This is updated information on the Human Trafficking seminar to replace the earlier information
Minutes
April 14, 2026
Attendees: John, Peter, Bev, Bob, Don, Kathy, Beckie, Gregg, Mike, Harold, Josh, Mark and Cindy
Announcements: Laura forwarded information about the 2026 Marana Backpack Drive for MUSD students. Josh plans to provide a tour of the MUSD Family Resource Center to the club on May 19 that will provide an overview of all their programs, including the Backpack drive.
Rotary Club Updates and Announcements
The meeting included introductions of guest Luis Hernandez from Tucson Rotary and Julie Prince, a Marana resident and town council candidate. Luis is the new committee chair for the Ride to End Polio, part of the El Tour de Tucson.
Quick recap
The Marana Rotary Club meeting focused on planning their upcoming Tour de Cookie fundraising event, with participants reviewing and organizing responsibilities across different committees including sponsors, logistics, promotions, and revenue generation. The group discussed streamlining operations by combining cookie booth management with sponsorship efforts and creating dedicated committees for various aspects of the event. Key topics included revenue sources, permit requirements, bathroom locations, and starting/ending points for the bike tour.
Next steps
- Greg: Put the categorized event planning items onto a spreadsheet and send it to Bob.
- Committee/Group Leads: Timeline their committee tasks and determine when to start various responsibilities.
Happy Bucks
- Kathy learned so much from the presenters at the Human Traffic event on April 13
- Don participated in the Rillito River cleanup project. The Rotarians were thanked by the many bikers and walkers along the path
- Beckie is busy babysitting and packing for her move to Sherwood, Oregon. They sign for their new home on Thursday
- Gregg has been busy with various events that highlight their golf product. Some proceeds return to the 1st Tee program.
- Mark is looking forward to a hike with his son at the Grand Canyon next week
- Harold and his lovely wife Ellen celebrated 54 years of togetherness on Easter Sunday
- Bob is heading to Oklahoma City where he’ll volunteer to steer the 30,000+ riders towards the finish line of the Ride to Remember (Oklahoma City bombing)
- Luis is pleased with the first quarter of his insurance business so far this year. He also volunteers with Tucson Youth Music and enjoys that opportunity
- Josh continues the State Testing for students from 3rd grade up and explained the new method of assessing
- Julie shared her love of Tour de Cookie and the fun she’s had on the many rides she’s been on
- Bev visited her young grandsons and is excited that her son’s family is moving into the Marana area
- Mike enjoyed catching up with a high school friend, who just retired as a priest and chaplain
- Peter’s trip to California was cancelled so he was able to join us today – for which we are ALL grateful
- John is headed to Illinois to ‘help’ them with their morrell mushroom ‘problem’, hunting and gathering the tasty morsels
- Cindy returned from a trip to Golden, Colorado to watch Grandson Grant’s football scrimmage in that very lovely community
Attendees: Mark, Bob, Don, Kathy, Josh, Harold, John. Bev and her husband Joe, Gregg, Cindy and speakers Doyle Morrison and Chuck Pyle.
Meeting summary
Cindy led a meeting that began with announcements about upcoming events, including a Human Trafficking event and Oro Valley Taste of Oro Valley.
The meeting focused on two main presentations and planning discussions for upcoming events. First, Doyle Morrison from Pima County's Department of Justice Services and Chuck Pyle, Executive Director of Second Chance Tucson, from Second Chance Tucson shared information about their programs supporting individuals with criminal justice involvement and addiction issues, highlighting the Transition Center's success in reducing recidivism rates from 27% to 6% over two years. Doyle explained the difference between dependency and addiction, and discussed the effectiveness of their transition center program in reducing recidivism rates.
The second presentation covered planning for the upcoming Tour de Cookie event, where the group discussed implementing a new website platform called Zeffy, organizing event logistics into subcommittees, and creating promotional materials including a tri-fold brochure to better communicate the club's activities and attract sponsors. The conversation ended with discussions about improving social media presence and member outreach strategies.
