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

 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.

  Sept. 07, 2023 - Our club held a welcoming party for our exchange student from Germany, Lotte.

 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.

 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 :

 

 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.

 July 24, 2023 - Lourdes Kline told us about the Medtronic history of Pacemakers. It was an excellent presentation that had many members asking questions. Lourdes is seen her with our president, Dave Kline. Lourdes' powerpoint presentation can be seen HERE

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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!

 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.

 May 15, 2023 - Kimberly Yee, Treasurer of Arizona, told us about the AZ529 plan that she initiated. The plan gives Arizona youth the chance to advance their education at multiple levels. The plan can be accessed at AZ529.gov Any family member can help support a student - ie. parents, grandparents, cousins, etc. In order to get kids interested in future careers, Yee has conducted several contests, the most recent is a photo contest.

More information about the contest can be found HERE 

 

 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

 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

  April 23, 2023 - Our Gala Dinner organizers, Andy and Rich.  As Master of ceremonies, Rich made sure the audience knew the 4 way test.

 

 

 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.

 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.

 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

 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

 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.

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

 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.
 

 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.

 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

 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.

 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!

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. 

 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)

 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.

 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  

 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. 

 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.

 

 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

 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.

 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 

 

 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

 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.

 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

 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.

 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 Pints for Polio on October 24 (World Polio Day) to help support this effort.  Check the website.

Larry believes that Retention is the most important membership focus now. We should invite potential members to participate in our service projects (rather than just coming to meetings)

His powerpoints can be seen by clicking HERE. 

The first photo shows Larry giving president Soni a banner that emphasizes Imagine Rotary. The second photo shows President Soni presenting Larry with a "club autographed" Dr Seus book.

There was great dialog and humor throughout the meeting and the Board Meeting which followed.

Thank you for the visit, Larry.

 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.

 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.

 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.

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

 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.

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.

 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.

 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.

     SAVE THE DATE

 

 

 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.

 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.

 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!

  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.

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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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. 

 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.

 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.

  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.

 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.

 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.

 February 14, 2022 - Boneca Brauer, the founder and director of Village 360, gave us a snapshot of her and her family's history with respect to cancer. She had several obstacles to overcome and decided that she needed to create a non-proft organiztation to help poor people deal with cancer. Her presentation was very heart-warming and can be seen by clicking HERE.

 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 

 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.

January 15, 2022 - Five Rotarians from the Kyrene Rotary Club (Machel, Dave, Rob, Andy, John +friend) worked on a build site in Tempe Arizona. 

 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.

  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

 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.

 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.

 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 - 

 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.

 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

 November 22, 2021 - Karen Olson, a retired nurse and community volunteer, told us about IHELP (supported by many non-profit organizations in the Valley) and her volunteer experiences. Her presentation can be seen by clicking HERE. Rob presented her with a $100 check for IHELP.

 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.

 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.

 November 8, 2021 -  Kevin Terry, Executive Director of the FIRST TEE Arizona Chapter, brought us up to date on the direction and activities of the First Tee organization. His presentation can be seen HERE.  The club presented him with a check for $1,500.  See "Read More".

 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!

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.

 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"

 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"

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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".

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.

 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"

 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.

 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.

 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".

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.

August 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!

 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.

   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.

 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.  

 

 

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

 

  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

 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.

 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. 

 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

   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.

 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.

 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"

 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. 

 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

 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

 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

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!

 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.

 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.

 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.

 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.

  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.

  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.

 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.

December 28, 2020 - Rotary's moto was included on a stamp in 1955.  Did you know that?

December 21, 2020 - Today members told of their Christmas traditions and a few stories associated with those traditions.

 December 15, 2020 - Nicole Pesce gave us a very spirited piano concert to help celebrate Christmas.

You can see her performance by clicking HERE. Her web site contains many other performances. Check them out HERE. Thank you Nicole for a great performance, appreciated by all !

 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!

  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.

December 6, 2020 - this list is current as of this date. This is a living document and will be changed regularly.

