Thanks to Sue, Clare, Michael & his daughter Brianna, Chris and Benny the dog for working to get the Rotary Park looking good!
Join us for a night full of fun, food and fellowship!10/10/2019 Meeting commenced 6:00 pm at The Steak Out with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Four Way Test, and A moment of silence for Reflection
PRESENT: Members: Anne Gibson, President; Reba Webber, Secretary; Sue Archibald; Clare Bonelli; Phil Eiker; Doug Gann; Susan Scott
HAPPY BUCKS:
Anne: So happy to wrap up the distribution of the 3rd grade dictionaries
Doug: His Digital Arts and Media Company is finally up and operating LLC!
Phil: Glad to be back, and glad that those he just left are in good shape
Clare: was on vacation for a few days at Parker Canyon Lake and feeling rested, got the community newsletter out, her daughter meets this week on her dissertation hoping for a December graduation (congrats Sparky!), and feeling better about the Career Fair since meeting with Michael Young
Sue: Her husband is home for 2 weeks!
Susan: Got to participate in distributing the Dictionaries and U of A football is now 4 and 1!
Reba: Celebrating the fact that the Michigan Wolverines beat Iowa in big win!
PRESIDENTS REPORT:
1) The PUHS Student of the Month was identified at a morning ceremony attended by Ann. The student, Sidney McKay, was selected by the Art teacher and will attend the next Rotary meeting.
2) Anne discussed the distribution of the 3rd grade dictionaries with the Club, and advised Sue that we will need to order more for next year, 43 were passed out and depleted our inventory. Anne, Reba & Susan shared their experiences in meeting the children and the fun had by all.
3) When there are 5 Thursdays in a month (we meet on 2 of those) the Club has held a social get together. Anne proposed having a club potluck and barbecue at our Rotary Park. The event will show the community how the park can and will be used. Members approved a barbecue for 10/31st at 5 pm with members. Anne will supply the meats and buns; members will supply side dishes and desserts. This is a BYOB event. Anne will email all members with details regarding the event.
4) A fund-raising project that Anne has discovered, www.donortrail.com, was discussed with club members. DonorTrail was developed to provide for ways to raise funds for charitable projects. Anne believes that we maybe able to apply to the businesses in the area, especially the wineries. She will investigate what the club would need to do to use this program and provide feedback at the next meeting.
AG Presidents Report:
Reminders:
Bisbee Rotary Club’s “The Taste of Bisbee” will be 10/12/19. This is their big fund-raiser.
11/9/19 is the Foundation dinner at the Playground bar and lounge in Tucson. Check it out on the District website to register
The DG visit is still scheduled for 11/14/19 (with our club)
11/26/19 is World Polio Day. There will be a showing of the movie Breathe at the Loft in Tucson. Breathe is the critically acclaimed story of Robin Cavendish, who contracted polio at age 28, but who survived and became an advocate for the disabled. Check out the District website for more information.
Our club will participate in the 4 WAY TEST Essay Contest, open to all high school students. Anne will contact the schools about this. The club will pick a winner to submit to the District.
RYLA deadline is next week, and we have already chosen a 1 Jr Counselor & 1 delegate.
CASINO NIGHT (2/22/2020):
The proposed Sponsorship form for the event was distributed to the members, and discussion took place regarding the levels of, benefits of, and obtaining sponsorship for the event. Sue noted that we probably need to think about sponsorships of less than $250, which is the lowest level on the form. How can we acknowledge those donations? To ensure success of the event Anne is challenging members to obtain a sponsor or sell 5 tickets to the event. Also, each member will need to commit to providing baskets for the raffle (valued at $50-100 in the raffle). Anne will follow up with an email to all members to reinforce those items.
Sue noted that for the committee members, plan for 100-125 people attending the event.
Clare proposed an idea to partner with businesses in the area regarding the event. Businesses like wineries, and B&B’s would market a “Sonoita Weekend” package that includes the Casino Night. She will provide an update at the next meeting.
Career Fair (3/27/20):
Clare & Reba had a productive meeting with Michael Young, discussed details on breakout sessions, key note speakers, additional careers we might highlight and contacts for those careers, how we will communicate with each other & with any participants, and clarified our roles and responsibilities. We are now reviewing the documents that Randy sent and are beginning to identify which participants to contact for the event.
New Business:
Reminder, any project brought to the club must be partnered with a fund-raiser.
Ideas for the Holiday schedule of meetings will be on the next agenda. Just a reminder that we do not meet on holidays.
Meeting adjourned at 6:52 pm
10/24/2019 Meeting commenced at The Steak Out with the Pledge of Allegiance, the Four Way Test, and Anne asking for well wishes concerning Ellen Kentnor, who was just involved in a traffic accident at the crossroads.
PRESENT: Members: Anne Gibson, President; Reba Webber, Secretary; Sue Archibald; Clare Bonelli; Joseph DeWolf; Phil Eiker; Mary Faley; Leslie Kramer; Susan Scott
Visitors & presenters: Anne introduced Staff writer Marion Vendituoli & Board member Donna Lee from the Patagonia Regional Times
Polio Video: In recognition of World Polio Day, Sue provided a video that provided some of the Rotary efforts in fighting and eradicating polio. She will follow up with members with a link for the video.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Anne: Donation made on behalf of Rotary work in eradicating Polio & for Ellen Kentnor for a quick recovery
Phil: Daughter had a good week
Joseph: Had a great time visiting the Superstitious Mountains as part of a trip for niece’s wedding
Clare: Mike is doing well and has delivered13 cords of wood to the Cowboy Church
Leslie: Happy that her dog had been extremely ill, but is finally showing signs of recovery
Mary: Happy that Ginny Cosbey had and is recovering from her surgery & also announced that Elgin School is looking for a basketball coach and wants us all to get the word out
Sue: Donating for the cause of Polio & looking forward to the cruise this weekend
Susan: Happy for the Golden Eye that is blooming everywhere this year
Reba: Hoping for Wisconsin win over Ohio State & that Michigan can beat Notre Dame
Visitors: gave a donation for World Polio Day
PRESIDENTS REPORT:
1) The Club Social, a potluck barbeque is still scheduled for October 31st at 5:00 pm at the Rotary Park. So far 15 have signed up, so please sign up if you haven’t already. Leslie needs to know how many brauts will be needed. This is a BYOB party, utensils and plates will be provided
2) The Club had 2 applicants for RYLA this year, Hannah Woodward (recommended by Michael Young) and Amaris Ochoa-Tovar. Hannah has been selected and Amaris will be back up.
3) Casino Night posters and tickets have been ordered & the publicity flyers are ready for distribution. Anne will put the flyer on the website & send via email to members. Anne reminded members that she would like each of them to commit to purchase/sell 5 tickets for the event. Also to work on obtaining sponsors, we need the sponsors to make this a really successful event. Leslie has already obtained 2 sponsors who normally support the golf tournament. Silent Auction items were also needed, so members need to try to identify or obtain auction worthy items. Current example is that Anne will be donating a dinner for a large party at the Babacomari Ranch. Also, each member is to put together a basket for the raffles. Sue collects items during the year (for raffles) and will bring items to the Club members for them to use in the baskets, if needed.
Reba & Clare are on the Food committee, and Reba noted that Clare Bonelli had suggested that we might use the Youth Center in Patagonia to cater the event. We would not need to pay them, but could advertise their participation and allow them a separate donation jar. The Club may also use this approach to appeal to potential younger members. Clare will meet with the Youth Center co-coordinator next week to discuss their availability.
4) During the discussion of the Casino Night event, Anne and Sue stressed that the Casino Night was not designed to be an annual event. The Club needs other fundraisers and cannot just rely on the Golf Tournament as our only fundraiser. Members were encouraged to think about ideas for the Club and bring those ideas to the members for discussion.
5) The PUHS Student of the Month, Sidney McKay, could not attend tonight due to an away game, but will be attendance next meeting.
Guest Speaker: Marian Venditouli, Patagonia Regional Times (PRT):
Reflecting on the work of the Rotary Club and World Polio Day, Marion opened her presentation paraphrasing a quote from cultural anthropologist Margaret Mean: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful dedicated people can change the world.” It was noted that this applied to the PRT staff and board, a totally 100% volunteer organization. PRT provides local news for the Patagonia/Elgin/Sonoita areas that is not included in the for profit newspapers like the Nogales International. Referred to as “community journalism”, PRT does have ads in their paper, but relies primarily on donor funding to finance their organization. Over 50% of their income is from donors. Marion stressed that PRT will participate in NewsMatch, a national fundraising program that will match donations received between November 1st and December 31st, up to $1000 per donation. Additionally, if PRT can secure 100 new donors, they will be eligible for a goal-based bonus. Last years bonus was $5000. It was noted that the PRT is a tax-exempt organization and donations are tax deductible.
