Stories
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Rotary Meeting May 16, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting May 9, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting May 02, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting April 25, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting April 18, 2023The job market is "hot" in the greater Tucson area, according to Evelyn Wright, workforce development director for Interfaith Community Services. The younger generations of workers desire a reasonable work-life balance after witnessing what happened to their parents, and Baby Boomers remain in high demand.
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Rotary Meeting April 11, 2023The club’s community service project — “Awareness Hope Action: A forum on human trafficking” — is all set for Saturday, April 15.
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Rotary Meeting April 4, 2023The club honored its MCAT star student and finalized logistics for the April 15 forum on human trafficking. |
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Rotary Meeting March 28, 2023Former Rotary Youth Exchange student from France Jeanne Gachon was in town to visit and share with the club her latest work with Rotary. |
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Rotary Meeting Mar 21, 2023IRS Special Agent Brian Watson shared with the club the ins and outs of bringing tax cheats to account.
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Rotary Meeting Mar 14, 2023Marana schools superintendent Dan Streeter updated the club on the innovative ways MUSD is meeting the challenges of a diverse, fast-growing district of more than 12,000 students.
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Rotary Meeting Feb 28, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 21, 2023Marana Parks and Recreation leaders share the town’s comprehensive plans to build out recreational opportunities for our residents. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 14, 2023District Governor-Elect Don Jorgensen updated the Club about ShelterBox’s relief efforts in Ukraine, Syria, and Turkey. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 7, 2023 |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 24, 2023Tour de Cookie ride registration is picking up as we get closer to March 11 fundraiser. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 17, 2023Registration and sponsorships for the 2023 Tour de Cookie are off to a great start. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 3, 2023Rotarian and longtime drummer Alan Havir helped club members start 2023 with a great beat. |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 27, 2022Plans are taking shape for the club's Tour de Cookie fund-raising event on March 11, 2023, and a symposium on stopping human trafficking set for April 15, 2023.
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Rotary Meeting Dec 20, 2022The Amarok Society's program to teach mothers who in turn educate young girls and boys in impoverished countries impressed club members.
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Marana Rotary among volunteers who laid wreaths at veterans’ graves |
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Rotary Meeting Dec. 13, 2022Club member Peter Mack gave an impromptu presentation via Zoom from Chile, where he was installing new equipment on a telescope that he’s maintained for years. |
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Rotary Meeting Dec. 6, 2022Rained out Marana Holiday Lights and Festival event fails to dampen Marana Rotary members' spirits. |
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Rotary Meeting Nov. 22, 2022Club members note what they are thankful and grateful for during the week of Thanksgiving. |
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Rotary Meeting Nov. 8, 2022Marana Rotary Club mourns the passing of longtime member Lynne Himmer.
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Rotary Meeting Sept. 6, 2022Guest speaker Stephanie Lang explained how the Dream Center in Phoenix seeks to provide all-inclusive services to rescued victims of human trafficking.
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Rotary Meeting August 23, 2022At its monthly business meeting, the club recommitted to hosting an aid station for the El Tour de Tucson.
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Rotary Meeting Aug 16, 2022Rotary Peace Fellow Jaclyn McAlester’s presentation about her experience and what she learned during the two-year program was inspirational and hopeful.
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Rotary Meeting Aug 2, 2022Special Olympics Arizona's Lisa Bell and participant Amber Nielsen share the breadth of opportunity available to special needs children and young adults who participate in the organization's competitions and community programs. |
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Tour de Cookie featured in Arizona Daily StarOur club's signature money-raising event, the "Tour de Cookie", was featured on the "Giving" page of the Arizona Daily Star. You can find the story here.
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Jorgensen recognized for ShelterBox volunteer workMarana Rotarian Don Jorgensen was recognized by the White House for his efforts on behalf of the global disaster relief organization ShelterBox USA, a project partner of Rotary International.
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Rotary Meeting July 26, 2022At our club's business meeting via Zoom, we discussed the highlights of our planning retreat. We also voted in support of contributing $2,000 to the Kilimanjaro Rotary Club's efforts to rebuild school restrooms wiped out by torrential rains. |
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Rotary Meeting July 19, 2022Speaker and longtime Marana Rotary Club member Harold Burtzloff gave a ClubRunner tutorial for members so they can update their profiles and post information about our club's activities.
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Rotary Meeting July 12, 2022For our member spotlight, Marana Rotarian Denise West shared her passion for gems and her work as a certified gemologist for Ben Bridge Jewelers.
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Rotary Meeting June 28, 2022Marana Rotary Club June 28, 2022 weekly meeting Randy returned to lead us in his final meeting, held virtually. Announcements There being none, Randy proceeded to make comments his year as our President. Randy described a very challenging year where everyone in our club stepped up to make our projects a success and our challenging meeting environments successful. Notably, we reached our Foundation goals, brought in new members (Don), achieved our Foundation funding (John), brought the Youth Exchange back into focus (Cindy), executed international projects (Mary), kept the website and public relations crisply up to date (Harold), executed the Tour de Cookie and shredding events (Dan and Don), made families happy for Thanksgiving and Christmas (Denise), kept the Food Bank supplied (Cathy); to name but a few of our accomplishments during a tough year. Randy felt we could have done better organizing our weekly meetings, despite the heroic efforts made especially by Peter, Harold and Bob. Randy apologized for being, at times, sketchy in leading the meetings; but Don pointed out that it took exceptional leadership to have held the club to such high standards during a most unusual and challenging year. All joined in deeply thanking Randy for his leadership. Harold reported on the Foundation year. The year ended with $14,000 after twelve funding requests were considered and approved. 11 monthly meetings were held. Also, Harold proudly reports this is his second year in a row where he had perfect attendance in weekly meetings! Mary reported that Anita will be visiting our club in September and thanked the Doolings for their help at her installation Randy said there will be n o monthly Board meeting tomorrow night July 5, our speaker will be Richard Allen, topic- projects in Cambodia Happy Bucks Harold enjoyed his visit with his brother-in-law and was enjoying summer Dan was happy to be back after one month’s absence due to work and family commitments. Dan described feeling “not connected” as a result of the meeting environments over the past year. A weird year and missed the comradery, socializing and the meals together. A topic discussed more at the end of the meeting. He was also happy that the State education budget was approved. Bob was happy, apparently, but unable to connect his audio. John agreed with Dan’s comments and it was suggested that Laura should consider the club’s feelings on meetings for the next year Don reported that medical tests prior to his upcoming surgery were positive. Don shared that recently his nephew passed at 44 years old from a heart attack. Therefore, there have been TWO losses in Don’s immediate family as his sister’s husband also passed this year. A tough period for Don. Mary is not looking forward to a treatment this week; however, there are only two treatments remaining. HOORAY Mary! You look awesome, by the way! Andy was happily rid of COVID and trying to organize his Africa photos Adam was happy to see the markets up so he could catch up on sleep and the phone isn’t ringing off the hook John has the NW Fire all to himself this morning Cindy recounted the big swim meet this past Saturday and happy to see so many kids getting back to normal, social Cathy was looking forward to making ollas with her campers Denisse had an amazing trip to Hawaii snorkeling with the Manta rays Randy was happy to have dodged COVID so far Other topics Randy asked members to share their experiences over the past year with regards to our club. Much discussion centered around the effect of COVID on the ambience. Many shared Dan’s view of lacking connectedness. However, Bob pointed out that he felt more connected and if it were not for the hybrid environment, he likely would not still be a member. Don suggested that we bring the topic up before Laura. Adam noted the great comradery and suggested a dinner night out occasionally, with spouses, to connect better. All agreed that, despite the restrictions placed by CIVID, our club has performed stellar! |
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Rotary Meeting June 7, 2022Rotary Meeting June 7, 2022  Adam was inducted into the club by Randy and co assisted by LauraRandy Said he is the newest member of Rotary worldwide, you’re not just joining an organization with 1.2 mil members around the world, you will be able to access 531 countries in other areas. You will be able to make a huge impact Internationally and locally you will become a huge hub in our club. Adam is a Financial Rep with Edwards Jones he was born in NY but lived here most of his life, most of his family is here, he lives in Marana. He wasn’t to get more involved in the club whether its local or international. We had a visitor from Seattle Steven who is moving here he will be living in Sunflower. Happy bucks Peter – He is working in a great place. Don – More good days then bad he has surgery scheduled for July. Cindy – The house passed the Senate Bill 1361 that deals with Youth Exchange. *this means we should be able to have a youth exchange program and not pay $6500 for them. John – Conference has been wonderful and has learned a lot. Mary- She is doing ok her brother and sister-in-law arriving tomorrow. Lynn – Story for the day – The cat died and goes to heaven God greets the cat and says you have been a good cat is there anything we can do for you? The Cat says I was raised on a farm and all I have known is sleeping on a hard floor I would love a pillow and God said done. About a week later a dozen mice died and he give them the same option and the mice said all we have done our whole life is run from dogs, cats, brooms etc, what we would really like is roller skates, done. A few days later he goes over and wakes up the cat and says how is everything going the cat said wonderful this pillow is awesome and I love these little meals on wheels they keep sending me. Randy – doing well its cool and chilly. Adam – thankful he was inducted, the past week they went to Disneyland with nieces and nephews. Denise – happy for Adams inducted and she is going to Hawaii. Becky –Thanked everyone who came to Felicias Farm they saw the chickens and showed them the herbs and the well water area down the road (she has big vision). Her daughter will be getting married in the Elvis Chapel. Sulee – Happy. Stephen – 2 years ago he met Randy – he has been a member or Rotary Spoken for 40 years. Harold – Welcome the new member and how impressed he was with Felicias Farm. Bob – Spent 10 days with his brother and sister-in-law and toured AZ. Laura- Is attending the conference in Houston virtually, she is very impressed with how it has been organized. Laura wanted to spend a little time thinking about our calendar and the things we have coming up after July 1, 2022. She would like to think about a Rotary Club retreat. On June 18th, Laura will be inducted in as President of The Marana Rotary Club it will be at her house from 5-7pm. She would like the retreat the 2nd weekend of July the 16th, at her house. Calendar coming up – let’s think about what we want to keep, delete, or add. She would like to reenergize our relationship with the Marana Chamber and the Town of Marana. Events the Town of Marana host are the Founder day in March, 4th of July, fall festival and Christmas lighting. Also Marana Parks and Recs have volunteer opportunities, Laura emailed them to see how we might help with that. We could also set up an ice cream or icee truck at one of the splash pads. Were only 10 years younger than the town, so why don’t we do something for the founder’s day. We could turn this into a fundraiser. Were a member of the Chamber and all it says is a mailing address and phone # and our name and it says nothing about us. If we want to have anything on the Chamber, web site we need to get some updated info on their sight. They have the 4th Tuesday mixer from 5-7 and their morning meeting the 1st Wednesday of each month. Becky always attends she had passed out flyers on our events. Adam is also a member of the Chamber and he said that the last Tuesday mixer there was about 50-60 people there. The next thing she wants us to think about is the four 5th Tuesdays we have this year we need to think do we want to use them as a social or service project. El Tour is November 19th, it will start downtown this time, we have sponsored a station for 26 years, but we may not be in Marana, we will have to plan for a station still. And El Tour de Cookie – it will either be March 4 or March 11, 2023, Becky and Dan will be co-chairs. We need to focus on advanced media a month or two ahead. Laura said the Tour de Tucson puts all their bike races and fun runs on a website bike https://www.bikereg.com/ we should see if we want to use that. It’s a one stop site for bike runs not just races. We need to all be willing to work one time a month the bike path to spread the word. Mary also said we need to think about a district grant we are coming up to the deadline July 15, 2022. Mary suggested Felicias Farm again. Meeting was closed with the four way test. |
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Rotary Meeting June 21, 2022Rotary Meeting June 21, 2022 We will had a guest Speaker Sandra from BagitCancer.org Happy Bucks John – happy that he had a wonderful meal at Laura’s and a wonderful installation of Laura and congratulated Randy on a job well done. Cindy – great progress with the outbound foreign exchange students, one of the inbound students decided to go to school instead we will have one from Spain and one from Demark. Harold – first day of summer Adam – went to a conference for his job what a great way to be inspired. Sulee – Survived baby setting a five-year-old and a 2-year-old. Randy – Lynne- happy with the rain and seconded what John had to say about the evening.
Kathy- Said the party was lovely and fun and happy for a little rain Mary – Happy to be setting outside and grateful for family, who has been out to help. Laura sent a shout out to Mary for all the arrangements she made for the installation. Becky- Said she was babysitting Saturday. Happy to have grandbabies. Bob-Not happy with his audio. Don –He also said Saturday night was wonderful and thanked Randy for all his work and appreciated the review of what the club reviewed. Happy it’s his wife’s birthday- Happy Birthday Kathy. Laura – Said the summary of the accomplishments last year it was Randy’s leadership we were able to accomplish so much, and we have a high bar to meet this year. Sandra – Happy that she gets to spend a lot of time with her granddaughter. Announcements: Mary – Randy will be back in Tucson on July 13th. Kathy if anyone want to help this Saturday to move gravel this weekend let her know. Laura will drop off Don’s banner today. Next week is zoom only 4th Tuesday, what about July 5th, we can continue to meet if everyone wants to. Most everyone thought let’s meet. Dennis & Andy are sick, Peter is off traveling Sandra from Bag it Cancer www.bagitcancer.org What is self-advocacy at Bagit – the ability to communicate ones needs. Here are the ways:
Questions: Laura – Do you find that people are hesitant to talk frankly about their medical needs. Patients know it’s ok to speak up because the health care team really want that. Write your question down and be prepared with them. Becky – Having communication with the caregivers for the doctors’ appointments Kathy- what about doctors that don’t listen to you - Sandra said be assertive and if need be change doctors. |
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Home from ConventionTwo of our members John and Cindy Dooling return from the Rotary International Convention in Houston   |
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Rotary Meeting June 14, 2022Marana Rotary Club June 14, 2022 weekly meeting Randy returned to lead us in this hybrid meeting. Announcements Installation of new officers for 2022/23 will be held at Laura’s this Saturday from 5-7PM Happy Bucks Andy was happy to be back home after one month traveling in Africa Don was happy to have had his wife back from New York Adam was busy being a “financial therapist” during chaotic markets Randy was suffering a horrible internet connection but managed to have backed his car into a boat in northern Washington! Was the boat in the water? He didn’t say. Timothy, our guest speaker from Tanzania, was happy to be joining us from afar Bob was happy and sad; leaving for VA right after our meeting; contributed 40 happy bucks! Beckie’s daughter became married in the Elvis Chapel in Las Vegas in front of a full congregation Harold was happy, but my notes are illegible, sorry Harold! You’re always happy though. John happily reported that he had “end Polio” pins for everyone and thanked us for the support Cindy attended the Melbourne preconference and was able to make connections with Youth Exchange committee members Laura also attended Melbourne ad reported inspiring speakers. Laura also attempted to get cash back at the grocery store for happy bucks, but learned it costs 50 cents to get your own money from Fry’s! Guest Speaker Today’s speaker is Timothy Massawa, aka “Michael” as repeatedly professed by Bob Bishop. Timothy, a rotary member since 2011 and past Assistant Governor of his region, co-founded an NGO dedicated to empowering children of Tanzania through education. Timothy, a member of the Massai indigenous culture of Tanzania described a fascinating program focused on children of the Ngorongoro region where, ironically, Andy had visited the week before. Timothy’s presentation raised several ideas for our club to consider in future project support. |
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District Awards Diana Ventura - Goodyear from District 5500 presented the Marana Rotary Club several awards. John Dooling our Past President is accepting the awards     |
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Rotary Meeting May 24, 2022May 24, 2022 Marana Rotary Club Meeting called to order Bob lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Check in with everyone/Happy Bucks’ Kathy-full house with visitors and the last of the students from TUSD graduating. Adam-Crazy month – going to CA next week 1st time at Disneyland. Bob- not happy bucks- there dog is going to be put down today. Don-feeling good today. Brother-in-law died a week before, Don had prostate cancer surgery they got it all. Because of that they nicked his colon he had some additional complications. Mary-on the mend from her latest treatment. Denise-going to Hawaii next month. Peter-Maui trip postponed tell September, he gave a talk to the Dove Mountain Rotary Club next Thursday. Laura-Thankful and happy that we are close enough that we can share our issues with each other Harold: Carpal Tunnel surgery this week, we will be thinking about you. Cindy-They had a fabulous graduation for their grandson. John is in Florida fishing. Sulee-Good to go and info that Marvin Swank passed away. Reminder next week’s meeting with be at Felicias Farms: 3761 E River Rd, Tucson, AZ 85718 Randy arrived last night at the cabin he drove down to a friend’s house to use his internet he is on his telephone – its 37 at his cabin in WA. Laura – Lynn will remain as treasurer, Sulee will be the Secretary and she will talk to others about positions. Mary – She sent out an invitation for Laura’s induction, please RSVP. June 18, 2022, Saturday at 5pm @ Laura’s place. Guests are welcome. Randy went over the Code of Conduct ROTARIAN CODE OF CONDUCT As a Rotarian, I will:
Discussion – after much discussion – the conclusion is that other than criminals we should respect all positions – any and all positions bring something to the club. ie Kathy said like fast food workers – we don’t know how to run the fry machine, they work hard and should have our utmost respect. Laura one thing we need to do is keep up with the ethics and integrity in our own positions. Like Mary sometimes we must make discissions based on how well we can do a job.
We rely on every person that joins our club. Laura said there is dignity in all work, and we need to approach people with open minds and hearts about their profession.
Randy said do we all have occupations where we help young people. Randy has helped people with diagnostic work to see if they have Alzheimer. Yes, we do by being involved with the foreign exchange students. Don said this is a lot of what we do with our service projects.
We are in a tricky time for this one, we should not go to a gathering and get drunk, or we could behave in a way that is challenging. The new mantra in Rotary is Diversity, Equity & Inclusion. We should go to our fellow Rotarians one-on-one and talk to them about how we feel we were offended. As Mary added she tried it and it didn’t go well and that may happen. Cindy said there is an incident in baseball right now where there is a racist comment. So things change and we need to keep up with things and people that are affected need to work it out. Laura said maybe we could get someone to present re how we can learn to discuss issues. Becky added a positive opinion the Tour De Cookie is a great reflection of our club.
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Rotary Meeting May 17, 2022May17, 2022 ROTARY MEETING From Maria Altamirano Boy am I so excited, the last few weeks have been pretty intense and demanding. Finished all my patients and clinical requirements last Wednesday and just finished my last two finals today. :) On top of the clinical and exams we just wrapped up our class community service event for May with a donation drive for Emerge here in Tucson. It was such an amazing thing to be able to help. Myself and faculty leaders, Ms Richards and Ms Smedley, really pushed for the month long drive with student and other faculty and we were able to donate everything from toothbrushes to suitcases. I attached a picture of our class holding just a few items we were able to donate. Heading into June I'm getting ready for my student delegate meeting and catching up on some recorded townhall meetings and reading up on some bylaws we'll be voting on in June. I'm so excited to learn this process. I'll start studying for boards this summer and finishing a computer class requirement (not to mention watching my two boys). Hopefully I'll get to see you guys virtually soon. Maria DON – his wife is not feeling well. DENISE- happy bucks – her cousin starting to talk after a horrific accident. CAROL– going to Denver to visit niece on Monday to visit family. RANDY– is in Pismo beach in CA, with Shirley and Dick Grace. SULEE -had a good weekend in bullhead city. BECKY– Internet was down .this morning – she is happy to have two beautiful granddaughters JOHN- Happy they have a grandson graduating from Ironwood HS - Carter Dooling and he was a grand champion swimmer. CINDY-8year old grandson Levi Dooling hit a grand slam in baseball and she is happy to be able to get to watch her grandson helping to kids who were having some kind of disagreement and he told them they need to respect one another. HAROLD– That the computer got hooked up. Dan - Just happy ADAM-a lot going on in the financial world, he considers himself a financial therapist at this time. KATHY – happy her kids are doing well; son graduated and had a visit with her mom. LAURA- Happy Randy this might be a good time to introduce the past District Governor PDG Diane Goodyear and her husband Gordon. She said the district started out with 50 clubs and ended with 50 clubs. She had some special awards for John Dooling #1 the Rotary Citation (at the first of the year you must state your goals and you must end with those goals). Polio plus award, 100% foundation giving (every Rotarian every year). #1 Club in the district. Congratulations John for year well done. Cindy, we have had an outreach from student from Marana high school who would like to be an outbounds student next year 23-24 school year. We need to be ready for the inbounds students who will be coming next year coming from Denmark, Spain, Belgium, and Holland. Bob introduced the speaker  Don Zavis National Sales Trainer at the Catalyst, Sales Trainer.The need is greater than it has been in volunteer group and less people stepping up to the need. Beneficial for the people – one or two things we might be struggling with what would they be? Kathy one of the problems she sees is there are different areas to give need clarity where to give $, do we give to the club etc. This is complicated for new members. He said he developed a program called the member code. How do I help, how do I do it. The three things we have an opportunity to do is Time, Talent & Treasures. Clubs are always talking about get new members – for every we should all have a Rotary Pamphlet and every day and have a meaningful conversation with someone in our world. If we do this every day, it will become a habit it’s the easiest way to be prepared. If every day all 17 of us have a meaningful conversation we could increase our club size. Polio being its own group can you donate to it, can you get host homes for your exchanges students yes, but we like to reach out to our group. What I would like to expect Member Code Road Map #1-We need to commit to remain engaged in the club. #2-All member need to have an opportunity to be creative; expect that every month every member comes up with an Idea. Do we give people the ability to be creative? #3-Commit to using my fiscal resources #4-Commit to brining one new person monthly, to become a member, the member is a guideline. #5-Commit to attend every event we have . #6-Commit to involving yourself – do we have jpeg item we use to promote out weekly session *it’s about what a wonderful organization, awards people have won... post on social media! #7-Creat a leadership group everyone needs a leadership role, where they gravitate to. We need to put the members in rolls that fit them. Team 100 concept = $100 each month, 100 minutes of time and 100 minutes of our talent each month. If you want a better club, be a better member, better spouse, if you want a better boss be a better father, child etc.. We need to look at the time/challenge/treasure Also remember clubs are a way to cure loneliness for some people. |
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Rotary Meeting May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 Rotary Marana Cindy led in the Pledge of Allegiance Raffel Tickets were sold Cindy Dolling is the Youth Coordinator for the district. There is a District Administrative position available with the passing of Liz Cohn. Kathy stepped up said she is interested the position. Happy Bucks Mary-doing good and the weather is still nice. Kathy-she is happy her mom and husband are in visiting and going to her son’s graduation who is graduating with honors at ASU. Lynn said she Himalayan rabbit stew because she found him lying in the road Bobs happy he is here because he keeps waking up with heart issues. Becky – happy she has two healthy grandbabies Harold happy that they got the computer going John is happy Kathy Dooling said she is happy with the bicycle race Dan said one of the things he misses is the fact we used to get in a small group when we all used to sit and talk. Dan happy about mother’s day, he will be inducted soon. Denise is happy her cousin is in the hospital after a freaky situation Lynn – she got to go on a retreat Randy happy he is getting to visit family and go to Washington Peace builder club meeting. Kathy said there are two district programs – District trainer and district grant chair. RYLA new chair out of Sierra Vista Club Bob introduced our speaker – she is a financial planner – Fund raiser and develop Presentation on everyone wants to know you to give more to Rotary. There is a lot of ways to give money to donate to Rotary happy bucks, donations etc. Today she is going to talk about major gifts, bequest etc. She is here to stimulate some ideas on how to give money to rotary that might help taxes. There are a lot of ways to give money, planned gift, bequest, structured gift. Some numbers 70.5 ( this is an age #) - QCD – Qualified Charitable Distribution from IRA or retirement plan. I.e. you can tell you investment person you can say I want to make the contribution and you are not taxed for it. This goes directly from IRA to Rotary. $1000 – Benefactor, you can gift $1000. Gift to Rotary Endowment Fund via estate plan. 10,000 Major Donor level
100,000 Charitable reminder trust( this could be cash securities, real estate, or possible liquid assets). This is lifetime funds. 25,000 Is astonishing
250,000 1,000,000 These # above reflect different gifts. What should you do to give more?