 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.

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.

 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

 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. 

 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

 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  

 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 

 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.

 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

 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 HERE. 

 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.

 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.  

 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.  

 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.

 August 24, 2020 - District Governor, Elizabeth Mahoney spoke to us at our monthly club assembly.  Her presentation can be seen HERE.  

 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 HERE.  

 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.

 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 

 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.  .

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.

 

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. 

 

 

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.

 

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.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

June 29, 2020 - President Wally surprised Ken with an unexpected visit to his home to present him with an ABOVE and BEYOND award.

 

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.  

 

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.  

 

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.  

 

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. 

Here is Dave Simmer's last video.

 

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.  

 

May 18, 2020 - Today we had a very informative presentation by the City of Tempe's first female assistant fire chief, Andrea Glass. Her presentation is available by clicking here  or by watching the video in "Read More" which will be available until the end of May.

 

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

 May 4, 2020 - the club held another successful Zoom video conference today. We welcomed a potential new member

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

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.

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

 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.

March 23, 2020 The Kyrene Rotary Club held its first video-conference lunch meeting on Monday March 23. District Governor Dave Zimmer attended

 

 

 March 09, 2020 - Terrie Sanders from the Sun Lakes Rotary Club spoke to us about the Dolly Parton Imagination Library.

  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. 

(if you can't see the video on your device, click on the above title)

 (if you can't see the video on your device, click on the above title)

 March 4, 2020 - Corona Faculty and Staff Awards for January and February were given out by club member Machel.

 March 2, 2020 - two speakers from Up with People described the organization as well as their own experiences.

 February 24, 2020 - Mark Richardson, the Executive Director of the Arizona Academy Drum & Bugle Corps described this organization in considerable detail.

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.

 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.

 February 10, 2020 - Brenda Smull, a volunteer with the Better Angels organization gave us very good overview.

 February 9, 2020 - Club members and spouses attended a Salt River Brass concert.

This 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

 - 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 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.

 January 20, 2020 - Sheree Sheets, Ambassador for Shelterbox gave us an overview of their programs around the world.

 January 18, 2020 - Rotarians from the Kyrene Rotary Club and the Tempe Downtown club spent two hours helping the staff at T4T.

 January 16, 2020 - The first session of the 8 week AWIM project began today. You can watch weekly activities HERE

 January 13, 2020 - New club member, Oliver, gave us an overview of his history.

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.

 January 6, 2020 - 3 new members, John, Joni, and Oliver, were inducted into the club today. We look forward to their active participation

January 6, 2020 - Remy, our exchange student from France, told us about his home and country.

 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. 

 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.

 December 16, 2019 - Today President Wally presented a $2000 check to Generation Justice, Receiving the check is Rebecca Masterson, Chief Counsel and Vice President.

 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.

Please watch - you will be inspired  - Be patient it takes several seconds to load

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.

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"

 

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.

November 18,2019 - Today, Steve Sullivan, VP for Franklin Templeton, gave us an overview of today's market and where he sees things going in future.

 November 12, 2019 - Club members and friends gathered for food, drink, laughter and friendship at Charleston's. A continuation of our regular social events. 

  November 12, 2019 - Wally and Dave present a $2,000 check to The Centers for Habilitation.

 Oct 28, 2019 - Mayor Mark Mitchell, Mayor of the City of Tempe, shared with us his State of the City presentation.

 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)

 Oct 21, 2019 - Barbra Blaylok the founder and CEO of Treasures for Teachers joined us and we made a $2,000 donation to T4T.

 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.

November 12, 2019 -  Faculty and Staff awards for October were presented this week.

 Oct 17, 2019 - The Faculty award was presented to Kris Urban, Teacher-English & Journalism.

Oct 17, 2019 - Machel delivered the first batch of dictionaries for the year to 3rd grade students at ML King Elementary School

 Oct 14, 2019 - Nathan Kleve, principal of the Corona del Sol high school, was inducted as an honorary member of club.