Marion also noted other changes that are and have occurred at PRT. PRT has been accepted for membership by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), expanded their online presence with the additions of twitter and facebook, a provides breaking news to users on the website, expanded the information on the website, and is collaborating with the U of A for a program to will provide assistance from graduate journalism students to work at PRT.
PRT is celebrating their 10th anniversary this year, and is sponsoring a photo and essay contest for high school and middle school students in the community. There will be a celebration event on November 30th from 2 to 4pm at the Tin Shed Theater in Patagonia for the anniversary. The community is invited and the results of the contest will also be on display.
For more details, call PRT or go online to the PRT website:
patagoniaregionaltimes.org
Meeting adjourned
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The Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park Dedication
Kudos and Amen go to the Mountain Empire Rotary Club who celebrated the Grand Dedication of the Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park in Sonoita on Sunday 9/29th. This has been a monumental project comprising 10 full years of dedication and commitment by the club members who have morphed thru a few club transformations in that time period. Steadfast and diligent, today the club and its community supporters witnessed the fine celebration of 10 years of working within our multi-faceted community to accomplish a worthwhile endeavor. THANK YOU, each and all, for whatever part you played along the way in the development and realization of a dream come true. Its been a long haul and we've shone thru in true Rotary fashion thru the thick and thin of it! We truly missed each of you who were not able to attend and join in our celebration and in honoring Fred with his family. The Dedication ceremony was a beautiful example of various community leaders and organizations working together to achieve something special collaboratively. We hope that you will use + enjoy the Park and encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. We will have a Club Social at the Park in the near future ... stay tuned!
Meeting commenced 6:00pm at The Steak Out with The Pledge of Allegiance, a personal moment of silence for Invocation, and the 4 Way Test.
PRESENT: Members - Phil Eiker, President; Anne Gibson, Secretary; Leslie Kramer, Susan Scott, Sue Archibald, Reba Webber, Mary Faley, Roger Cogan, Michael Young; New Members: Clare Bonelli, Doug Gann. Guests: Ms. Rebecca Ford, Librarian, PUHS; Chesed Chap + her Dad, May Student of the Month; Cassina Farley, Art Teacher, PUHS; Reyna Ochoa + her sister + her Mom, March Student of the Month.
HAPPY BUCKS: Not recorded, but FUN and WONDERFUL, nonetheless 
$50 raised and donated to Arianna Ochoa, PUHS student and sister of Reyna Ochoa, for her Go Fund Me effort to participate in the SSVEC trip to Washington, DC. Please visit her Go Fund Me page https://www.gofundme.com/help-send-arriana-to-dc
$50 raised and donated to Arianna Ochoa, PUHS student and sister of Reyna Ochoa, for her Go Fund Me effort to participate in the SSVEC trip to Washington, DC. Please visit her Go Fund Me page https://www.gofundme.com/help-send-arriana-to-dcSURPRISE PRESENTATION! Deborah Fellows, reknown artist, presented the magnificent plaque in honor of Fred Sang for the Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park.
Everyone present was deeply touched and there were tears shed in remembrance of Fred and appreciation to Deborah for her personal contribution. Special thanks to Leslie for her work in this very special effort. The Park dedication is yet to be scheduled ... stay tuned ...
NEW MEMBER INDUCTIONS: Susan, Membership Chair, inducted Clare Bonelli and Doug Gann! Both have interesting and amibitious Bios and we know they'll be terrific members.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH: Michael Young, Behavior Specialist, PUHS, presented Chesed Chap as May's Student of the Month, selected by Ms. Rebecca Ford, Librarian AND Reyna Ochoa, March's Student of the Month, selected by Cassina Farley, Art Teacher, PUHS.
Peter Chap (Dad); Chesed Chap, May Student of the Month; Ms. Rebecca Ford, Librarian, PUHS; Michael Young, PUHS
Mom Ochoa; Reyna Ochoa, March Student of the Month; Cassina Farley, Art Teacher, PUHS; Michael Young, PUHS
NEW BUSINESS:
Summer Meeting Schedule: Due to travel/vacation plans of many members we will only be meeting on the following dates: Installation Dinner 20th June and 22nd August. Our schedule will resume normally with the 12th September meeting. Its VITAL that all members continue to work thru the summer on the Golf Tournament, soliciting sponsors, players, etc ...
2019-20 Budget Review: Treasurer, Sue, presented the budget proposal for the upcoming year. Essentially, dues will remain the same, inspite of an increase by Rotary International dues. Sue will send out the proposed budget to the membership for a vote. Leslie, Treasurer of our Foundation, advises that the Foundation account will essentially be "zeroed out" once we've paid out the multiple student awards + scholarships and various projects due this summer. For the past several years the Foundation has contributed $100 for every club member to the Paul Harris Foundation. A motion was made, and unanimously approved, that the $100 donation will only be made for club members who are present for atleast 50% of meetings and projects. Other members are encouraged to make the minimum of $100 donation to the Paul Harris Foundation on their own. The recent Chili Cook-Off garnered $1058 *** Thanks to Susan and those who volunteered for a fun day.
2019 Student Awards Ceremonies: Our club presents a $100 award to six 8th Grade students from Elgin School and Patagonia Elementary. Following are the awards: Elgin School, to be presented by Sue Archibald on Thurs 23rd May to Nick Dektyar for Academics; Ryan Anderson for Citizenship; Brent Nicola for Athletics. Patagonia Elementary, to be presented by Randy Heiss and Inge Meyer on Thurs 23rd May to Amaris Ochoa-Tovar for Citizenship; Madeline McGuire for Scholarship; Elizabeth Urias for Leadership. Reba Webber will present the $1,000 Post Graduate Scholarships at PUHS on Friday 24th May to Gianna Martin. We need someone to attend the Buena High School Awards Ceremony on Tuesday 14th May to present the scholarship certificate to Hannah Rogers.
OLD BUSINESS:
President Installation Dinner update: You all should have received an E-vite for Thursday 20th June, 5:30pm at Anne Gibson's home on the Babacomari Ranch, 2638 Hwy 83. Leslie and Susan have graciously offered to feature Sonoran Hot Dogs. Club members are asked to provide either a salad or a dessert. Anne will provide a modest bar/drinks (Mexican beer, white+red wine, iced tea, lemonaid, coffee). If you have a particular drink of choice please bring for your enjoyment. Its very important that you RSVP so we have enough food and tables set for everyone. If you have not received an invitation please contact Anne ASAP.
South 32 mines tour: Randy has done a great job at setting up a private tour for our club on Sunday 23rd June, time to be determined. Stay tuned for details. Regardless of how you feel about the controversial mining issue in our community, it's important to be engaged and have all the information.
Kino Border Initiative and Grant update: Phil continues to work with Fr. Sean on the new facility in Nogales, Sonora. Unfortunately the timing of the Global Grant and District Grant application prevents us from meeting the deadlines in June and July of this year. Incoming President, Anne, is committed to making this a priority for the upcoming year. We will continue to pursue this project.
Park dedication: Many of us had the benefit of seeing the handsome plaque that will be set at the entrance to the park. Leslie continues to work with folks at the Fairgrounds and with the fellow who will be constructing the overhead entry way. Stay tuned for a dedication date.
Golf Tournament update: Leslie reminds us that the tournament is our primary annual fundraiser and a huge endeavor which requires dedication and effort from every member. Tournament date is Saturday 2nd November at Kino Springs Golf Club. While the club will be on "vacation" much of the summer its crucial that each of us continues to solicit sponsors and golfers. I will attach the publicity poster and golfer sign-up sheet on our website for each of you to print and distribute. Our club does SO MUCH great work in the community and we can only continue with the success of the golf tournament. Every member of the club must actively participate.
District 5500 updates: Incoming Governor, Ellie Patterson's, Induction Lunch is Sunday 23rd June, at the Tubac Country Club, 11:00am. Please go to this link to register (required) https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=e5be3236-126f-4b42-844b-21fc0c500dd1 . The District has the very ambitious goal to become the primary sponsor of the El Tour de Tucson and the Ride to End Polio, needing to raise $50,000 in the next month or 2! Its amazing to note that $53 MILLION has been raised for Rotary's fight to end polio thru El Tour de Tucson in the past 9 yrs. Please visit https://www.gofundme.com/Rotary-District-5500-sponsorship-of-el-tour for more info. A motion was filed and unanimously approved for our club to donate $100 from our Foundation on behalf of the club.
