September 15: PDG Ken Pitts invited us to participate in the XXVI Mexico-USA Friendship Conference being held in Orizaba, Veracruz from November 5th to 8th. He also thanked our Club and several of its members for their record support of global grants presented at the conference over the years.

The recent annual Zone 26-27 conference at The Wigwam, co-chaired by Elizabeth Mahoney and Gianna Solari (8/31- 9/6) was attended by representatives of 30 Rotary Districts located throughout the Western United States and some parts of Canada. 

June 22:  Incoming District Governor Joe Sweeney presided over Incoming Club President Andrea Lowe’s installation at Tricia Hunter’s home. 

July 11:  Club President Mary Zongolowicz joined members of the Prescott Frontier Club in reading books to first to fourth grade students at the Abia Judd School in Prescott. 

May 19: Our RI Foundation Chair Mike Zongolowicz presented an updated Paul Harris Fellow pin + three rubies to Club Treasurer Steve Bjornstad.  Congratulations!

May 5:  Mike Zongolowicz presenting a Paul Harris Fellow pin to Lynne Bjornstad for exemplary service to the community.  In particular, St. Mary's Food Bank in Surprise,The Prom Closet (sponsored by Peoria North Rotary Club) at GESD System of Community Care and the Bodega Student Store at GESD Challenger School, as well and numerous Rotary Club of Sun City service projects.  

Congratulations and Thank You Lynne!

     “Get Your Game On” was DG Elizabeth Mahoney’s theme for the 2020-21 Rotary Year culminating at the District Conference in Cardinal Stadium. However, Covid-19 cancelled it along with all in-person meetings and fundraisers. Fortunately, a Celebration/Installation was held at The Wigwam on July 10.

It's Golf Fundraiser Time again at the Rotary Club of Sun City! Join RC Sun City/Sun City Satellite as we "Be The Inspiration" and Make a Difference in the World!

Click on the IMAGE BELOW for all the info, sponsorship/partnering opportunities and to Register.

After the raffle jackpot was won the week before, Mike Zongolowicz pulled the Queen of Hearts to win it at the very next meeting. Just one week sooner and Mike would have gotten $350 more. The previous week's winner, Robert Flavell, donated his winnings to feed hungry children.

DG Chuck Fitzgerald (accompanied by wife, Susan, DG Elect Paul Pulicken and Assistant DG Alvin Hancock) made his official visit to our Club on August 5. He brought greetings from RI President Gary Huang explaining this year's theme "Light Up Rotary." Chuck talked about being a proud Rotarian and challenged each of us to reflect on the time when we became a proud Rotarian. He also encouraged us to tell non-Rotarians about Rotary inviting them to join us for lunch and/or service projects. 

July 29, 2014  We were treated to an informative and energizing presentation by enthusiastic future Rotarians: Sandy Zao, Cairo Geha, Erik Adling Tufvesson and Pasquale Geha

On Wednesday July 23, our club had four volunteers who assisted the Salvation Army in their back-to-school clothing shopping at the Walmart in Peoria.  About 170 children and their parents were served in two shifts by 75 volunteers. Many of the volunteers were service men and women from Luke Air Base and some from the local Honda car dealership. It was a lot of fun, a rewarding experience and the families were very appreciative.  

Our newest member Neal Layton was sponsored by Dick Brown.

