THE CENTERS FOR HABILITATION (TCH) July 16, 2025 - A small group of Kyrene Rotarians (Dave, Lourdes, Rich, and Yoshi) attended a meeting to receive an update on the services and plans for The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) from Dawn Hocking, Director of Development. The Kyrene Rotary Club has been supporting this organization for several years and this year they contributed $4000 to the organization. Also, two club members contributed another $10,000 to help with support for TCH. |
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TEEN LIFELINE June 3, 2025 - Morgan Hines and Luis Barcelo from the Teen Lifeline organization gave us an overview of the activities and operations of their organization. The organization has existed since 1986 and has found that teens are far more willing to talk with other teens. Over 46,000 teens contacted the organization via call or text in 2024 - 1 in 3 talked about suicide. The presentation they gave to our club can be seen by clicking HERE |
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ASPERGER'S INSIGHTS May 27, 2025 - Dayna gave us an informative presentation on various aspects of the Asperger's Syndrome. The photo shows Dana's grandmother, Dana, President Dave and long-time member Harry. |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS May 20, 2025 - Joy Klein, the Executive Director of Treasures 4 Teachers (T4T), gave us an update on the many changes that have been made to this organization over the past year since she joined the organization.An overview of the current staff can be found by CLICKING HERE
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$4000 for Treasures 4 Teachers |
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CEE & GLOBAL RESOLVE |
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HIGHER OCTANE HEALING April 29,2025 Rotarians Yoshi Budiyanto and Dayna Gustke present Shelbe White of Higher Octave Healing with a check to help support their work.Speaker Shelbe White, CEO, Higher Octave Healing, a Tempe based organization that provides music therapy to those who need it. Board-Certified Music Therapists use their specialized training in music, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, human development, and related fields to help people improve their physical, cognitive, social, and psychological well-being. Find out more about this organization by CLICKING HERE |
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CLEANUP April 26, 2025 - Dayna, Dave, Doug and Jackie helped clean up LoPiano Park in Tempe as part of the Az Rotary Service Week. |
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$600 for Higher Octane Healing |
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MILL - RECYCLE April 07, 2025 - Today, Erik Chazin from Mill RCITY told us about their major recycle/recovery project here in the Valley. He described their operations and philosophy. They have existed since 2023 and are rapidly growing.Quote from a customer - "Ask anyone who’s lived with it: Mill makes you feel good. Because you’re not putting garbage into the world. Because your home smells clean. Because you’re not wasting food — or time." CLICK HERE to learn more - also check out this write up by CLICKing HERE
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DELIVER MORE DICTIONARIES April 1, 2025 Teacher Molly Ryan at C. J. Jorgensen Elementary School reports, "The kids loved the presentation, and they LOVE their new dictionaries!" Rotarians Rich and Sharon delivered dictionaries to third graders in classes of Ms. Ryan and Mr. T. |
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DICTIONARIES GALORE March 27,2025 Teacher Danielle Wilkins and Rotarian Rich are helping students at Cesar Chavez Leadership Academy find "bloom" in their new dictionaries. Students were so excited with their new dictionaries that many of them took the dictionaries with them to lunch so they could look up more words. |
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DELIVER DICTIONARIES March 20, 2025 - Dave and Lourdes delivered over 100 dictionaries to the 3rd graders at JFK Elementary School. An excited noise level rose as kids opened their books and began exploring.Unfortunately, this year the delivery of dictionaries to all Roosevelt schools was very slow, but all will be completed soon.
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WOMEN IN ROTARY TEA PARTY March 20, 2025 - Over 80 people attended the District 5495 Women in Rotary Tea Party. Kyrene Rotary Club members, Barb Feder and Jackie Wasik, are with the featured speaker, Deepa Willingham. Deepa is a past Rotarian of the Year and founder of PACE (Promise of Assurance to Children Everywhere), an organization established to combat human trafficking. She also helped found a school for girls just outside Calcutta in India. She is a remarkable woman with lots of inspiring deeds. |
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JUSTA CENTER March 18,2025 - Susan Perez gave an excellent description of the "Justa Center" organization in Phoenix. The Center is a resource and day center exclusively for seniors experiencing homelessness. It is located at 10th Ave and Jefferson. The Human Services Campus is a collaborative of 16 partner agencies with the mission of ending homelessness everyday.
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TREASURES FOR TEACHERS March 15, 2015 -The KRC had a good turnout at Treasures for Teachers on Saturday 3/15 and then went out to lunch. Jackie, Dayna, Fred, Rhoda, Scott, and Susan worked on journals. Doug, Stan, and Dave assembled some shelves, screwed together a few bookcases, moved boxes, and tested donated appliances. |
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PAUL HARRIS FELLOW - SHARON H. March 15, 2025 - President Dave presents the Paul Harris Award to new member Sharon for her generous contribution to Rotary. Sharon received a very strong round of applause for her generous gift. |
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HALL OF FLAME February 26, 2025 - About a dozen members of Kyrene Rotary and their guests visited the Hall of Flame Firefighting Museum in Phoenix, near the old Legend City site. Our tour was guided by Gary Bohling, Sr. Volunteer Docent, who is a former fire chief and Rotarian Rob's brother-in-law. The museum galleries contain a wide variety of exhibits, including fire apparatus, artwork, uniforms and equipment, firemarks, alarm room equipment, and a large fire safety exhibit which includes a two room safety house, a mini-theater, and many hands-on exhibits for children. The National Firefighting Hall of Heroes honors American firefighters who have received a national award for heroism, and we also recognize American firefighters who have died in the line of duty. |
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AMPLIFY VOICES February 18, 2025 - Amanda Schneider, Executive Secretary, gave us an informative overview of the organization. Amplify Voices was created to empower individuals who have been silenced, misunderstood, or oppressed. The organization now helps them share their stories powerfully and concisely, stand in their truth, and use their voices to break down stigmas, foster understanding, and drive meaningful change in their communities. More information can be found at https://amplifyvoices.org/about
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3D PRINTING January 7, 2025 - Tonight we had John LeBeau and his friend Don join us to give us some insight into the status, history, and future of 3D Printing. President-elect Yoshi is taking a closer look. John told us that 3D printing has been around for over 20 years and it continues to rapidly improve both with respect to processes and materials. While John was telling us about the various kinds of head and bed motions, he was printing out a simple model - took about 30 minutes. Very impressive. Thank you John and Don - we hope to visit your facility in the near future. |
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WORKING AT TREASURES 4 TEACHERS November 16, 2024 - Andy, Stan, and Harry happily put all their skills together to assemble stuff at Treasures for Teachers today. A small crowd of Rotarians but up to the challenge. Thanks guys.
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20th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION |
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IMPACT OF NEW A/C REFRIGERANTS October 15, 2024 - Club member John Lamont gave us an overview of what the impact of new refrigerant requirements will be on our air conditioners. The new refrigerants are changing from R22 to 410. Daiken is leading the industry regarding the global warming potential of air conditioning. The testing will be more stringent and all support equipment has to change. Baseline efficiency will increase by 80%. Club members expressed a keen interest in the subject and peppered John with lots of questions. Thanks John for keeping us aware of what's going on in your world. |
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISIT October 1, 2024 - District Governor Michelle Holcomb visited the club. She gave us a brief update on several issues including specialized license plates, Rotary's focus on the resurgence of polio and the availability of IRON LUNG LAGER to support Polio Plus.On another note - dictionaries are arriving tomorrow and will be labeled at Dave's house on Sunday October 6 in the afternoon.
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MADE TO SERVE, MADE TO LAST August 27, 2024 - Steve Trimble, a Rotarian in the Tempe Downtown Club and a Professor of Practice in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Arizona State University, gave us an overview of many of the projects he has worked on - an impressive list indeed. He told us about the Order of the Iron Ring which was originally a Canadian organization. He wrote a book of poems dealing with engineering entitled "Made to Serve, Made to Last: Poems and Thoughts of an Engineer". He read us a few of his poems before answering many questions from a very interested audience. |
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NEW MEMBER STEVE August 12, 2024 - Doug (filling in for Dave) presented new member Steve with his permanent badge. Welcome Steve! |
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ETHOS OF AI - (BOOK BY JOE D) July 23, 2024 - Joe Danielewicz gave us a very interesting presentation related to Artificial Intelligence (AI). He made his presentation relevant to Rotary beginning with "Artificial Intelligence & the Rotary 4-way test. He then went on to talk about "Utilize AI to promote Human Flourishing". He talked about AI needing regulation like the FDA and talked about AI governance. Joe's presentation resulted in many questions from the members. Joe concluded by giving his latest book to our newest member, Steve. His book is titled "The Ethos of Artificial Intelligence - Using AI to promote the good life while avoiding harm". His talk is summarized in a handout that is available from our club upon request. Many thanks Joe for an excellent presentation! |
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T4T - CHAIRS & WALL HANGING Jul 13, 2024 - Andy and his crew assembled 42 chairs and hung a metal lattice on the wall |
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THE CENTERS FOR HABILITATION (TCH) July 15, 2024 - Scott, Doug, Rob, Stan, Rich, Sharon, and Lourdes visited TCH in Tempe today. Dawn and Heather gave a presentation on TCH and a tour of the Tempe facility. TCH owns 5 group homes in Tempe and provides day time support for adults with developmental or physical disabilities. TCH also provides contract services to military bases across Arizona. We toured their secure document destruction division and as well as the TCH grounds. |
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MEMBERS - NEW AND DONOR  July 8, 2024 - At today's meeting of the Kyrene Rotary Club, new member Stan was inducted by President Dave, and Rich received a Paul Harris Rotary Pin from Dave for his generous donation. We welcome our new member and express our thanks to Rich for his generosity. |
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ANDY RECEIVES ROTARY AWARD May 20, 2024 - Club Member Andy Wangstad receives a Rotary Pin, from President Dave, for his financial contributions to Rotary International. Kudos to Andy for this continued significant support of Rotary and contributions of time and effort to our club. |
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VISITS TO AZStRUTS AND STARDUST April 30, 2024 - Several members and a couple guests of the KRC visited AZStRUT and Stardust on Tuesday, April 30. Most of the group met afterwards for lunch at Ted's Hot Dogs just down Broadway from the 2 organizations. AZStRUT is a 501c3 non-profit that supports Az technical education as well as community efforts towards a more sustainable future. They accept used electronics and reuse, recycle, or divert as much as possible. The effort started with help from Intel and Motorola. Current efforts include a technology camp that concludes with donation of 1500 laptops to a Phoenix area school. Stardust is a material reuse non-profit with the goal of “starving the landfill.” They accept working donate appliances as well as having several “deconstruction teams” to reclaim materials from homes. There was a broad range of home improvement materials ranging from wine coolers to doors to fireplaces to cabinets; well organized, at good prices.  |
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BEGINNING A BUSINESS April 23, 2024 - Dylan Valenzuela talked about how he started his new business, I C.A.N. WELLNESS, after working with/for an M.D. for 14 years. I C.A.N. Wellness is a medically supervised wellness program that provides a method to optimize the patient's health and wellness through dietary strategies, nutritional counseling and blood analysis and body composition testing. Dylan described his philosophy and method of working with patients. He puts a heavy emphasis on regular, detailed conversations with his patients. His new business is thriving and growing. His presentation generated lots of discussion with club members. |
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TEMPE CORRIDOR - JENNIFER ADAMS April 08, 2024 - Jennifer Adams (Tempe Vice Mayor) and Brooke St. George visited the club and got a surprise. Dave and Lourdes brought eclipse glasses and shared with visitors and Olive Garden staff. Jennifer reviewed the Safety Corridor program that Tempe has deployed. The primary focus is to reduce late night drag racing. It involves cameras and coordination with the neighboring cities of Mesa and Phoenix. Police are identifying drag racers and tracking them for later arrest. No high speed pursuit is planned. They are also using surveillance at gathering places like Circle K's to disperse crowds before they form. Tempe as well as most Valley police forces are understaffed so they are trying to avoid crowd control activities. The program has been active for several months, and they are preparing initial reports to determine its effectiveness. |
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NCAA OVER TIME - BILL PERKINS
 April 1, 2024 - Club member, Bill Perkins, gave us an overview of the NCAA from the 1990's, early 2000's and what has happened since then. His presentation included the changes made in NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) over time. It was an excellent presentation that generated many questions and lots of discussion. Thank you Bill |
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TRUSTARIAN - MIKE TANNER March 26, 2024 - Mike Tanner, member of Phoenix West and the founder of trustarian, gave us a good overview of what the trustarian organization does and how it came about. Trustarian is a website that all Rotarians can use to promote their business or let everyone know that they are available as mentors. A member listing can be free, or "Enhanced" ($20 per month) or "Deluxe" ($30 per month) depending on the amount of information in the listing. There are currently 140 registered users. Mike is moving "trustarian" into two other districts - 5500 and 5520. He is looking for help to recruit members and manage the site. See the website to connect to a youtube video that explains the process. |
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GRANTS SEMINAR - DOUG & DAVE March 23, 2024 - Doug and Dave attended District Grant Training on Saturday for our Dictionary Project for next year. |
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AVNET March 04, 2024 - Rich Ward, the former president of AVNET Computer Group, gave us a brief history of AVNET, what it's major products and services are, as well as an explanation of how his group moved from LA to Phoenix. It is an amazing company with extremely high ethics. Rich is a true renaissance man who flew jets for the Navy, owns his own sheep farm that is totally off the grid, loves sailing and camping. We didn't have enough time to have a longer discussion with Rich but I'm sure we will have him return later in the year. |
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CLUB ANALYSIS - WHERE ARE WE GOING? February 19, 2024 - Member Rich led us through a discussion to develop an understanding of who we are and where are we going as a club? The results of the discussion (on a white board) will help us develop a strong brochure that can be used for recruiting new members, as well as for soliciting donations to our foundation. |
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HABITAT - ASSEMBLE CABINETS February 17, Doug, Bill, Rob, and Dave assembled cabinets at the Tempe Habitat for Humanity Restore. |
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RICH HAMILTON - ROTARY BENEFACTOR February 5, 2024 - President Dave, presented Rich Hamilton with a Rotary Benefactor award for his recent contribution to the Rotary Foundation Benefactor Program. |
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TEEN LIFELINE January 22, 2024 - Two representatives from Teen Lifeline, Luis Barcelo, and Nikki Kuntz, gave us an excellent presentation About Teen Lifeline. The organization began in 1985 to try and address the teen suicide problem in Arizona which had the second highest suicide rate in the country. Teen Lifeline trains teenagers to answer calls from troubled teenagers - last year there were 44,000 calls. Using peers to help has been a very successful approach. Callers are helped in any number of crises, not just suicide. Teen volunteers receive 80 to 100 hours of training and answer calls from 3 to 9 pm, 365 days of the year. Teen volunteers work 15 hours per month and stay with the organization for over 3 years on average. They receive no state funding and thus depend on organizations and individual donors for support. Their budget is $1.6M Our club gave them $1000.Their presentation was very well received an generated a multitude of questions.
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ASSEMBLE CHAIRS AT T4T January 19, 2024 - Three club members, Dave, Doug, Andy, along with 3 friends assembled several chairs at Treasures for Teachers on Friday. As usual, the organization was very grateful for the support from the Kyrene Rotary Club. |
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SAVE THE FAMILY - PRESENTATION + CHECK January 8, 2024 - Lynette Stein, Chief Development Officer for Save the Family, gave us an overview of the current status of the organization. Treasurer, Rob presented her with a check from our foundation for $2000. We are pleased to be able to support such an active and worthy organization. |
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DELIVERING DICTIONARIES November 3, 2023 - Doug and Dave, were the first to deliver dictionaries to the Roosevelt School District this year. This was a unique experience because the teacher made a video of the event. Click HERE to see the video. |
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STARDUST BUILDING SUPPLIES October 30, 2023 - Karen Jayne, Chief Executive Officer of Stardust Building Supplies, gave us a good overview of how her non-profit organization functions. They have a permanent staff but rely on assistance from volunteers. They have been in the Valley since 1997. Stardust is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. They operate two reuse centers for home improvement which sell gently-used, salvaged, and surplus building materials at affordable prices. Additionally, they provide deconstruction services that salvage building materials, divert waste from landfills, and support sustainability in the community. Karen's presentation was well received and generated many questions. Our Kyrene Rotary club will explore ways in which we might volunteer with this organization. |
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LABELING DICTIONARIES October 15, 2023 - 5 members of the Kyrene Rotary Club and our exchange student, Lotte, labeled dictionaries at Kline's house. The dictionaries will be delivered later in the month to 3rd grade classes in the Roosevelt Elementary School District. The photo shows Lourdes, Doug, and Lotte. |
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THE CENTERS FOR HABILITATION UPDATE October 9, 2023 - Dawn Hocking, Director of Development for The Centers for Habilitation (TCH), gave us an update on the status of her organization. Our club also presented her with a $6,500 check in support of their programs.The TCH mission statement is: At TCH, we support some of the most vulnerable people in Arizona. We ensure the more than 23% of Arizona adults with developmental or physical disabilities have the support and opportunities they need to live life to the fullest. From helping adults with disabilities develop critical life skills to guiding them through career training with the goal of independent employment, we offer Arizonians with disabilities the tools they need to make their own choices, improve their abilities and gain control of their lives.
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR KEVIN PITTS October 02,2023 - Today we had a visit with our District Governor, Kevin Pitts. He gave a very informative presentation which generated many questions from the club. Kevin Pitts is the District 5495 Governor for 2023-2024. Kevin Pitts joined the Rotary Club of Prescott in 2004 and has been an active member since, both at the club and district levels. His experience living in Mexico City over 12 years gives him ties to that country and he has followed that passion, serving as international service chair for his club and as the co-chair of the Mexico USA Friendship Conference and Global Grants Exchange. Kevin and Elizabeth are Rotary Foundation major donors and benefactors. His passion for the Rotary Foundation is focused mostly on global grants and he has participated in numerous projects, often as a technical advisor with his club serving as the international sponsor club. Kevin believes in active participation in grant projects and has visited various project sites in Mexico and Kenya. He also has an interest and background in teaching and served as district Rotary Leadership Institute coordinator, as well as a PETS facilitator. Working with Interactors and Rotaractors, he was part of the Crutches 4 Africa team that coordinated mobility device distributions with the Rotary Club of Naivasha in 2018. Kevin is Chief Investment Officer and partner at EverVest Financial and in his spare time can be found in the wild, fishing and hunting, often with his three sons. |
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TREASURES FOR TEACHERS VOLUNTEERING September 30, 2023 - Members David, Lourdes, Doug, and Andy, along with exchange student Lotte performed various tasks on Saturday morning. Dave presented a check to T4T from one of our club members on behalf of the Kyrene Rotary Club. |
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ARIZONA TEACHER AWARDS  September 28, 2023 - KRC President Dave Kline and member Rich Hamilton represented the club at the award presentation ceremony as the Arizona State Treasurer, Kimberly Yee, and Representatives from University of Arizona presented scholarships to three Arizona teachers for excellence in teaching financial literacy to their students. The scholarships are for the UA Master of Legal Studies online program. In addition, KRC provided gift cards for school supplies so the teachers could choose what they needed. The winners were: Claudia Brown-Morgan, grades 7-8, Aguila Elementary School; Jim Welty, grades 9 & 11, Brophy College Preparatory School; and Giselle Astrid Romero, grades 11-12, Douglas Unified School District. More info about the program: https://www.aztreasury.gov/teacher-s-scholarship |
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EDUCATION IN NEED OF HELP September 18, 2023 - Mike Schmoker, an educational consultant, author, and former club member gave us an overview of the problems facing the K-12 educational system across the country. He told us of untapped opportunities to dramatically improve K-12 schools. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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TRVFA STUDENT + YOSHI PRESENTATION September 11, 2023 - Our TRVFA student, Jeannette, told us about her goals and how our support will help her. Club member, Yoshi gave us an excellent summary of his doctoral research project at ASU titled "Sustainable pathways for Irrigation-dependent dryland agriculture: a systems modeling approach". His presentation was excellent and generated many questions from members. |
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WELCOME PARTY FOR XCHANGE STUDENT LOTTE  Sept. 07, 2023 - Our club held a welcoming party for our exchange student from Germany, Lotte.There was lots of good discussion and laughter and Lotte gave us an excellent presentation about her home and activities. The photo on the left shows president Dave, exchanging banners with Lotte. The bottom photo is Lotte with her host parents.
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CENTER FOR THE RIGHTS OF ABUSED CHILDREN August 28, 2023, J Kendall Seal, Vice-President of Policy for The Center for the Rights of Abused Children, gave us an update on what the Center (formerly Generation Justice) has been doing and what the plans are for the future. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. Our club has been supporting this organization for a few years and people were pleased with what they have accomplished. |
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AZStRUT August 21, 2023 - Tom Melhert, Executive Director of AZStRUT, gave us an overview of his organization. He told us that the organization was created over 25 years ago by Intel and Motorola in order to provide a vehicle to give computers to public schools in Arizona. Their mission, taken from their website is : To improve the competitiveness of Arizona’s technical workforce by: Supporting applied learning in our educational systems through scholarships and donated electronics & technology. Providing refurbished equipment to education and community non-profit organizations. Promoting diversity through technical education and work experience Disposing electronic waste responsibly Advocating responsible recycling. Tom described how, when, and where they work using a small staff and many volunteers. Our club presented them with a check and expressed an interest in how we could volunteer with them. Their website can be seen by clicking HERE |
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TEASURES FOR TEACHERS - ASSEMBLING August 12, 2023 - Four Rotarians, Andy, Dave, Doug, and Rob assembled racks at Treasures 4 Teachers on Saturday. This was the second set of racks they assembled and managed to assemble seven racks in just over an hour. Alas, it was too early for lunch at the brewery. |
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MEDTRONIC'S HISTORY OF PACEMAKERS
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LOTTE ARRIVES FROM GERMANY July 15, 2023, - Our club's exchange student, Lotte, arrived on Saturday from Germany. Several club members and friends, along with her host parents gathered to meet her at the airport. |
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YEAR END FESTIVITIES June 25, 2023 - Soni's year as president concluded with a great party at her house. The party had several components, besides good food. In-coming president Dave presented Soni with a plaque to celebrate her superb contributions as president during the past year. Soni gave out a few other gifts to club-contributors during the past year. Our exchange student, Jaiden, gave us an extremely well done presentation that outlined her experiences over the past year. A few photos taken during the party can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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SOLAR PERSPECTIVES  June 12, 2013 - Two club members, Mo and Rob, gave us their perspectives on solar. Mo began by telling about his entry into solar that led to two patents. He developed a system to drain the solar panels when the temperatures dropped below freezing. It was a unique vacuum breaking method. Initial installations worked well but after 10 to 12 years the water tank and copper lines needed to be replaced at a cost of over $3000. This replacement cost made Mo's approach prohibitive. Mo moved back into the A/C business. Rob told us of his experience in installing solar panels to generate power. His story began just about a year ago so the technology and systems are quite current. You can see Rob's analysis by clicking HERE. |
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ALUMINUM June 5, 2023 - Rich Hamilton, member of our club, gave us a presentation via a thumb drive that he had prepared many weeks ago. He kept it in case we couldn't schedule a speaker for one of our meetings. Rich couldn't be present for the meeting but we saw his presentation anyhow. It was extremely well received by the club and I'm sure we will review it more than once. Click HERE to see some interesting aspects of Rotary that may not know. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU WATCH THIS VIDEO. IT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE! |
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EDUCATION CENTER IN UGANDA May 15, 2023 - Today we were fortunate to hear an update from the director of the Lynette Shaw-Smith Education Center in Jinja Uganda, Sean Fazio Kinobe. Sean showed us pictures of the progress that has been made in constructing the school and its support facilities. His photos also included many of the students, families, and friends who are helping make this project a success.Acting president Dave presented Sean with a small gift. Lynette expressed her appreciation for our continued support of the school.
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AZ 529 EDUCATION PLAN
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JOURNALISM OVERVIEW May 8, 2023 - In May of 2022, Dr. John Craft retired from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication after 49 years as a professor, making him the senior member of the Cronkite faculty.Last month, Craft, an Ahwatukee resident since 1998, was honored by the Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences with the Governors’ Award, the chapter’s top honor. Craft is one of a handful of individuals who won an award that usually recognizes an organization or company for their achievements in the industry and their impact on the community. John gave us an interesting presentation about journalism, especially in this state. His presentation can be seen HERE President Soni and member Rich presented John with a token gift and a 4-way test gold medallion to show our appreciation.
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NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE May 01, 2023 - Our speaker today Suzanne Rinker is President of the National Charity League [NCL], Ahwatukee Foothills Chapter Board of Directors. NCL is a group of mothers and daughters who have come together in a commitment to community service, leadership development and cultural experiences. Members reside in the Ahwatukee Foothills area. Like all NCL, Inc. Chap-ters, Ahwatukee Foothills aims to foster the mother-daughter relation-ship by serving its communities to-gether.In May 2003, a fabulous group of women in the Ahwatukee Foothills took on the great task of forming the Ahwatukee Foothills Chapter of National Charity League. Over the next two years they would bond, develop and organize this great Chapter. They were grant-ed Charter status in 2005 and have served as a leaders in our District for many years. The Ahwatukee Chapter is part of Region III, District VIII of NCL, Inc. The core foundation and principals that were originally created are what their organization still abides by today. COMMUNITY SERVICE DATES NATIONAL CHARITY LEAGUE Suzanne's presentation ,which included powerpoint, was well received and generated many questions from club members. Our club contributed a small donation to her organization.
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KYRENE ROTARY CLUB GALA DINNER CELEBRATION April 23, 2023 - Our Gala Dinner organizers, Andy and Rich. As Master of ceremonies, Rich made sure the audience knew the 4 way test. Larry and Jim from the District enjoyed the dinner and our entertainer, Tony Vicich. There was lots of laughter during Tony's presentation.    |
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ROTARIANS OF THE YEAR April 23, 2023 - This year our club is honoring two Rotarians with the "Rotarian of the Year" award. Andy Wangstad (left) and Rich Hamilton (right) have been significant contributors to our club both financially and service-wise. These two gentlemen were instrumental in making our Gala Dinner Celebration a huge success. Kudos to you both - very deserving - we are most grateful for all you do for our club. |
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PHOENIX RESCUE MISSION April 19, 2023 - Dave, Bill, Soni, and Yoshi served lunch to ~ 150 at one of the Phoenix Rescue Mission outreach centers in South Phoenix. It was all smiles at the end of the shift, and the staff were enthusiastic (see right in photo). Lunch was wraps and salads; a very healthy, filling lunch. We ate once everyone was served and agreed it was good. The event was a our way to contribute to Arizona Rotary's Week of Service. |
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BEERS ROTARIANS ENJOY WORLDWIDE April 17, 2023 - Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (BREW) Fellowship is one of the newest officially recognized Rotary fellowships. The fellowship was created for Rotarians around the worlds who love to drink and make beer.BREW was started and organized in 2013 by Past District 5160 Governor Steve Lack, a member of the Rotary Club of Pleasant Hill, California USA; Moses Aryee, Past President of the Rotary Club of Accra-West, Ghana and Past District 5440 Governor Martin Limbird of the Rotary Club of Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. BREW GOALS The goal of BREW is to create the largest fellowship in Rotary. An international community of Rotarians who share a love of beer. We also strive to support efforts and projects to bring clean water to those in thirst since water is the primary ingredient in beer. Steven gave us a great overview of this fellowship and his presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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UPDATE ON OUTBOUND STUDENT JAIDEN April 10, 2023 - Kyrene Rotary’s OutBound Youth Exchange Student, Jaiden Mehlhorn, is closing in on the end of her year in Denmark. In December Jaiden zoomed into our meeting to give us an up-date on her experiences during her first months on exchange.Today Jaiden is joining us once again with another update on her activities during her stay in Denmark. Last week our next year’s OutBound Student, Denise Hill, attended our meeting. The Club’s strong support for Rotary Youth Exchange pro-vides a life-long experience for youth, building self-confidence and an understanding of other cultures and expanding their horizons world-wide. Jaiden brought us up to speed on her activities and plans. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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NOTES FROM AUSTRALIA April 3, 2023 - Today, Yoshi (an honorary club member) gave us an overview of his trip to Australia.The 38 founding ('charter') members of the Rotary Club of Melbourne were all leaders in their vocations and leading citizens of the city at that time. Over the years, the Club and its members have been instrumental in many landmark initiatives, such as: • re-establishing the Scouting Movement after their loss of leaders in WWI • formulating apprenticeship legislation (1927) and later establishing the Apprenticeship Commission in Victoria (1935-36), which became the model for the rest of Australia • establishing the State Government's Mental Health Commission to sepa-rate the mentally ill from the intellectually handicapped (c. 1947-48) • sponsoring, with Wesley Mission, the establishment of Lifeline (1963) • rebuilding the Claremont Homes for the Elderly (1976) • helping the Salvation Army develop its Crossroads program (1984) • joining with the Baker Medical Research Institute to establish the Heart Risk Reduction Clinic (1987) • helping launch Very Special Kids (1985) and Australians Against Child Abuse (1992) • building an embassy in Canberra for the new nation of Timor Leste (2003) • providing means for the Donydji Homeland Community in Arnhem Land to grow towards sustainability (2003-14) One of their members, Sir Angus Mitchell, was the first Australian to become President of Rotary International, in 1948. He was instrumental in bringing Japan back into the Rotary International fold. Today they are a diverse multi-generational group of (mostly) professional people, some retired, others fully or partly active in the professions. Yoshi showed us photos of his recent trip to Australia. His presentation can be see HERE. NOTE - the sound quality is very poor.
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WARRIORS ON THE WAY March 20, 2023 - Warriors on the Way is a pilgrimage experience designed for combat Veterans by combat Veterans. Capitalizing on the latest research in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury care, Veterans join in the tradition of pilgrims who have been walking the Camino de Santiago since the 9th century. Led by Father Steven Rindahl, a retired Army Chaplain, the Warriors on the Way pilgrimage was based on his multiple pilgrimages focused on Veteran healing. Father Steve has multiple advanced degrees, including a Doctor of Ministry, during which he learned much about responding to combat trauma. He is a combat Veteran, having served as a Chaplain in Iraq with the 1st Cavalry Division. He was the developer and instructor of the US Army Chaplain’s Course on providing a ministerial response to moral injury. He used all these experiences to develop Warriors on the Way.His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY March 18, 2023 - It was Bill, Andy, Dave, Randy (Andy’s friend), and Harry at Habitat. Andy, Dave, and Randy shingled the roof. Bill and I trimmed other shingles to be used for the roof cap and then inspected and marked studs inside the house for shimming or planing to be flat and checked that all “blocking” was in place ready for drywalling next week. This is about the 15th house Kyrene Rotary Club has helped build with Habitat for Humanity. |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS - VARIOUS TASKS   February 18, 2023 - Several Rotarians and a guest from the Kyrene Rotary Club worked hard for two hours on Saturday to help T4T organize their donations. Photos show Bill, Soni, Andy, and Dave. |
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AHWATUKEE HISTORY February 20, 2023 - Marty Gibson, a long time historian of the Ahwatukee area gave us an extensive overview of how Ahwatukee and its surroundings developed and grew from very early beginnings. The powerpoint that Marty used for his presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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HOUSE OF THE FUTURE - AHWATUKEE February 13, 2023 - Peter Meier (left) involved in Ahwatukee real estate and Don Kesner (right) a Motorola engineer involved in the electronics of the House of the Future gave us an overview of the problems and history involved in this project. A descriptive file of the project can be seen by clicking HERE. Club member Andy Wangstad did the introductions and provided some additional background. |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS - ASSEMBLE CHAIRS ETC Thursday, February 9, 2023 - Andy recruited his friends and neighbors to work for three hours assembling chairs and other things at Treasures 4 Teachers. Thank you Andy for a job well done! |
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PAWSITIVE FRIENDSHIPS January 23, 2023 - Tosha Thorpe told us the history of how Pawsitive Friendships originated. Pawsitive Friendships was founded by Tosha Tharp -Gaitanis in 2014. When her son was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism/Asperger’s Syndrome at the age of four, she quickly realized that no diagnosis was “one size fits all” and that each child should be considered and treated on an individual basis. The idea for Pawsitive Friendships occurred to her while she and her son were practicing their regular home exercises. He was VERY non-compliant because the exercises were difficult and because he was unable to communicate his feelings. When he asked to have Zoe, their French Bulldog, join him on the swing, Tosha was stunned. Both boy and dog loved every minute of it! From then on, Tosha incorporated Zoe into other exercises, and soon his compliance ceased to be an issue. Rather than focusing on what he couldn’t do, he was focusing instead on Zoe. To learn more of this remarkable story click HERE.Our treasurer, Rob, presented Tosha with a check to support her work.  |
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GLOBAL RESOLVE - MARK HENDERSON
 January 16, 2023 - Mark Henderson is President's Professor Emeritus of Engineering at Arizona State University at the Polytechnic School in the Ira A Fulton Schools of Engineering. He is also a co-founder and Board President of GlobalResolve in the Barrett Honors College. He also serves on the board of the Maasai Education Research and Conservation Institute in Kenya. Mark described his experiences Kenya and used a slide show to document the project. The sound is not available for the slide show but can be seen by clicking HERE. (The technology for this presentation was malfunctioning so there is a large section of dark screen in the middle - if you are interested and patient, you can fast forward to the latter part of the presentation to see the slide show) |
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BUILDING ROBOTS - PART OF STEM EDUCATION January 09, 2023 - Donna and Ethan Dunsford of Ahwatukee, who organized Horizon Honors Elementary and Secondary School’s first two robotics teams – then led each of them to win two trophies in a recent STEM competition, described their experience and showed us a great video of the process. Unfortunately the video, which can be seen HERE does not have sound. Their presentation was well received by the club and there were many questions and comments. Click HERE. |
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EXCHANGE STUDENT IN DENMARK December 12, 2022 - Today our Exchange Student in Denmark, Jaiden Mehlhorn, gave us an update on her status as a student in Denmark. She is making many new friends, learning the language, enjoying her classes, and doing a bit of site-seeing. Her presentation is available HERE |
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GIFTS FOR NEEDY FAMILY
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PARTY AND GIFTS FOR FAMILY December 4, 2022 - Kyrene Rotary Club Annual party and collection of gifts for a needy family. Lots of laughter, good food and fellowship. Our incoming student and her host mother joined in the festivities. Thanks to Rotarian Scott Smith who provided keyboard music. |
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SMITH'S SCHOOL IN JINJA UGANDA
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ALFREDO ALTIE - ROTARY PEACE FELLOW Alfredo Altie, Rotary Peace Fellow and Supreme Court Justice in Sao Paulo Brazil, gave us an overview of how Brazil is changing, with an emphasis on education. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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INTERNATIONAL GOLFING FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARY November 14, 2022 Bob Blum, President Elect for 2025-2027 to lead the International Golfing Fellowship of Rotarians, spoke to our club via Zoom today. The organization started as an idea during a World Assembly at Lake Placid in New York State in 1963. The first tournament was held at St. Andrews in Scotland.Today every Rotarian of any nationality can apply for membership. OBJECTIVES • To develop and promote worldwide friendship in a sporting, relaxing way • To serve the community and humanity, through golfing To promote international understanding and peace MAIN ACTIVITIES • To ensure the organization of the annual World Golf Championship of Rotarians • Activities to be organized by clubs in different countries, whenever possible, all within the scope of Rotarian friendship. Bob gave us an overview of recent activities and venues and his presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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ROTARY WINE FELLOWHIP - CONRAD C HEEDE November 7, 2022 - Conrad C Heede, President & PDG, is a member of the Grape-vine, Texas Rotary Club where he served as president in 1980/81. He has enjoyed 40 years of perfect attendance. He has had a long tenure with Rotary and held several offices. Conrad told us about the Rotary Wine Appreciation Fellowship as well as various other Rotary Fellowships around the world. The work and financial contributions of these Fellowships is extensive and impressive. Readers can learn more about the Rotary Wine Appreciation Fellowship by clicking HERE His presentation to the club can be seen by clicking HERE |
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KYRENE ROTARY MEETING - STEPHEN HAPPEL October 24, 2022 - Stephen Happel gave us an overview of where we are today, financially, and what we might expect for the coming decade. He was cautiously optimistic but indicated that world wide conflict and demographic conditions could have a negative effect on the financial performance. His presentation can be seen HERE |
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$100 for MAGGIE'S PLACE |
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MAGGIE'S PLACE
 October 10, 2022 - Whitney Thistle, the Philanthropy Director of Maggie's Place, gave us an excellent overview of the organization which provides shelter for pregnant homeless women. They have several facilities around the valley and their Mission states that "Maggie’s Place welcomes pregnant and parenting women and their children into a safe and loving community, providing life-changing programs and ongoing services to help them to become self-sufficient." AmeriCorps members serve as 24/7 hour support at the Maggie’s Place homes. More than 1,100 moms and 650 babies have called Maggie’s Place home since it began is 2000. They have a thrift shop to help raise funds and are always looking for volunteers in a number of capacities. Whitney's presentation generated many questions. Interested readers should check out their web site. Our club donated $100 to help support their efforts. |
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PICKLEBALL - KEN POLLOCK October 3, 2022 - Ken Pollock, Webmaster for the Kyrene Rotary Club, shared his Pickleball Perspectives with the club. He told us about the size and growth of Pickleball in the USA - 5 million players, average age 38, youngest 7, oldest 90. He described the court (1/4 of tennis court), the basic rules of play, explained the differences in paddles, and why the sport is growing so rapidly. He began to play in March of this year and has found the game to be fun, provide conditioning, and provide many new friendships. Interested in playing? Check out the Ahwatukee Recreation Center (ARC). Ken challenged members to try something new in their lives to increase excitement, learning, and friendships. His presentation can be seen HERE |
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CLUB ASSEMBLY September 26, 2022 - Our regular club assembly focused on our 2023 Golf Tournament. There was considerable discussion about how to get sponsors and golfers as well as who had responsibility for major activities. Tyler is the chairman of the Golf Committee and was quite optimistic. Tyler is setting up a weekly Zoom meeting every Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. The meetings will be short but will focus on what needs to be accomplished in the coming week in order to stay on track for having a successful tournament. All club members are welcomed, and encouraged to participate in these meetings. Tyler will be sending out a link so members can sign in. |
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DG - 5495 - LARRY HORTON'S VISIT
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MICHELLE LAMPKIN - ROOSEVELT SD
 September 12, 2022 - Michelle Lampkin, 2nd and 3rd grade ELA Teacher at the Kennedy Academy of Inquiry in the Roosevelt School District shared her perspective with us on the benefits of the Kyrene Rotary Club Dictionary Project for the 3rd grade students who receive them. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. Our club has been distributing over 1000 dictionaries a year to the 3rd grade students in this District for over 10 years. |
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MEGAN WILSON - TEMPE COMMUNITY ACTION AGENCY August 29, 2022 - Megan Wilson, Director of Programs at the Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA), gave us a good overview of several programs offered by the agency, such as Housing Stability, Hunger Relief, Healthy Family, Economic Empowerment. TCAA is actively looking for volunteers to participate in their programs. Click HERE to learn more.The photo shows David Kline (Foundation Treasurer) presenting a $2000 check to help support the agency. Megan's presentation can be seen by clicking HERE.
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS SUPPORT August 27, 2022 - Several Kyrene Rotarians, along with a couple of friends completed several tasks to make contributions ready for sale, as well as making a major renovation to the shelving in the warehouse. Our contributions were appreciated. Several of us went for lunch afterwards at the Boulders. See a few photos of our activities below. |
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FORMER YOUTH EXCHANGE STUDENT August 15, 2022 - Jill Strandquist, a Youth Exchange Student to the Philippines in 1982-83, gave us a very interesting presentation describing her experience as an Exchange Student. Not only was Jill a good student but while there she began her very successful tennis experience. Jill is very grateful for the RYE opportunity which she believes got her started on a successful career. She currently owns her own small business - Jilly Bean Designs. Jill's presentation generated lots of discussion. Thanks again Jill. Jill's presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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KYRENE ROTARY PRESIDENT ELECT August 15, 2022 - Kyrene Rotary Club President, Soni Koskela, places a pin on our President Elect, Dave Kline. Dave's term will begin on July 1 2023. Dave has been president before so he knows the ropes. Thanks for your continued service, Dave. |
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LABELING DICTIONARIES August 13, 2022 - Several members of the Kyrene Rotary Club, along with friends, and two Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Students, put labels into 1000 dictionaries. We are very pleased that our incoming and outgoing RYE students could be with us on this project. The dictionaries will be delivered to 3rd grade classes in the Roosevelt School District. Our club has provided dictionaries to these schools for over 10 years. |
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About Our All Volunteers Club
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ESTATE TRUSTS AND PROBATE August 1, 2022 - Donna Jewett, Truest Founder; Estate and Trust Attorney, gave us an excellent overview of what Trusts are all about and the advantages of a Trust over Probate. There were many questions and her presentation was received well. |
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KYRENE ROTARY CHRONICLE #2 August 1, 2022 - this is the second Kyrene Rotary Chronicle. Be sure to read the information about our speaker and see the photos of both our outgoing and incoming Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) students. |
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GOLF TOURNAMENT - 2023.png) SAVE THE DATE Kyrene Rotary Golf Classic April 27, 2023 Shotgun Start - 7:30 a.m. Scramble Papago Golf Course Fee - $175 - includes golf, cart, range balls, lunch Plan to come and join the fun while raising funds for charity Watch for more information on our website in coming weeks Questions? - Send email to info@kyrenegolf.com
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KYRENE ROTARY CHRONICLE July 18, 2022 - Our club had its first meeting of the new Rotary Year today with Soni Koskela as our new president. This was a Club Assembly and the topics can be seen on the photograph of our Kyrene Rotary Chronicle. Great first meeting, Soni. |
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AZ COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION June 6, 2022 - Monica Martinez, Director of Operations for the Arizona Council on Economic Education, gave us an energetic and informative presentation about herself, the organization, and what the organization does. Members asked many questions after the presentation. The club gave her organization a financial contribution. Her presentation can be seen HERE. |
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RICH HAMILTON - PAUL HARRIS FELLOW May 09, 2022 - Webmaster Ken presented Kyrene Rotary Club's newest member, Rich, with a pin and acknowledgement of his contributions to Rotary. He is now a Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations Rich! Our club is very excited to have Rich join us. He is an enthusiastic and generous member and we welcome his strong participation in the coming months and years. Kudos Rich! |
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TRUE WEST MAGAZINE May 09, 2022 - Dr Stuart Rosebrook, Editor of TrueWest Magazine gave us a good overview of his and his families' involvement in Arizona. He told us about the founding of TrueWest Magazine and about the very positive impact movies and television shows have had on Arizona's tourism economy. He mentioned several well known movies and the list can be seen by watching his presentation, HERE. |
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F.I.R.E. May 02, 2022 - Meridith Potts, told us about the Work and Mission of FIRE—the Flagstaff International Relief Effort. Meridith is president elect of the Flagstaff Rotary Club and has been involved with FIRE for over 15 years. FIRE is working to overcome hepatitus in Mongolia. Her presentation can be seen HERE. |
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$2,000 for TRVFA |
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TRVFA - UPDATE April 18, 2022 - Jeanie Morgan and Alan Cady from The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) gave us an update on donations received and grants awarded. They were optimistic that this would be a good year. Dave and Tyler from the Kyrene Rotary club presented them a check for $2,000. |
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LUCIEN TAAL - FORMER EXCHANGE STUDENT
 April 11, 2022 - Lucien Taal - an exchange student with the Kyrene Rotary Club in 2013, gave us an update on what he is doing and an outline of his thesis. His thesis involved interviewing many exchange students and developing an understanding of the impact of culture, language, and personal experience on one's view of the world. His presentation can be seen HERE. Machel feels like he is another son and is very proud of him. The entire club agrees that he is a very impressive and likeable young man. We hope he will come and visit us when he gets the chance. |
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JAMES WEBB TELESCOPE + LOWELL OBSERVATORY UPDATE April 4, 2022 - Kevin White from the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff gave us an update on what we continue to learn from the Hubble Telescope and what the status is of the new James Webb Telescope. See his presentation HERE. Kevin encouraged us to visit the observatory now that it is open again after the COVID lockdown. |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS   March 26 - Kyrene Rotarians Rich, Andy, Doug, Bill, and Soni worked hard on various tasks at T4T. They claimed it was a good workout. Our club continues to support this great organization with both labor and funds. |
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KYRENE ROTARY MEETING - STEPHEN HAPPEL March 21, 2022 - Stephen Happel gave us an overview of where we are today, financially, and what we might expect for the coming decade. He was cautiously optimistic but indicated that world wide conflict and demographic conditions could have a negative effect on the financial performance. His presentation ,as well as questions, which can be seen HERE. |
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ESCONDIO EAST ROTARY CLUB FUNDRAISING March 14, 2022 - Kevin Bowcock from the Escondido East Rotary Club gave us a brief overview of the organization and their actions regarding fund raising. Our club meeting and Kevin's presentation can be viewed HERE. |
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$2,000 for Generation Justice |
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$100 for Warriors on the Way |
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$100 for Village 360 |
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$100 for the Gentry Foundation |
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GENERATION JUSTICE March 7, 2022 - Rebecca Masterson, Chief Counsel for Generation Justice, gave us an update on the legislation that has passed and is in progress. Generation Justice is working in multiple states to introduce new laws to protect kids in Foster Care. Her presentation can be seen HERE. Our club presented Generation Justice with a check for $2,000. |
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WARRIORS ON THE WAY February 21, 2022 - Fr Steven Rindahl, Executive Director of Warriors on the Way told us his background and described the Warriors on the Way program in some detail. Click on "Read More" for more details. |
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FOOD SORTING - SAVE THE FAMILY February 17, 2022 - Seven members of the Kyrene Rotary Club sorted baby clothes for Save the Family. The work was much appreciated. Many of the group had lunch together afterwards. |
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VILLAGE 360
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AUTISM - JOE GENTRY February 07, 2022 - today Dr. Joe Gentry of the Gentry Foundation gave us a very informative presentation about autism and how it can be diagnosed and treated. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY  January 31, 2022 - Andrea Northrup and Judd Hunemuller, both associated with Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona, told us about the Habitat history, programs, and projects. They encouraged our members to participate as part of our Rotary Club, but also as individuals. They also reminded us that individual donations will offset Arizona taxes. Click HERE to see their presentation. This Habitat organization is part of the Southeast Valley Lutheran Coalition. Andrea's address is Habitat for Humanity CAZ PO BOX 37930 Phoenix, AZ 85059 |
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AMERICORPS VISTA January 17, 2022 - Today, Robin Hanson, Program Director for Americorps Vista told us about this program in Arizona. Basically, volunteers are recruited from recent graduates from colleges/universities and then given a year of training to prepare them working in a variety of non-profit agencies.In Arizona, most of these volunteers are located in rural communities or small towns that need some extra volunteer help. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE.