One simple way to leave money through your estate can me by adding it to your will We concluded the meeting by Harold lead us in the four way test |
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Rotary Meeting May 3, 2022May 3, 2022 Marana Rotary Club Hybrid meeting Meeting was called to order by Randy Brooks, John Dooling lead us in the Flag Salute. Randy stated that he would like to cancel the Board Meeting. Adam Potential member was introduced in person. Mary said that Felicia’s Farm came in under budget both the District Funds and funds donated by the Rotary Club of Marana. From our club it was $123.00 Peter Mack motioned to donate the funds back to Felicias Farm vs taking the money back and Harold Butzloff second the vote was made, and it was will in favor. The district funds will have to be returned to the Charitable Funds for 5500. Randy announced the sad news about the passing of Liz Cohn on 5/2/22. The District is going to give her a Rotarian for life. Also her club wants to create a Scholarship Fund in her name for the UofA. Lynne said we grossed $1535.00 from the shred event. Randy said Don offer to pay the Shred Truck. 50/50 tickets were sold Denise was the lucky one and pulled the Joker the pot was $180.00, and she donated it back to the club. Happy Bucks Bob the Computer is working we have Biffy from all the way in Africa Lynne did not have a good day yesterday, but the Startbucks server had a wonderful smile. Kathy said she is just happy. Adam happy to be in person Dan just happy Sulee Just Happy Harold Happy Computer worked for zoom John Shredding event was a great event Becky Happy she gets to babysit grand baby. Pete Happy that someone else has learned the computer Lynne told one of her great jokes “Did you hear about the hen who laid orange instead if egg and all the little chicks were running around, saying look at the orange mama laid”. Hahaha Kathy Dooling said they had a great outbound exchange student orientation Denise is happy Laura said she didn’t have a good week and didn’t elaborate Mary happy her brother is visiting Carol happy her 95-year-old mother few across the country to come and visit (I hope we can all do that someday) Randy he is happy that Biffy is with us today – he also gave a statue to John and Cindy Dooling for the daughter because she said she just bought a bicycle built for two. Speaker was Elizabeth (aka BiffY) Danckwerts from the Eastern Cape of Cape Town. Biffy was brought up in Eastern Cape and did a short stint in Johannesburg for 4 years in the 80’s. She joined Rotary in May of 2005 and was awarded a PH in 2009 and again 2019. Biffy serves in her club. Biffy is currently starting new Satellite Club called the MAD Rotary Club, she said this should be a fully-fledged club within a year. What an interesting lady – wish the vocals would have been better. She is the happiest working in Khayelitsha, it means new home) and her second language is Xhosa. She showed us pictures of the houses they are nothing more that shacks. Some of the small houses have 3-8 children in the tiny little house. She showed us a great PowerPoint about the school she is working to improve. The kids there are so excited to go to school. She has done so much to help the kids have a great education. She showed of the school, library, courtyard, lunch area. She showed us the original computer room and now they have an updated computer room the kids have 90 minutes per child to work on the computer there are 96 computers in the room. There are 1205 children in the school each day and it’s a very sandy play area. She had tried to grow trees, but they won’t grow. The kids must be feed breakfast and lunch each day. And they all sit in the cafeteria on the floor in the lunch area. Most of these kids come from homes with illiterate parents most of them don’t know how to read or write. Most of the children had never heard any kind of classical music, the now have a conductor and the children are playing instruments. There were 46 children per classroom before now they have hired more teachers. This was a great presentation from her. Randy said when he was visiting Biffy in Africa there was a house that had the Rotary seal on it. Randy said she has a hug heart and how she has worked with the children. |
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Marana Rotary Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion |
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Rotary Meeting April 26, 2022Marana Rotary Club Randy called the meeting to order Mary led us in the flag Salute. Randy said – sad news - Liz Cohen is very ill and was placed in hospice yesterday. Adam Pina a prospective member joined us via zoom (welcome). He is a financial advisor with Edwards Jones. He grew up in Tucson and Live in Marana with his wife, he was a private banker for Wells Fargo. He is a Yankees fan, Mary put on her NY hat, Kathy put on Cubs, Don put on his Boston hat, Laura put on her team hat. Ya we have baseball fans. (let’s go to a game) Lynne told a joke The Yankees were playing the Red Sox at Fenway Park a kid goes to the game he meets his priest there they get to talking and after the game the priest says can I get a ride home the kid says father, I would be happy to. So they are driving down the street and here is this Yankee fan all decked out in his garb, hat, shirt the whole 9 yards the kids swerves, and almost hits him. At the last minute he veers off and looks at the priest and said Father I am so sorry I shouldn’t have done that, and the priest said no worries my son I got him with the door. Happy Buck Time: Harold said he and Bob spent a couple of hours working on getting the computers going at the fire department, so at the next meeting we can be hybrid. Bob also happy about getting the computer going. Kathy – 450 new chicks at the farm we will be at her place to visit on 5/31. Becky – new grandma Elenore, and her other granddaughter June had her 4th birthday Saturday. Mary – another treatment - good news brother arriving today to help Mary. John – question for Kathy – with all the chicken can you use the chicken dropping to make her own compost and she explained how she does that. Don and Cindy hosted the District Governor and District Governor Elect at their house along with the outgoing foreign exchange students. Rotary 5500 has students going to Belgium, Thailand & Denmark and we will bring in four incoming students Laura – happy and relieved she is done with the AZ Supreme Court; she won’t know for four or five months if she wins or not. She said this was called a hot bench. it’s what the call a hot bench:* here is the meaning The Supreme Court justices are talking. And they are talking more than ever during oral argument. The term “hot bench” implies that appellate judges engage in vibrant verbal exchanges with the parties during oral hearings. Don, good news he watched the live streaming of Laura at the Supreme Court he said she was fantastic. Their daughter is an FBI agent in New York she was just selected to train for the Hostage Negotiation Team. Shelter Box update sense the beginning of the rotary year district 5500 has raised over $46,000 for shelter box. That ranks us 9th out of 150 some districts in the US and second in our zone and were one of the smallest districts in the zone. Sulee – Also watched Laura and we went to Bullhead with 18 family member and had a great time. Lynne happy tax season is off and happy she is semi-retired. We netted $7400.00 at the Tour de Cookie. Shredding event this Saturday
Student of the month: Denise Coronado, Student of the Month Brisel Rivera She went to school at Road runner and Marana Middle School and then to the High School. She wanted to graduate earlier and be with a smaller community. What she likes best about MCAT: is the schedule and that she has 6th period to use as independent time so she can catch up on her work. Denise said that Brisel is the one that really gets her work done! She will graduate in December she was supposed to be a May 2024 graduate, can you imagine graduating two years early? She is going to go to the Pima and then the UofA and get her teaching degree. Info her brother is also a graduate of MCAT Laura asked her what teaching area she is interested in and she said History. Mr Bohen is the person she picked to be there with her today he is her History Teacher. He said Brisel is supper self-directed she had a lot of questions and always want to know more. She is willing to help other students that are struggling a little bit. Because of that other student are also engaging more. She is a great role model. Rotary provided her with a certificate and a gift card to the movies. Brisel said it was an honor to be at MCAT. Denise said that MCAT, graduation is May 19th, 2022. She has four seats for us to join, let Randy know ASAP who is going. Mary – Past District governor Eli sent a card thanking for the video sent in for the peace pole. Laura and Mary have been planning Laura’s installation. She has picked June 18th for the date and to be held at Laura’s house and it will be catered. John recommends that Laura and Lynne put their heads together to discuss the budget for her year. John said the Annual Programs fund raising is , total contributions are at $8540. That includes polo plus and foundation. Randy’s goal was $10,000. Lynne has another $1600.00 to go in this will put him over his goal at $10,140. Membership goal was two and we have three new members, Cindy, Kathy and Carol. John will receive honors for his year as president. Club also submitted the paperwork we will be honored as a Prestige Club. John kind of related My Rotary, My Rotary in the district people registered 54%. The only two people in our club who are not registered Kathy and Carol are the only two members not registered. Next week’s hybrid meeting the speaker is Elizabeth "Biffie" Danckwert from South Africa. Mary asked on behalf of Jen our Youth Exchange Daughter if anyone would be willing to host her 24-year-old friend for three months. Don led us in the Four Way Test. |
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390th TourRotary Club of Marana Visits the 390th Air Museum  On March 26th, 10 members of our Rotary Club visited the 390th Museum at the Pima Air and Space Museum off of Valencia Road in Tucson. The 390th Air Museum is the Home of the B-17 “Super Fortress” bomber and tells the story of this World War II bomber group as they fought in the war in Europe.Harold Burtzloff and Beckie Penman had coordinated with Glenn Rosati of the museum to have meeting facilities available for members to gather and share coffee and doughnuts. There we met our tour guide, Col. Don Cassidy. Col. Don gave us an introductory briefing and then proceeded to show us the through all of the various exhibits within the building. The centerpiece was the last B-17 flown by any service. Members were allowed to look inside the aircraft and asked many questions. Of particular interest to most was the gallery of photos of every B-17 and their crews in the 390th. Along the walls were various examples of airplanes with their mission count and what happened to them. Many were lost over Germany. Nose Art (crew produced aircraft names and symbols (usually females) painted on the noses of each B-17, various flight jackets and uniforms, parachutes and other items used by the crews were displayed and explained. Of particular interest was the section on the Norden Bombsight, a top-secret device used by bombardiers, that allowed them to essentially take over the controls of the aircraft to guide it to a very precise drop point, insuring a target hit. According to Col. Don, a lady with some very long hair had donated her locks for the production of these sights – literally being used as “cross hairs” of the scope that were overlaid on the target. Our club was so impressed with the museum and their personnel that we voted to make a special donation of $200.00 to the museum.    |
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Shelter Box HEROA ShelterBox HERO Club Congratulations President Randy and members of the Rotary Club of Marana, Congratulations on receiving your latest ShelterBox HERO recognition! Your support is very much appreciated during this very challenging year of natural and manmade disasters. Your contributions have helped save lives and families in places like Haiti, and for the refugees in and near Ukraine. As you know, ShelterBox has provided aid to over 2 million people since 2000, we could not have reached them without clubs like yours. If you would like to have your certificate also presented in person at a club meeting, and/or you would like a 2022 ShelterBox update for your club please, just let us know! Thank you for being a ShelterBox HERO! |
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Rotary Meeting April 12, 2022Marana Rotary Club April 12, 2022 weekly meeting Randy returned to lead us in this hybrid meeting. Announcements Bob informed that speakers were set until June and that he would appreciate help as he will be leaving for Virginia in June. Randy told the group that he would be leaving in May for 4 months and that Laura will help run the meetings if he isn’t able to join remotely. Carol says she will be in Wales and Scotland in June/July as we consider timing for her formal induction Peter announced he will be out of pocket the next two weeks, Bob volunteered to set up the meeting room computer Cathy reminded the group that the next social, the fifth Tuesday of the month, will be held at Felicia’s Farms. Randy informed that Lynn has not gotten to the final accounting for the Tour de Cookie due to her heavy tax season load, but will do so after the 18th Randy and Don had lunch with Jeremy, the past speaker on the Marana detention facility, who is considering membership in our club. Randy will deliver to Lynn $190 from the Tour de C plus $27 in Happy Bucks. Happy Bucks Harold was happy that his 50th wedding anniversary celebration went so well and thanked everybody. Carol is happily preparing or retirement (again! Practice makes perfect) on June 30th Mary, joining incognito, explained that chemo had started and was rougher than expected. She will participate to the extent possible; we all wish her the very best and will support her in her treatment and full recovery. John reported that he was just happy, as usual and that two grandsons were winning at sports Sulee was happy and volunteered to take notes while Andy was in Africa the month of May. Thank you Sulee! Andy was happy that the howling winds had stopped in southern Utah. Guest Speaker Today’s speaker is Jake Snyder, head of Corporate Partnerships for the Roadrunners hockey team. Jake has only been in the position since last June, but seems to have energized the community partnerships with his team in a very short time. Jake came from positions at the Philadelphia 76er’s and New Jersey Devils. He made the decision to come to the Roadrunners where he felt he could accomplish more in a not-so-large corporate environment. Jake’s talk certainly relayed that passion for the local team. Jake described some of the 73 cooperate and community partnerships, some of which have linked to causes such as autism and Hispanic inclusion in the team’s sphere of influence. Very interesting presentation……thank you Bob for finding this one. Report on Recent Board Meeting Randy gave a brief report on the past Board meeting held April 6. The Board approved a $500 donation for a request brought forward by Elizabeth (last nameunclear) for the drilling of a water bore hole in S Africa in order for the local community to change their source of water from a distant pond shared by animals. Elizabeth will be presenting to the club in the near future Harold motioned that $200 be donated to the 390th Air Museum, the club approved the motion unanimously. |
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Rotary Meeting April 5, 2022Marana Rotary Club April 5, 2022 weekly meeting Laura led the hybrid meeting in Randy’s absence Announcements  Harold announced that TODAY is his and Ellen’s 50th wedding anniversary and contributed 50 bucks to Happy Bucks. Congratulations Harold!.Bob announced that there were two more applications for grants under the Rotary Vocational Fund of AZ and that volunteers were needed to interview applicants. Don reminded that the shredding event will be held Saturday, April 30th. Happy Bucks Beckie is a new grandmother! Don shared that a past member of our club (Lightfoot) had a grandson who he bragged about his basketball skills. Turns out it was Mitch Lightfoot who played for the Kansas Jayhawks in their NCAA Championship game last evening. Laura thanked Denise for the yummy treats Induction of Carol Buucks  Laura invited Don and Carol to the podium for the induction of Carol Buucks into the Marana Rotary Club. Carol, who is soon to retire, moved to Tucson over 40 years ago from Tennessee to complete her Masters at the U of A. Carol has already completed two of the three RLI on-line webinars. Laura, and the club, warmly welcomed Carol as she joins us in making Rotary ideals become reality.Guest Speaker Today’s speaker is our own Sulee, hence not a “guest”. Sulee made an amazing presentation of her passion project, the Missing in America Project (“MIAP”). Her talk was thought-provoking as well as informative. The statistics are mind-boggling; over 21, 000 veterans remains are being held in various locations, only some 5,000 have been identified, and 4,653 have been laid to rest. Veterans date back to as far as the Civil War. Sulee mentioned that the next internment event will be held in Marana on April 23 and encouraged anyone interested to attend; it is an emotional experience. Sulee is a veteran herself, having served in the U.S. Navy as well as retired from law enforcement, along with her husband. We deeply thank them both for their service and thank Sulee for a provocative talk today. In closing Bob reminded that our next week’s speaker will be Jake Snyder who will speak on the Roadrunners Hockey Team Mary announced that week after next is our “week of service”. Mary added that, much to her surprise, the bench will arrive in mid-April for the Peace Garden. |
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Rotary Meeting March 22, 2022Marana Rotary Club March 22, 2022 weekly meeting Announcements Mary reminded the group that this evening was the annual Peace Builders Clubs meeting. Mary also announced that the installation of Anita McDonald as District Governor would occur on June 26 and that volunteers were being sought for the registration table and sergeant of arms.. Volunteers would serve from the evening of the 25th until about noon on the 26th. Happy Bucks Randy lamented the lose of women’s UA basketball team in the NCAA Tournament. Bob reported a happy experience at the Sunlakes AZ aero-club where pilots gathered to share experiences Cindy related some RI news: the Youth Exchange Committee was formed in 1999 and disbanded in 2019. It is now being reinstated, giving the YE a seat at the RI table once again. John mentioned that Hank Marshall, a long-ago member of the Marana Club, has passed away. John was involved in the first Mars Rover where his name is included as a team member. John would like to place a memorial plaque for Hank on our equipment locker. Beckie has been checking on the Peace Garden as part of her commitment for March. Randy also pays occasional visits and both report that Garden is clean. Peter asked about the status of the bench; Mary responded that the order is still pending and likely won’t be received for a few more months. Denise will monitor the Garden in April Randy will be leaving on a journey starting in mid-May, returning mid-Sept; Mary will fill in for him if he is not able to lead any meetings. Harold made a motion that $500 be donated to the Rotary Vocational Fund of AZ. District 5500 has had the highest contribution record of the three AZ districts. Mary recommended that the amount be increased to $1,000. After discussion, Laura made the motion that the original motion be increased to $1,000 and the motion was carried unanimously. Don mentioned that the RLI leadership training coursewas held last Saturday and that Carol, yet to be inducted, had attended! Don also reminded the group of the shredding event on April 30th. John said that he will supply an insurance certification for our use of the Harkins facility. Beckie reminded the meeting that the social event will occur at the 390th museum and the group discussed logistics and meeting time. Peter apologized for the problems during his presentation last week and said he was working on the AV issues for the fire district meeting room. Bob asked for help in assembling future speakers. Sulee volunteered to present her Missing in America topic the first week in April. Several other ideas were discussed and Bob asked that contacts/suggestions be emailed to him. Randy had wanted to take up a discussion today about the RI code of ethics and behavior; however, we had run out of time and would table the topic until a future meeting. Peter remined that next week was dark. |
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Rotary Meeting March 15, 2022Marana Rotary Club March 15, 2022 weekly meeting Randy started saying it felt good to be back in person. Randy presented Harold with a Paul Harris Fellowship +3 Award, meaning that Harold had contributed $4,000 to Rotary. When matches are considered, this amounts to $16,000 in total donations! Harold has been in our club since 1990 doing good deeds. Everyone joined in a hearty round of applause. Way to go, Harold! Announcements Mary introduced our guest, Carol Buuck, who will be our newest member shortly. Mary also announced that a new grant opportunity will soon be appearing for a South Africa water project. Randy wants to bring this up at the next board meeting, and that it will fall under Laura’s presidency. Denise presented a $500 donation to the club from her business. The check is the result of her meeting special goals (“super-goals”) set by the company who chose to make the donation to our club Don reminded the club that RLI was beginning its on-line course this coming Saturday Happy Bucks Randy was happy to have seen his great granddaughter, 3 yrs old, in Las Vegas while visiting with his son Harold was happy to have had breakfast last week with John Z who is leaving for Canada for a few months. Harold was also fighting with over 10,000 slides from his world-wide travels in the 60’s and 70’s; the slides got spilled and were all mixed up! John happily reported that he turned 73 yesterday Carol attended the recent book fair on campus and reported delight in hearing authors’ lectures Mary and Cathy said that Felicia’s Farms was advancing well. Cathy will be in Rocky Point for a long weekend Don will be heading again to New York this Thursday where he will visit family Laura was delighted that the UA women’s (and men’s) basketball teams were so highly ranked ahead of the infamous March Madness tournament Peter regretted that he had to miss the past several meetings due to travel schedules Cindy was happy to have had a fantastic time with kids at the UA Festival of Books Randy was looking forward to attending his first women’s basketball game Beckie reminded all of the Poker Night fund raising event for the Dove Mtn club. She also reminded all of the upcoming social meeting at the 390th Air Museum on March 26. Don mentioned that the District has donated a total of $12,000 to Shelter Box and that ours and Dove Mtn were the first two clubs to raise the awareness. Guest Speaker  Needing no introduction, Peter Mack spoke of his fascinating career trajectory in astronomy and telescope construction, repair and restoration; beginning at a young age with a pair of binoculars and evolving into involvement with some the most sophisticated telescope projects world-wide. His education in England was followed by a stint teaching at Oklahoma, of all places, followed by a several year period at Kitt Peak. Peter broke from academia and research to form his own, independent telescope restoration and maintenance company which he remains very involved in to this very day. Peter’s story is truly unique and the club is most fortunate to have his support and membership. Everyone hopes to soon hear about his involvement in the JWST space telescope project! |
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Rotary Meeting March 8, 2022Marana Rotary Club March 8, 2022 weekly meeting Randy glowed over the success of the Tour de Cookie and thanked everyone for the unprecedented effort making this Tour the most successful yet. Happy Bucks A quick check in quickly turned into a recap of the Tour. Harold has over 70 photos that he can share to the website. Cathy heard a few comments that there was not enough signage: couple of folks asking directions. Dan thanked everyone for making this Tour the least stressful of all. Numbers not yet firm, but looks like we took in approx. $12,500. Beckie and Mary commented that a few voiced environmental concerns over the use of so many baggies for individual cookies. Laura suggested that we take all of the feedback into a small committee to evaluate for future Tours. Discussions turned to the tragic events unfolding in Ukraine. Don commented that Shelter Box has an assessment team on the ground in Poland, Romania and Hungary to determine what is needed besides tents or temporary shelter, such as building materials and tools. The supplies will be purchased locally to also help the effected economies. A donation of $1,000 will buy a shelter box with up to seven kits. Six rotary clubs are already raising funds for Shelter Box. Harold said the Foundation would contribute $1,000 to Shelter Box, Bob said he will match that donation amount. It was suggested that the Marana Rotary Foundation should contribute $2,000 to SB. A vote taken was unanimous. Also, it was noted that today being International Women’s Day, RI will match any gifts up to $10,000. Don Jorgensen said that he will make sure that any gifts made today will qualify for the match. Other announcements The Air Museum social event is slated for Saturday, March 26. Ten members said they planned to attend. Mary shared a video made by Sulee regarding the world peace essay contest. Sulee has done a fabulous job on this effort. Mary and Sulee commented that kids really put their hearts into the effort. Bob seconded the feeling and said that the event was quite emotional. The next meeting will be hybrid at the fire station. Peter Mack will present on the space telescope program. |
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Rotary Meeting March 1, 2022Marana Rotary Club March 1, 2022 weekly meeting Happy Bucks Randy was delighted with the number of events the club was involved in and the support of our members Harold had mixed feelings after selling his Bonanza airplane after 45 years of flying. Goodbye to a family member Cathy was happy about a memorial after 6 months Sulee was happy about the collaborative effort with Mary producing the Peace video Bob was breaking up with bad connection, so simply reported that he was happy! Cindy was happy to have a track event coming up involving her grandson. Randy suggested that she and John be given assigned reserved seats for all of the sporting events they attend John was just very happy today Beckie was happy to have the Tour de Cookies flyers ready to hand out and has been VERY busy with the event Laura was happy to have had a great experience at PETS last weekend in Los Angeles Mary was happy to have closed off the Cameroon Project with RI and to have shared an amazing time with the kids in the Four-Way essay contest Don also attended PETS where he met the incoming RI president, Jennifer Jones. He shared that Laura was really stepping up to the plate and taking on a lot of work as incoming Pres Andy was reporting in from Colorado Springs, more about that later! Denise was still happily working very hard on the Tour de C. Dan was also working hard on the Tour, which has grown immensely. Dan feels less nervous than previous years, despite there being over 300 riders expected. He is lining up the troops for this Saturday’s event. Miscellaneous Announcements Randy and Deb will work backwards at the Tour, thanking the booth sponsors as they ride to the starting point. Cindy mentioned that District Governor, “Hank”, will stop by our booth at the Tour Laura mentioned that there are over 80 Rotary Clubs in Ukraine with 1100 members. And that RI has expressed their concern and support for the crisis they are facing Guest Speaker Bob introduced today’s speakers, Mike and Joan of Primeamerica, a financial advisory firm providing counseling and guidance for money management. Mike explained their approach towards responsible money management and retirement planning. They guide their clients through debt strategies and retirement planning. Mike described their approach through a series of concepts that were thoughtfully presented. Most of us older folks could have used their visions during our earlier years! Thank you, Bob, for arranging this interesting talk! |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 22, 2022Marana Rotary Club February 22, 2022 weekly meeting Announcements March 19, Packing of Boxes March 16, Veterans one-stop-shop event, sponsored by the Dove Mtn. Club The first two meetings in March will be virtual before returning to hybrid Happy Bucks Mary- thanks to Bob, Linda, and Peter for attending the Four-way essay contest. John- “life is good”. John was especially happy for the article printed in this morning’s newspaper, “best news about our club ever published” Cindy- was happily working with the outbound orientation for exchange students Bob was entertaining guests from Oklahoma and thankful for the perfect rodeo weather Beckie was working hard on the Tour de Cookies event and shared her thoughts about format. Beckie’s also working on the air museum social event Laura was also happy about the news article and suggested it be shared on social media Cathy also shared some ideas including putting the article on Facebook Dan shared that we have over 200 riders at this point and that using Facebook has been very successful. Dan needs all the help he can get, the Tour is growing Denise raised the question of how many cookies Don reported that the April 30 shredding event was firm. He also reminded that Carol’s application had been circulated and her induction into the club is set to go. Bob informed that next week’s speaker will address “How Money Works”, and that Peter will present on March 15 Peter shared that the first images from the space telescope have been received and lamented the fact that a polio outbreak has een reported from Malawi Laura was happy to have her sister and husband visiting and they journeyed to Gardner Canyon, A real day off! Andy was looking forward to a special visit to see rarely seen petroglyphs MCAT student of the Month Denise Coronado presented Lillian, the student of the month, surrounded by teachers and family members. Lilliana just turned 16 and was selected for her leadership. She was described by her peers as a “student ambassador” . Lilliana always participates in volunteer events such as sending Valentines to poor families and supporting them during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Lilliana wants to go into real estate in Texas someday. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 15, 2022 Thanks to Laura, following are the minutes for our Feb 15 meeting. Marana Rotary Club February 15, 2022 weekly meeting Attendance: Denise West, John and Cindy Dooling, Bob Bishop, Dan Contorno, Sulee Edwards, Harold Burtzloff, Don Jorgensen, Mary Straus, Bouba, Beckie Penman, Cathy Lolwing, Laura Clymer. Guest: Norbert Stede from Porto Maroua, Cameroon. Continue virtual meetings only through March 8 – Plan to return to hybrid March 15. Busy times in the District. There are several other events going on the same day of our Tour de Cookie, including a Rotary river clean-up. Four-Way Test speech contest Mary met with the students on Wednesday and spoke with them, but unfortunately they were not prepared. Mary is doubtful that they will be able to pull it together. Food bank box packaging Volunteers regularly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Next possible packing day week March 19: John and Cindy D., Mary, Denise, Bob, Randy, 7:45 a.m. Peace Garden update This past weekend, Peter, Mary and Randy installed the plaque Rotary Club of Marana Tour de Cookie update Dan C: Shirts ordered 220; 146 riders have registered. Thanks for all the behind-the-scenes work. One thing we can all do: we need sponsors $500 and logo. Need a few more sponsors. Cameroon Project update Bouba and Norbert Stede. Electricity is not reliable. Embroidery. May need a generator. Tailoring is operational and 9 students in training to make uniforms for school. Women’s group assessed the needs of women. Reading and writing skills are needed – book entries, income and expenses, etc. Second session of training occurred several weeks ago. Bouba has appointed a manager for Grain Mill who collect the money and manage, purchase and replace parts, and report to the women. Bouba and Norbert are visiting the grain mill to see how that management of the grain mill is going. Grain Bank has 50 bags of millet, which was handed out during last dry season. It’s turning out to be a good and useful investment for the poor people in the area. Intend to increase to 100 bags of millet in the bank. Water system: a pump kept failing so a more robust and new one was purchased in July 2021 and seems to be working better. Garden – termites keep eating the mango trees but the citrus trees are doing better. Goats managed to pass through the fencing, so the fencing had to reinforced with chicken wire to keep the goats out. Current project focuses on villages with about 2,000 residents. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 8, 2022Marana Rotary Club February 8, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was held virtually, as will the remaining meetings through the end of February. Announcements Don reported that Harkin’s Theatre and the shredding company have confirmed the shredding event date for Saturday, April 30th. Mary has 173 of the cookie medallions for the upcoming Tour de Cookie event, and suggests providing 100 of the Ben’s Belt coins to augment memorabilia tokens for the Tour participants Mary also reports that, following up on the recent Board meeting’s discussion regarding the need for more local service projects, the Southern AZ Food Bank is seeking support. There are two options which Mary will research and report back upon for club members to volunteer. Randy mentioned that thank you letters have been received for our support to families over the holidays, our support for the Police Foundation, and a thank you was received from John Zwick for the flowers he received. Randy reported that at our latest Board meeting, John Z. would be given Emeritus status, wherein John would be invited to attend our meetings/events and club dues would be covered from club funds. Randy asked if any members had concerns to please contact him directly. Randy again asked for help promoting the Tour de Cookie promotions at Rillito Park, Sundays, from 9-11AM. After awkward silence, Mary volunteered, again. Randy noted that Don, Mary, and Cathy have been the sole volunteers and reminded that this was our biggest fund-raising event and asked for more support. Happy Bucks
Speakers Adriane Parry and Brad Lundell spoke on behalf of the Operation Mainstreet Project, the objective of which is to educate as to the sources of food production from the agricultural industry. Brad’s family runs a large family pig farming operation in Iowa. Brad described the many aspects of the pork industry that the general population is not aware of and dispelled many of the myths and misconceptions surrounding the pork industry. Especially enlightening were the evolution of the pig-farming business, misconceptions about the supposed “big-corporation” involvement in pig-farming, the environmental impacts (now greatly reduced) and the humane lifestyle the majority of pigs-in-waiting enjoy. Brad and Adrianne also explained many of the underlying food chain supply problems we’ve seen over the past two years. Interestingly, they also clarified what “organic” and “no antibiotic” terms mean and their usage on packaging. The pig farming business has evolved differently than my impressions led me to believe, and the talk was timely and enlightening. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 1, 2022Marana Rotary Club February 1, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was held virtually, as will the remaining meetings through the end of February. Announcements Randy reminded that the monthly Board meeting will be held the following day at 12 noon. Laura is celebrating her birthday today (Hooray and perfectly sung Happy Birthday by the club choir). It was also noted that Dan’s birthday was yesterday, and that there seems an abundance of Aquarians in our club. Randy noted that we received a very nice letter thanking us for the X-mas and Thanksgiving support given to our sponsored families. Randy shared that his Sunday morning promotional efforts for the Tour de Cookie event have been productive; however, he would appreciate more help from club members to relieve him and Deb. Rillito Park, Sundays, 9-12 noon. There was brief discussion as to whether chocolate chip versus pumpkin cookies were more popular. Randy reminded all that the club dues notices were sent out by Lynn and would appreciate prompt attention. Mary met with Bouba last Wednesday. He is preparing a final report on the Cameroon Project to present to the club soon. Flyers are being prepared for distribution regarding the Peace Pole essay contest involving the Owl and Panther group. Winners will be invited to attend the Peace Garden event on Feb. 19. All are encouraged to attend to make these refugees feel welcome and comfortable. Speakers John, Don, and Laura created a presentation illustrating how donations to RI are treated and distributed. They explained, using a $100 donation example, that $47.50 goes to District Designated Funds, with $47.50 going to RI. The DDF monies are returned to the respective districts and used to match funds committed to qualified club service projects. Using the Cameroon Project as an example, DDF’s supplied $16,250 while matches brought the project total to $38,736. Other interesting facts: the cost to vaccinate one kid from Polio is 60 cents. And, approximately 7% of Rotarians are Paul Harris Society members. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 25, 2022Marana Rotary Club January 25, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting constituted the monthly business meeting, held virtually. The next two weeks will be virtual, followed by a poll to determine if there is comfort for meetings in person. Happy Bucks
Business Randy announced that Cathy Lowling has agreed to accept the nomination as Club President following Laura’s term. Randy formally made the motion to nominate Cathy, Bob seconded the motion, and the members approved unanimously. Randy spoke to the need for everyone to pitch in to help Dan with the March 5, Tour de Cookie. Needs include finding booth sponsors ($500 per booth), signage, on site direction-givers, advertising, etc. Dan reports that there are perhaps 45-50 riders confirmed this far. Dan informed that sponsors need to be finalized within two weeks in order for them to be included in the tee short designs. Beckie reported that there were 14 sponsors confirmed, so far, with roughly half being new sponsors and half repeats. Cookie needs are estimated to be 300-350 cookies provided per booth. Committee Reports Foundation matching donations- John reported that one person, Harold, met the two-month window ending Dec 31 for matching gifts up to $500 to Rotary International Randy announced that he had two Paul Harris pins; one for Harold and the other for Bob Bishop Mary reported on the status of the 2021-22 club service projects. Notably:
Mary also recommended that we adopt a quarterly club service workday at Felicias Farms. Wednesday was the suggested day and club members agreed with the suggestion. Don reported on the membership drive informing that Carol of the Food Bank had submitted her application for club membership. Harold reported that the Foundation held approximately $9,500 in cash, less the obligation to pay Shelter Box $1,000, and that the Foundation had spent $5,810 last year which is more than was taken in. MCAT student of the Month Jake Weller of Marana was presented to the club by his mentor/teacher, Denise de Coronado, accompanied by Jake’s mother and grandmother, and various colleagues and teachers. Jake described his journey beginning at Ironwood Elementary and Mountain View where COVI challenged his education and he discovered MCAT. Denise explained that Jake was chosen for his qualities not only in academics, but his attitude and level of engagement plus drive. Jake is a guitar player who will soon be appearing at the new Whiskey Road club at the Foothills Mall. The club commended Jake and Randy presented to him a $35 movie gift certificate. Randy ended the meeting sharing a recent experience where his neighbors house was demolished by an explosion rapidly followed by sweeping fire. |
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Rotary club business meeting 1/25/22Marana Rotary Club January 25, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting constituted the monthly business meeting, held virtually. The next two weeks will be virtual, followed by a poll to determine if there is comfort for meetings in person. Happy Bucks
Business Randy announced that Cathy Lowling has agreed to accept the nomination as Club President following Laura’s term. Randy formally made the motion to nominate Cathy, Bob seconded the motion, and the members approved unanimously. Randy spoke to the need for everyone to pitch in to help Dan with the March 5, Tour de Cookie. Needs include finding booth sponsors ($500 per booth), signage, on site direction-givers, advertising, etc. Dan reports that there are perhaps 45-50 riders confirmed this far. Dan informed that sponsors need to be finalized within two weeks in order for them to be included in the tee short designs. Beckie reported that there were 14 sponsors confirmed, so far, with roughly half being new sponsors and half repeats. Cookie needs are estimated to be 300-350 cookies provided per booth. Committee Reports Foundation matching donations- John reported that one person, Harold, met the two-month window ending Dec 31 for matching gifts up to $500 to Rotary International Randy announced that he had two Paul Harris pins; one for Harold and the other for Bob Bishop Mary reported on the status of the 2021-22 club service projects. Notably:
Mary also recommended that we adopt a quarterly club service workday at Felicias Farms. Wednesday was the suggested day and club members agreed with the suggestion. Don reported on the membership drive informing that Carol of the Food Bank had submitted her application for club membership. Harold reported that the Foundation held approximately $9,500 in cash, less the obligation to pay Shelter Box $1,000, and that the Foundation had spent $5,810 last year which is more than was taken in. MCAT student of the Month Jake Weller of Marana was presented to the club by his mentor/teacher, Denise de Coronado, accompanied by Jake’s mother and grandmother, and various colleagues and teachers. Jake described his journey beginning at Ironwood Elementary and Mountain View where COVI challenged his education and he discovered MCAT. Denise explained that Jake was chosen for his qualities not only in academics, but his attitude and level of engagement plus drive. Jake is a guitar player who will soon be appearing at the new Whiskey Road club at the Foothills Mall. The club commended Jake and Randy presented to him a $35 movie gift certificate. Randy ended the meeting sharing a recent experience where his neighbors house was demolished by an explosion rapidly followed by sweeping fire. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 18, 2022Marana Rotary Club January 18, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was again held completely virtual given the ongoing Omicron situation. A poll was taken, and the majority wished that meetings remain virtual for the time being. Randy introduced our guests, Purdy Albien and Aleto Wiener, from the Dove Mtn. Rotary Club. Mary reported that the RI totals for the Ride to End Polio campaign has reached $56.3M over the past seven years with $2.96M raised this year alone. Dan presented three mock up tees for the Tour de Cookie event; colors included green, orang and red. After a vote, the “cardinal red” color was chosen. Despite, I might add, the dismal showing of the AZ Cardinals team last night in the wild card playoffs. Purdy announced that the Dove Mtn Club will be holding a casino night, Friday, March 18 at the Highlands. This is their major fund raising event. Entry will be $65 which includes food, one drink and “fun currency” for play. There will also be a “wine pull” where, for $20, you can pull one bottle of wine from a batch of 100 bottles valuing between $15 and 100 bucks. Randy suggested we help out Dove Mtn. and asked that Dove Mtn help our=t in the Tour de Cookie fund raising event. Flyers will be delivered to DM in hopes that they will agree to sponsor a booth. Speaking of the Tour de Cookie, Randy mentioned that he and Deb “worked” the bike path near the Rillito track between 9 and noon this past Sunday. Five candidates were for sure to participate with five more pretty good “maybe’s”. Dan suggested that bike shops be contacted and given flyers. Happy Bucks
Guest Speaker Randy introduced Jeremy Casey, Warden of the Marana Treatment Center for the past 9 years. Jeremy described the functions and operations of the treatment center, located west of the Avra Valley Airfield. The facility is designed to handle 513 males who have been convicted of non-violent crimes such as substance abuse/possession, DUI’s, theft, etc. Due primarily to COVID, the population is only 260 at present. The facility was established in 1994 and supplies activities both in-house and on community projects such as roadside cleanup. There is substantial community involvement including local business support. The Center provides educational support in the forms of GED and trade training and certification. Support also includes a volunteer mentor program, AA meetings, and creative writing courses. Since Jeremy’s company only runs the facility on behalf of the state government, he did not have data regarding recidivism (in response to Peter’s question). |
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Rotary meeting Jan 18, 2022Marana Rotary Club January 18, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was again held completely virtual given the ongoing Omicron situation. A poll was taken, and the majority wished that meetings remain virtual for the time being. Randy introduced our guests, Purdy Albien and Aleto Wiener, from the Dove Mtn. Rotary Club. Mary reported that the RI totals for the Ride to End Polio campaign has reached $56.3M over the past seven years with $2.96M raised this year alone. Dan presented three mock up tees for the Tour de Cookie event; colors included green, orang and red. After a vote, the “cardinal red” color was chosen. Despite, I might add, the dismal showing of the AZ Cardinals team last night in the wild card playoffs. Purdy announced that the Dove Mtn Club will be holding a casino night, Friday, March 18 at the Highlands. This is their major fund raising event. Entry will be $65 which includes food, one drink and “fun currency” for play. There will also be a “wine pull” where, for $20, you can pull one bottle of wine from a batch of 100 bottles valuing between $15 and 100 bucks. Randy suggested we help out Dove Mtn. and asked that Dove Mtn help our=t in the Tour de Cookie fund raising event. Flyers will be delivered to DM in hopes that they will agree to sponsor a booth. Speaking of the Tour de Cookie, Randy mentioned that he and Deb “worked” the bike path near the Rillito track between 9 and noon this past Sunday. Five candidates were for sure to participate with five more pretty good “maybe’s”. Dan suggested that bike shops be contacted and given flyers. Happy Bucks
