Marana Rotary Club Meeting Dec 8 2015
Posted by Secretary Jo Holt
A very special day today for our Club, meeting at Earth’s Energy Hearth & Home, the beautiful store of John Zwick & family, for our annual holiday party. And yes, indeed, Mrs. Claus herself was there to greet us with a smile and a kiss (the chocolate kind). President Mary Straus called the meeting to order after everyone had helped themselves to a very nice breakfast buffet. In the picture to the right you see Boone, Holt, & Claus (left to right).Harold Burtzloff announced that Boxing for Troops, held at his home, sent 91 boxes to our servicemen and women in Afghanistan. Now that’s the Christmas spirit!
Today was also our day to support a local charity, which this year was More Than a Bed (www.morethanabed.org). Grace Stocksdale (left) was on hand to tell us more about their organization, which provides assistance to foster parents in the form of supplies and support classes. You see Davy Crockett paying close attention.Our MCA
T Student of the Month was Breezy Borseth (right), who was accompanied by her grandparents Kelly and Jim Borseth, and one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Paul DiCaro. MCAT Principal and Marana Rotary Club member Denise Coronado told us that Breezy will graduate from high school in March. Resident astrophysicist Peter Mack asked Breezy what she planned to do after that, and she explained why she wants to be a cosmetologist. She told us that she found the amazing MCAT program through friends, in response to a question from George Rigney. We’re so pleased to honor Breezy and wish her well.
T Student of the Month was Breezy Borseth (right), who was accompanied by her grandparents Kelly and Jim Borseth, and one of her favorite teachers, Mr. Paul DiCaro. MCAT Principal and Marana Rotary Club member Denise Coronado told us that Breezy will graduate from high school in March. Resident astrophysicist Peter Mack asked Breezy what she planned to do after that, and she explained why she wants to be a cosmetologist. She told us that she found the amazing MCAT program through friends, in response to a question from George Rigney. We’re so pleased to honor Breezy and wish her well.The inimitable Randy Brooks gave us a quick run-down of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA), of which our club is a proud member. The Fund helps recipients attend college (except four-year programs).
Today we voted for our slate of upcoming officers, who will take office on July 1, 2016. This will also mark the beginning of Mary Straus’s full-term Presidency. And here are her officers:
President Elect Jo Holt
President Nominee Tony Hunter
Immediate Past President Maeve Johnson
Secretary Vanessa Ruiz
Treasurer Lynne Himmer
Board Members at Large Harold Burtzloff & Tony Hunter
Randy Brooks has graciously consented to act as Consultant to the Board, a non-voting position. We’re actually not sure how graciously he consented, but he’s doing it.
Calendar Update: Hmm, well, nothing much on the ol’ calendar these days. Probably because of the holidays. We’ll get back to you.
Breaking News:
Wow, were we ever surprised to have Mr. Davy Crockett in our midst today (see photo above)! We couldn’t be exactly sure how this was linked with the Christmas holiday, but it’s always fun when one of John Dooling’s multiple personalities manifests, and we all just went along with it. John, er, that is, Davy, gave us a remarkably detailed accounting of his exciting life. Although he was well known for his battles with the Indian tribes, a mutual respect existed between Crockett and the Indians. Davy reminded us that he was a member of Congress at the time that Andrew Jackson was President and when the Indian Relocation Act was passed. Crockett voted against the act, which forced 16,000 Indians to Oklahoma. Four thousand died on the “Trail of Tears.” When Davy ran for re-election his motto was “You can send me to Washington or you can all go to hell.” Surprisingly enough, that didn’t work, and he lost the election. Yes, Davy Crockett led an amazing life, even though the whole Alamo thing at the end was really a bummer. The hat still works, though.
Guest Speaker:
Instead of a guest speaker today, we were thrilled to have Honorary member Kathleen Neighbors introduce the Interact Club from Tortolita Middle School. These are our 7th and 8th graders who meet every week after school on Wednesday. In fact, they felt that once a week wasn’t enough, and decided to meet on Mondays as well. They presented our Club with a check for $100 for the special-needs playground we’re helping build at Coyote Trail Elementary School. We Rotarians did our best to make a good impression on the Interact students, who seemed happy enough to meet Davey Crockett and Mrs. Claus. Thank you to Interact!!