Marana Rotary Club Meeting Aug. 11, 2015

 
Undeterred by the dark clouds gathering from the east, a determined flock of Rotarians found shelter at Nana’s Kitchen this morning, greeted by owner Javier Teran. The group welcomed our exchange student from Slovakia, Matus, once again. There were no guests this morning.
 
President Alice Rigney opened the meeting, and past President Maeve Johnson reminded us that the Rotary board had approved funding for the Hunger Walk bus, which will transport walkers to the Kino Sports Complex on Sat, Sept. 19.
 
Happy bucks was a relatively quiet affair today. As our regular readers know, it can get a little rambunctious at times. George Rigney was happy that he was leaving town for a cooler climate in the White Mountains. Alice Rigney was happy that George was leaving town. There were no questions for purpose of clarification.
 
Calendar Update: 
Sat Sept 19
The Community Food Bank Hunger Walk will take place at Tucson’s Kino Sports Complex (www.HungerWalkArizona.org). Marana Rotary is sponsoring a bus to take Marana participants to the walk.
Sept 24-26
The annual District 5500 Conference will be held at the Hilton El Conquistador in Oro Valley. Our Club, in conjunction with the Dove Mountain and Oro Valley Clubs, will be hosting an ice cream social on Friday Sept 25.
Mon Sept 28
All Committee Chairs will meet in the evening with the District Governor Frank Presson at Jo Holt’s home in Oro Valley.
Fri Oct 9
The Service Above Self Awards Dinner at Dove Mountain Highlands Clubhouse. Note to members:  now is the time to start rounding up raffle prizes for this gala event.
Fri May 21
In 2016, Mary Straus’ installation as Club President. Yes, that’s 2016. We plan ahead.
 
Other Announcements:
George Rigney reported that Harold Burtzloff’s surgery was a success, and Harold will be recuperating for about three weeks. However, his surgeon reported that she was not able to remove all the stubbornness and crankiness that comes from growing up in Liberal, KS. Get better soon, Harold, we miss you!
 
Breaking News:
Alice reported that she and Jo Holt handed out Tootsie Roll pops on behalf of Marana Rotary at the Marana Summer Concert last Saturday night in the midst of random thunderstorms. The band had to stop on more than one occasion. Jo kept checking weather radar on her phone and pointing out the importance of maintaining a healthy respect for lightening. It was clear that Alice was unafraid of the forces of nature (being one herself).
Our exchange student Vanessa, bound for the Czech Republic later this month, is in Colorado Springs with her recently relocated family, but is in touch with the Club via Jo Holt. Vanessa’s preparations are underway, and she’ll keep everyone posted.
 
Guest Speaker:
  Today’s speaker was one of our newest members, Clint Kuntz, the CEO of Marana Health Center. Clint began his talk by cautioning that he had not led a very interesting life so far. He then proceeded to tell us a fascinating story about growing up in one of the poorest areas of the country, Muskingum County, Ohio, and finding his way in a seemingly haphazard fashion to his present-day position at MHC. Secretary’s note: Clint is a young man and has even further to go in the future. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here…
 
Clint grew up in Appalachian country in a very poor, sparsely populated rural area. His father was a coal miner, until the Clean Air Act shut down the mines and threw already poor mining families into unemployment. This was an example, Clint believes, of the unintended consequences of regulatory edicts. His father, however, refused to give up, and was able to return to college and become a diesel mechanic. Clint was the oldest of five children, and worked his way through college to get his degree in computer science.
 
For those of us who remember dial-up modems and that distinctive handshake sound, we can appreciate working in a roomful of remote modems talking to modems all over the area. After working there and for a software company located in Amish country, Clint and Kendra moved back to Muskingum County and went into business for themselves, running a pre-school. Although the school did not make a profit, it was a good experience, and they still hear from some of those children, who are now in high school.
 
In 2001 Congress passed the Health Center Growth Initiative, and the Muskingum Valley Health Center was established in a remodeled Holiday Inn. Clint told the story of Chuck Hunter, the visionary who led the development effort for the Center, but who died of a heart attack just two days before the Center was to open. A request to Housing and Human Services to delay the opening of the Center was denied for some reason.
 
On opening day, Clint started his new job in charge of internet technology at the Center, and was directed to locate his own office, desk, phone, and computer, which he did. Desperately trying to figure out how to run a Health Center while taking in their first patients, the CEO promoted Clint to COO, and together they both figured out that, in order to make the center successful, they had to run it like a business, not a social service. Eventually Clint was lured away from Muskingum Valley Health Center to build a new Center in Lancaster County. Originally a part of the County health department, the new Center became a non-profit and began expanding.
 
During this time, Clint and Kendra’s daughter was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. This was a life-altering experience for their family, and the decision was made to leave the area and move to a place where their children would have better opportunities and a better quality of life. That brought them to Oro Valley and to Marana Health Center. Thank you, Clint, for sharing an inspiring story of the very difficult task of working one’s way out of poverty.