Marana Rotary Club
Weekly Meeting December 7, 2021, Minutes
Announcements:
December meetings
- Next week, in person; Dec 21, x-mas social affair at Mary’s; Dec 28, dark
- Randy advised that Dave Hindman has resigned from the club to spend more time with his family.
- Randy contacted Kathleen at Tortolita High; there is no Interact Club this year, maybe next year. Kathleen’s replacement and Randy will meet over coffee to explore the possibilities for next year. Suggestions were made to also reach out to Mountain View (partner with the Dove Mtn. Club?) and Marana High (partner with Oro Valley Club?) for possible new Interact Clubs to sponsor.
Randy presented Don Jorgensen with a Level 7 Paul Harris pin, signifying that Don had donated $8,000 to Rotary. Randy then presented Don with a Level 8 Paul Harris pin, arriving in the mail shortly thereafter, recognizing that Don has donated $9,000 to Rotary! Don is approaching the level of “Major Donor” which, as Randy points out, is an amazing accomplishment in the short 14 years in which Don has been a member of Rotary. Randy thanked Don for his generous service over the years.
Cindy Dooling was inducted into the Marana Rotary Club. Cindy has been involved behind the scenes with John for many years. Together they have sponsored 7 exchange students and are Major Donors to Rotary. Cindy is immersed in the Youth Services program for which she is becoming Director for the entire District. John and Cindy recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary, and John performed the honors of pinning Cindy with the Rotary Club pin. - Dan introduced his guest, Carol, who is currently with the Food Bank of Marana. Upon her full retirement in June, she said she is considering joining our club.
- Mary reminded the club that Christmas shopping needs to be done for the two (soon to be three?) families we are supporting for the holidays. Sulee, Dan and Cindy enthusiastically volunteered to help Dan in the efforts.
- The MCAT student of the month MAY attend the Dec 14th meeting, depending on availability of family
Guest Speaker
Mary introduced our guest speaker, Zoe Fullen, from the Sky Island Alliance. Zoe’s background covers a myriad of talents; Masters Degree in Environmental Sciences, micro-finance education, Peace Corp., to name but a few. Zoe described the work of the Alliance in partnership with numerous governmental, other conservation groups, and private entities which focuses on the megafauna and flora diversity of the mountain ranges comprising the Sky Island province of the SW U.S. and Sonora Mexico. Interesting and timely topics included the impact of the Border Wall project on wildlife migration and the effect of climate change on biodiversity. The Alliance is a nonprofit depending largely on donations and grants. Zoe described how individuals can volunteer for Alliance projects.