Marana Rotary Club Meeting Feb 2 2016

Today’s meeting started out full of promise. Sulee Edwards led us in the pledge, and then Tony Hunter told a simple but wonderful short story for the thought of the day. Maeve Johnson surprised us by bringing in professional talent, Mr. Randy McDonnell, to lead us in the morning song, Sweet Caroline. And we had a visitor from Benton Harbor, MI, Jim Schueneman. Our President Mary Straus was out of the country in an undisclosed location for her own protection. Or in Cuba. So Secretary and President Elect Jo Holt, who only travels when she has to, and even then under protest, presided.

 

 

 

Dove Mountain Rotary is having a party! Mardi Gras 2016 will be at the Highlands Ballroom with music by the Tucson Jazz Institute. Tickets are $60, and the fun begins at 5:30pm.

 

Mary will host an event with former DG Sally Montagne, who is coordinating a global grant for the Children Peace Initiative in Africa. Randy Brooks and his friend Bert from Las Vegas will be singing their hearts out.

 

Presidents Elect Training Seminar (PETS) 2016. Mary and Jo are attending!

 

The first Tour de Cookie bike ride put together by Marana Rotary!

www.rotarytourdecookie.org

It’ll be time to start baking before you know it!

 

 

Peter Mack was in the house! Really, he was! But don't get too excited, he was off to the airport shortly after the meeting.

And, rumor has it that next week we’ll be visited by our RYLA students!

 

Jo Holt actually paid back John Dooling the $1 he lent her for last week’s happy bucks. There were witnesses. John (aka Davey Crockett) is well-known for hunting down forest creatures, and we surmise that Jo was at least somewhat concerned that she was on that list as well. As in fair game. Or something.

Somewhere in the midst of Happy Bucks someone realized that it was GroundHog Day! Opportunity missed!

 

 

 

Sulee Edwards introduced our speaker, Joe Hentges, District Governor Elect (2017-2018), District Membership Committee Chair, and member of the Dove Mountain Rotary Club. As a Rotary member over the past 32 years, Joe served as Assistant Governor in District 5500 in 2013-2014 and as a club president three times: Woodstock IL 1995-1996, and Marana-Dove Mountain 2011-2013. Both Joe and his lovely wife Brigitte are Paul Harris Fellows and members of the Bequest Society. Joe is a member of the Paul Harris Society.

 

Joe and Brigitte attended the Rotary International Convention in Säo Paulo, Brazil, an amazing place with over 11 million people in the city, and around 20 million in the metro area. That’s LA, NYC, and Chicago combined. Over 20,000 were registered for the convention, which Joe reported was one of the best he has attended. John King, the chair of the board of trustees of the Rotary Foundation, even mentioned Rotary’s participation in El Tour de Tucson and the donation to polio eradication.

 

Joe delighted us with numerous slides from the entire trip through South America. From breath-taking waterfalls to city slums, his presentation gave us a real feel for the continent. Thank you Joe for sharing your Rotary experience with us!