friday — those attending will need to arrange to meet John before the game.

 

Email from Joyce Zwick about the need for oxygen concentrators in India. Mary moves to donate $2,000 to the oxygen concentrator bank in India; Laura seconds. Passes unanimously. 

 

Lynne reported that the wire to San Carlos project for the renovation of the senior living home was completed.

 

Happy Bucks

Richie — UA men’s baseball team to Omaha and Suns doing well, Richie’s mom in town from Michigan to celebrate Charlie’s 3rd birthday.

Sulee — happy to have husband back home after a trying hospital stay.

Andy — family visiting from Illinois and sun out in the Northwest

Lynne — “If you’re happy and you know it ...” 

Harold — Skin cancer removed and it went well 

John Z — I like the warm weather but this is ridiculous. Hoping for a good monsoon.

Dan — Hoping for a good monsoon, too.

David — After months of testing, pool no longer leaking.

Mary — Headed up to Pacific NW for vacation. Just finished a seven-week course on Trauma and Wisdom which was really good.

Laura — Happy that it is Pride Month and Juneteenth, a month of celebrating freedom and liberation in this great country of ours. 

John — Dan is a member of this organization.

 

Dan’s journey —

Born in Chicago. Moved to Marana when he was 5 because of “allergies”. Dan’s father was a lineman, who said there weren’t enough clothes for that job in Chicago. Dan’s mom was speaker for Weight Watchers and traveled nationally as a motivational speaker. Went to UA and got a degree in finance and accounting, and thought he was going to settle in Denver but tried to put in gas in his truck but there was ice caked on his truck. Opening in the MUSD business office, about 30 years ago and returned to Marana to take it. He is now going on 20 years as being the CFO for Marana Unified School District.

 

Dan married to Heather — they met in an Eagles concert line for the Eagles farewell concert tour. Played lots of softball a while back. He loves to golf, and passionate about fishing (about the experience, about that one single moment like seeing a brown trout jumping out the water). He ties his own fishing flies. 

 

He and Heather have two children — Kelsey is 20 and working as a special education aide and Kaitlyn, who is married and has two children. 

Overall, he’s had a wonderful life. “It’s about relationships,” Dan said.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Bucks:

 

          Submitted by Mary Straus,

 

 

 

 Rotary Club of Marana

Minutes of Meeting

5-11-2021

Submitted by Randy Brooks

Attending: John D., Harold, Joyce (Guest), Sulee, Lynne, Andy, Denise, Don, Richie, Laura, Dan C and Beckie.  Special guest and speaker Dot Santy

John let us know he will be receiving a new hip on the 19^th of May.  Good luck, John. 

Fundraising – the 2^nd Friday of June we will have an online poker tournament …. Dan C is arranging for this event the 11^th of June.  Details coming – when the flier is sent please distribute to everyone and everyone on your various mailing lists. They can be anywhere and join in on the fun. Sulee is helping with the tournament.

John announced that in the next few weeks we will have a visitor from the La Jolla Club whom is traveling to Tucson on occasion and is interested in discussing with us Alzheimer’s disease.  She is asking for volunteers for a study. Details to come.

RI has asked that clubs in concert with one another or alone and attempt to find to help with the Covid situation in Brazil and India.  Randy and John have contacted people in Brazil to determine need and Randy via of Shirley Grace (a friend of the club) has reached out to India.  We may have up to 4 clubs and Jefferies Foundation willing to contribute to a few clubs and/or communities.  Research in process.

Happy Bucks:

Harold: Sad actually, wife’s hard drive crashed.  Joyce Z our Canadian friend is happy “spring is coming”, we skip that and go directly to summer.

Randy – neither happy nor; sad.  Skip him; Sulee, Jim is receiving massive amounts of chemo to attempt to strangle his cancer.  This will go on for 6 weeks.  Keep him in your thoughts.

Andy – Not good or bad.  Much like his friend Randy, Don J: Happy to be going back East tomorrow to see daughter, Grandson and old buddies, I mean really old buddy (96 years old).

Lynne entertained us with a joke and Denise said it was happy Tuesday.  She did not explain herself.

Richie did a cool ‘Staycation’ that had an indoor water park.  Dan had to leave because of a school bus accident.  The child struck by the bus was later found to be OK and the incident will be investigated.

John awoke to six deer at his water through this morning.  Now that is cool. Laura visit her mother’s grave at the VA cemetery in Phoenix.  Her mother is buried with her husband …. Whom by the way was a “Pharmacist mate” … that is what Hospital Corpsmen are called today? The change was made in 1948.  