Meeting adjourned 7:20pm
Meeting convened at The Steak Out at 6:00pm with The Pledge of Allegiance and an Invocation by Sue Archibald.
Present: Mary Faley, Leslie Kramer, Reba Webber, Inge Meyer, Sue Archibald, Susan Scott, and Anne Gibson
Guests: Clare Bonneli and Doug Gann
Happy Bucks: Susan: Yay for the UofA Women's Wildcat Basketball Team; Sue: Granddaughter, Audrey, received scholarships and accepted to attend Seattle University; Inge: was on steriods for 4 mos and is now happy to be off; Reba: now able to drive for the first time in months (due to back issues); Leslie: celebrated 66 yrs yesterday (! Happy Bday Leslie!); Doug: a friend of his was one of the engineers who worked on the Space X rocket which launched successfully today; Mary: her daughter is expecting her, Mary's, 7th Granddaughter; Clare: presented an offer on land in the Wildlife Corridor; Anne: fulfilled that she has 2 wks left on her 6 mos contract to open a new medical clinic in Sierra Vista.
2019 Scholarships: Anne announced that the Scholarship Committee had 7 really outstanding applicants. Gianna Martin (PUHS) and Hannah Rodgers (Benson High) were selected. Mary Faley, Reba Webber, Sue Archibald, Charlie Kentnor, and Anne Gibson comprised the Scholarship Committee.
Old Business: Sue reminded the members about the upcoming "Spring Training" for new members and new Club Officers, at the Green Valley Country Club on Saturday 5/4th. She also reminded about the speaker program in Sierra Vista on Thurs 4/25th, with Phil Silvers, Rotarian, giving a historical background of Rotary in District 5500. This program is at the Sierra Suites Hotel in Sierra Vista. Sue also brought up the District Conference which happens to be a 3 day cruise from Long Beach CA to Ensenada, MX. The club pays for the President to attend the District Conference, but Anne has a real problem with the club paying for a "cruise". Sue has already signed up, at her own expense. Anne conceded with the agreement that she will split the cost 50/50 with the club.
Mary Faley reminded all about Elgin School's Extravaganza on May 3rd. Our club will host a table featuring the work that our club does for the local schools & community. Susan Scott and Anne have committed and ALL our Rotarians are urged to attend, wearing your Rotary "swag" to present a strong presence + awareness of Rotary's contributions to our community.
Presidency Hand-Off: Anne announced that the Installation Dinner would be Thursday, 6/20, at the Babacomari Ranch "Big House". Leslie & Susan offered to feature their Sonoran Hot Dogs. The rest of the club can do "PotLuck w/complimentary side dishes and desserts (PS ... the location will have to be changed due to a major project at the Babacomari Ranch ... please stayed tune ...)
Outreach to Border Patrol: tabled due to the absence of Randy who was coordinating this effort.
Outreach to South 32 mining in the Patagonia Mntns: tabled due to the absence of Randy who attended a tour and is coordinating a tour for club members.
District Grant and Kino Border Initiative: tabled due to the absence of Phil who is coordinating with Fr. Sean.
Park Dedication: Leslie provided update. She continues to work with Deb Fellows and the foundry who are producing the dedication plaque to Fred Sang. The foundry estimates that they will have the plaque completed sometime in April. Leslie is also following up with Cody who is constructing the overhead entry. As soon as Leslie has a delivery date for the plaque we will schedule the Dedication.
Further New Business: Sue presented the updated Treasurer's Report which will be available on Rotary's Club Runner under Documents.
Chili Cook-off: Susan listed the volunteers w/their tasks; as always more volunteers are needed and appreciated.
Meeting adjourned at 6:40pm
Meeting convened, 5:55pm, at The Steak Out
Present: Phil Eiker, Roger Cogan, Inge Meyer, Mary Faley, Susan Scott, Charlie Kentnor, Randy Heiss, Anne Gibson
Guests: Clare Bonelli
Phil opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and an Invocation; he then introduced Inge and Clare, welcoming Inge back as a rejoined member and Clare as a potential new member.
Randy gave an update on our club's Reach Out to The Border Patrol and South 32 (mine operations in the Patagonia Mntns). The Border Patrol is having to close lanes at the border due to shifting personnel to other highly critical areas. Randy spoke to someone at South 32 about mine tours and he will take a tour on the Saturday following this meeting to get more info. Randy also suggested making award to either of these organizations (or a specific member of that organization), recognizing their impact as large forces in our community. Randy will get in touch with Rosalyn, US Border Patrol community liaison.
The Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park dedication is pending construction of the plaque. Leslie has done great work in the design effort, collaborating with local artist Deborah Fellows, the folks at the Fairgrounds, and various contractors. We decided to hold the dedication once the plaque is in place, regardless if the iron archway is done or not.
Chili Cook-Off update: Susan is working with the chili folks and Charleen Manning on details, all we need are WORKERS! The date is Saturday 4/13. This is our club's second biggest fundraiser and the opportunity for YOU, our members, to step up and be Rotarians ... "walk the walk" ... Please contact Susan to schedule your availability to participate. This is a REALLY FUN event that $$$ benefits our club.
Kino Border Initiative Global Grant update: Phil gave an update on continued efforts for a Global Grant to benefit the Kino Border Initiative new Comedor in Nogales, Sonora at the Mariposa Border crossing. He is working with Fr. Sean to identify a specific Rotary project (ie Men's + Women's Bath/Shower Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Dormitory, etc) To update y'all ... a former warehouse right at the border has been acquired with plans to convert it to a place where migrants and refugees can be fed, receive basic medical attention, and spend a safe night. We need 2 members to participate in Rotary's on-line Grant Writing webinar as part of qualification for the grant.
New Business: Mary announced Elgin School's Extravaganza & Community Showcase (formerly the Burger Burn), Friday 3rd May, 5:30-7:30pm. The school staff is providing a complimentary "Pizza Palooza" dinner for all in attendance. There will be student performances, classroom open house, and a book fair. Our club will have a table exhibiting our work & contributions to Elgin School. Please mark your calendars and plan to represent our club's support for Elgin School; wear your Rotary pride garments (shirts, hats, pins, etc ...) Let's make this a great opportunity to showcase our club and recruit new/young families to the value of Rotary.
Phil presents a new Agenda Item named "Bitch & Moan" wherein members have an opportunity to speak up! Inge pitched right in with her observation that our club's "Little Library" at the Sonoita MiniMart is in dire need of attention. As this Little Library is a direct reflection of our club its important that we make it's maintenance a regular (monthly?) chore. Anyone interested? Roger followed with concern about who, specifically/officially, is responsible for regular maintenance of the Park. Some mentioned that the prisoners gang who do maintenance work at the Fairgrounds, also do so for the Park. Is there a formal/written agreement?
Meeting promptly adjourned at 7:05pm
Meeting convened 6:00pm at The Steak Out, following a 30 minute social/networking opportunity. The meeting opened with the "Pledge of Allegiance", an Invocation, and a review of the 4 Way Test tenets.
Present: Phil Eiker, Sue Archibald, Reba Webber, Roger Cogan, Leslie Kramer, and Anne Gibson. Guests: AG, "Hank" Huisking, fellow Rotarian from Sierra Vista Rotary Steve Hester, Mary Wood, Alex Ramos, Carmen Gomez, Al Ellefson, Faith Boice, Marti Conway, RYLA students: "Evie" Ramos, Gianna Martin, "Coco" Whitcoe, and Student of the Month Gideon Ellefson.
Happy Bucks: Phil: delighted his daughter, Manon, had a good professional training opportunity; Reba: loved spending Valentines Day with the Pre-Schoolers + Kindergarteners at Patagonia School giving out books; Steve Hester: happy to join us to tell us about a fun event he's promoting; Sue: 1) shared with us the wonderful BIG Thank You Book that the kids from Patagonia School gave us; 2) welcome to the RYLA gals; 3) welcome to her daughter, Mary Wood, and grandson, Alex; Anne: happy to have so many students present for our meeting as beneficiaries of our Rotary club; Hank: happy to be at our meeting and loving the great weather today.