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY HOUSE BUILDJanuary 15, 2022 - Five Rotarians from the Kyrene Rotary Club (Machel, Dave, Rob, Andy, John +friend) worked on a build site in Tempe Arizona.  |
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ONE IN TEN January 10, 2022 - Nate Rhoton, Executive Director of One.n.ten gave us an overview of his organization and their focus on the LGBTQ young people in the ages of 11 to 24. His presentation was well received and members appreciated learning about this segment of our population and the conditions and obstacles they live with. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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STORIES FROM AFGHANISTAN January 3, 2022 - Suzanne Griffin gave us a description of her adventures and some advice about how to relate to the peoples of Afghanistan. Seattle has been home base for Suzanne’s family since 1980. Suzanne held leadership positions at Washington State education agencies and institutions while earning her Ph.D. in Education from the University of Washington. In 2002, she received a sabbatical from Seattle Community Colleges to research ways of improving literacy skills of Afghan women. When she arrived in Kabul, however, she was assigned a larger role in rebuilding the country’s educational system. Suzanne has spent over 11 years there leading projects in health, education and higher education. Suzanne told us of the problems in Afghanistan and how Americans need to understand how to be effective in that culture. A great overview of her experiences can be found on this website. Click HERE |
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SPELLING BEE AWARDS December 14, 2021 - President Tyler presented spelling bee awards to the students from Roosevelt School District (RSD). The 3 finalists will be eligible to participate in other state competitions. Our club continues to support the RSD via these awards and providing dictionaries to all 3rd grade students. |
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HARRY SHORT - POLIO AND MALARIA December 20, 2021 - Rotarian Harry Short gave us a brief history of his role in Rotary; told us about his trip to Africa; and described the need for support of Rotary's efforts to eliminate Polio and Malaria. Click HERE to see his presentation. |
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CAPITALIZING ON THE UNKNOWN December 13, 2021 - Dr Dina-Preston Ortiz and Don Ortiz told us about their overseas adventures and how they had to adapt to many unexpected events over the years. Unfortunately, our sound system did not function properly and so their presentation was not recorded.A brief overview is contained in the following photo -
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PARTY - COLLECTING GIFTS FOR FAMILIES Sunday, December 5, 2021 - Kyrene Rotarians gathered to collect gifts brought by members for two families in need of some support. The party was hosted by the Klines - thank you Dave and Lourdes. It was a fun event. Here we see Wally and Tom (Machel's husband) loading up the car and standing guard. |
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FEED OUR STUDENTS - STATUS CHECK November 29, 2021 - Joni Socato, Founder and Chairman of Feed Our Students, gave us an update on the most recent Turkey Drive. Many of our members participated in that activity. Joni also gave us an update on how the organization is doing and what their needs are this coming year. Her presentation can be seen HERE |
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FEED OUR STUDENTS November 20, 2021 - Several members from the Kyrene Rotary Club (Joni, Ev, Ken, Bill, Rob, Doug, Wally, Andy, Mo and Soni) along with help from Tera, Tamara & her daughter, spent a couple of hours filling food bags for the Annual Turkey Drive organized by Feed Our Students. There was lots of fellowship, hard work, and laughter. |
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XCHANGE STUDENT - FLOR November 15, 2021 - The Kyrene Club's former exchange student gave us an update on her activities as a student in Buenos Aires. There were lots of memories revisited and many questions. It was great to see her - thank you Zoom. You can see her comments and answers to questions, HERE. |
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FIRST TEE |
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DELIVER DICTIONARIES November 3, 2021 - From Rotarian Harry. It’s dictionary time again! New Rotarian Sydney, daughter Brenda, besty Oliver, and I visited 3 classrooms of 3rd graders to provide personal dictionaries and teach them how to use them. Kyrene Rotarians and friends make annual visits to ALL the 3rd grade classrooms in the Phoenix Roosevelt School District. 15 years, 18 schools, more than 15,000 students! |
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SAVE THE FAMILY November 1, 2021 - Jacki Tayor, Executive Director of Save the Family, along with a couple of staff members, gave us a good overview of the organization, where they are today, and the challenges they are facing. Unfortunately there is a long list of families who are on their waiting list for help. Our club donated $3,000 to Save the Family. The presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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AZ ACADEMY DRUM & BUGLE CORP October 25, 2021 - Mark Richardson, Executive Director of the Arizona Academy, told us of the recent trials and tribulations of the Drum & Bugle Corps related to COVID-19. They are gearing up to start performing again in 2022. His presentation can be seen HERE. Our club donated $1,500 to the Corps. See "Read More" |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS - PENS & PAPER October 23, 2021 - Rotarians Wally & Ken presented a $2,000 check to Barbara Blalock, the Founder and Executive Director of Treasures 4 Teachers. The organization provides free and low cost supplies to teachers for their classrooms. Several Rotarians also worked for a couple of hours. See "Read More" |
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DAILY DOZEN STRESS BUSTERS October 18, 2021 - Ev Taylor, a new member of the Kyrene Rotary Club, gave us an insightful presentation about how to deal with stress. His final remarks focused on the "Daily Dozen Stress Busters". His presentation generated several questions from club members. His presentation can be seen HERE. His powerpoint slides can be seen HERE. |
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ANDY WANGSTAD October 11, 2021 - Andy Wangstad has been an honorary member of our club for several years. His home club was the Kent Rotary Club but Andy has now moved to Phoenix and is a regular member of our club. Tyler and Rob present him with his new badge. Welcome Andy we are pleased and blessed to have you in our club. |
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THE CENTERS FOR HABILITATION October 11, 2021 - Dawn Hocking, Development Director for The Centers for Habilitation, gave us an extensive overview of the organization. Club members asked many good questions that helped with our understanding of the organization and its programs. Click HERE to see the presentation.Our club supports this organization financially - go to "Read More" to see the check presentation.
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ARIZONA HELPING HANDS - DONATION October 4, 2021 - Lori Calhoun from the Arizona Helping Hands organization gave us an overview of the organization and how we as Rotarians can help. The organization provides many services to children in the foster care system in Arizona. We can provide service hours and/or donate individually. AZ Helping Hands is a 501(c)(3) organization and contributions are eligible for an Arizona Tax Credit. Her presentation can be viewed HERE. Our club donated $1500 to the organization - see "Read More".
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LABELING DICTIONARIES September 25, 2021 - 8 members of the Kyrene Rotary Club labeled approximately 1000 dictionaries that will be delivered to 3rd Grade students in the Roosevelt School District in the next few weeks. Dave Kline was our gracious host who continues to provide storage for the dictionaries prior to distribution and provide a sheltered gazebo where we can work together. We had great weather and lots of laughter and fellowship. Thanks Dave. |
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MARIA HESSE - POSITIVE PATHS September 13, 2021 - Maria Hesse, a long time leader in education in the Phoenix area and a Board Member for Positive Paths, gave us a description of the Positive Paths program. The program supports needy women in the East Valley. She also told us about the upcoming fund raising Night of Heroes Gala on Oct 5th.Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. The Kyrene Rotary Club donated $1,500 to help support the organization. See "Read more"
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS August 28, 2021 - Today 5 Rotarians from the Kyrene Rotary Club along with a few Rotaractors from ASU spent a couple of hours doing various tasks in the T4T facility on 48th St. |
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BARBERSHOP BOOKS August 23, 2021 - Anthony and Kim Gathers, owners of AGEEZ Barbershops in Phoenix, told us about the program they are involved in in their barbershops. The program is Barbershop books. Using this program, and their own ingenuity they are providing opportunities for youth to learn to read and become good citizens. See their presentation HERE. They are recipients of a $500 grant from the Kyrene Rotary Club. See the "read more" section for a picture of a student we are sponsoring this year.  |
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2012 EXCANGE STUDENT - ANNA G. August 16, 2021 - Anna Gloeckler was an Exchange Student sponsored by our club in 2011/2012. Her presentation (click HERE) brought us up to date on what she has been doing for the past 9 years. She is a most impressive young lady. A few photos from her time here can be seen by going to "Read more". |
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SCHOOL COMMUNITY SPECIALISTS August 09, 2021 - Today 3 School Community Specialists from the Scottsdale Unified School District explained how they identify students and families in need and how they manage resources to help students and families. We were impressed with 3 very dedicated women, Leticia, Luz, and Sandra. You can see the presentation by clicking HERE. |
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ARIZONA HIDDEN TREASURESAugust 02, 2021 - Today Soni moderated our meeting which was focused on "Hidden Treasures in AZ". Each member contributed their selections. There was a great variety of recommendations. The video of the meeting can be seen HERE. Thank you Soni! |
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DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISIT - Bret McKeand July 26, 2021 - District Governor, Bret McKeand, visited the club and gave us his vision and plans for the coming Rotary Year. His presentation can be viewed by clicking HERE. Go to "Read More" to see other activities on that day. |
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ADOPTION NOW July 19, 2021 - April Fallon, founder of Adoption Now gave us a very fascinating story and adoption, the challenges and the problems involved. She talked about the system as well as her own personal experiences. Several club members wanted to know how we could help her organization. Click HERE to see her presentation. |
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KYRENE ROTARY AWARDS 20210712 - The third photo shows Rob receiving his President's Award rom Wally and Tyler and the first photo is Tyler receiving his new president pin from Rob.The second photo is Soni receiving her president-elect pin from Tyler.   |
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ESTATE PLANNING July 12, 2021 - Luke Reynoso, a friend of one of our members, and a lawyer in our community gave a very informative talk about Estate Planning and the issues involved. His presentation can be viewed HERE. |
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CLUB ASSEMBLY AND ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS June 26, 2021 - Six club members and the mother of one of our exchange students sorted books and packaged Sharpie Pens. The books will be used to raise money and the pens will be made available to teachers at a very low cost. As usual, the team had lots of fun and laughs during this Treasures 4 Teachers project. |
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DEALING WITH FOREST FIRES IN ARIZONA June 21, 2021 - Tiffany Davila, Public Affairs Officer for the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, presented a a thorough look at the current situation—from the existing fires, the fire fighters—their training and willingness to provide this essential work in extreme conditions, and what the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management does throughout each year to prevent further loss. You can see her presentation by clicking HERE. Thank you Tiffany. |
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BUILDING HOMES ETC. AT ROCKY POINT June 14, 2019 - Paul Schifano, ( Brent's cousin), described his project to build homes and other needed buildings at Rocky Point, Mexico. His presentation generated many questions from club members. Paul was asking for whatever support we could provide as a club or as individuals. His presentation is available HERE. |
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HUMAN TRAFFICKING June 7, 2021 - Today Malena Bennett, a real estate professional and active member of the Carlsbad Rotary Club, gave us an overview of Human Trafficking and some of the efforts to cope with it. The size of this problem is astounding and Malena is working to get Rotary support to deal with it. Click HERE to see her presentation. |
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FOUNDATION CHECK PRESENTATION TO FEEDING STUDENTS USA June 1, 2021 - Today the Kyrene Rotary Club Foundation presented a $7,000 check to Feeding Students USA.The check was from proceeds of our 2021 Golf Tournament and was presented at the Papago Golf Course.
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FRAUD EXPOSURE AND AWARENESS May 24, 2021 - Rob Foster, President of the Kyrene Rotary Club gave us a very informative presentation on various forms of fraud and how to deal with them. This is one of those presentations that everyone should watch. Click HERE to see this excellent presentation.
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LOWELL OBSERVATORY & PERSEVERANCE My 10, 2021 - Curtis Dankof from the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff gave us an overview of his organization and a superb update on the landing of Perseverance on Mars last February. It was fascinating to watch. See his presentation by clicking HERE. The Observatory is slowly opening up again to visitors. All attendance is by reservation only at this time. Check their website for more information. |
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2021 GOLF TOURNAMENT - MAY 8 May 9, 2021 - The Kyrene Rotary Club completed it's third successful tournament (which was a sell out). Our fundraising from these 3 tournaments has exceeded $80,000 which has gone and will continue to go to needy charities in our community. A video of the tournament highlights is available HERE. |
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PREPARING FOR GOLF TOURNAMENT  May 3, 2021 - 20 Rotarians and friends packed bags in Western Star Park for the 3rd annual Golf Tournament this Saturday at the Arizona Grande Resort. Click HERE to see short slide show |
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LYNETTES'S SCHOOL IN UGANDA April 26, 2021 - Lynette Shaw Smith, a former member of the Kyrene Rotary Club, told us about a school she is sponsoring in Jinja Uganda.Her presentation is available by clicking HERE. Besides describing the school and the students, Lynette is also trying to raise funds. Her contact information is available at the end of the video.
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS April 24, 2021 - Eight Rotarians and friends (Harry, Ev, Rob, Bill, Doug, Oliver, Andy, and Tera) assembled donated chairs and easels, and price marked and shelved donated classroom supplies at Treasures for Teachers on Saturday. These supplies will be provided to teachers at extremely low prices. |
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WRANGLER NEWS April 19, 2021 - Don Kirkland and Joyce Coronel gave us an overview of Wrangler history, philosophy, and current operations. Their presentation can be seen by clicking HERE There were lots of questions from members at the end of the presentation. Members are encouraged to sign up for an electronic subscription HERE |
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AHWATUKEE GOLF COURSE SAGA  April 12, 2021 - Jeff Hall and Linda Swain described the past and current legal saga regarding the Ahwatukce Golf Course between the home owners and the developer. Their presentation is available HERE. |
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GOLDEN GATES PROGRAM April 5, 2021 - Vitaliy Bezrodnov, founder and leader of the Golden Gates program, part of the Rotary Children's Fund (RCF) gave a colorful presentation describing the origins and activities of the program. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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MALARIA PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL March 29, 2021- Jeff Pritchard, Chairman of Malaria Partners International, gave us a great overview of this organization and where it's going. You can see his presentation by clicking HERE. For more details go to "Read More" |
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HABITAT INSTALLING DRYWALL  March 20, 2021 - Volunteers Rob, Doug, Andy, and Harry installed drywall in a Habitat for Humanity house with Medhat and Fatima, the new owners, and the East Valley Lutheran Coalition builders. |
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ARIZONA CAPITOL MUSEUM March 15, 2021 - Stephanie Mahan, Senior Administrator for the Arizona Capitol Museum, gave us some history and a good overview of the museum and its future plans. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE |
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LOWELL OBSERVATORY & PERSEVERANCE March 8, 2021 - Curtis Dankof from the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff gave us an overview of his organization and a superb presentation on the landing of Perseverance on Mars last February. It was fascinating to watch. See his presentation by clicking HERE |
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THE PHOENIX SYMPHONY March 1, 2021 - Suzanne Wilson, President and CEO of The Phoenix Symphony gave us an overview of the status and future plans for the Symphony. We had a good question and answer session after listening to 2 performances and an interview on YouTube. An extra segment which we didn't see during our meeting was added at the end. Watch, listen, and enjoy. - Click HERE |
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TREASURES 4 TEACHERS - UNPACKING  February 27, 2021 -7 club members and a guest unpacked, sorted and organized literally TONS of donations on Saturday!! Be sure to stop by during Spring Break for some serious Teacher Appreciation Giveaways! |
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FORMER EXCHANGE STUDENTS   February 22, 2021 - Former exchange students Louise, Remy, and Tanner visited with us today to give us a brief update on their lives currently. Louise came from Denmark at our first exchange student. Remy came from France and Tanner went to Belgium. You can see them by clicking HERE. They are very impressive young people! Each one has a few minutes alone and then there is a complete presentation with questions and answers. |
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SHELTER BOX February 15, 2021 - Sharee Sheets from Shelter Box gave us an overview and details about the Shelter Box program. Her presentation generated many questions. Her presentation along with the Q&A session can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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SAVE THE FAMILY February 8, 2021 - Jacki Taylor, CEO of Save the Family gave us an excellent presentation of her organization's history, operations, and philosophy.Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE.
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INVESTING IN HOUSE REMODELING January 18, 2021 - Aaron Cullitan of Networth Realty gave us a good overview on how investors buy under valued properties, fix them up, and sell or rent them. There were lots of questions from members. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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HABITAT FOR HUMANITY - HOUSE BUILD January 16, 2021 - Our 5 person Kyrene and Camelback Crossroads Rotary team painted and dug out stumps at a Habitat For Humanity house this morning. Harry, Darrell, Doug, Laura, and Mariel. |
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SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA INDIAN COMMUNITY January 11, 2021 - Theresa Rosier, an attorney with the SALT RIVER PIMA-MARICOPA Indian Community, gave us a very informative presentation covering many topics regarding the Community. Her presentation generated many questions. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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LUCKIEST MAN ALIVE January 04, 2021 - Today, Neil Balter, entrepreneur and philanthropist, gave us a history of his success as a business person (starting with California Closets) and his approach to philanthropy. A very impressive man. His presentation can be seen in two parts. The first is just his verbal presentation. Click HERE to see it. The second is the PowerPoints he used for part of his presentation. Click HERE to see it. Both parts should be viewed for maximum impact and understanding. |
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SERVICE ABOVE SELF December 28, 2020 - Rotary's moto was included on a stamp in 1955. Did you know that? |
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CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS December 21, 2020 - Today members told of their Christmas traditions and a few stories associated with those traditions. |
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CHRISTMAS PIANO CONCERT WITH NICOLE PESCE |
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PACKING FOOD AT THE UNITED FOOD BANK December 16, 2020 - Kyrene Rotarians, family and friends just bagged more than 20,000 meals last night at the United Food Bank of Arizona. This starts our 6th year of regular food packing with them. In January we’re helping Habitat for Humanity build a family home. Food and housing, two important Valley needs that the Kyrene Rotary Club work on. Why not join us next time? Fellowship and Service above Self, it’s what we do! |
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THE ROTARY FOUNDATION December 7, 2020 - Bob Zarling gave us a presentation about The Rotary Foundation, explaining what it does and does not do and how members can contribute. His presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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KYRENE ROTARY COMMUNITY SERVICE December 6, 2020 - this list is current as of this date. This is a living document and will be changed regularly. |
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AZ DEPT OF HEALTH - HIV November 30, 2020 - Today Max Short, Epidemiologist with the Arizona Department of Health Services and Harry's son, gave us an overview of the history and current statistics of HIV in Arizona. His presentation generated many questions. See the presentation by clicking HERE. A live video will be available in "Read More" for a month. |
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FEED OUR BABIES FOOD PACKING November 21, 2020 - Rotarians from the Kyrene club and a couple of other clubs worked to organize and pack food that will be distributed to families on November 23. Several hundred bags were packed and club members enjoyed the opportunity for fellowship. |
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ROTARY WATER PROJECTS November 16, 2020 - Joe Weisiger, a man with much management experience and a Rotarian, told us about several water projects that Rotary has been and continues to be involved in. To see the video he showed about the Water Lady, click HERE |
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BUYING AND SELLING HOUSES DURING COVID-19 November 09, 2020 - Laura Myers gave us an excellent detailed analysis of the housing market during the Covid-19 era. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. |
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NEBRASKA WILDLIFE BIOLOGY November 2, 2020 - Erin Considine (daughter-in-law of Machel) gave us an excellent presentation on forest fires and their implications. Her presentation can be seen HERE |
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ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND PROJECTIONS October 26, 2020 - Dr Stephen Happel gave us his perspective on the economy today, where it might be going, and the impact of COVID-19. His presentation can be viewed HERE |
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DESERT HOOVES PONY CLUB
 October 19, 2019 - Lisa Kilpatrick is the District Commissioner for the Desert Hooves Pony Club which is a participant in the USPC Pony Clubs. A link to the presentation is HERE |
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PACKING FOOD - UNITED FOOD BANK
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EXCHANGE STUDENT TANNER'S EXPERIENCE IN BELGIUM October 5, 2020 - Today our exchange student, Tanner, who spent a year in Belgium told us about Belgium and his experience.His presentation is available HERE
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ARIZONA SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE
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LABELING DICTIONARIES
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ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE STOCK MARKET September 21, 2020 - Gary Pollock, Senior Managing Director for First Republic Private Wealth Management, shared his perspectives on the economy and stock market. His presentation is available HERE. |
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VIRTUAL TEACHING IN THE AGE OF COVID September 14, 2020 - Dr Raquel Salas gave us a brief overview of her career and then described the current educational environment. Her presentation is available HERE.
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EVALUATE POTENTIAL STUDENT September 7, 2020 - Today a small number of our members interviewed a candidate who is seeking support from The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA). We deliberated at the end of the interview and our committee chair, Oliver Ncube, sent our recommendation to TRVFA. |
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DG ELIZABETH MAHONEY AT CLUB ASSEMBLY August 24, 2020 - District Governor, Elizabeth Mahoney spoke to us at our monthly club assembly. Her presentation can be seen HERE. |
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MAYOR OF TEMPE - COREY WOODS
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BACK PACK DONATIONS  August 13, 2020 - Soni, Rob, and two volunteers from I-Help a TCAA organization. Rob met with Soni today at the King of Glory church on Southern and turned over the back packs to be given to homeless people. Soni and Mo purchased 24 backpacks and a variety of items This is the first service project of the current year with hopefully many more to come. |
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ROSIE'S HOUSE - A MUSIC ACADEMY FOR CHILDREN August 10, 2020 - Alyson Hartsock, Advancement and Marketing Director for Rosie's House, showed us a video and gave us an excellent overview of Rosie's House. Her PowerPoint can be seen HERE |
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TEMPE HISTORICAL MUSEUM Aug 3, 2020 - Jared Smith from the Tempe Historical Museum told us about the museum and a lot of Tempe history. You can see his presentation by clicking HERE. . |
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CLUB ASSEMBLY July 27, 2020 - During our club assembly we listened to reports from Committee Chairs and conducted an on-line poll to get member's opinions on when to start regular lunch meetings, hold social events, hold service events, and the state of the budget.
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LOST OUR HOME PET RESCUE July 20, 2020 - Anne Marie Geary is the Philanthropy Officer with Lost Our Home Pet Rescue (LOH) in Tempe. She told us that LOH began as a grass roots organization in 2008. A video of her presentation can be seen HERE.
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FUTURE OF THEME PARKS July 13, 2020 - Peter Marshall, creative director for Forrec, gave us an excellent overview of where Theme Parks are going and what elements will they contain. His PowerPoint presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. In addition there is a live video that can be seen in the "Read More" section until the end of July.Note that the screen will be dark for the first couple of minutes while Peter is introduced. Be patient.
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CLUB ASSEMBLY - STARTING NEW YEAR July 6, 2020 - Our club assembly today had two major agenda items. New president, Rob, gave us an overview of his background and how he would like to move forward this year. Our treasurer, Dave, discussed the proposed budget for the new fiscal year 2020-2021. Dave's presentation and club member's comments can be seen by clicking HERE. The date for beginning face-to-face lunch meetings was established as Oct. 5 , 2020.
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KEN'S AWARD  June 29, 2020 - President Wally surprised Ken with an unexpected visit to his home to present him with an ABOVE and BEYOND award.
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THE HONDURAN CONTEXT June 29, 2020 - Today Mia Wallace, Program Assistant with the Train for Change project, which is part of the Students Helping Hondurans program, gave us an excellent overview of the project. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE.
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HEALTH IN AMERICA and COVID-19 June 22, 2020 - Dr Stephen Brezuchka, from the University of Washington Public Health organization, gave us a very informative talk that was designed to make us think about the status of our health in America. His talk is available by clicking HERE.
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FRIENDLY NEIGHBOR HOTLINE June 15, 2020 - Dr. Howard Abrams is the Division Head of General Internal Medicine for the University Health Network iassociated with the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, and is Director for the OpenLab. He gave us an overview of the OpenLab and more details can be found HERE. The focus of his presentation was The Friendly Neighbor Hotline which is a project of the OpenLab. His PowerPoint presentation can be seen HERE.
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TEMPE POLICE DEPT - MICHAEL POOLEY June 8, 2020 - Michael Pooley, Tempe Police Department, Assistant Chief, gave us an excellent overview of how his department is coping with COVID-19 and protesters. His presentation can be seen by clicking here.
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5495 District Gov - Last videoHere is Dave Simmer's last video. |
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TEMPE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE June 1, 2020 - Today Anne Gill, President and CEO of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce gave us an update on what is happening in our business community. Her presentation can be accessed by clicking HERE at any time.
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TEMPE FIRE DEPT. - CURRENT UPDATE
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TRVFA - DAN MESSERSMITH May 11, 2020 - Dan Messersmith, the president of The Rotary Vocation Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) gave us an excellent overview of the TRVFA organization. You can see his presentation by CLICKING HERE
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VIDEO CONFERENCE - MAY 4
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VIDEO CONFERENCE - APRIL 27 April 27, 2020 - we did not have a speaker today so most of our time was spent on Happy Bucks. We continue to have strong participation from our members.
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CORONA HIGH SCHOOL April 20, 2020 - Honorary Member, Nathan Kleve, the principal at Corona High School, filled us in on how the school and district is coping with the Covid-19 virus.
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PEOPLE OF ACTION - NEW PROJECT
What can Rotarians do to help in this time of crisis? Ideas gathered by the District 5495 Governor Line |
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VIDEO CONFERENCE - APRIL 13 April 13, 2020 - We didn't have a speaker today so the club proceeded to have a lengthy Happy Bucks session during which members also described a favorite movie. The attendance was excellent (20 members) and spirits were high. There was a Foundation Board meeting after the regular meeting to discuss the status of the golf tournament.
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DICTIONARIES AT ROOSEVELT SCHOOL DISTRICT  April 6, 2020 - Today two librarians from the Roosevelt School District, Pam Hulin and Nancy Schwartz, gave us an excellent overview of how the dictionaries which our club provides each year are used and appreciated throughout the 3rd Grade classes. To learn more click on "Read More" below. |
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NEW SONG CENTER FOR GRIEVING CHILDREN March 30, 2020 - Today Lisa Schmitt, Executive Director for New Song Center for Grieving Children, told us about this program which is part of the Hospice of the Valley organization. To see a video of her presentation click HERE
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KYRENE VIDEO CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE March 30, 2020 - Kyrene Rotary Club members participated in our second video conference lunch meeting. We plan to continue meeting with this video conference format using Zoom. The experience has been very positive. |
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DAVID ZIMMER AT VIDEO CONFERENC- KYRENE ROTARY CLUBMarch 23, 2020 The Kyrene Rotary Club held its first video-conference lunch meeting on Monday March 23. District Governor Dave Zimmer attended
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QUOTE OF THE WEEKThe most common form of despair is not being who you are.” |
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ALL LUNCH MEETINGS CANCELED UNTIL AT LEAST MAY 7In order to help fight the coronaviris epidemic, ALL MEETINGS ARE CANCELED until at least May 7 ####### NOON LUNCH MEETINGS WILL CONTINUE VIA VIDEO-CONFERENCE USING ZOOM
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Dolly Parton's Imagination Library March 09, 2020 - Terrie Sanders from the Sun Lakes Rotary Club spoke to us about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library. |
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - March 2020 March 07, 2020 Rotarians and their friends and family set up a food assembly line and then packed 560 emergency food bags (7500 lbs) at the United Food Bank for UFB and first responders to provide to families in dire need. |
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FEED OUR BABIES - KYRENE GOLF CLASSIC - SPRING 2021(if you can't see the video on your device, click on the above title) Come out to the tournament and have some fun while helping support our community To learn more about the Kyrene Golf Classic Tournament click here
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SAVE THE FAMILY - KYRENE GOLF CLASSIC - SPRING 2021 (if you can't see the video on your device, click on the above title) Come out to the tournament and have some fun while helping support our community For more information on the tournament click here |
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CORONA FACULTY & STAFF AWARDS   March 4, 2020 - Corona Faculty and Staff Awards for January and February were given out by club member Machel. |
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Up with People March 2, 2020 - two speakers from Up with People described the organization as well as their own experiences. |
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AZ Academy Drum & Bugle Corps February 24, 2020 - Mark Richardson, the Executive Director of the Arizona Academy Drum & Bugle Corps described this organization in considerable detail. |
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First Tee February 17, 2020 - Kevin Terry, Executive Director of the non-profit First Tee organization, described his past experiences and the key elements of First Tee. |
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New Member J-MO inducted February 17, 2020 - New club member Janet Mooneyham was inducted into the club today. We look forward to her active participation at meetings and events. |
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Better Angels February 10, 2020 - Brenda Smull, a volunteer with the Better Angels organization gave us very good overview. |
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Social Event - Salt River Brass & Dinner  February 9, 2020 - Club members and spouses attended a Salt River Brass concert. |
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Feed Our Babies - VideoThis video describes one of our club's major charities. Please watch and learn and contribute to our foundation by participating in our Golf Tournament in the spring of 2020. Find the details HERE
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards for December
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The Secure Act January 27, 2020 - Club member Tyler Leuning, Financial Advisor for Edward Jones, gave us a great overview and answered questions regarding the SECURE (Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement) Act. Very informative and timely for our club. |
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Shelterbox January 20, 2020 - Sheree Sheets, Ambassador for Shelterbox gave us an overview of their programs around the world. |
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Treasures 4 Teachers (T4T) January 18, 2020 - Rotarians from the Kyrene Rotary Club and the Tempe Downtown club spent two hours helping the staff at T4T. |
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AWIM - A World in Motion 2020 January 16, 2020 - The first session of the 8 week AWIM project began today. You can watch weekly activities HERE |
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New Member - Oliver January 13, 2020 - New club member, Oliver, gave us an overview of his history. |
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Rotary - People of ActionWant to learn more? Come join us, the Kyrene Rotary Club for lunch or Click on "Contact Us" at the top of the page and send us a note. If you can't see the video, click on the Title - Rotary- People of Action. If you want to learn about the six major CAUSES that Rotary supports - Click here. |
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Build for Habitat January 11, 2020 - Exchange student Remy joined several members of our club to help build a house for Habitat. The Kyrene Rotary Club has been volunteering with Habitat for 15 years. |
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New members inducted January 6, 2020 - 3 new members, John, Joni, and Oliver, were inducted into the club today. We look forward to their active participation |
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Exchange Student Remy - presentation
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Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport December 30, 2019 - David Ramirez from the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport gave us an excellent overview of the history, current state, and plans for the airport. |
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Blast from the Past - August 2006District Governor Don Kelly and his wife and Assistant District Governor Tom Burns and his wife visited with our Board of Directors before the meeting. At the regular meeting DG Don provided a model for increasing membership and encouraged members to both raise funds and use matching grants to accomplish projects. Attendance was 75%. Missing were Alan Beebe, Tom Hickey, George Kimbler and John Lamont.  DG Don, with sponsor Wally Stuebner’s help, inducted Mindy Grodzki as our newest member. Mindy is Program Director for Aquatics, Teens, and Group Fitness at the Tempe YMCA. She is married with two small children. No stranger to Rotary, she was previously a member of the Chandler club for a year during 2002-03. Her Rotary classification is Fitness & Aquatics. Welcome Mindy! PDG Barb explained the 4-step “Red Badge” new member program to us. Mindy will graduate to the regular “Blue Badge” as soon as she has attended a Board meeting, attended a meeting of another club, participated in a club service project, and greeted arriving members and guests for __ weeks. |
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Treasures 4 Teachers - Donation December 21, 2019 - On the winter solstice our Rotary club, courtesy of Andy, donated an electric stapler to Treasures4Teachers. Several members helped sort and assemble materials and enjoyed lunch together afterwards. |
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Check presentation - Generation Justice December 16, 2019 - Today President Wally presented a $2000 check to Generation Justice, Receiving the check is Rebecca Masterson, Chief Counsel and Vice President. |
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Christmas Wrapping December 09, 2019 - Today club members spent the first part of the meeting wrapping presents for a needy family. We loaded Dave's car and he made the delivery. Sure feels good to help, especially at this time of the year. |
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Inspiring VideoPlease watch - you will be inspired - Be patient it takes several seconds to load |
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District Governor David Simmer's Visit December 2, 2019 - District Governor, David Simmer, visited our club to learn more about us and to inspire us as Rotarians. To see a creative way to be BOLD as Rotarians be sure to READ MORE. |
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Rotarian of the Year Dec 1, 2019 - Machel Considine is the Kyrene Rotary Club's ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR!!. "In sincere appreciation and recognition of your service to our Youth and promotion of the values of Rotary" |
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Feed Our Babies - Food Packing November 25, 2019 - 10 Members and friends of Kyrene Rotary packed bags for Feed Our Babies to help feed the nutritionally challenged in our community. Over 18,000 bags were packed. |
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Market Review
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Social Event - Dinner at Charlestons.jpg) November 12, 2019 - Club members and friends gathered for food, drink, laughter and friendship at Charleston's. A continuation of our regular social events. |
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Check Presentation - The Centers for Habilitation November 12, 2019 - Wally and Dave present a $2,000 check to The Centers for Habilitation.
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State of the City - Mayor Mitchell Oct 28, 2019 - Mayor Mark Mitchell, Mayor of the City of Tempe, shared with us his State of the City presentation. |
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Check Presentation - Tempe Community Action Agency October 22, 2019 = Kelly and Wally presented a check for #2,000 to the chairman of the board of the Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) |
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Check Presentation - Treasures for Teachers Oct 21, 2019 - Barbra Blaylok the founder and CEO of Treasures for Teachers joined us and we made a $2,000 donation to T4T. |
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ADOT Travel ID Oct 21, 2019 - Doug Nick from ADOT was our speaker and he talked about the importance of getting the new travel drivers license. He assured the members that it was an easy process especially if you make a reservation on line. The new travel license goes into effect October 2020. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards for October  November 12, 2019 - Faculty and Staff awards for October were presented this week.First photo is Honors Biology Teacher Heather O'Brien and second photo is Bookstore Manager Betty Wong Both were pleasantly surprised. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards Aug/Sept 2019 Oct 17, 2019 - The Faculty award was presented to Kris Urban, Teacher-English & Journalism. |
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Dictionaries for ML King Elementary School Oct 17, 2019 - Machel delivered the first batch of dictionaries for the year to 3rd grade students at ML King Elementary School |
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New Honorary Member Oct 14, 2019 - Nathan Kleve, principal of the Corona del Sol high school, was inducted as an honorary member of club. |
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Tempe Union High School District October 14, 2019 - Dr. Kevin Mendivil, Superintendent of the Tempe Union High School District spoke to us today. |
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Label Dictionaries  Oct 7, 2019 - Today the major focus was on adding labels to over 1000 dictionaries that will be distributed to 3rd grade students this fall in over 20 schools. |
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$2000 for Feed Our Babies |
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Donation - Feed Our Babies September 30, 2019 - Club member Mo presented a $5,000 check to Foundation President, Dave, to be given to Feed Our Babies |
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Steps of Love September 30, 2019 - Kathleen Duncan told us about the non-profit she helped start – Steps of Love. |
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Social Event - Museum and Barbecue   Sept28, 2019 - Club member Soni hosted members at the Western_Spirit_Scottsdales_Museum-of-the-West and then at a barbecue at her and her husband's (Mo) home. |
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Save The Family - check presentation |
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AZCEND Sept 23, 2091 - Dara Gibson, AZCEND's Development Director spoke to our club today. |
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Packing Food - United Food Bank Sept 21, 2019 - Today 7 club members, (Ken, Brent, Machel, Doug, Dave, Kelly, Rob), along with our exchange student, Remy, and Harry's daughter and grandson packed food at UFB. See the slideshow. |
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Leadership & Club Growth September 16, 2019. Yanick Hicks gave the club some suggestions to help with growth |
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SPEAKERSSPEAKERS This past Monday we began our fall session with our first speaker. Many speakers will be featured over the coming weeks. Check your bulletin and our web site to see our upcoming programs
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Andy - Paul Harris Fellow August 6, 2019 - Honorary member of the Kyrene Rotary club, Andy Wangstad, received recognition from his home club in Kent for his 8th Paul Harris Fellowship contribution. Kudos to Andy. |
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Exchange Student 1st Meeting July 29, 2019 - Our exchange student for this year, Remy, presented club president Wally with a banner from his sponsoring Rotary club in Avignon, France |
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Banner from Bali July 29, 2019 - Lynette presents Wally with the banner she received while visiting Bali. |
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Flor's Final Meeting July 15, 2017 - Our exchange student from Argentina, Flor, attended her last meeting with us before her departure for her home. |
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Food Packing - United Food Bank - June 8 June 8, 2019 - Over 24 volunteers from several clubs in the East Valley worked to pack food at the United Food Bank. Kyrene Rotary was represented by Doug, Scott, Kelly, and Brad. The photo indicates that Doug and Scott were having fun. |
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Generation Justice June 3, 2019 - Rebecca Masterson, Vice President and Chief Counsel for Generation Justice, told us about the history and goals of this two year old non-profit organization. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - April 2019 May 7, 2019 - Last Faculty and Staff Awards for the academic year. Above photo is L to R: Mr. Nathan Kleve, Mr. Bill Hazell-Asst Principal-Activities, Ms. Barbara Jensen-Food Service-Asst. Manager, Mr.Cory Nenaber-Asst. Principal-Athletics, Mr. Steve Threadgill-Asst. Principal-Academics  Above photo is Micah Wilkins, Classified Staff.jpg) Above photo is L to R: Mr. Hazell, Mr. Kleve, Katie Chance-Science Teacher and recipient of TUHSD 2016-2017 I’m [IN]FLUENTIAL Award |
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Feed Our Babies May 20, 2019 - Today our club did not have a specific program but we were fortunate enough to have Joni Sucato and her husband join us as a guest of Soni Koskela. Joni is the founder and chairman of the Feed Our Babies program in Phoenix. She explained the mission and experiences of the program. There was much discussion and we will invite her to come and speak to us in the fall. This organization might well be a candidate for support from our club. |
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Habitat for Humanity - check presentation.JPG) May 14, 2019 - President Kelly Alexander presented a $1,000 contribution to Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. |
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Special Event - Tempe Community Action Agency May 7, 2019 - Kelly, Rob, Dave, Doug and Harry attended a TCAA breakfast fundraiser welcoming Neighbors Helping Neighbors in to the TCCA fold. NHN is a volunteer organization helping seniors age in place by offering assistance in basic home chores. |
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$1000 for Habitat for Humanity |
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$500 for The Rotary Vocational Foundation |
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Exchange Student Flor - Paul Harris Fellow  May 13, 2019 - Our club presented an Honorary Paul Harris Fellow Award to Flor, our exchange student this year. Flor's family came from Argentina to visit her and see her perform in concert last week end. Congratulations Flor! You are an inspiration to everyone. |
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Sorting materials - Save the Family May 6, 2019 - Club members Machel, Rob, and Beth spent a productive morning sorting, organizing, and stocking food and linens for families in the Save the Family programs |
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Women for Women May 6, 2019 - Kay Wright, the Community Outreach Coordinator for the Women4Women program in Tempe, described the program which is a part of the Tempe Community Access Agency. |
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United Food Bank - check presentation April 26, 2019 - President Kelly presents $1000 to the United Food Bank Board |
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Exchange Student Dinner |
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President Transition  April 29, 2019 - Incoming President Wally gave outgoing President Kelly a plaque thanking her for her services this past year. ADG Patrick also participated in the ceremony. Thanks Kelly for a job well done!
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New member induction April 29, 2019 - Brent Mangiapane was inducted as our newest member today and received his permanent badge. Welcome Brent! We look forward to your contributions. |
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Dignity - how to not treat people as objects April 29, 2019 - Bob Fabey gave a very engaging presentation about how we often make objects out of people and then treat them the wrong way.
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Social Event - Buca di Beppo April 23, 2019 - A fun filled group of 15 members and spouses had a variety of delicious Italian food at Bucca di Beppo. There was lots of laughter and fellowship throughout the evening and everyone was pleased with the meal, service, and setting. |
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Native American Fatherhood & Families Association April 15, 2019 - Today Amy Fa'atoafe, Executive Director, and Albert Pooley President of the Native American Fatherhood and Families Association (NAFFA)spoke to us about their organization. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - March 2019
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Serving Meals - Phoenix Rescue Mission April 10, 2019 - Club members Tom, Bill, Darrell, Wally, Beth, and Kelly served lunch at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Good meal that was appreciated by all who were served.The group had lunch and fellowship at Garcia’s (the original), which has become a tradition. |
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Exchange Student Presentation April 8, 2019 - Tanner is our club's outgoing exchange student. His presentation was a dry run for the presentations he will be expected to make during his overseas adventure. He did a nice job and received some constructive feedback from club members. Two exchange students from Vancouver Island in Canada are shown here with our outgoing student, Tanner, and Flor, our current exchange student from Argentina. President Kelly is all smiles.
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Kyrene Golf Tournament April 5, 2019 - The Kyrene Rotary club held it's second annual Classic Golf Tournament today. It was a best ball scramble with a shotgun start. Over 80 golfers participated and the club raised several thousand dollars to help the local community. A dinner followed the tournament and prizes were awarded. Feedback has all been positive.
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KyreneGolfClassic April 05, 2019 - The Tournament was a huge success! Feed back has been extremely positive. Thanks to all the sponsors and golfers for making this event a huge success. Thank you Pollock Clan for sponsoring the tournament this year. There were 85 golfers who said they had fun on a gorgeous day. The vendors also were pleased with the venue and response from the golfers. We have set the date for next year's tournament - April 17, 2020 - Save the date To see a slide show of some candid tournament photos CLICK HERE To see a slide show of the 22 foursomes - CLICK HERE |
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New Member - Tyler Leuning April 1, 2019 - During our club assembly today, our newest member, Tyler Leuning was given his blue badge and welcomed into the club. Glad to have you Tyler!
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Social Event - Dolly Boat March 30, 2019 - Our club not only serves the community, but we like to socialize together too. Here are some of our members enjoying a cruise on the Dolly Steamboat at Canyon Lake.
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - March 2019 March 23, 2019 - Rotarians and their friends and family set up a food assembly line and then packed 1,005 emergency food bags at the United Food Bank for UFB and first responders to provide to families in dire need. |
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Rotarian Malaria Partners - check presentation March 25, 2019 - The Kyrene RC presented a $500 check to the Rotarian Malaria Partners represented by honorary club member Harry.
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Southwest Human Development March 25, 2019 - Yara Marin and David Reno from Southwest Human Development which is Arizona's largest non-profit dedicated to early childhood development, described their organization and it's many projects. |
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AWIM - slide show of activities The January to March AWIM project at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School was very successful. Students loved the experience and a new creative wrinkle was added this year.
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Treasures for Teachers - check presentation March 18, 2019 - Barbara Blalock, founder and executive director of Treasures for Teachers accepts our club's $1000 donation. David, Chair of the Club Foundation and Kelly, Club President made the presentation. |
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Dementia and Comedy M
 March 18, 2019 - Dr Daniel Nightengale, co-founder and director of Dementia Therapy Specialists regaled us with some humor (he is a stand-up comedian) that led into a serious discussion of dementia. |
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SPECIAL EVENT - Clothing Drive Andy has offered to collect clothes that members bring to the meeting on Monday March 25 and take them to the Clothes Cabin. This is a very worthwhile organization and worthy of our support. Men's warm-weather clothing is in great need but all clothing will be appreciated. Please dig into your closets and take this opportunity to rid yourself of "old" clothes AND help others in our community. Hope to see everyone with at least one piece of clothing to donate next Monday!