Guest Speaker Randy introduced Jeremy Casey, Warden of the Marana Treatment Center for the past 9 years. Jeremy described the functions and operations of the treatment center, located west of the Avra Valley Airfield. The facility is designed to handle 513 males who have been convicted of non-violent crimes such as substance abuse/possession, DUI’s, theft, etc. Due primarily to COVID, the population is only 260 at present. The facility was established in 1994 and supplies activities both in-house and on community projects such as roadside cleanup. There is substantial community involvement including local business support. The Center provides educational support in the forms of GED and trade training and certification. Support also includes a volunteer mentor program, AA meetings, and creative writing courses. Since Jeremy’s company only runs the facility on behalf of the state government, he did not have data regarding recidivism (in response to Peter’s question). |
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Rotary meeting Jan 11 202Marana Rotary Club January 11, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was held completely virtual given the ongoing Omicron situation. Randy asked for assistance in arranging our speakers. Bob Bishop, who is slated to handle speakers the next quarter, agreed to move up his assignment to help out. The Tour de Cookie event needs support during the coming weekends to put out signs promoting the event. Dan and Peter volunteered their able hands to help out. Beckie asked for assistance seeking sponsors for the Tour de Cookie booths. Don announced that we have approval from Harkins Theatres to hold the next shredding event on Saturday, April 16. Happy Bucks
Guest Speaker Tom Elf, from the Rincon Rotary Club, spoke on his experiences during his 30 years with Rotary. First, he shared that our very own Randy Brooks is being nominated for induction into the Veterans Hall of Fame, Arizona. Tom relayed stories around what it meant to him to be a Rotarian and why he joined Rotary in the first place. His experiences included Boston, Connecticut and New York before landing permanently in Tucson. Tom stated that a sense of humor was an important life-dealing characteristic for him, personally. Interestingly, Tom shared some history regarding the challenges when women were allowed to join Rotary, and the resistance during the early years. Tom noted the high percentage of women in our club and said we were the best club outside of the city limits of Tucson. That qualification was included because the Rincon club lies within the city limits. |
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Tour de Cookie 22 |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 21, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Dec 21, 2021 This being our Christmas meeting it was held at Mary’s house Laura our VP took over for Randy who was visiting family Meeting started with Pledge Laura bought the club up to date on club business Laura ask each member to tell something special about Christmas that they remember After a fun time we all enjoyed a special breakfast by Mary Before we left John Dooling had a gift for each of members Laura informed us that there will not be a meeting on Dec 28th See you all next year       |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 4, 2022Marana Rotary Club January 4, 2022 weekly meeting This week’s meeting was held hybrid. Given the situation with rapidly spreading Omicron, it was agreed by members to hold our weekly meetings virtually through January, then re-evaluate going forward. The January 15 visit to El Cohibo in San Carlos is being postponed until later in the year. Happy Bucks
 John (as Chairman of the Foundation) and Cindy Dooling came forward to recognize Cindy’s joining of the club and recipient of the Paul Harris Society. The giving of $1,000 resulted in a total donation of $3,000 after matching donations.Announcements: Youth Services – a meeting with Denise will be arranged to determine the date for the MCAT student presentation. Guest Speaker  Randy introduced Captain Roberto Jimenez of the Marana Police Dept. Captain Jimenez spoke of his experiences during 23 years on the force in Marana, preceded by 5 years on the police force up in Eloy, AZ. Capt. Jimenez described several examples of how the Marana Police Dept. has strived to create a healthy relationship between the department and the community after suffering a reputation issue 8 years ago. He explained the recruitment and training process instituted by the Police Chief to engage officers with the community. Captain Jimenez also touched upon the challenges presented to law enforcement under stress and strain of the COVID pandemic.Following the talk, several members expressed strong interest in Captain Jimenez, and members of his department, to consider becoming a member of our club. Members also asked that he be invited back to speak about topics raised that time did not permit addressing. |
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Rotary Rose Bowl Float |
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El Cobijo Grand OpeningOne of Rotary Club of Marana MANY PROJECTS  |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 14, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly Meeting December 14, 2021, Minutes Announcements: Next week, Dec 21, the meeting will be a social gathering at Mary’s house. Ten people indicated that they will attend. Laura will run the meeting in Randy’s absence Tour de Cookie timing was discussed. Tentative new date is March 5 to capture snowbirds before their migration. Randy announced that $1,000 had been donated to the Zimbabwe, Africa project and that the $400 destined to the Oro Valley club for the Veterans Auxiliary Association may be too late for this year’s event. It was decided to give anyway as the money can be used for next year’s event if indeed too late for this year. Happy Bucks:
Guest Speaker  Randy introduced Dr. Anita McDonald, District Governor- elect, as our guest speaker. Dr. McDonald’s resume is impressive, which is an understatement. Anita became a Rotarian in 1998 in Indiana. Anita has an educational background that includes graduate level work in education and management from Harvard, Penn State and the University of Indiana. She has held high-level positions as Dean of Education and heads the Arizona Chapter of the ALS Foundation. Anita is a level 2, major donor to the Rotary Foundation.Dr. McDonald candidly described her challenges in attaining recognition and tenure as a colored woman in the academic world. She shared experiences along her path to success which illustrated that a black woman faced subtle obstacles in a path to leadership and academic success. Her message centered on the importance, and difficulty, of minority women in achieving diversity. The changes are happening, but much too slowly as she reflected on decades of experience. Anita’s talk was both-eye opening and hopeful. The club discussed the challenges of Rotary Club’s such as ours in changing the largely white, mid to upper class dominance of our membership. |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 7, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly Meeting December 7, 2021, Minutes Announcements: December meetings
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. |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 16, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly meeting minutes, November 16, 2021 The meeting was held hybrid today, with two attending virtually. Next week’s meeting will be all virtual. The Board held a brief special meeting to approve a motion as follows: Motion: to provide $400 in club funds to support the laying of wreaths at Veterans’ gravesites. The event will occur in mid-November of 2021. The motion was approved and presented to the club for approval. Mary made the motion, Andy seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Mary introduced to the club our guest speaker, Dr. Kiomi Marino of the University of Arizona Tree Ring Research Laboratory. Happy Bucks: Bob- was happy to be back in Tucson and gave fifty happy bucks to make up for his absence while in Virginia. Andy- commented that this was the first meeting where he couldn’t wear PJ’s, having attended virtually since his induction, and was inspired to match Bob’s $50 Harold- was happy to have survived a 6 hour “outpatient procedure” to remove his thyroid. All normal, thank goodness. Denise- was happy with the weather and sunshine Laura- was just happy- favorite time of the year, sun and cool temperatures. Apparently house chores are done. Mary- was happy after playing in the mud at Felicias Farms Kiomi- was happy to be meeting new people Cathy- just seemed happy! Peter-was happily traveling like crazy again. And enjoyed his stint greeting Rotary dignitaries at the airport last week Randy was happily training for the big ride; 28 and 20 mile practice rides. Thanked and reminded those who pledged to support his ride with donations for the end polio drive. Cindy Dooley was happy to have just gotten into the virtual meeting after being given the correct links by Sulee Sulee was happy to be meeting the daily challenges. Awaiting Jim’s biopsy results. We again pray for all to be good. Announcements Mary and Denise reminded all of the aide station and its location for this Saturday’s El Tour. Set up will be at 9:30 and our station should be finished receiving riders by 1PM. Any additional volunteers are welcome. A tradition of after the meeting breakfast at the Bisbee Club has begun. Bouba will attend this morning and maybe update those on the status of the women’s business endeavor in Cameroon. Randy reminded all that Cindy’s application for membership has been approved by the Board and that everyone has one week to respond before Cindy is inducted into our club. MCAT wanted to have their student of the month attend and speak at the Dec 30 meeting; however, we will be “dark”. Richie will arrange another date. Guest Speaker Mary introduced our speaker again, Kiomi. Dr. Marino is a research scientist at the U of A Tree Ring Lab having arrived at the U of A from Canada in the mid-1980’s and discovering her passion at the lab. Kiomi’s provocative presentation described how tree ring data contributes to the understanding of climate change. The talk sparked interesting questions and certainly brought new perspectives towards the usefulness of tree ring research. |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 9, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Thanks to Laura for taking these excellent minutes! Andy Minutes from November 9 Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Club social planned for a wine tasting at Old Pueblo Cellars at the end of the month. Request has been made for the club to donate to a group that puts wreaths on veterans’ graves. It was suggested that we donate $400, a similar amount that we gave to the police foundation for officer equipment. Happy Buck highlights: Bob was happy about his wife’s upcoming birthday which they will celebrate in Sedona. Dan was happy to announce that we have two families from MCAT identified to be “adopted” for our Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner and presents gifts. Lynner, Harold, and Cathy all reported “just happy”. John was happy to watch grandsons compete in state championships in swimming and mountain bike racing. Don was beyond happy to convince his grandson to wear pants to daycare. Denise was happy to have our guests in attendance. Mary and Peter, as well, were happy to see everyone at the meeting. Laura was happy the UA football won a game and broke the 20-game losing streak. Randy was happy and thankful for those who helped him greet District Conference attendees at the airport and thankful to those supporting his ride in the El Tour de Tucson. Guest Speaker Shirley Grace Twenty-year Rotarian Shirley Grace, who is in town prepping for the El Tour de Tucson, was our guest speaker and shared “What I’ve Learned” from two decades of service through Rotary. First, you have to stop and take stake before you can move forward. Shirley had just finished a major project for Rotary and wanted to spend some time on herself. She went on an African safari through a Rotary club and then biked and boated across eight countries in Europe. She was then recharged and ready to go in January 2020 to participate in Operate Smile, which provides surgeries to correct cleft palates and cleft lips in infants and toddlers. Shirley went to Vietnam for Operation Smile where followed 9-month-old Nei through the process and eventual surgery. Second, be flexible. When the opportunity knocks, take it. Shirley did this and went to India where she not only got to see Rotary grants in action – the installation of libraries and restrooms for elementary children – but also to participate in a wedding celebration – all because of her Rotary connections. Third, be creative. Shirley and her husband decided to downsize and that meant finding new homes for an extensive cookie jar collection. They did so, in large part be donating the cookie jars to schools and other organizations who filled the jar with cookies and either sold them or gave them away. Finally, love thy neighbor. Just months after selling their home nestled in the California forest, the Creek fire ravaged the area and burned dozens of structures and homes, including their former house. It was a reminder that we must take care of one another. |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 2, 2021NOVEMBER 2, 2021 ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA Opened the meeting at 7:00 am with the pledge of allegiance Randy started by telling us that Don and Randy went to the District conference and one of the sessions was on diversity, they talked about the struggle that Rotary in general with diversity, inclusion, and equity among the membership. Randy said he got a letter from Ri yesterday that said somebody donated a large sum of money from the club to the foundation. The check probably came from Lynne (remember we said a $2000 check was to be sent to the foundation). We received a certificate regarding the miles walked in the walk contest-Randy gave Don the certificate, As it turns out several members contributed to this walk. Including Sulee who walked hundreds of miles and Don J. who ran long distances. Randy contributed by walking as well. Great job team. Denise updated us about the El Tour, November 20, 2021, she gave us info on the Aid Station which will be at Redeemer Lutheran 8845 N Silverbell Rd, Tucson, AZ 85743 ( see picture below). She gave us all the info on aid station – must be ready to go by 10am. There will be an aid station contest (what can we do?). John will meet Dan and give him the canopy, table etc. Things we need:
Randy congratulated Mary for the Peace Garden and how good it looks (Mary thank you and your team for all the hard work). For a club social, in the future, Becky said Harold recommended a wine tasting from 4pm to 5:30pm it was presented and voted on and passed, they will provide additional information. Bob Bishop and John Dooling spoke on the Rotary Foundation Bob went first, regarding the Rotary Foundation. He described how the Rotary Foundation is funded in part by E.R.E.Y. (do you know what that means? another way is other doners who donate directly to the foundation. The last way is the endowment fund and bequests. There is a board of trustees who review and make the decision of how the funds are invested. The Rotary Foundation has very low overhead and comes in at #1 on Charity Navigator for keeping our overhead down. The money is divided up into two groups (World Fund and District Designated Fund). They get broken up into four funds (Polio Plus/Global Grants/District Grants/Peace Centers and other Districts). Randy recommends if you donate give to the Annual Fund, and/or Polio. Each contributions go toward your Paul Harris recognition. The annual fund is the only way District Designated Funds are returned to our district in 3 years to pay for grants. One of the questions that surprised me was are there any people still in an Iron Lung in USA? the answer was 2. Rotary’s goal is to 50 million in the polio fund in order to benefit from the Gates foundation match of 2-1 for polio eradication. Our club has several Paul Harris fellows and benefactors, and two bequest society members (annuities) and for the last 5 years our club per-capita we have been 2-4 times the average district donations. John described the three types of donation members: Sustaining Member (This is a Rotarian who donates at least $100 US to the Foundation in a Rotary year) Paul Harris Fellowship (When a Rotarian or a Club has donated $1,000US to the Foundation the Rotarian may elect to nominate another individual as a Paul Harris Fellow. Self-nomination by the Rotarian is completely acceptable. Cumulative donations by a Rotarian or a Club over multiple years count towards Paul Harris Fellowship recognition.) Paul Harris Society (When a Rotarian pledges to donate $1,000US per year to the Foundation that Rotarian becomes a member of the Paul Harris Society.) They must apply and commit to giving a minimum of $1000.00 per year to The Rotary Foundation. Major Donor Once a Rotarian has donated a total of $10,000 US cumulative over time, that Rotarian becomes a Major Donor Level 1. There are subsequent levels for further donations in varying increments. We have two major donors in the club. Arch Klumph Society (A Rotarian who donates $250,000US in a one-time donation of cash or equivalent become a member of the Arch Klumph Society.) Benefactor (Individuals who include The Rotary Foundation for any amount in their estate plans are recognized as Rotary Foundation Benefactors.) Bequest Society (Individuals who include The Rotary Foundation as a beneficiary of at least $10,000US in their estate plans are recognized as members of the Rotary Bequest Society Member Level 1. There are subsequent levels for further donations in varying increments.) Meeting was adjourned at 8:05 am |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 26, 2021Marana Rotary Notes 10/26/2021 Business meeting via zoom, called to order # 701 am We will have an MCAT student @745 am via zoom, Richie and Dan will be there in person Randy said several people said the MCAT Student presentation just doesn’t seem the same. Before the students and family were joining us in person for the whole meeting and it felt more intimate to see the kids in person. Dan said he talked to Denise from MCAT, and like the way the last one went. Dan said the zoom meetings work better for the kids and their family, not having to get transportation to the venue. Mary said there is a lot of value in the kids seeing our meeting we are supposed to be introducing our youth into leadership and there is a lost opportunity where they are not attending. Peter said it was nice when they came but the fact that we only get a donut, he felt the zoom one we had the last time wasn’t bad. Don feels the zoom works ok also, and hearing from Dan the transportation is such an issue, it’s working out ok. Richie said it falls back on us to connect with student as well, be prepared with questions. Sad news Randy and Don where is a meeting for crises response in Rotary and learned that the President of the Rotary Club of Casa Grande, drowned in a rip tide in Hawaii. So keep them in your thoughts. Randy said there was a special committee meeting regarding the additional funds the club has club regular account. Lynne spoke on behalf of the committee; Lynne had prepared a report of things we have to pay each quarter it was broken down by things we should pay, things we should pay and those that discretionary and the total is $148.00 a quarter so we will leave the dues at $150.00. She said they voted to waive the dues this quarter. And that donations will be $2000 to the Marana Rotary Foundation and $2000 to the Rotary International Annual fund. John, Peter & Harold will donate their quarterly dues to the Rotary annual Programs fund. Sulee will donate her fees to the Marana Rotary Foundation to be used for Thanksgiving or Christmas for the family selected. – Randy said taxes have been paid per Lynne. Volunteers need to be at the airport on Thursday November 11th from 8am to 8pm, to welcome Rotarians from around the world coming in for the District conference. Mary has volunteered and possibly Denise, coupon need to be hand them for $5.00 off for their taxi ride to their hotel. There is approximately 500 Rotarians coming to the conference. Shirley Grace will be our speaker on Nov 9th, she has a global grant for Zimbabwe boys and girls club in Harare, she has donated to us she is asking for $. The District Conference this week - Mary and Don will be attending. Harold said that Denise has a meeting October 30 from 11:30-1 re the El Tour De Tucson aid station Dan will be working to get a name of a family who is in need from Denise @ MCAT, for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sulee will be working with Dan to get the food together and gifts for the family. Randy and Mary said the Peace Pole Dedication was great, speakers were good and there was a great representation of the community (Law Enforcement- Fire Department). It was very unifying for our community and really felt like we were ONE. We didn’t do happy bucks today – but happy to see Becky joining us – recovery has been a bit harder than she thought it was going to be.  MCAT student: Paris Fisher her mom Nicole and Aunt with two cousins attended us via zoom.Denise started by saying she is changing up the format a little bit by asking some interviewing Paris. Denise said she is a triple threat student they grade on academics, attitude & attendance and she is exceeding all three of them. D - What schools did you go to in elementary. P- said she went to about 6 schools in elementary school, went to Tortilla Middles School and then went to Mountain View and they started online and then found she wanted to go to school in person and came to MCAT when she was behind in credits and now, she is going to graduate ahead of time. D- she is such a communicator P- Yes, I like to interact with people and be positive with them. D- What are going to do when you graduate P- I am thinking about moving to Oregon to be with my mom or to Phoenix where I have other relatives. D- What are going to do after graduation P- I am thinking about Bio-medical Engineering or Wildlife Research Richie gave her movie tickets and a certificate on behalf of the Rotary Club of Marana. |
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Marana Peace Garden DedicationMarana Peace Garden Dedication October 22, 2021 Members of the Town of Marana community gathered to dedicate its new Peace Garden, built by the Rotary Club of Marana in a peaceful enclave of the Marana Crossroads District Park. Participants of the event included the Marana Chief of Police and Officers, the Northwest Fire Chief, a Pima County Supervisor representative, past and future District 5500 Governors, the Pastor of a nearby church, a member of a local Orthodox Jewish community, and Rotary Club of Marana members and friends. With each speaker, a felt sense of community and responsibility to peace grew. Each spoke uniquely about peace, but there was also a common core addressed. Peace is an attitude of interest, compassion, and understanding toward ourselves and others, even in the face of internal or external conflict. Conflict is a symptom that occurs when parts of ourselves, a person, or group are not welcomed with understanding. As Rotarians, we know that conflict, hunger, poverty, disease, repression all underlie interruptions in peace. It is why our intent is to do good works in the Rotary Areas of Focus throughout the world. It is not enough, however, to do good deeds alone. The most important component of our work and the one with the most lasting value comes when we incorporate attitudes of peace; interest, compassion and understanding with those we serve; when we elevate voices. May Peace Prevail on Earth  |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 19, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly Meeting Minutes, Oct. 19, 2021 The hybrid meeting dove straight into Happy Bucks: John D. reports his wife was in San Francisco and N California for a week. Lynne was happy that tax season was over and shared a funny frog joke David was happy to have spent time in Pinetop and had a great time seeing the first snows of the season Andy was looking forward to his trip to Canada and S. America Sulee reported that her husband’s medical challenges had increased, ☹; all offered their support and prayers Harold was happy to see new members showing interest in our club John Z. happily reported on his great grand daughter’s marriage and that he was enjoying two great, great grandchildren, ages 2 and 4 Denise was happily preparing for a vacation to Sedona Don was happy to have the Tucson Car Show, and coveting the Bat Mobile Peter lost his bags for 5 days in Washington D.C., but managed to visit his wife in Minneapolis before she returns to Tucson following a prolonged absence, leaving Peter to his own resources Cathy’s best friend is visiting the next day AND she is celebrating her 25th wedding anniversary. Congratulations! Mary reports that she is getting though life and her daughter was a “handful” Richie was happy that our IT is running so well, and thanked Peter for his clear instructions and generous help throughout the meeting debugging. And, Richie was happy for the passing of the summer solstice and changing weather Laura was not happy with the U of A football team and offered anyone tickets if they wanted. (I’m sorry, Laura; the minutes are late and their record is now even worse) Randy was happy to be standing erect in front of us Drawing- Harold offered the deck and Sulee drew the four of clubs. Announcements
Mary Straus agreed to speak on Vocation as it relates to Ethics. As a part of her presentation, she asked each club member to describe their vocation and how they felt it related to ethical and sel-fulfilling values.
Mary wrapped up her presentation by touching on the backgrounds of three founders; Paul Harris, Arch Klumpf, and Herbert Taylor and the history of Rotary International under their guiding principles. She described each’s motivations in founding RI with regards to ethics and their specific vocations. The talk provided interesting perspective on the history of Rotary. Sulee commented that she thoroughly enjoyed each member sharing their story and that we all learned more about each other. |
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Rotary Event Oct 22, 2021 |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 12, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly meeting minutes October 12, 2021 Randy – said he would like to have $500.00 donated SALF (Southern Arizona Law Foundation) John Dooling made a motion to give up to $500.00 to he SALF organization. Don Second it, we voted majority vote was passed. Randy said at the board meeting, a new committee was formed, and John Dooling is the head of it. It is to decide what we will do with the excess funds the club has $18k in GF, and the foundations has $11k. The Peace Garden dedication will be Friday the 22nd from 3:00 – 4:00 pm. The poles have the phrase “May peace prevail on earth” in 16 languages. Randy said we still need some minister, rabbi, Muslim leader to speak the will speak about 2minutes. Laura will try and get on from the Lutheran Church and Kathy has a relationship with the Jewish Center she will contact them. Don will attempt to contact one of the Indian tribes to see if someone would be willing to talk. Sulee will take the banners next Tuesday and bring them on Friday to the dedication. The Marana Police Chief and some dignitaries from Rotary are already scheduled. Kathy has written a press release regarding the dedication. Happy Bucks: Harold – told Randy we had not received the $500 from RI for the bench at the peace pole, Randy said he would investigate it and that’s what Harold is happy about. Kathy things are going well. Sulee is just happy. John Dooling told us about his 50 years (college reunion and having some great conversations with some of his old friends. Deznise will not be in town next week (I guess she is happy to get out of dodge for a week). John Z, just happy. Richie is very excited he got a promotion at work to the HR Director this is a virtual pat on the back Richie. Don 2000 families received shelter boxes in Haiti, and he is a Red Sox fan and there still in it. Laura happy her brother came to town, and he fixed her screen door. Randy, Happy he went to Kathy (who was a foreign exchange student) wedding in TX. Our speaker was Ross Freezer, talked about Rotary Peace Corp Fellowship and where he was at,(I didn’t get the name of the location) and he said there are a 160 members of the Peace Corp that have returned and are here in the Tucson area. We should be cultivating them to become members. We can go online and see projects that peace club are posting online. He showed us a video of where he served and donated close to 20,000 books. The teacher and coordinator in the video said it how much the videos helped the kids. One of the teachers said she had grown up in the US in such book rich environment and these kiddos don’t have books they can usually read. The books have been a chance to help the feel successful and when the finish a book they feel so excited. The group have also been doing some training for teacher. COVID had truly affected how this group can function right now. I was truly touched by the video. |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 5, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly meeting minutes October 5, 2021 The meeting was hybrid with Peter working out the last of the virtual bugs. Peter will not be here next week; Harold agreed to stick-handle the virtual setup. Peter will distribute setup -for -dummie -instructions to members for future use. Happy Bucks
Announcements
Speaker Mary presented one of two powerful presentations from the Rotary Peace Conference, District 5495. Unfortunately, the three of us on Zoom had no audio and , apparently, there were also sound issues in the NWFD meeting room. Mary subsequently circulated the presentations to members. Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 28, 2021Marana Rotary Club Weekly meeting minutes, Sept. 28, 2021 General Announcements Cojibo- Randy clarified that the approval for another year of funding ($2,000 this year in addition to $2,000 this past year) was OK with John D. as this was started under his presidency. John agreed. Randy asked that we consider how and when to visit the project so we have skin in the game. Mary spoke about the Peace Garden. It seems that we are now the stewards of the Garden in perpetuity. Mary would like to orient club members as to how the maintenance should be carried out and asked for monthly commitments from each member. Members committed as follows: Denise, October Beckie, March Cathy, November Laura, April Dan, December Randy, May Sulee, January Harold, June Bob, February Mary, July Dan and Andy deferred for now, not knowing their schedules. Maintenance should be straight-forward; rearranging the decorative rocks, etc. Tools required, gloves and a rake. A dedication for the Peace Gardens was set for Oct. 22 at 3PM. This should allow for notice to be given to Marana Town officials and other invitees to hopefully attend. Mary suggested that spiritual leaders, such as local indigenous representatives, be included. Invitations are being prepared. Happy Bucks (was to be abbreviated due to time constraints, but thanks in part to John D., was not)
Speaker, Don Jorgensen, Chair of the Membership Committee Don shared a presentation summarizing the results of the recent members survey focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of our club’s meetings, how to improve membership attraction and retention, and, generally, how to enhance the Marana Rotary Club experience. Don’s presentation was an excellent and motivating synthesis of the members’ responses. Don summarized:
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Rotary Meeting Sept 21, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting Information September 21, 2021  Guests of Honor: Governor “Hank” Huisking Assistant to the Governor Marc Snow Announcements: El Tour de Cookie is set for March 12th At last evening’s board meeting, the Governor mentioned that a foreign exchange student is available for school year 2022/2023, is anyone interested? Please consider and respond, if so. This is for an inbound candidate. Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Foundation is soliciting several levels of sponsorship. Is our club interested? For consideration and future discussion. Due to time constraints, there is no Happy Bucks today. Don won the drawing! Speakers Marc Snow, Governor-elect for 2024/25, introduced himself. Now living in Oro Valley, Marc is a native Montanan involved in Rotary for 15 years. He has attended two international conventions in person and two on-line. Marc has hosted several foreign exchange students. “Hank” Huisking spoke to her focus as Governor. Staying connected in these pandemic times is her driver. Her membership credo is “each one of us Rotarians bring one and keep one member”. Governor Huisking spoke about Rotary International’s president, Shekhar Mehta, and his philosophies leading Rotary. The guiding messages the Governor shared were:
Announcements from the Governor
MCAT student of the month Richie Benner presented Noah, our MCAT student, and his mom, Leandra. Noah graduates in March from Coronado High with all A’s and B’s. Noah checked all the boxes, Academics, Attendance and Attitude, in being selected for this honor. His current goal is to be a shoe designer (athletic, not fashion) and Noah is very business directed. |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 14, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting minutes Sept. 14, 2021 The hybrid meeting was held at Mary Straus’s home featuring Cathy Lowling’s induction into the Marana Club. Kudos to the numerous individuals who made this meeting a “virtual” success with respect to audio and visual components. Randy thanked all for their patience not only for the struggle getting our hybrid meetings up to snuff, but for support during his 2 and ½ month travels away from Tucson. Randy briefly described highlights of his Quixotic journey across the USA. His time with Bob Bishop in Virginia certainly fortified an already strong friendship. However, his serenading of folks along the shores of the lake in a paddle boat may have cost Bob some friendships. Seriously, it sounded wonderful. Randy also described an incident in the Midwest where a buffalo grabbed an errant tourist, removing her pants. “The Midwest was a pleasant surprise.” Announcements Randy asked Andy to order Rotary badges and pins for Sulee and Cathy. There will be a virtual only board meeting Monday evening with the District Governor, “Hank” Husking. Randy asked that Marana Club Board members attend, and all were welcomed and encouraged to attend. Goals and objectives of our club will be discussed; therefore, it is important that our club’s committee chairs attend as well. I will distribute the time and links once confirmed. Dianne will also attend our club meeting this coming Tuesday. Randy asked that everyone attend, if possible. The Governor personally attends over 50 club meetings per year; therefore, our efforts to attend are important. Harold summarized last week’s social event where 7 club members toured the Marana Health Center. Harold reported that there may be two great candidates there that may be interested in joining our club. Harold also reported on efforts to have the 5th Tuesday in November social gathering at the 390 Air Museum. Several suggestions were made as to day and time. Sulee offered to circulate a poll with options and set the meeting according to the majority preference.  Induction of Cathy Lolwing into the Marana Rotary Club (note that yours truly finally spelled her name correctly, my apologies)Mary Straus introduced Cathy, and her husband, Mark, to the club. Cathy is the Executive Director of Felicia’s Farms, who we have come to know well as one of our club’s newest community projects. Mark holds the position of Director of Circulation and Consumer Innovation of the Arizona Daily Star. Randy provided background color prior to the formal induction. Their daughter, Amanda, will be participating in RILA and they have a son, Sam, 21 years old studying to be an air traffic controller. Both Cathy and Mark are musicians. Cathy plays guitar and Mark has written over 1,000 songs. Between Randy and the new inductees, our entertainment needs will be met for the foreseeable future. Randy emphasized that Mark will also be considered a member and is invited to participate in the club’s activities. Lynne presented a check from our club to Felicia’s Farms in the amount of $3250, representing ½ of the donation to Felicia’s Farms pending the remaining balance from the District. Randy presented the pin to Cathy and the club warmly welcomed Cathy and mark to Rotary. One of Cathy’s first involvements will be to assist in the Tour de Cookie event.  Speaker, Don JorgensenDon provided more information regarding how Shelter Box functions. We are all familiar with Shelter Box having participated for almost three years in supporting the effort. The Marana Club has been named a “Hero Club” being one of the most successful clubs in raising funds; $1,000 per year for three years running. Don used the recent Haiti disaster in describing the behind-the-scenes activities of Shelter Box. Shelter Box is aiding Haiti for the third time. 2010- 20,000 families displaced by a major hurricane were provided shelter (tents) 2015- Haiti was once again hit by a major hurricane and Shelter Box supplied rebuilding supplies designed for the youth to be actively involved. Today- Haiti encountered both earthquake and hurricane wherein 137,000 families were wiped out. Don described just some of the methods that Shelter Box utilized before entering a country such as Haiti. SB liaises with organizations such as the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, and the UN in designing logistical support. Disaster aid is a straight-forward concept. What is less understood are the steps taken before a decision is taken to provide assistance. Don described the following: An assessment team was sent, in this case, to the Dominican Republic because of uncertainty and political instability in adjoining Haiti. Questions asked included:
Needs in this case were determined to be quick, temporary shelter gear, mosquito netting, tarps, grommets, wire. The assistance is underway and ongoing. Thanks to Don for his commitment and eloquent presentation. Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 7, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting minutes September 7, 2021 Next Tuesday, September 14th, the meeting (hybrid) will be held at Mary’s house at 7AM and will include a guest speaker and the induction of Kathy Lowling into our club. The guest speaker will be Amanda, the CEO of the Marana Chamber of Commerce. Amanda was scheduled to speak today; however, technical problems precluded the ability to have an effective presentation. The meeting began with numerous glitches and frustration. Peter, Harold, Mary and others did their level best to overcome audio and video connection issues. The meeting was indeed hybrid with some using their phones and Mary refereeing communications using various devices. We discussed ideas going forward including going purely hybrid and/or purchasing a laptop which would be set up for and dedicated to our meetings. Harold will attend the Dove Mountain hybrid meeting this Thursday to observe how they deal with the venue. Randy suggested calling a special board meeting within one week to weigh different solutions for presentation to the club. Happy Bucks (abbreviated) Randy was elated to have encountered an albino wild turkey (proof unknown) during his travels in northeastern Washington state this morning on his way to an internet connection. Laura shared her happiness after just having four of her siblings visiting after a long absence Others present were certainly happy; however, reports were skipped due to the late start this morning. Announcements
Committee Reports Mary gave an update on special projects, time having run short at our last meeting:
Mary asked the club to consider additional projects. Randy suggested club members volunteer to visit assisted living, especially memory-assisted living facilities as a club support project. The idea was enthusiastically embraced. Also consider Veteran homes . Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Marana Service ProjectsService Projects 2018 to Present Food Distribution for Community Food Bank of Marana Annually Host the Best El Tour de Tucson Aid Station Purchased Shelter Boxes Recognition of Students at a High School that Serves High Risk Students Contribution to the End Polio Now Campaign Memory Screening for Underserved: Nogales, Sonora Holidays Family Support Built a Play and Exploratory Area at a MUSD Elementary School for Children with Special Needs No Cost Tax Preparation, partnering with the United Way Painted Elementary School Bathrooms Built a School and Playground in Natabayengwe, Zimbabwe Home Renovation for Veterans in Marana Literacy Project – Provided Books for Low Income Families Partnering with WIC Programs Rebuilt a Home and Hot Dog Cart for a Family in Lima, Peru, following a devastating earthquake Host Many Exchange Students Economic Development in Cameroon: Lifting a Village from Poverty and Malnutrition to Prosperity through Development of Expertise in Cottage Industries and Business Practices, Development of a Garden, and Purchasing a Starting Herd of Cattle to Feed School Children Provided Air Filtration Systems for Special Needs Classrooms in MUSD during Covid With other Rotary Clubs, Planted over 100 Trees at Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery Peace Garden with Peace Poles Renovation of Assisted Living Facility in Mexico Devastated by an Earthquake Distribute Fresh Organic Produce to the Picture Rocks Community Center Handbags of Hope for Victims of Domestic Violence. Renovated old folks home in Mexico. Backpacks for MUSD students Oxygen generators for COVID patients in India Oxygen tanks for COVID patients in Mexico |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 24, 2021Marana Rotary weekly meeting August 24, 2021 The meeting was held all virtual, again attended by folks from all sorts of locals including Tucson. Welcomed was our guest, Cathy Lowling from Felicia’s Farm Randy asked if everyone was in favor of Happy Bucks, having heard that there may be thoughts to the contrary. Members supported the continuation as a form of comradery and personalizing our meetings. So… Happy Bucks Harold loves the nice weather, for a change, and was happy to have had a good look at the space station circling the heavens Dan was not happy. His past weeks have been filled with house remodeling nightmares punctuated by mask conflicts within the school district Andy was happy that all of the fire smoke had dissipated over Utah….for now. Richie was happy for the follow-through and commitment to the Peace Poles Project, having been initiated 18 months ago under his watch John D was happy for he and Harold having delivered the first round of produce from Felita’s Farm. On a profoundly sad note, he lost an obviously close and important friend. Members reached out with strong emotional support. Maybe a good reminder as to why we share during Happy Bucks Don was happy for the completion of the Peace Pole project and noted that in his travels to Seattle and Rhode Island, he has not seen a drop of rain; ironic as Tucson is flooding. Laura was happy to see the start of teaching at the U of A Beckie was happy to have harvested several good speaker candidates at an Oro Valley event for nonprofits. Mary was happy that Cathy will soon be applying to our club for membership. She was also grateful for Peter pulling her stuck car out of her front yard (must be much more to this story?) Sulee was happy to have things going smoothly Bob was happy to have his 5 ½ year old grandson starting school Denise enjoyed a fun interview with a vocational fund applicant Peter enjoyed the process of hydraulically lifting his house, twice, so that he could video the event Cathy was happy to be joining the Marana club and that Felicia’s Farm produce was used in a Thai themed banquet Randy was happy to be soon welcoming Cathy and for our relationship with Felicia’s Farm Announcements Harold advised that the Peace Pole Project pictures were posted on the website. Everyone was grateful for the very hard work performed by Mary, Peter, and Laura over the past weekend. Next week the meeting will be “social” with a tour of the Marana Health Center; breakfast to follow. Meet up will be at 7AM; six people indicated their intention to join. Sulee will send specifics for the location. Lynne not being present, Randy briefly presented the Budget report. All-in-all, the club’s fund is robust with a balance of approximately $11,000 after taking into consideration monies owed or committed for Shelter Box, Felicia’s Farm, the San Carlos old folks project and, perhaps, the Uganda Project (to be confirmed). Randy noted that several club members are behind in dues and urged all to verify. Apparently, some communications from Lynne to members may have been lost as Lynne is using a new email address. (Look for possible emails from RotaryLynne@gmail.com) Denise has been kind enough to volunteer to bring goodies to in-person meetings for the month of September. Randy remined that the time is coming for adopting a family for Thanksgiving and X-mas; so, please start thinking. The topic was raised that clubs can reserve a table at the upcoming District Convention to showcase their club’s accomplishments. Mary recommended that we reserve the table now and decide later how and what to prepare. Peter offered the use of his display stands for a nice presentation. After discussion, it was generally felt that participating would inform the attendees of our club’s track-record and potentially attract new members. Committee Reports Membership- Don is compiling the questionnaires sent to club members and will report in more detail when time permits. Meanwhile, he made several general comments:
Foundation- John Dooling reported on his and Bob’s activities during a very successful year. The Marana Club may not be the biggest or wealthiest; however, the dollar amounts donated per member are the highest of any club in the District. Members are reminded that donations to the Annual Programs Fund are encouraged and that matching funds from the club will boost the donations. Matching funds, along with our donations, will count towards each individual’s Paul Harris designation. The Foundation meeting will be held on November 2. Youth Services- Richie announced that upcoming dates for the Student of the Month Program are Sept 14 and Oct. 26. Due to our limited time, Randy asked that Committee reports be continued at a later meeting. Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Rotary Club of Marana Peace Poles Rotary Club of Marana Peace Poles Crossroads at Silverbell District Park
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2020-21 Rotary Annual Awards |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 17, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting minutes Aug. 17, 2021 This was a hybrid meeting with attendees currently chiming in from such romantic locals such as Virginia, Washington, and Utah. The club welcomed our guest speaker, Abby Rosen, Executive Director of the Marana Community Food Bank. Happy Bucks (we seemed to have had to dig deep today!)