Special Recognition: Phil was sorry that Charlie Kentnor was not present to receive his 2nd Paul Harris Fellow Award. This award is a distinguished recognition of Rotarians who donate $1,000 to the Paul Harris Foundation.
Student of the Month: Carmen Gomez, Spanish teacher at PUHS, presented the award to Gideon Ellefson for his improvement in tackling a foreign language, and being a strong team player. Gideon was present with his Dad, Al.
Old Business:
Career Fair update: Randy phoned in his update. Attached is the Itinerary. Randy has enlisted 51 individuals and various agencies to present their careers to the students. He's fine-tuned the format based on last year's responses. This year's Key Note Speaker will be Dean Fish, Ph.D, locally famous Agriculture advocate + expert. Our club is hosting the Hospitality House, with Sue and Reba organizing and they need HELP. Please contact either of them if you can help out. We are strongly encouraged to attend, either to help out in any way ... or to simply see what an amazing event has been developed for the Patagonia and Elgin/Sonoita students. Friday 8th March 8:45am PUHS Please see Itinerary included herein.
Rio Rico Rotary Club Bike Race: Saturday 23rd March. Our club "mans" the drink station for the racers in Patagonia; the table is located outside the public restrooms in the town park. Randy, Anne, and Phil have volunteered. The Rio Rico Rotary Club sponsors a Golf Hole in our own annual Golf Tournament in gratitude for our help in their event.
The Fred B. Sang Memorial Rotary Park update: Leslie has been working with Deborah Fellows in the design/construction of the special plaque honoring Fred. They are shooting for a Dedication in May, allowing time for the plaque and the entry to be constructed. Leslie is also coordinating with Jennifer of the Fairgrounds.
AG "Hank" Huisking district update: Hank passed out a comprehensive Calendar of Events for our Region 11 and District 5500 for the next few months, included herein. Please look at it as there are some really great events happening around Southern AZ for Rotarians. Hank highlighted a few of the events. She also urged us to set a date for our Officers Installation.
Guest Speakers: Marti Conway & Faith Boice of the Empire Ranch Foundation gave us an interesting historical background of the Ranch and the development of the Foundation. On-going renovations of the historic buildings is a focus of their work along with the very many events held at the Ranch. I've included, herein, their "Working Calendar" of events from their most recent newsletter, along with a flyer for their upcoming Milestone Celebration on Saturday 23rd March. Their Foundation is always looking for volunteers who can fulfill an endless list of tasks. Please note their website on both of the included flyers.
RYLA presentation: Our club sponsored 2 students from PUHS, Gianna Martin and Coco Whitcoe, along with Evie Ramos, Sue Archibald's granddaughter, to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards in the woods above Prescott over Martin Luther King holiday weekend. The gals gave a fun presentation sharing their favorite events and the challenges they tackled. Each of the gals voiced their excitement and appreciation of the opportunity; they each noted that they gained valuable leadership skills and CONFIDENCE. Its really wonderful to see the value of the work we Rotarians do in providing opportunities for our local youth.
Kino Border Initiative update: Phil continues to work with Fr. Sean in developing a project for their new facility in Nogales, Sonora. Phil's hope is to enlist the partnership of several of the Sierra Vista Rotary Clubs in getting a Global Grant. Global Grants are a minimum of $30,000, and the application deadline is in July. The biggest task at hand is to identify a specific project and come up with a realistic budget.
Last but not least ... Guest Rotarian Steve Hester presented a flyer (attached) of an upcoming concert event in Tucson, benefitting The Ronald McDonald House and TROT. He promises a rockin fun time.
We packed ALOT of business and great presentations in this meeting ... Adjourned at 7:15pm
Attendees: Phil, Rachel, Mary, Sue, Susan, Roger, Leslie, Reba; Students of the month & their guests (see below),
Happy Bucks: Phil: $1 for his daughter's safe return home to Vermont after her visit to Phil; $5 to thank Anne for hosting such a great party. Sue: $1 Grand-daughter returned from RYLA; $1 her husband had his hip surgery and is doing great; $1 her grandson has a new name for her husband since his surgery, its Grumpy Grandpa. Mary: $1 enjoying wintering here instead of in Michigan. Leslie: $1 Her law partner had surgery and is doing well; $1 For her beloved Wisconsin Badger basketball team beating #2 Michigan!!
Student of the month:
The students that attended the meeting were as follows.
1. Jesus Lopez Barreda for English accompanied by Michael Young (Patagonia Elementary & High School Behavior Intervention Specialist). 2. John Hubbell for AG. Science accompanied by his parents, Denny & Tonya Hubbell, and teacher Ms. Zamudio. 3. Isaiah Ruiz for History, was unable to attend the meeting due to a family emergency. He will be recognized at the high school next week with his parents or grandparents.
3. Old Business
a. President’s Report:
- Charlie has received his Paul Harris Fellowship
- Per our last meeting, Phil asked that functions of the Club bank account and the Foundation bank account be discussed. He stressed again that it was confusing for some members on what funds are used for which functions. It will also shed light on how new and upcoming projects are supported. Leslie and Susan informed the members that they had formed the Foundation, kept separate from Rotary International, in order to keep charitable event money available for support of local events/projects. Leslie noted that the Foundation has a checking, savings and money market account, which includes the returned grant money from the Kino Initiative. Projects, such as the new Park, fall under the Foundation. Leslie currently manages the Foundation and maintains the records, which are separate from the Club Treasurer functions.
- Phil had received a request for volunteers to help pass out water to bikers during the Patagonia Bike Race scheduled for March 23, 2019. Randy and Reba had done this last year. He asked for any volunteers. We only need 2, the water is supplied and a table is put out in Patagonia (at the bathroom areas of the park.) Job entails handing out water to any bikers that stop. Contact Phil if to work on this event.
b. Treasurer’s Report:
- Sue went over the Profit and Loss statement, noting that there is $3500 cash on hand not noted on the handout. The statement from July through December 2018 reflected a negative net income $842.79, but Sue noted that we had not received another $500 from PETS, and some members club dues were outstanding. This handout reflected the most current information available.
c- Project Status Report:
Career Fair:
The identity issues that Randy had reported have been resolved according to Sue. The Career Fair is scheduled for March 8, 2019 and planning meetings are scheduled and being held. Randy, Sue, Rachel and Michael Young are working on the details. Sue said that we would need $100 from the Foundation for expenses, the same as we spent last year.
d. District 5500 Conference
Sue shared that we had received the Rotary Citation she discussed in the previous meeting, and displayed the copy for the members.
New Business:
a. New Banners
-Susan has received the new banners and they are in storage.
b. RYLA
-Sue reported that RYLA participants have returned and that feedback was extremely positive from those we sponsored, including her granddaughter.
c. Rotary Park (Plaque) status
- Leslie reported that the plaque design commemorating Fred Sang is finished and Deborah will be forwarding the final design to the club for approval. The podium is still an open issue and being addressed
d . District Grant –Kino Border Initiative
-The matching grant from the Kino Border Initiative issue, discussed at last meeting, has been returned. We have kept $937, placed in a separate account. Father Sean still needs support for making improvements to their new warehouse. Club members were supportive of this direction and we will need to reapply for another grant, possibly with other clubs, or a Global Grant. Phil is working with Father Sean to determine what the actual costs will be for the improvements to the warehouse (i.e. kitchen, dining room, bathrooms, etc.) . Those costs will determine the grant amount. Phil has weekly call with Father Sean that includes discussion of the improvements and costs. He will report status at next meeting. Sue will check to see if there is a new minimum on Global Grants.
e. Golf Tournament status
- Leslie emphasized again that the work on the tournament needs to be distributed among the members, so that she will eventually not have the sole responsibility of coordinating the event. She and Fred have been the coordinators, and now that Fred is no longer here it has become a more difficult project to manage. This has been the main fundraiser for the club, but Leslie noted that the trend for funds has been going down. Instead of netting $20K we used to raise, we are closer to $12K now. But it is still the main fundraiser for the club. Leslie has established connections with the big donors, and the golf club, as well as being one member who understands how to set up a golf tournament. Most members do not even play golf. Phil suggested that if we decide not to do tournament that we could do a lot of smaller events during the year OR we need to step up and all participate in helping with the tournament. A decision must be made now since the tournament is usually held in April. Leslie noted that the Chili Cook Off, also held in April, brings in about $3000, so the tournament is still our biggest moneymaker and eliminating it will be very difficult for the club. Finding big donors will be the key to any smaller events. Phil suggested that we move the tournament to the fall, that will give us more time to redistribute the work and make decisions regarding the future of the event. Leslie will contact the golf club to see if that is a possibility, due to the maintenance of the course. Susan suggested holding a special meeting on 1/29 at 5:30pm, and Phil will notify all members. Phil asked that the goal of the meeting should be to define the components of the event, identify the sponsors, identify potential new sponsors, and assign tasks to members.