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Come Golf with us On April 5Join us at the Whirlwind Golf Course on April 5. Just a reminder - this will be a best ball scramble with a shotgun start at 1:30 pm To learn more or sign up please go here - Kyrene Golf |
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Treasures for Teachers - Saturday projects
  March 16, 2019 - The Tempe Downtown and Kyrene Rotary clubs, along with exchange student Flor, provided lots of loving labor to help T4T. |
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TCAA - Check Presentation March 15, 2019 - Today Wally and Kelly presented a $1000 check to the Tempe Community Action Agency. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - February 2019  The Faculty and Staff Awards for February were presented by president Kelly at the school in early March.David Dotts received the faculty award and Mary Crawford received the staff award. Kudos to David and Mary! Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Wisdom I have learned March 11, 2019 - Gabby Gail (column ID) writes a regular "wisdom" column that is carried by a dozen papers in the Western USA. She explained that her wisdom comes from: being the youngest of 12; being an RN; raising 6 children; working for many years at Friendship Village; and teaching at the Autism Academy. A friend suggested she write a column dispensing wisdom to those over 50. She gave us several of her pearls of wisdom and read a few letters and her responses. Members appreciated her wisdom and humor and gave her a resounding round of applause. Thank you Gayle. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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AWIM Awards
.jpg) .jpg)  March 5, 2019 - Today was the last day of the 8 week AWIM (A World in Motion) project at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School. Kyrene Club members and friends mentored 8 teams who competed for Car designs and performance, presentations, and overall team participation.First Place - Gold Award went to the Pink Party team which was mentored by Skip Pollock Second Place - Silver Award went to the Speedy Sharks team which was mentored by Jim Durham Third Place - Bronze Award went to the Speeding Cheetah Sloths team which was mentored by Doug Bock. The entire 8 week project was very successful - selecting winners was difficult. The students and mentors learned a lot and had fun throughout the project. Science teacher, Brandon Gritz did a phenomenal job at organizing and directing the project. Kudos to Brandon! A slide show of activities is available at our Photo Gallery - click here Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Boys & Girls Club Youth of Year Candidate February 25, 2019 - Today Christian Huerra gave us a test presentation that he will use to compete in the Youth of the Year competition at the end of this week.He is already a well-respected finalist with the Boys and Girls Club organization. His 3 minute speech focused on diversity, the pros and cons. He emphasized that the Boys and Girls club provided him with an alternate family that did not include drugs, gangs, 0r guns. He has found that the Keystone club has provided him with a way to give back to the community and hone his leadership skills. Christian did an excellent job and we all wish him well in the competition. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Building Doors for Boys and Girls Club.jpg) February 20, 2019 - Blue doors are a symbol of the Boys & Girls Clubs. Late last week Harry was asked to quickly organize a KRC project to make 11 Boys & Girls Club "Doors on Wheels". The unusual portable doors would be used for B&G ceremonies and to promote their clubs in local communities. Harry immediately emailed KRC members for help and arranged to meet the B&G club volunteer at Lowes to pull the needed materials. KRC members Bill and Darrell volunteered immediately and the three of them began building the project Monday morning. Prospective KRC member Rob Savana joined in on Tuesday, and all four KRC volunteers completed the project on Wednesday. The four volunteers donated about 47 hours of work to the project. See the picture of some of the completed doors ready for paint. Well done Rotarians! Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Child Protective Services February 18, 2019 - Danny Abril is an attorney practicing juvenile law in Maricopa county since 2006. Danny explained the process involved in dependency cases. People involved with children, such as teachers and doctors are mandatory reporters if they suspect child abuse. Removing a child from a home can be complicated depending on the severity of the abuse. The ultimate goal is to return children to their families when it is deemed safe to do so. Danny's presentation led to many questions as club members learned about the "system" that children are exposed to. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Tempe Community Action Agency February 11, 2019 - Today Juliette Starkey, Director of Operations and Luke Emerson, Grants Program Manager from the Tempe Community Action Agency (TCAA) visited our club to give us an overview of their programs. Juliette gave us a description of the many programs offered by the Agency. They are reaching out into the community to assist with housing, meals, education, and homelessness. Our club has decided to support this organization financially and with sweat equity on various projects. The presentation was well received by the club and generated much discussion. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Jan 2019  Feb 12, 2019 - The Awards for January went to Jennifer Lopez, Spanish Teacher and Angelica Rivera, Athletics, Admin Assistant. Congratulations Jennifer and Angelica!.The upper photo shows: Machel, Jennifer, and Nathan Kleve, principal. The lower photo shows Bill Hazell, Asst. Principal-Activities; Cory Nenaber, Asst. Principal-Athletics; Machel, Angelica Rivera-Athletics Admin. Asst., Mary Baker, Activities Admin. Asst and Mr. Kleve. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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AWIM Team Feb 5, 2019 - After our 4th AWIM meeting of this session, the 9 volunteers and friends of Kyrene Rotary met for lunch and fellowship. The photo shows (clockwise from lower left) Doug, Pat, Bill, Andy, Jim, David, Ken, Skip, and Dave. We are half way through the project and the students are doing very well - many of them truly understand compound gear ratios. Now it's time to put the cars together. Lots of fun. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Save the Family - Visit Feb 1, 2019 - Today, many of our club members met at Save the Family in Mesa to tour their largest residential complex for homeless families and learn more about the role they play in helping homeless families move forward in gaining employment, establish residence in temporary housing, and create a meaningful life for their children. In addition to Jamie Podratz, we met Greg Boone, Chief Development Officer, an individual we will work closely with as our 2019 Classic Golf Tournament evolves. We presented Jamie with a $2,500 check which represents our initial investment in the organization and look forward to a meaningful relationship that will benefit individuals as they work to build a better life and create a loving and secure home environment for their families. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Exchange Student - Flor January 28, 2019 - Today was our Exchange Student, Flor's Birthday. The club presented her with a candle-adorned cake and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday. Flor gave us an update on her activities and experiences so far and described her participation in RYLA in some detail. Several members of the club have had the opportunity to visit with Flor for a few days. We continue to be impressed and are very proud of her. She is a great ambassador for her country, Argentina. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Rotary Microcredits Jan 21, 2019 - Patrick Walsh described the Rotary Microcredit program that is working in Sonora Mexico. The program has been using global grants to provide about $300,000 in loans to about 6,000 borrowers over the last couple of years. Patrick gave us lots of statistics about the success of the program and the interested reader should CLICK HERE to get more detailed information. Patrick described how the funds are managed by FinReg and explained that the funds "turn over" several times in a short period. Clubs and individuals are encouraged to contribute to the program. |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Dec 2018
  Jan 15, 2019 - The Awards for December went to Nikki McGraw, Math Teacher of Algebra 1 & 2 and Hilly Bilducia, Bookstore Specialist Roving. Congratulations Nikki and Hilly!. The upper photo shows: Nathan Kleve, principal, me, Nikki McGraw, Math Teacher-Algebra 1 & 2, Mr. Jim Hazell, Asst Principal-Activities. The lower photo shows Nathan Kleve and Hilly Bilducia. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Habitat House Build Jan 11, 2019 - Fifteen Rotarians (including 6 from our Kyrene Club) from 4 different clubs worked for several hours on Saturday morning to almost finish another house in this "Habitat Complex". It was cold to start but the hard work made it quite tolerable. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Polio and Malaria - Rotary Actions
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Club Assembly
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Ahwatukee Weight Loss December 17, 2018 - Dylan Valenzuela, Director/Program Coordinator of Ahwatukee Weight Loss, gave us a very fast paced, informative presentation that included the opportunity to have body composition scan at the end. Dylan explained the principles of the program - its history, and successes. We had a very lengthy and spirited question/answer session after his presentation. Dylan provided way more information than can be captured here but readers are encouraged to check out his web site. Three club members have used Dylan's services and he is also a hole-sponsor again this year for our upcoming golf tournament. Thank you Dylan. Click or "Read More" to see social media options.
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Treasures for Teachers - December  Dec 15, 2015 - A group of volunteers from the Kyrene and Tempe Downtown rotary clubs spent two hours putting materials together at the Treasures 4 Teachers facility on 48th St. The Kyrene club had a strong showing with 6 members (Andy, Scott, Lynette, Ken, Wally, and Dave). We had lots of interaction and fellowship. Our efforts were greatly appreciated and we expect to continue supporting this most worthwhile organization that helps teachers obtain materials at affordable prices. We had lunch together afterwards to continue our fellowship and laughter. Click on "Read more" to see social media options. |
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Exchange Student Flor Dec 10, 2018 - Our exchange student Flor gave us a superb description of her country and emphasized that Argentina has a great wine culture. Flor had jars of Chimichurri available for purchase. She's selling one jar for $6, or two for $10, to raise money for a summer train trip. Everybody bought several bottles. Members are encouraged to buy more. Great job Flor! Click on "Read more" to see social media options.
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Nov 2018  Dec 4, 2918 - The Faculty and Staff Award winners for November are Andrew Centanni, Biology Teacher and Pat Smith, CDS Cross-Country Coach. Congratulations, Andrew and Pat - jobs well done. |
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Christmas Wrapping and Potluck - 2018  Dec 2, 2018 - Members gathered at Kelly and Lonnie's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping, singing, and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family with needy children. Kelly selected the family from the Boys and Girls Club list of families in need. Thanks to all!! This year we were pleasantly surprised to be entertained by Katie Alexander's Glee Club. This is an annual event that club members vigorously support and enjoy. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Mayor's Report on the State of the City Dec 3, 2018 - Mark Mitchell, Mayor of the City of Tempe, gave us an overview of his and his family's past and why he thinks Tempe is such a great city. Interested readers can view his "State of the City" speech by clicking here. Mark gave us many statistics, like how large the city is (42 square miles), how much volunteers helped the city, how many jobs are being added, what companies are locating here, plans for a new street car, and development of a new ARTS / SCIENCE complex at the west end of Tempe Town Lake. His presentation was well received and generated much discussion. It's clear that Mark is a very enthusiastic emissary for the city and has passion for the city and where it is going. Thank you, Mark. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona November 26, 2018 - Today Jeanie Morgan, a Director of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA), spoke to us about the mission and needs of TRVFA. TRVFA is a unique organization - it is approved by Rotary International and is qualified as an Arizona Tax-Credit eligible organization. The organization is focused on students who are pursuing certifications or degrees in vocational rather than college areas and who have financial needs. For students who have been approved by TRVFA, clubs are asked to endorse the students. There is no expense to the club. Clubs are encouraged to stay in contact with the students during their program, as well as afterwards. Club members and the club itself is encouraged to contribute to this most worthwhile organization. Check their website for more details. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Oct 2018
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Treasures 4 Teachers Nov 17, 2018 - A group of volunteers from the Kyrene and Tempe Downtown rotary clubs spent two hours putting materials together at the Treasures 4 Teachers facility on 48th St. The Kyrene club had a strong showing with 6 members (Doug, Rob, Scott, Lynette, Ken, and David) and our exchange student Flor. We had lots of interaction and fellowship. Our efforts were greatly appreciated and we expect to continue supporting this most worthwhile organization that helps teachers obtain materials at affordable prices. Click on "Read more" to see social media options.
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Being a Judge November 19, 2018 - Melissa Zabor is a Commissioner and Judge Pro Tem in the Maricopa County Superior Court. Formerly she practiced law as a defense attorney and then as a prosecutor. She described the court and its operations - what a heavy workload it carries. The criminal court is open 24 hours a day and schedules appearances every 3 hours. Melissa herself, works seven 11 hour shifts every 2 weeks. Her court sees about 30 - 35 people every 3 hours. They processed 72,000 people last year. She finds her job challenging and very interesting to say the least. (Melissa is the daughter of our president-elect, Wally Stuebner) Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Paul Harris Honorary Fellow Nov 19, 2018 - In the early 1900’s Paul Harris was a Chicago attorney who believed in a vision where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities. With that vision, he created Rotary and the rest is history. The Kyrene Rotary Club would like to recognize one of our generous sponsors as a Paul Harris Fellow.Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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Save the Family Nov 12, 2018 - Today Jamie Podratz, the Marketing and Outreach manager for Save the Family, gave us an excellent overview of this organization. While they concentrate on providing housing for people in need, they also provide a series of other programs to help people recover from poverty and become employed. The organization has been around for 30 years and has housing facilities throughout the valley. Their goal is make people self-sufficent as quickly as possible: their average is 6 months as compared to the national average of 16 months. They have just opened a new facility in Tempe to assist women veterans. We were very impressed with the success and breadth of Save the Family and encourage everyone to check out their web site. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Dictionaries to the Autism Academy Nov 8, 2018 - Club members, Harry, Ken, Bill, David, Andy, and Jim are preparing to distribute over 100 dictionaries to the Autism Academy for Education and Development in Tempe. We delivered the dictionaries to 8 classes and the students were extremely pleased to receive them. Club members had lots of fun interacting with the students. Andy and Harry are busy helping students with one of the exercises we guide them through to help them become familiar with the contents of the dictionary/encyclopedia. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Driver's Education Oct 29, 2018 - Ed Mendoza talked to us about Driver's Education in Arizona. He first gave us a bit of his background. As a freshman in high school he was encouraged to pursue track and field rather than some other sport because he was fast and had endurance. Later in life he was an All American and also a member of the Olympic team in 1976. He taught physical education and driver's ed for 20 years. He has just retired and will begin his own driver's ed business because the schools in Arizona are phasing out that program. Ed told us several stories about being a driver's ed teacher which prompted much discussion. We wish Ed well in his new business. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Social Event - Charleston's Oct 23, 2018 - Many club members and significant others met at Charleston's Restaurant for our first social event of the fiscal year. As usual, there was lots of laughter and fellowship. We survived a noisy surrounding (and contributed to it) while enjoying good food. Next social is on Sunday afternoon, Nov 18 at the Main Event. Come join us. Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Small World Story Oct 22, 2018 - Today we had a visitor, Van Van Jepmond, from a club near Olympia in Washington, who told us a short story (on short notice since our scheduled speaker did not arrive). Van had spent many years in Denmark during World War II and one day at a District Rotary meeting in Victoria BC he heard a man speaking Danish. They began to trade information and it turned out that the man was living in Denmark very close to where Van had lived all those years ago. Van has been in Rotary for many years and has tales from all over the world. Rotary certainly brings people together in some wonderful and unexpected ways! Thanks Van for "filling in" for us - you made it a great meeting. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Honorary Paul Harris Fellow Oct 13, 2018 - In the early 1900’s Paul Harris was a Chicago attorney who believed in a vision where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities. With that vision, he created Rotary and the rest is history. The Kyrene Rotary Club would like to recognize one of our generous sponsors as a Paul Harris Fellow.Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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Treasures for Teachers Oct 15, 2018 - Barb Blalock, our speaker, is the founder and leader of Treasures 4 Teachers. In 2004, she observed as a 2nd grade student asked the teacher for a pencil. The teacher exchanged the pencil for a shoe. This way she was sure to have the pencil, a scarce resource in this school, returned before the end of the day. T4T services 4,500 teachers around the valley. It is head quartered in Tempe but recently was offered storage space at a westside school to encourage T4T to become more active in the west valley. Although teachers are asked to pay $35/yr. to use T4T services, perhaps as many as half struggle with this payment in order to provide much needed supplies to their classrooms. The club was quite receptive to her well-presented talk and view T4T as a strong candidate for future projects and financial donation. Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Sept 2018
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Kyrene RC Receives Award Oct 8, 2018 - District Governor-Elect, David Simmer, presented our club with two almost identical awards for 100% participation in 2017-2018. The Awards were for $100 per capita giving and $100 average giving to the Rotary International Foundation. Past president Doug Bock, and current president Kelly Alexander are shown receiving the awards. Kudos to Doug for a great job in the last two years! Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Southwest Veterans Chamber of Commerce Oct 1, 2018 - Tom Sheets, the Executive Director of the Southwest Veterans Chamber of Commerce (SWVCC) gave a very informative presentation about his organization. The SWVCC was founded in 2012 to help veterans build businesses, become employed, obtain scholarships, and integrate into the business community. The organizations works with many non-profits to collaborate efforts of support for veterans. They are continuing to develop publicity events to spread the word and they hold a major fund raiser each year called the Annual Patriot's Ball. This year is will be held on Saturday Oct. 27 at 5:30 pm at Pointe Hilton Tapatio Cliffs Resort. Tom encouraged us to attend the ball and support the organization with our donations. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Club Assembly + label dictionaries.jpg) Oct 1, 2018 - We had a full agenda today. We confirmed officers for this year, discussed lunch menu choices, and discussed plans for modifying meeting dates and recruiting new members. Dave led a discussion on what items we should purchase for the Boys and Girls Club. Kelly also encouraged each of us to sign on to a MyRotary account at Rotary.org. From there it is easy to donate to support the Polio Plus program, which the District Governor has emphasized. At the end of the meeting we moved to the patio where we labeled 1200 dictionaries for distribution later this month. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Feed My Starving Children - food packing September 25, 2018 - The Kyrene Rotary club joined other organizations and community volunteers to support feed my starving children today. During the two-hour session, 223 boxes of food including over 42,000 meals was packed to support the children of Rwanda. With the efforts of the group, 131 children will be fed over for one year. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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President's Award September 24, 2018 - District Governor, Jim Erickson, presented the President's Award to our club. There are only 14 clubs in our district of 70 clubs who received this award. There were many criteria that we had to meet and Past-president Doug guided us through the process to obtain this award. Standing in for Doug is our current president, Kelly, who felt badly that Doug couldn't be present to receive the award. Thanks for your hard work Doug! Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Telling Stories September 24, 2018 - Grant Colwell, a dual citizen, architect, and public speaker, regaled us with two stories from his repertoire of stories. He decided that rather than bore us with architecture issues, he would try to bring a smile to our faces via his stories - which he did. His first story described his most embarrassing moment as a college junior when he ran headlong into a parking meter with devastating effects that cost him the opportunity to meet a beautiful girl driving a mint condition 68 Ford 150. His second story involved his favorite birthday party when he was 12. He and his friend irritated an entire restaurant - Barney Googles - in Calgary by setting up a juke box to play Ohio Express's Yummy Yummy Yummy multiple times. This write-up doesn't do him justice. He was very animated and connected with the audience. Lots of laughs. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Aug 2018  September 12, 2018 - Corona del Sol High School Teacher of the Month for August is Special Ed Teacher, Mandy Michalik. Congratulations Mandy! Staff of the Month for August is English Dept. Support Staff is Anita Hubbard. Congratulations Anita! Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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Personal Health September 17, 2018 - Kelly Clough, ND told us about the integrative approach to health that is practiced by Naturopathic doctors. He described 3 of the largest trends in healthcare today. (1) The patient is becoming a consumer who wants access, value, and convenience. The danger is that the patient can be overwhelmed with all the information available today. (2) Medical Science Fiction is coming. This includes anti-aging functional treatments, genetics, and increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The danger is that new methods can be very expensive and may mask root causes. (3) Alternative Medicine is going mainstream. Licencing is increasing across the US, MDs are looking more at wellness. Dr. Clough said there are many natural herbs such as ginger, tumeric, and tea that can help with health and wellness. His presentation led to many questions from club members. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Clerk of the Court & Club Donation September 10, 2018 - Our speaker was Roberta Miller, candidate for Clerk of the Court. She described some of the responsibilities of the clerk which include recording all court proceedings, maintaining case files, providing court documents to requestors, and accounting for financial aspects of the court (collecting fines and restitution payments). She provided an example of a women awarded $5,000 at trial but payment was not received until 7 years later. The clerk is responsible to track down and reimburse plaintiffs even if they have moved.  The club presented Ruben from the Guadalupe B&G Club, a $500 check in support of ongoing club activities. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Tournament Happy Hour Sept 5, 2018 - Our club held a Happy Hour at VinciTorio's Restaurant to thank the sponsors and people who helped make our Inaugural Golf Tournament last April such a success. Wally and Kelly are smiling along with two of our supporters.We had lots of fellowship and laughter and we also shared our sponsorship opportunities for our next tournament on April 5, 2019. We will be holding the tournament at Whirlwind again this coming year. We hope to increase our contributions from sponsors, and increase the number of golfers participating. You can see a few photos by clicking HERE. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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District Governor's Visit August 27, 2018 - District Governor for 5495, Jim Erickson, told us some of his history and how he got involved with Rotary. He posts a video most weeks that can be accessed from the District Web Site. He encouraged us to create a Myrotary account to stay current and easily make donations. (50% of Kyrene members have accounts). He discussed the need to bring in new "quality" members since we typically lose 10% per year. Jim emphasized that Rotary is a Leadership Organization that serves the community. One of Jim's passions is Ending Polio and he gave us some statistics that are encouraging but also concerning because we haven't eliminated Polio completely. Jim ended by encouraging us to attend the annual conference next June. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Treasures for Teachers August 18, 2018 - Rotary members - 4 from Downtown and 1 from Kyrene spent a couple of hours working at the Treasures 4 Teachers facility in Tempe. This is a regular service project for the Tempe Downtown club every third Saturday of the month. Volunteers work on a variety of projects depending on the need. Our Kyrene club is considering this as a service project. On the right, Barbara Blalock, the founder and CEO of this non-profit organization, is telling us about how T4T is expanding as demand continues to grow. Teachers rave about it. This is a very impressive organization. Check it out here Click on "Read More" for social media options
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Member Presentations - Rob & Kelly August 13, 2018 - Today we had two club members, Rob and Kelly, describe their recent travel experiences. Rob told us about his river cruise on the Danube and Rhine rivers, beginning in Budapest and ending in Amsterdam. He showed us many wonderful buildings with great architecture. Interesting note - his trip was interrupted because the Danube became too shallow. A word of warning to future river cruisers. Kelly told us about her adventure with her daughter and a group of young students from Tucson. Her travels began in Zurich , stopping in southern France and ending in Barcelona. She also showed us many impressive buildings. She found it hard to keep up with the students who seemed to have boundless energy, as they all learned about music, art, language and history along their journey. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - Aug 2018 August 11 2018 - Our club had a good turnout for this quarterly event. We had 9 people out of about 30 and we packed 1200 emergency boxes of food. These boxes will be distributed to agencies in Eastern Arizona which will provide them to needy families. Thanks to members, Doug, Scott, David, Jim, Dave, Rob, and Ken. And thanks to the friends that joined us - Pam and Susan. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Denmark - David (and Flor) July 30, 2018 - Club member David presented a slide show describing his recent travels to Denmark and other northern European regions. He told us about Copenhagen and said he and his family walked about 5 miles a day while sight-seeing. This trip with his wife and daughters was to celebrate his wife's "significant birthday". He was in Denmark at a festive time - they witnessed parades, and dancing in the streets. He told us about HYGGE which is unique to Denmark. Check it out HERE. Thanks for a very informative presentation, David.Flor - our Rotary Exchange Student from Argentina, and her host family "mother" joined us for lunch today. Flor looked rested and was full of smiles. She had just registered for classes at Corona del Sol High School.  Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Flor Arrives from Argentina July 28, 2018 - Our club's Rotary Youth Exchange student from Argentina was greeted at Phoenix Sky Harbor airport this morning by club members, friends of Rotary, and her first host family. It was a joyous occasion with lots of hugs and laughter. Club member, Machel, will be hosting a "get-to-know-you" party at her home on August 11. To see more photos at the airport, CLICK HERE. To see a video taken at the airport, CLICK HERE Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Back to School Shopping - B&G Club .jpg)  July 28, 2018 - Today our club participated with several other organizations to provide a back-to-school shopping spree for several Boys and Girls clubs in the East Valley at Kohl's. Dave and Jim were paired up with two young boys while Beth guided two young girls. Our club also donated $500 to support the activity. The youngsters picked out about $100 worth of clothing and each received a new back pack. Everyone had a good time. To see more photos, click hereClick on "Read More" to see social media options
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Boys and Girls Club - interviewing skills July 26, 2018 - Today we made a visit to the Boys and Girls Club in Guadalupe. The club was well represented by, Jim, Machel, Lynette, David, Dave, Doug, and Ken along with help from Skip . We functioned as interviewers to help several teenagers who are enrolled in the "Leaders in Training" (L.I.T.) program improve their interviewing skills. We all enjoyed the experience We hope to help the Boys and Girls Club again next year.Click on "Read More" to see social media options or make comments
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ESL - Lynette July 16, 2018 - Club member, Lynette, told the club about her 25 years of experience as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher. She began her career with IBM and decided she preferred teaching ESL. Her degrees are in Rhetoric and Linguistics and she has specialized in Language Acquisition. She had taught in several schools before joining the ASU faculty. She teaches ESL 107 and 108 but adds 109 for students who want to socialize and practice with her. She establishes strong relationships with her students and has visited them all over the world. Lynette clearly loves teaching ESL and loves her students. She is a great asset for ASU, her students and Rotary. Keep up the good work Lynette. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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President Transition |
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President's Transition July 2, 2018 - Today marked the transition from the club's two year president, Doug Bock, to our new (hopefully two year) president, Kelly Alexander. Doug was presented with a plaque that recognized his "energetic and creative leadership" during the past two years. We also presented him with gift cards to two of his favorite restaurants. Thank you Doug for a superlative job! You deserve many kudos! We look forward to your continued active participation as a club member for many years to come. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Paul Harris Fellow July 2, 2018 - President Doug, as one of his last duties of his two year term, presented incoming President Kelly with her recognition as a Paul Harris Fellow. Thanks for your generosity Kelly, and congratulations!Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Serving at United Food Bank June 22, 2018 - On Friday, members served approximately 300 families at the United Food Banks Help Yourself co-op. The co-op program allows clients to purchase 15 to 20 pounds of different meat and produce for $20. As available, Help Yourself clients can also make selections from a variety of complimentary items like breads and pastries, dairy and deli products. The program offers a great opportunity for anyone who’d like to make the most of their food budgets; weekly or monthly. There are no qualifying requirements or limits so it is open to the public. Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Thoughts for the DayHere are a few clips from President Doug's (A GREAT President) Meeting Openings Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Rotary International Foundation June 18, 2018 - Dave Kline, a founding member of our club, gave us an overview of the Rotary International Foundation (TRF). The presentation is part of the requirement that all clubs have two such informative presentations a year. TRF is separate from our own Kyrene Rotary Club Foundation. It has three major areas - Polio, Endowment, and Annual Share. Fifty percent of the Annual Share funds are returned to the District (District Designated Funds) to support grants which are requested by the clubs. 91% 0f the funds are available for programs - this gets TRF the highest rating on Charity Navigator. The Annual Share funds are used to support activities in the following areas: - Promoting Peace, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education, Growing Local Economies, Fighting Disease. Our club's budget will provide $125 per member each year to maintain our eligibility for grants. Thanks Dave for a very clear overview. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Markets May 21, 2018 - Today Steve Alderson, a high end financial advisor with Wells Fargo, talked about the financial market in general terms. Steve has been providing financial advice for many years, including individuals and groups in every country in South America. He reminded us that markets can go higher and also lower than you think. Steve told us that the current bull run of 107 months is twice as long as the average bull market of 46 months. He is optimistic about the future economy in the U.S. but thinks a correction is on the horizon. He gave us an interesting chart that showed for the last 107 years, 29 years had negative returns and 78 had positive returns. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty & Staff Awards - April 2018 May 16, 2018 - The CDS April Teacher of the Month is Leah Fleming, World History.The CDS April Staff of the Month is Dan Rife, Security Guard. The photo shows, L to R, Kathi Hausmann, CDS PTO, Machel, Leah Fleming, and Cory Nenaber, Asst Principal-Athletics. Click on "Read More to see social media options |
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Presentation to 100 Club of Arizona May 16, 2018 - Today our club presented a $5000 check to the 100 Club. The funds were raised from our Kyrene Golf Classic which was held on April 28 and sponsored by the USEgg. Wally presented the check to Carol Leicht and expressed our sincere appreciation for the good work done by the 100 Club. We look forward to supporting them in the coming years.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Social Event - dinner at Keegan's May 15, 2018 - Our club held it's last social event for this rotary year at Keegan's restaurant. Most members attended with their spouses and since our members are not shy or meek, the sound level was considerable. Lots of conversation, fellowship , and much laughter!Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Ranching in Arizona May 7, 2018 - Today, Chuck Backus, owner of the Quarter Circle U Ranch (located in the Superstition Mountains) told us what it was like to be a rancher in Arizona. Chuck, a PhD nuclear engineer by training, began ranching over 40 years ago while he was an active administrator at Arizona State University. He brings a strong analytical approach to ranching and has been very successful. He explained that private land represents only 17% of Arizona so ranchers lease land from the government. Chuck gave us a superb overview of the cattle industry - from calves to packing house. He said that ranching in Arizona is far different than in the midwest. For example, in the midwest farmers have up to 2000 cows per acre while in Arizona a typical density is 100 acres per cow. His talk was fascinating and generated many questions and much discussion. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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New Member Induction May 7, 2018 - The club welcomed Beth Roth as our newest club member. Beth has already been active in our most recent golf tournament. Presenting Beth with her new badge is Kelly Alexander who is substituting for Beth's sponsor, Wally Stuebner. President Doug is very happy to have a new member and hopes this is just the beginning of recruiting several new members. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Gift and Banner Exchange May 7, 2018 - Harry presented a banner and a gift from the Soroti Rotary Club in Uganda. Harry is wearing an overshirt from that region. Harry had a very informative 2 week trip and will give us more details at a later date. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Preparations for Golf Tournament April 25, 2018 - Many club members worked diligently for a couple of hours to insert materials into the golf bags that each golfer will receive at the Tournament on Saturday. Lots of laughter and fellowship. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Serving Meals - Phoenix Rescue Mission April 11, 2018 - Club members Tom, Bill, Harry, and Andy served lunch at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. Good meal - saffron rice with pulled chicken and a delicious smelling curry sauce! They also had a salad where diners got lettuce mix and then could add any three toppings (out of about six).The group had lunch at Garcia’s (the original), which has become a tradition. Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Air Travel April 16, 2018 - Roy Sinclair, a 3-time marathon runner and employee at Sky Harbor Airport gave us some interesting statistics about air travel. He told us there are 5000 airlines worldwide that provide 4,200 flights a day that carry 2.5 million passengers. Roy assured us that bags are never lost - they are just misplaced and the rate of misplacement is 2 to 3 bags per 1000. He told us that American Airlines now has 120,000 employees and is the largest airline in the world. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Art and Culture of Tempe April 9, 2018 - David Lucier, Chairman of the Tempe Arts and Culture Commission, gave us an overview of the commission. The Tempe Arts and Culture Commission advises the City Council, in the development of an arts and culture plan, and promotes such plans; supports the City’s General Plan goals relating to arts and culture and encourages diverse citizen participation in arts and culture programs and initiatives; and, advises City staff on arts and culture programs, projects, policies, and initiatives. The city supports the arts and culture initiative through a 1/10% sales tax which expires in 2020. David hopes that will be extended. Tempe's art and culture programs are creative, vibrant, diverse, and receive countless accolades from the community. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corporation Commission March 26, 2018 - Bill Mundell presented information on the formation and history of the Corporation Commission in Arizona. The Corporation Commission was created as a 4th branch of Government in Arizona to regulate monopolies. When instituted in 1912, the largest monopolies were railroads. Regulating a monopoly means that the Commission has the power to set the rates you pay as a customer of the monopoly. Today, utilities are the monopolies regulated by the Commission.As a former commissioner, Bill was knowledgeable about the commission and is passionate that all voters become as educated as possible about the commission and the candidates that seek election. Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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Tempe Town Lake March 19, 2018 - Alicia Jerger, Sr. Boating Director at Tempe Town Lake, gave us an overview of the many programs offered by the city of Tempe at the Town Lake. Alicia attended San Diego State University on a rowing scholarship and intended to become a lawyer before she got the opportunity to work for the city at Town Lake. She told us the Lake was conceived as an architecture project at ASU in 1966 and after many years of negotiations was completed in 1999. Now the Lake has several boating related activities and events, from rowing, sailing and kayaking clubs to the Dragon Boat festival every spring. Boats are available for rent most of the year. The City has done a superb job of making this a top rate recreation location. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Paul Harris Award March 12, 2017 - President Doug presented Ken with his Paul Harris Fellow 6+ award - a beautiful pin with a ruby insert. Paul Harris Fellow awards are given for each $1000 that a member contributes to the Rotary International Foundation. There are now over 1 million Paul Harris Fellows in Rotary. Ken has been a regular donor since joining Rotary 7 years ago. Click on "Read more" to see social media options.
