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 ~
Susan inducting Kat into our club. I know she's going to be a dynamic + fun member, who'll really help us "Get Stuff Done"! Not to mention she's adorable!
District Governor Kirk Reed .... BTW, he doesn't really have longhorns!
Assistant Governor, Hank Huisking talking to group
