Welcome to District 5495 Club News

Free Rotary-branded boxes available for service projects
Rotary clubs in need of empty boxes for service projects such as food or clothing drives have access to hundreds of Rotary-branded boxes gifted to the district from a Rotarian in Iowa.
 
The district has approximately a dozen bundles of Rotary-branded cardboard boxes. Each bundle contains approximately 100 unfolded boxes (see photos).
 
The boxes were donated to the district from Teresa Schmidt, a Rotarian living in Iowa. Her daughter, Gina Schmidt is a former member of the Rotary Club of Glendale West (now Valley of the Sun Passport Club), and a volunteer with Peoria North Rotary Club's Prom Closet.
 
The boxes are available at no charge to any club on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
The boxes are stored at Family Promise of Greater Phoenix, 7447 E. Earll Drive, Scottsdale, 85251.
 
Contact Ted Taylor, executive director, to arrange for pickup. Call 480-659-5227.
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Sharon Flood named Rotarian of the Month for November at Sun Lakes 

Submitted by Dr. Honora Norton

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes named Sharon Flood its November 2022 Rotarian of the Month. 

Sharon, a Chandler resident, represents State Farm as a RCSL Corporate Member.  She has been associated with State Farm since 1989 with underwriting and customer service experience at SF’s Tempe and Seattle locations.  She holds various insurance broker licenses.

Since joining RCSL in September 2021, Sharon has become active within RCSL Committees and community service projects. She has served and/or volunteered at: Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels projects/events, membership committee, Sun Lakes Open Houses, dictionary project, peace committee, and more.  Club President, Stephen Phair, congratulated Sharon for her volunteerism as a new RCSL member.

For information about this and other Rotary Club of Sun Lakes community service projects or membership see www.sunlakesrotary.com.  

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Kingman Route 66 hosts annual Brats & Brew Festival
The Rotary Club of Route 66 in Kingman held its annual Brats & Brews Oktoberfest Festival Oct. 7-8 in Metcalf Park in Kingman. The event once again attracted huge crowds both days and raised funds to help local and international non-profit causes supported by the club.
 
Rotarians from the club were joined by Rotarian volunteers from throughout the district to put on the two-day event. District Governor Larry Horton was among those who helped at the event. (Pictured at left: DG Larry and Mary K Clark, a member of the Kingman Route 66 Club and event supervisor.)
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Rotary Club of Sedona presents 'Making a Difference' Award

For the past six years the Rotary Club of Sedona has recognized organizations and individuals who have made a difference in their Sedona community.

This year the Make A Difference award was presented to Superintendent and JH/SH Principal of Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District, Dennis Dearden. Dearden was awarded because of his leadership in starting West Sedona School's Wildcat Extended Day Program benefitting students and their working parents.

The award comes with $1,000 that he will give to the Sedona-Oak Creek Educational Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, he helped to start to fund innovative and supplemental programs that are outside the normal operation of the school district. 

The club also recognizes a club member who has gone above and beyond in his/her role, putting “Service Above Self.” The award this year was given to Dick Youngberg, chair of the club’s International Services Committee. Youngberg was chosen because of his leadership hosting and participating in annual Mexico/USA Friendship Conferences and the relationships he has forged with Rotary Clubs in Mexico. He’s been a dedicated club member for nearly 13 years.

Phoenix East/ASU Thunderbird clubs donate to Habitat for Humanity
 
Rigo Duran, president of the ASU-Thunderbird Rotary Club, recently donated $3,000 to the Central Arizona chapter of Habitat for Humanity. The gift reflects funds from the now-closed Rotary Club of Phoenix East.
 
Rigo was formerly a member of the Phoenix East club, which turned in its charter in June. Transferring to the ASU-Thunderbird Club, Rigo took on the role of president of the club.
 
Members of the Phoenix East club are distributing funds from its charitable foundation, and Habitat for Humanity was chosen as one of the nonprofits to receive a gift.
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Dayna Gustke's Rotary pin collection honors memory of her mother
Rotarians are well known for their fondness for Rotary pins – whether they be pins promoting a club, a cause, or a convention.
 
Dayna Gustke, a member of the Rotary Club of Tempe Downtown, may be our district’s No. 1 collector of Rotary pins!
 
Dayna, who is club secretary for the Rotary Club of Tempe Downtown, is the proud owner of a Rotary Pin Sash that was inspired by her mother, Lynn Gustke, who passed away last year.
 
Dayna began her Rotary career on Sept. 12, 2011. Her mother, Lynn, was in Rotary since 1997, and started to collect Rotary Pins throughout the years. She passed on in January 2021 due to COVID, and left over 100 Rotary Pins behind. Dayna purchased a sash on Amazon, and began putting all the pins collected throughout time on this sash. 
 
Dayna recalls her mother attending a “ton of Rotary events” when she first joined the Rotary Club of Tempe East, and that was when the pin collection first started.
 
Today, Dayna has a total of 251 Rotary pins – and she intends to continue building her collection.
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Rotary Club of Flagstaff presents 21 Paul Harris Fellows
The Rotary Club of Flagstaff presented Paul Harris Fellow pins to 21 members during its regular weekly meeting on July 21. Club President Tonya Watson is committed to becoming an "All Paul Harris Club."
 
Also during the meeting, District Governor Bret McKeand presented club member Steve Cervantes with a district MVP Award for his work serving as the district's Sergeant At Arms this past year, as well as helping to organize the district's Bayou Bash at the International Convention in Houston in June.
 
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