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Feb 2018 .JPG) March 12, 2018 - February's awards were for Pete Salazar, Special Education teacher and golf coach and Missy West, staff in the Special Education Department. Top photo is Mr. Kleve, Principal, Peteand Machel. Bottom photo is Mr. Kleve, Principal, Missy and Machel Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Hospice of the Valley March 12, 2018 - Lin Sue Cooney, Director of Community Engagement for Hospice of the Valley, gave us an excellent overview of the organization and the many services it provides. Lin Sue was a newscaster for 31 years at channel 12 but says she is now in the best job she has ever had. Her enthusiasm was obvious as she described how Hospice of the Valley began in 1977 as a non-profit organization and has never turned anyone away. They have 1400 employees and over 2100 volunteers providing services such as Living wills, grief support, dementia care, and pet therapy plus many more than can be listed here. They are the only non-profit hospice in the valley. Check the website for more information. Click Here Click on "Read more" to see social media options. |
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - March 2018 March 3 2018 - Our club had a good turnout for this quarterly event. We had 11 people out of about 30 and we packed 900 emergency boxes of food. Thanks to members, Doug, Scott, David, Jim, Bill, Harry, Mike, Mike, and Ken. And thanks to the friends that joined us - Phyllis and Pam. See a gallery of photos from the event by CLICKING HERE. Click on "Read more" to see social media options |
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AWIM concludes for the winter semester February 27, 2018 - The AWIM team had their final meeting with the 8th grade students at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School today. The students gave presentations and received awards - the overall performance of everyone was excellent. The AWIM team included Rotarians David, Dave, Andy, Bill, Jim, Doug, and Ken, along with friends Dave, Pat, and Skip and science teacher Brandon Gritz. To see a gallery of photos click HERE. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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The Appalachian Trail February 26, 2018 - John Conant gave us his background and his work with youngsters at Sunshine Acres where he and his wife live permanently in their RV. John then told us of his adventures in hiking the Appalachian Trail which he began in April 2015 and finished in September 2015. His journey took him over the highest peaks in 14 states and covered 2,800 miles. Along the way he broke two toes, developed a hernia and wore out 5 pairs of boots. He finished the journey 35 lbs lighter than he started since he was burning about 5,000 cal a day. It was a great accomplishment and John has many exiting stories about his trip. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Unconscious Money Beliefs February 19, 2018 - Today, Diane Elarde, Founder and principal of Emerging Insights, talked about financial beliefs and unconscious behavior. She claims that 80% of behavior comes from unconscious decision making. (Think of driving home without remembering how you did it). She had us fill out a financial beliefs assessment and then discussed our unconscious beliefs related to Self Worth, Worshipper, Fear, and Avoidance. Diane emphasized the need for spouses to discuss financial beliefs openly in order to avoid unexpected surprises later in life. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - January 2018  February 12, 2018 - This month's awards were for Neil MacDonald, English Teacher, and Basketball Coach, and Jesus Contreras, Staff in the Special Education Department. Top photo is Mr. Kleve, Principal, Neil, and Machel. Bottom photo is Mr. Kleve, Principal, Jesus and Machel Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Autism Academy February 12, 2018 - Shannon Mitchell and Lauren Gray from the Autism Academy for Education and Development gave us a comprehensive look at their organization. Shannon told us that the Academy addressed the needs of students across the full spectrum of Autism. The school is in its 5th year and now has over 300 students in 3 locations. She explained that 99% of the students attend on a full scholarship. The school addresses the academic, social skills, and vocational needs of the students. They are developing partnerships with organizations in the valley to train and place students when they graduate. Our club provides dictionaries to the Tempe campus and hopes to build additional ties to the organization. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Kyrene Resource Center - packing food February 7, 2018 - Today, club members Bill, Harry, Andy, and Mike spent a few hours at the Kyrene Resource Center transferring food from boxes to shelves and then packing food bags. These food bags will be available to needy families in the area. Our club is hoping to increase our participation with this very worthwhile charitable organization. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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What it's like to be a hippie January 29, 2018 - Laurie Coe gave us some highlights of her life along the path from being a hippie to a political activist. Her father fought in the second world war and saw the concentration camps but never liked to talk about it. Her hippie life began in New York and her commune was harassed a lot so she moved to California, married Allan Cohen and had a baby which she named River. The life was tough, and Laurie related several stories to us. The commune became more organized and had a dysfunctional board of directors. Laurie migrated from that life and now lives in the valley.Click on "read more" to see social media options
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Radio Sounds Jan 22, 2018 - Andrea Pasquale, Director of Sun Sounds of Arizona , gave us an excellent description of the Sun Sounds program. The organization has been providing reading services to the community for over 40 years. They broadcast readings of popular local papers as well as magazines and books. Radio listeners must use a special radio which is supplied free. The reading is done by volunteers and the service reaches about 49,000 listeners. Their offices are located at Rio Salado College and they are affiliated with KJZZ. Check out their website if you are interested in volunteering or donating.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Social Event - Smokin Fins  January 18, 2018 - Club members and families enjoyed an evening of light libation, fabulous food, fun and frivolity at the Smokin Fins Restaurant. Lots of laughter, stories, and discussion. Fun was had by all.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty & Staff Awards - Dec 2017
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Save the Family January 15, 2018 - Jennifer Koeller, Corporate and Community Relations Mgr with Save the Family gave us a very informative and inspiring presentation about her organization. Save the Family was founded in Mesa 30 years ago and last year they provided assistance to over 650 families. They provide a variety of services to veterans, disabled, low income, and homeless people beginning with housing, case coordination, and support services. 90% of the families who enroll in the program "graduate" within 10 months and move on to successful lives. There are many opportunities to volunteer and contribute to the organization. Members were quite impressed with this organization. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Golf Preparations  Dec 28, 2017 - Wally, Kelly, and Ken visited the Whirlwind Golf Course at Wildhorse Pass to check out the facilities and make arrangements with management for our upcoming tournament. We found that the golf carts are equipped with screens that will display information about our hole sponsors. Great technology. |
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Body Impressions December 18, 2017 - Today Cindi, Gina, and Charlene, from the ASU School of Human Evolution and Social Change, began by having members complete a short survey about weight, body type, perceptions, and age. The data is part of a study about people's perceptions of their body (weight) and the responses they receive from family and friends. The study is being conducted in several countries to see how culture affects one's perceptions and willingness to be truthful about people's body size. They will tie this into issues of health and society. The members had fun with the survey. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Rotarian of the Year Dec 10, 2017 - President Doug presented our Rotarian of the Year award to Dave Kline for his consistent hard work in supporting the club. Dave has been tireless in leading and supporting all our projects and he always does this with enthusiasm and a smiling face. Dave is a constant emissary, visiting other clubs and embodying the true spirit of Rotary. Congratulations Dave. You are very much appreciated.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Christmas Wrapping Potluck - 2017 Dec 10, 2017 - Members gathered at Dave and Lourdes' home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping, and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family with needy children. Kelly selected the family from the Boys and Girls Club list of families in need. Thanks to all!! This is an annual event that club members vigorously support and enjoy. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - Dec 2017 December 12, 2017 -Here is the latest award to Lynette Chapman - Science Teacher. Individuals in the photo are Mr. Nathan Kleve-principal, Machel, Kathi Hausmann-PTO Treasurer, Lynette Chapman, and Ms. Deb Benedict-Asst. Principal for Academics.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - Dec 2017 Dec 9, 2017 - Our club had a very large turnout for this quarterly event. We had 16 people out of about 40 and we packed 900 emergency boxes of food. Thanks to members, Bill, Harry, Rob, Mike, Kelly, Machel, Ken and David. And thanks to the friends and family that joined us - Nancy, Brad, Brenda, Ben, Katie, Pam, Phyllis and Sonya. Here are the over 40 volunteers from several clubs in the valley that helped pack the 900 boxes.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Dictionaries to Autism Academy  Nov 28, 2017 - Club members, Bill, Ken, and Wally, delivered dictionaries to the Autism Academy for Educational Development. Dictionaries were delivered to the middle school and high school. The kids were engaged and we had fun working with them. The Academy recorded our visit on their Facebook page. Click here to see that page.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Catholic Charities - Foster Care & Adoption Nov 27, 2017 - Tracey Hickey, from the Foster Care and Adoption organization - part of Catholic Charities - gave us a good overview of her organization. Tracey raised 5 kids then decided she needed to give back to the community and joined this foster care organization. She told us there are over 19,000 children in foster care in Arizona and the need for foster parents is acute. Her organization is responsible for training foster parents and helping them navigate the state's bureaucratic system. A large number of foster care parents are "kinship families" but they still need considerable help. One of the key goals of her operation is to ensure that foster parents recognize that children in the system need a lot of help with trauma. Her presentation generated a lot of discussion. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - November 2017 Nov 19, 2017 - The November winners are - Teacher: Leigh Trudgen, Math teacher and Classified Staff: Sue Parker, Records Specialist. Pictured is Leigh Trudgen, Faculty of the month, Kathi Hausmann, PTO Treasurer, Machel Considine - KRC and Mr. Kleve, CDS Principal  Pictured is Ms. Benedict, Assistant Principal-Academics; Mr. Kleve, Principal; Sue Parker, Records Specialist; Machel Considine-KRC; Kathi Hausmann-CDS PTO Treasurer. See social media options below
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Social Event - Main Event Nov 19, 2017 - The club held a social event at the Main Event on Sunday afternoon. A few people bowled but most people spent their time around the pool tables and shuffle board. There was lots of laughter, yelling, and hooting. Everyone said they had a good time and looks forward to next year when we should strive to get even more members and families involved. Thanks to Lynette and Doug for setting this up. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Harpist with Hospice  November 13, 2017 - Joyce Buekers, founding director of the Therapeutic Harp Foundation, gave us a demonstration of harp therapy. She told us about her experience in discovering and using the harp within the general sphere of integrative medicine. Her friend, Robert Callan, has been modeling the neuroplasticity of the brain to demonstrate how effective music can be in healing brain trauma. Joyce and Robert's efforts are at the forefront of the application of harp music to improve lives. Joyce's work is sponsored by many hospitals and clinics in the Phoenix area. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Dictionaries at CE Chavez Elementary Nov 7, 2017 - Kyrene Rotary members David and Wally have just distributed dictionaries to the 3rd grade class at CE Chavez Elementary School. The youngsters appreciated learning about the use of the dictionary/encyclopedia. This is the 9th year the Kyrene Club has distributed dictionaries to schools in the Roosevelt School District. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Doug's President Award .JPG) Nov 06, 2017 - Our club presented a plaque to President Doug for the superb job he has done over the past year. Doug did such a great job that the club convinced him to continue as president for another year. KUDOS Doug! And many thanks for your time, efforts, and leadership. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Brad Hillier - Club benefactor Oct 30, 2017 - Brad Hillier, CEO of Home Brands Group is a major contributor to our Dictionary Project which involves delivering dictionaries to 3rd graders in Roosevelt School District. He spoke to us today about his philosophy that he tries to instill into the culture of his organization. He believes "we can all get through life together" and emphasizes that he expects his people to not just provide services and products but to reach out and help the community. His organization also supports Habitat for Humanity and Military Makeover. He also told us a touching story of his family's recent adoption of a foster-care child. His financial support is greatly appreciated by our club. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Labeling Dictionaries
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Halloween Fund Raiser Oct 28, 2017 - our club operated two booths with 4 corn-hole boards at the Tempe Halloween festival in Kiwanis Park. Seven members (Machel, Rob, Dave, Doug, Kelly, , David and Ken) were joined by a hard-working group of family and friends (Jessica,Susan, Pat, Skip, Lourdes, and Tom). We had lots of fun but the work was taxing and long. Watching the young kids in their often creative costumes was an enjoyable part of the evening. See a small gallery of photos of this event by clicking HERE. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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AWIM begins Oct 23, 2017 - The "A World in Motion" (AWIM) project at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School had its first meeting today. Several members from the club (Dave, Machel, Kelly, Ken, and Rob) along with extra help from Skip and Jessica began assisting the teams with plans and powerpoints. A photo gallery is available HERE. Other KRC members will be joining the group in the coming weeks. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Massage - natural healing Oct 23, 2017 - Linda Moser of Trumpet Vines Healing spoke to us about several of the various modalities of massage. Linda explained that she is able to use her empathetic skills to learn about an individual's pain centers. She showed us a diagram of the energy fields surrounding our bodies and how she is able to use those fields to treat patients with a variety of physical and psychological problems. Her healing modes include Lomi Lomi, Heart Awakening, Herbology, Reiki, and Cranial Sacral therapy.Linda is also an accomplished vocalist and has sung in many venues in the Phoenix Area. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Visitors from Pakistan RC Multan Cantt Oct 16, 2017 - Abe and Barb Feder brought two visitors from the RC Multann Cantt in Pakistan to talk with us today. Salman Mubarak, president and founder of the club (2001) described the various activities of the club over the past several years. One of their major projects is supporting a 28 bed Ophthalmology Hospital that has conducted over 20,000 cataract screenings. The club has been actively involved in several projects, both local and international. Salman and his wife, Dr Bushra Maryam will be visiting several sites in Arizona with the Feders during the next couple of weeks. Members were encouraged to visit the club in Pakistan.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Habitat for Humanity - house build Oct 14, 2017 - Members of our Kyrene Rotary Club were joined by Rotarians of Rio Salado, Crossroads, and ASU Rotaract on a Habitat for Humanity build in Tempe this morning. There were over 50 volunteers in total. David, Mike, Kelly and daughter Kate represented our club well.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Inspiration An inspiration about stewardship adapted to fit Rotary, by Steve Mariotti My Rotary Club is composed of people like me. I help make it what it is. It will be a friendly club, ...if I am. Its work projects will be filled with volunteers, ...if I volunteer to help. My Rotary club will do great work, ...if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes, ...if I am a generous giver. It will bring other people into its fellowship, ...if I invite and bring them. It will be a club of loyalty, friendship, and fun, and a club with a noble spirit, if I, who make it what it is, am filled with these same things. Therefore, with the help of other club members, I shall dedicate myself to the task of being all the things that I want my club to be. Taken from the Oct 17 issue of the Kent Rotary Nooz
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Disney Magic October 9, 2017 - Rich Hamilton told us about Disney Magic. He related some history and several humorous stories about his experiences at Disneyland. The three key points that he learned from Disney were: Pay attention; Engage; and Systematize. Rich explained how these points can be used in everyone's daily life. He tested our knowledge and our ability to pay attention at the end of his presentation and distributed various prizes to the winning members. After the presentation, Rich announced that three of his books were available for sale at $20 each. Here, David and Dave discuss the various books with Rich.Rich donated 100% of all the proceeds to our club. As a result of Rich's generosity the club added $160 to our coffers. Many thanks, Rich ! Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Rotary and Club Foundations Oct 2, 2017 - Club member Dave gave us a great overview of both the Rotary(TRF) and the Kyrene Rotary Club Foundations. Dave explained the categories available in the Rotary Foundation and told us that TRF directed 92% of funds to programs. The goal is to have every club member contribute $100 per year. ($40 are contributed automatically from dues). Contributing on-line is very easy but there are forms available to contribute via mail. Our club Foundation is not completely finalized but should be operational by mid-November. Ideally members should first contribute to TRF and then to our Foundation. Thanks Dave for a great presentation.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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The DNA doesn't fall from the tree - Wyatt Earp Sept 25, 2017 - Today Wyatt Earp, grandson of the legendary Wyatt Earp told us some of the history surrounding Wyatt Earp and how he became an actor to portray some historic episodes, like the shoot-out at the OK Corral. His wife, Terry Earp, a well-known Arizona playwright wrote all his scripts. He then performed two monologues from his repertoire - a view of the events at the OK Corral from Wyatt Earp's perspective and then Doc Holiday's perspective. We all enjoyed the performance.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Packing Food - United Food Bank - September September 23, 2017 - Many volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. 40 volunteers packed 6000 lbs of food, enough for 5000 meals. KRC had 7 members there. Dave, Mike, Doug, Kelly, Machel, David, Ken This was our 8th quarterly food packing event at the United Food Bank. The District Governor for 5495, Nancy Van Pelt, gave a brief presentation and remained for most of the event to talk with many rotarians We look forward to the next project in December. See a slide show for this event by clicking here - GALLERY Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Social Outing - Dinner at Charleston's Sept 7, 2017 - Thursday evening the club held a social outing - dinner at Charlston's Restaurant. Fourteen members and family broke bread together and got to know each other a little better. Everyone had a good time and we look forward to the next time we can get together for fellowship and fun.Click on "Read More" to see social media and comment options
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Water Conservation in Building Design Sept 18, 2017 - Today, Chip Shay, a long time associate with SPS+Architects, described several aspects of water conservation in building design. Chip graduated from ASU and has worked for 40 years with the same firm. He told us that the first thing to consider in designing a building is landscaping; followed by the water delivery system; then water recovery; then reclamation. In major buildings the design of bathroom plumbing is extremely important. Water consumption can be reduced by 90% with new products that are available. Many commercial products are also available for homes - e.g. low flush toilets.Click on Read More to see social media options and comments
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Build a Surrey with the Fringe on Top Sept 9, 2017 - Several club members (David, Scott, Kelly, Doug, Ken, Dave and lovely wife Lourdes) spent the morning at The Centers for Habilitation assembling a Surrey with the Fringe on Top. It was a challenging task but with the help of a video we managed to complete the task without any broken fingers or bruises. We only had one nut and washer left over at the end. We completed the morning with a chinese meal together. Click on "Read More" to see social media and comment options
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Off the beaten track August 28, 2017 - Today club member David Archibald entertained us with stories about his recent trip along the Adriatic Sea. His travels took him from the north in Slovenia, along the coast: with stops in Dubrovnik (famous walled city), some small islands off the coast(a bit of swimming in the sea), and Corfu in Greece (princess castle). His trip finished in Athens. He met many interesting people who shared the small 42 passenger ship.Click on "Read More" to see social media options and make comments
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Kyrene Resource Center - stack foods, sort clothes August 21, 2017 - Club members Kelly, Doug, Rob, and Ken, along with Kelly's son Brad stacked food on the Resource Center's shelves. We then sorted through school-appropriate clothing that will be available for students to select from during the next couple of weeks. We had lunch and fellowship afterwards. Click on "Read more" to see social media options and make comments
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Volunteering with the Phoenix Police Department August 7, 2017 - Webmaster Ken Pollock gave us an overview of his 13 years as a volunteer with the Phoenix Police Department. He spent over 9 years working with the Cold Case Homicide Squad. He explained how the squad dealt with over 2500 cold cases and how advances in DNA technology enabled more than 12 cases a year to be solved. His most interesting case was the famous 'Canal Murders' in the early 2000's. The application of new and creative methods led to the identification of and arrest of the felon. Ken then described some new technology and how it is being used to solve crimes. Click on "Read More" to see social media options and/or comment
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Boys and Girls Club - interviewing skills July 24, 2017 - Today we replaced our weekly meeting with a visit to the Boys and Girls Club in Guadalupe. The club was well represented by, Kelly, Marion, Dave, Doug, Mike, and Ken along with help from Skip and Pat. We functioned as interviewers to help 10 teenagers improve their interviewing skills. We all enjoyed the experience and finished the morning with pizzas and brownies. We hope to help the Boys and Girls Club again next year.Click on "Read More" to see social media options or make comments
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Origins of Universities.jpg) July 10, 2017 - Club President Doug Bock gave the first "summer member presentation" for this year. Doug explained that in Plato and Aristotle's time there were no universities, only schools that focused on behavior. It wasn't until 800 that Charlemagne dictated that all churches and monasteries had to establish schools to educate the community. From there, these cathedral schools continued to develop into universities - beginning with Paris and Bolgna in the 1200's. By 1350 these universities had developed into the form we see today throughout the world. Thanks Doug for a piece of interesting history.Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Project Cure June 26, 2017 - Nadine Armstrong, Executive Director of Project Cure gave us an update on the Project Cure organization. Nadine is relatively new to Project Cure but is a native Arizonian who was educated at ASU. She told us that Project Cure now has 6 distribution centers. She explained how projects all over the world are initiated, funded, supplied, and evaluated. Nadine said they are trying to raise $150,000 to send 6 containers to Mexico. She has secured $120,000 and is looking for help from Rotary organizations in the Phoenix area to contribute $6,000. Project Cure has many activities world wide which can best be seen from the Project Cure website. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Boys and Girls Club June 12, 2017 - Ruben described a program for which he is soliciting our support on July 24. Thirteen boys and girls ages 13 to 15 are being taught how to develop good working skills which includes effectively participating in interviews. He would like club volunteers to act as the interviewer and coach the children to improve their thinking and delivery skills. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Packing Food - United Food Bank June 10, 2017 - Many volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. 23 volunteers packed 5,767 lbs of food, enough for 4,805 meals. Including family and friends KRC had 9 there. This was our 7th quarterly food packing event at the United Food Bank. We look forward to the next project in mid-September Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Gardening in Arizona June 5, 2017 - Doreen Pollack, Master Gardener, explained what "Master Gardener" meant and then gave us valuable information about plants and vegetation in Maricopa County. A good reference to use is the Arizona Municipal Water Users Association. She explained that the 3 major elements to consider are soil, watering, and timing. Because the soil in this area is mostly clay it is important to modify the soil by adding "ammendments" which are basically organic matter.For potted plants and raised beds care must be taken to eliminate or reduce salt build up. Watering should be long enough to encourage root growth: 2 feet depth for shrubs and 3 feet for trees. Doreen also gave us general guidelines for when to plant various species. She suggested looking on Facebook to get answers from various gardening groups. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Women's Hockey & SmileTrain May 22, 2017 - Lyndsey Fry spoke of her trip to the Olympics. She played with the boys at first as there was no hockey for girls, and that was great. At that age, girls are bigger and she was aggressive! In high school she ended up taking on-line courses as the commuted to Denver to be on a team. Her college career was at Harvard and that was where the crisis occurred. She had to decide if she was really going to do what she had to do… and she did, making it on the Olympic team that went to Sochi and won a Silver Medal. Today she does marathons and Ironman competitions. But to create something bigger than just herself, she aligned with Smile Train, and organization that raises funds to send dentists to third world countries to do dental work and perform operations like cleft palate - to bring back someone’s smile. If you would like to donate to Lyndsey's current Smile Train project, click here.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Diversity and Values May 8, 2017 - Jacque Starks a senior advisor and trainer with Diamond Strategies and Coordinator of Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement for the Maricopa County Community College District, led us through two experiential exercises to demonstrate the unintended discrimination that can occur because of differences in values. She also gave us specific examples from her own family life. Jacque's presentation and facilitation generated considerable discussion. We all came away with a better understanding of the challenges our values and beliefs play in our attempts to be inclusive and diverse. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Movies in the Park - May 2017 May 5, 2017 - Movies in the park began another spring season. Club members worked hard at the booth selling snacks, soft drinks, and glow sticks. Funds from this event are used to provide dictionaries to 3rd graders in the Roosevelt School district. This is the first of four sessions in May. Thanks to many club members who contributed. Click here to see our photo gallery for these events over the past few years. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - April 2017 May 3, 2017 - The April winners are - Teacher: Trish Ladue, retired teacher from McClintock High School and now permanent substitute this year in English and Classified Staff: Tara Anderson, Registration. Pictured is Kathi Hausmann, PTO Treasurer, Tara Anderson, Staff Member of the Month, Nathan Kleve, CDS Principal and Machel. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Maricopa County Parks May 1, 2017 - Dan Wilson from Usery Mountain Regional Park gave us a great overview of this particular park as well as the entire Maricopa County Regional Park system. The Maricopa County park system is one of the largest in the country, containing over 120,000 acres and experiencing more than 2 million visitors a year. The parks receive only 7% of their budget from the county - the remainder comes from visitor fees. The parks are very well maintained and offer a wide variety of programs. The operation of the parks is supported by a very large number of volunteers: some stay on-site all winter, some support specific operations like visitor centers and some help with specific events. Our club has many hikers and the discussion was lively. Usery Mountain park is a particular favorite of many members.Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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AWIM Movie  April 25, 2017 - The AWIM project at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School is now in the second session of the year. The current session will end on May 06 when awards for the best 3 teams will be given out. Bill Klein and Brandon Gritz provided the instruction and AWIM Volunteers (Kyrene Rotary Club members and spouses) provided the mentoring. You can see a gallery of photos by clicking here. A video is available for viewing by clicking on " Read More" |
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GolfLand Social Outing April 23, 2017 - Many members and families had a fun day at GolfLand in Mesa. We enjoyed minature golf, bumper boats, bumper cars, and race cars for a few hours. Several of us celebrated afterwards at Ted's Hot Dogs.You can see photos of the event in our Photo Gallery by clicking here. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Serve Lunch - Phoenix Rescue Mission April 19, 2017 - Kyrene Rotary members David, Darrell, Tom, Andy, and Bill served lunch to homeless men and women at Phoenix Rescue Mission and cleaned up the serving area after. Thanks Bill for arranging this annual service project. Phoenix Rescue Mission provides 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, overnight shelter and many other services to homeless people.We all enjoyed lunch and fellowship afterwards. Click here to see a half dozen photos of the team at work. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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United Food Bank Overview April 17, 2017 - Jackie Shelly, Director of Development for the United Food Bank, gave a very interesting presentation. She described the multiple programs the Food Bank is engaged in and gave us many statistics about the high levels of poverty in Arizona and the amount and kind of food that is distributed. The United Food Bank is one of four in Arizona and serves Maricopa county and eastern Arizona. In 2015/16 they distributed over 26 million pounds which amounts to almost 22 million meals.They also distributed over 21,000 Weekend Backpacks to food insecure children. Our club has volunteered every quarter for the past two years to pack food at the local warehouse. We believe the Unitef Food Bank is very worthy of our strong support. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Corona Faculty and Staff Awards - March 2017 April 13, 2o17 - Faculty/Staff awards of the month for March were awarded to Chrissy Wiley Teacher of the Month-World History & Geography and Bonnie Goodman, Early Learning Center Aide for the AZTykes. There is a childcare center affiliated with the Early Childhood Development classes at Corona del Sol High School. Ms. Goodman was not at the school at the time we presented the awards.Pictured are L to R are: Kathi Hausmann, PTO Treasurer, Machel, Ms. Wiley and Mr. Kleve, CDS Principal. Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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SRP - Going Green
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AWIM at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School  April 7, 2017 - Club members and friends met for a weekly session with 8th grade students from Kyrene del Pueblo to work on the AWIM (A World in Motion) project. This was the third week in the "Motorized Toy Car" project - the students were learning about compound gear ratios.A gallery of photos from these sessions can be found by clicking HERE. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Tempe Highline Canal Path March 27,2017 - Robert and Chris gave us a slide presentation that described the latest plans for a multi-use path project in Tempe which will link to paths in Phoenix, Guadalupe, and Chandler. Tempe has secured inititial funding and hopes to receive bids and begin construction in January 2018 with an 8 month completion. The design of all the elements involved is impressive. This will be a great addition to the Tempe infrastructure. Click here to learn more. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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AWIM Project begins at Pueblo Middle SchoolSeveral members of the Kyrene Rotary club began a new session of the "A World in Motion" (AWIM) project with Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School on Friday March 24. The eighth grade students will complete the Motorized Toy Car project in early May.  Here is the basic kit used by the students to build the motorized toy car.Pictures of the previous project can be seen by clicking here. You can view the photos as a total list or you can watch a slide show. Feedback is always welcome. Enjoy Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Cultural Wellness Center March 13, 2017 - Vanessa Chamberlain, Director of the Cultural Wellness Center, facilitated a discussion regarding the differences in youth growing up today compared to our generation. According to her, kids today have less social skills, are apathetic, and complacent, and not willing to take risks. They have short attention spans, low frustration tolerance and want instant gratification. The pilot program that Vanessa is leading is an attempt to address the issues that cause these behaviors. This is a nature-based program that will help youth, bring awareness to educators, and help parents keep in touch with their children. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Packing food - United Food Bank March 11, 2017 - Many volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. Today we sorted and packed more than 10,000 pounds of food. This means that each volunteer helped provide about 170 meals for needy families in the Valley. Our Kyrene club had a good turnout of members and family. We look forward to the next project in mid-June.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Deliver Dictionaries to the Autism Academy March 7, 2017 - Club members Doug, Harry, Dave, Bill, Andy, and Ken delivered dictionaries to students at the Autism Academy for Education and Development. The school is located in Tempe and this is the first time our club has provided dictionaries to this school. The students were very appreciative, engaged, and animated. We all had a good time and enjoyed the students. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Albania and Rotary Feb 27, 2017 - Vladimir Pulaj from the Rotary Club Tirana in Albania gave us a very interesting slide presentation about his country and his Rotary Club. He described the major characteristics of his country and club. Albania has a population of just over 3 million people, is located on the Adriatic and Ionian seas, and is about the size of Delaware. It is a multicultural and multi-religion country and the Albanian language is one of the oldest in Europe. In 2009 it became a full NATO member. The RC Tirana was chartered in March 1992 and many other clubs have been chartered since then. The club has had many significant projects including vaccinations for newly born children, sponsorships for students, aiding Kosovo refugees, and funding multiple matching grants. Many thanks to Vladimir for giving us such a rewarding education.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Kyrene Resource Center - packing food February 23, 2017 - Today, club members Bill, Harry, Mike, Andy, Doug, and Dave spent a few hours at the Kyrene Resource Center transferring food from boxes to shelves and then packing food bags. These food bags will be available to needy families in the area. Our club is hoping to increase our participation with this very worthwhile charitable organization. We had an enjoyable time together while working and at lunch afterwards.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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United Food Bank Recognition Feb 20, 2017 - Harry, one of the club's founding members, received a recognition award from the United Food Bank. Harry received the award on behalf of all the East Valley Rotary clubs who have participated in packing food once every quarter. Harry is the initiator and driver for this very successful multi-club project which provides significant support for the United Food Bank and the citizens of eastern Arizona. Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Arizona History Feb 20, 2017 - Club member David Archibald, an accomplished speaker and former track coach, gave us a very interesting tour of Arizona: a variety of geographies and histories. We saw photos of the Grand Canyon, Canyon de Chelly, and Havasupai Canyon which includes three different water falls. We learned about towns such as Sedona, Jerome, Phoenix, and Bisbee as well as the colorful figures associated with their histories. David also described some interesting Indian folk lore. David had many more stories and photos available but there was not sufficient time in the meeting. Perhaps one day David will speak again about the history and geography of Arizona. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Arizona Construction Career Days Feb 13, 2017 - Rose Ann Canizales, President of the Association for Construction Career Development (ACCD), told us about the organization. It has existed for 15 years and is modeled after a similar organization in Texas. ACCD's goal is to facilitate employment between career seekers and industry leaders. Each year they hold a 2 day event for students to see real world applications in the construction industry. The construction industry is short of manpower and would like to encourage students to enter this field: it is exciting, rewarding, and well paid. ACCD has a superb web site and a very informative guide. This year's Construction Career Days event will be held at the Arizona Army National Guard Papago Site on November 2nd and 3rd. They are looking for volunteers to help plan and staff the event site. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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New members and visitors February 6, 2017 - President Doug inducted two new members into the club today; Dave Archibald, sponsored by Harry and Mike Pheilsticker, sponsored by Dave. We look forward to their contributions to all our activities. Today we also exchanged club banners with the Rotary Club Tirana in Albania. President Doug and Vladimir Pulaj are pictured here with the banners.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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A Journey from South Africa - Melody Richards January 30, 2017 - Melody Richards spoke to us last year about Feed My Starving Children This visit she told of her experience growing up in South Africa and her journey to the United States. Her family was mixed with half her siblings being black and half white. That caused many problems for them in the era of apartheid; they were not welcome anywhere. Based on that difficult situation, she was determined to come to the USA, at age 18, to learn more and improve herself. She learned from her experience that "knowledge is power" which drove her to keep studying. She also believes that it's important to contribute to society and hence her work with Feed My Starving Children. Melody has set a new challenge for herself and has taken up archery and hopes to make the USA olympic team. Her story is an inspiration to all.Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Life Startup Essentials Jan 23, 2017 - Mark and Anthony Newell, co-founders of Life Startup Essentials LLC gave us an excellent description of their organization and its activities. Together they have over 35 years experience working with homeless and disabled individuals. They created a company that provides the tools a person needs to successfully transition out of homelessness with dignity. They create kits for organizations and for individuals, who are looking to streamline new beginnings. Their kits contain all the basic necessities needed to make a transition - to school, dorm life, or a first apartment - go as seamlessly as possible. Click here to learn more.Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Dinner at Keegan's  Jan 19, 2017 - Club members, spouses, along with existing and prospective members, attended a dinner at Keegan's Grill in Ahwatukee. The discussions were going on all evening and the energy level was high. Everyone had a good time. We hope Dave, Lynette and Scott will be joining the club soon. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Welcome to America Project January 9, 2017 - Today Collin Cunningham, the Executive Director of the Welcome to America Project described her organization's operation and mission. The following mission statement is taken from their very impressive website.
"The Welcome to America Project is a nonprofit organization that creates community connections and builds bridges of neighborly understanding by providing furniture, basic necessities, education, and additional resources to newly arriving refugees. Collin told us that there are over 20 million refugees world wide and over 60 million displaced people. Refugees come from all over the world and Arizona is the 6th largest resettlement state. Her organization helps people to get oriented and prepared to be successful after the initial Federal 90 day adjustment period. The site is full of good information - check it out by clicking here. Click on "Read More" to see social media options |
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Corona Faculty & Staff Awards - Dec 2016 Jan 6, 2017 - Corona del Sol High School December Teacher of the Month, Darren Ridge, teaches Social Studies and Criminal Justice. He is also currently the JV Girls Basketball coach. Pictured with Mr. Ridge is Kathi Hausmann, CDS PTO Treasurer, Machel Considine, Kyrene Rotary Club, and Mr. Nathan Kleve, CDS Principal.
CDS December Staff of the Month is Sonya Martinez, an Audio-Visual Tech. She is not pictured.
Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) Dec 19, 2016 - Club member Machel was asked to fill in and explain RYLA (Rotary Leadership Youth Awards) because the student who recently attended RYLA had a last minute scheduling problem. She explained how students were nominated and selected. Machel also related the benefits of the program and the positive reactions students had. Members were encouraged to nominate high school students that they knew in their community.There are several RYLA web sites for various districts that provide details of the program.
Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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AWIM Training.jpg) Dec 14, 2016 - Training for the "A World in Motion" (AWIM) project at Kyrene del Pueblo Middle School was held at the school today. Our club is sponsoring the project and funding is being provided by GM. Volunteers from our club will be participating with 7th grade students for an hour every Friday to help students experience engineering and science by building motorized toy cars. Club members and teachers are all very excited about the project and are looking forward to interacting with the students. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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ASU Rotaract Club Dec 12, 2016 - Four members of the ASU Rotaract club described their club's past and planned activities. They completed 4 major projects this fall semester and have planned 7 Service Events in the Spring 2017 semester, along with visits to 3 local rotary clubs. During the fall semester the club increased their enrollment from 15 to 25 - a great accomplishment! Alice Phan, the club president told us of the need for some financial help and a few club members committed over $300 on the spot. The club as a whole contributed another $50. We were impressed with where the ASU Rotaract club is going and encouraged them to keep up the good work. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Packing food - United Food Bank  Dec 10, 2016 - Forty-five volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. Today we sorted and packed more than 15,000 pounds of food. This means that each volunteer helped provide about 250 meals for needy families in the Valley. Our Kyrene club had a good turnout of members and family. We look forward to the next project in mid-March. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Awards Evening   Dec 4, 2016 - After dinner and wrapping of presents, Doug gave three awards. The first was to Dave for his year as President last year. The second was to Rob for his outstanding job as Secretary/Treasurer. The third was the Rotarian of the Year award to Ken for his contributions to the club over the past year. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Christmas Wrapping Potluck  Dec 4, 2016 -- Members gathered at Doug and Pat's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping, games, and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family with needy children. Kelly selected the family from the Kyrene School District Foundation's list of families in need. Thanks to all!! This is an annual event that club members vigorously support and enjoy. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Navajo Water Project Dec 5, 2016 - Curt Ward from the Gilbert Rotary Club told us about the water project on the Navajo reservation that his club is supporting. The objective of the project is to provide water to the homes of families who have no indoor water. A 2000-foot well has been drilled and now each home must be outfitted with the proper hardware systems, at a cost of $4500 each. This is an international project - Mexican rotary clubs have already raised 30% of the total $78,000 cost. The Gilbert club is asking other clubs to help raise another $5000 to meet the overall goal. Our club will explore ways to participate and make a decision within the next few weeks. |
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PolioPlus - End Polio Now Nov 28, 2016 - Rod Daniels, chair of District 5510's "PolioPlus Campaign to End Polio Now" gave us a status check on the project. Rod told us that there are several partners working with Rotary on this project. Since its launch in 1988, the GlobalPolio Eradication Initiative - spearheaded by the World Health Organization (WHO), RotaryInternational, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and UNICEF - has reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99 percent. The original goal was to have complete eradication by 2018 but that won't be reached because of 4 cases in Nigeria this year. An area or country cannot be declared as polio-free until 3 years have passed with no new cases. He explained the 5 major advantages to eliminating polio, why we should care, and why we should contribute to the project (which we did). Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Arthritis Foundation Nov. 21, 2016 - Renee Angeles from the Arthritis Foundation in Phoenix gave us a brief overview of her organization and its many services.Interested readers should check the web site since there are too many programs/activities to list here. Renee surprised us when she said that Arthritis is the #1 debilitating disease in the country - 1 in 4 people are affected by this disease. There are currently over 6000 kids in Arizona who have some form of arthritis. The foundation's goal is to cure arthritis but also to provide various consulting resources to assist people in locating the help necessary to deal with pain and to find resources.
Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Ride for Polio Nov 19, 2016 - 15 year-old Gabe Fowler completed his 2nd Tour de Tucson charity bike ride, riding to End Polio and representing D5510’s Kyrene Rotary Club. He completed the 106-mile course in 7 hours & 13 minutes and raised $2,122 for TRF Polio Plus and D5500 Foundation from teachers, friends and family, and Kyrene Rotarians. Gabe is a sophomore at Gilbert’s Campo Verde high school where he just won his 2nd varsity letter in swimming. He is a grandson of Kyrene Rotarian Harry Short. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Feed My Starving Children Nov 14, 2016 - Melody Richards, a volunteer with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) gave us an overview of the organization. She explained the need for volunteers to pack food packets and the need for donors. The current focus in on providing food for children in Haiti because of the terrible conditions that exist there. She reminded us that $80 provides enough food to feed a child for one year. FMSC wants to provide both food and an opportunity for the community to support itself. A sobering fact is that 18,000 children around the world die every day from starvation. Melody also explained that 99% of all the packed food does reach starving children. FMSC is ranked very highly by the Charity Navigator organization that evaluates non-profits. Her presentation generated much discussion. Click on "Read More" to see Social Media options
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Social Gathering   Nov 06, 2016 - The club held it's quarterly social event at the Main Event from 2 to 6. Many members and families attended to bowl, shoot pool, climb ropes, play laser tag, and play in the arcade. Everyone had a great time. Thanks Doug for setting this up. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Goldwater Institute Nov 7, 2016 - Tim Sandefur, Vice President for Litigation at the Goldwater Institute, gave us a few examples of the various litigations that the institute has been engaged in over the past few years. He told us that the institute focuses on state laws rather than federal laws because the constitution gives most power to the states. Two examples are litigation regarding the Indian Child Welfare Act (some very strange laws here that don't have the best interest of the child at heart) and litigation regarding private property cases (again there are some very strange laws on the books). Click on "Read more" below to see social media options
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Label Dictionaries   Oct 31, 2016 - Today we labeled about 1300 dictionaries which will be delivered to 3rd graders in the Roosevelt School District in the next month. This is the 9th year our club has made this contribution to the District. Members will be instructing each class on the use of dictionary/encyclopedias. This is always a fun and rewarding activity. Click on "Read more" to see social media options.
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Child Crisis Arizona Oct 17, 2016 - Cheryl Hurd from Child Crisis Arizona described the role of CCA in the care of young children removed from their parents. The organization can accommodate 78 children birth to eight years of age in two emergency shelters. They employ case management workers and provide day care, counseling, housing, and crisis management for children in their care. They provide classes and workshops for parents to help them reunite with their children. They also license families for foster care and certification for adaption. Cheryl invited our club to tour their facility. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Drug problems in Arizona August 15, 2016 - Stephanie Siete, Director of Community Education for Community Bridges, Inc (CBI) described her organization's ourtreach to help addicts and families in Arizona. In addition they provide training to organizations throughout Arizona on how to identify drug issues early on with today's youth. She gave us some alarming statistics on how the strength of drugs are increasing and how fast they are proliferating. The number of deaths from drug overdose is increasing dramatically - last year the number exceeded 47,000 across the country. It is imperative that the community understands this phenomenon and develops programs to educate the young in particular but also the entire population. The problem is growing and beginning to exceed the adverse effects of alcohol. She told us that the new recreational drug "Flakka" is beginning to replace "MDMA or Ecstacy" and it is far more dangerous. More people should hear Stephanie's message. Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Automotive Youth Education System August 8, 2016 - Today, Michael McAfee, Director of Education for the Automotive Youth Education System in Arizona, gave us an overview of this program. This program is for high school students who are interested in becoming automotive technicians. The goals of the program are: • To develop career-ready, entry-level automotive technicians and service personnel.
• To give high school automotive technology students the opportunity and guidance to explore rewarding automotive careers. • To provide the tools and support to develop and practice the skills needed to succeed in the industry. There are 245 dealerships in AZ that are interested in hiring technicians who graduate from the program. EVIT (East Valley Institute of Technology) alone has 200 students currently in the program.
The program began in 1995 in Detroit and is now run by ASE(Automotive Service Excellence). Lots of discussion followed the presentation.
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Fear - what is it? July 25, 2016 - Charissa Cleveland - a "Fearless Coach" who's web page says "Conquer your fears and live courageously", gave an interactive presentation that helped us to better understand fear and how to deal with it. She differentiated real fear from psychological fear which tends to come from negative thoughts. Charissa used the word FEAR as an acronym for "Fear Everything and Run" 0r "False Evidence Appearing Real". Many of our fears come from dredging up the past. One method of coping is to force yourself to focus on the moment by taking stock of what your 5 senses are telling you. Her presentation generated lots of discussion. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Kyrene Resource Center - packing food and backpacks July 21, 2016 - Today, club members Rob, Ken, Machel, Doug, and Dave spent a few hours at the Kyrene Resource Center filling backpacks for kids for the coming year. We also spent time transferring food from boxes to shelves and then packing food bags. These food bags will be available to needy families in the area. Our club is hoping to increase our participation with this very worthwhile charitable organization. We had an enjoyable time together at lunch afterwards. Click on "Read More" to see Social Media options
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A change of Presidents June 27, 2016 - Today was the last day of President Dave Kline's term of office. A big thanks to Dave for stepping up to the presidency for a second time and providing strong leadership throughout the past year. Great job Dave !! Doug Bock is taking over as President for the coming year. Doug ran several meetings during June in Dave's absence and is fired up and ready to go! The club is ready to move forward with our programs under Doug's able leadership. Excelsior!
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Tom's Rotary Exchange Student Experience June 27, 2016 - Tom Hickey, a founding member of this club, told us about his experience as a Rotary Exchange Student in Finland. He got off to a shaky start and wasn't at all convinced that his trip to Finland was such a good idea. Tom told us of many humorous incidents during the trip and shared some priceless photos with us. The 17 year old in the photos was a far cry from the Tom we know today. Even with some of the difficulties Tom faced, he believes his experience was very beneficial and helped shape his life. Tom made a very strong plea to have our club become more active again in the exchange program. He is a firm believer in the value of the program. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Combating Child Trafficking in Arizona June 20, 2016 - Lori Regnier of the Starbright Foundation gave us an intensive and disturbing view of the problem of child sex-trafficking in the Phoenix area. Most of the population seems to be in denial of this serious problem in our midst. The Starbright Foundation's mission is "to rescue children and young adults from human sex trafficking and modern day slavery, as well as other dangerous and abusive environments..." They provide many services associated with this mission. Check their web site. Lori gave us many graphic examples of the problem and the need to provide much more education to the community, especially to young girls who are the principal targets. Social Media is a tool being used by predators to lure these children away. We all need to pay attention to and be aware of this reprehensible activity in our midst.
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United Food Bank - sorting food June 4, 2016 - Thirty-five volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. Today we sorted and packed more than 12,000 pounds of food. This means that each volunteer helped provide over 250 meals for needy families in the Valley. Our Kyrene club had a good turnout of members and family. We look forward to the next project on September 24. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Movies in the Park - May 2016 May 27, 2016 - Another successful season of Movies in the Park concluded on Friday May 27. Many club members participated on the consecutive Friday nights in May to help sell concessions. Funds from these sales are used to support our community service projects - primarily the Dictionary Project. This project has provided dictionaries to all 3rd grade students in the Roosevelt School District for the past 8 years. Click on "read more" to see Social Media options
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Corona Del Sol - Teacher Staff Awards - April 2015  April 30, 2016 - Friday, April 29th was the last CDS Teacher/Staff of the Month presentation for the 2015-2016 school year.
Winners were Lina Fontaine, Administrative Asst to Principal Brent Brown (her first year at CDS!) and Alison Lund, Social Studies Teacher. Ms. Lund and the CDS "We, The People" team attended the "We, the People" competition in Washington D.C. It was an extremely successful trip. The Unit 6 won the top Unit 6 award in the nation but are awaiting the results of the group competition today. Ms. Lund was also in charge of organizing Junior-Senior Prom which was held this past weekend.
Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Running the Marathon in Greece April 25, 2016 - Dena Brinkman told us how she came to run the Marathon in Greece. She was born in Greece but as a young child she came to live with relatives in South Dakota. She left there to come to a warmer climate several years ago but didn't begin to run until she was 62. She ran in the Phoenix and Boston Marathons before running the Greek Marathon last November. She came in 7th out of 25 in her age range. Dena also gave us a brief history of the marathon from its early beginnings to the present day. Her personal goal is to "beat women with wrinkles". She also shared with us some of the life lessons she learned while becoming a successful marathon runner. Click on "Read More" to see social media optons
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Tour of The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) April 18, 2016 - Today Dawn Hocking, Director of Development for The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) gave us an overview and a tour of the TCH facilities. Their mission is: Finding creative and innovative ways to provide hope and purpose for individuals with disabilities. TCH began in 1967 and today has 13 group homes in the Phoenix area and has about 700 clients per year. They are a non-profit contractor with the state which provides 60% of their funding. The balance of their funding comes from revenue generated by their document destruction division (ASDD) and various custodial contracts with nearby military bases.. We were all very impressed with the facilities and the organization. They are a stellar community resource. Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Serve Lunch - Phoenix Rescue Mission April 13, 2016 - Kyrene Rotary members Ken, Harry, Doug, Tom, and Bill served lunch to homeless men and women at Phoenix Rescue Mission and cleaned up the serving area after. Thanks Bill for arranging this annual service project. Phoenix Rescue Mission provides 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, overnight shelter and many other services to homeless people.We all enjoyed lunch and fellowship afterwards.
Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Clothes Cabin April 11, 2016 - Kris Walters, Community Relations Coordinator for the Clothes Cabin gave us an overview of the organization and some of its history. The basic mission is to provide free clothing to those who can't afford it. The organization began in 2001 just focusing on socks but expanded into a clothing bank in 2008. They also provide storage lockers and an address for the homeless. In addition they have a back-to-work program. They have partnered with a few Title1 schools and have opened a resale store to help raise funds. They serve over 6000 individuals and rely on the services of about 72 volunteers per month. Check out this organization here. Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Being a Pilot with the AZ National Guard April 4, 2016 - Tamela Demik, a pilot with the Arizona National Guard, gave us a great presentation about her experience and history. She is currently a member of the Camelback Crossroads club and is a strong believer in "paying it forward". She joined the Guard right out of college and began flying C130's. Today she flies KC 135s (refueling tankers) and is a flight instructor. She told us of some of the challenges in carrying out these refueling operations. The basic mission is to refuel bombers carrying nuclear warheads - part of a cold war deterrent. Her presentation was followed by many questions and comments. Click on "Read More" to see social media options.
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Corona del Sol - Teacher - Staff Awards - March 2016  March 2016 - The CDS Teacher of the Month for March is Cheryl Jannuzzi, Social Studies and is also Corona del Sol Social Studies Department Chair. Frank Valdez, Maintenance Technician and is CDS Plant Foreman is Staff of the Month. Congratulations to both of these deserving people! Click on "Read More" to see Social Media options
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Anatomy and Human Structural Dynamics March 28, 2016 - Jo Jean Bordwell is a massage therapist in Ahwatukee. She described the importance of building trust with your massage therapist so that the correct issues with your body can be addressed. The therapist and client need to establish a strong rapport for the massage to have maximum effectiveness. Jo Jean explained how cells function and the importance of staying hydrated so that blood and oxygen are available to the cells and toxins can be readily eliminated. Her presentation elicited many questions.Click on "Read more" to see social media options
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Kyrene Rotary Club Welcomes Three New members March 28, 2016 - President Dave, (on the left) and Membership Chair Harry, (on the right) are seen welcoming three new members to our club today. Welcome Ryan, Darrell, and Mike - the entire club is very pleased that you are joining us. Darrell and Mike hail from Minnesota and won't be with us in the summers but Ryan is a native Arizonan and will be with us all year. We look forward to your active participation in the coming years.Click on "Read More" to see social media options
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Harry Short - Rotarian of the Year March 21, 2016 - President Dave Klein presented Harry Short ( a founding member of the club) with the Rotarian of the Year Award with the designation - "Master of Inter-club Projects". Harry has been a very dedicated, conscientious, and energetic member of the club ever since the club began over 10 years ago. His experience and wisdom have guided us for many years. KUDOS Harry!! You deserve it !! Click on "Read More" to see Social Media options
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United Food Bank - Rotary packing project March 12, 2016 - Here is the Kyrene Rotary crew (members and guests) that participated in the United Food Bank food-sorting and packing project. There were a total of 35 people who worked for just over 3 hours to pack almost 10,000 pounds of food. That amounts to almost 250 meals per volunteer. Great job everyone! Harry began the session explaining how important this effort is for the United Food Bank and how pleased he was to see so many rotarians participating. He won't be here in the summer and so asked for volunteers to organize this project for the next session in the summer.
Click on "Read more" to see Social Media options.
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Corona Del Sol - Teacher Staff Awards.JPG) January 31, 2016 - Corona del Sol Teacher and Staff Member of the month for January are Sonya Martinez - classified staff (not pictured) and Debbie Valenzuela - Special Education Teacher. Kudos to Sonya and Debbie! |
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AWIM Awards at Valley View School March 9, 2016 - our Kyrene Rotary club supported the "A World in Motion (AWIM) project at Valley View School this year. We provided a bit of volunteer time and funded the medals that were awarded. The Sun Lakes Rotary Club provided the majority of the volunteer support. The Awards Night was a super celebration acknowledging the efforts of the students. The photo shows Dave Kline, our president along with the teacher and two of the winning teams. Our rotary club hopes to provide full support to the Kyrene Middle School if they decide to initiate an AWIM project next year. Click on "Read More to see Social Media options
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Alzheimer's Issues March 7, 2016 - Kristy McKisson is an active volunteer with the Desert Southwest Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. (DSW). She told us about her own personal experience in facing this disease and gave us a good template for what to look for when assessing an individual's condition. DSW's purpose is to empower and support individuals, families, care-partners, and communities affected by dementia in Arizona and southern Nevada. Kristy gave us a pamphlet that describes the 10 early warning signs of Alzheimer's. Click here for more information. Click on "Read More" to see Social Media options
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Arizona Assist Feb 29, 2016 - Today Debbie Weidinger, Executive Director of Arizona Assist gave us an overview of the organization - how and why she started it, what its goals are and where it is today. Debbie has a 27 year old son who has autism. As he was graduating from high school she became concerned with what he was going to do with himself. She found other people with the same concerns and formed a support group for parents (and children).She described the characteristics of people with autism and the struggle they have to survive and succeed as adults. Her support group provides many forms of assistance, from teaching people how to cope to providing "connections for the young". This is a pressing problem since 1/54 boys in Arizona have this disorder. Please check out the web site for more information or to donate to this worthy organization.
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Colten Cowell Foundation Feb 8, 2015 - Charles Keller, the initiator of the Colten Cowell Foundation and creator of the Bat Cave, gave us a great presentation about the foundation and the success the Bat Cave is having. He owns an original Batmobile which began the current program.In the coming months they will be breaking ground on a 5 acre campus to build a 35,000 square foot Crime-Fighting Cave. There, kids fighting illness or hardship can make their dreams come true and become real-life super heroes. They hope to create unforgettable memories, smiles and laughter for children and their families, all the while empowering them to give back to the world and learn how rewarding it can be to help others. Their heritage starts with just a car (well, a Batmobile to be precise) in 2009, and to date the movement has entertained 178 families and given more than $500,000 to over 100 different charities. They hope to build what will be known for generations to come as The Monument to Compassion. A place where love for our fellow mankind trumps all.
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Foster Care Review Board Feb 1, 2016 - Today club member Rob Foster gave us an overview of the Foster Care Review Board (FCRB) in Arizona. The FCRB has existed for 38 years and Rob has been a member for 7 years. He explained how children entered into the Department of Child Services (DCS) system and what the role of the FCRB was related to those children. The statistics are staggering: over 19,000 kids are currently in the system and 10,000 of those are in Maricopa county. The workload for all people (case workers, lawyers, judges, volunteers, foster parents, etc) associated with this system is over whelming. Rob encouraged members of the club, and their family and friends to consider becoming an FCRB volunteer. Click here to find out more. |
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SRP Emerging Customer Programs Jan 26, 2016 - Jason Dudley, from SRP's Emerging Customer Programs, gave us a presentation dealing with Sustainability and Resource Planning for the Future. Jason told us that SRP is the 3rd largest public utility company in the nation and just signed up its millionth customer. He gave us many interesting statistics about how SRP plans, what they track and project, and how their generating capacity is distributed within Arizona and externally. He noted that the future would involve much more power production from sustainable, renewable energy though storage and distribution are two major problems that have yet to be solved. Jason's presentation was very enlightening and generated much discussion. |
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Cognitive Health and Your Hearing Jan 11, 2016 - Tina Patton, Owner and Hearing Care Professional of Exceptional Hearing Care, gave us an excellent overview of the relationship between loss of hearing and brain functions. The statistics regarding the number and ages of people with hearing loss problems were staggering. In addition, there is a very strong correlation between hearing loss and cognitive decline and dementia. She stressed that everyone should be as concerned about hearing as they are about vision since one cannot reverse any atrophy that has occurred in the brain. Her presentation generated lots of questions and discussion. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - December 2015Jan 10, 2015 -There were two Corona del Sol High School Awards for the month of December. Emily Krull, English, received the faculty award and Mary Remington, Academic Administrative Assistant, received the staff award.
Congratulations Ms. Krull and Ms Remington.
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Christmas Wrapping Potluck Dec 13, 2015 -- Members gathered at David and Lordes' home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a large family with 6 children. Kelly selected the family from the Kyrene School District Foundation's list of families in need. Thanks to all!! This is an annual event that club members vigorously support and enjoy. |
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United Food Bank Project Dec 12, 2015 - Today, multiple local Rotary Clubs participated in a food sorting project with the United Food Bank in Mesa. Here are some of the stats for the project.
* 30 volunteer Rotarians & friends * 7 Rotary clubs participated
* 120 community service hours (30 volunteers x 4 hours)
* Nearly 6 tons of food was qualified and sorted (11,780 pounds)
* This will provide nearly 10,000 meals (9,816)
* That's 327 meals per volunteer!
* Learned a lot about how local food needs are met -
Store surpluses -> Food banks -> pantries -> families in need * Wowed UFB as to Rotary's mission, turnout and productivity!