The Sun City Rotary Foundation awarded $35,000 to area charities during its 2013-14 Rotary year.
Presentations to four of them — Boy Scouts of America, Doves, Grand Canyon University and Justa Center — were made at its weekly luncheon on June 17.
The foundation, through the Rotary Club of Sun City, annually awards grants to area charities from its fundraising efforts and donations received. The Sun City club is active in other ways, including being the parent club for the largest high school Interact club in the world and presenting monthly student of the month awards to children attending an El Mirage elementary school.
Founded in 1962, just two years after Sun City was created, the Sun City Rotary Club has been involved in the community for more than 50 years. The club meets noon Tuesdays at the Grand Canyon University-Banner Boswell campus, 10484 W. Thunderbird Blvd.
Visit the Sun City Rotary Club’s Facebook page or website, www.RotaryClubSunCityAZ.com.
This year the club distributed 14 grants. They went to:
• Arizona Funeral, Cemetery & Cremation Association Foundation for Children works in conjunction with school nurses across the state identifying children with medical needs not commonly funded by other organizations. Common needs are wheelchairs, eyeglasses and specialized equipment to enable children to participate in regular scholastic activities.
• Benevilla’s Volunteer Home Services Program provides transportation, minor home repairs, obtaining groceries, weekly errands, leisure companionship and business assistance for elderly and disabled Sun City residents at no charge.
• Boy Scouts of America, Grand Canyon Council’s After School Scouting program serves the Glendale Youth Project and Dysart and Peoria school districts and community organizations by offering boys and girls a chance to participate in scouting activities at no cost.
• Doves, which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary, is Area Agency on Aging’s program for victims of late-life domestic violence and elder abuse. For up to two years, participants can receive safe housing, food, clothing, case management, transportation, referrals to needed resources and assistance in applying for benefits so they can move on to a life free from violence and fear.  
• Grand Canyon University’s College of Nursing and Health Care Professions has a 25-year history of providing outstanding education. Their baccalaureate and master’s degrees in nursing are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The grant will be used for nursing scholarships.
• Justa Center is a day resource center catering to older homeless adults, 30 percent of whom are military veterans. The center’s services include procuring safe, affordable housing, basic physical health care, mental health counseling, job assessment and training/placement assistance. It offers unique amenities such as showers, restrooms, laundry facilities, computers with internet access, lockers, coffee, books and TV.
• KAET Eight, Arizona, the local PBS station, delivers groundbreaking, high quality programming; in-depth analysis of local issues; safe, educational viewing for children; and educational outreach initiatives. Eight operates three TV channels (Eight HD, Eight Life and Eight World) twenty-four hours a day and typically ranks among the top five most viewed PBS stations in the country.
• Ryan House provides respite and palliative care to children with life threatening conditions and their families and, as needed, end-of-life care. There is no charge to families. Any child between the ages of birth and 17, living in Arizona with a life-threatening condition and care for at home, is eligible. This year, Ryan House anticipates serving more than 300 children and their families.
• Sun City Home Owners Association’s Residents Assistance and Maintenance Program provides basic needs, as well as food, electricity, day-to-day expenses, cleaning and home repairs to residents in need. The majority of assistance is performed by volunteers and is provided based on available income.
• St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance’s Emergency Food Box program is for food-insecure individuals and families in the Northwest Valley. Families receive a three-day supply of nutritionally well-balanced food including fresh, refrigerated and frozen products. The Surprise facility assisted nearly 30,000 people this past year.
• Sun Health Foundation’s Memory Care Navigator program educates families and caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease and/or dementia on what to expect and how best to cope or navigate through this disease process. Classes include memory screenings, brain fitness and meal planning for brain health.
• Sun Valley Lodge Retirement Center, the first retirement center in Sun City founded in 1965, provides a continuum of care for seniors from independent living to skilled nursing. Funds are being given to the Residents’ Assistance Fund for those who have outlived their resources.  
• After learning that third grade students in Arizona would have to pass a literacy test to advance to the next grade, the club applied for a matching grant from District 5490 Rotary to provide 166 library books suitable for grades K-3 at Thompson Ranch Elementary School in El Mirage. The Foundation also hosts student of the month lunches and awards for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students and their parents during the school year.
• Washington High School Interact Club, sponsored by the Sun City Rotary Club for 14 years, has more than 300 members participating in weekly service projects to help the less fortunate, such as Andre House, Home Base, Watkins Shelter and St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance. The Sun City Rotary Foundation awarded scholarships to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference in January and college scholarships to six graduating Interact members.

In the photo:

Receiving grants from the Sun City Rotary Club were, back from left, Gerry Kroloff for Doves, Scott Ritchey for Justa, Tom Hamlett for Boy Scouts of America and, front center, Roni Collazo for Grand Canyon University. Making the presentations for the club were Annette Valentine, front left, and Elizabeth Lowe, front right.

The Sun City Rotary Club recognized the last students of the month for the 2013-14 school year from Thompson Ranch Elementary School, 11800 W. Thompson Ranch Road, El Mirage. Students, the parents and one sibling who attended were, front from left, Esther Uribe-Reyes, Jayden Tario-Welch, Aaron Facio, Arianna Facio, back row from left, Aida Reyes, Felipe Uribe, Tasha Welch, Elsa Facio and Leo Facio. Students received a certificate and a cash award. The club will resume the program in the fall.

At our May 27 meeting, WHS Interact Club Advisor Jill Green was presented with the Presidential Citation as well as Sun City Rotary Club's Member of the Month. She is flanked by Joseangel Gonzalez and Erica Balderas who served as Co-presidents of their Club and Assistant District 5490 Governors. They presented a $1,000 check to be given to Rotary International Foundation's Polio Plus fund. Also attending were AnaRosa Huicochea and Gerson Aristondo who will succeed them as Co-presidents and Assistant Governors for the 2014-15 Rotary year.