 October 14, 2019 - Dr. Kevin Mendivil, Superintendent of the Tempe Union High School District spoke to us today.

  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.

 September 30, 2019 - Club member Mo presented a $5,000 check to Foundation President, Dave, to be given to Feed Our Babies

 September 30, 2019 - Kathleen Duncan told us about the non-profit she helped start – Steps of Love.

 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.

 Sept 26, 2019 - Club member Rob Foster presented a $5,000 check to Save the Family

 

 Sept 23, 2091 - Dara Gibson, AZCEND's Development Director spoke to our club today.

 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.

 September 16, 2019.  Yanick Hicks gave the club some suggestions to help with growth

 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.

 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

 July 29, 2019 - Lynette presents Wally with the banner she received while visiting Bali.

 July 15, 2017 - Our exchange student from Argentina, Flor, attended her last meeting with us before her departure for her home.

 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.

 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.

 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

 

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

 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.

 May 14, 2019 - President Kelly Alexander presented a $1,000 contribution to Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. 

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.

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.

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

 

 

 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.

 April 26, 2019 - President Kelly presents $1000 to the United Food Bank Board

 

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!

 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.

 

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.

 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.

 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.

 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.
 

 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.

 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.

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.

  April 05, 2019 - 

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

 

 

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!

 

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.

 
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. 

 

March 25, 2019 - The Kyrene RC presented a $500 check to the Rotarian Malaria Partners represented by honorary club member Harry.

 

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.

 

 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.

 
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. 

 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. 

 Andy has offered to collect clothes that members bring to the meeting on Monday March 25 and take them to the Clothes Cabin.

Join 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

 

 
March 16, 2019 - The Tempe Downtown and Kyrene Rotary clubs, along with exchange student Flor, provided lots of loving labor to help T4T.

 
March 15, 2019 - Today Wally and Kelly presented a $1000 check to the Tempe Community Action Agency.

  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!

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 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.

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 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

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 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.

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  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! 

 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.

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 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.

    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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

 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.

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 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. 

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 January 14, 2019 - Honorary Member Harry Short gave us a detailed presentation about Rotarian Malaria Partners (RMP).  He prefaced his description of RMP with the history, finances, and success of Rotary's Polio Plus project. Harry then gave us specific information about Malaria, especially in Africa and what actions Rotary is taking to deal with this disease.  Harry would like our club to donate $1000 to support these programs.  He hopes to visit many clubs in Arizona to raise funds.  Hopefully Harry will have success in his fund-raising endeavors.

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 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 Soldotna Alaska Rotary Club. Check out Soldotna on the Kenai Penninsula - great place to vacation if you enjoy fishing.

 

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 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.

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 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.
 

 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!

 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.

 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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)

 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.Brad Hillier is the owner of Re-bath here in the Valley and has been a strong supporter of our club's dictionary project for several years. His contributions have enabled us to provide dictionaries to well over 3000 students. Brad’s generosity is a reminder that it really only takes one person to change the world and we should never underestimate the power of one. Thank you Brad - our club appreciates your contributions.
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  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.

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 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.

 

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 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.

 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.

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 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.

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 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.Gary Pollock is the founder of Bay Isle Financial and is currently a Senior Managing Director for First Republic Bank’s Private Wealth Management Division. For the past two years, Gary has been a key sponsor for our Golf Tournament. He was instrumental in building the momentum for the inaugural tournament last year and has committed to be a key sponsor at the Platinum level for the tournament next April. Gary’s generosity is a reminder that it really only takes one person to change the world and we should never underestimate the power of one.
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 Oct 15, 2018 - Barb Blalock, our speaker, is the founder and leader of Treasures 4 Teachers.  In 2004, she observed as a 2^nd 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.  Click on "Read more" to see social media options
 

 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.

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 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!

 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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!

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 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.

  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!

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 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.

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 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.

 

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 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.

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 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.

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  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

 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.  

 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.

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 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. 

 

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   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

 

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 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 here

 

  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.

 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.

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