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Chandler Chamber of Commerce November 30, 2015 - Terri Kimble, President/CEO of the Chandler Chamber of Commerce gave us a very fast paced, comprehensive view of the Chamber and business developments in Chandler. We had lots of questions and discussion and members came away from the meeting with a much better understanding of goals, plans, developments, and opportunities that exist in this thriving city. Check out their web site for more details. Thank you Terri |
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Dictionaries for 3rd Graders November 2015 - We provided a combination dictionary/encyclopedia to almost all of the 3rd graders in the Phoenix Roosevelt School District. That's over 1300 Students in 17 elementary schools! We also distributed dictionaries to the Frank Elementary School in Guadalupe. In addition we worked with the children in each class to teach them how to look up information in their new book. The students and teachers were wonderfully appreciative and the Rotarians and friends thoroughly enjoyed this service project. Many of the classrooms have had no other visitors before. This is the 8th year of service to Roosevelt 3rd graders. |
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China's Current Social/Political Culture November 23, 2015 - Scott Wheelwright gave an extremely enlightening presentation about his experiences and observations in China where he currently lives. Scott has a technical background and has worked in many environments around the world. He is currently a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry in China and his wife is Chinese. He believes that there is much misinformation about China, its policies, its future, and its governance. His talk was fascinating and much too short. Most club members remained after the close of the meeting to participate in further discussion. Learn more about Scott HERE |
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A People's and Citizen's Congress Nov. 9 - 2015 - Peter Bearse, chair and founder of "A People's and Citizen's Congress",told us about his organization and his efforts to increase its membership and funding. The objective of the organization is to influence congress by supporting candidates who recognize that (1) Congress is broken, and (2) find a mechanism for change.. He said that currently Congress has no way to change itself and this situation needs to be changed if our country is to remain viable and sustainable in coming years. Peter is an optimist and tireless campaigner to accelerate the awareness of the problem and bring about a "peaceful revolution". |
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Property Crimes Oct 19, 2015 - Sergeant Keith Kaminski of the Phoenix PD Property Crimes unit gave us good advice about minimizing the risk of having valuables stolen from cars and garages. Regarding cars, the message to remember is Take it - Lock it - Conceal it. Never leave valuables in your car even for a short time and always keep your garage doors closed. He told us that thieves are well organized in gangs and are always watching for opportunities, especially in parking lots or on crowded streets. He advised us to record serial numbers of bicyles and electronic devices to help recovery if they are stolen. He handles about 1,000 property crimes a month and said that these types of crimes are the most common. Keith recommended that we call Crime Stop at 602-262-6151 if we see suspicious activity in our neighborhood. |
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Origin of Miranda Oct 12, 2015 - Today, Retired Captain of the Phoenix Police Department, Carroll Cooley, gave us a detailed description of the historic Miranda case. Captain Cooley was the arresting officer in this 1963 case and was involved in the original trial, the appeals, the second trial, and the rule change that requires all suspects to be read their rights. He gave us vivid descriptions of the crime, the pursuit, and key elements of the trials. It is a fascinating story which held the member's rapt attention. There was lots of discussion and questions. Many thanks to Captain Cooley. |
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Movies in the Park.png) Oct 9, 2015 - Movies in the Park was very successful last week and again last night. Over $300 net profit was made on both nights. Last night the crowd was not a big as anticipated but there was a steady business through out the night. A number of members participated, - Doug, Jim, Kelly and Tom but we also had help from Kelly's family (Lonnie and Kate) and Tom's daughter Angelina. It was great to have the children help and the extra hands were terrific. Two more weeks to go to meet our fund raising goals. Come out and have some fun with us. |
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Tempe Union Override Election Oct 5, 2015_ Today, Beth Brizel and Sandy Lowe spoke to us about the upcoming "override" election. They gave us a fact sheet which contained performance statistics that show just how well this district is doing compared to others and make a compelling argument for supporting the DAA override later this month. The fact sheet shows how the funds are distributed. They encouraged members to return the mail ballots as soon as they are received. There was a vigorous question and answer session - along with several supportive statements from club members that followed the presentations. |
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Kyrene Resource Center Sept 30, 2015 - Today, club members Harry, Ken, Machel, Doug, and Dave spent a few hours transferring food from boxes to shelves and then packing food bags at the Kyrene Resource Center. These food bags will be available to needy families in the area beginning on Thursday morning. Our club is hoping to increase our participation with this very worthwhile charitable organization. After words we all enjoyed fellowship at lunch. |
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District Governor Visit Sept 28, 2015 - We were honored by the visit of our District Governor, Sherry Maschel, who knighted our President, Dave Kline, and then the entire club. After reviewing our last year's performance, Sherry talked about the "Power of Rotary" and what it takes to bring young people into the organization. She suggested that we need to focus on young people by increasing our emphasis on programs such as "Early Rotarians", Interact, Rotaract, RYLA, and Rotary Youth Exchange. Sherry wants us to adopt the acronym RERF - which means Recruit - Engage - Retain - Fun. Paying attention to REFR should help us "Growing our Club".We all enjoyed Sherry's visit and had a great time together.
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Happenings in Tempe Sept 21, 2015 - Denise Rentschler, a Public Information Officer (PIO) with the city of Tempe gave us an enthusiastic description of the many events and programs supported by the city. Denise has been in this position for 8 years and feels that Tempe has weathered the worst of the economic slump and is now moving forward on many fronts. She said that the city is now averaging about 2 events per week end, and conducts around 900 programs every quarter that cover a wide range of interests, geared mainly towards families. For example, there is the Halloween Carnival, Movies in the Park, Playday, Kids Swim Free, Arts in Kiwanis park every Friday, events on Town Lake, and a host of others. Denise believes that Tempe is now entering a very creative, forward looking phase in their parks that will benefit the entire community. Check out their new brochure. |
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Support Orphanage near Rocky Point Mexico Sept 14, 2015 - "Steps of Love" runs an orphanage near Rocky Point, Mexico. Larry Horton (past president of Rio Salado and Camelback Crossroads Rotary Clubs) described how his club is partnering with Steps of Love. Larry's club is looking for other clubs to work with them to: (1) travel to Rocky Point to "put hands on the project"; (2) provide needed items for the orphanage; and (3) donate funds to help the orphanage. Larry's club plans to travel to Rocky Point in October and again in November. Larry and his club are very excited about the project and hope that other clubs will join them in this endeavor. |
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United Food Bank & Conflict Resolution Aug 31, 2015 - Our past president, Harry Short, described a community service project he is developing. The project involves the United Food Bank, which provides thousands of pounds of food to needy families in an area of Arizona that covers the approximate area of District 5510. He would like to establish a regular project that would involve several local clubs - members and families - that will pack food for distribution from the main United Food Bank warehouse. Besides providing a vital service, Harry hopes that by extending the project to include families, and providing lots of publicity, we will make Rotary more appealing to a wider and younger audience. The first session will be Saturday November 14 at the United Food Bank warehouse. Come join us. See our Events section on this site for directions. Aug 31, 2015 - Melissa Charles, principal of desert leadership, spoke to us today about conflict resolution. Melissa has a background in banking and explained that she has experienced conflict in all aspects of the enterprise. She said that 85% of all people are involved in some form of conflict or another at the personal, workplace, community, national, and global level. Most of this conflict is disruptive rather than cooperative and results in thousands of hours a year in lost productivity. She gave us several examples and described methods by which conflicts can be resolved. It is important to remember that communication and trust are at the heart of successful conflict resolutions. |
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Club Assembly and Harry Short's Award Aug 24, 2015 - Harry Short was given a plaque today to acknowledge his service as president of our club during the 2014-2015 year. But this plaque was more than just that; t was also designed to honor Harry for all his contributions to our club since its beginning over 10 years ago. Here are a few: (1) Harry was a charter member and repeatedly declined the office of president so others would have the chance. (2) Harry is our club's major contributor to The Rotary Fund and is a continuing member of the Paul Harris Society. (3) He has served as treasurer and developed spreadsheets that we still use today. (4) He received the Cliff Dochterman award for scouting achievements - Eagle Scout, Oof Arrow, and District Commissioner. (5) Harry served as membership chair and has sponsored the most members. (6) He started a hiking group that built friendships in and outside the club. (7) He has been the coordinator with Habitat for Humanity. (8) Harry has 100% attendance and seldom misses a service project. (9) He is our #1 raffle ticket salesman and has strongly supported Microcredit and Childlight. (10) He organized our 10 year anniversary dinner and has included honorary members as active participants in all club activities. Last but not least Harry is an all around enthusiastic member, a superb role model and great guy! Thank you Harry! |
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Project Cure - sorting medical supplies Aug 19, 2015 -Members (Harry, Rob, Doug, Dave, Jeff, Machel and Ken) of the Kyrene Rotary Club volunteered Wednesday morning, for Project C.U.R.E. at the Tempe distribution warehouse. We also met several new Project Cure volunteers and staff members. We donate our time four times a year to help sort donated medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E. We also help on special occasions to load cargo boxes bound for various foreign countries. We had great fellowship over lunch when we finished the project. |
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Roosevelt School District Aug 17, 2015 - Today Susan Iniguez and Jeanine Dougherty from the Roosevelt School District gave us an overview of the district, its history, mission, accomplishments, and goals. They spoke specifically about the Dictionary Project which our club has been involved with since 2008. Our club has contributed over 8000 dictionaries since that time (WOW). We were very pleased to learn how much this program has meant to the 3rd graders, teachers, and the district administration. After all these years it was great to meet a couple of the people we have relied upon to help set up the logistics each year. There were many questions and several members stayed late to have further discussions. We definitely increased the bonds between the district and our club. |
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Don't Blame a Mirror for your Ugly Face Aug 10, 2015 - Today Irina Baker gave us a presentation related to "Don't Blame a Mirror for Your Ugly Face". She told us her history - beginning in Russia then immigrating to Orlando in 1995. She found the adjustment difficult but learned how to bring her physical and spiritual selves into balance. She recommends that individuals must accept the physical and spiritual aspects of themselves and learn how to value themselves. She advised us that we have the choice of either ignoring or following our dreams. She has published several books and consults with organizations and individuals to help them achieve success on multiple levels. Visit her website for more information. |
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Many happenings this week.png) July 27, 2015 - the events of this week are posted on our web page. Click here to visit us on Facebook. |
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American Red Cross July 20, 2015 - Nadine White, Major Gifts Officer - Corporate Partnerships for the American Red Cross, gave us a very informative presentation today. She described the 5 major services provided by the Red Cross: Disaster Services, Blood Services, Preparedness - Health and Safety Services, International Services, and Services to the Armed Forces. She also gave us both descriptions and impressive statistics about how the Red Cross impacts lives everyday. Nadine emphasized the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign and a "Be Red Cross Ready" program to help people prepare for disaster. The Red Cross has several mobile apps available to help people prepare and respond to emergencies. Lots of discussion followed. Many thanks Nadine. Interested readers can open or save a pdf file labeled American Red Cross in the Download files section on the lower right of this page. |
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Member Presentations  June 29, 2015 - Kyle Maki and Jeff Charles gave short presentations about themselves to the club. Kyle talked about his migration from the Wrangler, where he worked for over 10 years, to his current position with EVDI (East Valley Digital Imaging). Although he doesn't deal with the technology, he brings EVDI professionals and Doctors throughout the valley together to discuss mutual benefits of working with EVDI. Kyle was a founding member of the club 10 years agoOur newest member, Jeff told us about migrating from England to New Mexico with his parents in 1951. He was involved in farming and then joined the Air Force. After his Air Force experience he worked for Chevron in Texas and then quit to start his own company. Jeff has since worked for himself in several different businesses and now works with his daughter to provided leadership training to companies and non-profits. You can learn more from his web site. We're delighted that Jeff has joined the club. Welcome Jeff.
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Effects of Political Polarization in Arizona June 22, 2015 - Paul Johnson, former mayor of Phoenix, and an advocate for open primaries in Arizona,gave us an excellent presentation on the primary processes at the state and federal level. Paul told us of his experiences to get elected as mayor and his failed attempt to be governor of AZ. He learned many lessons along the way. He had some compelling statistics about the election process which illustrate how few people are actually involved in selecting a candidate for congress. Paul said that Nebraska was the first state to hold nonpartisan primaries and 4 other states have recently adopted the process. His message was not biased toward a particular party but was meant to encourage us to think about the issue and possibly join the movement for open primaries. Needless to say, there was a lot of discussion. |
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Experience Corp (AARP) June 15, 2015 - Rebecca Bond, AARP Experience Corps Program Coordinator, gave us a great description of the Experience Corps organization, its history, goals, and current programs. The basic idea is to match individuals over 55 years old with youngsters who need help with reading skills. The Corps has 2000 members in 22 cities across the nation. Experience Corps has existed since 2006 and has served over 2000 students in grades 1 to 3 in Tempe Schools. They are grant funded and have 84 participants in Tempe but they are looking for new volunteers. Interested people should contact Rebecca at Rebecca_Bond@tempe.gov. Check out the web site. |
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A World in Motion June 8, 2015 - Don Robbins, a member of the Sun Lakes RC and the Phoenix Area Coordinator for A World in Motion (AWIM), gave us a great overview of the AWIM program in Arizona. The program works with schools in the area to help build interest in science and engineering. Volunteers work with kids in their classrooms to design, build, and test their own versions of various devices. It is a creative way to engage youngsters in problem-solving and critical thinking. The students work in teams, then compete against teams in their school. The winners can compete against other schools and then internationally. Club members were very impressed and will discuss how we might participate with AWIM in our local schools. Check out the web site by clicking here. |
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Movies in the Park - May 22May 22, 2015 - Four enthusiastic members of Kyrene Rotary Club as well as a family member sold snacks and cold drinks on Friday, May 2
 2nd at Tempe's "Movie in the Park" series. The movie was "The Little Mermaid" and Andy gets t he award for most creative appearance. His glow stick glasses were a hit! A great night was had by all!The movies, that will be shown the whole month of May, are free to the public and are meant for the entire family to enjoy. They are held on the north side of Kiwanis Park. For a complete listing of the movie, visit: Movies in the Park  |
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United Food Bank May 18, 2015 - Ginny Hildebrand, President and CEO of United Food Bank, told us that the United Food Bank has been a member of Feeding America Food Banks since 1992 and currently serves an area that is larger than West Virginia. The organization serves around 50,000 meals a day. She explained that the operating philosophy is Food, Fun, Friends, and Focus and elaborated on each of those terms. The Food Bank is currently emphasizing the concept of "Give where you Live". They are running a lottery to raise money for this program which will finish on Sept. 12. Check the web site for more information. We discussed how our club can get more involved. |
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Changing of the Guard May 11, 2015 - Harry pins president's pin on Dave - our new president. Dave wears his new crown and gavel. Harry and Dave "shake on the deal". Harry gave a super farewell speech during which he mentioned each member and what their service to the club was and what it meant to him. His speech was filled with humor and appreciated by the members. We agreed that Harry has been a great president and we look forward to his continuing contributions in a new capacity this coming year. |
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A little fun May 11, 2015 - Harry will be 75 in a few weeks but won't be here. So today we celebrated his birthday early with a rousing chorus of Happy Birthday and some special birthday cupcakes to mark the event! Jim, who broke his leg playing hockey wore his "testosterone" shirt today to show us how macho he is - (while limping on an ankle boot) |
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Procrastination - Bob Wilson May 4, 2015 - Bob Wilson, who is the founder of smartful coaching gave a presentation on the many aspects of procrastination. He began by giving us the definition of procrastination and then explained what were the major 5 things beneath the surface of procrastination. He gave us a model of inner parent vs inner child. Bob suggested we keep a procrastination log to help break this habit. In addition, he suggested we read Neil Fiore's book, "The Now Habit" because much of his presentation was taken from that book. There was lots of discussion after the excellent presentation. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - April 2015May 5, 2015 -There were two Corona del Sol High School Teachers of the Month for April. They were Pat Reed, Mathematics and Randy Nissly, French. Both are longtime teachers and have been involved in various student activities at CDS.
Congratulations Ms. Reed and Mr. Nissly!
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RYLA Student May 4, 2015 - Joshua - the student supported by our club to attend the recent RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camp - gave us a summary of this experience. He was impressed with all the friendships that were established throughout the camp. He specifically recalled the positive experiences he had with: trust/fall, zip lining, rock climbing, and the motivational speaker. In fact, he has signed up to be a counselor next year. Way to go Joshua! |
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Movies in the park - May 1, 2015May 1, 2015 -
Five enthusiastic members of Kyrene Rotary Club as well as three eager family members sold snacks and cold drinks on Friday, May 1st at Tempe's "Movie in the Park" series. The movie was "The Boxtrolls" and a few children in the crowd were seen to be in costume wearing their very own cardboard boxes. A great night was had by all!
The movies, that will be shown the whole month of May, are free to the public and are meant for the entire family to enjoy. They are held on the north side of Kiwanis Park. For a complete listing of the movie, visit: Movies in the Park
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ASU Rotaract - AZ Trip 2015 April 27, 2015 - Leslie Balderas (President) and David Belohlavek (Treasurer) of the ASU Rotaract Club gave us an update on activities and projects the club has been involved in this past year. Two of their major projects for this year are "Arizona Trip 2015" and "Big West Conference 2016". The AZ Trip 2015 will begin on May 14 and end on May 24. This is the 3rd year for this event in which 6 Rotaractors from other countries will tour Arizona. Past events have been a huge success. The club is looking for help - sponsors, home hosts, event ideas, and funds are all most welcome. The club is looking for sponsors, breakout session leaders, and home hosts for the conference which will occur in October of 2016. Check their web site for more information. |
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Serve Lunch - Phoenix Rescue Mission April 15, 2015 - Kyrene Rotary members Bil, Andy, Doug, Tom and Harry served lunch to homeless men and women at Phoenix Rescue Mission and cleaned up the serving area after. Thanks Bill for arranging this annual service project. Phoenix Rescue Mission provides 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, overnight shelter and many other services to homeless people. |
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Trek Bicycles April 13, 2015 - Greg DeCori, Territory Manager for Trek Bicycles, gave us an overview of his career, the history of Trek, and the Trek philosophy. Greg worked for J&B for several years before deciding he wanted to be part of the bicycle world. After several tries he landed a job with Trek and has been with them for almost 20 years. Trek is a family owned business that began in 1976 and now has 1800 employees (many of them have been with the company over 20 years). Trek is environmentally responsible and works with many municipalities to facilitate bike-friendly environments. Trek has a philosophy of innovation and has consistently led the industry in new designs and building relationships with retailers. |
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United Food Bank Contribution.jpg) April 8, 2015 - Along with contributions from 4 other clubs, Harry and Dave presented our cash contribution to the United Food Bank today. In all we gave $4,250 to fund nearly all of the United's milk vouchers for a full quarter of a year. The milk vouchers are included in 3-day food boxes available to first responders for families in crisis who run out of food. They can be redeemed at Bashas, Food City and Sam's Club food stores. United Food Bank is the center of food collection and distribution that supports more than 120 food pantries, agencies, and schools in Maricopa, Pinal, Gila, Navajo, and Apache Counties. |
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Rebuilding Together - Valley of the Sun April 6, 2015 - Dennis Flynn, Executive Director for "Rebuilding Together - Valley of the Sun", gave us an overview of his organization. The national organization has 180 affiliates across the country and the local organization has been in Phoenix since 1991. That first year they built 26 houses in Phoenix. They work with many corporate sponsors to help keep the costs low. Every October they organize the "Rock and roll Paint-a-thon" where upwards of 3000 volunteers participate. Nine years ago they began the Senior Fall Prevention Program (Club member Rob participates in this program). This program builds and installs ramps and grab bars in homes. This is an impressive community service program that our club might work with. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - March 2015Thursday, April 2nd, the administration of Corona del Sol High School presented the March Teacher of the Month awards. The teachers that were awarded are well-respected and much-loved in the Corona community. They are Greg Hebert, Choir Director since 1994 and Rick Wanta, Math Teacher and Boys' Tennis Coach. Mr. Hebert has been honored as one of Tempe's most talented teachers, receiving the Tempe Diablos' Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2000 and 2009. Mr. Wanta, as the Boys' Tennis Coach, has taken many players to the state championships. He also was the tennis coach when Lucien Taal, our Rotary Youth Exchange Student from The Netherlands, attended Corona del Sol in 2012-2013. Kyrene Rotary Club was honored to be able to present each of them with gift cards as a thank you for all they do for the future of Tempe! Congratulations on this much-deserved recognition, Mr. Hebert and Mr. Wanta! |
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Members Jim Durham and Bill Perkins March 30, 2015 - Today we listened to presentations by members Jim Durham and Bill Perkins. Jim gave us a brief history of his life and career. Today Jim is a Process Engineering Manager with Compound Photonics. He began his career with a construction company then joined the navy and completed his education after leaving the navy. He graduated with a degree in ceramics engineering and electrical engineering. He worked fro IBM, Motorola, and Fairchild, along with some independent consulting, before his current employer. Jim also shared his career philosophy with us. Jim has two kids and is now keeping in shape by playing hockey.Bill told us about his home club's (Bloomington Indiana) annual fund raising event - Race for Literacy. This event is a 5 k walk/run and is organized with the support of a professional company that has experience in this arena. He told us they relied on about 30 volunteers to staff the race and they have about 250 people participate. The also receive donations from local sponsors. They raise over $3,000 per event. The funds are used to support the Teacher Warehouse that provides supplies to teachers in the local schools. Our club will discuss the viability of such an event here in our area. Thanks Jim and Bill for great presentations. |
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Rotary Peace Centers.png) March 23, 2015 - Through academic training, study, and practice, the Rotary Peace Centers program develops leaders who become catalysts for peace and prevention and resolution of conflict in their communities and around the globe.Graduates of the program are reintegrating refugees in Sudan, creating jobs for disadvantaged women in India, and supporting reconstruction in devastated regions of the world. Each year, up to 100 Rotary Peace Fellows are chosen to participate in a master's degree or certificate program at one of several partner universities. Fellows study subjects related to the root causes of conflict and explore innovative solutions that address real-world needs. There are several peace centers around the world. For more information on the program and the peace centers, click here. |
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Native American Cultures in Salt River Valley March 23, 2015 - Jerry Howard, Director of and archeologist at the American Museum of Natural History in Mesa, gave us an interesting presentation on native American history in the Salt River Valley. Relatively recent excavations in the Valley have tracked the progress from 13,500 years ago. The Hohokam people first came here in about 1 A.D. and during the next 1000 yrs built the largest network of canals in the new world. Jerry showed us a map of the area showing the complex system of canals. His presentation brought several questions from the group who learned about this interesting history for the first time. |
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Tempe Leadership - Bike Corral March 16, 2015 - Tonya Gray and Christine Hudson, participants in the Tempe Leadership XXX class, gave us an overview of the project selected by this class. This program is funded by the Foundation of the Tempe Chamber of Commerce which encourages each class to initiate a project that emphasizes giving something back to the community. This class (XXX) has decided to develop, build, and fund a bike corral at Tempe Beach Park. Tonya and Christine gave us a quick quiz to see how knowledgeable we were about bikes and Tempe Beach Park. Their presentation described the project in considerable detail. We all agreed that the project is quite impressive and worthy of support. Interested readers should click here to visit their web site for more information. |
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Rotary Day in SRP ParkMarch 14, 2015 - The clubs in Tempe joined together to sponsor a picnic in the park at the SRP PERA club on Sat 3/14. (Pi day by the way) They were inspired by Rotary International President, Gary Huang’s call for clubs to hold a Rotary Day event. Community and connections were the themes. Everyone had fun playing games, talking to new and old friends, and enjoying a beautiful spring day. Games for the kids were available, a firetruck made an appearance and Tempe councilman, Kolby Granville, stopped by to talk. Rotaractors turned out as well as DG John Pennypacker and DG Elect Sherry Maschel. Thanks go to Randy Clawson of the Tempe Downtown club for leading the team to organize the event.
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - Feb 2015March 5, 2015 -
Pictured are the recipients of the Corona del Sol High School Teacher of the Month. There were 2 teachers awarded in February for their dedication to the students at Corona. Pictured in the first photo is Dan Nero, Assistant Principal-Athletics; Deb Benedict, Assistant Principal-Attendance; February Teacher of the Month-Michael Lohmann, Business; Brent Brown-Principal and Machel Considine, Kyrene Rotary Club. |
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Rotary Microcredit in Mexico March 02, 2015 Terry Lubsen, District Microcredit Chairman gave us an excellent presentation about the microcredit program in Mexico and the newest project in Hermasillo. He began with a video which illustrated just how poor most of the world is, and how we can help people living in poverty conditions by helping them to help themselves. This is the basis of microcredit. Microcredit programs have been operating for several years in many countries. For the past few years Rotary International and our district have been working with Rotary Clubs in Mexico to help people in Nogales and Hermasillo. Terry gave us several success stories and encouraged us to contribute to the program both individually and as a club. It was uplifting to learn how successful the Rotary microcredit program has been in these communities in Mexico. |
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Sal DiCiccio Feb 23, 2015 - Sal DiCiccio, Councilman for District 6 in the City of Phoenix, gave us a very informative view of the city's financial problems. His handouts contained very detailed data about the salary and benefit costs of a large number of city employees. Sal has been working diligently for the past several years to address the financial dilemma the city is facing. Sal also told us about his efforts to make the city competitive with other cities in Arizona and across the country. The city has made several significant improvements that make doing business in the city much easier than ever before. Sal's comments stirred a lot of discussion and we appreciated his candor and perspective. This was another great meeting! |
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New Member - Jim Durham Feb 23, 2015 - Today we welcome our new member, Jim Durham. Jim will feel right at home in our club, given he is a ceramics engineer. We look forward to Jim's active participation with us |
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Project Cure - sorting medical suppliesFeb 11, 2015 - M
 embers (Harry, Rob, Doug, Dave, Bill, Andy, and Ken) of the Kyrene Rotary Club (along with help from former member, Mike) volunteered Wednesday morning, Feb 11 at Project C.U.R.E. at Tempe’s distribution warehouse. We donate our time four times a year to help sort donated medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E. We also helped this previous summer to load cargo boxes bound for Burkina Faso, Ecuador and Nicaragua.We had great fellowship over lunch when we finished the project. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - Jan 2015Feb 2, 2015 - Congratulations to the Corona del Sol Teacher and Staff Member of the Month! Selected for January are Alison Rund, Social Studies teacher and Douglas Wagner, Maintenance. Both these people are highly energetic and enthusiastic about their positions at the school. Ms. Rund is coach for the "We the People" team from Corona. This year's team took the state title -- the fourth year in a row for CDS. It was also Ms. Rund's first victory in her first year as a coach! Mr. Wagner helps out all over campus wherever he is needed. KRC provides a $25 gift card to each individual that is recognized monthly by the administration for their outstanding performance. Great job, Ms. Rund and Mr. Wagner! (Pictured with Ms. Rund is Mr. Brent Brown, principal for CDS and Machel Considine, Kyrene Rotary Club. Pictured with Mr. Wagner is Mr. Brent Brown, principal for CDS and Machel Considine, Kyrene Rotary Club.) |
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Nigel Brooks - ADG-elect - TechKnowPartners Feb 02, 2015 - Nigel Brooks, ADG-elect for 5510, gave us an overview of his personal history, ending with his current organization, TechKnowPartners in Tempe. He began in Enfield as a management consultant and at age 25 migrated to the USA to work with Anderson Consulting. He became a partner there and then moved to Booze Allen where his major client was American Express. He later joined American Express as a Sr. VP for Technology Strategy in Arizona. He left them and founded his own Gourmet Coffee Business which he sold after 14 years. He moved to San Francisco and became active in Rotary, becoming co-chair of "Rotary means Business". In 2011 her returned to Phoenix and has been instrumental in "merging" 3 clubs into one. He is currently working with the city of Tempe on a major capital project which will help further Rotary's image in the community. We look forward to having him as our Assistant District Governor this coming year. |
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Habitat for Humanity Service Project Jan 10, 2015 – Twenty-seven Rotarians pitched in to help complete another new house with Habitat For Humanity. Half of them did interior prep for painting and initial painting of trim & doors, while the other half removed weeds, concrete and debris from the lot in preparation for final landscaping. The Rotary volunteers were from the Kyrene, ASU, Camelback-Crossroads, Rio Salado, and Tempe Downtown clubs. The ASU Rotaract site has more pictures. |
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The Rotary Vocational Fund Dec 22, 2014 - Dennis Haberer, a board member of TRVFA and member of the Scottsdale Sunrise Club, explained the purpose of TRVFA and how it operates to support students that fall within the category of the "working poor". The mission of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona, Inc. (TRVFA), is to partner with Rotary clubs to provide assistance to the working poor in obtaining education, training and skill development. The ultimate objective is to attain career-oriented employment and financial stability. The organization serves districts 5510, 5590, and 5500. They seek support from all clubs in these districts and last year they collected over $80,000 which were dispersed in grants ranging from $1200 to $3000. Last year they have provided 62 grants. They are hoping to have all clubs in the 3 districts help with financial support. Dennis gave us forms that we can use to contribute. Contributions can also be made directly from the TRVFA web site. |
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Canine Companions for Independence Dec 15, 2014 - Dominic Bartola spoke to us as a beneficiary of the Canine Companions for Independence (CCI) program. His dog, Plato, was trained to alert Dominic to sounds in his house since Dominic is almost completely deaf. Dominic explained the program briefly but spent much of his time encouraging us to participate in the Dogfest Walk 'n Roll in Scottsdale on March 7th 2015. Dominic is the event chairperson and is looking for volunteers and donations to raise funds to support the CCI program. Recipients of trained dogs pay nothing but the training costs exceed $50,000 per dog. Club members were impressed with Dominic and his buddy Plato. |
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Christmas Wrapping Potluck.JPG) .JPG) Dec 07, 2014 - Members gathered at Gary & Mary's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for two families with eight children. Tyler selected the family from the Boys & Girls Club attendees and will be our Santa - delivering the gifts. Thanks to all!! You can see more pictures by looking clicking here Events Album or looking at the bottom of this page |
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Christians in Commerce Dec 1, 2014 - Darren Handy, a member of Christians in Commerce, (CIC) gave us an overview of the organization. Darren has been with the organization, which was founded in 1982, for fifteen years. According to their mission statement the overarching goal of the organization is to "bring Christ into the workplace". CIC has 9 men's and 2 women's chapters in Arizona and several chapters in other states which meet weekly. In addition they have a mixed gender group at ASU's School of Business. Part of their outreach is in Uganda where the chapter helps families in need. More detailed information about CIC can be found by clicking here. |
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Paul Harris Fellows Nov 24, 2014 - Tom and John received acknowledgement and thanks from President Harry for their generosity. They received Paul Harris certificates and pins for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation. |
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Assistance League - East Valley Nov 24, 2014 - Barb Dubler & Katie Seavers, volunteers with the Assistance League - East Valley, gave us a great overview of what this organization does. They represent one chapter from over 150 chapters across the country. This is an all volunteer organization dedicated to assist and serve residents of the community. Barb and Katie described their multitude of philanthropic programs which include "Operation School Bell" and "Assault Survivor Kits". As an example, the Operation School Bell program provides new school clothing, uniforms, shoes, and hygiene kits to East Valley children in need in five school districts. They also operate a Thrift shop to help raise funds. Please check them out by clicking here; they are a most impressive organization. |
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Project Cure Nov 17, 2014 - Katie Mabardy, Executive Director for Project Cure, gave us an update on Project Cure's current activities. She reminded us that Project Cure is the largest distributor of medical supplies to foreign countries, shipping over $53 million per year. Katie gave us insight into Rowanda - it's history, genocide, recovery, and current needs. She believes that Rowanda is a model for other developing African countries with respect to what is possible if everyone works together. Rotary has been a big supporter of Project Cure for many years and our club helps sort medical supplies at their Tempe facility at least twice a year. |
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Boys and Girls Club Support Nov 10, 2014 - Harry is presenting a $1000 check to club member Tyler who is a director at the Boys and Girls Club in Guadalupe. The B&G club worked closely with our club to sell raffle tickets for a TV set and the net proceeds from the raffle were shared equally with the B&G club. The B&G club will use the funds to support their programs and our Rotary Club will use the proceeds to help fund our dictionary project which provides dictionaries to all 3rd grade students in the Roosevelt School District in Phoenix. Our club supports and partners with the B&G in many ways throughout the year. |
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Kyrene Rotary Club 10th Anniversary Celebration Nov 09, 2014 - The Kyrene Rotary Club celebrated its 10th anniversary at a dinner party at a local restaurant on Sunday evening. The dinner was well attended by club and family members including four of the original founding members. President Harry made the evening a huge success with a program that: (1) helped us to get to know each other better; (2) recognized each member for their unique participation in the club; (3) helped us to better understand our accomplishments over the past years; (4) recognized significant contributions to the Rotary Foundation; and (5) described some of our current programs, for the benefit of our guests.Dave surprised Harry by giving him a special Rotary International Award for his work as a Rotarian with Boys Scouts of America. Harry has been an active leader in the scouting program for many years and continues to provide them counsel and guidance.
Harry, wife Nancy, and Dave went to considerable lengths to decorate the room with various artifacts relating to our club and its activities. The food was excellent and there was lots of laughing and good natured fellowship. Many thanks Harry for making this event so meaningful and successful.
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Nigeria and Boku Haram.png) November 3, 2014 - Sunday Etukeren, born in Nigeria, gave us a broad picture of Nigerian history and current status. Sunday came to the US many years ago and has raised a very successful family here. He has been associated with the Chandler Rotary club for many years. He told us that the British controlled Nigeria from 1700 to 1960 but was not united. It was created as a single country in 1914 but was ungovernable, having 600 languages and 1000 dialects. Boku Haram began in the late 70's and you can follow the development from the link shown. They are anti-western and want Nigeria to become a Muslim caliphate. They are trained by Al Quaida in Yemen. The U.S. has a covert interest because of the "sweet oil" available in Nigeria. Sunday is optimistic that the country will settle down and he hopes to build a school there. We wish him well. |
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New Member - Kelly Alexander Oct 27, 2014 - The Kyrene Rotary Club is very pleased to welcome Kelly Alexander as the newest member of our club. Kelly has a long time affiliation with the Kyrene School district in several different capacities. She currently provides leadership to the Kyrene Family Resource Center which our club is actively supporting. President Harry Short gave her her temporary badge and welcomed her. We all look forward to working with her. |
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Importance of Psychological Freedom Oct 20, 2014 - Today Jennifer Kahtz presented us with information regarding the Importance of Psychological Freedom. She explained how important it is to live your life to the fullest. She gave us an outline of the steps to take to achieve this freedom. For more information on Jennifer's background, experience, skills, and approach please check her web site. |
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Label Dictionaries Oct 6, 2014 - The meeting today was devoted to labeling over 1,000 dictionaries that will be distributed to 3rd grade students in the Roosevelt School District. Thanks to Dave, Harry, Machel, Doug, Tom, and Ken, along with some extra help from friends and family, the labeling was accomplished in about an hour and a half. Special thanks for Dave and Lourdes for allowing us to use their home for this task. We enjoyed pizzas accompanied with lots of fellowship and laughter. We will be delivering the dictionaries over the next month and a half. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - September Corona del Sol Teacher and Staff Member of the Month continues this month with the September winners. They are Nina Posey, Staff Member, who is a member of the Security Staff at CDS and Sam Duane, Jr., Teacher. Mr. Duane teaches PE at CDS. He is also the varsity boys' basketball coach. David Kline, in blue shirt, was the presenter for the Kyrene Rotary Club. Also pictured is Brent Brown, Corona del Sol Principal. Kyrene Rotary Club is proud to recognize these hard-working personnel who give their students, and indirectly, our community, so much of their time, effort and creativity.
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Eradicate Polio Sept 29, 2014 - Hal Wochholz described his history with polio and the significant accomplishments he made after the time he was diagnosed and treated in 1954. He is indeed a remarkable individual who was able to over come the physical and psychological challenges of his encounter with this disease. He described the progress that has been made so far and the focus of Rotary and total elimination of the disease. Hal suggests the people look at the sites http://www.polioeradication.org/Financing.aspx and http://new.livestream.com/rotaryinternational/worldpolioday. The latter site focuses on the Oct. 24 Eradication Day. Bill Gates will triple the match with Rotary International. He hopes we will all contribute. |
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Kyrene Family Resource center - sorting materials Sept 24,2014 - Harry, Machel and Dave sorted clothes, food and book donations for future distribution. The Kyrene Resource Center supports Kyrene students with basic needs to help students achieve their best in school! The Kyrene Family Resource Center offers support with food, gently used school clothing, hygiene supplies, school supplies and access to resources. Any family with a student in a Kyrene school is welcome. |
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5510 District Governor John Pennypacker Sept 22, 2015 John Pennypacker, District Governor for District 5510 visited the club to day to listen to our plans for the year and to encourage us to keep up the good work. We are one of the most active clubs in the District and he was impressed that we have been providing at least one service project each month.John then gave us a very informative description of his background and his philosophy about Rotary in general and for the coming year in particular. He encouraged all of us to participate in various programs the fullest extent possible The club was very receptive to his visit. Thank you John. John donated his honorarium to the Boys and Girls club of Guadalupe. Club member Tyler is accepting the check.. |
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Induction of Harry Short - new president
Aug 18, 2014 - Today, Harry Short was inducted by Dave Kline (Assistant District Governor) as president of the Kyrene Rotary Club for 2014-2015. Harry assumed the role on July 1 but because of his generous vacation schedule in Seattle, was formally inducted today. Club members are all very pleased to have Harry's guidance as president. Harry has been with the club since its inception in 2004 and has always been a strong contributor. We are looking forward to his leadership. Congratulations Harry !!! |
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Tempe Union & Kyrene School Districts
Sept 30 - Today, Kenneth Baca, superintendent of the Tempe Union High School District; David Schauer, superintendent of the Kyrene School District; and Sandy Lowe, PAC representative, spoke to us about the upcoming "override" election. They gave us performance statistics that show just how well these districts are doing compared to others and make a compelling argument for supporting the M&O override in November. There was a vigorous question and answer session - along with several supportive statements from club members that followed the presentations.
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Inauguration and Awards
June 25 - Today our new president, John Lamont, was handed the gavel by past-president Machel Considine. We look forward to another great year under John's leadership and guidance. Several awards for attendance and service-excellence were also given out. Our first meeting of the new fiscal year will be on July 9.
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Habitat for Humanity - Mesa House
June 2 - Rob Foster and Dave Kline had fun this morning disassembling roof guard rails, caulking, and wielding a reciprocating saw with surgical precision at the Habitat for Humanity home at 518 Temple in Mesa.
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Habitat for Humanity
Jan 21 2012 - Rotarians & friends turned out to help build a Habitat For Humanity
house. Thirteen Rotarians and other volunteers put on 2 coats of paint
inside and out, and installed doors and kitchen cabinets this past
Saturday in Mesa. Kyrene Corridor Rotary club volunteers were joined by
a large group of volunteers from the Tempe East Club. This house will
be purchased by a single mom who has one or two children. She has
worked on this and other houses for 400 hours!, completed courses in
financial management and home maintenance, and will become responsible
for mortgages equal to the appraised value of the house. Homeowners are
selected to be H4H home buyers based on being first time house buyers,
steady (but low wage) employment, lack of debt, and poor current housing
conditions. The term of the zero interest mortgage is structured
according to the home-buyer's ability to make monthly payments. And
several years of regular on-time payments will earn a reduction in the
total amount due. All construction and construction leadership except
the concrete, plumbing, electrical and air conditioning is performed by
volunteers. House sponsors typically raise $85,000 of money and in-kind
donations to pay for all above-ground materials. The plumbing,
electrical and air conditioning for this house were in-kind donations by
licensed contractors. Some of the Kyrene Corridor Rotarians
contributed AZ Tax Credit ("Aid to the working poor") money to help fund
this house. Local Habitat organization volunteer opportunities include
family selection, family mentoring, construction leadership and
construction. This is the 5th house that Kyrene Corridor Rotarians have
helped build!
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
Oct 21 - The third event in this October series was another success. Kyle and Norma were the lean and mean team who shouldered the work load by themselves. The weather was great and the crowd was large. Thanks to both Norma and Kyle.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
Oct 14 - Thanks to the hard work of Harry, Ken, and Mike, the club collected an outstanding amount during this session. The weather was warm and their was a large crowd which helped make this night so successful. The trio had a good time from beginning to end.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
Oct 7 - Norma, Machel, John, and Mike worked in our Snack Bar for the first night of the fall series. The night was a bit cool and windy so the turnout was less than expected but everyone seemed to have a good time.
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Feed My Starving Children - Packing Food
Sep 21 - KCRC went to the ‘Feed My Starving Children’ packing facility and here’s the results:
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KCRC members: Calop, Ken, John, Machel and our exchange
student, plus Skip (Ken's wife) and Amanda (Machel's daughter) |
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Feed My Starving Children - Packing Food
Aug 25 - KCRC went to the ‘Feed My Starving Children’ packing facility and here’s the results:
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KCRC members: Calop, Norma, Kyle, Gary, Machel and our exchange
student, plus Mary (Gary’s other half) dropped by for the last part |
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Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children
May 16 - Diana Tacey, founder of Childlight Foundation for Afghan Children, gave us an update on the work she and her foundation are doing in Afghanistan. Diana began the program over 10 years ago with a modest funding of $15k. She began the program with the help of several rotary clubs, and many of them have continued to fund it. At first, Diana said, she couldn't believe what she was hearing about the conditions in Afghanistan so she decided to visit and make direct contact with people and organizations and that is what got her started. Her foundation has concentrated on improving girl's schools in rural communities. Happily, she’s made progress in several facilities and has many friends in the villages. She’s very optimistic that conditions will continue to improve and she plans to keep visiting the area to keep urging the communities to improve their conditions and treatment of women. Diana is hopeful that our club will be one of her sponsors to continue this important work. Click here to learn more.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
May 13 - Thanks to Kyle, Calop and Harry for being at Kiwanis park on Friday night to help raise funds for the club. The attendance was about the same as the previous week. All the products were sold out - the club did well financially on this event.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
May 6 - Kyle, David, and Norma set up and managed the club's booth at Movies in the Park in the Kiwanis Park on Friday night. Thanks go to Kyle for organizing this event once again this year. More than 600 people attended and the club raised a little money. Hopefully the coming 3 weeks will yield even better results. Thanks to Kyle, David, and Norma for making the event a success.
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Home Energy Audits
May 2 - John Lamont, a Kyrene Rotatary Club member, described the
wisdom of doing home energy audits on existing homes. Most existing homes have
not benefited from new construction techniques and improved materials. As a
result, energy leaks contribute up to 40% of energy costs in older homes.
Audits can identify these leaks which can then be sealed. Sealing leaks, updating insulation, using
solar water heaters, and right sizing HVAC systems can result in an impressive
ROI, balancing the investment cost. John emphasized that energy audit
legislation is coming and, in future, homes will not be resold without an audit. The
cost of a basic audit is $99, and John has proposed a creative way to get
people engaged and to bring revenue to our Rotary program.
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Italian HS Exchange Student - Ana
Mar 28 - Ana is a very poised, bright, and affable young lady. She presented an overview of Italy which included geography, politics, culture, family values, and food. She explained that there was more to Italy than the Mafia, Pizza, Rome, and Pisa. In fact,Italy is divided into 20 regions and has a population of over 60 million and contains 14 volcanoes - 3 of them active; Mount Blanc is the highest mountain. Amazingly it contains over 70% of the world's art and architecture. Ana lives in Lecco, a town near Lake Como in northern Italy and she showed us pictures of her family and home. When asked, she compared life in Italy to life in the U.S. She finds our high schools much easier than her school in Italy. All in all she has enjoyed this experience and is pleased that her language skills have improved to the degree that she can now think in English.
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Rebuilding Together - Valley of the Sun
Apr 25 - Rob Foster is a volunteer with Rebuilding Together, a national organization that strives to preserve home ownership for low income, vets, and handicapped people. One of their recent major projects has been to restore 1000 homes along the Gulf coast. They have support from many national businesses and local contractors. In additon they organize a yearly "Rebuilding Day" every April as well as a "Rock and Roll Paint-a-thon" every Oct. The specific program where Rob volunteers is Senior Fall Prevention which involves teams who equip homes with safety equipment. Check out the web site at http://www.rebuildingtogetherphx.org
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Best Buddies
Dec 13 - Charles Calhoun and Rachel Southard visited and explained the "Best Buddies" program. Best Buddies, a global charity, matches kids with intelectual disability disorder with a "buddy" at their school. The program presently serves more than 2,500 participants at 2
universities, 36 high schools and 8 middle schools in Arizona. See http://www.bestbuddiesarizona.org/ for more information.
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Adopt-a-Family Present Wrapping
Dec 12 - Members gathered at David & Lourdes's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family of four children, mom and dad. Jennifer selected the family from her Boys & Girls Club attendees and will be our Santa - delivering the gifts. Thanks to all!!
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - August
Our Rotary Club decided to provide financial awards to individuals recognized by the Corona del Sol administration each month for their outstanding performance. A member of the faculty and a member of the staff will be recognized. The awards will be given at the first of each month and a member of our club will attend the ceremony.