NEW BUSINESS (not on the agenda)
- Phil noted that the club needed to think about developing new fundraisers, and he would like to see the members bring some ideas forward at the next meeting. Examples he discussed were: a bike race similar to the Tour de Tucson which Anne had suggested last year; partnering with other clubs; partnering with other organizations, etc. Club members discussed how they really need to think about new fundraisers, especially since many of our past donors no longer are available, not giving, and our current fundraisers are not bringing in that much money.
- Rachel discussed the problem with the Patagonia Pool, the broken filtration system and maintenance repairs that need to be done. The Pool maybe shut down due to the expenses. She is trying to obtain community support in an effort to keep it open. She would like all of us to think about the issue and see what we could do to help.
- Sue discussed the government shutdown and how it is impacting the border patrol. She would like the club to assist in someway. Community members are already taking food to the patrol headquarters. Sue and Susan have talked with border patrol agents about what support they would need. But the agents said that, per their internal directives, they couldn’t do that. Susan said they need some help but they are being told to say “they are okay”. Getting gift cards or gas cards, or perhaps setting up a gift account at the mercantile for the agents was discussed. Sue would check with the mercantile to see what we could do. Per Leslie, we have money in the contingency fund, and members discussed using $1000 out of the fund. The fund had $3000 and we have only spent $937.
- Reba discussed having the Empire Ranch Foundation present at a February meeting. The Foundation has created an outreach group, and developed a presentation. Reba will contact the group and find out when they are available and notify Phil.
Meeting was adjourned
5:30 - 6:00 Social Meeting convened at 5:55pm with The Pledge of Allegiance, 4 Way Test, Invocation and Happy Bucks
President Phil was absent and Anne was sitting in, therefore these Minutes might be a bit sketchy! Like the Happy Bucks ... I'm sorry I can't remember all of them.
Present: Chief Joseph DeWolf, Reba Webber, Mary Faley, Kat Feltmann, Roger Cogan, Anne Gibson, Susan Scott. Guests: Ginny + Jim Cosbey
NEW MEMBER INDUCTION: We were honored to induct Mary Faley, Superintendent Elgin School. Susan did the honors. (See pic below)
PRESIDENT'S REPORT: 1) Fr. Sean, Kino Border Initiative, has contacted Phil and informed him that the existing Comedor will be torn down due to an expansion at the border and highway. We are hoping to transfer the District Grant + our matching funds to a project at the new facility (warehouse across the highway is secure). Anne attended the AG's Presidents Meeting Thursday morning and reported the "bad news"; AG Hank feels we will be able to transfer the funds to another project for the mission. Phil will contact Joe Puett to discuss. 2) Phil would like our December 13 meeting to focus on the functions of the Club bank account and the Foundation bank account. Many of the members are not clear on what funds are used for which functions (Anne included). Phil says "This would not only benefit all (and especially new) members, but give the membership a handle on how new or upcoming programs might be supported. I also believe this kind of update helps folks become more invested in the Club and opens the door to greater project participation." 3) Anne reported on the AG's Presidents' Report: a) a request that each club send a representative to a regional meeting on 11/19th in Sierra Vista to discuss ideas for long term growth and membership retention; time + place of meeting TBD. Phil needs to contact Nancy Fusco to let her know who will attend and to get details of meeting. b) Elections for Club Officers must be held at December 13th meeting and Liz Cohen and RI must be informed sooner than 12/31/18. Anne has volunteered to be President, Reba has volunteered to be Secretary + Pres. Elect, Sue Archibald has volunteered to remain as Club Treasurer. We need a Youth Services Director if Anne can't do both; we also need a Foundation Treasurer if Leslie wants a replacement and a Membership Director is Susan wants a replacement. c) Region wide call for donation of 12 frozen Turkeys (or $$$) from each club to donate to St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank in Sierra Vista. Susan noted that in the past our club has donated to the local group, Santa's Helpers, who provide meals for needy families in our own community. We discussed a voluntary donation by each club member of $5.00 to be collected by our next 12/13/18 meeting. Anne will let Hank know we will be keeping our holiday donations local. d) 2019 District Conference Cruise: $50 non-refundable deposit to reserve rooms on ship needed ASAP. Carnival Cruise will open up the booking to the public in the next few weeks, so if you hope to attend the District Conference Cruise you must reserve. Check the District's website. e) There is $6,000 remaining, undedicated $$$ from last year's DDF. These $$$ are available for projects but must be requested soon. We need to contact Joe Puett. Anne suggested we coordinate with Fr. Sean ASAP and see if he has a need we can fulfill by transferring our current District Grant, and possibly additional $$$ from the remaining previous year's DDF.
OLD BUSINESS: 1) Student of the Month is Jesus Lopez Barreda, a senior, who came to PUHS a few years ago as Spanish speaking only. He was nominated by English Teacher Journee Hays. Not only has Jesus succeeded at being fluent in English but he constantly helps the other Spanish speaking students. 2) 2019 Golf Tournament discussion. Leslie has managed the Golf Tournament for enough years that its high time another member(s) step up and take a primary role in the Tournament. This tournament is not only our major $$$$ raiser but has been extremely successful in raising $12K-$22K and is our most vital source of funding all the great work we do. Please seriously consider stepping up, knowing that the entire club membership's active participation is vital. The tournament is 6 months away and time is marching along swiftly. Thanks to Leslie's and Fred's great past management the groundwork is in place but so much personal contact is neccesary to raise sponsorship $$$$ and dontations. 3) 2019 Career Day is scheduled for 3/8/19. Randy would like to hold the first steering committee meeting the week of 11/28-30th. Reba and Sue have agreed to attend. Please contact Michael Young, PUHS, myoung@patagonia.k12.az.us if you can engage. 4) RYLA update: Gianna Martin and Mary "Evie" Ramos have been selected as our Delegates and Coco Whitcoe has been submitted as a Jr. Counselor. The other applicants, Arriana Ochoa-Tovar and HannaH Young have been placed on the Alternates List. 5) Banners - Susan showed everyone our club banner and explained that the banners are used whenever ANY of us travels and visits another Rotary Club. Its a Rotary tradition, along with sharing pins. We have 25 banners in our storage shed (behind the Copper Brothel & Brewery).
NEW BUSINESS: 1) Discussion of developing a new fundraiser(s). To continue to support our community with our various contributions we all must work harder. We discussed doing a Wine+Dine Around Fundraiser, similiar to what we did several years ago (on a smaller scale). What this involves is partnering with local eateries + wineries for an afternoon of sipping + tasting an offering at each business. For instance, for $50 a person gets a "passport" identifying each participating business. Each business features a wine, beer or cocktail AND a bite of food. Along with the passport you get 2 coupons for drink at place of your choice, otherwise the drinks are at a set discounted price ($2). We discussed Rotarians supplying the "bites of food" at the wineries who don't offer food. This is simply an example of how it could work. We know the event has to be in the early fall, given our busy schedules and other Rotary events/fundraisers. Please give it some good thought and bring your suggestions to our next meeting. This is just "planting the seed" of another fundraiser, but we'd like to schedule and get to work on something soon. 2) Availability of Grant $$$ from the Patagonia Regional Community Foundation. Susan is a Board Member of the PRCF and presented the opportunity. Discussion ensued that identified the completion of the fencing of the Park. Applications are due in January and Sue Archibald will spearhead the project + grant application. 3) HOLIDAY PARTY!!! January 10th, 5:30 - 8:00, PotLuck + BYOB, tentatively at The Babacomari Ranch Hdqtrs "Big House". Stay tuned for invitation!! 4) No meeting on 4th Thursday this month, THANKSGIVING. Club Social, Thursday 11/29th at Sue's home in Casas Arroyo, outside around the fire pit. Roasting marshmallows + Smores. BYOB. Invite to come ... but please plan on it. Its such a great time to not be hounded for work projects, and to just relax and enjoy each other's wonderful + amusing company!
NEW MEMBER, MARY FALEY and Susan Scott, Membership Director
CLUB BANNER
Meeting convened at 5:55pm at The Steak Out. Technically this was not a club meeting because it was our annual visit by the District Governor and he set the itinerary.
