Marana Rotary Club Meeting Nov 10 2015
Posted by Secretary Jo Holt
Welcome New Member Vanessa Ruiz!! Our meeting today was packed with guests and speakers, and President Mary Straus did a very good job juggling all of it. So we were all on our very best behavior. Really. After all, District 5500 Governor Nominee Joe Hentges was in the house. And we had to set a good example for our favorite inbound exchange student Matus Bogar.
Mary brought two special guests from Owl and Panther, which is an expressive arts project designed to help refugee families who have been affected by trauma and torture. Particularly pertinent to our topic of children and peace, it was very nice to have Bea Herron and Marge Pellegrino join us today.
Harold Burtzloff reminded us that now is the time to donate to Boxing for Troops. You can donate online from the home page of our website, or by check. Assembly of boxes will be Friday Dec 4 at Harold’s home!
Our MCAT Student of the Month, Chris Trimble, was introduced by MCAT Principal and Club member Denise Coronado. Chris’s parents, Tissa and Kevin Trimble, were on hand to witness Chris’s award. Chris told us that, upon graduation from high school, he is planning for a career in the US Air Force. Our congratulations to Chris! You make us all proud.
Calendar Update:
Mon Nov 16
Board meetings for our Club and our Club’s Foundation, 5:30pm at Maeve’s Edward Jones office on Ina Road.
Tues Nov 17
Club Assembly meeting during our regular meeting time, in which we review our activities and assess how people are feeling about the Club.
Sat Nov 21
El Tour de Tucson day! Club members, along with Teacher of the Year Kathleen Neighbors’ Interact students from Tortolita Middle School, will be aiding riders at Tangerine Rd and I-10. Contact Tony Hunter to volunteer.
Tues Dec 8
Our annual Holiday party will be held at John Zwick’s beautiful Earth Energy’s Hearth & Home store, along with our annual meeting and elections of officers. Donations to More Than a Bed, the foster-care organization, will be collected. Monetary donations are greatly appreciated, as are donations of diapers and new toys.
Breaking News:
Today was one of those very special days in which we inducted a fantastic new member, Vanessa Ruiz. Vanessa was joined by her boss, Realtor Louis Parrish, and her Mom and two sons. We are thrilled to have Vanessa join Rotary and our Club!
Guest Speaker:
Our past District Governor Sally Montague was on hand to introduce Executive Director Hilary Dofata and Deputy Director Monica Kinyua
of the Children Peace Initiative Kenya. CPI-Kenya is dedicated to working with children who live in communities that traditionally engage in inter-ethnic disputes. Hilary and Monica explained that the goal is to make children “peace bridges,” because when families are changed by their children, then conflict is decreased. They talked about the different tribes in Kenya who speak different languages, making communication between the tribes very difficult. When there is a culture of violence between tribes, the sad fact is that even the children become warriors rather than going to school. And if they don’t attend school, they don’t learn the tribal languages, and they can’t communicate. CPI-Kenya has programs that bring children from different communities together. Many of the children already have formed negative ideas about each other from their parents. But as they get to know one another in a safe, respectful environment, the negative feelings are replaced. These children return home and influence their parents. The number of violent conflicts and deaths between the communities dramatically decreases as a result. This was a powerful presentation by two very brave individuals. Thank you Hilary and Monica.
of the Children Peace Initiative Kenya. CPI-Kenya is dedicated to working with children who live in communities that traditionally engage in inter-ethnic disputes. Hilary and Monica explained that the goal is to make children “peace bridges,” because when families are changed by their children, then conflict is decreased. They talked about the different tribes in Kenya who speak different languages, making communication between the tribes very difficult. When there is a culture of violence between tribes, the sad fact is that even the children become warriors rather than going to school. And if they don’t attend school, they don’t learn the tribal languages, and they can’t communicate. CPI-Kenya has programs that bring children from different communities together. Many of the children already have formed negative ideas about each other from their parents. But as they get to know one another in a safe, respectful environment, the negative feelings are replaced. These children return home and influence their parents. The number of violent conflicts and deaths between the communities dramatically decreases as a result. This was a powerful presentation by two very brave individuals. Thank you Hilary and Monica.