Kudos to both of you ! |
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Club Assembly + Birthday
Aug 25, 2014 Today we had a club assembly and fellowship meeting. The discussions were spirited and fun. We covered a variety of topics such as: this year's dictionary project; our service project schedule through June; our happy hour meeting in September; our 10 year anniversary celebration on November 9; our raffle this fall; and our sponsorship of a RYLA student this year. |
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Project C.U.R.E. - Packing Medical Supplies
Aug 20, 2014 - Members (Harry, Rob, Doug, and Ken) of the Kyrene Rotary Club (along with help from Skip) volunteered Wednesday morning, August 20 at Project C.U.R.E. at Tempe’s distribution warehouse. We donate our time four times a year to help sort donated medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E. We also helped this previous summer to load cargo boxes bound for Burkina Faso, Ecuador and Nicaragua. |
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Operation Welcome Home Arizona
Aug 11, 2014 - Lisa and Aimee Rigler gave us a great overview of Operation Welcome Home Arizona. They showed us a video of the most recent ceremony held in Gilbert. Their mission is a simple one - To honor our veterans and families by sponsoring activities that express our support, pride, and patriotism. They have been in existence since 2010 and patterned themselves after a program in Danville CA. To date, they have honored 25 veterans from Gilbert and Chandler. They hope to engage other cities in Arizona to participate in similar programs. Their newest project is the "Arizona Wall Project" which is part of the Vietnam Commemorative Partner Program to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. This program hopes to help establish Arizona as being "Veteran Friendly". |
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Back to School Shopping with Children - Again!
July 26, 2014 - Guadalupe Boys & Girls Club children went back-to-school shopping with members of the Kyrene Rotary this Saturday. Parents helped their children make a list and brought them to Kohl’s department store early in the morning. Each child was paired with a Rotary club member or another volunteer and provided a budget of $125 for purchase of shoes, clothing and school supplies. The excited children soon learned their ideas were larger than their budget. During the morning they learned that value is different than price and how to make comparisons and difficult choices to allocate their money. After 2-3 hours and check out, the children emerged into the sun with their bags eager to show their purchases and explain their choices to their nervously awaiting parents. The club also provided funding ($1,250) for 10 children. This is an annual event of the Boys & Girls Club and community youth project of Kyrene Rotary. More information about the Guadalupe Boys & Girls Club can be found at http://www.clubzona.org/locations/guadalupe/ |
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The Centers for Habilitation
June 30, 2014 - Shana Ellis, President and CEO of The Centers for Habilitation (TCH), and a very active City of Tempe Council member, gave us a most informative presentation about TCH and the services it provides. Shana said that TCH, was incorporated in 1967 as a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing support and opportunities to people of all ages with physical and developmental disabilities. The goal at TCH is for individuals with disabilities to enjoy a more satisfying and independent life in various Arizona communities. She described several of the services where people with disabilities work, such as document destruction, cleaning, and cafeteria operation. She also explained how their group homes, in home services, day programs, and respite support function. Shana has been CEO since January. In addition she is currently seeking re-election to the City of Tempe Council. We wish her well in both of her endeavors. |
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Packing Food in Seattle with District 5030 Rotarians
June 14, 2014 - Nancy and Harry Short joined 60 Seattle area Rotarians to pack frozen baby corn and peas into family meal size bags at Rotary District 5030's First Harvest project in Seattle. Many think that the need for food assistance was greatest during the "Great Recession". Actually the need is greater in. 2014 because of reductions in the food stamp program. It will become even greater as schools are out for the summer and their meal programs shut down until the Fall. Harry and Nancy are Pictured with some of the Seattle Rotarians |
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Education and Economic Development
June 2, 2014 Janie Hydrick, candidate for State Senate in District 18, spoke on her past and on her concerns. |
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TV Raffle - May 30 2014
May 30 2014 - The winner of the 60 inch Sharp TV was a lucky Mesa resident shown here with Dave Kline who delivered the set to her. Funds from the raffle will be used to (1) support our club's Dictionary Project and (2) support the programs at the Boys and Girls Club of Guadalupe. |
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Tempe Development Plan 2040
May 12, 2014 - Nancy Ryan spoke on the Tempe General Plan 2040. Nancy discussed the Tempe 2040 plan up for a general vote on May 20. (It passed.) . The plan provides a guideline for the city council on zoning issues, transportation planning, and development. It is also linked to the Neighborhood Character Area efforts. The Tempe South Rotary club wrote up an endorsement of the plan as one that follows Rotary principles, and it was published as part of the voter information pamphlet. The most controversial part was the proposal to increase biking and walking options and the possible increase in traffic congestion as a result. As with anything, some people were against higher densities in downtown, while some approved. Overall, the Plan 2040 focused on neighborhoods and sustainability for a landlocked, college community with more jobs than residents. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - May
Our Rotary Club decided to provide financial awards to individuals recognized by the Corona del Sol administration each month for their outstanding performance. A member of the faculty and a member of the staff will be recognized. The awards will be given at the first of each month and a member of our club will attend the ceremony.
Machel presented the faculty certificate to math teacher Mark Rhiner.
Machel presented the faculty certificate to Social Studies teacher Christine Wiley
The staff certificate was presented to Emily Whitney but no picture is available.
KUDOS to all of you! |
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ReAwaken
May 5 2014 - Jarrett Ransom, Founder of ReAwaken, described how she overcame a difficult part of her life and how that led her to establish ReAwaken. The mission of ReAwaken is that every woman deserves to have the ability, resources, supportive network and emotional care necessary to overcome the challenges of life’s obstacles and episodes. All women, regardless of age, have the tools and right to become the vibrant and empowered woman inside of themselves that may have once been disrupted during a crisis. ReAwaken offers workshops and networking opportunities mainly for the medium-upper income woman. Jarrett told us that her 501(3) C organization is in its second year and has a goal to raise over $100 K this coming year while increasing its outreach in the community.
Also, today we presented our Kyrene Rotary Club Banner to Rotarian P.H.F S. Mumandimabul from the Rotary Club of Dindigul Fort, part of District 3000 in India. |
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Arizona Cardinals Community Relations
April 28 2014 - Adam Richman, Community Relations Coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals, gave us a great overview of the many outreach programs that are sponsored by the Arizona Cardinals. Club members were both surprised and impressed with the breadth of their programs: programs ranging from providing grants to over 100 local agencies, to educating Moms, to upgrading or installing complete football fields for high schools. The programs are too numerous to list here but interested readers should visit their web site(s) for detailed information. Click here to begin
Also today, we exchanged banners with Kirsty Halliday of the Philadelphia Rotary Club |
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Kyrene Family Resource Center Project
April 26, 2014 – About 30 Rotarians and friends packed basic hygiene kits at the Kyrene Family Resource Center for children, fathers and mothers new to the area and needing help. The Center aids about 400 families during the year. It accepts all kinds of donated supplies on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 AM to 5 PM at 1330 E Dava Dr in Tempe (on the curve). More information is available at http://www.kyrenefoundation.org/ |
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Project Cure - Packing Medical Supplies
April 23 - Members of the Kyrene Rotary Club volunteered Wednesday morning, April 23 at Project C.U.R.E. at Tempe’s distribution warehouse. We donate our time four times a year to help sort donated medical supplies for Project C.U.R.E. We also helped this previous summer to load cargo boxes bound for Burkina Faso, Ecuador and Nicaragua.
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Phoenix Rescue Mission - serve lunch
April 9 - Rotarians Bill, Doug, Harry, Ken, and Tom served lunch today at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. They were assisted by residents of the mission. There was great camaraderie among everyone involved. Later, the five rotarians had a fun lunch and good fellowship at a local Mexican restaurant.
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100 Club
April 7 – Ashley Slechta told us about the work of the 100 Club. Founded in 1968, this charitable organization provides financial and emotional support to the families of firefighters and police offices who lose their lives in the line of duty. On average 4 to 6 of these public servants die each year and leave behind spouses, partners and children, often very young and always totally unprepared for the worst that can happen. Sadly, because of the loss of 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots while fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire, a record number of men and women were lost in 2013. Amazingly, the 100 Club was on the scene within hours and stayed for more than a month to aid those left behind with compassion, shared experience, skill and deep financial support. More information can be found at www.100club.org This day we also welcomed visiting Rotarian Andy Wangstad with an Honorary Member badge. Andy’s home club is in Kent WA. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - April
Our Rotary Club decided to provide financial awards to individuals recognized by the Corona del Sol administration each month for their outstanding performance. A member of the faculty and a member of the staff will be recognized. The awards will be given at the first of each month and a member of our club will attend the ceremony.
On April 2, Machel attended the third ceremony and presented a certificate and a gift card to the two recipients.
KUDOS to both of you! |
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Justice of the Peace
March 31 - Darryl Jacobsen-Barnes, a candidate for Justice of the Peace in Kyrene Justice Precinct, explained what the qualifications are for a Justice of the Peace (JOP). Many members of the club were surprised to learn how minimal the qualifications are. (Over 18, high school graduate, able to read and write English). Darryl explained the multitude of issues that a JOP is responsible for deciding. These include civil, criminal, traffic, small claims cases as well as contracts under $10,000. She also explained the constraints placed upon a JOP candidate during an election campaign. Her presentation was very informative and elicited many questions from club members.
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Boy Scouts of America
March 24 - Don Fletcher, Chair of the Grand Canyon Council of Boy Scouts of America, gave us an overview on scouting and some of the policy issues that have required careful navigation. Don has been involved in scouting for many years and believes the scouting organization provides role models for many young boys and affords them opportunities that they might not get elsewhere. He also described the challenges of starting a new troop, such as the one that is being proposed for Guadalupe. Don spent time describing his 50th birthday adventure - climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. He learned some valuable life lessons during that trip and he shared them with us.
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Rotary Builds houses with Habitat for Humanity
March 22 - On Saturday, the latest East Valley Rotary-Habitat Build Day, thirteen members of the Kyrene, Rio Salado and Tempe Downtown Rotary clubs teamed up to build the interior walls at a new Habitat for Humanity house in Mesa. We started at 7:30 AM, had pizza at 11 and finished the work by 12:30 PM! Local Rotarians have helped build these low income family houses in the East Valley since 2008. The Kyrene Rotary Club has completed 12 "hands on" service projects per year for three years in a row. All these service projects are in partnership with local non profit organizations. Rotary clubs provide local opportunities for fellowship, networking and service. More information about Rotary and it's local activities can be found at www.tempevolunteers.org.
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards - March
Our Rotary Club decided to provide financial awards to individuals recognized by the Corona del Sol administration each month for their outstanding performance. A member of the faculty and a member of the staff will be recognized. The awards will be given at the first of each month and a member of our club will attend the ceremony.
On March 4, Machel attended the second ceremony and presented a certificate and a gift card to the two recipients.
KUDOS to both of you!
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Strategic Planning
Feb 11 - Sherry Mischel, District 5510 Governor for 2015-2016, led the club through a lively planning process during a special dinner meeting at Kobe's restaurant. The meeting was well attended (Machel, John, Harry, Rob, Dave, Doug, Ken) and the four hour process sped by very quickly. We did not end up with a strategic plan per se but we did develop or describe all the elements that our plan needs. We hope to formalize the plan in a series of regular meetings during the coming weeks. The meeting was viewed by all as very successful and we are indebted to Sherry for her skilled facilitation.
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Club Assembly - visitor dialogue
Feb 10 - There were no official speakers today but we did have two very informative visitors who spoke to us on very divergent topics.
Librada Martinez, District Director for the Grand Canyon Council of Boy Scouts of America, led a discussion about the possible establishment of a Boy Scout Troop in Guadalupe. We explored the components necessary for such a venture and how our club might actively participate. Two of the major challenges are the recruiting of strong dedicated leaders and the active involvement of parents in the community. Jessica Hauer, Envision Energy Coach for Tempe Union High School District, TUHSD, described the components of the Sustainability and Energy Initiative in TUHSD and explained her roles in the program. The District is engaged in a very creative approach to energy saving and student awareness of sustainability. Jessica had a limited number of handouts describing the many features of the program but recommended that we go to the TUHSD sustainability site and surf the various aspects contained there. |
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Corona del Sol - Teacher & Staff Awards
Our Rotary Club decided to provide financial awards to individuals recognized by the Corona del Sol administration each month for their outstanding performance. A member of the faculty and a member of the staff will be recognized. The awards will be given at the first of each month and a member of our club will attend the ceremony.
Kudos and congratulations to both of you!
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The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA)/Feb3_2014_Vocfund.jpg)
Feb 3 - Lee Dueringer, a board member of TRVFA and member of the Scottsdale Sunrise Club, explained the purpose of TRVFA and how it operates to support students that fall within the category of the "working poor". The mission of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona, Inc. (TRVFA), is to partner with Rotary clubs to provide assistance to the working poor in obtaining education, training and skill development. The ultimate objective is to attain career-oriented employment and financial stability. The organization serves districts 5510, 5590, and 5500. They seek support from all clubs in these districts and last year they collected over $80,000 which were dispersed in grants ranging from $1200 to $3000. This year they have provided 31 grants so far. They are hoping to have all clubs in the 3 districts help with financial support.
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Fire Alarm Installation - Tempe Fire Dept
Feb 1 - Five club members (Doug, Bill, Machel, Harry and Rob) along with help from Lindsey, Jacquie, and Tom installed fire alarms in several homes in Tempe. We covered over 270 homes that day and installed 51 new alarms and replaced several batteries in existing alarms. That is 51 more homes and residents that will now be safer. The Tempe Fire Department and the Arizona Burn Foundation were most appreciative of our efforts. This is the 5th or 6th year our members have helped install smoke alarms in dangerous housing in Tempe or Scottsdale. In 2009 one of “our” alarms in Tempe was credited with warning a family to evacuate their home before becoming incapacitated from smoke due to a fire. Our club's goal is to do a service project like this every month. Watch the web page for upcoming events and come join us!
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Frank Elementary School - Family Resource Center
Jan 27 - Normalicia Blanco, Parent Liaison for the Family Resource Center at Frank Elementary School in Guadalupe, gave us a passionate description of the Resource Center and its various activities/responsibilities. Normalicia began as a volunteer with the school for 3 years and then was hired full time to run the Center. She explained that over 98% of the students at this school are below the poverty level and their families are in much need of assistance of all kinds. The Resource Center provides clothing, and meals, as well as teaching fitness, and English classes for parents. Normalicia spends considerable time organizing fund raisers and is constantly looking for assistance with the program.
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Project Cure - sorting medical supplies
Jan 15 2014 - Today we sorted medical supplies at the Project Cure facility in Tempe. We had ix members, Dave, Doug, Harry, Ken, Bill, and Rob, along with help from Nancy, John, and Candia. We were a "model of efficiency" and sorted several large bags of materials. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience that we will do again next quarter. After "slaving" for 3 hours we all headed out for lunch together at the Arizona Bread Company. Lots of fellowship and laughter.
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Kiva Fellowship Program
Jan 6 - Sophie Aigner, a Kiva fellow, began her presentation by describing her experience as Rotary Exchange Student to San Paulo Brazil in 2007. She spoke no Portuguese when she began but became fluent after 11 months. That experience led her to enroll in ASU's Global Studies program and from there she has pursued opportunities in non-profit organizations such as Kiva. She is now embarking on a 4 month fellowship program to South Africa and is raising funds to support that journey. Sophie gave us many interesting statistics about Kiva and how they operate. Details are available on the Kiva site. The club made a small contribution to support her and we wish her well in her new adventure.
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Christmas Gift Wrapping
Dec 15 - Members gathered at Nancy and Harry's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family with four children. Tyler selected the family from the Boys & Girls Club attendees and will be our Santa - delivering the gifts. Thanks to all!!
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Rotary Foundation
Dec 9 - Barb Feder, a founding member of this club and past District Governor, gave us an overview of the new Grants program and told us of some of the successes during the past year. Barb is currently very active at the Zone level both for training and grant administration. She gave some statistics for the EndPolioNow program and encouraged individual members to donate to this program as well as to the Rotary Foundation's general fund. She stressed the current goal of having every Rotarian contribute $100 every year and encouraged our club to meet our annual financial goal.
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Corona del Sol High School
Dec 2 - Brent Brown and Dan Nero (Principal and Vice- Principal) from Corona del Sol High School gave us good insights into some of the more recent programs at the school. The school has remarkable statistics: over 98% of the students graduate; 92% of the graduates go on to university or college; and 8% go to a vocational school. The school has a dual-enrollment program with Rio Salado College. Brent and his team have spent considerable time and effort to make the school environment safe for students and faculty. The curriculum is updated regularly to keep pace with technology. They have an emphasis on sustainability that: (1) has saved the school a significant amount of money and (2) has been the focus of many classes and activities. The school has just implemented a teacher and staff recognition program and Harry volunteered to work with Brent to see how our club can help support that program.
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Rio Salado College Incarcerated Re-entry Program
Nov 25 - Hiedi Jo Jaeger, an Administrative Assistant with the Rio Salado College Incarcerated Re-entry program, gave us a good overview of the program and explained some of the various offerings. She told us that there are over 1400 students enrolled statewide. In 2012-2013 there were 26 associates degrees 62 certificates awarded. The students are quite successful with over 89% completing with a "C" or better. Incarcerated students have the overall highest completion rate in the college. Inmates can apply for scholarships and over 1800 are awarded annually. Heidi described the coursework that is available and what the eligibility requirements are. The program is well received and is helping felons succeed as they re-enter society.
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Label Dictionaries
Nov 23 - Club members (Bill, Machel, Doug, Ken, and Rob - and Rob's wife Nancy) worked for a couple of hours to label over 1400 dictionaries that will be distributed mainly to the Roosevelt school district in the coming few weeks. Members will each work with the third grade classes in the district to give each child a dictionary and to teach them how to use it. These books are called dictionaries but they are in reality, small encyclopedias. Our club has done this for many years and members always recount how much fun it is to work on this project. Family and friends are always welcome to participate with us. If you are wondering about Rotary - what it means and what it does - come join us at Kobe's restaurant (location is on the web site) on any Monday at noon.
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Bat Restoration Project in the Wallow Fire area
Nov 18 - Erin Considine, a student in NAU's forestry program gave us a very informative presentation on bats. Besides bats not being rodents, she dispelled several other misconceptions about them. We learned that there are over 1000 species of bats and Arizona has 21 species. Bats are good for the ecosystem: they prey on mosquitoes, scorpions, and corn meal moths; and they are responsible for pollinating agave, bananas, peaches and cloves. All in all, they bring a $3.5M annual benefit to agriculture. Society has only begun to understand "bat benefits" over the last 10 years. Erin's project involves trapping bats (without injury) and tracking them via "radar" tracking. The Forestry Service (the funders of this project) is very interested in learning about bat habitats in burned out areas. Erin is obviously very enthusiastic about the work she is doing and that came across in her presentation and the question and answers that followed. |
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Rotary Park Clean Up
Nov 16 - Kyrene Corridor Club members, Doug, Rob, and Ken participated with members from a couple of other Tempe Rotary Clubs to clean up the Tempe Rotary Park. A couple of dozen people spread out across the park with rakes, bags, gloves, and a blower to put a fresh clean look on the park. Tempe officials were very appreciative and were amazed that we accomplished the task in a little over an hour. A fine example of "Rotarians at work".
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Tempe Neighbors Helping Neighbors
Nov 4 - Gary Roberts, President of Tempe Neighbors Helping Neighbors (TNHN), explained the origins, purpose, and goals of the program. Tempe Neighbors Helping Neighbors was formed to provide assistance to low income and frail Tempe residents who could not maintain or stay in their own homes without help. TNHN seeks to provide such residents with volunteers who will assist with yard and landscape maintenance, minor home repair and minor modifications. By providing assistance, volunteers will help residents maintain their home's appearance, safety, accessibility and quality of life. TNHN began modestly in 2009 and is now a 501(c) 3 non-profit that works closely with Tempe Community Council. It is a membership organization that is part of a nationwide movement that is connected by the Village to the Village Network to share best practices, procedures, and documents. TNHN considers itself a concierge service for the community.
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New Member Inducted
Oct 21 - Dave Kline pins the club's newest member, Doug Bock, as DG Jay Jones presides.
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Valley of the Sun - Clean Cities Coalition
Oct 28 - Bill Sheaffer, Executive Director of the Valley of the Sun Clean Cities Coalition, gave us the history of the coalition as well as many interesting facts about the use of alternative fuel. The Coalition is dedicated to advancing the environmental, energy and economic security of Central and Northern Arizona by advocating and participating in practices that promote clean domestic energy and reduce dependence on conventional petroleum based fuels. It was interesting to learn that Arizona was the first state of have emergency vehicles use propane. Bill suggested that the Alternative Fuels Data Center website contains a wealth of information on alternative fuels. Bill's presentation prompted a lively question and answer session.
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Habitat for Humanity - Build
Oct 26, 2013 - Kyrene Corridor club members helped build another new house with Habitat for Humanity. Our members were joined by our exchange student, Raquel, and members of the Tempe East Rotary club. Work started at 6:30 AM and finished at 1:00 PM. We nailed roof sheeting to the trusses and prepared the interior for dry walling. The interior work included adding a pony wall for the kitchen island, truing and stabilized interior walls, adding drywall blocking, marking stud locations and building benches for the garage. Great fun and fellowship! Kyrene Rotary Club has helped build a house with Habitat more than 10 times since our founding in 2004.
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Ken named Phoenix PD Volunteer of the Year!
October 27 - Kyrene Rotary member Ken Pollock was just named Volunteer of the Year for 2013 by the Phoenix Police Department. Ken, a Paul Harris Fellow, has been working with the Cold Case Homicide squad of the Phoenix Police Department for over 5 years. He has helped design a web site, developed training materials for interns and volunteers, and developed a tracking system for DNA information taken from crime scenes. He regularly reviews closed cold cases and has worked closely with detectives on several difficult high-profile cases. He recently traveled to Philadelphia with Phoenix PD agents to attend and present a cold case to the Vidocq Society, a forensic professional group of current and former FBI profilers, homicide investigators, scientists, psychologists, prosecutors and coroners who use their experience to provide justice for investigations that have gone cold. Ken is the only volunteer ever invited to do so. Ken is a longtime community volunteer including many years working as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children) as well as training and mentoring other CASAs. Ken’s wife, Skip, continues to train CASAs throughout the State. See also this video about Ken's work with the Phoenix PD. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lAqyOL13b2M |
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Exchange Student Presentation
Oct 14 - Our exchange student to the Netherlands last year, Raquel, gave us an overview of her experience. She lived in a small town not too far from the Belgium border and spent time with 3 host families. She told us her goals were to learn another language, experience another culture, and have an overall great experience. She made many Dutch friends and also made friends with several of the 32 exchange students who were there at that time. She said she accomplished all her goals and had no regrets. Interestingly, adjusting to her life in Phoenix again was more difficult than she expected. Raquel represented our club well and we are very proud of her.
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NotMYkid
Sept 23 - Andrea Malinski, Manager of School Programs for NotMYkid, told us her organization began very slowly 13 years ago and today they provide speakers in over 300 Maricopa schools. Their objective is to prepare kids to face everyday challenges with courage and confidence. Through their unique models of peer-to-peer education, they address the life-changing issues of substance abuse, bullying, unhealthy relationships, eating disorders, depression/self injury, and internet safety, with prevention at the forefront of all programming—rather than intervention. They also provide parent and faculty education as well as presentations to corporations. At the moment they charge for most of their presentations but their goal is to raise enough money to provide their services at no cost. They currently provide over 150 presentations at no cost to the Boys and Girls Clubs in the valley.
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Project Cure - sorting medical supplies
Sept 18 - Today we sorted medical supplies at the Project Cure facility in Tempe. We had five members, Dave, Doug, Harry, Ken, and Rob, along with help from Skip. We were a "model of efficiency" and sorted several large bags of materials. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience that we will do again next quarter. After "slaving" for 3 hours we all headed out for lunch together at the Arizona Bread Company. Lots of fellowship and laughter.
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Tree Care
Sept 16 - Dominique Piche/ owner of D.French Arborist, told us about her experience, the services her company provides, and general tree care. She said that the mission of her company is to provide quality tree care services throughout the Valley of the Sun, following industry standards of tree care operations and safety practices. Dominique discussed her approach to protect an owner's investment; the way to ensure long-term health of root collars and branch structures; and her focus of aesthetics and function via natural pruning. She described her credentials and those of her staff. Her presentation concluded with a very informative question and answer session.
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Rotarians Pack Food - Feed My Starving Children
Aug 24 - Rotarians and other community groups spent the day assembling meal packets for Feed My Starving Children (FMSC). Through donations, FMSC provides meal packets to starving children in some of the most impoverished areas of the world. The meal formulas contain soy protein, dried vegetables, 20 vitamins and minerals, and rice. If you want more information about this organization please visit www.fmsc.org.
This was part of a larger project to pack One Million Meals during the 2013-14 celebration of 100 Years of Rotary Service in Arizona. There were Rotarians from many clubs in the valley, including ours. Volunteers scooped food into a funnel, bag handlers caught the food coming out of the funnel, passed the open bag along for weight verification, sealing, and boxing. The boxes were sealed, labeled, and are on their way to the children who so desperately need them. Each meal costs 22 cents to produce. FMSC has been 99.96% efficient in distributing over 600 million meals that have reached the hungry children for whom they were intended. What a great way to spend part of a Saturday. In addition to the fun and fellowship around the tables with fellow Rotarians and other community groups, a valuable service toward helping to alleviate hunger around the world was performed. Over 1,200 volunteers packed 212,000 packages of food. That’s enough to feed 700 children for a year. |
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Cox Charities
Aug 26 - Sheldon Caldwell-Meeks, the manager of several Cox Charities programs in Arizona, told us of his background and history with the AZ Cardinals and his recent move to Cox Charities. He said that Cox Charities was established in Phoenix in 1996 as a fundraising and grant-awarding arm of Cox to support non-profit agencies in the communities they serve over and above their corporate contributions. Expanded in 2004 to include Southern Arizona and other areas Cox Arizona serves, Cox Charities has awarded more than $4 million in grants over the past decade to worthwhile non-profit organizations that share Cox’s commitment to youth education and building our next generation of community leaders. Funds for Cox Charities are raised through employee contributions, fundraising events such as golf tournaments, and fundraising partnerships with other events in the community. The next golf tournament will be held the first week end in November at the Whirlwind Golf Club.
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Club Assembly - future activities
Aug 19 - The meeting was used to review our past year's projects and discuss major projects for the coming year. There was considerable discussion about the need to have better visibility in the media in general, and the Wrangler News in particular. A decision was made to shorten our name to the "Kyrene Rotary Club" in any publications. There will be a membership meeting on Sept. 9 after our regular noon meeting.
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Fox10 - sportscasting
Aug 12 - Richard Saenz, sportscaster for Fox10, gave us an entertaining and informative look at sport celebrities and his experience over the 10 years he has been with Fox10 in Phoenix. He told us of one of his early interviews with Mike Tyson and also described some of his best interview experiences as well as some of his worst. Richard described how broadcasting technology has changed over the past 10 years and some of the challenges that has presented. His presentation was quite informal and elicited a great deal of discussion with and among the members. Many club members are very current when it comes to sports in general and sports in Arizona in particular and enjoyed the interaction with Richard.
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Wrangler News
Aug 5 - Tracey Doren, publisher of the Wrangler News, gave us a brief history of the Wrangler News and her involvement with it. The Wrangler News began 21 years ago and currently has a circulation of 20,000. The paper concentrates its attention on 3 zip codes and focuses on the "good news" stories and events that occur in this restricted area. Tracy's presentation generated much discussion among the members about the role of local papers compared to regional papers and television. We also learned that the paper is interested in receiving public-interest stories but they should be kept to less than 500 words.
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Boys and Girls Club - back to school shopping spree
July 27 - Club members partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to help ~100 children with back-to-school shopping at Target. The club donated $1000 to help underwrite $125 gift cards for every child. We joined volunteers from other Rotary clubs and Intel to help out with this early Saturday morning event. Our club was represented by Machel, Rob, and Kyle as well as Tyler who ran the event.
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United Food Bank Tour
July 29 - We toured the warehouse and learned more about the processes of receiving and distributing the food-bank's food. Unlike United Food Bank's other facility in Mesa, this location doesn't do the volunteer sorting projects. This facility contains pallets of products that are ready to be picked up or delivered to other agencies. The other facility contains more donated items that require sorting. We were amazed by the volume of food that goes through this warehouse.
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Cell Phone Security
July 22 - Danny Hilburn, CEO and Founder of The "Rapp it Up" Wireless Security Company, gave us on overview of the technology and vulnerabilities of cell phones (wireless communications) to security breaches. His presentation described the philosophy of the wireless providers regarding collecting and selling the data collected from subscribers. The extent of the monitoring and exploitation of personal data and activity is mind-blowing. Danny's company has developed a product that enables cell phone users to protect themselves from constant surveillance by the wireless providers. Click here to explore further.
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United Food Bank
July 8 - Melissa Forrester, Community Outreach Coordinator for the United Food Bank, gave us an overview of her organization and the services they provide. The statistics for hunger in Arizona are appalling - we are tied for the worst state in the nation with Mississippi. The food bank serves an area in south east Arizona of 25,000 square miles. They provide over 45,000 meals a day through over 200 agencies they partner with. Amazingly, because of their efficiency and purchasing power, one dollar will serve five meals. Melissa told us heart-rending stories of people in need and how her agency has helped them. Our club has volunteered with the United Food Bank in the past and will investigate how we can help in future.
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A Stepping Stone Foundation
July 1 - Cindy Gattorna, Executive Director for A Stepping Stone Foundation described the history, mission, and programs of the Foundation. The Foundation began in 1990 and it's overall goal is to educate two generations together. Families qualify if the parents have not graduated from high school or have English as a second language. Parents must participate a minimum of 32 hours per month and they receive training in a multitude of subjects including child development, creative discipline, and use of technology. The families have to agree to one home visit per month. The children attend pre-school at age 3 and age 4 in preparation for entrance to kindergarten. Cindy told us of many success stories and said that the program hopes to expand into more school districts. Click here to explore their web site and learn more about their work.
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Chandler Center for the Arts
June 24 -Katrina Pappas from the Chandler Center for the Performing Arts told us of how the Center was a part of an evolving Downtown and a part of Chandler High School. Both the City and the High School share funding and use. Katrina has been a part of the Center since 1988, which was actually a year before the official opening. The Center seats 1500, and twenty-one events were held there over the past season with over 300,000 visitors. Brighton, at the Chandler mall, is currently donating 50% sales of a specific charm bracelet to the Center. Eat Your Art Out is another promotion with Downtown Chandler restaurants where a portion of dinner sales on 2/25/14 will be donated. For more info, visit http://www.chandlercenter.org .
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Project Cure - Sorting Medical Supplies
June 19 - Today we sorted medical supplies at the Project Cure facility in Tempe. We had four members, Dave, Machel, Ken, and Rob, along with help from Liann and Skip. We were a "model of efficiency" and sorted several large bags of materials. It was a rewarding and enjoyable experience that we will no doubt do again. After "slaving" for 3 hours we all headed out for lunch together at the Arizona Bread Company. Lots of discussion and laughter.
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Club Assembly - status check
June 17 - Club Assembly. Our meeting focused on where we have been and where we are going. The Movies in the Park project to raise money for our "Dictionary Project" was very successful this year. We did a quick postmortem to identify ways to make the project in October even smoother. We identified new chairs (Tyler and Machel) to handle speakers for the coming year. We are hoping that our connection with the Ahwatukee Chamber of Commerce will bring us more potential members in the coming year. A good meeting with lots of discussion.
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Esperanca
June 10 - Tom Egan, President, and Jared Leslie, Development Director, from Esperanca gave the club a very comprehensive overview of the history, mission, and key projects that Esperanca is involved in in 14 countries. The organization was started in 1970 by a Franciscan monk and has been growing ever since. Their mission is: Improving health and providing hope for families in the poorest communities of the world through sustainable disease prevention, education and treatment. The following facts give a good overview -
1. Surgical teams operate on hundreds of men,women and children, each year; 2. Food-related microbusiness opportunities are created for hundreds of very poor families;
3. Clean water is provided for thousands of people through wells and water systems; 4. Homes are constructed for thousands so they can live in a safe, healthy environment; 5. Preventive health education, screening and testing reaches tens of thousands of people; and 6. They serve millions of people globally. Check this web page to see more details about what they do.
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Problems with Underage Drinking
June 6 - Melody Johnson, Vice President of Marketing for the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, assisted by Cassidy Olson and Bobbie Cassano of the Tempe Coalition, gave us an interactive presentation on the Problems with Underage Drinking. The data were for underage drinkers in general, along with some statistics for the City of Tempe. The presentation involved having the audience answer questions in real time via "clickers". This technique was very effective in emphasizing just how prevalent and dangerous underage drinking is within our communities. The statistics are shocking and disturbing. Tempe has a grant to study the problem and develop solutions to help reduce the amount of alcohol being consumed by minors. The club agreed that this was one of the best presentations we have received and we encourage other groups to contact Bobbie Cassano (bobbie_cassano@tempe.gov) to arrange for a presentation.
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Movies in the Park - week 4
May 24 - Another successful evening of raising funds by selling snacks and glow sticks to the movie audience. |
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Movies in the Park - week 3
May 17 - The Tempe Movies in the park showed Peter Pan this past Friday. There was a crowd of about 500 people who enjoyed the show. The temperatures were nice once the sun went down. The event was littered with glow sticks sold by the Kyrene Corridor Rotary club to raise funds for the club's annual dictionary project. A total of $352 was raised for this movie bringing the 3 movie total to over $1000.00 - and there is still 2 weeks to go.
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GSE Team from Bangladesh
May 20 - The GSE Team comes from D3280 in Bangladesh. There are 5 members in the team, 1 Rotarian. Fawzia Naazm, Asst. District Governor and 4 members of the team who are not Rotarians (as is the rule for GSE teams). GSE means Group Study Exchange. It is a program for non-Rotarians from age 25-40 who are professionals in the their field. One is a pharmacist for an industry, one is a UN employee, one is a bank executive from the largest bank in their district and one from a university.The GSE Team arrived in Phoenix 2 days ago after a 40 hour trip! Our club is the first presentation for them. As for Bangladesh, their leadership has a history of women in influential places. Since 1991, ALL their Prime Ministers have been women. They are the 4th largest Muslim country in the world; they have 6 seasons of weather: summer, monsoon, autumn, late autumn and winter and spring; they have improved maternal health vastly in the last 25 years; largest mangrove forest in the world and where the Bengal tiger originates; beautiful white sandy beaches that are among the worlds’ most beautiful; they have the highest number of peace-keepers in the UN and finally, they are the 11th happiest country in the world! |
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Ambassadorial Scholarship Experience
May 13 - Lisa Glenn, a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to South Africa in 2007, gave us a most stimulating account of her experiences in South Africa. She told us how well the Rotarians in South Africa treated her and accepted her into their activities. She was obviously a very strong representative from the U.S. and made many life-long friends. She wrote a blog while she was there to capture her activities and reactions. Lisa believes that the education she received at the University of Witwatersrand was better than that she received here in the U.S. She summarized her experiences by listing the Top 10 things she learned about Rotary. A very clever concise view. Our club intends to invite her back later this year to talk about her current activities with New Global Citizens.
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Boating on Canyon Lake
May 9 - Harry, along with a little help from Ken, took our Rotary Exchange Student, Lucien, for some boating fun on Canyon Lake. It was late afternoon and the three boys, Shamus, Trace, and Lucien had a great time being towed behind the boat on an inflatable round raft. Harry managed to dump all 3 of the boys into the water by skillfully maneuvering the boat.
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Teaching Leadership on-line to Chinese Students
May 6 - Pat Blanton is a faculty member at Fort Hays State University in Kansas who has had a variety of educational experiences. Her current assignment is an unusual one - teaching leadership on-line to Chinese Students. This began when she started teaching Service Learning to Chinese students while living in China. After returning to the U.S. she continued her relationship with Chinese students by teaching Personal and Civic leadership on-line. Pat told us of the cultural differences she encountered and some of the challenges of working with students who had not experienced the concepts of charity and providing services to the community. Her presentation prompted some lively discussion as the club got a different perspective on the educational challenges currently facing China.
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Movies in the Park - Spring 2013
May 3 - Our fund raising event for this spring began on Friday night May 3. The photo shows Kyle with a satisfied customer. Kyle, John, and Harry sold snacks worth more than $380 on the first night of our five Fridays fund raiser at Tempe's Movies in the Park at Kiwanis Park. We are selling popcorn, soda, candy, glo braclets and necklaces. All proceeds are used to provide dictionaries to 3rd grade students at Roosevelt Schools and Creighton in Phoenix and Frank Elementary School in Guadalupe.
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Angels on Patrol
April 29 - Leah Heathcoat, Executive Assistant for Angels on Patrol, gave us a very good overview of the organization and its history. Angels on Patrol supports families in crisis and youth who have either been abused or neglected and/or whose caregivers are facing extreme financial hardship identified by Phoenix and Tempe Police Officers. The founder of Angels on Patrol, Lt. Jacqui MacConnell, started this organization after her squad rescued two 5 year old twins and their 8 year old brother, in 2003. Jacqui realized that kids in this horrific situation have an uphill battle and need extra support. Angels on Patrol provides that support. Leah gave us some very moving examples of how police officers were able to identify needs and then follow up by working with the families directly. The program is unique in the country and hopes to expand in Arizona in the near future.
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ASU Rotaract Club - Arizona Trip 2013
Apr 22 - Andrew Walker and Abbey Pellino, officers in the ASU Rotaract Club, gave us an overview of the history of the club and its current major project. The club will host 6 international Rotaractors from Denmark, Germany, Russia, Canada, Ukraine, and Italy for a 10 day adventure around the state. This is not only District 5510's first Rotaract Round Trip, but also the first Roundtrip of its kind to be held in the USA. These Roundtrips are meant to give Rotaractors the opportunity to network with international members in a host country for 6 to 14 days. The goal of these trips is to promote cultural understanding and international friendship. ASU Rotaract is hoping to obtain sufficient donations to cover the expenses of this project. You can donate at their website. Click here.
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Bed Bugs - an overview
Apr 15 - Chenoa Miner, the originator of mybedbugstory, gave us a very informative presentation about bed bugs in general. She followed this with her own story about encountering bed bugs in her home and what she did to get rid of them. Chenoa held our interest on this somewhat alarming subject even though we were eating lunch at the time. She emphasized how difficult it is to rid a home of them and how quickly they multiply. She cautioned us about bringing furniture and bedding into our homes from an unknown environment. She also suggested we take care when traveling - even in good hotels - and recommended keeping suitcases off the floor. To learn more go to her web site.
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Project Cure - Sorting Medical Supplies
Apr 08 - Today, several members - Bill, Dave, Machel, Ken, and Rob - along with help from Skip, sorted medical supplies at the Project C.U.R.E. Tempe facility on 14th Street. We sorted for three hours and were able to process more than two full pallets of supplies and equipment. We had a good time together and the time passed quickly. We concluded our sorting with a regular lunch meeting there at the Project Cure facility. Thank you, Gary, for bringing the lunch. We are planning to do this again sometime later this summer. If you are interested in participating sometime in June, watch this web site for the date.
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Relay for Life and Cancer Prevention Study
Apr 1 - Mike Perry, Chairman of the Chandler Relay for Life, gave us an overview of the Relay for Life event which will be held this year on May 3 at Basha High School. The event begins at 6pm and continues until morning. Last year the Chandler group raised over $200,000 and the total raised across the country was over $400 M. At this event, the American Cancer Society will be enrolling people in their Cancer Prevention Study (CPS-3). This study is the American Cancer Society's Epidemiology Research Program which is inviting men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 years who have no personal history of cancer to join this historic research study. The ultimate goal is to enroll at least 300,000 adults from various racial and ethnic backgrounds from across the U.S. Mike has been an active volunteer with the American Cancer Society since 2004 and he encourages all of us to come out and support the Relay event, even if we aren't part of a relay team. He also encouraged us to sign up for the CPS-3 while we're there.
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Project Cure - Tour & Meeting
Mar 25 - The Club held it's regular Monday meeting at the Project C.U.R.E. facility in Tempe. Melissa Gable gave us a tour of the facility and explained their operations and philosophy. This tour complemented the presentation that Melissa gave us last month. After the tour and discussion with Melissa we conducted a bit of club business and decided we would like to come and volunteer at the facility in the near future. Rob picked up the pizzas - more than enough for everyone. Thanks Rob.
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Phoenix Rescue Mission - serve lunch
Mar 19 - Rotarians Bill, Dave, Harry and Ken served lunch today at the Phoenix Rescue Mission. They were assisted by residents of the mission. There was great camaraderie among everyone involved. Later, the four rotarians had a fun lunch and good fellowship at a local Mexican restaurant.
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Garden Bed Service Project
Mar 22 - Club members Rob, Gary, David and Harry built a frame for a raised planting bed at the Escalante Community Center garden. The 4' x 8' garden bed is 29" tall was built using pressure treated wood. Its inside walls were coated with an asphalt emulsion. Raised garden beds make it easier for volunteers, many of whom are older, to plant and maintain the vegetable and flower garden. Vegetables are used at the Escalante center to provide meals to homeless people. The club also donated approximately $200 for project materials.
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Spring Hike
Mar 16 - The Rotary Club of the Kyrene Corridor, scheduled a hike last weekend at the Chandler Blvd trailhead of South Mountain. Members met at 6:45 and hiked up the ridgeline in a nice out and back hike Saturday morning. If you want to go, go early as parking had filled up by 7. A couple of members also hike regularly during the week from the Pima Canyon trailhead where there is a lot more parking. During the week, parking is easy and close. On the weekend, again, go early. If you arrive later and have to park along the road, take a few steps north to get on the network of trails in the Pima wash. You’ll be walking west between a golf course and the road to the trailheads. Flowers blanket the hillsides right now but you have to get close to see them. |
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Former Exchange Student Visits Club
Mar 18 - Louise Nielsen and her boyfriend Niels joined us for lunch. Louise was the first exchange student received by the club and Machel and her family were hosts for part of Louise's tenure here. Machel and her daughter Amanda maintained close ties with Louise, who traveled from Denmark to be one of Amanda's bridesmaids. Louise completed her high school in Denmark and then traveled around Australia for a year before returning to Denmark to enter Medical School. She is now in her second year and plans to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology. Niels is a year ahead of Louise and is thinking about pediatrics. It was great to see her and her visit brought back many fond memories for club members.
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Exchange Student - Helen
Mar 11 - Helen is our club sponsored exchange student who went to Brazil last year. She told us of her experiences there. She was living in Votuparanga, a small city in the the north west in the state of San Paulo. Helen told us that the mainstay of the economy there is agriculture - mainly sugar cane, latex, and cattle. She said that all the towns were very "church-centric". Helen stayed with 3 different host families and enjoyed them all, although the last one was the most fun. She found that the Brazilians were a very open, happy, people who have no respect for time. Helen had to adjust to their eating habits as they seem to have a steady diet of rice, beans, salads, and meat (which they mix all together on their plates). She told us that their Rotary Clubs are much more formal than ours. She had time to travel to interesting places, including Paraguay and Argentina, as well as take an 11 day trip along the Amazon river. She also had fun meeting other exchange students in her Club District. She found the experience very rewarding and plans to return to Brazil sometime in the future.
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Tempe Community Council - Aging in Place Project
Mar 11- Representatives from the Tempe Community Council described their current Aging in Place Project. After a brief overview which contained demographic statistics for Tempe, they took us through an abbreviated "focus group" activity. The data they gathered from us will be part of an overall assessment of needs and future options. They agreed to return in a few months to give us an update on what was found and some possible future directions. The goal is to help us all prepare for an "aging in place" generation.
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Arizona Commission for the deaf and hard of hearing
Mar 4 - Bryanna Browder, Special Products Coordinator for the Arizona Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, (ACDHH), gave us an overview of the organization. ACDHH was established in 1977 to improve the quality of life for Deaf and Hard of Hearing residents. ACDHH serves as a statewide information referral center for issues related to people with hearing loss. Bryanna explained that ACDHH aspires to be a national leader in communication access, support services and community empowerment throughout the state. Bryanna shared some current statistics, such as: (1)Three out of 1000 newborns are diagnosed with hearing loss; (2) One out of 10 people experience hearing loss during their life; (3) One out of three senior citizens have hearing loss; and (4) There are more than 700,000 Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals throughout the state. ACDHH provides a variety of services which are explained on their web site. ACDHH
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Kung Fu Principles for Living
Feb 25 - Robert Gardener, owner and head instructor of Chinese Shao-Lin Kung Fu, described how Kung Fu can be applied in many aspects of life. He illustrated his basic messages with interesting stories that taught a fundamental lesson. His first stories involved believing in yourself. "If you don't believe you can do it, you never will". In other words, "belief is an important part of capacity". Robert then talked about "yielding" - in both a physical and mental sense. He believes that if you learn to yield with your body, the lesson will easily carry over into other parts of your life. He also emphasized the importance of mastering one thing in your life in order to allow you to master everything else. Robert clearly knows his subject and was very adept at answering the many questions asked by the audience.