Speaker: Dot Santy moved to Tucson many years ago to avoid cold winters, she bounced around and found her passion in helping children with few means to provide food, clothing and basic necessities for themselves. She started seeing homeless children and these events were an AWAKENING for her. Cindy Roust (Marana Community Services) and she started SOS – Success of Students – noticed that kids were hungry, could not afford to go on outings, they had no funds but Dot began asking for help.  She raised $12,000 on her first fundraising activity. 40% of children need free or reduced meals in the Marana Unified School District.  Her first year she raised 24,000.  In 2019 her group was able to provide holiday meals to 700 families.

SOS goal: is to establish a sustaining committee that wants to support these children by fundraising and donations to these children in need. Here are the groups working to support her wanting to raise enough for 700 backpacks:  Del Webb, Silverbell Mines, Cal Portland and Watermark as well as the Marana Police Department.

She stressed that children are innocent. The parents have found themselves in situation where they cannot help the children, Covid, economy, addiction, bad luck, lack of training …. Whatever.  The children face the consequences of these issues.

John discussed how many years ago our club supported immunizations for children via of the Marana Health Center … Sulee remains on the board  of MHC and will speak to the board to see if the need exists anymore for help.

If you would like to speak to Dot Santy she can be reached at dotsanty@gmail.com.

Dot left the meeting and Lynne suggested we pool funds and buy 30 backpacks stuffed with school supplies. The club at John’s direction voted to supply 30 bags at a cost of $900.00. –

We quickly did the 4 way test and hung up our cleats for the week.

 

 

 

 

This morning we took stock of our 2020-2021 Rotary Service Projects and are grateful to have had so many opportunities to touch lives.

           

 

 

 

 

Laura introduced us to Cathy Lolwing, executive director of Felicia’s Farm.  Cathy moved to Tucson in 2010 with her husband who works with the Arizona Daily Star.  They have a 15 year old daughter and a rescue husky.  Cathy has been with Felicia’s Farm since responding to their ad 10 years ago, “work in sunshine… help feed people.”

 

Felicia’s Farm was created by David Cutler to honor the memory of his wife, Felicia Ann Cutler,  who died in 2009.  She was a compassionate woman whose vision was to “feed people and teach them to feed themselves”.  

 

A fitting legacy, David turned his backyard into Felicia’s Farm, and it has grown steadily since its humble beginnings.  Currently the farm produces 700 pounds of organically grown produce and, with 700 hundred chickens, up to 2000 eggs per week, all of which is distributed at no cost.

 

The Mission of Felicia’s Farm is “to lift lives in Tucson.”

 

In 2019 one in five people in Tucson lived with food insecurity. The highest poverty rate was found in individuals below age 18.   In South Tucson one out of two people had insufficient food.  Since then, with the pandemic, poverty and food insecurity has only worsened.

 

Felicia’s Farms distributes their produce and eggs to community groups who serve, for example, the homeless, fleeing battered women, families, and seniors. These groups include

 

Felicia’s Farm is also dedicated to environmental sustainability.  They grow flowers to ensure bees for pollination.  Cut flowers are then given to Senior Homes.  The farm is currently on a well but will be implementing technology that draws humidity from the air.

 

Felicia’s Farm administrative costs are only 5% of their budget.  The farm depends on the work of approximately 50 volunteers a week.  Volunteering is flexible and doesn’t require scheduling.  Show up and you will be put to work in the compost, making berms, painting, weeding, harvesting…  All the things. 

           

We thank Cathy for such an uplifting presentation and Felicia’s Farm for the heartfelt work it does in our communities. 

 

Submitted by Mary Straus

Contact: Donald G. Jorgensen

         520-906-9148

donjorgensen@comcast.net

 

Tucson, AZ, March 22, 2021 – The Rotary Club of Marana recently held a drive-through community shredding and electronics recycling fundraiser that raised over $2800 for humanitarian projects.  Over 70 donors participated in the three-hour COVID-safe event at the Harkins Theater in Marana.  

All proceeds from the community fundraiser will support the Marana Rotary Club’s local and global humanitarian projects.  Recent projects included the purchase of special air filters for Marana High School special needs classrooms, an adaptive playground for a local elementary school, health and education projects in Mexico and Cameroon. 

The Rotary Club of Marana is an open, non-partisan, non-political organization that believes in “service above self.” Membership provides community connection and participation in projects with men and women who act for a better world. The Rotary Club of Marana is proud to be designated a global “peacebuilder club.” www.maranarotary.org.