Present: Phil Eiker, Reba Webber, Charlie Kentnor, Roger Cogan, Kat Feltmann, Leslie Kramer, Anne Gibson. Guests: District Governor, Kirk Reed; Incoming District Governor, Ellie Patterson; Assistant District Governor, Hank Huisking; Student of the Month, Aspen Miller and her Dad, Dan Cantu, and brother; and Kat's guest Tony Fennell.
The meeting was opened with The Pledge of Allegiance and an Invocation (read by new member Kat)
New Member Induction: Kat Feltmann was inducted by Susan Scott, Membership Director. Kat is an AZ native, born + raised in Prescott, who's lived in Sonoita for 7 yrs now. Kat works at Ft. Huachuca and has been with the Army for 20 yrs. Kat's interest in Mountain Empire Rotary was really sparked when she learned of our project with the Kino Border Initiative Comedor.
OLD BUSINESS: 1) Phil reported that he and Sue Archibald visited the Comedor and toured the recently purchased "warehouse" across the road. 2) Leslie reported that she deposited the Grant $$$ into a separate savings account at National Bank, who waived all fees. Next, Phil reports that he checked with DPS regarding our planned Ride for Polio bike ride in conjunction with The Tour de Tucson on Sat. 11/17th. DPS would require us to get a license, which would include 2 off-duty officers, for a cost of $400-500.00. Consequently we elected to CANCEL the fundraiser. 
. As a side note, any Rotarian can participate either at the Tour de Tucson, or riding on their own; register at
. As a side note, any Rotarian can participate either at the Tour de Tucson, or riding on their own; register atINTRODUCTION OF DISTRICT GOVERNOR, KIRK REED: Kirk's bio is in the Documents section of ClubRunner. He is a 3rd generation Rotarian; his mother is still a Rotarian at the age of 97! Kirk is passionate about Rotary and he believes the keys to a vibrant club are Relationships and Meaningful Service. His 3 themes for his year as Governor are 1) Dream Big 2) Have Fun 3) Get Stuff Done. He asked the meeting attendees to engage in an exercise that would give us a deeper insight to each of us; he asked each person to state their full name and something they are most passionate about (their children excluded). I will note, herein, because I think its interesting and it makes his point about deepening our relationships with each other. Kirk: loves books; Charlie: travel; Roger: the natural world; Kat: Justice; Tony: all children; Leslie: Justice + Golf; Anne: children; Ellie: being outdoors; Hank: bike riding; Phil: giving back in return for his life's blessings; Reba: children with disabilities + illness; Susan: kindness + travel. Kirk stressed the importance of building relationship and the value we all share for meaningful service to others. He spoke of Rotary's new PEACE ACADEMY, which is an on-line course, no $$. His goal is to have at least 100 of our District 5500 members participate in the PEACE ACADEMY. Enroll at http://www.rotarypeaceacademy.org/ . Kirk ended his talk with the quote "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others".
In-Coming District Governor, Ellie Patterson: Ellie is from the Rotary Club of Tucson. She spoke about next year's District Conference which is a cruise from Long Beach, CA to Ensenada, MX. It will cost about $500/person for 3 days/nights, all meals. The ship is named Inspiration and its a Carnival Cruise. It will be October 25-28, 2019. They are holding many spots on the ship for this cruise for Rotarians. There is a flyer at the Documents page in ClubRunner, and you can go to www.rotaryd5500.org for more info and a link to register.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:10pm See pics attached ~
Meeting convened 6:00pm at The Steak Out
Present: Charlie Kentnor, sitting in for Pres. Phil (away), Sue Archibald, Leslie Kramer, Reba Webber, Susan Scott, Anne Gibson; Guest: "Cigi" Cynthia Smith, Nurse Practitioner.
Meeting opened with The Pledge of Allegiance, The 4 Way Test, and an Invocation (a silent moment dedicated to all the victims of the recent weather calamities around the world).
Happy Bucks: Charlie, Happy he + Elen are going to the East Coast for 3 weeks for the Holidays. Charlie and his sister will celebrate their birthdays together; Sue, her husband was in Florida until yesterday and got out just in time to miss Hurricane Michael; Anne, happy that Sue was present to accept our club being awarded The First Annual Literacy Award at the District Conference; Leslie, The Brewers are in the ranks for the Pennant for the first time since 1982.
We began with welcoming Cigi and asking her to give us an introduction. She is the owner of Desert Streams Family Practice, a medical clinic next to Sonoita Realty at 3123 Hwy 83. She is a Tucson native who has a history as an Emergency Room and ICU nurse, is a licensed Nurse Practitioner; her husband, Marc, a registered nurse, is her partner. They moved here last year after years of visiting and falling in love with our Mountain Empire! The clinic's hours are Mon-Thurs, 8-5, Fri 8-1. Currently she is in the process of getting contracted with Medicare; they have based their pay schedule on a substantially reduced rate, patients can submit for reimbursement to their insurance company. We followed by each of us giving a brief intro + history of ourselves.
New Business: Sue attended the Presidents' Meeting in Phil's place, following is her report. District Governor, Kirk Reed, will attend our next meeting and he will present us with The President's Award Citation. Every club in our District qualified which is a rare occurrence. Wouldn't it be great if every club member were present to welcome the District Governor!?! The District Fundation Day is Nov. 3rd at Skyline Country Club. Our club will pay for a member to attend ($50). No one at the meeting is able to attend ... so let Sue Archibald know ASAP if you can go. We must have a President Elect to attend PETS in February. If we do not have a President next year we will NOT have a club. Anne volunteered (reluctantly). She will contact Hank Husking to let her know. Leslie reports that Kino Golf Club will reopen on 10/24th and we can proceed with plans for our annual Golf Tournament. Leslie updated us on The Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park: Member, Roger Cogan has requested compensation for his work as caretaker of the Park, which includes rescuing & caring for the rose garden. It was voted + approved that Roger's quarterly dues will be reduced 50% to compensate for his on-going work at the park, effective this current quarter. Sue will send him a revised bill. Roger will also be reimbursed for any "out of pocket" expenses neccessary to maintain the rose garden. Leslie noticed that the 2 Corn Hole games disappeared today between 9:00-3:00. Jim Rowley has no knowledge of this. Sue will contact Jennifer Rinaldi (Manager at Fairgrounds) tomorrow morning to ask if she knows what happened; if she has no knowledge, Sue will file a Police Report of theft. Remaining items for the park are the sign and trash receptacles. Leslie hasn't had a chance to get bids on the sign. Trash receptacles must be secured and designed so people can't just dump their home trash. Leslie also brought up our club's annual donation to The Paul Harris Foundation. Historically the club has donated $100 for every member from the Foundation account. This is not a typical procedure. There was good discussion revolving around setting a criteria for which members should be awarded the club donation on their behalf to the Paul Harris Foundation. One of the criteria would be at least 50% meeting attendance/yearly. Another criteria would be participation in at least 1 Fundraiser yearly. Another criteria would be the amount of work a member contributes to club projects or fundraisers. We proposed that this topic be on the Agenda for the next meeting and a vote made. New Member Induction of Kat Feltmann and Mary Faley shall be at the next meeting with the participation of District Governor, Kirk Reed.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:10pm
Sue Archibald was honored to accept the first Annual Literacy Award at the recent District Conference!
Meeting convened at 6:00 at The Steak Out with The Pledge of Allegiance, an Invocation, and The 4 Way Test.
Present: Phil Eiker, Susan Scott, Sue Archibald, Rosann Clark, Rachell Hochheim, Michael Young; Guests: Damian Castro, Monica Acevedo, Andrea Sanchez, Anna Coleman, Ms. Lemons (Science Teacher, PUHS).
Happy Bucks: Sue: her husband has had great recovery from his recent hip replacement surgery, welcomes Anna Coleman, Guest Speaker; Susan: UofA football beat So. Utah; Anne + Rachell: both welcomed + appreciated Damian Castro, Student of the Month; Phil: A "Good Diagnosis" for Nicole.
Student of the Month: Damian Castro was introduced by Michael Young, along with his "Nana" Monica Acevedo, Mom Andrea Sanchez, and teacher Ms. Lemons. Damian was selected by his Science teacher, Ms. Lemons, for his "underlying potential as a student who can top the curve". Damian was awarded a crisp $100 bill.