Next steps
- Team: Next time, go through and put storyboard items into different categories (logistics, promotion, experience, etc.) and assign names/committees to each area.
- Team: Start deciding who is responsible for each storyboard category and put names on tasks.
- Team: Implement a post-race or post-event survey (potentially via new website checkout) to collect participant information and feedback for Discover Marana and event improvement.
- Team: Update the new website to require key questions (e.g., participant origin) at checkout to capture more data.
- Team: Design and produce a tri-fold brochure (or similar handout) about the Rotary Club of Marana, Tour de Cookie, MCAT, and other club activities for member and public distribution.
- Team: Set up committees for each major event/activity area (logistics, sponsors, etc.) as part of the storyboard process.
- Team: Finish the storyboard at next week's meeting.
- Team: Review Rotary International's media/brand center for brochure design/logo ideas.
Minutes: The 5th Tuesday Social was held at Barro’s Pizza in Marana.
Attendees included Gregg, Mark and his wife Laura, Peter, Bob, Don, Kathy, Harold and his wife Ellen, Cindy, John, Bev and her husband Joe and Beckie.
Always fun to catch up with each other and the food is delicious!
Don and Bob from the Rotary Club of Marana delivered Treasures on the Go bags (mobile deliveries of free or low-cost school supplies) along with Teacher Membership Awards to the educators at DeGrazia Elementary School in the Marana Unified School District on Friday, March 27.
Treasures 4 Teachers of Tucson
This is part of Treasures 4 Teachers of Tucson (t4teachers.org), a nonprofit that repurposes donated materials into hands-on classroom resources. Their "Treasures on the Go" program brings supplies directly to schools—especially helpful for Title I schools where teachers often spend their own money on basics. The membership awards give teachers a year of access to the resource center's supplies, training, and giveaways, easing the financial burden on educators while keeping usable items out of landfills.
Rotary Club of Marana's Involvement
The Rotary Club of Marana has been actively partnering with Treasures 4 Teachers, including recent volunteer packing sessions and grant support focused on Marana schools. This visit aligns perfectly with Rotary's long-standing emphasis on basic education and literacy as one of its key Areas of Focus—empowering communities through hands-on service.
It sounds like a positive afternoon for the teachers at DeGrazia Elementary (a school with a strong focus on whole-child development, arts, music, and academics in the northwest Tucson area). Events like this not only provide immediate resources but also build connections between local service clubs, educators, and families.
Kudos to Don, Bob, the Marana Rotary Club, and Treasures 4 Teachers for supporting local teachers and students—small acts like this add up to real impact in the community!
Attendees: Harold, Bob, Gregg, Don, Beckie, Laura, John, Bev, Josh, Mark, Peter and Cindy with special guest Dan Conterno.
Summary: Bob led us in a debriefing exercise from our recent fundraising effort for Tour de Cookie using the Storyboard technique. We held a very successful event in early March but want to improve and streamline our efforts.
We started with What, Why and How. Bob collected responses. This was Part 1 and we’ll follow up during a future club meeting.
We certainly value Dan’s input from a rider’s perspective and his history of running this fundraiser. Our club is grateful for Dan’s development of this very successful fundraiser, Tour de Cookie.
🌟 Supporting Our Teachers! The Rotary Club of Marana recently partnered with Treasures 4 Teachers to deliver Treasures On the Go supply bags and T4T memberships to educators in the Marana Unified School District.
Treasures 4 Teachers provides affordable classroom materials—many of them recycled—to help teachers stretch their resources and spark creativity in the classroom.
We’re proud to support the incredible educators who shape the future of our community. 💛📚
#ServiceAboveSelf #RotaryMarana #Treasures4Teachers #SupportOurTeachers #CommunityImpact
Cindy Dooling
Cindy Dooling
President, Rotary Club of Marana, 2025–2026
Marana, AZ 85743
United States of America