Announcements Shelter Box- Harold will determine if the $1,000 donation has been submitted by the Foundation. Don reported that Shelter Box assessment teams were already on the ground in Haiti. As soon as it is determined to be safe, more teams will be deployed to aid in the disaster. Randy announced that a young lady will be interviewing the following day for support from the Rotary Vocational Fund of AZ John D. and Harold reported that we need to start thinking about the next contribution for the Cobijo Project in San Carlos, Mexico. Randy pointed out that only 17 people have registered for the upcoming Conference and asked for more to consider attending. RILA- Randy reminded that he would like to see two candidates put forth for support from our club for RILA. He asked that any candidates be brought forth by the end of this week so that interviews can be scheduled for the following Monday. Nominees will not be considered beyond the end of the week. Sulee made the motion that the club fund up to $900 ($450/student), Laura seconded, and the motion passed unanimously. Speaker Abby Rosen gave an outstanding presentation on the Marana Community Food Bank’s vision and functions. The scope and reach of this organization were likely under-appreciated by most of us. Besides over 2,200 meals prepared daily, the organization provides support for acquiring GED’s, has a learning garden, manages a five-acre farm and provides a drive-through service supplying 3-5 days’ worth of food in the form of emergency meals. Its partnerships serve 5 counties in S Arizona. The Food Bank is also involved in broader policy issues such as advocating the increase of minimum wages to $15/hour in Arizona. The main purpose of the Food Bank is to provide food assistance in a way that allows for community members to participate with dignity. The Bank has 160 employees and thousands of volunteers. Randy noted that the Marana Rotary Club had supported the Marana Food Bank for as long as 30 years through meeting collections up until the Pandemic. He suggested that continued support should be discussed at the Club’s next Board meeting. Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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SHELTERBOX HERO CLUB” club-specific certificate for MARANA ROTARY CLUB
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Rotary Meeting Aug 10, 2021MARANA ROTARY CLUB Meeting minutes, August 10, 2021 Mary welcomed our guest (and future club member?) from Felicia's Farms, Kathy Lowling. Randy announced:
Mary had two announcements:
Harold announced that for the 5th Tuesday social event this month (August 30th) there will be a tour of the Marana Health facility beginning at 7AM; breakfast possibilities to follow the tour. A discussion ensued regarding in-person versus hybrid versus virtual meetings in the face of rising concerns over the Delta Variant. Consensus was to continue status quo; however, Randy asked that anyone uncomfortable not attend in person and that everyone attending in person PLEASE wear a mask. Since we did not have a speaker, Randy asked for members to think about and share why we were Rotary members. The themes centered around fellowship and projects for the betterment of our communities, local and abroad. Many expressed the relatively small size of our club and, therefore the efficiency and passion behind our projects. Many referred to the ability to effect youth and pointed to their many positive and life-changing experiences with their involvement through exchange programs. Most agreed that the comradery of such a small but generous club was the motivator for being in Rotary. John compared the club to a secular church where he has made close friends in six countries. Sulee joined for business reasons; however, three youth exchange students changed their lives. Bob described a similar story after having taken in the first five Russian students after Glasnov and introducing them to capitalism. Happy Bucks Harold was happy to have found his raincoat John D. was just happy. He reported that his mountain biking injuries were improving. Peter related the emotional encounter with a procession of 200 emergency vehicles commemorating the recent death of a Tucson paramedic. Denise loves the rain but not the abundance of resulting flies. Her car is now safe as Carl has purchased a new car Laura happily scored 4 season tickets to the UA Women’s Basketball games. Everyone instantly became her best friend. Mary was happy to have ridden to the meeting with Kathy of FF Richie was happy that his new digs did not flood and that his roof was undamaged….unlike so many of his new neighbors Denise was happy to have had Laura drop by the store. She was also proud of the generosity of our club Don was happy to have seen family and friends back east and was trying to find his way home during the airline chaos Sulee was happy to have cleaned up after flooding Bob was looking forward to Randy’s (brief) visit to Virginian Randy was happy to advise Bob that he wouldn’t stay more than 90 days and was looking forward to the prolonged visit Andy was happy that the horrendous wildfire smoke was clearing in southern Utah in time to watch the meteor showers Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 3, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting Minutes August 3, 2021 The meeting was held hybrid with a smoother start thanks in large part to Richie and John D. Announcements Randy informed the club of Sally Montagne’s birthday party which sadly coincided with her husband, Ernie’s, bout with Stage 4 brain cancer. Randy asked members who knew them to reach out with messages of support. Don reported that 50% of the membership questionnaires had been received. The club has an opportunity to provide volunteers for the upcoming Balloon Festival, mid-November (exact date to be confirmed). The event will begin the afternoon and extend into the evening with tethered balloon rides. Randy was supportive; however, reminded all that it will occur close to the Zone Institute (November 11) where dignitaries from Rotary will be arriving at TIA for which volunteers are also needed. Mary reminded the club of the Peace Builder Network occurring August 17 at 6PM(date and time to be confirmed). As a member of a Peace Club, all are welcome to attend. Marana has informed us that the club will be responsible for the landscaping at the installation. Mary suggested a rock garden with few plants instead of a full blown garden. More peaceful, Zen-like. Volunteers are being sought for the project. Felicia’s Farm- Cathy has already made a produce run and is excited to have our support. Volunteers for deliveries, maybe twice per month, will be required. Harold noted that the woodchipper they have is inadequate for their purposes. Therefore, the grant amount will need to increase above the approved $3,000 budget. Happy Bucks Laura is happy for the flowers produced after the recent rains Mary is happy that she was able to mow her lawn after an apparent long period of growth. Denise was happy that her husband was feeling much better John Zwitzer was happy to be back amongst friends. John Dooley went fishing at Big Bear Lake where he attempted mountain biking. This is apparently not his sport as he fell no less than 5 times and suffered a concussion. Being a potentially serious matter, the club wished him a speedy recovery. Richie was happy that, unlike his neighbors, he didn’t lose his roof in the monsoon storms. And he was able to watch kayakers and fisherpersons plying the swollen washes. Andy was happy to have his internet back after lightening fried his electronics Denise was grateful for the rains but not the weeds Don was happy to be in the countryside north of NYC and looking forward to attending a 50 year wedding anniversary in Rhode Island Beckie echoed the happy sentiments regarding all of the refreshing rains Randy happily reported that the earth was indeed round as evidenced by the curvature observed in the Nebraska flatlands where he is visiting his cousin on his Jack Kerouac journey across the USA Speaker Alex Wright, Executive Director of the 390th Memorial Museum, gave a fascinating talk about this museum located on the grounds of the Pima Air Museum. Alex is a former Air Force fighter pilot who joined the museum in the summer of 2019. The 390th was one of three principal fighter wings based in England in WWII responsible for bombing campaigns over Germany and Nazi occupied Europe. The aircraft used was the B-17, of which one of 40 remaining is on display at the museum. This B-17 has a fascinating history. While it was produced in 1945 near the end of the war and never saw battle, it was deployed by the US Coast Guard in cartography projects followed by use as a slurry bomber in fire fighting until its retirement in 1979. It was installed in the museum in 1986. The purpose of the museum is to memorialize and commemorate the role of the 390th bomber wing in WWII. Alex described the many stories and ways in which the stories are preserved. The sacrifices and losses over the wing’s 20 months of bombing campaigns initiated from English soil. The museum has the largest collection of flight jackets in addition to exhibits on aircraft nose art, POW stories, a soon to be added turret exhibit, and an exhibit for the Chow Hound campaign at the end of the war where the 390th B-17’s were used for food drops into the winter-hardened Netherlands. Alex was an engaging speaker with a myriad of interesting facts about the 390th. The museum’s stories and objectives are described in their excellent website, www:390th.org. Randy indicated that the Museum would be ideal for one of the Club’s social meetings that occur monthly. Alex said he would welcome us and provide for a private experience for our club. An opportunity we will surely act upon. |
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Rotary Meeting July 27, 2021Marana Rotary Club Meeting minutes July 27, 2021 Yours truly is grateful to Mary for clarifying errors regarding the Cameroon Project in last week’s minutes. Happy Bucks
Speaker Mary introduced the speaker, our very own Richie Benner, to talk about the Watermark kids’ program. Richie described his journey from scouting to becoming involved with Watermark Retirement Communities, a nation-wide assisted living program. The scouting financial crisis led to Richie’s departure from scouting (at least in a salaried role) in June of last year; however, he landed quickly with Waymark one month later where he oversees move-ins, transfers, and about everything else where he can lend support. No surprises here! He has facilitated 28 move-ins/move-outs over the past 26 weeks. Richie’s talk focused on Watermark for Kids, a non-profit foundation aimed at providing opportunities for kids to thrive and to be empowered. The Foundation operates similarly to Rotary in its overall objectives, reaching out to make positive impacts in our communities. It differs mostly in its ability to be a bit more agile in decision-making; not surprising given its very streamlined structure. Watermark (a private company) provides one foundation administrator in Tucson whose salary and overhead are covered by Watermark. Donations go 100% towards funding kids’ programs. The only criteria, other than need, is that kids be between the ages of 6 to 22 years old under the premise that all kids deserve support. The role of the Foundation is to provide mentors with the objective of creating future leaders for our communities. Richie went on to describe six great examples of specific cases which illustrated the diverse array of backgrounds and projects being pursued by the kids. The examples included kids who were physically or financially challenged with dreams of becoming a softball star, a sled-hockey player, a culinary chef, and a supreme court justice. The examples represent only six of over 300 similar stories. Questions asked included “how are candidates selected, how big is the foundation, and what, exactly, do you do, Richie?” The year 2020 was only the second year after the establishment of the Foundation so the platform is still being built. Richie would like to see more kids being presented for consideration and a more effective spreading-of-the-word to find candidates beyond the Watermark group. Candidates are selected and matched with coaches who can be mentors and monitor the funding. Residents can be mentors. Safe to say that many members learned a different dimension of Richie’s character. Further illustrates why Richie is so involved in Rotary. Andy Swarthout |
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Rotary Meeting July 20, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Marana Rotary Club Meeting minutes, July 20, 2021 The meeting was held virtually instead of hybrid due to the NW Fire District’s need for both meeting rooms for a memorial in honor of the sudden death of the Fire Chief in a small aircraft crash while assisting firefighting in northwestern Arizona. Sulee, the scheduled presenter, was not able to attend as she was transporting her husband to the hospital for blood transfusions. The Club expressed their deepest wishes and support for his recovery. Absent a speaker, Randy framed the meeting as an informal club business meeting. Notable was the day’s attendance by members from all over N. America. Maybe further….who knows where Peter was logging in from. Happy Bucks- a rather light Happy Bucks session ensued. Don happily completed a ½ marathon in the Cascade Mtns. foothills while enjoying his time in Seattle. Harold was happy to have dined recently with John Zwick who will hopefully be attending our hybrid meetings. John Dooling said he “was just happy”. He attended a little league baseball game where his nephew played. John lamented that parents have changed little, expecting that their offspring be sports prodigies. Richie is happily filling holes with spackle in his new digs. He echoed the little league sentiment saying parents, just let your kids play and have fun. And that he was twice as happy being backup for Randy while Randy galivants across the country. Mary was happy to be back at work after two weeks off. Bob Bishop reported that he was enjoying 79-degree temps and overnight rains; Vail received over 1” of rain and he was excited to have guests soon to visit. Peter was very quiet with a broken microphone but texted that he was quite happy. Andy was in Belize scuba diving and promised to contribute $1 for every meter of decent under water. (Calculations are in process) John and Bob expressed delight over the successful launch of the Blue Horizon space vehicle and Bob revealed that he had the chance to sit in the space vehicle while visiting Seattle a while back. Laura was recharged after a vacation in Kauai, Hawaii. Jen was happy for the rain and excited to be a new member. Randy misses his moose and deer who apparently have distanced themselves from his Deer Lake cabin because of nearby timber cutting. Dan Contorno; we reported for Dan that he must be happy- he was fishing in Idaho. Denise was happy that June was potty trained. And she thanked Mary for her thoroughness and care towards the Cameroon Project. Other Discussions Beckie expressed thanks to Denise for her work on the Tour de Tucson aid station to be sponsored by Marana Club on November 20th. Denise described the Tour sponsorships. The Tour expects 6,000 to 9,000 riders. Sponsorships BEGIN at the Bronze level for $3,500 and that there were over 40 corporate sponsors. Randy suggested that the Club restrict our support to the Aid Station only and the members agreed. Volunteers for the aid station to be determined later. Mary mentioned that the Peace Poles have arrived. Marana would like to handle the installation: however, Mary said that the design would be directed by the Club. She suggested that a garden be designed and asked for input and volunteers on the design and construction. Mary also reported that the grant proposal for Felicia’s Farm had been accepted by the District for funding in August. She discussed the concept of supporting food insecure people in conjunction with the Picture Rocks Community Center Inc. Logistics were discussed for transporting the estimated 300 pounds of food per month. Excess could be donated to the Picture Rocks women’s shelter. Since Picture Rocks has little infrastructure (coolers, etc.) the distributions could be broken into 2-3 deliveries per month. Vehicles will be needed on a volunteer basis. Mary gave a brief presentation on the materials acquired for Felicia’s Farms and suggested that two volunteers could participate on a rotation basis for distribution of food 2-3 X/month. Mary also provided an update on the Cameroon Project. Certain administrative glitches have been resolved with the arrival onsite of Poobah (sp?). Classrooms are outfitted very well now, and attendance is increasing. The gardens are producing so kids don’t have to walk great distances home for lunch. Additionally, there are seven cows providing milk. Mary also reported that the grain bank was functioning well with over 100 sacks of millet providing for grains to be borrowed during the spring to summer season when crops are not available. Unfortunately, the women’s businesses are not going great due to administrative challenges. However, the local Rotary club is providing support for the Association of Women until things can be sorted out. Don advised that a rather thorough questionnaire will soon be sent to members. The survey will assist in seeking new members. Randy thanked Don for his hard work on the New Members task. Randy reached out to Jen, asking if there was anything further the Club could do to welcome her and assist as a new member. Jen said she felt at home and part of the family. Randy noted that on Nov 11 Rotarian dignitaries will be visiting Tucson and asked for volunteers to welcome them at TIA. If volunteers can provide their time on a two-hour basis that would be greatly appreciated. Volunteers can answer questions and make suggestions to welcome our visitors. Finally, Randy asked club members to think about local projects for the coming year. He also encouraged members to visit the “old folks” home in San Carlos as one of our local efforts. John Dooling said he will seek Board support for continued involvement in the San Carlos project for the coming year. Andy Swarthout |
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Rotary Meeting July 13, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting July 13, 2021 Club Business:
Happy Bucks
Program Our very own Sulee Edwards spoke with us about the Missing in America Project with which she’s been involved for over 6 years. The Missing in America Project began in 2007. MIAP locates, identifies, and inters the unclaimed remains of American Veterans. Its mission is to provide honor and respect for those who have served our country but had been lost. Individuals become ‘lost’ for a variety of reasons, from unknown whereabouts of family members to issues of PTSD and addiction that lead to alienation from family. To date, the project has located 21,499 unclaimed ashes of veterans across the United States. Of those, 2438 have been given a proper military burial. Veterans from the Civil War, WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars have been interred. Ashes are brought to the burial service by a member of the branch in which the individual served. Each veteran receives a gun salute, a fly over, and a flag presented to family members. MIAP has no staff; volunteers provide what’s need for everything from locating and identifying to coordinating burial services to providing whatever is needed for the service. Marana Veteran’s Memorial donates space in its columbarium for the veteran’s urn and Adair Funeral Home donates urns. The next Missing in Action burial service will be in October at the Marana Veteran’s Memorial. President Randy suggested that we all consider attending. We are grateful to Sulee for bringing our attention to the honor our veterans deserve and to this non-profit dedicated to ensuring they receive it. Mary |
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Rotary Meeting July 6, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes July 6, 2021 Club Business Denise has secured an Aide Station at the intersection of Coachline and Silver Bell Roads for the Tour de Tucson in late November. Seven club members indicated their availability to assist. Further details to follow which will address health and safety protocols. Randy announced that Don Jorgensen is seeking the District 5500 Governorship for 2024/2025 and introduced a resolution for the Club’s endorsement. The club enthusiastically passed the resolution and will endeavor to complete the required paperwork by July 31. Congratulations Don! There will be a Board meeting Wednesday, July 7 to be held virtually. Randy welcomed Jen Shaw as the newest member of Marana Rotary. Jen gave a brief intro having recently arrived in Marana by way of southeast Tucson and Colorado. She is a single Mom of two, active in the Chamber of Commerce and a sales associate of Allstate. Randy warmly welcomed Jen and gently reminded her of her responsibilities as a Rotarian. The meeting warmly welcomed Jen to the Marana Club. Happy Bucks (abbreviated session due to technical issues and time constraints)
Raffle drawing, Lynne drew the 2 of diamonds. The pot continues to grow. Program Audio issues continue to plague us in our hybrid meetings despite heroic efforts made by Peter, Harold, Richie, John and others. Confidence is high that improvement will continue and victory is to be achieved. Presenters - Amy and Victoria of the Northwest Fire District spoke to the meeting on the dangers of monsoon flooding and heat-related health issues in the Tucson basin. Amy has been with NWFD for four years, the last two of which were dedicated to her passion, public education and awareness. Veronica came to the NWFD from Bisbee where she experienced first-hand the power and destruction of flash flooding in Miner’s Gulch running through a major part of town. Amy described the intensive training given to first responders for swift water rescue. She reminded us that flash flooding is an inherent risk of living in Pima County and that, despite the common sense rules, many long-time residents as well as new arrivals become complacent about entering flooded roadways. Interestingly, in 2017, we ranked number 8 in the nation for deaths due to flooding. And over half of fatalities were vehicle related. Quite the statistic for an arid, desert environment. We hear it every year; rescues and fatalities result from drivers ignoring barricades to enter flowing roadways under the belief that the water isn’t that deep, swift, or dangerous. Amy made the important point that only one foot of water will make a vehicle buoyant. Despite decreasing monsoon activity since 2014, rescues and fatalities remain some of the highest in the nation. Veronica presented the dangers of heat-related illness. The stages begin with Heat Cramps and progress through Heat Exhaustion and, finally, Heat Stroke. How to recognize each of these progressively worse conditions were explained and the “do’s and don’t do’s” described for each case. Again, despite common sense, we see the horrific results of ignorance every summer. Particularly alarming are the cases of infants or pets left in cars. Veronica showed graphics of temperatures rising within vehicles (even with windows partially open) for outside temperatures ranging from 80 to 120 degrees. Even at 80 degrees, the results were rapidly catastrophic. Amy’s and Veronica’s presentations focused on two themes. 1) NWFD places a great deal of emphasis on rescue and 2) there is constant public education in order to avoid having to utilize that expertise. Final thought- as this is my first set of meeting minutes produced, I welcome any feedback. Too dry? More/less detail? Warning- I tend to become more sardonic and editorial as comfort level grows! submitted by: Andy Swarthout, Secretary |
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Randy Brooks Installation 6/26/2021-2022Randy Brooks Installation June 26 2021 The installation party was held at the home of John Dooling The meeting was called to order by John Doolinig (president 2020/2021 year) The first order of business was to install Randy Brooks our 30th President of the Rotary Club of Marana After business was taken care of the Members and Guest partied on     |
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Rotary Meeting June 15, 2021Marana Rotary Meeting Notes. June 15 Meeting Attendance: Lynne, John D, John Z, Dan, David, Mary, Laura, Sulee, Andy, Richie, Peter, Harold B. and Randy. Few announcements: Banner year (3rd in district % of members who donated to Rotary Foundation Fund, #1 in per capita for district) June 26 installation at 6 p.m. for Randy Brooks as president for 2021-22. Sugar Skulls game this Friday — those attending will need to arrange to meet John before the game. Email from Joyce Zwick about the need for oxygen concentrators in India. Mary moves to donate $2,000 to the oxygen concentrator bank in India; Laura seconds. Passes unanimously. Lynne reported that the wire to San Carlos project for the renovation of the senior living home was completed. Happy Bucks Richie — UA men’s baseball team to Omaha and Suns doing well, Richie’s mom in town from Michigan to celebrate Charlie’s 3rd birthday. Sulee — happy to have husband back home after a trying hospital stay. Andy — family visiting from Illinois and sun out in the Northwest Lynne — “If you’re happy and you know it ...” Harold — Skin cancer removed and it went well John Z — I like the warm weather but this is ridiculous. Hoping for a good monsoon. Dan — Hoping for a good monsoon, too. David — After months of testing, pool no longer leaking. Mary — Headed up to Pacific NW for vacation. Just finished a seven-week course on Trauma and Wisdom which was really good. Laura — Happy that it is Pride Month and Juneteenth, a month of celebrating freedom and liberation in this great country of ours. John — Dan is a member of this organization. Dan’s journey — Born in Chicago. Moved to Marana when he was 5 because of “allergies”. Dan’s father was a lineman, who said there weren’t enough clothes for that job in Chicago. Dan’s mom was speaker for Weight Watchers and traveled nationally as a motivational speaker. Went to UA and got a degree in finance and accounting, and thought he was going to settle in Denver but tried to put in gas in his truck but there was ice caked on his truck. Opening in the MUSD business office, about 30 years ago and returned to Marana to take it. He is now going on 20 years as being the CFO for Marana Unified School District. Dan married to Heather — they met in an Eagles concert line for the Eagles farewell concert tour. Played lots of softball a while back. He loves to golf, and passionate about fishing (about the experience, about that one single moment like seeing a brown trout jumping out the water). He ties his own fishing flies. He and Heather have two children — Kelsey is 20 and working as a special education aide and Kaitlyn, who is married and has two children. Overall, he’s had a wonderful life. “It’s about relationships,” Dan said. |
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Rotary Meeting June 1, 2021Marana Rotary Meeting Notes June 1 Meeting A few technical difficulties that we are ironing out. Attendance: Robert Bishop, John Dooling, Andrew S, Peter M, Beckie P, Richie B, Harold B.guest Jen Shaw who wants to join our club. Celebrations today — Beckie Penman’s anniversary 51st — Harold Burtzloff’s 84th birthday Announcements Dan Contaro returning from White Mtns today and can’t be here. Happy Bucks Randy — had a great visit to Las Vegas, Son and daughter-in-law pregnant and buying a townhouse, donate $100 for Happy Bucks. Mary — brother and sister-in-law in town, put in drip system and planted roses and ate first home-grown tomato Andrew — will match Randy’s happy bucks, the sun is out in the NW. John Dooling — happy to see John Zwick. Bob Bishop — sending a check for $300 for happy bucks. Richie — watching UA women’s softball team advanced women’s college World Series and UA baseball team hosting Regionals. Complimented on eyebrows. Laura — Enjoyed family over Memorial Day. Denise — got together with siblings, seeing John Z, good business month in May Harold — spent time w/ granddaughter and go to do some flying. Paid $100 for Happy Bucks. John — nice to “get out of jail”, see the country and really happy that we are back together again. Thanks for the calls. Peter — great to be back in person again. $100 happy. Don — got back from NYC and New England Sunday night. Carlton Bradford — direct descendant of William Bradford who founded Plymouth Colony. $100 for Happy Bucks. June 26th — installation ceremony of new officers at John Dooling’s house. Rotary Intl — asked clubs to reach out to contacts in India and Brazil to find ways to help. India is no-go from a reliable source Randy knows. In Brazil, Randy heard from Emanuelle and he’s having a further conversation with her today. Natal, Brazil. Peace Poles update: ordered. Mary will follow up. And will follow up on the bench. |
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Rotary Meeting May 25, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; May 25, 2021 Club Business
Happy Bucks:
Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting May 18, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; May 18, 2021 Club Business:
Happy Bucks:
Program: Randy attended the monthly Peacebuilder Meeting for us, being a dedicated Peacebuilder Club. He was so touched by the meeting that he shared with us some of the lessons he took from the speaker, Jerry Leggit.
Randy recalled a personal experience that resonated while he listened to Jerry speak about peace. As a corpsman in the Vietnam war, he, along with another corpsman and two soldiers, would provide Medcaps. Medcaps were medical clinics set up in remote villages to treat local villagers. Randy recalled a feeling of complete peace, fulfillment, and love when working in the villages, fully aware that some of those he was treating were viet-cong. His heart was more open than it had ever been up to that point in his life. In retrospect, Randy identifies these moments as the moments he “became a Rotarian.” Many thanks to Randy for sharing Jerry’s inspiring lessons and his own inspiring experience. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting May 11, 2021 Rotary Club of Marana Minutes of Meeting 5-11-2021 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: John D., Harold, Joyce (Guest), Sulee, Lynne, Andy, Denise, Don, Richie, Laura, Dan C and Beckie. Special guest and speaker Dot Santy John let us know he will be receiving a new hip on the 19th of May. Good luck, John. The club voted to move our meeting effective, June 1, 2021, to the Northwest Fire Department off of Ina. The actual street address is: 5125 W Camino De Fuego, Tucson, AZ 85743. Exit I-10 West at Ina Road. Turn South over the Freeway and get in the Right lane. Immediately after the Q Store turn right …. It is at the light. Just after the turn in the road and just before the trailer sales turn Left onto Camino De Fuego. Go about a block and you will see a large building and tower. Walk past the burned, railroad car to the main lobby. Say hi to Angellina and go down the hallway to your right to the second to last room on the right. We will be there. The club will provide coffee and pastries. As we go along we will refine the menu. You’re going to like this site. Call me if you get lost 520-403-4763. Masks will be suggested but not mandatory …. Those with immunizations for Covid are suggested to attend. We will make every attempt to have a hybrid meeting but it may be a challenge the first meeting. Fundraising – the 2nd Friday of June we will have an online poker tournament …. Dan C is arranging for this event the 11th of June. Details coming – when the flier is sent please distribute to everyone and everyone on your various mailing lists. They can be anywhere and join in on the fun. Sulee is helping with the tournament. John announced that in the next few weeks we will have a visitor from the La Jolla Club whom is traveling to Tucson on occasion and is interested in discussing with us Alzheimer’s disease. She is asking for volunteers for a study. Details to come. RI has asked that clubs in concert with one another or alone and attempt to find to help with the Covid situation in Brazil and India. Randy and John have contacted people in Brazil to determine need and Randy via of Shirley Grace (a friend of the club) has reached out to India. We may have up to 4 clubs and Jefferies Foundation willing to contribute to a few clubs and/or communities. Research in process. Happy Bucks: Harold: Sad actually, wife’s hard drive crashed. Joyce Z our Canadian friend is happy “spring is coming”, we skip that and go directly to summer. Randy – neither happy nor; sad. Skip him; Sulee, Jim is receiving massive amounts of chemo to attempt to strangle his cancer. This will go on for 6 weeks. Keep him in your thoughts. Andy – Not good or bad. Much like his friend Randy, Don J: Happy to be going back East tomorrow to see daughter, Grandson and old buddies, I mean really old buddy (96 years old). Lynne entertained us with a joke and Denise said it was happy Tuesday. She did not explain herself. Richie did a cool ‘Staycation’ that had an indoor water park. Dan had to leave because of a school bus accident. The child struck by the bus was later found to be OK and the incident will be investigated. John awoke to six deer at his water through this morning. Now that is cool. Laura visit her mother’s grave at the VA cemetery in Phoenix. Her mother is buried with her husband …. Whom by the way was a “Pharmacist mate” … that is what Hospital Corpsmen are called today? The change was made in 1948. Speaker: Dot Santy moved to Tucson many years ago to avoid cold winters, she bounced around and found her passion in helping children with few means to provide food, clothing and basic necessities for themselves. She started seeing homeless children and these events were an AWAKENING for her. Cindy Roust (Marana Community Services) and she started SOS – Success of Students – noticed that kids were hungry, could not afford to go on outings, they had no funds but Dot began asking for help. She raised $12,000 on her first fundraising activity. 40% of children need free or reduced meals in the Marana Unified School District. Her first year she raised 24,000. In 2019 her group was able to provide holiday meals to 700 families. SOS goal: is to establish a sustaining committee that wants to support these children by fundraising and donations to these children in need. Here are the groups working to support her wanting to raise enough for 700 backpacks: Del Webb, Silverbell Mines, Cal Portland and Watermark as well as the Marana Police Department. She stressed that children are innocent. The parents have found themselves in situation where they cannot help the children, Covid, economy, addiction, bad luck, lack of training …. Whatever. The children face the consequences of these issues. John discussed how many years ago our club supported immunizations for children via of the Marana Health Center … Sulee remains on the board of MHC and will speak to the board to see if the need exists anymore for help. If you would like to speak to Dot Santy she can be reached at dotsanty@gmail.com. Dot left the meeting and Lynne suggested we pool funds and buy 30 backpacks stuffed with school supplies. The club at John’s direction voted to supply 30 bags at a cost of $900.00. – |
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Rotary Meeting May 4, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; May 4, 2021 Club Business:
Happy Bucks
Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting April 27, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting April 27, 2021 This morning we took stock of our 2020-2021 Rotary Service Projects and are grateful to have had so many opportunities to touch lives.