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Exchange Student & Tempe Community Action
Feb 18 – Guest speakers at today’s meeting were our high school exchange student (pictured) and Stephen Sparks, executive director of Tempe Community Action Agency , a non-profit serving the poor and elderly in Tempe. Stephen explained the wide range of TCAA in providing 320,000 pounds of food per year as well as temporary housing for homeless people, managing Meals on Wheels, providing community gardens and other programs. He outlined a possible project for the club: to fund and build a raised garden bed to increase TCAA’s capacity to grow vegetables. Our exchange student provided a survey of his native countries, the Netherlands and Belgium. He explained how his participation in Corona’s football program last fall enabled him to make many friends early in his school year and that he is now on the tennis team. He will return to the Netherlands in June to participate in his sister’s wedding and will be attending college there next Fall to study commercial economics. |
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Smoke Alarm Service ProjectFeb 16 – Two of our Rotarians and our Netherlands exchange student worked with additional volunteers, the Arizona Burns Foundation and the Tempe Fire Department on Saturday to install smoke alarms in trailers in a low-income area of Tempe. Our club aims for an average of one “hands on” service project per month. Sorry no picture. This is the 4th or 5th year our members have helped install smoke alarms in dangerous housing in Tempe or Scottsdale. In 2009 one of “our” alarms in Tempe was credited with warning a family to evacuate their home before becoming incapacitated from smoke due to a fire. |
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Project C.U.R.E.
Feb 11 - Melissa Gable, Executive Director of Project C.U.R.E., gave a most interesting description of her organization, its mission, and operations. Project C.U.R.E. is one of the world's largest medical surplus recovery organizations. It was founded in 1987 and has distributed more than $500 million worth of medical supplies and equipment to hospitals and clinics in over 120 developing countries. The organization is very thinly staffed and relies on the support of over 12,000 volunteers nationwide. They have warehouses in several cities and their headquarters are in Denver. They are shipping an average of one container a week to needy countries. Their local facility is near Broadway and I-10 and was donated by a local manufacturer. They would appreciate volunteers to help sort the medical supplies before they are packaged and Melissa encouraged us to consider making financial donations on a regular basis. Club members expressed a keen interest in learning more and finding creative ways to support Project C.U.R.E. in Tempe.
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Tempe Community Council
Feb 4 - Kate Hanley, Executive Director, Tempe Community Council, gave us an overview of the programs supported by the Council. The Council was created 45 years ago to act as an advisory group to Tempe's elected officials. They focus on planning, service distribution, and gathering statistics on the many projects that are underway. They are a quasi non-profit, in that the city pays for the Council's staff. Their basic goal is to connect those in need with those who care. Kate told us about their H2O program to ask citizens to contribute a dollar a month when they pay their water bill; this has been a very successful program. She also described their Cinderella Affair store as well as several other service programs. Tempe is a leader in the state with respect to their multitude of service projects supported by the Tempe City Council. They are always looking for volunteers - CLICK HERE to check out their web site.
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Habitat for Humanity - House Build
Jan 19 - As the picture shows, many of our club members participated in the initial phase of this Habitat for Humanity project. The day began at 7:15 and before quitting at 2:30, the entire outer frame was in place. The family who will own the house also participated. Great day's work - quite an accomplishment!
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Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)/Jan14_2013_Zimmerman.jpg)
Jan 14 - Steve Zimmerman, a Peer Coordinator with the CASA program, described the CASA program to us. He explained that CASA started in the state of WA in 1977 and has grown steadily; there are now over 950 CASA programs across the country. In Maricopa County there are 9216 kids in foster care and only 408 CASA volunteers - the need for new volunteers is desperate. Steve described the requirements and responsibilities of a CASA volunteer. Judges rely heavily on the CASA's reports when the child's case is reviewed but the mentoring and advocacy for the children is the heart of the program. A volunteer is expected to stay with a case until it is complete and most CASAs continue on to other cases because of the satisfaction they get from giving help where it is really needed. You can get more details at CASA of Maricopa County.
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Rotary Foundation
Jan 07 - Barb Feder gave us a view of the Rotary Foundation from a personal perspective. Barb was District Governor from 2001-2002 and one of the founding members of the Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club. She was able to give us some "old stories" and some background information. There were too many wonderful stories to report here but some examples are: the story of the Ambassador student we sent to Australia just before 9/11 and how the student responded to the situation; her Pakistan experience which she and our current D.G., Abe Feder, had last year: and her involvement in the matching grant program with Mexico. Her stories put a more intimate face on the Foundation and all the good programs it is involved in. She stressed the current goal of having every Rotarian contribute $100 every year and encouraged our club to meet our annual financial goal. |
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Gift of Life
Dec 17 - Karen Panietz gave us a very informative presentation on the Gift of Life-International and Gift of Life-Arizona. The International program began in 1974 while the Arizona program began in 1985. These programs are both sponsored and managed by Rotary organizations. They provide financial and logistical support for the medical treatment of young children with congenital heart defects throughout the world. Doctors donate their time and hospitals donate equipment, but even so, the costs per child average over $100,000. The Gift of Life, Arizona has helped 282 kids in 24 countries and would like to help 300 by fiscal year end. The Kyrene Rotary Club sponsored a young boy (Loic Niyomugaba) in 2004 and that child is a true success story. In fact, the story was written up in a major airline magazine. To read this touching story, CLICK HERE. Happily, our club will continue to support this worthy program.
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Club Assembly - Planning for the future
Dec 10 - The Club had an active discussion of future plans and directions. We discussed such topics as: how to identify and develop a 12 month calendar of community service projects; how to improve our membership recruiting efforts; should we consider merging with another small club in the area; what actions should we take to raise more funds for the club; what should we do with respect to obtaining grants. We agreed that these topics require more discussion and scheduled a board meeting to address the topics.
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Christmas Gift Wrapping
Dec 09 - Members gathered at John and Lisa's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for a family with three children. Tyler selected the family from the Boys & Girls Club attendees and will be our Santa - delivering the gifts. Thanks to all!!
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Chandler Museum
Dec 3 - Linda Voss and Tiffani Righero focused on Tumbleweed Ranch, which is heavily used for programs for elementary school students (usually third graders). The students typically spend about two hours at the Ranch, with segments on a typical general store of 100 years ago (including making butter), a 1917 home (the McCroskey house), an agricultural station (including picking cotton), and technology of the 1910s (including radio recordings). The other facility operated by the Chandler Museum is the McCullough-Price historic house just west of Chandler Mall, which contains the museum's exhibits as well as administrative offices. The downtown site of the museum has now been torn down.
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Devereux Arizona
Nov 26 - Shelly Johnson, Public Relations Director for Devereux Arizona, explained that Devereux is a leading nonprofit behavioral health organization that supports many of the most under-served and vulnerable members of our communities. Founded in 1912 by Helena Devereux, they operate a comprehensive national network of clinical, therapeutic, educational and employment programs and services that positively impact the lives of tens of thousands of individuals and families every year. They also focus on research-based prevention initiatives that help children and adolescents develop resilience and strong emotional and social health. They help empower children and adults with intellectual, emotional, developmental, and behavioral challenges to lead fulfilling and rewarding lives. In addition, they have strong foster care programs in Arizona as well as a day school in Scottsdale. Shelly provided us with more information than can be reported here. Please go to their Devereux Arizona web site. It is impressive.
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Financial LIteracy
Nov 19 - Rob Foster, a club member, gave us an overview of the Financial Literacy Training he has been conducting with the city of Tempe. Rob said he was very impressed with city regarding how well they planned and provided resources for their educational programs. He was responsible for two 1.5 hour sessions dealing with budgeting and understanding credit and credit scores. He provided his audience with templates to help them budget. There were simultaneous classes provided for adults, teens, and children so the entire family could discuss financial issues. Rob will be exploring other volunteering opportunities with the city that our club might want to join. Rob also talked about how his community service committee plans to lay out projects on a rolling twelve month basis. Thanks Rob.
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Club Assembly - Dictionaries
Nov 12 - Today the club held it's monthly Club Assembly Meeting. Before and after the meeting, members worked together to put labels in the 1368 dictionaries that will be distributed to 3rd graders in 18 schools in November. During the meeting we received an update from Harry, our secretary/treasurer; an audit report from Ken; a membership committee report from Dave; and a community service report from Rob. Our goal is to add at least 5 new members this year and to participate in at least 10 community service and fund raising projects this year. Another good meeting with lots of discussion. Thank you President John for facilitating the meeting so well.
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Compassion and Choices
Nov 5 - Dr. Skip Pollock introduced our chapter to Compassion and Choices, a national, non-profit organization that focuses on providing resources for end-of-life decisions. Compassion and Choices Arizona, the state-wide chapter, is focusing on education. Their goal is to provide relevant information to patients, their families, and the public, in general, about the choices, options and rights that they have regarding their own treatment decisions. One focus Skip talked about was having a written Advance Directive that makes one’s own preferences very clear. Without Advance Directives, family members are often left to make critical decisions for a loved one without knowing for sure what they really want – and that can be agonizing. Skip also noted that Compassion and Choices has a toll-free number for any type of end-of-life consultation, which is free for anyone: 800-247-7421. The goal of Compassion and Choices is to empower people to know they have options and can make informed decisions that reflect their own values. This is good information to have. Thanks, Skip. |
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District Governor - Abe Feder
Oct 29 - Rotary District 5510 Governor, Abe Feder, spoke to the club about his experiences with Rotary and how he became a member. He was reluctant to join even though his wife, already a Rotary executive, had been twisting his arm for years. He began a relationship with a Pakistani (Nahzim) in 2001 while attending a District Conference in Flagstaff. After that encounter he decided to join Rotary to make a difference. His on-going relationship with Nahzim over the next 11 years resulted in a trip to Pakistan where Abe met a variety of different people and organizations. He believes that Rotary has made a big difference in the lives of many Pakistanis through its support of both medical and educational functions. Abe showed us pictures of his visit and emphasized that he was truly impressed with the fellowship and understanding that resulted from the trip. Abe hopes to return in the next year and take several people from our district with him. We cetainly wish him well in this endeavor. Anyone interested should contact Abe Feder directly.
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Politics in Arizona
Oct 22 - State Senator John McComish gave us an overview of state politics from his perspective. John is running again in District 18. He has been in the house for 6 years and the senate for 2. He told us that the legislature has set aside $450 M as a "rainy day" fund and hopes to double that in the next year because the state will need it in 3 years. In addition he's been trying to improve the sales tax collection process which is very antiquated. John told us that there is way too much negative campaigning and he would like to see it stop. Happily, he is optimistic that it will indeed, stop because the public is getting "numbed" by the ads. John went to to explain that unfortunately the negative ads focus on half truths or statements taken out of context. John spent time at the end of this presentation to answer several questions from the group. John's presentation was unbiased and informative and was well received. Thank you John.
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Students in Free Enterprise
Oct 1 - Michael Mefford, co-president of Students in Free Enterprise, told us of their purpose and projects. His organization is within the W.P. Carey School of Business at ASU. It's mission is "A better and More Sustainable World through Business". Their projects include a school in India, renovation of computers, a class on how to use computers, and a hot dog cart operated by homeless people. The club has 30 members and was new to ASU last year. Michael is majoring in business at ASU.
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Time Management
Sep 24 - Gary Kleeman, ASU Emeritus, interacted with members by describing time as a finite paycheck. He ask we write down last weeks amounts of time in various activities starting with sleep, about 56 hours, and continuing to determine what we knew about our time allocations. Using a variety of illustrations he convinced us that it was most important, indeed vital, to determine what's really important to us and to do those things first. He encouraged spending time discovering and planning what's important before getting busy doing things and said selection of the vital things is way more important that the "doing" speed. He also advocated developing a "personal mission statement" to help guide our selection of "most important to me" things to invest time in. Additionally member and Assistant District Governor David Kline was named a Paul Harris Fellow for his generous contribution to Rotary International causes.
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100 Years of Girl Scouts in America
Sept 17 - Nancy Buell, wearing the 1919 uniform of the Girl Scouts of America, gave us many historical facts about the organization which is celebrating its 100th anniversary. Nancy told us that there are about 25,00 Girl Scouts in Arizona; 2 million in the USA; and 10 million world wide. One of their key goals is to give the girls exposure to service as an adult. We then heard from Hanna who has been a Girl Scout for 8 years. She explained her uniform and what the patches signified. She told us of her experiences on projects, attending a 900 person jamboree, and going on a camping trip to Colorado. We hope Hanna will consider becoming a rotary exchange student.
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Children's Non-Fiction Books
Aug 27 - Conrad Storad, a prolific writer of children's non-fiction story books, gave us a most entertaining and informative presentation. Conrad has been publishing children's science-related books for over twenty years and has won several awards for his work. His books are used in schools in over 17 states. Conrad read us one of his books as if we were school children, in order to give us the experience of his poetic material. His books are very well illustrated and cover a wide range of topics, mainly focused on nature in the southwest. Check out his "Rattlesnake Rules" book which won a prestigious book award in 2011.
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Arizona World Music Initiative
Aug 20 - Sherry Finzer, founder of the Arizona World Music Initiative, described the focus of the initiative. Sherry is a classically trained flutist who moved to Arizona from Rochester NY seven years ago. She found a lack of musical opportunities for kids and decided to create her own non-profit organization to address this gap. She is trying to expose children to different styles of music and tailors her programs to various age groups. Her program is typically divided into 5 sessions, beginning with a performance for the children and ending with a performance for the parents. Her mission statement begins "Through the exciting genre of world music, we aim to inspire, educate, and entertain children, seniors, and people with special needs." Sherry's presentation prompted lots of discussion and our club made a small donation to her organization.
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Boys and Girls Club
July 28 - Club members partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to help ~100 children with back-to-school shopping at Target. The club donated $1000 to help underwrite $125 gift cards for every child. We joined volunteers from other Rotary clubs and Intel to help out with this early Saturday morning event. Our club was represented by Dave, John, Tom, and Ken, along with our exchange student Raquel and her mother.
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Dealing with Scorpions
Aug 06 - Dave Kline, our secretary/treasurer, gave us a most enlightening presentation on the life and habits of scorpions and how to deal with them. Dave says his expertise was obtained from his experience in killing somewhere in excess of 1500 during the past few years. He advised us to seal all cracks in block walls and hunt at night with a black light. He showed us an ingenious way to use duct tape to catch them in the house without leaving a mess. Dave constructed a long pole with a tapered end which is useful for accessing high places. He also suggested using the handle end of a fly swatter to pin their heads and "smear" them. He suggested using "mouse glue traps" at the inside corners of outside doors. We learned a lot and had a very active discussion. Thanks Dave.
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Exchange Student - Helen
July 18 - Our club's exchange student, Helen, is seen here giving a presentation to the Rotary Club in Votuporanga, Brazil. She is just finishing her year there and will be back home at the end of July. We look forward to hearing about her adventures at one of our lunch meetings.
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New Exchange Student
July 30 - Lucien, our new Exchange Student, arrived from the Netherlands last week. Several club members met him at the airport and got to know him better at a local pizzeria. He will start school this week and plans to try out for the school football team. This will be a challenging experience for him since he has never played the game before. He will be hosted by Machel and Tom during the first part of his visit.
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ASU Preparatory Academy
July 30 - Beatriz Rendon, Associate VP for Educational Outreach and Student Services at ASU, described the ASU Preparatory Academy. Beatriz gave us the history of the program and the demographics of the students at the two major locations. The downtown Phoenix location, located at Filmore and 7th St., currently has 900 students from pre-Kindergarten to Grade 10. It began in 2009 and at that time less than 3/4 of the students in the school could pass the AIMS test. Now over 2/3 pass the same test. The facility at ASU's Polytechnic campus began in 2008 and has a middle to upper class student population with most of the students passing the AIMS test. The Academy is a very strong outreach effort by ASU to better integrate education at all levels and improve the readiness of students for college.
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Packing Food in Seattle
July 24 - Nancy and Harry packed carrots, plums and (frozen) corn into food basket portions at Rotary First Harvest in Seattle on June 9 and July 14. They had a great time and made new rotary friends in Seattle. Rotary is everywhere!
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New Members' Backgrounds
July 23 - Our club's three newest members, Tom Bradford, Rob Foster, and Tyler Vasquez, each gave us a brief glimpse of their past and how they came to join our Rotary Club. The three of them bring completely new and diverse backgrounds to our club. They are most welcome additions and we all look forward to their active participation in the coming years.
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Chandler Gilbert YMCA
July16 - Staci Charles, Board Chair for the Chandler/Gilbert YMCA gave us an interesting perspective on this branch of the Arizona YMCA. There are currently 19 branches in the state and each branch is responsible for funding its own programs. The YMCA has been in Phoenix since before the territory became a state. Staci described the large variety of programs offered by the Chandler Gilbert branch and emphasized the diverse population which it serves. One of the key policies of this YMCA is that no one will be denied access to programs because they can't afford it. The Board is composed of 29 to 32 members who are all expected to be active in supporting programs, building community relationships, and raising funds. Click here to see Staci's powerpoint presentation.
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New Member Inductions
Jul 9 - John Lamont welcomes two of our three new members into the club, Tyler Vasquez and Rob Foster. Not shown is Tom Bradford. The club is very pleased to have these new members and we look forward to their active participation in our programs and projects in the coming year.
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Contribution to Boys and Girls Club
July 9 - John Lamont, our president for the coming year, gives a check to Tyler Vasquez for the Boys and Girls Club of the East Valley, Guadalupe Branch. The contribution will be used to fund the back-to-school costs for several students during the shopping spree at Target on July 28.
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Exchange Students - Anna - Raquel
Jul 9 - Machel, our Exchange Student Coordinator, gives a good luck hug to our two exchange students. Raquel, who will be departing for the Netherlands soon, and Anna who will be returning to Germany in a few days. Anna represented her Rotary District and country very well during the year she visited Arizona and we expect Raquel will be an excellent representative during her tenure in the Netherlands.
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Sports Careers
June 18 - Glenn Capeloto, author of "You're in the Front Row : How to Kick Off Your Career in Sports", took us down memory lane with several timeless sports stories from the past. He showed us a video sequence that contained many major historical sport figures and memorable highlights. Club members had the opportunity to recount some major sports-related event from their past and how that was significant to their lives. Glenn also related the history of, and impact made, by Spenser Haywood, in the ABA and then NBA. Glenn's presentation sparked much discussion among the members and brought back many memories. Glenn will be using his book as the basis for a course he will be teaching at Mesa CC this fall.
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Denny Barney - candidate for county supervisor
June 4 - Denny Barney, a candidate for Maricopa County Supervisor, gave us an overview of his background and also the size of the county - 9,200 sq mi. and 3.8 million inhabitants - and 4th largest in the country. The county contains 59% of the state's population, has 13,000 employees, 50 departments, and a $2.5 billion budget. Denny is running in District 1 and is currently the only candidate on the ballot. He believes that there needs to be much more cooperation and transparency among the legislature, county, and cities/towns. Denny is a Republican and believes that county government needs to stop growing and, in fact, begin to shrink. Denny's presentation was both informal and very informative. The members were pleased to learn that Denny is a Rotarian and has served a term as president of the Mesa Baseline club.
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Local Bike Paths
May 21 - Eric Iwerson from the City of Tempe's Community Development Dept. discussed Tempe's approach to planning, funding, and designing projects and pathways around the city. He explained that most of the bike and walking pathways were funded with federal dollars along with a city grant match, and often with support from local businesses. The pathway development projects were chosen based on their ability to activate an area (bringing people together); reinvent a corridor (celebrate history); or provide an opportunity for enhancement. Many of the pathways have been developed along the many miles of Tempe’s existing canals. Eric described several specific projects and showed us numerous photos showing the beauty of the finished projects. In some cases we were also able to see before and after photos - which underscored the value of the project. The city is taking a very creative and community-inclusive approach to these pathways and is justifiably very proud of their accomplishments.
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The Global Agricultural Productivity Gap - the challenge of feeding a hungry world
May14 - Richard Morrison is a pastor, attorney, academic, businessman, activist, and chairman of the Board of ASU's Morrison Institute for Public Policy. He gave us an overview of the world's problems of feeding an ever-growing population. Today, over half the population subsists on less than $2.00 per day and these statistics are expected to get worse. Richard gave us several statistics that paint a very challenging if not bleak task of what we must do to address this growing problem. Much of his data is available in the Global Harvest Initiative's Global Agriculture Productivity Report; (click on the title to get the report). The bottom line is that global agriculture productivity must improve by 1.75% every year to meet the expected population needs in 2050. However, technology innovation is expected to slow down, which means that policies must be adjusted to help maintain this pace. The 5 major policy areas that must be addressed are:
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Pollock as Paul Harris Fellow
May 7 – Harry Short presented Ken Pollock with the Paul Harris Rotary Fellow award for Ken’s substantial contribution to the End Polio Now campaign. Also pictured is Tom Bradford, the club’s newest member. Tom is a senior financial advisor at the University of Phoenix. Since 1985 when Rotary launched its effort to eradicate polo worldwide more than 5,000,000 children have been spared from a lifetime of paralysis. Members and friends of the club contributed more than $3,200 to the Polio eradication program during the 2011-12 Rotary year.
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Movies in the Park - May 2012
May 4 - Movies in the Park started the 2012 season with Happy Foot II. Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club once again provided the snacks, drinks, and GloSticks for the event. Enjoying a new canopy, Tom, Kyle, and Ken provided the smiling service to the crowd. One young attendee asked if our organization was the one who provided his class with dictionaries this year. Looks like we keep making an impact.
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Local Arizona Hikes
April 30 - Oliver Ncube, a former member of our club, (who hopefully will return as an active member) gave us some valuable lessons regarding hiking in general. He emphasized the need for safety, planning, conditioning, and preparedness. He interspersed his guidelines with many interesting and often humorous tales of his own hiking experiences in the local area. He suggested that hikers always take at least a day pack, invest in comfortable, supportive shoes/boots, and carry a compass and map. Knowing your own ability, and choosing the right path is also very important, as well as being aware of the risks of dehydration, and encounters with cactus spines. Oliver hikes to stay in shape but more importantly because of the sereneness, relaxation, and overall sense of well being. His presentation was very well received since the vast majority of our club have the hiking spirit.
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Three Keys to Create Lasting Bonds with your Family, Friends, Employees and Customers
April 23 - Kristen Nelson, DVM, a Veterinarian, Author, and Speaker, gave us three keys for relationships. The keys were derived from relationships with animals but apply very well to humans. The keys are: (1) provide humane leadership; (2) demonstrate how you care about people, in small, frequent ways; and (3) handle problems with care so as to not strain relationships. These keys were illustrated with several personal, touching, and delightful anecdotes that illustrated how the keys are used in relationships with pets in particular. You can learn much more about Kristen and her work, background, and charity activities by clicking here - Veterinary Creative, LLC
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Guadalupe Clean Up
April 21 - Bill and Dave picked up 8 55 gallon garbage bags worth of trash during the Boys and Girls Club and Guadalupe Community Partnership clean up. (Well, we filled the bags until they were too heavy to carry.) Here's Bill with a bag along Aveneda del Yaqui. They had fun but a few sore muscles and some interesting stories to tell.
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Tempe Community Action Agency
Apr 16 - Stephen Sparks of the Tempe Community Action Agency described the many facets of this long standing organization (since 1966) whose mission is "to improve the quality of life for the underserved in our Community". Their services include (1) providing hot lunches in 4 community centers; (2) homeless services which involves rotating emergency shelters; (3) HealthStart Services which provides crisis pregnancy support and pre/post natal education; (4) Homeless prevention services; (5) Service Coordination and Support; (6) Basic Needs which includes food boxes and hygiene kits; and (7) Meals on wheels. The agency has a very active group of volunteers and donors and is always looking for additional support. Stephen gave us poverty statistics for the Tempe area which are mind boggling. In our relatively affluent community there is an overwhelming need for support. Check their web site to learn more.
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Installing Smoke Alarms
Apr 14 - Members of the Rotary Club of the Kyrene Corridor (Tempe-Chandler) installed approximately 25 smoke alarms in manufactured homes in a Mesa retirement community on 4-14-12. The alarms were provided by, and the project was organized by the Arizona Foundation for Burns and Trauma. Not pictured is Mike S.
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Trekking to Mt. Everest Base Camp
Apr 02 - Michael Ellenby gave an excellent presentation that coupled some basic philosophy with his journey to the Mt Everest Base Camp in March 2011. Michael has a varied background and currently consults with several organizations on goal setting. He gave us details of his 12 day journey into the base camp at 18,000 ft. It was an arduous journey during which he ate only starch (for energy) and still lost 7 lbs. His description and pictures of the perils and hardships (extreme cold, rapid elevation change, long hikes, narrow bridges,and emotional exhaustion) were interspersed with the basic tenets he followed and which he says can be applied everywhere in life. Those tenets are: 1) Expect the unexpected; 2) Build a great team; 3) Be prepared; 4) Enter the land of no excuses; 5) Hire and expert; 6) Work hard and celebrate your win as a team; and 7) Be clear about your objectives.
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Kolby Granville, Tempe Council Candidate
Mar 26 - Kolby Granville described his background and beliefs in an engaging and educational style. He and Dick Foreman are in a runoff election for the third Tempe City Council position. The runoff election is May 15. Granville is a graduate of McClintock High and ASU with degrees in education and law. He previously taugh English in China and served with the Peace Corps in Mozambique. He has served on the board of East Valley Habitat for Humanity and the Tempe Municipal Arts Commission. He is currently a practicing attorney and serves on the boards of Phoenix Boys Choir and Scottsdale Film Festival, and on the Tempe Development Review Commission and Tempe Affordable Housing Trust Fund. A 20+ year resident of Tempe, Granville is recommended by the Arizona Republic and other organizations. He is not supported by any large PACs. Some interesting facts. Tempe has a population of 160,000 with 87,000 registered voters. Approximately 20,000 (23%) actually voted in the March election. More than half of the votes were cast via mail-in ballots. The average age (mean and mode) of voters was 65. Learn more about Kolby at kolbygranville.com
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House of Refuge
Mar 12 - Nancy Marion, Executive Director of the House of Refuge, gave us a comprehensive view of this organization. She explained that the facility is located on 20 acres at the old Williams Field Air Force base and includes a chapel as well as 88 houses. House of Refuge is a transition facility (not a shelter) to help people get back on their feet. The maximum stay is 24 months and the adults must work at least 28 hours a week. Each house can accommodate a family of 6 and is fully furnished. When a family leaves they take the furniture with them. The facility currently takes in about 8 families a month from a total of over 170 applications. House of Refuge opened in 1996, operates with a budget of about $1.3 million, and has a 90% success rate. This is a faith-based program that strives to help homeless families become self sufficient and obtain permanent housing. A very successful and remarkable organization to be sure!
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MCSO SWAT Team
Feb 27 - Harry (Skip) Watters, DO, is the tactical surgeon for the Maricopa County Sherrif's Office. Skip gave us an overview of the MCSO SWAT team, how they are organized, selected, trained, and operate. While he recounted several interesting stories, he showed a background video of one of their operations. Skip described the sophisticated equipment that the team has available, and how it is used. Typically 30-40 people are involved during a planned high risk encounter, often including a canine unit, bomb squad, and SWAT team. His primary job is to provide medical attention to the officers and only secondarily to the suspects being apprehended. It is clear that Skip has an interesting balance between his OBGYN practice and his volunteer position with the Sheriff's Office.
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Exchange Student - Anna
Feb 13 - Our exchange student from Naburg Germany, Anna, gave us a presentation that included many fascinating facts about her country. She compared the strict and expensive process for obtaining a driver's license at age 18 in Germany with the relatively lax process in Arizona. She told us that most Germans are at least bi-lingual and a large % of the population speaks several languages. The educational system is very structured and students are placed in one of 3 tracks after 4 years of primary school. She also described many other facets such as climate, sports, food, beer consumption (can drink at age 16), punctuality, and phone answering protocol. There are 14 Rotary Districts in Germany and she is sponsored by the Schwandorf District. She has been very active since she arrived here, especially playing saxophone with a local high school marching band. She has visited several locations in AZ and been able to travel to Utah, Oklahoma, and Mexico for short visits. She is looking forward to her trip to Disneyland in the near future. She has enjoyed this experience and hopes to bring her family back here in a couple of years. Anna is a very accomplished young lady who represents her country and Rotary very well. Good luck in your future endeavors, Anna.
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Investment Strategies
Feb 6 - David Kline, our club treasurer, gave us a most enlightening presentation on Investment Strategies. Dave walks the talk - he is retired and actively manages his own assets. He made a conscious decision to educate himself and he dedicates several hours a week to this management task. He has been very successful and has averaged 8% returns every year since 2000. He emphasized that his comments did not deal with taxes or estate planning. One of his major messages was the importance of starting early; he gave several examples of how fast funds grow with steady savings and compound interest. He recommended that one should understand the cost of having someone else manage their funds. Dave stressed the importance of diversification. With respect to stocks, he believes in setting a Stop Loss at 25% and selling half whenever a stock doubles. His presentation was well appreciated and generated considerable discussion. Thanks Dave.
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Homicide Cold Case Analysis
Jan 30 - Ken Pollock, a Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club member, described various aspects of homicide cold case analysis. He used the homicide cold case squad of the Phoenix Police Department as the context to explain the typical size of cold case backlogs, the current definition of a cold case, the method of developing a solvability index for each cold case in the backlog, and how cases with a high solvability index would be processed. Ken said that one of the major factors involved in solving cold cases is the improved DNA technology that is now being used. He told us of his role as a volunteer with the Phoenix Police Department's cold case squad; developing solvability indexes and reviewing closed cases to verify their status as closed. Ken explained that being a volunteer in this squad requires one to pass polygraph tests and background checks, receive considerable training, and then earn the respect of the sworn officers in the department.
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Harry Short Recognized
Jan 30 - Today Harry Short ( a founding member of this club) was recognized by Assistant Governor Perry Rattimer for his contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Harry has consistently given generously to the Rotary Foundation and is an active, strong member of our club. Thank you and Congratulations, Harry!
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Goodwill of Central Arizona - Youth Programs
Jan 23 - Dayna Graser, Youth Career Advisor for Goodwill of Central Arizona, gave us an overview of the Goodwill Youth Programs. These
programs are part of the Workforce Investment Act (WIA). She described the target
population for the program, and the assistance programs that are available.
She then explained the eligibility requirements, the enrollment process, and
what participants should expect from the program. The program prepares
"youth at risk" for entry into the workforce by: (1) basic education
and skill assistance; (2) work readiness and experience training; (3) occupational
skills and training; and (4) job search and college assistance. She shared
several success stories with us. The program is in its 4th year of operation
and serves about 65 youth at a time over a 2 year period. The program welcomes
volunteers to help mentor the youth that are enrolled.
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Tom's Trip to Finland
Jan 9 - Tom recounted his recent trip to Finland with his wife and two children (twins). His presentation was accompanied with photos that captured the highlights of the trip. Tom was an exchange student from Alaska to Finland in 1981 and this trip, made over the Christmas holiday, was his first trip back since then. The family took the opportunity to visit several cities and made contact with several of the families and friends from Tom's exchange visit. It was a very heart-warming experience throughout. The experience was a great one for the twins too: they had their birthday while they were there, learned a few words of Finnish, and had many fun-filled adventures. Tom hopes to stay in closer contact with his friends there and return for another visit in a few years.
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Model United Nations - Marcos de Niza
Dec19 - Students from the Marcos de Niza Model United Nations Club, along with their faculty advisor, Robert Owen-Jones, gave us an overview of the Model United Nations Club at their high school. They described the club's progress to date and their current plans to attend the Model United Nations conference in Seatte, in March 2012. The students were very articulate and gave us some insight into the benefits they derived from this experience. The Club has participated in ofher in-state conferences at MCC and at ASU this past fall. They are currently trying to raise funds to cover the expenses of the upcoming Seattle conference. Our Kyrene club gave them some modest financial assistance.
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Adopt a Family Present Wrapping
Dec 11 - Members gathered at Harry and Nancy's home for an evening of dinner, present wrapping
and fellowship. We brought and wrapped Christmas presents for two families with multiple children. Tyler selected the family from the
Boys & Girls Club attendees and will be our Santa - delivering the
gifts. Thanks to all!!
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Dictionaries for 3rd Graders
November 2011 - We provided a combination dictionary/encyclopedia to 100% of the 3rd
graders in the Phoenix Roosevelt Elementary School District. That's over 1300 Students in 18 elementary schools! In addition we worked with the
children in each class to teach them how to look up information in
their new book. The students and teachers were wonderfully appreciative
and the Rotarians and friends thoroughly enjoyed this service project.
Many of the classrooms have had no other visitors before. This is the
5th year of service to Roosevelt 3rd graders
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Lightweight Camping Gear
Dec 5 - Harry Short introduced the Club to the camping gear required for Car Camping and Back Packing. For car camping, he showed us how to efficiently fill a large but portable trunk with essential equipment. The photo shows the stack of other gear he also recommends: chair, table, stove, and washing solution. Add to that a good sleeping bag. Backpacking is a different story; the emphasis is on minimum weight. Harry carefully unpacked his 18 lb. back pack and explained the purpose of each of the items. The number of items contained in such a small space was truly amazing. He provided us with a check list of necessary gear and gave us great advice for venturing into the wild on a back packing adventure.
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Stress and Your Brain
Nov28 - Skip Pollock presented an interesting overview of stress and anxiety that involved the physiology, automatic reactions, and the effects of those reactions. She explained that stress is processed in the lower brain regions (emotional limbic system), not the" thinking cortex". This fight-flight-or-freeze reaction is biologically hard wired and during the initial reaction, the "executive brain" (prefrontal cortex) is disengaged. Consequently it is futile to attempt to control or stop stress rationally. We need to recognize when we are anxious to be able to manage it. Too often people deny stress and think that denial is management. The take-home message was to recognize stress and not be frightened by it. It is a particularly important message for children who are rarely given realistic information about managing stress. So, pay attention to the triggers for stress in the coming weeks because the holiday season often triggers a lot of stress for us, our families, and especially our children.
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800 Miles to End Polio Now
Nov 12 - The Kyrene Corridor Rotary club of Tempe hit the trail
to help raise money to support the Stop polio now campaign. This hike helped raise money to provide
matching funds to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation grant to support
Rotary's effort to eliminate polio from the plantet.
The group of 20 hikers traversed over 3.5 miles while some hiked over 8 miles and helped raise almost $3,200 toward the matching effort. Small clubs can have a global impact. If every rotary club world wide raised $3,200; Rotary would receive over $108 million dollars to support the stop polio now campaign. A beautiful trail was mapped out along part of the Arizona trail near the Botanical Gardens off US 60. The hike presented beautiful vistas, geological diversity and even a range cow every now and then. The trail is part of Arizona's history in the navigation north to Utah and surrounding states from Mexico. It is well marked and well maintained and is a fantastic hike for people of all ages and physical stamina. |
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800 Miles to End Polio Now
Nov 7 - Rod Daniels, Co-chair for the Arizona Rotary Tri-District Project, gave us an overview of the project. He explained that the project began in June 2011 and will end on Feb 14, 2012 to celebrate the Arizona Centennial.The 3 Districts in Arizona have commited to raise $250,000 towards the overall goal of $550 million established by Rotary Internation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Rod outlined the geography and history of the 800 mile trail that Arizona Rotary Clubs will hike in the coming months. (Our section will be hiked on Nov 12). We were given packets of information to help with fund raising and registration for the event.
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Group Study Exchange and Pilot Satellite Club
Oct 31 - Larry Horton gave us some additional follow up information from his July presentation on his April trip with the District's Group Study Exchange to Australia. In addition, Larry provided an overview of the Tempe Rio Salado's satellite club, Camelback Crossroads RC. This is part of the District's Pilot Project to reach out to a new generation of potential Rotarians using social media and creative meeting strategies. The club currently has a half dozen members and hopes to expand to 15 members by next summer.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
Oct 28 - The last movie of the fall series was very successful. Kyle, Tom, and Dave did a great job in providing food and glo sticks to the crowd of kids. The entire series was successful and met our fund-raising objectives. Thanks to everyone who contributed over the past four weeks.
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PRWhat do we need to do to promote ROTARY and attract new members? |
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Friends of the Tempe Public Library
Oct 24 - Lupe Camargo, President of the Friends of the Tempe Public Library, gave a most informative presentation. She explained that the Friends of the Tempe Public Library is a member-supported
nonprofit organization that provides funding for Library programs and
services beyond what is allocated in the City's budget. Their overall goal is to support life long learning. |
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Global Resolve
Oct 17 - Mark Henderson, Director of Global Resolve, explained the program and three of the major projects which have been initiated.
Global Resolve was established at ASU in 2006 as a social entrepreneurship program designed to enhance the educational experience for interested and qualified ASU students by involving them in semester-long projects that directly improve the lives of underprivileged people, and/or those in under-developed nations throughout the world. Through GlobalResolve, ASU students and faculty collaborate with international universities, residents of rural villages, local governments, financial institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop and disseminate no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech solutions that address pressing public health or environmental needs of a developing-world population. Because solutions developed by GlobalResolve are designed to be replicable locally, regionally, and internationally, the solutions also create the potential for profitable new business ventures that generate sustainable income streams for impacted populations. Mark described the Water Purification System, Gel Fuel Production, and Twig Light projects. To read more click here. The Global Resolve Program is always looking for participation from the community. Interested people should contact Mark Henderson - Global Resolve. |
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Machel's Trip to Denmark & Sweden
Oct 10 - Machel presented highlights from her latest adventure to Denmark and Norway. Machel and her family (husband, sister, daughter) were hosted in Denmark by a former Rotary Exchange student, Louise, and her family. She told us of the many places she visited and the various foods she was offered. She was very impressed with the Danes and their general positive outlook. She also had the chance to visit another Echange student, Sophia, by taking a short train ride to Sweden. Again, she and her family were treated quite royally and they enjoyed the visit, especially the chance to sail into the open ocean. Machel was very excited, and pleased about the entire adventure and encourages others to take advantage of these great opportunities to travel and meet new people as part of the "rotary experience"
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Best of Luck Jennifer
Oct 10 - Jennifer's last Kyrene Corridor RC meeting was today. Jennifer is off to bigger and better things in San Francisco. She was given a special Japanese Gong Ceremony at our lunch to bring her good luck in her new adventure. We look forward to hearing from her and hope to see her from time to time when she returns to Phoenix to visit her family. Thanks for all your hard work and contributions to the club, Jennifer! Namaste.
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Club Assembly - Membership
Oct 3 - Harry Short, membership services chair for our club, reviewed the results of a survey that was completed by all 13 members of our club. He first postulated that it was valuable, if not necessary, for our club to grow. The reasons given were: 1. Club can do more; 2. Replacement; 3. Retention; 4. New Ideas; and 5. Energy. Harry's analysis showed that in the 7 years it has been in existence, the club once had over 20 members. Membership was once as low as 9 and is now at 13. During the past year we netted 3 new members (5 joined, 2 left) but we need to increase our efforts to bring in additional members. Harry then led a brainstorming session to gather the club's thoughts on how we might accomplish this goal of new members. In the short time we had, we distilled alll the ideas into four major categories. The club decided the top 2 we should concentrate on are: 1. Personal invitation of new members; and 2. Developing a stronger approach to using the media. Members then signed up to further develop the media and invitation
initiatives and will share their plans in a near future club meeting Thanks Harry for a great session.
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Rotary Interact Clubs - Chris Labarge
Sep 26 - Chris Labarge, District 5510 Interact Chair, gave us a review of the steps involved in creating and supporting an Interact Club at a local high school. An Interact Club is a self governing, self supporting, Rotary Club in a high school for kids age 12-18. Chris outlined the following six steps fo follow in getting an Interact Club started: getting a club with "member champion"; locating a school willing to support the club; finding a faculty advisor; getting students interested and actively involved; selecting a student president; and, finally, completely the necssary paperwork. Chris emphasized the need to provide on-going support to assist with the maintenance of the Interact Club. She has developed a 2 page check list which is distilled from the Rotary 37 page manual to help clubs get started. Our club supports the Interact Club concept enthusiastically but we also realize the importance of finding a champion within our club before we consider moving this project forward. This was a valuable information meeting that will prompt much discussion in the coming weeks.
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Matthew's Crossing Foodbank
Sep 19 - Aimee Runyon described the history, services, and needs of Matthew's Crossing Foodbank. In 2001, Saint Matthew's Episcopal Church recognized a significant need within the
community: food for the hungry families. With the help of 3
volunteers, Saint Matthew's Food Bank was established. In 2005, the
church determined that the food bank had grown to a capacity to be independent from the church.
Matthew's Crossing was formed and became a 501(c)(3) community based non-profit organization serving the working poor. From its humble beginnings of serving 800 people in its first year, Matthew's Crossing Food Bank currently serves over 35,000 people in need each year, with the help and dedication of over 50 volunteers working to fulfill its mission.They currently have 4 major programs: (1) Emergency Food; (2) Supplemental Program; (3) Holiday Food Bank; and (4) Coins for Kids. They plan to add a Mobile Kidz Cafe, reaching out to Title I schools later this year. Their current goal is to raise $30K—which will cover the build out of a 1,300 sq. ft. space adjacent to the food bank and the operating costs for one year. Aimee, the Executive Director is a passionate spokesperson who works tirelessly to gain support from businesses, organizations, and individuals in the community. The program's rate of growth and growing support attests to the success of the all their endeavors. |
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Boys and Girls Club
July 30 - Club members partnered with the Boys & Girls Club to help ~100 children with
back-to-school shopping at Target. The club donated $800 to help
underwrite $115 gift cards for every child. Wells Fargo matched the contribution. We joined volunteers from
other Rotary clubs and Intel to help out with this early Saturday morning event.
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Sonoran Desert Heritage
Aug 29 - Desmond Johns, Coordinator, Arizona Campaign - Wilderness Society described the many facets of the Sonoran Desert Heritage initiative. Desmond, with degrees in biology and many years as a
researcher, recently moved to her current position with the Wilderness
Society (an organization that began in 1935). She gave us a variety of
statistics about the various species (plants, mammals, amphibians,
reptiles, and birds) that call this desert home. In fact, the Sonoran Desert has a
colorful history which includes being the home of more than 15
different Indian tribes at one time or another. Desmond explained the
economic importance of the desert and why conservation is so important.
In a nutshell, the Sonoran Desert Heritage initiative is working to expand
conservation designations that:
Preserve the ecology, cultural heritage, and recreational opportunities in the Sonoran Desert west of Phoenix; Ensure the viability of nearby military facilities; Allow for future renewable energy development; Protect important wildlife habitat and migration corridors; and Build connections between local communities and their public lands to increase stewardship and awareness about the values of the Sonoran Desert. |
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Community Food Connections
Aug 22 - Cindy Gentry, Executive Director of Community Food Connections, (CFC) brought us up to date on the history, goals, and accomplishments of her organization. CFC is constantly working to nurture local food production, distribution and access capacities, and to support local farmers' markets. Their long term goal is to create a permanent indoor/outdoor public market. The first step in this direction in the opening of the Phoenix Market Urban Grocery and Wine Bar along with two Open-Air Market days. Cindy described the project, (objectives, business plan, and research) and then explained the difference between this and an Outdoor market. She provided us with several impressive milestones that have been accomplished since the project began in 2005. This project is bringing jobs, tax revenues, valued services, and a strong image to the city of Phoenix. The next steps include strengthening the Urban Grocery and Wine Bar and working toward a permanent indoor / outdoor public market.
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District Governor's Visit
Aug 15 - Alan Havir, (see his bio here), District 5510 Governor, spoke to and even sang with our club today. He emphasized the importance and value of the District Conference (to be held on June 8/9, 2012). He strongly encouraged club members to attend. Alan spoke of the role of Rotary International and gave several great examples of how important Rotary has been, and continues to be, to the entire world. He promoted the need for strategic plans for all clubs, which then lead to the strategic plan for the District. Current statistics show that Rotary must reach out to the X and Y generations, NOW, if Rotary is going to continue as the most significant service organization on the planet. We are in a demographic crisis which requires all of us to reach out to our youth through Interact, Rotaract, and Youth Exchange, if we are to survive. His presentation was both thought provoking and inspirational and was extremely well received.
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Peace Corp in South Africa
Aug 1 - Steve Gerner told us about his tour of duty with the Peace Corp in South Africa. He discussed the huge contrast between city life and small town or village life in the country. While the area between Johannesburg and Pretoria contributes 1/3 of Africa's GDP, the rest of the country is extremely poor. Steve lived with a host family who had 8 children - so privacy was practically non-existent. Thanks to funds donated by Rotary, he was able to help the community build and populate a small library. He showed us some of the local artwork that illustrated that the cultures were, indeed, very vibrant. He told us several stories which illustrated how the UBUNTU philosophy was practiced in every day life, everywhere in his community. He tries to practice the basic tenets here in his everyday life and believes that Rotary embraces many of the same basic concepts. Steve is now a local entrepreneur who specializes in baking gourmet all-natural pies. Check it out.