Guest Speaker: Anna Coleman, Founder + Director, Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center. Anna annnounced the 4th Annual Adolescent Youth Conference, 9/29th, featuring guest speakers on health (physical + mental) matters, decision making skills, teen dating violence, and Katie's Way. Anna also reminded that PYEC welcomes AZ Tax Credit donations. They rely solely on private donations. Anna also spoke about all the benefits the PYEC offers our local youth, they are "open" from 4:00pm until the last kid goes home. Anna works as a volunteer at the center every afternoon following her full-time position as a teacher at Elgin School. Please see DOCUMENTS in ClubRunner for a more detailed update on PYEC.
District News: "Hank" Henrietta Huskings has been elected as our next District Governor, commencing in 3 yrs. Our own Sue Archibald will take her position as our Assistant D.G. at that time!
District Conference: this weekend. Anne is bringing a case of wine. Our club is being honored with the first annual LITERACY AWARD.
RYLA: We've paid for 3 spots, including Sue's granddaughter (paid by Sue). Russell Sherman, who went last year, is applying for a Junior Counselor position. We need to pay in advance for his attendance ($400) and we'll be reimbursed if he is not selected. Sue will send $400.
Rotary Fundation Day 11/3rd: Phil presented a flyer, encouraging members to attend. The flyer will be in the DOCUMENTS of ClubRunner.
Park Dedication: Shall be predicated on having the sign ready to hang. Ideally it will be ready by 11/17th when we kick off our first Ride for Polio event bike ride from Sonoita to Patagonia, coordinated with the Tour de Tucson. Sue, Phil & Anne will committee that event. Given the tight time frame we may start small, with just soliciting club members to ride. Club members will garner $$ sponsors for the riders. Phil will coordinate with local DPS, Rotary insurance, and Border Patrol. Another idea for the Park Dedication came at the District Conference when Sue + Anne learned this year is our club's 55th yr. anniversary. We could coordinated a Grand Bday Celebration with the Park Dedication. Again, its all predicated by the sign being completed. Leslie is working on the sign.
Kino Border Initiative Comidor District Grant: Phil has scheduled a meeting at the Comidor on Monday 10/1st; Sue + Phil will attend.
Rotary "Stuff" Order: Sue has searched out banners. We want to purchase 3 banners to hang on the fences of PUHS, Sonoita Fairgrounds, Elgin School. Sue will order; we discussed our history with Darryl Umphleet, Anne will call them to see if they're still making banners. Sue noted that she would need to pull $$$ from our "main account" to cover as this is a one time expense.
Sue also noted that she is working on clearing up the Paul Harris Donations 2017-18 vs the Micro-credit Program funding.
Rotary Leadership Institute: 1/26/19, Tucson. Phil presented flyer, will be in DOCUMENTS in ClubRunner. Please consider attending.
Mat Bevel Company donation: We received a request from Paula Shaper for an update on our club activities to include in their newsletter. Anne will send.
Elgin School Trash to Treasure: Phil received a request for $$$ for this program. Mary Faley was not present to detail.
Phil will be out of town for the next meeting, 10/11.
Meeting adjourned 7:20pm
Student of the Month Damian Castro, Teacher Ms. Lemons, Michael Young, "Mom" Andrea Sanchez, "Nana" Monica Acevedo
Anna Coleman, Founder & Director Patagonia Youth Enrichment Center
Meeting convened at 6:00pm at The Steak Out with The Pledge of Allegiance, an Invocation, and The 4 Way Test.
PRESENT: Phil Eiker, Randy Heiss, Roger Cogan, Sue Archibald, Anne Gibson. Visitor: "Kat" Katherine Feltman
HAPPY BUCKS! Phil: Daughter, Manone, had a successful business trip to Houston, TX; GrandDaughter, Natalie is settled in as a Freshman at Univ. North Carolina. Happy to see Randy at meeting. Sue: Enjoyed the Club Social at Nicole + Phil's home; GrandDaughter is a Freshman at Salpointe High School and won a role in their production of FootLoose! Roger: Happy for Joannie who is away on a well deserved vacation. Anne: loves all the great work this club is doing. Kat: The VA (Veterans' Admin) will pay for her to earn her Masters in global security at the UofA. Randy: spent 9 perfect days in San Carlos where he + Marcella have rented a home for a month.
PRESIDENT'S REPORT: 1) Phil presented that the Sierra Vista Rotaract Club is requesting slightly used shoes for the project they are working on. Please bring to the next meeting 9.27th. 2) No one from our club was able to attend the District Membership Workshop in Green Valley 2 weeks earlier. 3) District Newsletter deadline is 21st of @ month. Anne will submit. (Unfortunately Anne missed Sept due to being out of state for that week). 4) Phil is having lunch with Greg Lucero, representative of the Patagonia Mines, as a congenial "reach out". 5) District Conference: Sue and Anne will attend. Anne will get case of wine from Sonoita Vineyards (Owners' discount). 6) We paid for 3 students for RYLA. We need to send an additional $400 for a Junior Counselor position as the fellow who went last year is applying for a JC position. The $400 will be refunded if he is not selected. 7) Someone noted that Leslie will submit Form 990. 8) Ride to End Polio + Tour de Tucson. We had a great discussion which resulted in the idea of our club holding a local bike ride from Sonoita to Patagonia (it was highlighted that it is a DOWNHILL ride!) in conjuction with the event. We would solicit local riders who would get donor sponsors. Furthermore, we could hold the event as the Grand Opening of the Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park and kick-off the ride from the Park. Obviously we've got a tight time-frame, the Tour de Tucson is Saturday 11/17th. Sue, Anne & Phil will head up a committee to determine if/how we could pull this off! We need an update from Leslie on the sign. 9) Park update: Jim Rowley notified Sue that the Ramadas are going up tomorrow (9/14) at the Park, and the grills will go in next week. 10) MER Banners: There was discussion that we need to beef up our "branding" and public exposure. We should have banners to put up on the fences at PUHS, Elgin School, the Fairgrounds (each of those institutions has agreed). Sue will look into it and bring a $$$ amount to the club. 11) It was voted + approved to spend $120 to purchase 9 Rotary hats and 4 Way Test Coins to be given to the Student of the Month as a "keepsake" momento. 12) Randy is chomping at the bit to get going on beginning the planning for next year's Career Fair. He needs to coordinate the date ASAP with PUHS. (Anne discussed with Michael Young the next day). 13) Kat and Mary Faley will be inducted as new members at our 10/11 meeting.
MEETING ADJOURNED 7:00pm
President Phil and his lovely wife, Nicole, welcomed the club members to their home for our first 2018 club social. The club had voted to get together at a member's home whenever there is a 5th Thursday of the month. Present were: Elen & Charlie Kentnor, Sue Archibald, Susan Scott, Anne Gibson, Rachell Hochheim, and guests Tessa Fiegle, our past exchange student from Germany, Keith Barth, Gary Cooper, and Tina Hall. Tina is the new manager of the Audubon Society's Paton Center for Hummingbirds in Patagonia and a Rotarian that Sue met at the annual convention. Sue and Tina regaled us with stories of the recent Rotary International convention in Toronto. Sue also awarded President Phil with a Rotary Bolo Tie and the ladies with Rotary "bling" that she picked out for us at the convention. See the pics below ~ Sue and Tina strongly encouraged members to attend the annual convention, next year it's in Hamburg, Germany and the following year in Hawaii. Sue plans to continue to attend annually.
On another note, Susan, Tessa and Anne distributed 18 dictionaries to the 3rd Graders at Patagonia Elementary School on Tuesday. The kids were enthusiastically appreciative and had fun looking up words and interesting facts.
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Meeting convened at 6:00pm with The Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation
PRESENT: Phil Eiker, Leslie Kramer, Sue Archibald, Susan Scott, Charlie Kentnor, Rosann Clark, Reba Webber, Anne Gibson, Mary Faley, Rachell Hochheim; Guests: Amanda Zamudio, Guest Speaker from PUHS; "Kat" Katherine Feltman, neighbor of Leslie + Anne.
HAPPY BUCKS: Sue - Happy her husband, Steve, is doing well following knee replacement surgery; Leslie - The Badgers (football team) ranked #4 in country; Susan - Happy that Tessa, our former German exchange student is arriving this weekend for a visit; Reba - is happy that she learned how to donate/recyle her mother's hearing aids **** please contact Reba if you want to learn how; Charlie - happy that our majority female members elected a male President; Anne - happy that Charlie has been a Rotarian for 50 yrs!!!!