The Sun City Rotary Club hosted a lunch for District 5490 leaders, educational dignitaries, Interact officers and sponsors on April 22. Catherine Coronado, Mary Freeland, Wendy Ramos, Jeri Shranko, and Tami Strege were awarded honorary memberships in the Sun City Rotary Club for their role in assisting Interact Advisor Jill Green in carrying out an average of five service projects a week. District Governor Duce Minor presented a second Paul Harris Fellowship to Jill Green on behalf of the Sun City Club. Representative Mark Cardenas (a WHS Interact alumni) was unable to attend due to commitments in the State Legislature, but will be given his first Paul Harris Fellow by the Club at an upcoming meeting.

A delicious lunch was prepared and served by Washington High's advanced culinary students. Interact co-presidents Joseangel Gonzalez and Erica Balderas conducted a traditional weekly Rotary meeting featuring Earth Day trivia and happy bucks to be used in connection with a purple pinkie campaign for Polio Plus being implemented by the Interact club. After being serenaded by the WHS choir including a inspiring rendition of the National Anthem, the group planted two trees on the campus for Earth Day.

Honored guests included District Governor Duce Minor, DG Elect Chuck Fitzgerald, PDG Jim Green, Associate Superintendent of Glendale Schools Brian Capistran, Glendale Board of Education member Patty Kennedy, WHS Principal Carol Lippert, Assistant Principals Tami Strege, Eric Zimmerman and Jeff Parsons.

 Miles Keegan explained to Sun City Rotarians the various duties of a county constable. In the position, he serves orders of protection, evictions and other legal documents. Considered part of law enforcement, but not quite a sworn police officer, constables are rare in the United States; Arizona is one of only 18 states that still have constables. 

Our first meeting at Grand Canyon University location was a winner! Chef Robert served the best lunch we've had in years. Our inbound exchange student, Agnes, gave a beautiful and educational program on her homeland Poland. Come visit us ... reservations at suncityrotary@gmail.com

At our December 10 meeting, Bob Solis' program provided insights into Rotary history. Jim Hargrave scored the most points with 16 out of 47 correct answers. You could only answer the second part of a question IF you answered the first part correctly. For the education of those who did not attend, the answers follow in bold.

During a Nov. 19 visit to the Sun City Rotary Club, Jose Angel, Washington High School Interact Club co-president, shared that the group topped the 300-member mark this year. The Washington club is the largest and most active Interact club in Rotary International, and is sponsored by the Sun City club.

The club's September Students of the Month from Thompson Ranch Elementary School and their parents were honored Oct. 22. Students were Monssarat Ayala, Nicole Valdez and Eve Sperry. They were accompanied by their parents (and one grandparent) Angie Valdez, Gina Lopez, Nicole Ferrier and Scarlott Lawlar. See more photos on the club's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sun-City-Rotary-Club/111302695607646

in celebrating Rotary's 100th anniversary in Arizona by packing meals for Feed My Starving Children!

Pam Fitzgerald, President of the Washington Park Neighborhood Association sent the following to Jill Green, advisor to our Washington High School Interact Club.

Photo:  Gerry Keroloff (Doves), Joanne Anderson (Benevilla), Mike Zongolowicz (Foundation Chair), Patricia Fehlhaber (St. Mary’s Food Bank Alliance), ellise l.g. hayden (Adelante Healthcare) and Bob Solis (Sun City Rotary Club President)

The Sun City Youngtown Rotary Foundation awarded $40,000 in grants to area charities at its weekly luncheon June 21 at the Sun City Country Club in Sun City. Awards were given to:

The Sun City Rotary Club hosted the wonderful District 5490 conference at The Wigwam this past weekend. Vicki Frye and Vicky Fox did a fantastic job in planning and execution. No detail was overlooked. Presentations by the GSE team from Taiwan, Youth Exchange and, of course, Rotary International General Secretary Ed Futa, Past RI President Cliff Dochterman, Col. Jeffey R. Weed, and Ambassadorial Scholar Second Lieutenant Kathryn Murphy  were powerful and entertaining. The Casino Night, presided over by our President Bob Solis, was great fun and a huge success and the memorial release of the doves provided a moving finish to the conference. Congratulations to all those Sun City members who assisted in many ways and for our club's solid attendance in support of our esteemed Club Member and current District Governor Jim Green.

Darlene Roach, center, Thompson Ranch Elementary School Interact Club advisor and school librarian, accepts books from Sun City Rotarians, from left, Jim Hargrave, Elizabeth Lowe, Annette Valentine, Jim Green, James Valentine and Fernando Gomez. The club donated about 2,700 books to the school, located in El Mirage, through a $3,500 matching grant from member Charley Trantina, the club’s Foundation and Rotary District 5490.

Rotarian Bob Solis walked 700 miles from the Open Arms orphanage near East London, South Africa, to Cape Town in 30 days.

Internal Medicine Sun City,-Surprise Annual Title Sponsor Sun City Rotary Club Foundation