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Group Study Exchange (GSE) to Australia - District 5510 with 9640-to-australia-district-5510-with-9640/July25_LarryHorton_1W.jpg)
July 25 - Larry Horton, a police officer with the Phoenix PD, told of his experience as a GSE participant visiting Australia. This group of 4 individuals was representing District 5510 in exchange with District 9640. Larry was sponsored by the Tempe Rio Salado RC. Larry's presentation was very informative and he succeeded in giving a good overview of his month-long experience in a short 20 minutes. Larry said his experience was so positive that he could easily migrate to Australia. The people he encountered were very hospitable and anxious to show him as much as possible in a very short time. Needless to say, the entire team was exhausted by the end of the trip. Larry was interested in learning how the police departments function in Australia and was surprised to learn that their policies regarding stopping vehicles for administering breathalyzer tests were much different than in Arizona. It is not possible to recount all the aspects of Larry's experience here. However there is much more information available (including some videos) at this Facebook URL. GSE in Australia. |
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Exchange Student - Helen
July 18 - Helen is our exchange student to Brazil this year. With her family as support, she visited our club today to give her presentation a "dry run". She'll be leaving in early August for Brazil. Her presentation involved excellent information about our state, her city of Tempe, and her high school. She also provided interesting personal details about her life, interests, family, and the many activities she is involved in. We wish her well as she starts her exciting journey to the state of San Paulo in Brazil.
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Rotary's US $200 Million Challenge to End Polio Now Rotary has committed to raise $200 million in the United States to complement the $355 million donation from the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation to End Polio Now. |
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Induction Ceremony
June 27 - Mike Schmoker and Ken Pollock were inducted into the club. They are both expected to take active roles in club activities in the coming year.
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Congratulations and Kudos
June 27 - Machel Considine received a plaque along with the deep appreciation of
the club for job well done as she begins her year as past president. We look forward to benefitting from her experience as president.
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Inauguration Ceremony
June 27 - Norma McCormick was inaugurated as our new president for 2012. The club is looking forward to a banner year under Norma's leadership. She brings a wealth of new ideas, enthusiasm, and drive to the position.
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2011 RYLA experience
June 13 - Higinio and Helen (our outgoing exchange student) both attended RYLA this spring. As teenagers, of course, they appreciated the food. They enjoyed the variety of activities such as volleyball, rock climbing, zip-line, dancing, and "pairing up" trust building. Teaming up with exchange students from other countries was also fun. They were inspired by Jerry Traylor, who gave them inspirational messages that left them both very moved. Both of these young people felt they benefited from the experience and recommend it to other young people.
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Movies in the Park - fundraiser
May 27 - the last of the spring "Movies in the Park" fundraiser was very successful. There was a large crowd in attendance who were cheerfully served in the Rotary Booth by Kyle, Ken, Mike, and David. Kyle is very pleased with how profitable these events were for our club. We look forward to continuing our success in the fall when the series resumes.
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Member Mike Schmoker Background
Apr 18 - Another impressive life of a member was shared with us today. Mike obtained degrees from ASU and NAU and an Ed.D. from U of A. After working as an English teacher and coach in several locations in Arizona, Mike moved into Central Office administration. He found that kids were not reading and writing and teachers were not using lesson plans. Mike began began to write articles about this problem and has since published 5 books, with over a million copies in print. Thirteen years ago he became a consultant and has worked in 49 states as well as Canada and Australia. Mike has two daughters who have both done well academically. His younger daughter is currently at ASU. Mike's presentation sparked an excellent discussion about many aspects of education. We welcome Mike Schmoker
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Pascua Yaqui Tribe - an overview
April 11 - Francisco "Frank" Montiel, Director of Education Programs for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, helped us understand the culture of his people. He explained their story of creation, their first encounters with Europeans, and their relocation history. While the Yoeme (true name of the Yaquis) are a peaceful people, when necessary they fought hard and well under great leaders. Frank gave us an introduction to their traditions and Yaqui Easter ceremonies. Frank is an excellent example of a young man who has been able to bridge two cultures very successfully; but he did talk about the difficultly some young Yaquis are having dealing with the pulls of their own culture and American society.
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Interact Club Update
Mar 14 - Ana R. of Westwood High School, and Chris LaBarge, D5510 Interact Chairperson came to share with us Ana's experiences at Interact Presidents' Retreat held in February. She was a delegate selected for her leadership potential. Ana has been a member of the Interact Club at Westwood since last year. She told us that there are 100 members in their club and they are the most active club that our district has. Their retreat was supposed to be held in Flagstaff, but because of a very heavy snowstorm, they had to change locations at the very last minute and held it instead in Phoenix. They learned the importance of prior planning, teamwork and communication as they restructured the weekend in a different city.
 Chris also told us that the Interact Clubs, along with the Rotoract Clubs, are a part of the New Generations Program for Rotary and the clubs are thrilled to be a part of Rotary and working alongside us in projects for our community. |
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Gift of Life AZ (GOL-AZ)/IMAG0143.jpg)
Mar 21 - Gary Whiting, Board Chairman of Gift of Life AZ, reviewed its origin, history and successes. Since 1985 GOL-AZ has provided surgical correction of heart defects in more than 200 children from 21 countries. Gary is pictured accepting a club contribution check from Club President Machel. Our help is needed in the forms of fund-raising, contributions and hosting a child and mother. Because much of the cardiac services and facilities are donated, it takes only $6,000 to $10,000 per child to provide this life-saving cardiac intervention. Hosting consists of a local place to stay and transportation while here for heart surgery. See www.giftoflife-az,com for more information or to make a contribution.
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Member Ken Pollock Background
Mar 6 - Another amazing life of a member was shared with us today. After taking a PhD in Chemical Engineering Ken first pursued his career in St Louis, then Saudi Arabia (6 years), then Chicago, Fairbanks (4 years), Idaho, Ohio and Phoenix, Along the way he changed careers between chemical engineering, academia, information technology and consulting. Ken is currently the CEO of EcoAid, a carbon footprint consulting firm. His wife of 27 years, Skip, teaches at Mesa Community College. They live in Ahwatukee. In his spare time Ken also works as a volunteer with the Phoenix Police Department on "cold cases," as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for foster children and with Arizona Quest for Kids to help low income children receive academic help. We welcome Ken Pollock!
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Habitat House Build
Feb 19 - Thanks to Bill Perkins and his friend Jim for representing the club at the Habitat for Humanity house build event in Chandler this Saturday.
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Early Childhood Help
Feb 28 - Laura Chasko described several programs to help young children and their parents. This 501(c)3 Maricopa County organization has hundreds of employees who provide training to employees and managers of childcare organizations, make home visits to support pregnant moms and families with newborns through beginning school age children, and operate a Birth to Age 5 Helpline. More information can be found at www.swhd.org A particular need is for donations of new and gently used children's books.
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Club Assembly
Feb 14 - Happy Valentine Day!
Attendance is important to many members as a matter of pride and also to maintain our involvement and friendships. Two easy ways to make-up for a missed meeting are to attend a club service project (see "Events" on the club website) or attend an online club meeting at <www.recswusa.org> anytime 24/7. You have 14 days before and after a miss to make it up by attending another event. And be sure to tell or email Harry or David with the make-up date and event name so that you & the club get credit for it. • Please welcome our newest club members Ken Polock and Mike Schmoker! • Submit candidates for the RYLA camp to Machel. Should be in the 10th grade now. • Habitat for Humanity house build project this Saturday. See "Events" for map & details. |
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Power 1K
Feb 7 - Exercise and diet, the two ingredients for a healthy life. Matt Jarvis briefly explained that regular exercise and a healthy and balanced diet that does not include much junk food and dairy products are conducive to a long, happy and healthy life. He explained that many people just don't think they have time for these building blocks. So - power1K.com has on-line Home Workouts and 24/7
access to fitness professionals. New workouts are posted daily and specific fitness questions are answered within 24 hours. See www.power1k.com for more information
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Phoenix Rescue Mission
Feb 1 - Rotarians Bill, John and Gary served lunch today at Phoenix Rescue Mission. They were assisted by residents of the mission.
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I Can
Jan 31 - Whitney Renaud described ICAN's Mission as to provide free,
comprehensive out of school time programs that empower youth to be productive,
self-confident, and responsible citizens. ICAN programs address critical community issues in the
Chandler Redevelopment Area including:
Pictured are Whitney and our own Jennifer. |
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Recruiting Club Members
Jan 24 - Prospective Rotarians Oliver Ncube, Bridget Olsen, Vince Pedotto, Jim Hershauer, Ken Pollock and Mike Schmocker attended the meeting today. Thanks to Bill, Norma and Harry for inviting them. Also visiting were two Rotarians from other clubs and our outbound high school exchange student. We discussed our club's activities with our visitors.
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New Life Society
Jan 10 - Terrific presentation by Erin Crockett about her experience with her infant daughter's failing kidney and transplant. Erin educates high school students and other groups about the miracle of new life based on organ transplants from generous donors. More information at www.newlifesociety.net Erin is pictured with club president Machel.
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BIG MEETING!
Dec 6 - BIG MEETING! 90% attendance including new member (returning Charter Member) John Lamont! We'll hear more from John at a future meeting but it's good to be with him again. Diana Larowe, executive director of the Japanese Friendship Garden in Phoenix was our guest speaker today. Wow! The garden is 3 1/2 acres on the west end of the park above Deck Park Tunnel, I-10, in Phoenix. In addition Jerry Moesteller joined us so that we could complete our $300 donation to Canine Companions. It will be used to purechase a wheelchair ramp to be used with their van. Pictured are Jerry, club president Machel, and Diana. PS Nearly all the dictionaries have been delivered to the 3rd grade students in the Roosevelt School District.
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Here'ssss Rotary!
Nov 29 - A BIG THANK YOU to Tom Considine and Bill Perkins for installing our new "Rotary Meets Here" sign at the entrance to Kobe's. Here they are at work!
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Arizona Trailblazers
Nov 29 - Ted Kenny (pictured with Jennifer) told club members about his favorite hikes and encouraged members to come on a hike with the Arizona Trailblazers. Their website is http://www.azhikers.org/. It contains hike info and trip reports. Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club attendance this week was 100%. Aided by several "make-ups" delivering dictionaries, KCRC attendance for the 5-week month of November was 94%! This is the highest monthly result in 2 or more years.
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Sean
Nov 15 - Newest member Sean described his background. Born in CA, moved to Lake Havasu AZ when he was 5. Grew up in tire business started by his father in AZ. Sean and his wife Rebecca are ASU graduates and newlyweds. They live in Ahwatukee. Sean is general manager and an owner of Tires Direct which he opened 1 year ago in Tempe. In addition to tires, his business provides car maintenance service. Rebecca is a school teacher and coach. Welcome Sean!
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Dictionaries for 3rd Graders
Nov 8 - Kyrene Corridor Rotarians and friends added labels to the 960 dictionaries, really they are encyclopedias, that they will hand out during November to 3rd grade students at 14 grade schools in the Phoenix Roosevelt school district. After handing out dictionaries in each classroom the Rotarians will teach the students how to use these reference books. This is an annual project of the club.
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Homeless Youth
Nov 1 - Larry Cervarich of the Goodyear White Tanks Rotary told us
about his work with the Homeless Youth Connection. This foundation was
set up to help homeless teenagers finish school. He explained how many
of the kids they help maintain good grades while they struggle to find
meals and shelter. Most are boys whose families have met with hard
times and have been abandoned to make it on their own. The HYC helps
them find meals, places to stay, and general neccessties - sleeping
bags, toiletries, a change of clothes. This worthy cause began as a
Rotary project, spun off as an independent foundation, and is expanding
state-wide; all since last January.
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Building House with Habitat
Oct 29 - Rotarians Sean, Machel, Kyle, David and Harry, Sean's wife Rebecca and mystery guest Mike joined the Habitat regulars to help build a house in Mesa. We built soffits and added roof decking. Very productive day! This is the 5th time we've helped build a Habitat For Humanity house.
Habitat helps low income working families afford a house by accepting their "sweat equity" of 400 work hours as part of the down-payment and by providing a zero interest mortgage. In addition to the homeowners, the houses are built by volunteers. The homeowner buys the house at its appraised value. Lots, subdivison improvements, utility hookups, building materials and tools are initially afforded by contributions from individuals and groups. |
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Pat Tillman Foundation
Oct 4 - Club president Machel is pictured presenting a check to Hunter Riley of the Pat Tillman Foundation. Hunter explained the origin and work of the Foundation to the club.
The mission of the Pat Tillman Foundation is to invest in veterans and their families through education, community and advocacy. In 2002, Pat Tillman proudly put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. This decision was just one of many he made over the course of his lifetime to help others and serve a cause greater than his own self-interest. Following Pat's death in 2004, while serving with the 75th Army Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan, his family and friends established the Pat Tillman Foundation. |
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Phoenix Film Society
Sep 27 - The Phoenix Film Society chooses about 100 films for its annual film festival from the 1,000 that are submitted each year. It also meets monthly for a film showing and discussion. Who knew? Chris Lamont described the society and opportunity for us to join in this Valley arts opportunity. He also let us know that the horror type film was the best bet for popularity (and making money). Learn more and join in at http://www.phxfilm.com/ Pictured are Chris and our own fabulous film fan Jennifer.
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Canine Companions
Sep 20 - Jackie and Leon, her 11 week old trainee dog, Linden and Thor, her companion dog of 18 months, and Jerry Mosteller, a charter member of the club, explained the workings of this nonprofit organization. Canine Companions breeds, trains and places dogs with people who need a companion that can perform numerous tasks for them. 30-40% of trainee dogs become companions and serve their owners for approximately 10 years. Retired dogs and those that don't make the grade become pets. In the initial 15-18 weeks of training the dogs learn 30 commands and attend classes twice a month. That's followed by 6 months of intense training, included the last 2 weeks `with their new owner. Persons needing a companion dog come from all walks of life. 52 dogs were placed with wounded veterans during the last 2 years. See www.cci.org for more information.
Sean Morrison, president of Tires Direst in Tempe, joined the club today. His father is a member of the Lake Havasu Rotary Club. John Lentz, our assistant district governor, also visited today.
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Hacienda Healthcare
Sep 11 - In our second visit to the facility, club members and friends Gary, David, Brian and Harry washed approximately 60 specialized wheelchairs. Hacienda Healthcare is Arizona's leading provider of specialized health care and social services to infants, children and young adults who have medical, physical and intellectual impairments. See http://www.haciendahealthcare.org/ for more information.
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District Governor Visit
Aug 30 - DG Glenn Smith and his wife Sherry visited the club today as well as Bob and Sean Morrison, John Slentz and Richard Malcolm. Bob is a member of the Lake Havasu club and Richard of Chandler Horizon. John is our assistant DG. Sean is likely going to join our club. Glenn described RI and District goals for 2010-11. The district focus is membership growth and strong clubs. DG Glenn & Sherry are pictured.
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Carestone
Aug 23 - Kat Pollard provided service project ideas with her residents and invited the club to a networking event at Carestone on Thursday, Sep 2, 5-7 PM. Abe Feder also attended and shared ideas to help grow membership and offered District training opportunities.
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Tutoring Resumed
Aug 17 - Members Harry and David kicked off this year's tutoring & homework help on Tuesday. A couple of members will be helping at the Boys & Girls Club for an hour each Tuesday afternoon during the school year.
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Rotary International Convention
Aug 9 - Member David Kline reported on the annual convention held in Montreal during June. The next convention will be in June 2011 in New Orleans.
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Boys & Girls Club
Aug 7 - Club members partnered with Boys & Girls Club children for back-to-school shopping at Target and the club donated $500 to help underwrite $115 gift cards for every child. We joined volunteers from other organizations to help out with this early Saturday morning event.
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FDN for Burns & Trauma
Jun 28 - Alan Beyerle, a former member of the club, attended and presented a $500 check from his agency and the Farmers Insurance Foundation to Mike Merucci, the executive director of AZ Burns & Trauma. Mike was our speaker for the day. Pictured are Alan presenting the check to Mike. Begun in 1967 the Arizona Foundation for Burns and Trauma serves burn survivors of all ages with family support services, temporary housing, a youth summer camp, financial aid, school re-entry support and a college scholarship program. The Foundation also provides burn prevention education and smoke alarm installation programs. The club has a long history of installing smoke alarms in Tempe and Scottsdale, one of which sounded the alarm that saved lives in a Tempe home.
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Ryan House
Jun 21 - Ryan House is a residence place where families can bring their children with life-threatening conditions to have fun and enjoy activities while being cared for by a loving staff and surrounded by a community that cares. It is open to any child under 17 in Arizona diagnosed with a life-threatening condition and who is currentlt being cared for at home. It is only the second such no cost home in the USA. There are 5,000 children in Maricopa County with life-threatening conditions. We can help in three ways: publicize, volunteer and donate. Jack Hebert, pictured with President Kyle, described the mission of Ryan House. See www.ryanhouse.org for more information.
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What Does the State Treasurer Do?
Jun 14 - Andrei Cherny, a candidate for State Treasurer, spoke about the job and
some of his views on state issues. The state treasurer is the Chief
Economic Officer. He sets investment policies and audits government
agencies. Surprisingly, no audits have been done for quite a while.
Equally surprising is that the state has no direct investments in
Arizona companies. Andrei would like to see audits done to identify
efficiencies for budget reductions. He would also like to see
investments in local solar and wind companies to help improve the Az
economy. He emphasized that he would focus on bipartisan efforts in
these areas.
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Understanding the Tour de France
Jun 7 - Jim Crutcher provide an excellent description of how professional bikers and their teams work together in the Tour de France and other major races.
Jim is a biking and bike racing enthusiast. He has accumulated 45,000 miles during the last 7 years. He owns 13 bikes and rides 5-6 times per week either on a Road, Mountain or Fixed Gear bike. His favorite ride is the "Answer to the Challenge" which is a 3 day ride at end of April for a total of 327 miles. It starts in North Scottsdale the first day and ends up in Strawberry. Day two is Strawberry to Camp Verde, Jerome and ends in Prescott. Day three is Prescott to Yarnell, Wickenburg, Lake Pleasant and back to North Scottsdale. A total of 22,000 feet of climbing. This will be his third consecutive year competing inthis race.
Jim is a member of the Mesa Baseline Rotary Club and has served as the District Youth Service Chairma and as an Assistant Governor for Don LaBarge. He currently serves as the District Ambassadorial Chair.
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Swiss HS Exchange Student
May 24 - Michelle Marti told club members about her experiences in AZ and introduced her mother, Evonne, who is visiting. Michelle explained that she has been quite changed by her year here. She is now very interested in helping others understand different cultures and pursuing a career in diplomatic service after college. An outstanding young woman, she was a keynote speaker at the District Conference and earned a standing ovation. Our club cosponsored her.
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Membership Growth Advice
May 10 - Scott Dudley, pictured, is a member and 2x president of North Whidbey Island RC and District 5050 Membership Chairman. He provided a handout about the membership process and described some of the highlights, in particular qualified candidates, great programs, high expectation of member support of service projects and new member orientation. His club has recently grown from 19 to 32 members.
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End Polio Now
May 3 - Hal Wocholz, a polio survivor, described the enormous success of Rotary's polio eradication program and the challenge to end this disease by 2012. We are engaged in raising $200 million to match the Gates Foundation contribution of $355 million for this final 5-year effort to complete eradication where it is still endemic. Hal is a member of Sun Lakes Rotary Club. He is pictured with President Kyle.
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Community Emergency Response Training
Apr 26 - Mike Reichling (pictured with President Kyle) told us about Tempe's Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) program that provides training and organization for volunteers to be prepared to responde to catastrophic disasters. More information can be found at http://www.tempe.gov/fire/EmergencyPreparedness/CERT.htm Mike is a member of the Tempe Fire Department.
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Desert Sounds - Jennifer Crews
Apr 19 - The Desert Sounds foundation provides musical instruments and music lessons to low income students in grades 4 through 12. The students are recommended to Desert Sounds by school music teachers. Please donate your used instruments and music equipment to Desert Sounds. They will refurbish and put them to good use. Call or email Jennifer Crews at 480-304-4762 or jcrews@desertsounds.org to donate or discuss. There is more information about this non-profit service at www.desertsounds.org
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Movies in Park Fundraising
Apr 16 - The club fundraiser is well begun. We're selling pop, juice, water, glow necklaces & bracelets and candy stuff at the Kiwanis Park on Friday nights before and during the free outdoor movie. Pictured are Alan and Kyle in our booth.
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3 Day Walk for Cancer Cure
Apr 12 - Melissa Zabor is participating in the 2010 Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60 mile Walk for the Cure™. This is her second time. Help her reach her goal by donating online at http://www.the3day.org/site/TR Just put in her last name and your donation will be credited to her effort. And you can register on that site to join in the fun and satisfaction of participating yourself. Melissa is Wally's daughter.
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Tempe Impact Education (T.I.E.) Foundation
Mar 22 - The TIE Foundation is a group of volunteers, mostly retired, who provide financial assistance to the children and staff of the Tempe Elementary School District. TIE provides children with help such as clothing and musical instrument rental, and scholarships to teachers and classified staff.
Since its inception in 1990, TIE has contributed $90,000 to Connecting with Kids, $20,000 to the Summer Enrichment Program, $126,000 in Scholarships to teachers and classified staff, $5,000 to the music program and $5,000 for awards and recognition. Joe Spacale, our guest speaker this monday, is the founder, president and executive director of this foundation. For more information see: www.tiefoundation.com/main.html#1,0
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Ambassadorial Scholar
Mar 29 - Rotary's Ambassadorial Scholarship program, was founded in 1947. The purpose of this program is to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. Since then, nearly 38,000 men and women from about 100 nations have studied abroad under its auspices. It is currently the world's largest privately funded international scholarships program. Through grants totaling approximately US$500 million, recipients from about 70 countries have studied in more than 70 nations. Robin Postel shared the life effects, personal and professional, of her 1979 experience as a Scholar in Switzerland.
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Smoke Alarms Installed
Mar 13 - Kyle, Gary and Bill worked with Scottsdale Fire Department members and the Foundation for Burns and Trauma this Saturday. The Rotarians installed about 15 smoke alarms in homes within the Riviera Mobile Home Park, a 55 and over retirement community in South Scottsdale.
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Project C.U.R.E.
Mar 8 - Project CURE's Arizona medical equipment and supplies warehouse and container packing center is in Tempe. They qualify clinics and hospitals in Third World countries as to their needs and abilities to use medical equipment and supplies and then provide those things in 40' cargo containers. Most of the medical supplies and equipment collected by CURE in 22 cities in the USA would be otherwise discarded. Their other warehouse centers are in Denver, Nashville and Houston. Altogether CURE provided 90 such containers during 2009 with an average load value, if the stuff was purchased, of $400,000 per container. Project CURE in total has 16 employees and 3,000 volunteers. Average cost to ship a container is $20,000. Cash contributions and proceeds from fundraisers are used for shipping and to meet the small payroll. Michael Mendoro is the Executive Director of the Arizona Center and a member of Tempe South Rotary Club.
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HS Exchange Student Sofia Wijkmark
Feb 22 - Sofia told us about Sweden, her family and her aspirations. She is attending Corona del Sol as a senior. Sofia has been very supportive of our club and our projects during her year in Tempe. She's helped on two of our Habitat for Humanity build days and this is her second luncheon visit with us. The (Machel) Considine's are Sofia's current host family. Shown are Prez-elect Machel, Sofia and Prez Kyle.
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Habitat House Build
Feb 20 - Five high school students including 3 Rotary HS exchange students a Rotarian daughter and her friend, and 6 Rotarians helped landscape a Habitat for Humanity house Saturday. And then it rained! Pictured are Sofia from Sweden and Michelle from Switzerland in a picture taken by Ditte from Norway.
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The Great Storm of 2010
Feb 8 - Professional Engineer Tom Sand of SRP described the before, during and after situation of the Jan 21-23 humuongus storm. This storm added 14' of height to Lake Roosevelt bringing it from 76% to 92% of capacity (as of today another 5" has been added to bring it to 98% of capacity. A new record of rainfall was recorded: 3.8" in one day (record was 2.0" before) as well as new records for 2, 3 and 5 day periods. January rainfall in SRP's catchment areas was 7.16" overall, 338% of "normal." Tom is pictured with his wife Debbie who also attended today.
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Bill Perkins Career Talk
Feb 1 - Honorary member Professor Emeritus Bill Perkins shared stories about his career as a professor at West Point and Indiana University. He particularly enjoyed his 9 years as the IU faculty representative to the NCAA and service on Big Ten committees. Bill authored multiple text books during his career and is currently working on revisions to his most recent one. He taught more than 30 different courses including many in decision sciences and information technology and as far ranging as economics and political science. His home club (summer) is in Bloomington IN. We are fortunate to enjoy his fellowship and very active participation during the winter.
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ADC Community Partners
Jan 25 - Melissa Zeller, a CPS employee, described a program for bringing community persons into decision-making meetings about child placement (reunification with parent or other relative, foster home, foster home change, adoption, or independent living) . Contact Ms Zeller at mzeller@azdes.gov or 602-771-5876 for more information.
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Christmas Family Thank You
Both young Michael and his mother wrote thank you notes to the club for providing them with Christmas presents. Pictured is Michael's note. Double click on the picture to enlarge it.
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New Member Gary Contreras
Jan 11 - ADG John Slentz was our guest today. John installed Gary Contreras as our newest club member. Gary has been active in service projects and by regular attendance at meetings. He is a member of the Contreras State Farm Insurance Agency in Tempe. ADG Slentz plans to attend meetings of our club on a monthly basis.
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2010 Census
Don Cassano, co-chairman of Tempe's volunteer Census committee "Everyone Counts" was the speaker on Jan 4. He explained that every person counted in the 2010 Census causes $1,250 per year (for 10 years) of Federal income to Tempe and that approximately 35% of those residing in Tempe at the time of the 2000 census were not counted. The census form for 2010 is simpler. We should encourage all to return the form and help figure out ways to lessen fears about self reporting.
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Wheelchair Washing Project
Rotarians Machele (pictured), Kyle, Norma, Gary and Harry, and Nancy Short and Norma's friend Noah cleaned wheelchairs at the Hacienda Healthcare facility at South Mountain on Jan 2. Very impressive facility for long-term care of chlldren and adults who have chronic health or physical disability conditions. We will be back for future service projects with them.
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Group Exchange to Switzerland
Guests Vanessa Fritz, Kiana Sears and Jim Erickson were our guests today. They described their month-long visit in Switzerland last Spring as part of a Rotary District 5510 group. The Rotary Group Study Exchange facilitates young professionals meeting and interacting with their peers in other countries and experiencing a different culture. Vanessa is a 5th grade teacher in AZ, Kiana is a utilities analyst with the AZ Corporation Commission and Jim, a Rotarian from the Superstition Mountain Club, was their group advisor. Pictured are Kiana and Jim.
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Dictionary Project
Members and friends of the Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club handed out dictionaries to approximately 800 third grade students in South Phoenix during October and November. This is an annual service project.
The dictionary includes more than over 25,000 entries and 1500 photographs and illustrations. It includes maps of the world, weights and measurements, the planets, the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, sign language and other interesting tables and facts. Teachers love these student dictionaries and plan 3rd grade lessons that use them.
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Adopt-a-Family Gifts
Club members "adopted" a family for Christmas with the help of the Guadalupe Boys & Girls Club. Shown are club members and many of the presents they donated for the family
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Swiss HS Exchange Student Michelle
Michelle, her host family sisters Sharayah and Erika, and their friend Emily spent a fun afternoon tubing and screaming on Canyon Lake with Harry. Michelle is a Rotary 2009-10 high school exchange student at Hamilton High in Chandler. She is the girl in blue in the front of the picture. Michelle, Sharayah and Erika also worked on the Kyrene Corridor RC service project last Saturday building a house with Habitat for Humanity.
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Habitat House Build
Awesome turnout and accomplishment! Total of 13 Rotarians, Rotary high
school exchange students, their host family "sisters," and family
members of Rotarians came out and got it done! Today we added roof
sheeting, fasia boards, stucco stop, blocking of A/C vents, porch
structure and more, and we had a lot of fun and fellowship!! Habitat
For Humanity, the Addow family (will become their home), and the
sponsoring coalition of churches thanks you for your selfless service!
The house is now ready for the preroofing inspection.
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Thanks for Dictionaries
Members and friends of the Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club handed out dictionaries to approximately 800 third grade students in South Phoenix during October and November. This is an annual service project. Students expressed their appreciation with notes and cards to members as shown here. |
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Boys and Girls Club Field Trip
On November 2, the club will meet at the Boys and Girls Club in Guadalupe and not at Kobe.
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Past Presidents Golf for Canine Companions
The Canine Companions annual golf tournament fund raiser was held Sept 25 at Ocotillo Golf Resort. With the help of Kris Hanson, the threesome finished 1 shot off the leaders with a 58. Shown left to right are Tom Hickey, Kris Hanson, and Dave Kline. Canine Companions is a volunteer organization that trains dogs to help people with everyday tasks. As an example, the dog shown has been trained as a "pull" dog that can pull someone in a wheelchair up ramps.
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District Governor Ken Oakes Visits
DG Ken Oakes visited the Club and Board and told us that we are in a similar situation to most Rotary clubs. Today's changing corporate world, economic conditions, and demographics mean we will have to try different things to grow. He liked our commitment to monthly projects and encouraged us to invite alumni and potential members to them as well.
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Hildy Crane
Honorary member Hildy Crane passed away in late July. She was 84 years old. Hildy taught interior design in the school of architecture at ASU before she retired. We knew her as a beautiful, gracious and kind person. She was a long time resident of Ahwatukee and member of the Mountain View Lutheran Church there. Her husband Frank preceded her in death. He was a Rotary District Governor.
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D5510 Nogales Microcredit Project Update
Surprise guest speaker Wayne Rish explained the D5510 micocredit project, its first. This project began as a club project, picked up steam and became a district project worth more than $42,000 to help the poor in Nogales Mexico help themselves. Our project will initially support approximately 15 groups of 15 individuals with microloans to begin or expand very small businesses. The loan term is 4 months and the well proven repayment rate is 98%! Our club was one of the very first supporters of this project.
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District Awards & Governor Visit
District Governor Don & Chris LaBarge visited the club today and presented President David Kline with the 2008-09 District Achievement Award as well as a $500 check from the District. The check represents a District match of our previous contribution to the Foundation for Burns & Trauma. The club will now donate another $500 to the Foundation for Burns & Trauma. Pictured are Don, President David, Chris and President-elect Kyle Maki.
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Final - Movies in Park Fundraising
Income from concession sales $1,668 less Cost of sales $610 = Gross Profit $1,058. We also spent $363 for printed banner and aprons which can be used at all future fundraisers. Thanks Kyle for arranging and all the members who worked on the project.
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United Food Bank
On May 18 club members David, Tom and Harry plus David's son Brian sorted 1100# of food that was collected by the USPS. This food will provide 880 meals. Thanks Tom for arranging this service project.
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Recordings for the Blind
Andrea Pasquale of Sun Sounds Recordings for the Blind explained their services and volunteer opportunities. Pictured is Fargo, their mascot. Sun Sounds broadcasts from KJAZZ on a special frequency in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff and is considering expansion to Yuma. Persons who cannot read print can apply for their free service. Other individuals can volunteer to help in many ways. More information can be found at http://sunsounds.org/stations/tempe/
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Aid to Adoption of Special Kids
Brandon Gillespie asked individuals to help via the AASK Special Friends program. Individuals are wanted who will spend time with a special child every two weeks. AASK has monthly events as a part of this mentoring program. See AASK brochure in "Downloads" for more info on this and other ways to help these foster children.
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Habitat House
After Habitat canceled last Saturday's planned Rotary workday, Rotarians Bill and Harry pitched in to help build on Tuesday. Here Bill is adding insulation barriers between the garage and house attics. Roofing and ceiling sheetrock are complete. Next step is adding sheetrock to interior walls. Saturday workdays resume on April 18 and will continue to the end of May. Call Harry, 480-236-3960, if you plan to work or want more information.
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Smoke Alarms Installed
Club members, family and friends installed 41 smoke alarms in a low-income neighborhood in Tempe on Saturday. Members involved were Alan, David, Jess, Kat, Kyle, Machel, Norma, Tom, and Bill. The club purchased the special home alarms from the Foundation for Burns and Trauma. This is the 3rd year the club has installed alarms in houses needing them. An alarm installed by club members in 2007 is credited with saving 2 lives. Special thanks to Jess for putting together this year's project and recruiting the installers!
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Afghanistan Discussion
Dr. Kazim Hizballah provided his insights to club members and guests about Afghanistan today. Dr Kazim is an Afghan pediatrician temporarily in USA at George Washington University. He is working on a Masters of Public Health degree under a Fullbright Scholarship. Dr Kazim is a past-president of the Kabul Rotary Club. We were also joined by Diana Tacey, president of the Childlight Foundation and president-elect of Mesa Sunrise Rotary and Kendra Gibson a new nursing graduate who is considering medical service in Afghanistan. Dr Kazim is in the center of the picture.
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Girls Art and Computer Room Project in Jalalabad
The Rotary matching grant application for the Girls Art and Computer Room Project in Jalalabad, Afghanistan was submitted to Rotary International today, Feb 23, 2009. Our club and members pledged $1,500 to this project. The project should be approved and funded yet this Rotary year, that is, before July 1, 2009.
The application was submitted by Diana Tacey, Founder of the
ChildLight Foundation for Afghan Children. Diana is also the President-elect of Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club.
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BOD & Happy Hour
On Feb 13 the club board of directors elevated Hildy to "Honorary Member" status. She has long served Rotary. Prez David, Barb, Machel and Harry visited and lunched with Hildy at her home on Feb 16. Barb asked for a club commitment of $1,000 for a community solar oven for Keith Hooper's foundation. The BOD approved and will bring to members for approval. The club Happy Hour that followed the BOD meeting was attended by about 18 current and former members and Rotary spouses. Very nice social event.
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Andrei Cherny
Andrei discussed his book THE CANDY BOMBERS. Go to www.andreicherny.com/ for more information about Andrei and his work.
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Served Meal at Phoenix Rescue Mission
Several club members and family served lunch at Phoenix Rescue Mission (but took no pictures). The mission provides meals and food to homeless people in Phoenix.
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Micro Credit Nogales Trip
Bill & Phyllis and Harry & Nancy visited EnComun in Nogales on Jan 13 with 8 other Rotarians from Mesa, Chandler, Tucson and Ontario Canada. EnComun is a micro credit support organization with offices in Nogales and Juarez. They are expanding to Agua Prieta (Douglas) and probably San Luis (Yuma) in the near future. We learned how micro credit community groups are formed, educated and operate to promote and support very small entrepreneurs and we visited two of the small businesses. Our club will be contributioning $1,000 to the first District 5510 micro credit project. It will be administered by EnComun and in Nogales. There will be a presentation with more information at the Feb 2 club meeting.
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Barb Recognized!
The monthly "Tempe Focus" magazine featured Barb Feder on its cover and in a lengthy article about her Rotary and Framing Works careers. Barb's example of altruism comes through loud and clear to its readers, and Rotary is prominently featured by Barb in both the pictures and her testimony. Go Barb!!
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Mexico-USA Projects Conference
Barb attended this conference near the Grand Canyon last weekend and made the following commitments: $500 for Cuenavarca children's hospital diagnostic equipment (this is in club 2008-09 budget) and $500 for a Cuenavarca elementary school. In addition Barb pledged $250 of personal funds for a water well in Niger as a 3H project and $1,000 for a 2009-10 club project for an abuse education center in Cuernavarca.
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Million Dollar Dinner
Barb is amazing. She organized the formal "Million Dollar Dinner" for the Rotary Foundation and actually raised $3,100,000 through direct gifts and bequests. The dinner was October 25th at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain and was the first of its kind to be held in District 5510. Pictured is Barb presenting President Dave with the Gold Sponsor Award for our club's contribution of $1,500 (the max) to help underwrite the dinner. Awesome!
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Dictionaries for 3rd Graders
The dictionaries are delivered to 892 third graders in 40 classes at 12 schools in the Roosevelt School District! Pictured are of some of the thank you notes. The students were awesome - learning quickly how to answer questions by going to the table of contents to find the topic, then digging into the topic and to get the facts. Who's smarter than a 3rd Grader? Once they got the hang of it Rotarians were challenged to come up with questions faster than the students could answer them. Thanks to Tom who arranged the whole project and got the dictionaries and to all The Rotarians and friends who labeled the books, delivered the dictionaries and taught the students. How many letter are in the longest word in the English language? (1,909) Who was the 14th president of the USA? (Franklin Pierce) Where do aardvarks live? (I don't know but these children now know how to look it up.)
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New Members Welcomed
Four new club members were welcomed to Rotary by District Governor Don LaBarge.
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Necessities
Club members and friends collected "care packages" for service men and women serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Club Supports Y's Strong Kids Campaign
Kyrene Corridor Rotary Club donated $500 to the YMCA-Tempe for its Strong Kids Campaign. The money will be matched by a generous Y donor and be used for needs-based scholarships to summer camps and other youth development events. KCRC president Scott Seivert is shown presenting the check to the Tempe Y's executive director Vinny Mirizio and financial development director Kerry Fetherston. KCRC member Wally Stuebner is President of the Board of the Tempe YMCA.
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Intall Smoke Alarms
Six members and family members installed smoke alarms in one of the
poorest neighborhoods in Tempe on Saturday. Our club contributed $500
which was matched by District 5510 to purchase the special (somewhat
tamperproof alarms). We worked with the Foundation for Burns and
Trauma and the Tempe fire department to install the alarms. This was
our second smoke alarm project. We first bought and installed smoke
alarms in May of 2007. In August 2007 one of the alarms we installed
was credited with saving the lives of a family of 3! Fantastic!
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Build a House
About 12 club and family members pitched in to help build a house in
Guadalupe with Habitat for Humanity. We cut drywall to fit (usually)
and installed it in the ceiling and closets. Learned in the morning, experts
by afternoon, sore the next day! Thanks Harry for this opportunity.
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December 4, 2022 - Today our club held its annual Christmas party and Gift Collection. The photos show the many gifts that were collected for a very needy family. 
September 19, 2019 - District Governor for 5495 visited our club to give us his vision for Rotary. Larry would like to see our District increase female participation to 35%. He mentioned the new 7th focus for Rotary - The Environment and was optimistic that we could contribute significantly. He discussed the ongoing problem with the aging of members but believes we can change that. He told us that the Tucson Verde club has 45 members who are all under 50! Larry mentioned the importance of eliminating Polio completely - we are almost there. There is District .png)
February 14, 2022 - Boneca Brauer, the founder and director of 
November 22, 2021 - Karen Olson, a retired nurse and community volunteer, told us about 
November 8, 2021 - Kevin Terry, Executive Director of the 
June 28, 2021 - Today was our monthly club assembly where many committee chairs gave their final reports for the year. Also, President Rob presented member Ken Pollock with the Annual Rotarian of the Year Award. Rob was very flattering in describing Ken's various contributions. A loud cheer was given by those in attendance.
ecember 15, 2020 - Nicole Pesce gave us a very spirited piano concert to help celebrate Christmas.
October 17, 2020 - Today members from several Rotary Clubs packed 960 bags a the United Food Bank. The environment felt safe and the fellowship was very rewarding.
September 28, 2020 - Christine Dyster, Election Services Manager with the Arizona Secretary of State's Office, gave us a very informative presentation on the voting process in Arizona. Her presentation can be seen 
September 26, 2020 - Today several club members labeled dictionaries which will be distributed to 3td Graders in the Roosevelt School District this fall. We all had a good time and enjoyed the fellowship which we have not had since March because of CoVID.
August 17, 2020 - Tempe Mayor Corey Woods gave us an update on the many projects and activities in the city. The city is doing fairly well during these difficult times. You can see his presentation 
May 4, 2020 - the club held another successful Zoom video conference today. We welcomed a potential new member
Rotary Service Activities During a Time of COVID-19
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January 21, 2020 - Machel presented the Awards for December today. On the left is the Staff of the Month - Mary LoVerde, (2nd from the left) Front Desk Receptionist. On the right is the Faculty of the Month - Anna Hollington (2nd from right) - Special Education.
January 6, 2020 - Remy, our exchange student from France, told us about his home and country.
November 18,2019 - Today, Steve Sullivan, VP for 
Sept 26, 2019 - Club member Rob Foster presented a $5,000 check to Save the Family
April 9, 2019 - The Awards for March went to Nicole Nava, English Teacher and Micah Wilkins of the Classified Staff. Kudos to Nicole and Micah.Pictured is Nathan Kleve, Principal, Machel, and Nicole.
January 14, 2019 - Honorary Member Harry Short gave us a detailed presentation about .jpg)
January 7, 2019 - Today we focused on several administrative issues regarding projects in the coming year. However, before we got started, Wally (filling in for Kelly) presented Machel with a Paul Harris Pin that recognizes her generous support of the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations and Thank You Machel for your continued contributions.
After our meeting, Wally exchanged banners with Allen Auxier from the 
Nov 6, 2018 - In the cafeteria is the Staff of the Month, Armida "Smitty" Chavez, CdS Cafeteria Manager. She told us she had never been recognized for her service in 25 years. The other photo is of Teacher of the Month, Yen Rowan, Math Teacher. Congratulations to Smitty and Yen - jobs well done..JPG)
Oct 16, 2018 - Corona del Sol High School Teacher of the Month for September is Jennifer Ray. Congratulations Jennifer! Club member Wally Stuebner presented the award. The staff member of the month will be presented later.
January 16, 2018 - This month's awards were for Stephanie Skeels, Science Teacher and Debbie Zeiner, Attendance for Sophomores & Juniors as well as Grades and Registration. 
Oct 30, 2017 - Today was dedicated to labeling dictionaries right after lunch. We had a good contingent of members who put in extra time to accomplish this task. (Dave, David, Machel, Doug, Wally, Kelly, Rob, and Ken). The temperature was moderate so we worked on the patio of the restaurant and exchanged lots of friendly banter. Lots of work but everyone had fun. Onward to delivery of dictionaries to the 3rd graders in Roosevelt School District!
April 10, 2017 - Melissa Bruger a 14 year SRP employee gave us an overview of 
Oct 3, 2016 - The District Governor for 5510, Dr. Tonya Watson, visited our club today. We spent the first 90 minutes reviewing all aspects of our club with her. Tonya then gave us a multi-faceted presentation that included such issues as "Why do we need a district office"; "Why are we combining districts"; "What does Rotary do for the community"; and "What can we be doing better". Tonya encouraged us to take some action to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation. She would also like clubs to get involved with some form of "Assisted Elder Campaign" for this year. She emphasized we should answer the questions Why Rotary? Why Now? Let's promote Rotary more aggressively (toot our horns) to help recruit members. She concluded her presentation with the mantra - "We should be proud to be Rotarians" .jpg)
September 26, 2016 - Today Don Kelly from the Tempe South Rotary Club talked to us about the struggle that lower income students have to succeed. He told us of his own experience as a lower income student and the techniques he had to learn. He became a "purpose-driven student" who was then successful and became a purpose-driven professor at ASU. Don related several stories about how he engaged students to make them successful. He told us that he has persuaded his club to fund a scholarship for summer classes for 5 students who could use the extra help. He would like our club to provide a similar opportunity for 5 students at a cost of about $1700. We agreed to look into this further in our next couple of meetings. Don is writing a book on how to improve graduation rates for low-income students and will donate proceeds from sales to the scholarship program.
September 24, 2016 - Thirty-five volunteers from several East Valley clubs participated in this quarterly multi-club project. Today we sorted and packed more than 10,000 pounds of food. This means that each volunteer helped provide over 250 meals for needy families in the Valley. Our Kyrene club had a good turnout of members and family. We look forward to the next project in mid-December.
Sept 19, 2016 - Nicole and Reuben from the 
Sept 08, 2016 - The club held its first social event of the year at Carrabba's Restaurant on Thursday evening. We had a good turnout including a couple of family members. There was lots of fun and laughter and everyone enjoyed themselves. Thank you Doug for setting this up.
Sept 1, 2016 - Corona del Sol Teacher of the Month for August was Ben Forbes, Digital Film-making and TV Productions. He leads Student Council and cdsTV.
August 26, 2016 Project CURE has gotten more organized and made the sorting even easier. This was both good and bad for sorters. On the one hand, it is easier. On the other hand, the challenge of trying to identify strange things was fun. They also seemed to have more volunteers and interns, and their meeting area has been converted into another sorting area. A group from Cox was there with us as well as several ASU interns. Since sorting was easier and faster, we were also trained in packing the boxes for shipment. Each box must have only 1 kind of item and the items must be counted for the labels. Printing the labels was easy. The item code, weight, and count was entered on drop down menus and a label was printed. Dave, Rob, and Doug contributed 8 hours of service and sorted over 20 large boxes of medical supplies.
August 22, 2016 - Tawnya Christensen from the
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The staff member for August