Happy Bucks:
Program Laura introduced us to Cathy Lolwing, executive director of Felicia’s Farm. Cathy moved to Tucson in 2010 with her husband who works with the Arizona Daily Star. They have a 15 year old daughter and a rescue husky. Cathy has been with Felicia’s Farm since responding to their ad 10 years ago, “work in sunshine… help feed people.” Felicia’s Farm was created by David Cutler to honor the memory of his wife, Felicia Ann Cutler, who died in 2009. She was a compassionate woman whose vision was to “feed people and teach them to feed themselves”. A fitting legacy, David turned his backyard into Felicia’s Farm, and it has grown steadily since its humble beginnings. Currently the farm produces 700 pounds of organically grown produce and, with 700 hundred chickens, up to 2000 eggs per week, all of which is distributed at no cost. The Mission of Felicia’s Farm is “to lift lives in Tucson.” In 2019 one in five people in Tucson lived with food insecurity. The highest poverty rate was found in individuals below age 18. In South Tucson one out of two people had insufficient food. Since then, with the pandemic, poverty and food insecurity has only worsened. Felicia’s Farms distributes their produce and eggs to community groups who serve, for example, the homeless, fleeing battered women, families, and seniors. These groups include
Felicia’s Farm is also dedicated to environmental sustainability. They grow flowers to ensure bees for pollination. Cut flowers are then given to Senior Homes. The farm is currently on a well but will be implementing technology that draws humidity from the air. Felicia’s Farm administrative costs are only 5% of their budget. The farm depends on the work of approximately 50 volunteers a week. Volunteering is flexible and doesn’t require scheduling. Show up and you will be put to work in the compost, making berms, painting, weeding, harvesting… All the things. We thank Cathy for such an uplifting presentation and Felicia’s Farm for the heartfelt work it does in our communities. Submitted by Mary Straus |
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Rotary Meeting April 20, 2021ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA MINUTES – 4.20.2021 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending Zoom Meeting: President John, Harold, Randy, Sulee, Joyce (Alberta visitor), Andy (Portland), Peter, Robert (Virginia), Denise, Laura, Richie, David, Beckie, Lynne, Dan C. (what a great turn out today) The meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance by Denise. We went immediately into discussion about Venue for the future meetings. President John and others have been negotiating in good faith with a business called TOPS. There has been a struggle with this company, first being encouraged to meet on Tuesdays and then stating their staff did not want us to come on Tuesday. The Club considered moving to Thursday to accommodate TOPS. Peter and Don discussed with the owner the pricing structure and some of the things we may need going down the road. The owner countered with a letter to John indicating that she would authorize a three week trial period and complained the club kept trying to lower the price and were being unfair. Although there were several reasons this venue was attractive, there were issues that made a few of us uncomfortable about a long term relationship. Part of the problem is that Mary would not be able to attend Thursday morning meetings and David H may have to leave the club. Randy proposed that we withdraw our offer to meet at TOPS and after discussion the club voted to withdraw our offer and work to find another venue. Shredding Project went perfectly, the people coming through were happy and seem grateful to be able to rid themselves of confidential papers. Don J. did a great job of coordinating this event and with the help of John, Peter, Don, Harold, Beckie, the Dooling Family (5), Randy and Deb, Denise, Mary and anyone I missed (sorry) it went without a hitch and initial counting it appears we have a net of about $2.165.00 Don J. went by Nana’s and received a check for $200.00 for the screen we purchased to use at Nana’s Kitchen. Dan C., is suggesting we meet at Coyote Trails School beginning July 1, where we can bring our own food, use their internet and hold face to face and virtual meetings for the future. Dan will return with more concrete information soon. President John did a presentation about a project for seniors in San Carlos, Sonora, Mexico in cooperation with rotary D 4100. This is or an “Old Peoples Home,” that was devastated in a hurricane many years ago. John also lost a boat he had stored in San Carlos during the storm. The structure of the buildings were left intact but the inside was severely damaged. This project at the “El Cobijo Old People Home,” will repair rooms, provide heat for the winter and provide air conditioning in the summer months. Phase one of the project is nearly complete, Phase II will cost about 32,596.00 and Phase III will pay for additional rehabilitation and will cost $97,803.57. The consumers of this home is homeless, elderly people. The club voted to donate from our Club Foundation $2,000.00 for this project and Randy agreed with John that he will request our club supporting this next year as well. Great presentation John, let’s move forward. Another advantage of this project we can, once we are safe from the virus, travel to San Carlos and see the project and maybe pitch in as well with muscles. This next week we will have a guest from Felicia’s Farm …. You do not want to miss this, another potential local project. John and Dan are reaching out to the Town of Marana, Northwest Fire, and Marana Unified School district for membership and meeting location. We hope good news arrives soon about a great meeting space. Meeting adjourned. |
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Shredding Event 04172021 PRESS RELEASE Contact: Donald G. Jorgensen 520-906-9148 donjorgensen@comcast.net Marana Rotary Club Shredding Event Raises $2800 for Local Projects Tucson, AZ, March 22, 2021 – The Rotary Club of Marana recently held a drive-through community shredding and electronics recycling fundraiser that raised over $2800 for humanitarian projects. Over 70 donors participated in the three-hour COVID-safe event at the Harkins Theater in Marana. All proceeds from the community fundraiser will support the Marana Rotary Club’s local and global humanitarian projects. Recent projects included the purchase of special air filters for Marana High School special needs classrooms, an adaptive playground for a local elementary school, health and education projects in Mexico and Cameroon. The Rotary Club of Marana is an open, non-partisan, non-political organization that believes in “service above self.” Membership provides community connection and participation in projects with men and women who act for a better world. The Rotary Club of Marana is proud to be designated a global “peacebuilder club.” www.maranarotary.org.   |
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Shelter Box Congratulations Congratulations to The Rotary Club of Marana, recognized as a District 5500 ShelterBox HERO club with the donation of $1,000 and three year pledge. ShelterBox, the leading international disaster relief charity, delivers humanitarian relief in the form of equipment and materials that bring shelter, warmth and dignity to people made homeless by natural or other disasters worldwide. ShelterBox is respected for its integrity and impartiality, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and often looked to by the United Nations Human Refugee Counsel to provide aid in the most difficult countries around the world. In 2012 ShelterBox became Rotary International's first Project Partner and only disaster relief charity. This agreement enables both organizations to collaborate more closely to bring relief and temporary shelter to survivors of disasters worldwide. The fundraising efforts by Rotarians make up a significant proportion of donations received by ShelterBox |
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Rotary Meeting April 13, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; April 13, 2021 Club Business:
Happy Bucks:
Our meeting closed reciting the 4-Way Test Submitted by Mary Straus |
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Rotary Meeting April 06, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; April 6, 2021 Club Business
Happy Bucks
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Rotary Meeting Mar 30, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; March 30, 2021 Club Business
Happy Bucks
Submitted by Mary Straus |
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Rotary Meeting Mar 23, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; March 23, 2021 Recognition of the Mountain View Interact Club, sponsored by Dove Mountain Rotary. Mountain View Interact donated 200 pairs of socks to Youth On their Own and has a nice write-up in today’s newspaper. Congratulations, Interactors! Club Business
Happy Bucks
Program In Celebration of Women’s History Month, Laura invited Jan Cleere to speak with us today. Jan is an author and historian who writes about experiences of first settlers in the southwest territories. She is particularly “fascinated with the hardships women faced in early settlements and forts in the western territories.” Her newest book is titled Military Wives in Arizona Territory: A History of Women Who Shaped the Frontier. In addition to books and magazine articles, the Arizona Daily Star publishes monthly articles by Jan that each introduce us to one of the women she has Jan introduced us to a couple of remarkable women who were in Arizona in the 1600s; Julia Davis and Elizabeth Hutchin Smith. Elizabeth was a black woman who at one time owned ½ of Wickenberg. Each story was a treat. We also, however, got a good taste of what it is like to research; to play hide and seek with sources, chasing rabbits into holes. The journeys generally begin in one of the following:
One of Jan’s closing remarks was sharing that the more a historian finds primary sources, the more one realizes that what is told and taught in history is not accurate. We are so pleased that Jan Cleere joined us today, inspiring each of us to connect to past times. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting March 16, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; March 16, 2021 Today was a special day. John had the honor of performing “the greatest pleasure of a presidency,” installing Sulee Edwards into the family of the Rotary Club of Marana. We all are so pleased Sulee has rejoined us, as we know her to be an outstanding Rotarian and humanitarian. Sulee was appointed to serve on the Service Committee and to the Foundation Board. Today was also a special day because tomorrow is President John’s birthday. A pitiful but heartfelt song was sung, and best wishes from all of us are with him. Club Business:
Happy Bucks
Program Today we welcomed Karen Rorke from Watermark Retirement Communities, who spoke with us about aging and elder care. Karen became an employee with Watermark after experiencing her mother’s aging with Alzheimer’s. Her mother’s fear, anger, and anxiety were often not listened to or given proper attention. Because of these experiences, Karen was inspired to become involved with elder care. 20 years ago, elder care was revolutionized away from skilled nursing facilities toward a continuum of community care. Watermark is exemplary of another shift that is occurring in community-based elder care. What can typically occur is a placement when an individual isn’t able to meet their needs independently. The placement is, generally, a reaction to the client’s dysfunction. The care is focused on management of the clients symptoms. The emerging perspective in care is proactive, anticipatory and collaborative with the individual. In this perspective, choices regarding living are centered around the resident’s and family’s interests, needs, and choices. It supports the resident to “thrive, not just survive.” Ideally, there is a continuum of living options in one community. For example, Watermark offers short-term care living, independent living, enhanced assisted living, and memory care all in one campus. In such a community, residents can access more support as the need arises, disrupting their quality of life as little as possible. Communities that offer adjunct activities and create community with the residents also support the vitality in the individual. We thank Karen for inspiring us to be proactive advocates in our own aging and in the aging of our family members. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Community Shredding Event |
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Rotary Meeting March 9, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes We were saddened to hear of the passing of a long-time, vital Rotary Club of Marana club member, David Lightfoot. David left our club approximately 6 years ago after he retired and moved to Phoenix. He is remembered affectionately and with respect. Our hearts are with his family. Today we were honored with the presence of our District Governor. Thank you DG Diane for visiting and keeping us connected to the District. Club Business:
Happy Bucks
Program Laura introduced us to the community outreach team from Northwest Fire Department. Laura sang their praises in her interactions with them as her mother aged. Joining us were Veronica, who has been with District for 20 years, Tom, who has been with the District for 18 years, and Amy, a newcomer from Oregon since 2017. Tom Krike for 18 years The Team spoke with us about home safety… Safety for Older Adults; Fire and Fall Prevention. Smoke Alarm Safety
Electrical Safety
Fall Prevention Falling is not a normal part of aging. What’s causing them?
Home Escape Plan
Many thanks to the Northwest Fire Department for the important information and for its concern and advocacy in our community. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting Mar 2, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting The Meeting began with some wonderful news. Suelee Edwards submitted her application for membership to our club. Suelee has been a valued member in years past, and are very pleased she will be joining us again. Laura refused to sing the Star Spangled Banner for us, but she did produce a beautiful photo of our American flag to which we pledged our allegiance. With no members’ birthdays or anniversaries to celebrate, we dug a little deeper into the community and wished John Michael Straus, Mary’s brother, a happy birthday. Club Business:
Happy Bucks:
We had a special treat to close our meeting. Randy performed for us, as he gets ready for the District Conference. We are eager to hear more of his beautiful singing and his strumming. Thank you, Randy. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotarm Meetinf Feb 23, 2021ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA, AZ MEETING MINUTES 02/24/21 7:00 AM – 8:00 AM via Zoom Submitted by Randy Brooks The club participated in a robust, yet fragmented pledge. Attending Today: John D., President; Joyce Zwick (guest from Canada); Randy, Laura, Sulee (Guest and potential member); Lynne, Don, Denise, Mary, Dan, Richie, David, Andy and Karl. We have another guest Dan Streeter, Superintendent of the Marana Unified School District attending – welcome Dr. Dan Streeter. The Rotary Convention has been cancelled for in person attendance. It will again this year be a virtual event. Perhaps a few of us can attend the event next year in Houston. There will be a Rotary District 5500 Conference in June in Tubac, Arizona. Hope it actually happens …. Our governor and her team deserve a break in having an in person event. President John is quite proud of our club, we are the only or one of a very few that have 100% registration with My Rotary. Way to go everyone. We have written several former Rotary Youth Exchange students asking that they send a photo from their youth exchange and only a few have responded so far. Jeanne from France and Eleana from Peru are two that have responded. We hope we receive more and that Richie is able to post their photos and comments on our Facebook page. Denise won a contest for her jewelry store in the amount of $500.00 which she in turn donated to the Rotary Club of Marana. Thank you so much Denise. Discussion but no resolution to the issue of used electronics. The shredding day is in our future in April, 17, 9 AM to noon. Don Jorgensen sent out a request for volunteers and asking to help with specific tasks. Anyone with graphic and marketing ability please help. Those able to shred please volunteer. Those that can register people and collect funds please help. We lost the ability to hold the Tour de Cookie this year and these small fundraising projects are extremely important. I know the event is in my calendar and I will help, I heard Mary volunteer and several others nodded your heads. Please e-mail Don and tell him what you can do: donjorgensen@comcast.net. Thanks. Happy Bucks Joyce Zwick: John, her father and our club member (95 years old), had his second COVID shot. Laura: has visitors (sister and family) and is enjoying the socially distant time with them. Sounds like a weird statement. “Come on over but don’t touch me and stay outside.” LOL Randy told a bad joke about COVID and its side effects. You would have had to been there. Let everyone know that Deb is doing well with the new knee. Two Hips, two knees, spinal cord and wrist. What could be next? Harold has his second COVID vaccine and visited with George Rigney, a former member whom lost his spouse recently. Sulee: Our newest potential member (in waiting period). Her husband has serious health issues and was having procedures on Tuesday AM. However the schedule has changed and so Sulee now can join our club. Great news for us. Those of you that don’t know, Sulee was a member several years ago and in my opinion welcome back. Don – happy that he participated in RYLA. 40 youth attended that seemed engaged. Thanks Don. Beckie – happy that she was able to go to a park with her extended family. Feels sort of normal again (not quite yet Beckie – but better). Dan C. – His latest binge watch on TB is “Songs that Changed Music.” He commented that playing guitar is complicated. Randy agreed and then confessed that he doesn’t know how to play either. Mary: received second COVID vaccine and had a slight sore arm, in spite of the joke, this writer, made about her. She misses Laura and cocktails in the evening (because of Laura’s guests). She was reassured they will begin again. Denise is very happy that her employees agreed to donate to the club and that Dr. Streeter is here to visit today. Lynne: Not happy, software issues that will be fixed soon. She told a joke about tomatoes not being a sweet fruit, and how most of us do not have tomato smoothies. Yea, you sure? Tomato, Lemon, spices, celery, and vodka that some have in the AM. That’s really close. Andy: Apologized for being late, he is in Portland, Oregon where up to 350,0K00 have been without power. He has had internment power. Stay warm Andy. Karl: Happy family visited Richie: received his second injection had some symptoms but is doing better now. David: Has enjoyed his children doing the study at home and is a little sad they will be going back in person. You’re a great dad, David. Introduction of Dr. Dan Streeter by Laura: Dan (we use first names in Rotary, Dan) Superintendent of Marana Unified School District – MUSD). As CEO he is in charge of day to day operations and tons of employees. Previously was Superintendent at Humboldt and the HR director. He has a PhD in Education Leadership and strongly feels personalized learning is the key to success for our children. He is happy he gets his second vaccine next week. Married for 21 years, two sons from the union, enjoys biking. One son is a senior at Mountain View High School. The other son is younger and in class. MUSD has 12,000 students, covers 500 square miles, 1,800 employees and 700 teachers. He believes in collaborative partnerships. MUSD is rated high in US News and World Report, Blue Ribbon Schools, considered electronically advanced and engages in “code to the future.” A coding process for counselors in all schools. He discussed Advanced Placement Program only 1,000 in the world. The school has been hybrid, open, closed, open closed …. Sounds a little crazy making. The staff have been cleaning, cleaning and cleaning, tedious but important. Literacy needs are being met, learning critical thinking and graduates are ready to contribute to society. “Identify what is right with children and engage their strengths … not weaknesses.” Great presentation Dr. Dan. Come back again. Meeting adjourned. |
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Rotary Meeting Feb 9, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; February 9, 2021 Today began with a hurrah to our own Valentine: Peter Mack was born on Valentine’s Day and married on Valentine’s Day. Many happy wishes to him and his wife, Josie. Club Business:
Happy Bucks
Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 19, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Minutes – 1/19/21 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: John, Harold, Randy, Bob, Don, Peter, Andy, Richie, Carl, Joyce (visitor), Beckie I apologize for the tardiness of these minutes …. I was so excited about my birthday I completely forgot the minutes as well as my name and location. This was a general meeting without a presenter: Question if Denise is returning to the club ….. John will follow up with her. Dan C., and John held a meeting with the Old Pueblo club and discussed the possibility of a poker tournament. John announced a Neil Diamond concert with the Dove Mountain hosting. It will be held this Friday, 1/29/2021. Check the website for additional information. Randy mentioned his birthday and his total excitement in becoming 75. RYLA: We have two children registered and can take one more if you know a high school aged student. Dan will check with MCAT to see if they have someone. We have an opening for a student to participate in the 4-Way Speech contest. Needs to be registered by the 1st of February, 1st place is $1000.00. Please check out the website if you’re interested in referring a student. Peter visited a meeting in the UK for fun... Challenged everyone to join a meeting somewhere in the world this next week. Discussion of posting our connection information for our meetings and it was decided not to do it because we could be hacked and could experience naked people showing up at our meetings. LOL Don’s friend Carol is still interested in joining our club, but has some medical issues to resolve first. On Martin Luther King Day there is a meeting of all Peace Builder Clubs. Several members are hoping to attend. Actually, Don, Harold and Randy attended 38 attended from our district. They have a Rotary Action Group (RAG) that is a fundraising group and also acting on ways to foster peace around the world, including Peace Poles. They hold peace events and support scholars. Beckie discovered 5 guys’ burgers and sounds like she will return. Joyce went out to dinner. Richie will tomorrow receive his first COVID injection … yea. Carl wishes the new administration in DC and is hoping for peace. Andy: Hard to find happy right now (I get it), Rain is nice and is hoping the country will work together to be a “more perfect” union. Bob: completed a 1000 word jigsaw puzzle. His spouse has symptoms of COVID but actually it was a dental problem. Anyway that is what I heard. Peter: Renovating his bathroom and discovered the slab is broken under the tile. Mary: Apprehensive and hopeful for the new administration. Visited the Sandhill Cranes and enjoyed the moment. Don: Returning from NY and sad to leave his grandson behind. He has been helping Jana and her husband paint. Randy: Worried about COVID and his wife’s surgery tomorrow (she did fine by the way) Harold: Gets his COVID shot on the 28th and is happy. John: Played golf for the first time in forever. Scored an impressive 90 on the front 9 hole. Lost 9 balls but found 12. On Saturday he sat on a Prickly Pear Cactus. That’s it folks. As usual please keep needed corrections to yourself. As you know I have to write these from a few weeks ago and my retentive memory is strange. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 12, 2021Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; Jaunary 12, 2021 After the slow-motion rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance… Club Business::
Happy Bucks:
Submitted by Mary Straus, January 19, 2021 |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 5. 2021ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA MEETING MINUTES 1.5.2021 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: Harold, John, Randy, Andy, Richie, Peter, Mary, Dan C, Laura, Carl, Beckie and Don was excused, traveling. Richie was asked about his recovery from COVID 19. He is feeling better, was very ill. Lost the sense of smell, 14 pounds and was in isolation for about 10 days. Does not recommend COVID as a weight loss program. States breathing is a big deal (probably for all of us) and indicated that lying on your side or stomach and not your back is not suggested. If I were on my stomach it would resemble a child’s teeter totter but I digress. Little bits of exercise to keep the lungs working is important and unfortunately painful… He appreciated all the e-mail, texts and calls from the club during the illness. Glad you are back Richie. We learned of the unfortunate passing of Alice Rigney of a probable combination of heart disease and COVID. Not additional information is available. We all hope George is holding up OK. The annual USA/Mexico Peace Conference – to learn about global grants will be hosted by Mexico this year ….. Plans are to hold a virtual meeting lasting two days, February 13 – February 15, 2021. More information will follow and when President John receives it will pass it on to you. All are welcome to attend. Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is around the corner. As most of you know it is a three part experience, Level 1, 2 and 3. I encourage all that have not complete attend and participate in this important learning experience. You can find registration information on the District Website. Google Rotary District 5500 webpage or go to www.rotaryD5500.org. To totally complete the program you must complete all three levels. This year you can attend three consecutive Saturdays and graduate. Trust me, if you can do three Satrudays it will save having to complete three sessions over a year. We are all hoping to have a place to meet face to face in the future, not sure when. Laura promised to check again with the YMCA and see if they have room for our locker with banners, flags and other items stored within. Andy had mention he may speak with the folks at Tohono Chul again. Dan and Mary delivered Christmas dinner and gifts to our adopted family. They seemed very appreciative of the effort by our club. Dan, Randy, Laura and John discussed the Tour de Cookie and the Covid virus. Early March seems to close with the numbers of those ill increasing and shoving it into April may be too late and quite a bit warmer. We also discussed that the winter visitors are usually departed by April. The board will discuss this evening about whether to have the event this year. We discussed a virtual poker tournament. Dan is going to look into it for us and as a dry run we will have one session just for members of the club and then hopefully a full-fledged event as a fundraising event after. Beckie suggested a raffle ….. If we do that it will be important to have a large ticket item to give away. We also discussed having a 50-50 raffle virtually as well. More to discuss. HAPPY BUCKS Harold …. Spending quiet time with family. However virtually attended a birthday party for his granddaughters first birthday. She did not eat her cake, just crunched it up with her hand and presumably smeared it around. Remind you of anyone? Randy- Has the Covid blues, wants the simple pleasure of going out to a movie and maybe dinner. Oh, yes, and Hawaii as well. Working around his place. Andy – Like Randy is tired of the isolation ….. As he sits in his newly built home in Utah, with beautiful snow around the property. Sounds like a winter wonderland. Must be tough, Andy. Peter- bought a smoker BBQ and made hamburgers for his crew. Went shopping on Christmas Eve at Costco, a family tradition for years. Very wise Peter, whatever you buy will last until next year at the same time, because everything is in bulk. Good job. Mary- 2020 is gone, says she with a small tear in her eye. Feels like the chaos is still with us, politics, virus …. But we still have Mary’s positive attitude. Actually, she is very hopeful for the New Year, the possible passing of the virus and for the potential growth of our club. Dan C. - Now here is a story, each year he and friends from Heather’s bicycle club climb Picacho Peak. Dan and another fellow hiked to the saddle on the mountain. The rest hiked to the peak. Dan’s new BFF (he was a talker) decided to fall off the mountain bouncing around on rocks and yelling and such. They had to call for an extraction by a helicopter for the fellow who suffered a loss of dignity, broken clavicle and ribs. Happy New Year to this fellow. Laura – returned yesterday from New Orleans where she attending a wedding for her nephew. Had a wonderful time and is now in quarantine for a week to make sure she is not contaminated with the virus. She thanked Mary for watching her horse sized puppy, Masie. Beckie – she says that she is enjoying the quarantine….. What? She did leave the house (busted) for one client and to purchase a ham. Says she has enough ham for the New Year. Richie- is grateful that his family is healthy is worried about elderly family members and for those that are pregnant. Carl- Great to be with his family and mentioned that several of his clients have had Covid but to his knowledge none have passed away. Our fingers are crossed for you and your clients, Carl. John D., he is missing his weekly trips to Costco however that does not deter him from doctors where he received an injection in his heal (ouch) and he is now painless from tendon and muscle pain in the foot. Maybe next year you can go to Costco with Peter. We have several pending new members, one a possible transfer from the Tucson Club, another a returning member and a third that is a friend of Don Jorgensen. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE and remember …. If you find that any of my ramblings are incorrect, it’s OK, Mary will be taking notes next week. Be well and be happy. |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 22, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; December 22, 2020 Announcements:
Happy Bucks:
Program: Laura Introduced us to our very newest member, Andy Swarthout. Andy carries a degree in Economic Geology from the U of A; a degree in “prospecting”, as he puts it. He has participated in an/or led Minerals Exploration from the tip of South America to northern points of Alaska and across the world. In 1990 Andy accepted a 3 year assignment in Lima, Peru and ended up working and living there for 15 years. In the Andes Highlands he discovered the largest undeveloped silver deposit in the world. In 2000, Andy founded his company, Bear Creek Mining Corporation, from which he retired in 2017 but continues on the board. Andy has had many adventures and discovered quite a number of mineral and metal deposits in his tenure. He describes his business as high risk; with intrepid scientists, engineers, and field workers hazarding into very remote places. His means of transportation have spanned from planes to helicopter to cars to busses to burros. He has even survived a helicopter crash. Andy delighted in talking with us, however, not about his mining adventures, but about the culture of his company. Mining has a horrible legacy of indifference toward the people and environment where surface rights have been purchased. Mining regulations have begun to move toward more responsible approaches to mining. However, Andy’s company has led the charge with a model that stresses the company’s relationship with the public and the environment. This model has at times put him at odds with other mining companies. Andy illustrated this for us with, Bear Creek Mining’s relationship with the indigenous, Quechua people who live in the Andes Highlands where the company’s silver deposit is. There are approximately 25,000 Quechaus living in a 30 mile area at 18,000 feet in the Andes Highlands. Their language predates the Incans. They are a communal oriented, agrarian people whose livestock mainly consists of llamas. Their economy is based on their crops, their livestock, and wool of the llamas. They suffer poverty, malnutrition, poor education, and high mortality rates. Bear Creek Mining, Andy in particular, forged a trusting relationship with the Quechua community, listening to and coming to understand theer culture. Over time, he had conversations with all communities members and leaders about their ways, their strengths, their wishes and their needs. Together the Quechuas and Andy developed a plan to bring the community out of poverty through improved health, education, and commerce. With Bear Creek Mining support, the Quechuas transformed themselves into a healthy, economically autonomous community. Bear Creek put effort and money into its success; it built green houses, schools, and bathrooms for the community at large. It also supported the development and implementation of a nutrition program in the schools and offers college scholarships. Bear Creek even brought in a geneticist to evaluate and implement a plan for improved fiber from the Alpaca. Subsequently, it provided business micro loans, mostly to women who have the creativity and know how to produce textiles, weavings, and clothing for sale. Quechua fiber went from bringing in $7/kilogram to $25/kilogram. With their improved wool, business practices education provided by the Bear Creek, and microloans, Quechua women have become completely autonomous selling textiles known for being of the best quality in the region. They even have Italian importers in their customer base. With their greenhouses and bathrooms and education about nutrition and sanitation, health has greatly improved in the Quechua community. The mortality rate has decreased by 50%, respiratory infections by 25%, and acute infections in digestive tracts by 50%. There has also been a 6-fold increase in school attendance with corresponding improved literacy rates. There are even student who have been able to take advantage of college scholarships. Andy shared beautiful pictures with us of the Quechua people and their lives. In them it was apparent that the delight Andy exhibited in talking with us about the Quechuas was a mutual experience for them regarding Andy. Andy, a relatively new Rotarian, is someone who built a business based on the principles of the Rotary 4-Way Test. We are appreciative of the work he has done and proud to have him as a member. Submitted by Mary Straus, January 4, 2021 |
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Rotaary Meeting Dec 15, 2020ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA WEEKLY MEETING MINUTES 12.15.2020 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: Harold B., Randy, Joyce Z (visitor), John D. (president), Beckie P., Bob B., Don J., Andrew S., Peter M., Mary S., Lynne H., Laura C., Dan C., Mindy Blake (Guest and speaker RTA) Pledge of Allegiance: Harold President John stated the following will receive PHF awards in the mail. Congratulations to Andrew, Beckie, Peter and Mary. Mary, Chair of the Club Foundation went on to congratulate all the awardees and the entire club is appreciative of the effort. John asked if everyone has signed up on My Rotary yet? If not please do and help the club be the first 100% compliant club. If you are having trouble contact Harold and he will help. Slate of Officers for the Board of Directors for the RC of Marana and RC of Marana Foundations voted on and the results are: Rotary Club of Marana Board of Directors President: Randy Brooks Secretary – Andy Swarthout Treasurer – Lynne Himmer President Elect – Laura Clymer Member at Large – Mary Straus Member at Large – Don Jorgensen Immediate Past President – John Dooling Rotary Club of Marana Foundation Board President – Harold Burtzloff Secretary – Bob Bishop Treasurer – Lynne Himmer Member at Large – Beckie Penman Member at Large – Carl Maes Thank you all for offering and accepting to serve. The vote was unanimous. John is sending out information to members regarding a fundraising event for the Coolidge Rotary Club. Kingman Rotary Club requested our clubs help on a project in the Middle East. After discussion it was decided to table the request for a later date. HAPPY BUCKS Harold – Enjoying the weather and happy that his children are recovering nicely from Covid 19 Randy – Happy that so many stepped up to be board members and remarked his Diabetics is doing very well. Bob – Still in Oklahoma staying with family whom are recovering from Covid 19. Andy – Happy to be elected to the board and that he was awarded a PHF. Don – Excited that Seattle Magazine did an article on his book, “Three Worlds – One Voyage” You can purchase this book on Amazon or Kindle…. Just sayin. Peter – was excited to go to Chile and sad he unable to fly. Remember that Jupiter and Saturn will dazzle us now and into the solstice December 21. Mary – announced her niece is still Covid positive but, Mary and another niece are negative. She mentioned she is happy that the board was elected for next year. Laura – is happy that she has shopped and today is mailing gifts to her family and that they should arrive on time. Carl - Harold dropped by his office this week and picked up donated food for the needy. Lynne- Once again entertained with a funny joke about football. Dan – Crazy times at the school district... MUSD still meeting in person. Joyce – Pass John – Three of his family, first responders and pharmacist are receiving Covid immunizations this week. PRESENTER: MINDY BLAKE, OUTREACH COORDINATOR, REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY This has been a big year for the RTA and plans are being prepared for the future of the agency. She pointed out that RTA and the Pima Association of Government, PAG, are administratively the same. In order to make road improvements, build better bridges, bike paths and other efforts the voters voted for a ½ of a cent sales tax increase several years ago. For all you acronym lovers she showed us how funding works for various projects and agencies, involved in all of this ….. Here we go are: RTA, PAG, FPA HURF, FNWA and ADOT. The process: The advisory committee develops the recommendations for improvements, then they establish priorities, RTA approves or discusses, Public input is requested, Plan is reviewed, then a call for election is made (your vote). If you would like to get involved text 22828 or go to the web at www.rtanext.com. Wendy answered several questions regarding jurisdictions …… Pima County is responsible for unincorporated areas. RTA works mostly on arterial roads and projects within all the cities, municipalities, and tribal lands in our area. |
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Rotary Meeting Dec 1, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting, December 1, 2020 Everyone was in a cheerful mood on this chilly morning. We were honored to welcome District Governor, Diane Ventura Goodyear, to our club. Announcements/Club Business:
Assistant Governor Marc Snow introduced us to Diane Ventura-Goodyear DG Diane’s Rotary highlights include: presiding of the merger of two clubs; being part of a Global Team in Uganda, where she taught technology skills to women; transforming District 5500 to more sustainable technologies, involving moving trainings to online and setting up cloud-based infrastructures. These have benefited the district, clubs, and individual Rotarians alike. Diane was a computer professor and is a long-time owner of her business, The Computer Nanny. In addition to her career, Diane enjoys embroidery, yoga, and her family. She has been married to Gordon for 35 years and raised 2 children, both now young adults District Governor Diane Ventura Goodyear began with acknowledging the radical changes that were thrust onto all of us by the pandemic. She lamented that she was unable to follow through with her plans to spend significant time with “our brothers and sisters” outside the Tucson area. Diane encouraged us to continue to be cautious with in-person meetings, but also highlighted some of the benefits that have come from these challenges.
DG Diane shared with us RI President Holger Knaack’s Goals for Districts worldwide:
DG Diane further stressed with us the following:
DG Diane left us with the following: “Life is about using the whole box of crayons.” Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 24, 2020Meeting Minutes, 11-24-2020, 7:00 AM Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: President John, Harold, Randy, Andy, Bob B., Mary, Suelee, Dan, David, Don G., Peter, Laura, and Joyce Zwick Pledge was led by John. Discussion of handbags and it appears we donated over 115 bags to Gospel Rescue Mission and Sister Jose Center for Women. Both agencies appreciated our efforts. Thank you to all the Rotarians, family members and friends that donated purses, those that packed them, Carl for letting us use his office and those that delivered the purses. Dan Contorno, not to be out done, went shopping with Heather (his spouse) and shopped for Thanksgiving dinner for a family of 10 people. It was wonderful to see the photos of the food, as we all prepare to overdose on food, dessert and drinks ourselves in a few days. Thank you Dan and Heather. Christmas is around the corner and the Club (Dan, Mary and others) will shop for this same family for Christmas dinner and gifts for the family. John announces four members are not on “My Rotary” at the Rotary International site. Please update your records and visit our Rotary Club of Marana website as well. Next Monday, Nov 30, the Board of the RC of Marana will have a meeting with Governor Diane Ventura-Goodrich. The following day she will visit our club meeting so please attend. RYLA program: It will be virtual this year and the cost is only 50.00. Please encourage your friends and family to send their high school kids. There will be an In Door Ride to End Polio soon ….. Did not catch the date and planning is underway for the high school 4-Way Speech Contest as well. Happy Bucks: Harold had breakfast with John Zwick and John is hoping we get back to face to face meeting you he can join us and actually hear the conversation. Has no one shown him to hit the volume button on his computer? Harold also discussed distribution of 600 turkeys a year in Kansas and that it is hard to find a freezer that large. Randy: Happy about club projects and proud of our efforts. Andy: Happy to be back in Tucson – sad about accident on Interstate 10 and looking forward to a simple Thanksgiving. Bob B., is in Oklahoma staying with his mother in law … happy holidays Bob. Mary: congratulated Richie on the project of special air filters for disadvantaged children in the MUSD for students. Laura gave a website for a podcast that would give those of us that are challenged instructions on how to split a turkey in two, pound on it and then cook it. Ask Laura if you need help finding the website. She is also happy her brother Sister is visiting as well. They all were evaluated and practicing safe distancing. Suelee, application for membership has been sent to John D., welcome Suelee it is wonderful to have you back. Don J., Happy about the uplifting meeting and projects. Sad about the loss of a friend’s spouse. Peter: Discussed that he is happy about the holiday, will have a quiet day, glad the political season is coming to a close and glad a vaccine will soon become available for Covid. Joyce: Wishes us in the US a happy Thanksgiving (hers was in October, of course). Dan: Loved helping with the needy family and the club 300 budget was perfect. David: is happy with his family. His daughter joined the Marana High School Cross Country Team. But became ill …. However after running with his daughter he’s now in good enough shape to run in a race (Turkey Trot) himself. Go David. Richie: has a brand new puppy and reminded us to remind those that surround us. Nice John was driving to the airport with his granddaughter early in the morning and she saw her first sunrise. She was astonished and John was as well. Great story. Speaker Today: Club Foundation Chair Mary Straus Mary provided a great presentation on The Rotary Foundation and The Rotary Club of Marana: President John established a goal of $10,000 giving for club members this year. Whew, that is up from $7,000.00 last year. Let’s all help him reach that goal. She discussed how our club has participated in numerous District Grants, Global Grants and have been generous to the Rotary Foundation and our own Club Foundation. Brief discussion on the Areas of Focus: Disease Prevention, Peace and Conflict, Maternal and Child Health, Water sanitation, Basic Literacy and Community Development, Environment Our donations to the Annual Program Funds are sent to the Rotary Foundation where they sit for 3 year and the interest helps pay the overhead of the foundation. 50% of the money is returned to the district and allocated for District grants (under 8,000) or allocated to Global Grants (minimum of 30,000). The remainder of the fund donated are allocated to assist in the global grands requested by clubs. We are rated at the highest level …. 5 by Charity Navigator. A few of the things our club has done are; Coyote Trail School by building a park for handicapped children …. You should have seen the expression of sheer joy when a little girl was able to swing for the first time. Her mother and Mary beamed. We purchased a bus in India for blind children to be able to go to and from school and not be marginalized any more. We provided a school and a playground for a Primary school near Victoria Fall, Zimbabwe. Several club members traveled to Zimbabwe to assist on this project. Interestingly $16,000, was stolen via computer fraud. Randy told the club and many stepped forward to insure the project continued. $19,000 was raised in a week. And you ask why you are in Rotary? Also outside of Zimbabwe, we helped build a huge garden, watering system in a village where Randy had met a man starving …. Don J., Randy and our spouses started a program with the Rotary Club of Marana that is credited with saving 8,000 lives. We purchased thousands of dollars for books to be distributed by the Marana Healthcare system to low income pregnant women. This is just a few of the things we have done …. I think you’re getting the picture at this point. We are a generous and kind club... Nearly all of the members of our club are Paul Harris Fellows (one who has donated 1000 to the Foundation), 7 club members are Paul Harris Society Members (donate 1000 per year to the Foundation.) This month (Ending 30 November) we are matching up to 500 points for a 500 or less cash contribution. Several club members have taken advantage of this (this is off the top of my head so I apologize for any one I missed – John D., Randy, Don, Andy, Bob, Mary and Peter. Thank you and remember you have a few days to contribute before the 30th. Thank you Mary, for a wonderful presentation. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving |
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Thanksgiving Family Nov 2020Marana Rotary Club adopted a Marana Family with 8 kids as our Thanksgiving Family Dan Cortorna, long time member of Marana Rotary Club and his wife Heather went shopping and delivered Thanksgiving to the family. They were so appreciative. Nice family with 8 kids, Have a great Thanksgiving.   |
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Gospel Rescue Mission Nov 18, 2020  |
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Delivering Handbags of HopeMarana Rotary Club Delivering Handbags of Hope  |
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Handbags of Hope Nov 12, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 10,2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting, November 10, 2020 On this day before Veteran’s Day, our meeting began as meaningfully as it ended. Peter Mack honored us with a video he recently took of the Raising of the Flag over the U.S. Naval Observatory, accompanying it with National Anthem. A quick detour to announcements and then we returned to honoring our veterans. In John’s absence, President Elect Randy facilitated our meeting today. Club Business
Laura led us in a wonderful exercise today. Each of us remembered a service member in our family.