PRESIDENT'S REPORT: The check for $937 for the District Grant has been received and Leslie will deposit into a separate account under the Foundation. Fr. Sean of The Kino Border Innitiative has been notified and Anne will notify the Rotary Club of Nogales, Sonora. Phil will remind Fr. Sean that our participation goes beyond simply providing $$$, that we need to have an active role in the project. It was suggested that we could help move out all the furniture, etc ... in the comidor, Phil will coordinate with Javier, the "project manager" and let us know date/time. Phil began a discussion about our club's participation in the community, starting with The Border Patrol and the Patagonia Mines. Phil would like the club members to contact him via email as to their feelings about our support & involvement with the Border Patrol and the Patagonia Mines.
Phil & Nicole are hosting a casual cocktail party at their home in the Rail X Ranch Estates on Thursday 8.30th at 5:30 for our club members. Please join us!
PROJECT STATUS REPORT: 2 grills have been ordered for the Park. Hopefully the Ramadas will be up by the Labour Day Rodeo. The Fairgrounds Board has asked us if we would allow a few RVs to be parked, on display/for sale on the Park site. There was no consensus and a vote was not made. 2 individuals from the Fairgrounds Board requested that our club replace fencing that was removed during the construction of the Park on the NW section of the Park. Rachell and Amanda, both members of the Fairgrounds Board, were not aware of this request. It was voted + approved that we would provide $290 (an estimate provided by the 2 from the Fairgrounds who made the request) for a temporary fence to be installed for the upcoming Rodeo, until a more thorough request + discussion would be considered.
DISTRICT 5500 CONFERENCE: Phil included in the Agenda documents a page regarding "Exhibits Information". He encouraged all of us to consider attending the conference. The document(s) are in ClubRunner under DOCUMENTS.
NEW BANNERS: Susan reports that the cost for new banners is $240 for 25 and $440 for 50. It was voted + approved that Susan would order 25 new banners.
GUEST SPEAKER: Amanda Zamudio, AG teacher, PUHS, presented the CTED Funding which will be on the November Ballot Election. Her flyer describing the program is in the DOCUMENTS section of ClubRunner. It is estimated that the tax will be 5 cents/100 $$$ of your property assessment. This program will provide more vocational classes.
COCHIN MIDTOWN ROTARY REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE: discussion and voting shall be tabled until the next meeting
PARTICIPATION AT COUNTY FAIR ON FRIDAY "SCHOOL DAY": In the past we have "manned" the "bar" giving out sodas to the students. We need volunteers for the morning. Please be prepared to sign up at our next meeting, or contact Phil if you will not be present.
PUHS 50/50 RAFFLE AT RODEO: It was voted + approved that we would sponsor a 50/50 Raffle at the Rodeo benefitting PUHS.
PUHS STUDENT OF THE MONTH: Anne + Phil will attend on Friday 9.15.18 @ 9:15am
3RD GRADE DICTIONARIES: Sue + Anne will present at Elgin School on Friday 8.24.18 @ 8:00amm; Anne + Susan will present at Patagonia Elementary on Tuesday 8. 28.18 @ 10:00am. Awaiting to hear back from Patagonia Montessori for scheduling.
All documents addressed during the meeting are available on the DOCUMENTS link in ClubRunner. See pictures below!
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:17pm
The Fred Sang Memorial Rotary Park is moving forward. The new Tables for the Ramada's are in and we should have the Ramada's done by the Rodeo! Thanks to Jim, Gary, Rosanne and Sue for the help!
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Meeting convened @ 5:30pm at The Steak Out in Sonoita.
Present: Phil Eiker, Rosann Clark, Roger Cogan, Sue Archibald, Susan Scott, Charlie Kentnor, Mary Faley, Michael Young, Leslie Kramer, Rachel Hochheim, Anne Gibson, GUESTS: Nancy Cassel, "Hank" Henrietta Huisking.
Phil presented Sue with a beautiful plaque and bottle of bubbly in appreciation of her tremendous work as our Past President.
HAPPY BUCKS!: Phil - Celebrating his daughter, Manon's, wedding; Thankful to Sue for tremendous work as Past President; Susan - great trip to Portugal + Spain; past exchange student Tessa will be visiting at end of August; Charlie - celebrating 50 yrs a Rotarian!!!!!; Carmela, beloved dog of 13 yrs was sick but now well; Michael Young - happy to be joining our Club as the Student Behavioral Intervention Spec. at Patagonia School District; Leslie - happy football season has begun; Kino Golf Club will be reopening soon; the AZ Women's + Men's Golf Associations will be integrated; Hank - Every club that applied for a District Grant was awarded full amount $$$ requested; happy to welcome 3 new grandchildren; congratulations to Phil on Presidency of our club; Rachel - happy that Patagonia District schools had such a great year last year; Nancy - loves our club and has many wonderful memories of past exchange students; Roger - happy to join our club.
Old Business a) President's Report: Phil reports that we have a very unique club in that we have great results for such a small group. His plans for this upcoming year are to keep our goals realistic and DO WELL by doing what we know. Phil also reported that
our application for a District Grant for installing new flooring at the Comidor in Nogales, Sonora, was awarded in full amount.
b) Treasurer's Report: documentation attached. Reviewed by all with no questions. The 2018-19 yr budget was based on last
year's budget. Megan wants to continue providing the "bookkeeping" services. Anne will update & print our club brochure. Leslie will check into the Amazon donations to assure we are infact receiving. The Treasurer's Report was unanimously approved & accepted.
c) Checking Account Signatories: Phil + Sue will sign new forms at the bank. Voted + Approved to add Phil Eiker as a signator to the club account.
d) Project Status Report: Foundation Report + Budget by Leslie was approved. The Park update is that the Ramadas shall be completed by Rodeo time (Labour Day). Roger has graciously agreed to taking care of the roses. The horseshoe pits + corn hole games are in. A Park Dedication shall be planned once the sign is completed and up; Leslie is working on that. We need to schedule a discussion of our individual Paul Harris Foundation donations as an Agenda item at a future meeting; we decided to table for an October meeting.
New Business - a) New Banners: Susan will order.
b) Guest Speakers: Anne will assign each club member a month to provide the Guest Speakers. Rachel will take September.
c) Meeting Place: In the past NOISE (from a band) has made it terribly difficult to hold a meeting at The Steak Out. However, on this evening there was no band and the meeting was great. Leslie will speak to the Wystrachs to see if the band could begin at 7:00 on the nights of our meetings. Our meetings will begin with a Social Gathering at 5:30, and meeting to commence at 6:00. We will resume beginning our meetings with the Pledge, The 4 Way Test, Invocation, and Happy Bucks. In case the
Steak Out cannot change their music schedule we ask the club members to recommend locations (please check with your recommended location prior to assure its OK with them to host our meetings).
d) Student of the Month: Michael Young has fine-tuned the program by outlining the Nomination Form criteria for the teachers
to submit monthly. Please see the attached documents. The Student of the Month award will be presented to the students
on the 2nd Friday/mo at the 9:20am nutrition break. The student + their parents will be invited to the next Rotary meeting
to receive the $100 so that the club members can meet the students, and so the students get to meet the Rotarians.
Nancy Cassel discussed the Rotary Vocational Fund and its opportunities. She has applications for these scholarships. If you know of a post-high school candidate for a Vocational scholarship please contact Nancy.
Hank reminded the club about the upcoming District Conference September 28-29. She strongly urges members to attend, most particularly new members, as it is always very motivating. Our District Governor will be visiting our club on Thurs 25th October.
Mary Faley was introduced as the new Superintendent of Sonoita School District and will be representing the Elgin School as their Rotarian. We will induct Mary into the club at the next meeting she attends.
Please see attached photos. Go to ClubRunner Documents page to see documents.
Meeting was adjourned at 7:15pm 
Hello MER! Stop by the Fairgrounds and take a look at our Park Progress.. Cement Poured and the Ramadas are going up next week! Yahoo
Congratulations to MER's 2018/19 President, Phil Eiker! Thanks to everyone who made the event possible! The Ranch was a beautiful setting, the Sonoran Dogs were yummy, the wine flowed, and the Club was energized! Thanks for our DG Joe for his leadership and inducting our new President and our AG Hank for joining us! A wonderful Rotary Celebration full of Rotary FUN , FOOD and FELLOWSHIP.
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Service Above Self!
Call/email for location
Sonoita-Patagonia-Elgin, AZ 85637
United States of America