Our Program today was provided to us by our very dear Randy Brooks, who served in the Navy and Marines in the Vietnam War. Randy joined the military immediately after graduating high school. He arrived to sign up with the Navy and was asked if he wanted to be a Naval corpsman. After it was explained to him that he could be treating wounded soldiers in a hospital in Japan or Spain, surrounded by nurses, Randy eagerly signed up. I believe the words were, “Heck, yah.” After Randy completed boot camp, he was transferred from the Navy to Camp Pendleton to serve with the Marines. Randy experienced his first, short-lived, singing career while at Pendleton. His commanding officer recognized his voice from his many times passing Randy singing Motown outside of the barracks. Randy was “invited” (commanded) to sing in the Marine Corp choir, where he performed a solo in the Christmas program. As quickly as it came, his career ended, until decades later. Randy was sent from Camp Pendleton back to the Navy for hospital corpsman training where he received additional specialized training in neuropsychiatry. Following he was sent back to the Marines for Field Medical School. After serving 3 of his 4 year commitment without deployment, Randy received his orders to Vietnam and departed with the 1st Marine Division in November of 1967. Once in country, Randy stood in a line for his assignment. Randy had proven to be a soldier who tended to follow his own set of rules. Young men/boys, 19 years and younger, were sent to the front because of their eagerness and recklessness. To his commanding officer’s disappointment, Randy, at 21, fell outside the age cutoff, and was instead assigned to the 1st Medical Battalion in Danang. Danang was a bustling military city. Randy was sent to serve outside of Danang in a full service hospital where he worked in Trauma. This was Randy’s first experience with the sheer overwhelm of the endless quantity of wounded, types of wounds, severity of wounds, and the body parts and fluids involved. From Danang the 1st Medical Battalion was sent to Phu Bai to work in a smaller, satellite unit. From Phu Bai, Randy was sent with an infantry unit to Hue City. 800 American soldiers were sent to ‘clear out’ 800 North Vietnamese soldiers (NVAs) at Hue City. As the soldiers engaged in battle outside the city gates, the NVAs eased up their fire, allowing our soldiers to enter the citadel. Immediately our soldiers were surrounded not by 800 but by 8000 VMAs. The Battle for Hue City was a horrific battle that lasted 28 days. 70% to 80% of American soldiers were wounded or killed. The USS New Jersey wouldn’t initially intervene because of cultural treasures housed in the citadel. However, at length, it had to intervene as there was no other hope of our troops survival much less success. Randy reported, “We won (the battle) but no one wins.” As Randy shared this story, he revealed that he’s not done so before. After Hue, Randy spent 8 more months in the bush, finally returning home in November 1968. Randy’s War Heroes were the helicopter pilots who came to evacuate and transport the injured and dead. Easy targets, a pilot would come, get shot down, and another would replace him again and again, until the task was completed. One of Randy’s biggest thrills was, when being transported by helicopter, jumping out of the hovering craft and running into bush. Randy “came home a mess.” He drank a lot and was violent when provoked. Randy was a middle weight boxing champ and engaged those skills. He was spit on, called a ‘baby killer’ and ‘scum’, and was beaten up in a bar for being military. He, and other Vietnam soldiers, suffered two traumas: “the war itself and coming home to hatred.” Randy treated his Post Traumatic Stress Disorder unorthodoxly but successfully. He has a love for veterans, knowing they have pledged a commitment to pay any price, including their lives, to protect us and our country. We are grateful to Randy for allowing us to even slightly comprehend his war experience. We also thank Laura for such a thoughtful exercise. Both brought us closer to comprehending the sacrifices demanded by democracy and freedom. We are indebted to all who have served and to the families of those who have and are serving. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 3, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes 11/3/2020 7:00 AM – 7:45 AM Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: Harold, Randy, President John, Joyce (Guest), Peter, Bob, Lynne, Beckie and Richie Pledge by John D. Mark Snow our Assistant Governor for our region and the District Governor Nominee Designate reported to John that the Governors Visit with the Board will be November 30 and the club visit will be December 1. Please plan to attend these events. John invited all members to attend the Virtual Zone Institute for the Big West Region of Rotary that includes Zones 26 and 27 (one third of the geographic US). It will be held November 26 and 27 online. John briefly discussed various Rotary Fellowships. A few include, BREW (guess what they do) of which Peter is a member, Caravanning (former member Debbie Conover has been active with this group), Flying (Harold has been a member but dropped out cause he was not interested in some of the locations the members were flying to), Computer, PDGs (Randy is a member), Photography, Quilting, Wine (Lynne is interested in this group) Yachting (John asked if we thought his canoe would qualify) and Slavery and Trafficking is another (Mary and Randy) are members of this Fellowship). Committed to attend the Morning of Peace include Mary and Randy this coming weekend. Applications for membership: We have two people interested in joining our ranks but neither, Andy nor Sulee have completed the applications. John is following up with them. Handbags of Hope, it turns out that any local nonprofit group could be given out to those in need. Mainly abused women’s shelters but others as well. Randy is going to call: Emerge, Interfaith services, and other shelters in town. John and Bob have agreed to meet Randy to go shopping sometime next week (John may be out of town so Bob and Randy will go it alone if necessary). Beckie has 4 bags that are stuffed, Sulee has over 20 bags, and others said they have several. Please deliver to Carl Maes at Edward Jones, 3005 W Ina Rd, #101 during business work hours. Happy bucks: John entertained us with a story of having to use a feminine hygiene product when in college after a football incident during a kick off. Harold has been flying and enjoying the weather. Randy is working on a deck at home where termites have been discovered. Ugh. Peter Mack … this is good …. Brushed his teeth with hydrocortisone yesterday. He wanted to make sure we all voted and that we use the 4 Way Test when doing so. He did mention that it is unlikely that any candidate would pass all 4 items on the test. Bob … Celebrating that a company he was a consultant for just sold for $1.5 Billion dollars. Bob, will you be my consultant to? Joyce: likes the weather, has met her sales for the month, and had a terrific time with her granddaughter on Halloween. Joyce is going through a warm spell in Canada, no one asked how warm it is knowing that her warm spell would be very cool for us in Arizona. Lynne, Tax season is over “what’s an alligator wearing a vest? … An Alligator” We have missed you Lynne. John discussed his termites at him home and it sounds like an annual struggle. Randy has been asked to facilitate the meeting next week. Richie, if you would prefer to provide this service you are welcome to. |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 27, 2020ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA MINUTES 10/27/2020 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: President John, Harold, Bob, Peter, Carl, Mary, Sulee (potential new member), Joyce (guest), Randy, Don, and Richie. Pledge by Randy, who I might add did a brilliant job. John informed us he will be unavailable to lead our meeting November 7-14th. Randy and John attended the Polio Seminar and both learned more about the disease. Zone Institute: John states that any Rotarian is invited to the Big West Rotary Institute November 12, 13, and 14 of November. The student that requested to be an exchange student aged out and is not eligible. Handbags for Hope is a project we decided to support this year. It is a project that will benefit women that have been abused and have abandoned their homes for safety. They leave quickly, often with no resources. This project is to assist them by giving them hand bags that, with your help, will be stuffed with toiletries (refer to the e-mail sent by John regarding needed supplies). DGE Hank Huisking is the contact for the efforts. Handbags can be dropped off at Carl’s office during work hours. Please complete this delivery by mid-November. We are seeking a new meeting place …. John states we have a few leads and is following up. The club has opted to sell the screen and projector to Xavier at Nana’s Kitchen rather than to remove the items. Happy Bucks Harold is very happy that his daughter gave him the opportunity to have the status of being a Grandfather. Bob B. has been here in Tucson, sleeping in front of the fireplace waiting for his ballot to arrive so he can vote and get back to his spouse. Peter M, is happy to be back home from Oklahoma and Texas where few took COVID 19 precautions. Mary S is grumpy today. Discussed an app she has on her cell that is teaching her phrases she never knew. Joyce discussed Provincial Elections in Canada. Sulee: our former member is willing to help with Handbags of Hope project. Thank you Sulee. Carl: Is going to New Mexico this weekend, I think Albuquerque …. Have a safe and fun trip, Carl. Don: States he is in NY with has daughter and grandchild. Returning in time to be a poll observer. Laura is not here today (deposition) but is a poll watcher as well. Randy was going to be one but they moved him out to the airport (from Marana). We learned that Andy was busy today and unable to attend. He will be with us next week. Richie is a poll observer next Tuesday and was encouraging Sulee. He either liked or disliked the cold weather … I can’t remember which. It is very impressive to me that Don, Laura, Richie all from our club, are engaged in poll observation. Not to mention Cindy Dooling and Deb Hume whom are working the polls as well. Because of the election we are like to have a small group next week. Please attend if you can. |
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World Polio Day Oct 24, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 13,2020Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; October 13, 2020 After morning greetings and pledging our allegiance, President John began with Announcements:
Happy Bucks
Program: Randy introduced us Amy Graves, who he knows from Rotary related travels to Yuma. He describes Amy as a Rotarian who is intelligent, thoughtful, and committed. Amy is currently the Chair of Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE), which is a 3 year commitment. She provided us with an overview of the administration of RYE. After the departure of Cindy Harrison who almost single-handedly ran the program for over a decade, PDG Kirk put a pause on RYE for the District be able to thoughtfully re-organize. The District has developed a sustainable Committee model for continued success with RYE. Under Amy are a Systems Administrator, Youth Protection Officer, Outbound Placement Officer, Compliance Officer, and a ROTEX Coordinator. A new website, with all information and forms, and a new data-base system are making participation in RYE much easier for clubs. All RYE related youth activities are centralized through the district. Clubs are responsible for finding, vetting, and training host families, providing a counselor for the youth, engaging youth in Rotary activities, and reporting as required. If a club would like to participate but isn’t able to host a student, it can support another club who is able to host. The cost is $3000 per student. Inbound and outbound Rotary Youth spend 10 to 11 months with 3 different families in their host towns. They attend the local high school for one academic year. The RYE Committee has a 3-year framework for each student. Year 1 is the application process. Year 2 is the exchange experience. Year 3 is a re-entry process. In years 1 and 3, the RYE committee engages the youth in meaningful activities, preparing them for being ambassadors and, following, for being leaders in peace and service. We are grateful to Amy for her commitment to the RYE program, a fundamental means through which Rotary promotes peace worldwide. Submitted by Mary Straus, October 25, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 6, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes 0700-0800 10/06/2020 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: John Dooling, Randy B., Harold, Richie, Mary, Dan, Peter, Bob B., Beckie, Dave H, Don, Laura, Carl and our guest Andy Swarthout. Meeting Opened by John Dooling asking Richie Benner to lead us in the Pledge. The club, especially Harold and John thanked Mary in her efforts of taking and submitting minutes for the club. We have not found the young person requesting to be an exchange student and so that will be on hold for a while. Air purifiers discussed by Richie. He has purchased the machines and is in the process of creating stickers to place on the machines. Not really any opportunity for the club to attend a ceremony for the giving of the gift. These air purifiers are for the disabled class rooms at MUSD and we are all proud of the decision to make them a reality in order to assist these young people. A general discussion ensued regarding the need for us, as a club, to do better with advertising ourselves and letting our community know the good works we provide. Peace Poles: Dove Mountain has also decided to provide Peace Poles for the Marana Area. They will have one or more at a park near Dove Mountain area and ours will be at the library on Silverbell and Cortaro and hopefully at the Veteran’s Cemetery in Marana. Mary suggested we have a half day seminar when the pole are erected. Peter will be checking with the VA regarding the pole at the cemetery. Happy Bucks: Beckie, hoping to cool off this week, Dan Contorno was happy he found cool weather and a serene environment at Reservation Lake. Observed Elk, brown trout (he missed catching them), cows and bulls. Richie has been golfing and had a good front 9 and refused to discuss the back 9. Laura, has been bingeing on ”Schitt’s Creek” episodes. David H. had a family weekend, Andrew is loving his home Utah, Don said his grandson registered to vote yesterday he also mentioned he is going to New York for his grandson’s first birthday. Don’t worry Don, none of us will rat you out. Peter was traveling for three weeks in Washington, DC, missed the heat and had difficulty obtaining food. He has not been feeling well and is sleeping 13 hours a day. Get better soon, Peter. Not sure what my notes are saying for Bob. I had written “annual checkup. Battery dead.” Go back and get it charged, Bob, Geez. Harold had a medical review as well. Mary had a little break from her daughter while Lilly visited her father. Mary also enjoyed a robust game of “Cards against Humanity.” Randy is heading up to Las Vegas to visit with his son and friend Bert. Carl is hoping the weather improves. Our fearless leader, John, “went up north” for Turkey hunting and was skunked. He slept on the ground, and it felt great, that is until he realized it took several hours to stand in the morning. PRESENTATION – Mary Straus She gave us an update on the global grant we are providing to Malam Petel, Cameroon, Africa. Mary and Randy traveled to Cameroon to provide a community assessment for the project. Our project, again, located in Malam Petel is in the extreme north of the country. The project is to provide Economic Development, Women’s empowerment as well as food, latrines, school supplies, millet bank (like a food bank), tailoring and embroidering, and cattle for nutrition (milk and eventually meat). Also a large portion of this project is a grinding mill, water well and a garden. We hope these efforts will provide income for several of the villagers’, food for children, better hygiene. Those engaged in the project include the Women ’s council, village government of the village, Bouba (Chief), The Rotary Club of Malam Petel and the Rotary Club of Marana. Don’t forget clubs in Tucson that signed on to help. In spite of Covid in the village, the cattle have been purchased, two latrines completed, nut and millet grinders purchased, solar well and irrigation completed for the garden, fruit trees planted and gardening tools purchased. Fencing has been put in place. Mary wanted to thank the Rotary Club of Marana for the support, and Randy for his help. We want to thank Mary, Randy, Don, Bob and the club for all the assistance of money and time. Phil Silvers, PRID helped with measuring success monitors and we all discussed pride in the club and made a few jokes about the assessment trip and Boko Haram. |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 29, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; September 29th Guests We welcomed two guests to our meeting today. Andy Swarthout, a Rotarian with the Presidio Rotary Club, was Randy’s guest. Andy is checking out different club cultures, and we hope to see him again. Mary invited Dr. Daniel Twelker to join us. Dan is an Optometrist and has a PhD in Vision Science. He has come to talk with us about his work with Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity International. Announcements
Program: Dr. Daniel Twelker is a practitioner, a professor, and a researcher in Optometry and Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona. In addition to his career he is an avid bicyclist, traveler, and advocate for local musicians. Dan also is a humanitarian and devotes significant time ensuring that underserved people worldwide are afforded the same optical care others receive. In this capacity, he is currently the President of Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity International (VOSH International). 1 billion persons world-wide develop unnecessary blindness due to lack of eye care. Things that lead to blindness include unaddressed glasses correction, cataracts, corneal opacities, diabetic retinopathy, and trachoma. VOSH began in 1972 as a group of volunteers who believed that all people deserve the level of eye care normally afforded only to people of means. VOSH members traveled for a week at a time to various communities to provide cost-free clinics and eye-glasses, serving approximately 500 people each day. Over time and with VOSH membership growth, the places and numbers of people served expanded. Dan’s first clinic participation was in the Philippines in 1989. Other places VOSH has served include; Oakland and Alameda Counties in Ca, Honduras, Mexico, South Africa, Vietnam, Kenya, Haiti, Nicaragua. VOSH consists of local VOSH Chapters and VOSH International. The Rotary Club of Saddlebrook and Rotario Pitic, for example, coordinate with our local chapter of VOSH to provide clinics in Hermosillo. Aside from being Optometrists and Ophthalmologists with a shared vision of volunteering their time and skills to serve, however, local chapters and international are separate entities. VOSH International has divested energy from running to clinics. Instead, it has invested itself in the development of self-sustaining eye care in underserved communities worldwide and in instilling the value of service in young optometrist and Ophthalmologists Toward this end, VOSH have developed unique programs. One is dedicated to Student Involvement. VOSH encourages students to join or start VOSH Chapters in their schools. VI offers mentorships and internships and have a Chapter of the Month program. The VOSH Fellowship Program develops leaders. Graduates of the fellowship will be able to advise on the global challenge of preventable blindness. This includes the ability to foster the development of future leaders to meet the challenges of vision needs worldwide and to be able to consult with governmental agencies, educational, private, or public institutions, and the media on issues related to the mission and vision of VOSH/International. VOSH Corp, Ambassador and Mentorship programs provide short and long-term teaching and training of educators in vision care programs around the world. They also provide mentorship to VOSH groups abroad. VOSH International also has a disaster relief program. It sends volunteers to sites of devastation from natural disasters to meet immediate vision needs. We thank Dan for providing us a thoughtful and inspiring presentation on VOSH. As fellow pursuers in service-above-self, VOSH lightens our hearts. Submitted by Mary Straus, October 5, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 22, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes 9.22.2020 Scribe: Randy Brooks Attending: Joyce Zwick (Canada), Harold, Randy Beckie, John, Don, Peter, Mary, Laura, Dave, Richie, Carl and special guest Melanie Larson. We were informed the Xavier has resigned from the club. President John is speaking with Xavier about whether we will return to Nana’s Kitchen or find a new place to meet after the virus allows us to congregate. Joyce reports she has been in quarantine since returning to Canada and let us know the fines and sanctions are very still for those not complying with COVID 19 mandates from the government. Happy Bucks: Beckie is sad, missing her granddaughter. Don J., happy that an old friend Melanie is visiting and that his book about his trip to Antarctica is nearly complete. Mary is happy about how the project is going in Cameroon and very sad about the loss to America Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Peter is in Washington, DC working on a telescope, he is happy that the Chinese government finally paid his invoice, attend a vigil for RBG in Washington, and purchased a hungry man a dinner. You are awesome, Peter. Laura is happy that Jennifer Tersigni, Fundraising Executive and member of the board for Mobile Meals is attending and very sad about RBG. “You can disagree without being disagreeable.” RBG. David claims he saw a drop of rain at his house this morning, the group seems to think it was a neighbor’s sprinkler. He has been going out early in the day riding bikes. Go David. Our guest Melanie said she appreciates all that Rotary does and thank Peter for his efforts at the Supreme Court and for feeding a hungry man. She encourages to remain optimistic in this time of upheaval. Richie “my toe is healing up” and feels Christmas in the air. He thanked Laura for her work on obtaining quality speakers. Carl says the stock market is a roll coaster at this time and is excited he is going to Albuquerque to visit his mother. Mary gave a very brief review of Malam Patel, project and will provide a more through update next week. Randy reports he will be gone much of June next year, as well as all of July, August and half of September. He wanted to let the club know he discussed this with the board and reported to them that several club presidents have offered to step up and facilitate the meetings in his absence. The board approved of the plan. At this weekly meeting Randy brought up the issue to the general membership, telling them if any were uncomfortable with his trip (he will be joining the meetings via of Zoom if possible) he would resign as President elect. He will attend meeting on Zoom as well as board meetings. The club voted and approved and his leading the club from a distance next summer and support past presidents’ in assisting next summer. Laura introduce Jennifer Tersigni, Board member of Mobile Meals of S. Arizona and a Fundraising Consultant. Off the bat she thanked Rotary for a scholarship to college and the fact she was on a Group Study Exchange (GSE) to Thailand (arranged by Randy and the District). As a result of her GSE experience she became a lover of travel. She sees beauty in life and she lives to serve others. Encourages us all to remain positive. Mobile Meals was started in 1970. It was started to be an assist to “shut ins” and has grown and grown. She states that COVID has strained operations with older vulnerable volunteers leaving for safety reasons and yet she has recruited replacements for those leaving. The cost of meals is $1.00 to $10.00 per meal. They are prepared mostly at local health facilities and taken, still warm to the beneficiaries. They do not provide meals in NW Tucson, but all of the rest of Tucson is covered, as well as Sahurita and Green Valley. Parts of Marana are now being served. The Mobile Meals are looking for a CEO. Their budget is about $850,000 per year. 5 FTE staff and one part time dietician. They have 280 Volunteers and 33 routes in Tucson and need 35 volunteers each day. They provide services to elderly, infirmed, and anyone that need their services they are always seeking volunteers in interested call 520.622.1600 or visit mobilemealssoaz.org. You can reach Jennifer at jennifer@mobilemealssoaz.org. Thank you Jennifer for a very interesting presentation Respectfully submitted: Randy |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 15, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; September 15, 2020 Guests We were very happy Joyce Zwick joined us from her home in Canada. Joyce traveled back home after spending significant time here supporting her parents. We miss her father, John, and look forward to his rejoining us. We were also pleased that Carol Buuck joined us again. We’ve enjoyed her thoughtful contributions to our meetings and hope to continue to see her. We also welcomed Mike Lange, a retired Tucson native, U of A Law School grad, former Pima County prosecutor, and Laura’s bleacher-mate at the U of A basketball games. For 6 years Mike has Chaired the Board of Interfaith Community Services. Announcements
Happy Bucks
Program Mike Lange was invited by Laura to provide a program for us today on Interfaith Community Services (ICS), their services, and how things have or have not changed in the pandemic. Interfaith Community Services is a multi-faith agency. Temples, Mosques, and Christian Churches form an extensive network dedicated to serving their own members in need and the Tucson area community at large. Additionally, ICS partners with other agencies, such as Catholic Charities and Mobile Meals, so the needs of the individual or family are met holistically. The general mission of ICS is to help individuals and families stabilize and improve their lives. ICS has a staff of 22 and over 1000 volunteers serving 30,000 to 40,000 people a year. From its humble beginnings with a $3000 budget, 40 years later ICS runs approximately an $8,000,000 dollar budget. As its budget increases ICS is afforded the ability to provide more and more robust services in the areas that it addresses. It has chosen this strategic ‘deepening of services’ over expanding the types of programs it provides. The pandemic has created unique conditions to ICS, some of them assets and some requiring creative problem solving. A majority of the 1000 volunteers who were serving people in the community were traditionally elderly. With the elderly being particularly vulnerable to Covid, much of this work force was forced to relinquish their service. As the needs of the community have increased in the Covid and economic environments, ICS initially had concerns about being able to provide services uninterrupted to all who needed them. As happens in communities, however, the need was filled. Young people came out of the woodwork to step in and services didn’t skip a beat. The ICS Food Bank is a service that required reworking with the pandemic. For the safety of the volunteers and those they serve and to increase its ability to serve more, ICS shifted to a drive in and pick up service. Previously folks were able to shop for their grocery selections, which may be more ideal, but will have to wait till safer times. Other evidence of a community stepping up in times of need is in that ICS has received an increase in donations and grant monies. Federal, state and city governments have contributed more monies to community serving agencies during the pandemic; grants and foundations have been generous; and private donations have increased. Our club donated money to ICS in July, knowing it to be a good steward of the community and the monies it receives. The Core Services ICS provides are:
We are grateful that ICS is creating such meaningful opportunity and change in our community and thank Mike Lange for coming to talk with us. Submitted by Mary Straus, |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 8, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; September 8, 2020 Guests: We welcomed two distinguished guests today. Rick Chimblo, a Rotarian for over 20 years, is currently a member of the Oro Valley Club. He is a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation and an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Dima, Spain. Carol Buuck was Don’s guest. They met through Don’s wife who worked alongside Carol serving folks with visual and hearing impairment, Carol as a special education teacher. Currently, Carol is the Program Coordinator for the Marana Food Bank. We look forward to joining with her and her team in future service projects. Announcements:
Happy Buck Highlights:
Program In addition to his distinguished career as a Rotarian, Rick is a retired geophysicist and has been married for over 35 years to a woman who is his match in passion for adventure and service. They have 3 children together and 5 grandchildren. Rick was invited to talk with us about the El Jute service project he and his club are implementing with support from our club and many others The Oro Valley Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Gualan, Guatemala partnered together in a successful application for a Global Grant in Rotary’s International Avenues of Service. The grant is for a project focusing on RI's Hygiene and Sanitation Area of Focus in El Jute, Guatemala. The seeds for this project were planted in April 2017 when Rick and his wife visited the town of El Jute, Guatemala where indigenous peoples live. The town consists of 1900 residents, approximately 325 families. 80% of indigenous populations in Guatemala live in poverty, 40% of those in extreme poverty. El Jute is correspondingly representative. Rick began talking with families and town leadership, getting a feel for their strengths and needs and wants. Evident in this community assessment were competing needs; malnutrition, illiteracy, sanitation, disease, poverty. A committee of townspeople and Rotarians was formed. With all factors considered, the committee prioritized sanitation and hygiene above the others. In El Jute water is harvested from mountain streams, but it is not filtered. There are a few toilets and septic tanks exist. However, in the existing toilets, flushing isn’t thorough because there isn’t adequate water pressure. There is high frequency of disease, such as viral meningitis and typhoid, in the community, as well as high rates of infant mortality. Poor water sanitation and hygiene also impact student retention. In the school, there are no wash basins and too few toilets. 100% attendance in kindergarten drops to 13% attendance by the 6th grade. The Water Sanitation and Hygiene Committee got to work and will continue to provide oversight throughout the project. There are 3 parts to the El Jute Water Sanitation and Hygiene project:
Rick made El Jute, the people, and the project come alive for us, and we felt proud to have contributed to such a consequential endeavor. Congratulations to the Oro Valley Rotary Club! Submitted by Mary Straus September 9, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 1, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; September 1, 2020 President John opened the meeting by asking the two newest citizens of the United States to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. He then, on this September day, evoked the poignancy of the song September in the context of the climate of today: say, do you remember? dancin’ in September never was a cloudy day Guest: We were all heartened to welcome Eleana Acosta Zavala to our meeting today. Eleana is a Marana Club sponsored Youth Exchange Graduate of 2005-2006 and beloved daughter of John and Cindy Doolinig and Randy Brooks and Deb Hume. Announcements:
Happy Bucks Highlights:
President John introduced us to Eleana Acosta Zavala and to the power of Youth Exchange: Eleana, from Lima, Peru, is a beloved Youth Exchange daughter to John and his wife and to Randy and his wife. The close bonds with Eleana have extended into all of her family members; her parents and her brother and sister. The Doolings, Brooks, and Acostas have traveled back and forth between Peru and the States and have shared significant family events and travels together. Eleana, herself, is a remarkable young woman. Following her exchange, she graduated from the U of A. While there, she was an officer in the Rotaract Club, competed in synchronized swimming, and read all of Harry Potter in English and Spanish. She returned to Lima for medical school and graduated first in her class of 200. Eleana did internships in Texas and at Harvard, where she continues to be involved in research with the Harvard School of Public Health. Additionally Eleana is working with the Pima County Covid Response Development team. She is waiting to sit for the Medical Board of Examiners exam, after which she will practice medicine here in Tucson. Eleana married a Tucson man, with ceremonies both here and in Peru. She plans to reside here for the foreseeable future.   Eleana gave us a flavor for the activities she engaged in while on her exchange. Most impressive of all were the relationships she developed from these activites with the other Exchange Students who came to D5500 from other countries that same year… 
Eleana continues relationships with each of her Exchange brothers and sisters. A very impressive group. These youth and their relationships speak to the core value of Rotary Youth Exchange: PEACE. Understanding and Goodwill between peoples in the world contribute greatly to a world of Peace, and these young people spread these values exponentially when they return to their countries of origin. Host families of Youth Exchange students benefit equally. Many families have become extended in far-away countries bourgeoning mutual respect, care, and joy. Submitted by Mary Straus, September 8, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 25, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Minutes 8/25/2020 Submitted by Randy Brooks Attending: President John, Dave H., Richie B., Don J., Bob B., Peter M., Mary Straus, Beckie P., Randy B., Harold B., Joyce (Guest from Canada and daughter to John Zwick), Laura C., Carl M. Again today we discussed and did updates on projects, but first we say a resounding rendition of Happy Birthday for Carl. Whom seemed to be quite relived when it was over. So in the order they were discussed:
Whew, that seemed like a lot, but wait, wait there is more. Happy Bucks: Peter discussed the smoke off Table Mountain where he was working this week. We then started talking about fires generally and then Peter congratulated Don J. on his recognition by the US President for his volunteer work with Shelter Box. Yeah Don. Randy is happy he is going to see his son, and his friend, Bert later in the week in Las Vegas. Randy will be calling into the Board meeting next Tuesday as well as the for the Morning meeting. Harold had visit from his granddaughter. Don discussed the surprise that he received an award from the White House. He has also begun attending Rotary Leadership Academy. Congratulations. Bob from Virginia: Want to come back to Tucson to see all of us…. Come on Bob. Beckie: June Visited (I assume this is a grandchild and not dementia visiting) She discussed her work, and that the pressure is not like it was once when she was younger. Laura says, “I’m fine.” Then she went on to discuss work and COVID 19 precautions at the U of A. Concern that the students may act out over the Labor Day weekend. Richie, He is adjusting to his new job and seemed happy. Sister had a gender reveal and it’s a ………………………GIRL. He bought a bike and has been riding to the store without incidents. He found a Ben’s Bell and now has three. Carl took last Friday off for his birthday. He discussed his daughter moving to Tucson from Texas and seemed quite pleased. Joyce (remember, John Zwicks daughter) arrived July 6 and expressed interest on how Canadians and USA handle the pandemic differently. She did not elaborate. States the heat here is a little over the top. Her father is doing well and mother is vising from the rehab center five times a week. John D, shared childhood memories. Unfortunately with my own memory issues I can’t remember what he said. Sorry John. Mary S., Thanked Joyce for visiting and looking after her family. E |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 11, 2020Rotary Club of Marana : Attending: John, Harold, Beckie, Peter, Laura, Don, Bob, Lynne, Dan, Dave, Carl, guest speaker Wayne Wheeler of the Pima County Library. Absent: Mary, Randy, Dave, Richie Announcements Still looking for a youth-liaison officer – working with Interact Club, getting word out and finding a RYLA nomination. Randy is still in Washington; his wedding anniversary on August 8. Carl has a birthday and anniversary coming up later this month. John said there is no progress on where we will be meeting in person and when we will be meeting in person again. Former Marana Rotary member Maeve Johnson says “hello”. Peace Pole Project – Peter reported that he spoke with Nicole at Az Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Marana, she is interested. Peter hopes to meet with her soon. Happy Bucks Harold – staying close to home, lunch with friends at airport a couple of times a week. Peter – Spectrograph left for China yesterday, big deal. Lynne – “I got nothing.” Bob – Seeing the grandkids watching them take their first step and hear first word, “Oreo”. Carl – Thankful for family and health and good to be here with you. Beckie – Pretty normal here. Daughter’s roof getting repaired. Don – Up in Seattle, fun playing with 9-month-old grandchild, daughter and son-in-law visiting for the week. Dan – MUSD policy requires admin to wear masks. Great vacation in Idaho, west Yellowstone. Dave – School is going well for the first week. No complaints. Wayne Wheeler, guest speaker Wayne is a native Tucsonan who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NAU, received his MLS (Master of Library Science) degree from the UA, and a second Master's degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University in Newport, RI. He has worked in public and college libraries in Arizona and Pennsylvania carrying out a wide-range of responsibilities including grant-writing and grant-reviewing, and has lobbied local and federal elected officials for increased library funding. He has been with the Pima County Public Library System since April 2012, and has been the Grants and Nonprofits Librarian at the Joel D Valdez Main Library in downtown Tucson since March of 2018. In his spare time, Wayne enjoys singing, traveling, rodeo, and baseball. Wayne said he used to be at the Wheeler Taft Abbott Branch Library out here. His first job was at the Nogales Library. He then spent time in Pennsylvania working at various libraries. At the Pima County Library, Wayne is the non-profits and grants librarian. He assists non-profits to find grants. The non-profits database used to be available via on-site access only, but with COVID-19 the library has extended off-site access. Pima County has 26 libraries and uses a shared book system among the branches. Libraries have changed a lot from what they used to be, Wayne said. Libraries now offer electronic downloading music, streaming videos, and books. People are accessing content online using more than ever. Online licensing fees from publishers are more expensive than purchasing physical books, which is why “electronic” formats of books are limited to being checked out “one” at a time. Pima County Library’s values are: Education – we learn and teach every day; Service – we make an effort to serve everyone; Passion – we love what we do. Library Services are M-F, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open for computer access, too. Returned items are set aside for 3 days before being put back in publication. Services available in the open buildings include:
Phone and Online Services include:
Despite the challenging times, it was great learning about all the ways the libraries are continuing to serve its county patrons. Wayne can be reached at: Wayne.wheeler@pima.gov (520-594-5655). |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 4, 2020
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Rotary Meeting July 28, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Rotary Club of Marana Meeting; July 28, 2020 Today’s meeting opened with a beautiful, bucolic photograph of our American flag taken by our own Laura in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We welcomed two guests today. It was nice to re-welcome Janet Pipes. Janet is a friend of Bob and previous speaker on fiduciary elder abuse. We were also pleased to welcome Jill Jorden Spitz who joined us at Laura’s invitation. Of the 14 members and guests present at today’s meeting, and their represented children and grandchildren, three were CDO high school alumni, three current CDO attendees (children and grandchildren) and one a bitter Marana High School alum. Despite rivalry, a well-represented home-grown group. Announcements:
Happy Bucks Highlights
Our Program today was provided by Jill Jorden Spitz, Chief Editor of the Arizona Daily Star newspaper. Laura, a former journalist herself, introduced Jill, speaking to her ‘perfect temperament’ for such a position, being both grounded and impeccably ethical. Jill is also a native Tucsonan and cares deeply for her community. The Arizona Daily Star is an award-winning newspaper dedicated to investigative reporting, not simply news coverage. COVID-19 has had far-reaching impact on the Daily Star’s functioning; from how staff are working, to morale, to revenue. COVID has not, however, impacted the quantity or quality of reporting done by journalists and editors. One hundred percent of the Arizona Daily Star tasks are being done remotely. Business meetings have moved to Microsoft teams, journalist interviews, when can’t be done electronically, are done with distancing and masks, and photographers are using longer lenses to achieve greater distancing. There are advantages and disadvantages to the remote model. Jill’s office open-door policy allowed for spontaneous and meaningful conversations between her and all staff. Neither these conversations nor organic exchanges of ideas between journalists are able to take place currently. Without those mechanisms, both reporting and staff morale have been negatively impacted to some degree. However, most journalists have enjoyed the efficient use of time and productivity afforded by the remote work. When circumstances allow for a return to brick and mortar, the Star will likely implement a combined workplace model, with a shared work-space environment used in combination with remote work. Just prior to COVID, The Star had put their massive, 220,000 sqft, building, up for sale. Its home had once housed itself, the Tucson Citizen, and a printing press. The Citizen has been defunct since 1990 when it vacated. Additionally, a reluctant, budgetary imposed decision was made to stop operation of the printing press in 2018 and move printing to Phoenix. Sixty people lost their jobs with the close of the press, which had been particularly welcoming to people with hearing impairment where other employment opportunities aren’t. The Star’s felt loss was represented in Jill’s deportment. Needless to say, COVID has had substantial impact on The Star’s revenue. When stay-at-home orders first went into place, there was an 80% loss of revenue from advertisers. Revenue loss has become less dire since then but continues to be off by 20%. All staff were furloughed or took salary cuts. Additionally, The Star has been forced to consider creative means of generating income. 75% of revenue is from the newspaper’s printed product. While circulation is strong, printed circulation continues to decrease while digital increases. To compensate for income loss, the newspaper has implemented some programs. It is beginning to apply for grants, and it is offering Sponsored Content. All sponsored content must meet strong standards to ensure that it presents journalism in-line with the views of the sponsor by that does not support the sponsor. Other income generators that are being considered are events and marketing skills. Skills that might be offered include research writing and photography. Investigative reporting, with its research, documents, and lawyer vetting, is by far the biggest cost in reporting. The Star is dedicated to maintaining enough revenue to continue to produce this important work. Another development in the COVID environment is increased negativity toward media. In the past few years resentment toward the press has ramped up, but since COVID, the negativity has gotten much uglier. Not only are there the more typical cries of ‘fake news’, but additionally measures like trolling of commentators and reprehensible memes about reporters have taken a toll on journalists’ mental health. We are grateful the Arizona Daily Star journalists continue to persevere and serve us under these conditions. Many thanks to Jill Jorden Spitz for allowing us insight into the life of the Arizona Daily Star and of the staff and journalists who provide us with a basic and necessary ingredient to Democracy; free press. Submitted by Mary Straus  |
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Rotary Meeting July 21, 2020
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Rotary Meeting July 14, 2020 MINUTES OF ROTARY CLUB OF MARANA MEETING Submitted by Randy B, who is filling in for Mary Straus …… please don’t be to judgmental or you will be the next scribe. Attending: John D., Don, Mary Bob Laura, Dan, Peter, Harold, Beckie, Richie, Carl and our special guest Brian Clymer (brother of Laura and presenter today). Welcome Brian. Randy gave an overview of our club member’s suggestions for being engaged in our community. He and John will speak soon because Randy is leaving for a three week trip to his cabin in the northwestern US where it is so remote very little phone connection is available. Sorry my friends. Happy bucks …. I am sure I missed a few of you but gave it a college try: Dan, going to Idaho for a week fishing; for some reason Harold celebrating the quarantine (this might have been misunderstood by me). Randy going to Washington, will socially distance but attending a funeral and wedding. Bob is happy he is now $65.00 in the hole for happy bucks and is bobbing on the lake. Makes me wonder how deep the rest of us are. I will match Bob. Don is happy that he is leaving Thursday for Seattle, and overjoyed that he has completed the first draft of his book. It is about his last vacation a few weeks ago to Antarctica, Wondering if it is possible for him to relax. Mary was on the meeting as she was driving to San Diego to have a few days with friends … cool you can Zoom while zooming down the road. Laura is happy she is busy at work, please note her brother (whom she works with) was in attendance today. Lynne is excited that taxes are to be completed tomorrow. Said she was happy but while smiling was simultaneously sobbing in her granola. Peter was happy that he was on Mount Lemmon checking out the telescopes. Gave us a peek at how is looks up there. Most of the damage noticed was on the far side of the mountain. Beckie, happy her daughter is selling to her partner Jackpot Veterinary Clinic. They seem to be exploring different specialties. Richie, working on projects around the house and sees “too happy” that he has a new mattress. Carl only person wearing a tie, says his family is good. John took his teenage grandchildren fishing and seemed quite excited. He is the only one allowed to bait his hook. Guest Speaker: Brian Clymer, Esq., Attorney at Law. Brian is received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and later came to his senses and attended the U of A law school He is a wildcat through and through. He is noted for writing for the handbook of workman’s disability for the AZ Bar Association …… I know this wording is probably wrong ….. However, let’s us celebrate my attempt to be nearly accurate. He is on the Board of Directors of Legal Aid as well as a mentor to others and again, our own Lynne’s brother. Brain started by indicating the Social Security was developed to provide economic security to all of us in our golden years (I for one am not seeing the gold). Social Security Disability developed in 1950 for those whom have paid into the system could be paid in part by the contributions made by the employee while they were working. It is not SSI …. Which is for economically challenged folks. To be eligible for Social Security Disability they must; prove the inability to work for 12 months or, I assume be terminal, they must show medical records showing demonstrating the disability 3-4 months before the agency makes a decision. 75% of the claims will be denied. They may include the necessity of the claimant to see an Agency physician. The claimant with then wait another three or so months for a determination. Again the denial rate is about 90%. They are able to ask for a hearing that will take about a year. Average monthly payout is $1,237.74, a surviving spouse will receive $1194.01 and dependent children about $886.49. The process over the years has appeared to become more adversarial. Remember this is not an entitlement program. Those filing must have exhaustive documentation, letters from family are often ignored. Brian offer to see a friend of a member for no fee for an assessment. Thank you Brian, great presentation. Now about your sister ……….. |
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Rotary Meeting July 7, 2020
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Rotary Meeting June 30, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting June 23, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 6/23/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, John, Harold, Don, Peter, Randy, Mary, Bob, Denise, Lynne, Carl. Guest: Jim Nook, Oro Valley Rotary Club. Announcements: Check the District newsletter. Happy Bucks: For Lynne, who is on vacation from work is this week. Lynne's Joke: Did you hear the rumor about the peanut butter? I’d tell you but I don’t want to spread it. Reminders:
Richie expressed his appreciation to all for the hard work everyone put in this year. He was distraught about the service projects that we didn’t get to, however noted that we donated about $7,000 to various organizations: such as MCAP, adopted two families for Thanksgiving and Christmas, GAP Ministries, Peace Pole project, Interfaith Community Services, and supported Nana’s Kitchen during the pandemic. This doesn’t include the many contributions our individual members made to various annual fund and programs such as Tour de Cookie, Rotary International, and Ride to End Polio.
Mary said Richie’s district grant proposal was a really good idea and that she hoped we could re-start it. Richie said that we returned the district grant money, but the board hopes to apply a portion to executing the grant with the high school. Installation of 2020-21 Marana Rotary President In first-ever Zoom installation, Richie installed John Dooling as club president for 2020-21. John noted that we have very experienced group for the board, which includes: President-elect Randy B.; Treasurer Lynne H.; Secretary Harold B., with Randy and Mary will take the minutes; Members-at-Large are Bob B. and Don J. John then discussed ideas for membership growth and services projects, such as “CHRPA”, which stands for Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona. John also mentioned that there is a position open for a Youth Services Director. John said he plans to get and personally introduce himself to business and professional leaders, and is looking forward to this year and leading the club. Final expressions of gratitude from club members to Richie for his time as president came from Randy, who said, “Thanks to Richie for your efforts.” Mary added, “Thank you for keeping the club together during the pandemic.” Don and Denise expressed their thanks as well. And then we all gave Richie a very “Zoomy” and virtual round applause. Meeting was then adjourned.  |
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Rotary Meeting June 16, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 6/16/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, John, Harold, Don, Peter, Randy, Mary, Denise, Beckie, Lynne, Dave, Carl. Announcements:
Happy Bucks for: Carl had a nice week with family in California.; Randy went to a granddaughter’s wedding in Nevada; Happy Father’s Day to all our dads; and Beckie and her husband celebrated 50 years of marriage. Next week: Year-end wrap and installation of new Board for 2020-21. Guest Speaker: Randy Young, who spent 3 ½ years as manager of a jaguar reserve 55,000 acres in northern Mexico, Sonora, has started “La Tierra del Jaguar” (Land of the Jaguar). La Tierra Del Jaguar is 25 acres used as a demonstration site/conservation site to teach collectives about permaculture gardening because individual gardening helps reduce our carbon footprint. The goal is to create an opportunity to teach collectives to spread how create sustainable gardening. Plans include building a classroom and solar irrigation to teach classes and demonstrate how to it’s done. The long-term benefit is to decrease depredation and create a healthy ecosystem so the jaguars don’t hunt cattle. Extreme over-grazing of ranchlands has stressed the habitat, creating predator conflicts. Straggler male jaguars come up from northern Mexico because of this. Jaguars have a wide territory. The way we grow food impacts the environment in a multiple ways, and results in scarcity. Read more about La Tierra Del Jaguar here: https://latierradeljaguar.org/  |
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Rotary Meeting June 9, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 6/9/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, John, Harold, Bob, Don, Peter, Randy, Mary, Denise, Beckie, Dan. Our meeting was called to order by Richie, supplemented by a “JibJab” video of “singing and dancing” club members, courtesy of Mary. Among the announcements:
Happy Bucks
Richie then handed the meeting over to incoming President John Dooling, who noted that it was unlikely that we be gathering for installation of the new officers. Among the decisions that have to be made are whether we should do away with or keep breakfast? John said we do make a little bit of money off it, however eliminating breakfast would reduce dues by about $300. One thought is to offer Danish rolls and coffee and still meet at Nana’s Kitchen. Harold would step and be Secretary but doesn’t want to take minutes. Mary offered to help taking minutes. Denise can help with bringing breakfast rolls. Peter suggested that we adopt John’s suggestion for a bring-in breakfast to Nana’s Kitchen. |
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Rotary Meeting June 2, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 6/2/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Harold, Bob, Don, Peter, Randy, Mary, Dave, Carl, Denise, and guest Ethan Orr. Announcements:
Guest speaker was Ethan Orr, Assistant Vice President of UA Government Affairs and Community Partnerships, to discuss the UA Land Grant projects and other ways the Government Affairs and Community Partnerships Department and the University of Arizona applies science to help address issues that face our state, from eating properly to living longer. Ethan Orr told us about the land grant system because no one really understands the land grant concept, which is a distinctly American concept. The idea is that knowledge should be accessible to everyone but practical and applicable. The land grant system sets aside land and money to build universities. Orr said we often overlook that investment in education spurred both the Industrial Revolution and Technological Boom by making education accessible to people. Multiplier effect of manufacturing creates more jobs. 2.5 jobs created by every manufacturing job. 6.2 jobs created by tech job. One problem though is job concentration for a particular industry (ie, automotive). But as industries “mature”, a diffusion of jobs takes place. For example, “precision health” which uses what we know about a person's genetic code could bring about a "democratization of health". |
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Rotary Meeting May 26, 2020 |
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Rotary Meeting May 19, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 5/19/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Harold, Denise, Carl, Beckie, Bob, Don, Peter, Randy, John, Charles. Guest: Charles Heberle. Announcements:
Happy “bucks”
Guest speaker Col. Charles Heberle, who served in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot, talked about his efforts to build bridges between the US and Russia. He is third-generation Rotarian and a member of Lakewood, WA Rotary. He is also a member of the District Peace Conference. His dad was a flight instructor at the Marana Army Air Field during WW2. Col. Heberle retired from the Army, and the Russians approached him to establish democratic principles in Russia. He spent five years there and worked to establish a Rotary club. In 2006, a Russian district was formed and insisted on district dues and that was too much for members to pay. Efforts are being made re-establish the club. In all there are about 78 Rotary clubs in Russia and all of Russia is in one district. Rotary’s Intra-country Committee’s mission is to knit together former enemies through Rotary. Peter asked if the Rotary club is allowed to operate freely or is it monitored and what can we do to help? Charles’s take on Russia is that it is very much like a dictatorship, as Putin has deliberately patterned himself after the czars. The Four-Way Test, however, is attractive to Russian Rotarians. Meeting closed.  |
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Rotary Meeting May 12, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 5/12/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Peter, Harold, Denise, Bob, Don, Mary, Beckie, Randy, Dave. Guests: Rob Tommasone, DG Ellie Patterson, DG 1130 Tony Sharma (London). Announcements
Our very own Bob Bishop presented about his amazing achievements as a pilot and past president and owner of “Missile Defense” Aerial Productions Intl. Bob’s connection to Arizona goes back to his father who flew B-52s in World War II at just 21 (the navigator was 17!). After the war, Bob’s dad landed a job with Frontier Airlines and flew out of Phoenix Sky Harbor starting in 1951. Eventually, Bob’s dad started Marsh Aviation, the world’s largest agricultural crop dusting operation, which was Bob’s “playground”. He worked with his dad, who was a major influence on his life, until Bob’s father died in a crop dusting flying accident when Bob was 16. When Bob turned 20 he competed in flying races with airshow pilots. This led to a career in flying and building BD-5 jets, which are the smallest manned jets, in airshows. The BD-5 jet was plane flown by James Bond in “Octopussy”. Bob had a Coors Light Silver Bullet sponsorship, too. At one point, his company helped the Joint Cruise Missile Defense group. Our armed forces were really good at shooting cruise missiles but not sure how good we were at shooting them down, Bob said. BD jet reminiscent of a cruise missile. The Joint Cruise Missile Defense Joint Test & Evaluation was a five-year program. The inability to detect low-altitude missiles was a major threat. The BD-5 is the world’s smallest manned jet with the following capabilities:
It was an amazing presentation from our amazing Bob Bishop!  |
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Rotary Meeting May 5, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 5/5/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Peter, Harold, Dan, Bob, Don, Mary, Beckie, John, Carl, Randy. Announcements:
Updates from club members in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic:
Happy Bucks:
 Speaker next week will be our own Bob Bishop this will be interesting |
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Rotary Meeting April 28, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 4/28/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Peter, Harold, Don, Denise, Mary, Bob, Beckie, Dan, John, Randy, Dave. Announcements:
Our special presentation came from Don J. with “Antarctica: 3 Worlds. 1 Voyage.” Don and his wife embarked on an expedition cruise to Antarctica. A total of 162 passengers and crew were on board. They landed first in Ushuaia, S. America and traveled across the Drake Passage, which took 2 ½ days. South Shetland Islands were first sighting of land. They went out twice a day, sometimes on Zodiac cruises to look at glaciers and wildlife. Kayaking to see penguins, humpback whales, through ice flows, and landings. Penguins everywhere and never got tired looking at them. Leopard seals everywhere. Expedition guides gave mini-lectures about the geography, the ice, wildlife, etc. they explored Neptune’s Bellows, an extinct volcano and saw former whaling structures. They moved from day to day -- anchor and go on shore to different islands and then landed on the continent. Also landed at Port Lockroy, old observation and experimental station for the British from 1944-62. It was amazing to nature in action. They had a choice of mountaineering, camping, and kayaking but those were weather dependent activities. On the return trip, they were supposed to dock at Ushuasia on March 18th, but Argentina government said they were not allowed to dock because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The crew then steered toward Buenos Aires, and it noticeably got warmer as they sailed north. They were not allowed to dock at Buenos Aires, so they then headed to Uruguay. Docked on the 25th in Uruguay, but had to have had proof of travel, masks, gloves, and were taken directly to airport. Five days of anxiety to trying get flights home while traveling up the coast to find a place to dock. Fortunately, they made it home from an Incredibly memorable trip  |
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Rotary April 26, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Clubs in District 5500 reaching out and offering help to their communities in need at a rapid pace with COVID-19 Emergency funds and at the same time rediscovering who we are. In PDG’s Kirk Reed’s words, “In times of crisis we discover –or rediscover—who we are. Do we gripe and moan? Or do we dig deep to find inner strength? Do we feel sorry for ourselves? Or do we say, I can’t do everything, but I can do something for my community and my world.” On April 3, 2020 Rotary District 5500 issued a challenge to local Rotary clubs in Southern Arizona. “You can receive a gift of $500 today from District if you want to help your communities and neighbors in times of crisis.” Well, the clubs immediately responded AND at a rapid pace. The Rotary Clubs of District 5500 are truly PEOPLE OF ACTION and demonstrated compassion, caring and kindness as they moved quickly to extend help in their communities. Look what they did. Ten Rotary clubs decided to invest in their local food banks and pantries coming from Benson, Coolidge, Globe, Green Valley, Oro Valley, SaddleBrooke Sunrise, Sierra Vista, Superior and Valle Verde. Each of these food banks, when adequately supplied, provides daily life support for families. Rotarians said, “We can help.” Eleven Rotary clubs remembered their most vulnerable neighbors and donated to local missions, foundations, community centers, schools and youth programs coming from the Rotary clubs of Bisbee, Casas Adobes, Dove Mountain, Fort Yuma, Marana, Mountain Empire (Sonoita-Patagonia), Pantano, Rincon, SaddleBrooke, Sierra Vista Sunrise, and Yuma. These investments by local Rotary clubs will impact thousands of lives. Ten Rotary clubs filled a need of providing urgently needed supplies by making or purchasing supplies: face masks, latex gloves, sanitizer, wipes, toilet paper, disposable surgical robes and more. These supplies came from Casa Grande Daybreak, Douglas, Rio Rico, San Luis Frontera, Sierra Vista West, Somerton, Tucson, Tucson Presidio, Vail, Yuma Crossing. The Kino Rotary club said thank you to first responders and emergency room staff by delivering lunches and dinners to hospitals, police and firefighters. Two Rotary clubs connected kids and families to online learning by purchasing hot spots and data plans. These actions came from Tubac and Old Pueblo clubs. Willcox Rotary made sure cultural activities continue by empowering the Wilcox Historic Theatre to offer art lessons, concerts and STEM program online. Two Rotary clubs helped keep shelters open by responding to a sewer system crisis at a local shelter that caused 99 women and children to be evacuated and by providing support for overstressed staff at a domestic violence shelter for women and children. These clubs were Sierra Vista South and Yuma Foothills. Two clubs recognized the need to care for homeless and unaccompanied youth making it possible for them to graduate. These clubs were Catalina (Tucson) and Tucson Sunrise. From Yuma to Douglas, from Globe to Rio Rico, Rotary funds are making a huge difference in local communities. We keep rediscovering who we are as members of Rotary clubs in Southern Arizona. YIR, Richie |
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Rotary Meeting 04-21-2020 Our third virtual meeting
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Rotary Meeting April 14, 2020Marana Rotary Zoom Round-Up for 4/14/20 Attendance: Richie, Laura, Don, John, Harold, Peter, Dave, Bob, Mary, Beckie, Carl, Randy. Denise. Richie submitted $500 check from District 5500 and we received it. Lynne sent the money to Interfaith Community Services already. Randy says we need to ask IFC for documentation of how it will use the money. Randy reported that the district has already exhausted the $12,000 that was set aside for the DG. There is unused $7,000 from the DDF – and hopefully the clubs who didn’t get their $500. Tucson Sunrise Rotary is putting together a PenPal project to send a card or note to folks in senior care facilities. District Grant online seminar available. Grant process. Mary has taken it. We need it another person to take the class. Updates
 Our Second Virtual Meeting using ZOOM |
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Rotary Meeting 03/03/2020Rotary Club of Marana Announcements: The Marana Chamber of Commerce’s 20 for ’20 Guide to Marana is out. We encourage you to give a good look. Our Marana Rotary Board Meeting is moved to Wednesday, March 11, at John Dooling’s office. Happy bucks given for: Grateful for family (Carl); a Science Fair-winning daughter (David); attending Peter’s Citizenship Ceremony and trip to Antarctica (Don); feeling like “I really belong here” at our Rotary meetings (Peter) and passing his pilot’s flight physical (Harold, 54 years and counting).  Javier Avalos of Spectrum Ina Road Auto Collision was our guest speaker and spoke to us about the demand for auto and collision repair technicians. Dramatic changes in the automobile industry, such as electric cars and hi-tech bells and whistles, present challenges to the automotive and collision repair shops. Newer cars have from 32 to 40 computerized components that require technicians to test, not guess, what repairs need addressing, Javier said. To keep up with the technological advances, the county needs a robust J-Ted and J-Tech programs to train prospective high school graduates in auto and collision repair. Starting salaries range from $35,000 to $40,000, and five years’ experience could lead to salaries exceeding $75,000. New technology – self-parking cars, self-driving cars – is here and someone needs to be able to fix the technology, Javier explained. The good news is that Pima Community College broke ground in November 2019 on a new J-Tech facility for its Automotive Technology and Innovation Center. Thank you, Javier, not only for your longtime support of the Marana Rotary, but also for your 30-plus years of business leadership. Laura Clymer, Secretary |
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FEb 2020Rotary Club of Marana Marana Rotary Round-Up for 2/4/20 Announcements: Our very own John Zwick celebrated his 55th (Yes, 55th!) year in Rotary this month. Congratulations, John. Peter and Beckie observed birthdays this week. Happy Birthday! With only 29 days in February this month, it should be easy to wear your Rotary pin every day. Consider yourself challenged. Ever clever John Dooling noted that Peter, our resident stargazer, stabilized the precariously perched projector with tape and commented: “It still doesn’t work but we can see the farthest points of the universe.” Indeed! Happy bucks given for: our visitor Martin, Bob Bishop’s return, MCAT’s success (on track to have 100 grads in May), b  icycle riding, shooting stars and the night sky. MCAT Principal Denise Coronado introduced Student of the Month Bright Cox, who attended breakfast with her mom Summer Cox. After struggling academically at MHS, Bright found her place at MCAT where she’s consistently been on the on Honor Roll. Bright thanked her mom for always being her ally. Bright has been a model of persistence and perseverance at MCAT. She hopes to become a dental assistant after graduating from MCAT. Our final presentation about a microloan program in Hermosillo, Mexico came from our own Randy Brooks and fellow Rotarian Gary Friedman. Randy and Gary traveled to Mexico to learn more about the Sonora Mexico Rotary Microcredit program. They visited 10 businesses wh  ose owners have used the microloan program to start-up various businesses, such as selling cheese, tortillas, cosmetics, and clothing. In existence for about 12 years, the program is the No. 1 microcredit source in Sonora, Mexico. FinReg, a for-profit financial institution services the microloans (up to $500). FinReg looks for potential borrowers in the rural parts of the northern Mexican state. A group of borrowers consists of five to seven aspiring entrepreneurs. The program teaches participants how to run a business, the cost of credit, product pricing, and how to calculate income, expenses and losses. Ninety percent of the borrowers are women; 70 percent live in rural areas, and 70 percent renew their loans. Marana Rotary Round-Up for 2/11/20 Announcements: John Dooling reported the PETS (President-elect Training Seminar) held in Los Angeles was a compelling program that was very well done. “A lot of effort went into the program,” John added. Of note, coming up: Rotary Day of Peace on April 4 (register here: https://rotaryd5500.org/Stories/day-of-peace-april-4-2020 ) and Rotarians at Work Day on April 25. Happy bucks given for: Gem Show (traffic) almos  t over, visits from extended family, desert rains (and subsequent desert blooms), Mary’s cookies, playing music with The Defenders, and swinging golf clubs on your birthday. We welcomed Rotarian visitor Tom from Burton, MI., who shared a bit about his club. Tom, a Rotarian since 1983, retired after 34 years as an educator. His club raises about $5,000 each year through a “feast” where tickets are sold for $125. Our own Bob Bisho  p was honored for becoming a Paul Harris Fellow, which signifies that he’s given a total of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. “I’m very happy to give to a group that actually helps people,” Bob said. Club president Richie Benner, field director for the Catalina Council of Scouts, BSA, shared the latest developments of the Boy Scouts organization, including the launch of new programs for girls, the exit of the LDS church youth, and the likely filing of Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Richie also described the variety of programs offered, including Sea Scouts, Venturing, Exploring, and STEM Scouts, and noted that local Eagle Scouts contributed 30,000 hours of community service projects last year alone. Marana Rotary Round-Up for 2/18/20 Announcements: Peter Mack’s Citizenship Ceremony is set for 1:30 p.m. on February 21. Happy bucks given for: Wine festivals, sold-out cookie booths (way to go, Beckie), beautiful mornings, the U.S. Naval Observatories in Chile and Flagstaff, Shelter Box, our Navy visitors, and the g  lorious weather. U.S. Navy Commander Douglas Pratt, commanding officer of the USS Tucson, told us about the primary missions of the fast-tact submarine and its crew. The USS Tucson is home-ported at Pearl Harbor. At sea 70 percent of the time, the USS Tucson conducts reconnaissance, surveillance, and special forces operations for the Navy. The enduring mission of the U.S. Navy is to promote and protect peace, CDR Pratt said. One of the primary missions is to keep sea lanes open for trade. CDR Pratt noted that 26 percent of U.S. jobs are tied to global trade, 26 percent of U.S. manufacturing depends on exports, and 20 percent of U.S. agricultural products are sold overseas. Currently, the Navy has 290 ships in its battle force, with hopes of adding another 65 ships. Primary areas of concern include the South China Sea and the Black Sea. Joining CDR Pratt were LTJG Alan Schaefer and LT Jacqui Maxwell. Marana Rotary Round-Up for 2/25/20 Announcements: Registrations for Tour de Cookie are behind last year at this time. Please do what you can to promote the race. Upcoming dates of importance: April 4, Rotary Day of Peace; April 18, Four-Way Test speech contest; and April 25, Rotarians at Work Day. President Richie Benner handed out a list of possible community service projects for us to consider. Happy bucks given for: Poker night winnings; watching the Rodeo Parade with grandchildren; remembering “Show Tuesday” and the fa  mous Pancake Race in Liberal, KS; applying for an American passport; and glorious weather. Former engineers Phil and Nancy Rink shared with us their “novel” approach to writing books that target fifth- to eighth-graders who have difficulty reading. Phil has written and self-published nine “Jimi & Isaac” books, which boast “big ideas using little words” and promote the importance of problem solving. Big publishing houses focus mostly on literary books and books that can be “marketed”, Phil said. Phil wants the books to be similar to the “Tom Swift” book series from 1910 to 1941. The “Jimi & Isaac” books are about 125 pages and use short words and sentences to encourage young readers. Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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The Ride to End Polio 2019RTEP Final Results The Ride to End Polio (RTEP) results are in! We raised $4,930,956 in the Ride To End Polio 2019. Here’s the breakdown... $822,805 in cash contributions (EndPolio.org, Rotary Ideas, Facebook and checks mailed in) $410,423.13 in District Designated Funds $410,423.13 in World Fund Match Total - $1,643,652.00 (No Gates match) $4,930,956.00 with the Gates match That puts our cumulative total at $58,233,506! Truly Amazing! Great job District 5500 for putting on such an amazing, International event! We had a total of 120 riders riding on behalf of Rotary in the road ride. Much thanks goes out to those 120 riders. And, we cannot forget our wonderful Indoor riders. The 357 Indoor riders raised $101,142(not including any matches). Even though El Tour did not host an Indoor ride, Charlotte Harris did. Thank you Charlotte for orchestrating and organizing such a successful Indoor ride this year! So, what’s new for 2020? Well, change is in the air. We have already booked the new Pre-Ride Dinner location in the Atrium at the Viscount Suites on Broadway. Plus, we will have a block of rooms there for any out-of-towners who want to stay close to the action. We are working on a new fundraising platform, there will be a new route for the Ride, and many more improvements. So, stay tuned and keep an eye on the Ride To End Polio webpage for updates. Thank you to everyone who helped make the RTEP 2019 such an amazing District-wide event and success. Natasha Wrae District RTEP Chair |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 28, 2020Rotary Club of Marana Announcements: With four members celebrating birthdays, we opened the meeting with a robust singing of “Happy Birthday.” President Richie Benner noted that he, Denise West and Laura Clymer participated the Rotary Leadership Institute training on January 25, and Mary Straus served on the faculty. Richie and Denise have completed two of three sessions. Rotary Community Service Day will be April 25, so save the date and mark your calendar. Happy bucks for: Our our guests, personalized “Happy Birthday” serenades from Carl Maes, beautiful weather (compared to Alaska this time of year), the approaching Gem Show, and an upcoming citizenship ceremony (2/21/20) for our own Peter Mack who somehow duped us ;) into letting him become a citizen. I will vouch that our country is getting the better end of this deal. Let’s just hope we can keep up our end in these precarious times.  Guest speakers: We welcomed back U.S. Border Patrol officers Jesus Vasavilbaso and Sergio Leones Jr. Both are assigned to the Tucson Sector, which runs for 262 linear miles along our border with Mexico from the Pima County line to the New Mexico state line. A total of 3,900 agents with the federal government patrol the sector.Vasavilbaso and Leones noted some of the arrests and drug seizures that have been made recently and made public through news releases. Additionally, as of December 25, 2019, the Border Patrol had rescued 243 crossers for the year. The Tucson Sector has 34 rescue beacons, which can be activated by desperate or abandoned crossers. Vasavilbaso also explained that drug cartels often control how, when, and where undocumented immigrants are going to cross the border. The cartels target vulnerable people who want to immigrate to the States for a better life, Vasavilbaso said. The population of crossers has changed as well with more people from destabilized and violent Central American countries. The officers also noted that they are seeing an uptick in dubious claims from the crossers seeking asylum with children, prompting immigration officials to conduct DNA-swab tests to verify whether the minors crossing with adults have familial ties. Finally, the officers noted the decrease over the last 10 years in marijuana seizures as compared to the dramatic increase in narcotic seizures as drug cartels increase their efforts to push heroin and fentanyl into the U.S. Presumably this is to capitalize on the opioid crisis, fueled in part by the over-prescribing of pain medication that was marketed aggressively by pharmaceutical giants, as pain med-addicts turned to heroin and fentanyl. Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 21, 2020Rotary Club of Marana We had the pleasure of welcoming a visiting Rotarian all the way from London, Tony Sharma, DG for Rotary District 1130. Tony felt right at home as Mother Nature delivered a steady, driving rain during our breakfast meeting.  Tony told us about two service projects that his Rotary club has sponsored: 1) a global grant which set up a fire station in Ethiopia using a refurbished fire truck; and 2) a double-decker “Shelter Bus” which travels around London and makes various stops to provide food, clothing and counseling to the homeless. The “upstairs” of the bus has clothes that the clients can pick out for themselves. Impressive projects, no doubt. Announcements included:
Happy Bucks flowed for the rain, the rain, and the rain. And more bucks showered down for our visitor from the U.K., our own Carl Maes for speaking about the “Secure Act”, for visits from children and grandchildren, for hikes, and jazz concerts. Lynne’s joke was lighthearted and garnered laughs and a few groans: “I went to see my financial planner and asked him to check my balance. He tried to push me over.”  Carl Maes, our resident financial planner, presented information about the “Secure Act”, which went into effect January 1, 2020. While the long-term implications are still being determined, Carl said one of the main take-aways is the increase in age for the required minimum distribution from 70 ½ to 72. Additionally, you can keep contributing pre-tax dollars into a traditional IRA or Roth until age 72.The Secure Act also increased the incentive (from a $500 to a $5,000 tax credit) for small businesses to start-up retirement plans for employees. If you have questions or need more detail about how the Secure Act impacts your small business, check in with Carl. Carl also reminded us that it is important that you update your beneficiaries because many of the changes could end up affecting them. Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 14, 2020Rotary Club of Marana  At our breakfast meeting we joyously welcomed back Bouba Hamadon, who was in town visiting and to express his appreciation for the successful securing of the global grant for the Malam Center in Cameroon.“I’m here to acknowledge the hard work of the club for the global grant, and in particular Mary (Straus) and Randy (Brooks),” Bouba said. “Now the burden is on us. Thank you on behalf of the village the Rotary Club in Maroua. We appreciate the help and the commitment.” An additional $4,000 from us will go Malam School Center project, and Marana Rotary President Richie Benner presented that check to Bouba as well. Announcements from our merry morning included:
We doled out “Happy Bucks” for seeing grandchildren, for completing the first international trip of the year (Peter Mack, of course), for Bouba’s visit, for the Rotary Foundation, and for feeling like “it’s home here” at the Marana Rotary club meetings (Bouba). Deputy Pima County Attorney Jonathan Mosher returned for another presentation in his series, “How Not to Get Away with Murder.” This time, the featured case was “State v. Joshua Lelevier”. Lelevier of Vail was convicted of first-degree murder of his 13-year-old stepdaughter. Mosher, who is running in the Democratic primary to replace retiring County Prosecutor Barbara LaWall, emphasized how the county attorney’s office is using technology to create a visual story of what happened for jurors. Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary. This version corrects three mistakes in the first version sent out. My apologies. |
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Rotary Meeting Jan 7 2020Rotary Club of Marana After two “dark” weeks to celebrate the holidays, we rang in 2020 with a joyful breakfast meeting featuring lots of warm greetings and guest speaker Jana Jorgensen, FBI special agent for the New York Field Office. John Dooling subbed for President Richie Benner to run the show. We also welcomed Alaska Rotarian Martin who has recently moved to the Silver Bell and Ina area, and is looking at local clubs. Announcements included the following: • Dan reported that he’s likely finalized the Tour de Cookie route. We need more sponsors, but the ride is coming together. It was suggested that we order Marana Rotary t-shirts to wear so that riders know who we are. • Mary reported that our Global Grant totaling $33,000 for the Cameroon project got fully funded! John thanked Mary and Randy for their “tremendous efforts in shepherding it through.” Great work, Mary and Randy! • The Rotary Leadership Institute will be January 25th. Sign up to register here: https://rotaryd5500.org/event/rli/ “Happy Bucks” were offered for the New Year, for holidays spent with family, for winning at “high stakes” poker (John), for her daughter’s recovery from being kicked by a horse (Beckie), for everyone who made the holiday season special, and for our guests Jana and Martin.  We were thrilled that member Don Jorgensen used his special connections to score a very special guest, FBI Special Agent Jana Jorgensen. Jana delighted us with her story about how she decided to join FBI after serving as a prosecuting attorney in Seattle. The two-year FBI application process required three interviews, three physical fitness tests, and a lie detector test. Her training at the FBI Academy at the facility in Quantico, Virginia (https://www.fbi.gov/services/training-academy) included being pepper-sprayed, tactical training, and classroom training. Special Agent Jorgensen explained that the FBI has 56 field offices, plus satellite offices. After graduating, the new agents rank the field offices by preference. Jana was assigned to New York City, the biggest field office. Specifically, Jana has worked the Metro Safe Streets Task Force, and her team conducted the search of Jeffrey Epstein’s mansion after his arrest. We won’t mention the super-creepy stuff the team found, but I think we all can agree it was super creepy, and the world’s a better place without that person being in it. Special Agent Jorgensen also kindly disabused us of the notions that FBI trainees at Quantico wear stylish training outfits (as seen on tv), that the FBI barges in and takes cases away from local law enforcement (story arc as seen on tv), and that FBI field offices have state-of-the-art technology with touch-screens and fancy graphics (as seen on tv). It was a gentle reminder that separating fact from fiction simply requires talking with a first-person source! All in all, it was a grand start to the new year and the new decade. Happy 2020! |
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Rotary Meeting 12/17/2019Rotary Club of Marana Hi Again, With no notes and with a head cold that blocks out 50% of all sound (added to my 25% hearing loss) I shall try to reconstruct what happened at today's meeting. Attendance was less than robust, but those who attended seemed to know the Pledge of Allegiance well enough, if not the lyrics to We Wish You A Merry Christmas. There were few announcements, Randy had one, believe it or not, but dang if I can recall what it was. I had one, urging someone to step up and be our President Elect for 2020/2021. Hey, it is a do nothing job, plus for being president the following year we will send you to Taipei, the capitol city of Taiwan for the 2021 RI Conference. You know, Formosa, as it was called when John Zwick was a little boy. David? Denise? Beckie? Randy? Buehler? Buehler? There were three jokes thanks to Lynne's two and Richie's solo contribution. All were one liners and I remember thinking they were funny, but unfortunately that is all I can recall.  The Club presented a check to GAP Ministries, the largest Foster Care program in Pima County. Jason Ayers represented GAP and received the check of $1,100, which constituted 100% of our net proceeds from our poker night a couple of months ago. By the way, the big winner that night was an 80 plus year young lady who gave a lot of her winnings to adopt a family through GAP Ministries. Again, a big thank you to Dan Contorno for leading this fund raiser. By the way, GAP qualifies for the Foster Care State Tax Credit should you be so inclined. Next up was the Executive Director of the Marana Chamber of Commerce who was representing the Marana Food Bank on whose Board she sits. President Benner presented Audra Winters a check from our club in the amount of $800. Audra replaced Ed Stolmaker, a former member of this Rotary Club, last February.Happy Bucks did occur, but my mind is a blank. I know, tell you something you did not already know. I can't even recall what I was happy about, so do not feel slighted if you had a really good Happy Buck thought and it did not get recorded.  Our own Don Jorgensen was the presenter today and spoke on an organization he has supported with time and money for several years, ShelterBox, USA. Begun as a Rotary project by a Club out of the UK, ShelterBox has grown by leaps and bounds over the past ten years. Stepping in wherever there has been catastrophic natural or man made destruction ShelterBox has made a name for itself rivaling organizations such as Red Cross and Red Crescent. Necessities such as tents, tools, blankets, solar lights and even personal water purification systems have been given to over a million people in need. Don noted our club has generously donated the $1,000 needed to sponsor na ShelterBox several times in the past, but not last year. He is hopeful we can again this year.Don would have had more time for his presentation had not Richie opted to read Dr Jorgensen's lengthy and impressive resume. This cut about half an hour from the presentation. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NO MEETING NEXT TWO WEEKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! First meeting in January 2020 will be an agent of The Federal Bureau of Investigation. You felons have been warned. Wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Your's Truly, John the Scribe |
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25th year aid station Our 25th Year Aid Station for El Tour De Tucson  |
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Rotary Meeting Nov 19, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Geared up for the El Tour and cranked up for Rotary “Quizmania”, our club demonstrated that we are a competitive lot, even at 7 o’clock in the morning. Our El Tour aid station is ready for action and located at Moore Road and Camino de Oeste. We had a spirited “Quizmania” that had club members matching wits for accolades and chocolates. But first, Assistant District Governor Marc Snow visited and presented information about the Rotary Vocational Fund, which qualifies for a state of Arizona tax credit. The Vocational Fund pays for vocational training, which goes directly to the institution on behalf of the student. Marc noted that in 2018-19, the Vocational Fund served more students than ever before (nearly 100), but had to defer funding about 25 students. Demand continues to rise, Marc said. Marc also talked about how rewarding it is to watch the impact of the Vocational Fund grants. Locally, the Pima County program “Job Path” is a pipeline of qualified students. Marc added that another $30,000 to $40,000 would go a long way toward meeting the demand. The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona is 501 (c)(3) non-profit, organization and a Qualified Charitable Organization, which means a taxpayer may claim a donation as a tax credit up to the allowable amount on her or his Arizona personal income tax return. To learn more The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona and its local impact, check out this story from the Arizona Daily Star. Mary Straus finished up “Foundation Month” with “Quizmania” of Foundation facts. We split up into three teams and battled for glory. Team #1 emerged the winner, beating out Team #3 in overtime. But in reality we were all winners in the end for having learned about this important way to make the world a better place.  Team 3 (from left): Beckie, David, Denise and Lynne. |
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Rotry Meeting Nov 12, 2019
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Rotary Meeting Nov 5, 2019Rotary Club of Marana What a start to November it was. We had our MCAT Student of the Month in attendance. Rotarian Marie Andree Zachrisson visited us from Nueva Guatemala Rotary Club. Plus, guest speaker Susan Friese shared with us the amazing work Literacy Connects.  The MCAT Student of the Month was Alexis Falcon, who was joined by her mother Irasema Teran and family guest Cody Hudson. Student Support Coach Laura Garcia attended as well as Principal Denise Coronado. Ms. Coronado explained that Alexis had a really hard time in middle school and got distracted socially. It was Mr. Todd, her math teacher who realized that Alexis needed specialized support in math. Once that was in place, Alexis began to thrive. “I also saw that I couldn’t do anything without my diploma,” Alexis said. She’s on track to graduate in December. She’s “deeply grateful” for her mother’s tough love and thanked the Club for selecting her Student of the Month. Alexis plans to pursue the culinary arts after graduation.  From Literacy Connects, community outreach coordinator Susan Friese explained some of the life-changing programs of the Tucson non-profit, which works for social justice through reading literary and creative expression.The “Reading Seed” Program, in its 25th year, focuses on creating lifelong learners. Over 1,600 students have been served. Sessions allow for one-on-one work with a reading tutor and a free book after each session. Why is early childhood reading so important? “Because it from kindergarten to third grade that children learn to read, and from fourth grade, they are reading to learn,” Friese explained. Literary Connects outreach includes:
Literary Connects has an annual budget of $1.9 million, and relies on about $1.2 million worth of volunteer time. More than 110,000 books have been donated through Literacy Connects. Literacy Connects is a qualifying charitable organization for the Arizona tax credit. We offered up Happy Bucks for our guests Alexis, Susan and Marie, near perfect attendance, and sunrises. Lynne’s joke struck a familiar chord for many of us: “I would do my math homework but I’ve got my own problems.” The club's Rotary Foundation Director Mary Strauss also presented the first of a three-part informational series about The Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Foundation, with a $1.2 billion endowment, funds district grants, global grants, Rotary peace scholars, and polio eradication efforts.  Guest Marie Andree Zachrisson from Nueva Guatemala Rotary Club. |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 29, 2019Rotary Club of Marana The best and the brightest the The Rotary club of Marana has to offer gathered for a Trivia contest last Tuesday at Native Grill and Wings two doors down from Nana's Kitchen. Randy and John D were also able to attend. We knew it was going to be a fun evening right from the start when, after a half hour, we still could not figure out how to operate the gizmos. Eventually we divided into two groups, Peter Mack (a surprise attendee because riots in Chile have shut down the country) vs the rest of us. Just kidding. Actually, Richie dominated the entire evening. Even when he quit playing out of boredom I lost to him the next three games. Maybe he had the "master" gizmo? You know, like the teachers workbook with ll the answers? The 10 dozen wings were great of course and, although thoroughly stuffed, we managed to wolf down two magnificent pizzas. Did not know they had such tasty pizza. It was a good thing we had a private room as Harold, Deb Hume and Cindy Dooling tended to be quite boisterous. Not to mention the Benner family. Yes, Einstein, er, Richie brought his whole family! New member applicant and Rotary raffle aficionado, Vince, joined us as well. The Jorgensen's bowed out at the last minute in order to listen to a play by play call of the birth of a grandchild. Deb and Geary Conover reported they would attend, but alas were no shows. Next time I get Hindman or Clymer on my team because I think I could have challenged the machine's answers given the right attorney. |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 22, 2019Rotary Club of Marana  With all members in attendance*, our guest District Governor Ellie Patterson delivered a message worth remembering: Never lose sight of Rotary’s local and worldwide reach, and our ability to change our community and therefore, change the world because “Rotary connects the world.”  Joining Ellie was assistant governor Marc Snow. Also in attendance was Vince Reilly, who recently moved to Tucson from Texas. Vince is a Realtor with Tierra Antigua Realty. He’s also a lucky fellow because he won the raffle and then pulled a “Joker” for half the pot! “Happy Bucks” were doled out for “being in the club”, for Ellie and Marc attending, for “installing a telescope in Connecticut (Peter, of course), for good fall breaks, and for “what dreams may come.” We settled on a new date for Tour de Cookie, which will be March 14, 2020. Mark your calendar. District Governor Ellie then spoke to the club about Rotary, our district, and our club, and the ways we can continue t  o make an impact and how we can grow our membership. At the district level, Ellie said she sees “1-50-1” – 1 district, 50 clubs, 1 team. A collective leadership team at the district level combined with individual team members will continue to propel Rotary forward. Folks join Rotary because they are people of action who enjoy connecting through fellowship and purpose, she said.The question becomes: How can we grow more and thus accomplish more? While visiting every club in the district, Ellie said each club is unique, especially with its acts of kindness. It’s important, though, to ask ourselves, how do we attract and retain members? What would we stop doing? What would we change? What is the one thing I would do? One way to attract and retain members is to remin  d folks of what we do to change our community and the world. For example, Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio globally have been largely successful but the costs have risen because vaccines have to be delivered to remote and politically sensitive locations. Local, district, and global grants allow us to target specific needs within the local community and across the globe.In closing, Ellie reminded us that Rotarians like to “break things” – from breaking the seal of a polio vaccine, to breaking the cycle of poverty with local grants and community service, to breaking the record for consecutive years providing an aid station for El Tour de Tucson, to the MCAT student who breaks into a smile for being named “student of the month” by our club. With that inspirational closing from Ellie, we adjourned full of pep and purpose! |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 15, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Meeting Minutes 10/15/19 Guests: Candace Greenberg, artist and educator, was introduced to us by Randy. We all enjoyed her kindness and enthusiasm. Announcements:
Happy Bucks:
  Today’s Program was presented by Yanick Hicks who spoke with us about Leadership Development Yanick Hicks is a delightful young man and pharmacist who spoke with us about the development of leadership and its importance. He began with a quote from his mentor and friend John Maxwell: To be influential, smile, share, give, and turn the other cheek. Following this opening, Yanick shared his story of emigrating from Cameroon with family to the United States at age 16. His transition to high school was difficult; he wanted very much to fit in but was picked on because of his accent and difference. This period changed when he was introduced to alcohol, night clubs, and marijuana. He quickly became socially engaged and had a group of friends. While he felt happy, his grades plummeted. This young man, who had sites on becoming a pharmacist and who had been taught to work hard and to care for his community by his grandfather, no longer cared about his goals, his future, or service to his community. Having little hope of being accepted to any university pharmacy program after high school, Yannick nonetheless applied to 5 schools. While waiting for responses, a friend recommended and sent him a link to a video. It was a life changing experience for him. A talk by John Maxwell on leadership, growth, and development. Yannick immediately started reinvesting in himself. He stopped drinking and smoking, and committed himself to making a difference in his own and others’ lives. Yannick was accepted by one pharmacy school. While completing his program, he found his true passion was in leadership. In addition to being a pharmacist, Yannick sought out John Maxwell and eventually joined his organization training on leadership, personal and organizational growth, and development. Yannick shared with us gems of his trainings:
The Lid refers to the maximum capacity or robustness of one’s leadership skills.This Lid limits the degree to which an organization under your leadership can be creative, effective, and grow.
Yannick closed his talk by emphasizing the importance of striving to make a difference in the lives of others. Without this perspective, one’s leadership will be very limited and self-serving. The Rotary Club of Marana expresses our appreciation to Yanick Hicks for an inspiring presentation. Submitted by Rotarian Mary Straus, 10/15/19 |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 8, 2019Rotary Club of Marana We received good news from the El Tour de Tucson folks – our aid station remains on the route and in the same location. Folks should plan on helping the entire day, Saturday, Nov. 23, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Our service project coming up at the end of month will be Saturday, October 26 at Emerge! Center Against Domestic Abuse. Save the date, and plan on helping from 8 a.m. to noon. The Poker Tournament to benefit the Foundation and GAP Ministries drew about 30 players, including a half-dozen or so from GAP. We’re still crunching the numbers but bottom line is: Everyone had fun. We had “happy bucks” for finding a forever home (Beckie) to feeling young because it only takes 10 minutes to get ready for Rotary (John) to our “crisp” mornings and lovely fall-feeling weather. Our MCAT Student of the Month was Jayden, who unfortunately was unable to attend. MCAT Principal Denise Coronado and social studies/history teacher Mr. Bowen joined us on Jayden’s behalf. Ms. Coronado explained that Jayden attended six different elementary schools growing up and four different high schools before settling in at MCAT. Jayden works 30 hours a week as well. Congratulations, Jayden! Randy Brooks led our “Growing Membership”, Part 2 discussion. Membership depends on recruitment and then retention. The consensus is that our club has a strong and active core, however we’ve lost numbers because members have typically moved away for job promotions (ie, Tony Hunter). On the survey, everyone said they are willing to invite a friend or colleague. Many of us are attracted to Rotary's emphasis on giving back to our community. Randy suggested it is important to tell people what Rotary means to you, such as listing our local service projects and emphasizing that we are professionals who develop friendships and connections. “Why we join may be different than why we stay,” Randy noted. Various members then responded to what persuaded them to join Rotary and stay in Rotary:
Randy then handed out some “homework”, the “Identifying Prospective Members Worksheet” that we are to complete. The worksheet prompts us to think about our professional and service contacts. Please complete the worksheet. Our next “Growing Membership” discussion will be November 12, when Mary Strauss leads the workshop. Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Oct 1, 2019Rotary Club of Marana With a turn of the calendar, our first October meeting began with a series of important announcements:
"Happy bucks" ranged from coaching a youth soccer team (David) to servicing a telescope on top of a volcano (Peter, of course), from selling a “good” Jeep (Randy) to morning temperatures in the low 60s (Harold), and all points in between. Lynne made a “funny” joke* about lawyers, and because the Club secretary is a lawyer, it shall not be repeated here … in the law, we call that exercising “judicial discretion”.  Our guest speaker was Trevor Edwards, the Community Recruitment Program Coordinator for Pima County’s Community Justice Boards. “Restorative justice” is the philosophical underpinning of the program. The purpose is to focus on at-risk youth who have been arrested for non-violent infractions and divert them a 90-day, non-punitive program that focuses on the impact of their actions and creates individualized plans to help them gain strategies and skills to make better decisions for their future. About a 100 community volunteers serve on Community Justice Boards. A total of 19 boards operate with their neighborhoods across Pima County, Trevor said. In fact, Trevor noted that Vail, located east of Tucson, was starting its new Community Justice Board on October 24. Each board uses a team approach to develop a set of consequences for each youth. Consequence plans may include letters of apology, community service, empowerment groups, educational programs, or creative- and career-based projects. Volunteer projects include working with Ben’s Bells, mural artists, and the Tucson Youth Poetry Slam. Victims are heard from as well through Victim Impact Statements. Children, aged 8 to 17, who are first or second non-violent offenders are eligible. The top offenses are possession of marijuana and property damage. The program boasts a 94% completion rate, with only a 5% recidivism rate. Parent report a 98% satisfaction rate with the program. Trevor’s informative talk gave no time for questions, but he left us with lots of literature and an understanding of how restorative justice works in the real world. Thanks, Trevor! Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary * Question: What do you call 25 lawyers skydiving? Answer: Skeet. |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 24, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Our Global Grant was funded (!) -- after nearly two years, from inception to final approval – thanks to visionary efforts of our local members Randy, Mary, Don, Bob, Phil, and Bouba. Mary, who did much of the grant writing’s heavy-lifting, reminded us that the grant will fund six, economic-based development projects for the village through three different industries: tailoring, milling, and ranching. Sewing machines will be used tailoring and embroidering work. A nut and wheat grinding will mill food products for the grain “bank”. A cattle ranch will produce milk to supplement the diets of schoolchildren, with the excess milk sold at market. A vegetable garden will be located next to the school. Separate from the Global Grant, our club has raised another $3,000 for a much-needed latrine project as well. Well done, everyone. Well done! Joining us at our meeting was guest Gwen Henderson, who is a business development professional, and Gordon Wainwright, a Rotarian from the Saddlebrooke Club. We approved a $500 donation to the Marana High School “S.O.S.” Fund, as well as a Shelter Box donation for $500. Both passed unanimously. Guest speaker Gordon Wainwright told us about his club’s 22nd annual “Fore for Kids” golf tournament, which tees off April 13, 2020, at the Oro Valley Country Club. Last year’s tournament raised $30,000, bringing the event’s grand total to $500,000 raised over the last 21 years. Proceeds help fund several exceptional programs, including: Teens Sew Cool; Math Plus; Little Hooves, Big Hearts; First Tee Tucson; Connections Learning; and a Make A Wish Foundation wish. Entry cost is $150 per individual or $140 per person for a team of four. Sponsorships cost $1,000. Gordon issued a special challenge for all golf-playing Rotarians to compete for the “Best Rotary Team” honors. Grab your clubs and sign up for the 2020 "Fore the Kids" beFore it is too late! Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 17, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Our mid-September meeting kicked off with a bevy of announcements and happy bucks, and concluded with informative presentation about the critical role the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Securities Division plays in educating and protecting consumers from “too-good-to-be-true” investments and scam artists. Randy Brooks reminded us to mark our calendars for the following upcoming events: “Denim and Diamonds” event on 11/9 and a special screening of “Breathe” at The Loft on 11/26. President Richie Benner said the Catalina Rotary member Anita McDonald was selected a District Governor Designee for 2022-23. Happy Bucks ranged from “a nice trip to Illinois” to new puppies, from UA Football finding its defense to a “good” Jeep for sale, and lots of other tidbits to be happy about in between.  Investor Education Coordinator Terri Alexon drove down from the Arizona Corporation Commission in Phoenix to describe crucial work performed by this state agency. Ms. Alexon has worked for A.C.C. since 2002. The Securities Division registers and regulates “securities” which are investments, such as stocks, bonds, commodities, mutual funds, and any other number of ways of entrusting money to another person. The Securities Division employs about 45 folks who work either in Registration and Compliance, or Enforcement. The Enforcement staff employs police officers and attorneys to investigate and prosecute securities violations. One local scam investigated by the Enforcement staff was based right here in Marana. Terri said the Enforcement Division relies on tips from engaged citizens who can leave confidential information on a tip line. The division typically has about 100 open cases at a time. Ms. Alexon then shared three “red flags” consumers should be on the lookout for when evaluating an investment product: 1) If it sounds to good to be true, then it probably is; 2) If seller is pressuring you to buy, then be wary; and 3) If the product targets the elderly. The #1 victims are “Baby-Boomer” men. You should “ask and check before you invest” or “verify before you buy”, Ms. Alexon suggested. To verify registrations, file a complaint or ask about statutes and rules, folks can call the Duty Officer at 602-542-0662, or email to securitiesdiv@azcc.gov . After Ms. Alexon’s informative presentation, we adjourned. -- Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 10, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Was it the presence of our first MCAT Student of the Month of the new school year? Or, the inspiring reminder of Rotary’s foundational connection to peace building across the globe? Conceivably, it was because 9-10-19 is a “palindrome” day. The confluence of all three buoyed our spirits and made for an uplifting breakfast meeting. After announcements, fellowship, and “happy bucks”, Principal Denise Coronado  from MCAT introduced us to Student of the Month Alexas Rowe, who was joined by her Grandpa Bob and Grandma Linda. Ms. Coronado explained that Alexas had fallen into the wrong crowd at MHS, but found her path at MCAT where she is on course to graduate next May. Support from her grandparents and her stepmom Sharie has made a big difference in Alexas’s turnaround as well.Mr. Oliver Bowen, a social studies/government/history teacher at MCAT, said Alexas positively exemplifies three “As” – attendance, academics, and attitude. “She was frustrated with the pace of classes, but empowered herself to learn,” he said. Mr. Rowe added that Alexas has matured into an independent learner and is individually driven. “She’s learned how to ask.” Alexas, after thanking the club for the award and opportunity, said she’s interested in nursing or forensic science as possible careers after graduation. Rotarian Chris Jo  hnson then spoke to us about Rotary’s peace building history and in action. He reminded us about Rotary’s long-standing commitment to peace building, which dates back to 1921, and the 1940s when 49 Rotarians participated in the drafting of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights.The Rotary Foundation awards up to 100 fully funded Rotary Peace fellowships for either the Master’s Degree program or the Professional development certificate program at Rotary Peace Centers. The purpose? Peace building. Conflict resolution. Mediation. Bridging cultures. Chris said there are not enough applicants from the U.S. The Master’s Degree program is offered at Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill in North Carolina. The Certificate program, which takes three to six months to complete, requires 10 years of professional experience. Chris then encouraged us to nominate candidates. “We make peace happen,” Chris concluded. Want to learn more? Here’s the link to Rotary’s Peace Fellowships: https://www.rotary.org/en/our-programs/peace-fellowships . After these inspiring stories, we adjourned. -- Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Sept 3, 2019Rotary Club of Marana Tony Hunter opened the meeting one last time before he moves to Phoenix with a song and a club favorite – “Yellow Submarine”. We sang along as we best as we could remember the lyrics, and all reports are that it was much improved from the first time the club sang it. President Benner reminded us that November 9 is an important day because it features the Foundation Day Workshop (free of charge) from 10 a.m. to Noon at Habitat for Humanity, 3501 N. Mountain Ave., followed by the “Denim & Diamonds” fundraiser beginning at 6 p.m. at The Playground, 278 E. Congress, in downtown Tucson. Cost is $60 for Rotarians; $50 for non-Rotarians. To register for either event, go to our district’s home page: https://rotaryd5500.org/ We then shared “happy bucks”, and a laugh for Lynne’s “riddle”: 30 cows 28 chickens, how many didn’t? (Answer: 10). Our club’s membership has slipped a bit, due in large part to changes in life circumstances for several members. Randy, Mary and Laura attended the district’s membership training a month ago, and the trio came back with some ideas to gauge membership satisfaction, to assess club effectiveness not only recruiting new members but also “re-recruiting” or keeping current members engaged, and to think of new ways to grow. So, instead of a guest speaker, we spent the remainder of the meeting reviewing a membership satisfaction survey that Randy asked us to complete. Some of the recommendations from the survey included: requiring committee reports once a month, sending out a reminder about our guest speakers, offer different levels of membership, and consider a change in meeting venue. Reviewing the results of the survey led to really good discussion, and a desire expressed by members to work on finding ways to strengthen our club. Mary then distributed a two-page “assessment” of the club for members to complete. This self-assessment was a tool provided at the district-wide membership training. Mary will compile the results and report back later. Once the “membership trio” has the results tallied, it will be put on the regular meeting rotation for discussion. On that note, the meeting adjourned. |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 27, 2019Rotary Club of Marana A bittersweet meeting it was as we heard the news from past-President Tony Hunter that he has accepted a job with the State of Arizona in Phoenix and will be moving to the state capital in September. Tony will work as a government transformation officer, a similar position that he held with the town of Marana, only a larger scale. Tony’s last meeting with us will be next Tuesday, September 3.  Tony, a Marana Rotary member for five years, told us that it has been “amazing” to work and serve with our club. Tony will hand over the reins as Project Lead for our aid station at the El Tour de Tucson, as well a bunch of club supplies stored in his garage! Tony plans to stay involved in Rotary, but added, “This club is special.” Well, this club thinks Tony is special. Our happy bucks reflected that sentiment as members expressed how happy they were for Tony and his wife and their new beginning in Phoenix. John Dooling, on the other hand  turned his happy bucks to “sad” bucks because he won’t be able to have breakfast with Tony anymore and steal the bacon off Tony’s plate. In all seriousness, John said he was happy for Tony and wished him the best. Other gratitude bucks for the recovery of a friend from a heart attack (Harold) and an 8-foot by 12-foot by 5-foot moving “pod” filled with $70,000 worth (wow!) of in-kind donations of children’s clothing for needy families (Rachel).Our guest speaker Jason Ayers from GAP Ministries explained about the start, growth, and extent of the faith-based, non-profit that serves the greater Tucson area. GAP began 20 years ago when Jason’s parents moved to Tucson and converted their garage into a food pantry and opened their home to foster a child. Today, GAP is the largest foster care provider in southeastern Arizona with 10 group homes for about 100 foster children and teens. GAP also runs a 55,000 square-foot food warehouse that supplies food to 15-20 non-profits for distribution, and a “stuffs” warehouse that 30 non-profits “shop” to help support their individual missions. “We do what we do because of our faith,” Jason said. Additionally, GAP has a “second chance” program that offers full-time, 10-week training programs in auto mechanics and culinary arts. Both tracks provide skills-based training and certifications that help program graduates land jobs in their chosen trade. GAP’s commercial kitchen partners with Flowing Wells School District’s Title One schools to provide hot meals for the after school programs. The Gap Garage is a for-profit auto repair shop that funnels its profits back to GAP Ministries. Several weeks ago, our fellow Rotarian John Dooling brought the club’s attention to GAP’s need to raise $500,000. Jason Ayers explained why there was a shortfall, and noted that since that appeal for funds, donations totaling $250,000 have cut GAP’s gap in half. And on that positive note, the meeting was adjourned. -- Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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Rotary Meeting Aug 20, 2019Marana Rotary Round-Up for August 20 After being called to order and the Pledge, President Benner got right down to the business of announcements, which included: 1) Sept. 21 is the District Leadership Retreat (no registration fee) at the Habitat for Humanity offices on Mountain Avenue; 2) November 9 is the Foundation Training event (also free), followed by a Country Western “Extravaganza!” that evening at The Playground in downtown Tucson; and 3) April 25, 2020 is service project work day. Top “happy bucks” for:
Denise won the raffle – no joke. Really, there was no joke off because Lynne was absent. Our guest speaker Jonathan Mosher, chief criminal deputy prosecutor for the Pima County Attorney’s Office, returned to present, “How Not To Get Away With Murder.” Mr. Mosher’s presentation centered on a relatively recent case, State v. James Lapan, which was also featured on “Dateline.” The case was particularly interesting to members because it happened in Marana. Mr. Mosher explained the theory the county attorney’s office pursued, including Lapan’s likely motive, and used multiple slides showing where detectives had collected forensic evidence, including lots of DNA evidence from blood on Lapan’s jeans and matched shell casings, from both the victim’s house and Lapan’s residence. Mr. Mosher explained that it has become important tool for the County Attorney’s Office to use visual presentations at the trial for the jury because of the complexity of prosecuting murders. For example, it is easier to show a visual representation of the probability (or improbability) of a DNA match because folks generally have difficulty grasping really big numbers, such as a trillion (1,000,000,000,000) versus a septillion (1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000). [Peter will you verify, please?] The sheer amount of DNA and forensic evidence and a strong theory about Lapan’s motive made this case a pretty clear example of how not to get away with murder, Mosher concluded. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 a.m. -- Submitted by Laura Clymer, secretary |
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. 
El Tour de Tucson, Aide Station review- excellent participation was acknowledged from the Dove Mountain club, maybe 8 members helping out. Need more people in the future, being the first station for both the long ride and short rides, masses stopped at the same time. Need more tables and definitely, more porta-potties. None were delivered so the church porta-potties had to be used. Long lines resulted. Laura and Adisa were enormous help. It was noted that the Dove Mountain tee shirts were awesome, and Sulee offered to provide mock-ups for our club’s consideration. Everyone commented on our awesome signage.
Randy reported that he completed his ride in 3 hrs 50’ and 30”; thirty seconds before the imposed deadline. Ibuprofen is working well. Deb left him in the dust.
