Community Service Opportunities

Free Rotary Garden Fest highlights Fall Splendor Garden Tour

Garden lovers throughout the Verde Valley are invited to a free day of gardening information, food and community fun when the Rotary Club of Sedona Village hosts its fifth annual Fall Garden Open House, this year as the Community Garden Fest, on Saturday, Sept. 19.

The Garden Fest, held at the Rotary Club of Sedona Village Community Garden, is free and open to the public and is being presented in conjunction with the Fall Splendor Sedona-VOC Garden Tour, sponsored by the Yavapai County Master Gardener Association. 

From 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., visitors can enjoy the Community Garden, learn from local gardening experts and meet others who share an interest in gardening in Sedona and the Verde Valley. There will be free Master Gardener educational programs covering a variety of gardening topics, with practical information for both experienced gardeners and those just getting started.

And come hungry. The Rotary Club will fire up the grill for a hamburger cookout, adding food and fellowship to the day's activities.

The Garden Fest continues a Rotary tradition that began five years ago with the club's Fall Garden Open House. This year's partnership with the Yavapai County Master Gardener Association expands the event by connecting it with the Fall Splendor Garden Tour of outstanding gardens in West Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.

The Community Garden Fest is free; tickets ($20) are required for the Fall Splendor Sedona-VOC Garden Tour. Proceeds from the tour fund-raiser support gardening education.

The Community Garden Fest and the Fall Splendor Sedona-VOC Garden Tour will be held concurrently on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

To learn about the Rotary’s Garden Fest (free) and the Garden Tour (ticketed), go to:

https://extension.arizona.edu/events/sedona-voc-garden-tour or search online: Sedona Fall Garden Tour. 

Rotary Club of LHC prepares Welcome Home Baskets for veterans

Submitted Becky Goldberg
Rotary Club of Lake Havasu City

Sometimes the best meetings don't end with a discussion. They end with action.

A recent Rotary Club of Lake Havasu City meeting became a community service project.

A new veterans housing project in our community is nearing completion. We wanted to make sure those veterans were welcomed home with more than just a place to live, so our club came together to assemble 24 Welcome Home Baskets filled with household essentials.

But that's the heart of Rotarians. We rarely stop at "enough."

Because of the incredible generosity of our members, we not only filled all 24 baskets, but we also donated an entire truckload of additional items to our local Clothes Closet to help even more people in need.

This project was inspired after learning more about our local Veterans Treatment Court, a program our club proudly supports. Their presentation sparked an idea that I shared with the club, and without hesitation, everyone jumped in to make it happen.

And as if hauling, sorting, packing, and loading wasn't enough... we did it on what felt like the hottest day of the year! The Arizona heat may have been relentless, but so was the dedication of our members. No one complained. Everyone simply rolled up their sleeves and got the job done.

I'm beyond proud to be part of a club that sees a need, rallies together, and turns an idea into action. We're not just completing projects. We're creating lasting change for our community and for the veterans who will soon call these houses home. That is what Service Above Self looks like.

RC of Surprise-SCW hosts event for Meals of Hope

The Rotary Club of Surprise & Sun City West continue planning for the 2026 Meals of Hope.  The club continues collecting donations and registering volunteers. 

The club is planning on packing 25,000 to 30,000 meals during the morning of Saturday, September 19, 2026. The club currently has approximately 85% of the money donated and approximately 70% of the volunteers registered. 

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Thank you for your support!

Jim Schlenvogt, 2026 Meals of Hope Chairperson

Rotary Club of Surprise & Sun City West

js3820@msn.com

Rotary Club of Queen Creek hosts ‘Raising Resilient Kids'

The Rotary Club of Queen Creek is hosting Raising Resilient Kids, a community education event designed to help parents and caregivers better understand the challenges children face in today's digital world.

The event takes place 6-8:30 p.m. Aug. 4.

Featuring digital safety experts Katey McPherson and Leah Martineau alongside the Queen Creek Police Department's Special Victims Unit, the program will provide practical guidance on emerging online risks, protecting children's digital footprints, and fostering open, informed conversations that help keep kids safe.

For more information about our Club and to register, visit:
REGISTER HERE
https://facebook.com/rotaryclubofqueencreek 

Sedona Red Rocks supports local schools and teachers with back-to-school supplies

Being prepared is advantageous in many situations. Rotary Club of Sedona Red Rocks is making certain that area students and teachers are prepared for a successful start to the coming school year with the necessary classroom supplies.

Based on request lists provided by principals and administrators at Sedona Charter School, West Sedona School and Camp Verde’s high school, middle school and elementary school, Red Rocks Rotary invested nearly $6,000 in classroom supplies for use by both teachers and students. The requested items included crayons, pencils, colored pencils, dry-erase markers, Sharpie brand markers, spiral notebooks, glue sticks, composition books, pens, erasers and disinfecting wipes.

Supplies were divided among the five schools taking into account the size of the student body and the numbers of teachers and other support staff. With far-and-away the largest campus with a student enrollment of 800 plus 41 teachers, Camp Verde Elementary School received almost $2,000 in supplies. The other schools in this year’s project received approximately $1,000 in supplies each.

A portion of what Camp Verde Elementary received included 50 bags of supplies for students who arrive at school without the basic necessities. Red Rocks Rotarians worked assembly line style at the club’s July 15 meeting to fill each bag with eight essential items.

Club member Donna Hawk, the project coordinator, stated that all of the supplies were delivered to the various campuses by July 16. “Since Rotary Club of Sedona Red Rocks chartered in 2002, its focus has been local youth-oriented projects and programs.” said Donna.

According to Donna, Red Rocks Rotary created an Endowment Fund in 2002 for the purpose of perpetually benefitting young people and their families in the Verde Valley. The Fund’s parameters allowed earnings to be distributed for the first time this year. Donna continued that “these monies have given the club the ability to increase and enhance its charitable giving.”

Since July 1, the start of the club’s fiscal year, in addition to the $6,000 dedicated to the school supply project, Red Rocks Rotary has contributed locally to the following:

  • $2,000 to Wheel Fun that brings no-cost mountain bike programs to rural schools.

  • $2,000 to Science Vortex that sponsors the annual SciTech Festival that brings a month of free STEM events to over 1500 participants across the Verde Valley.

  • $1,500 to Verde Valley Imagination Library that provides free monthly books to kids ages 0 – 5.

  • $1,000 to Sedona Oak Creek Unified School District to assist with the needs of its low-income students.

  • $5,000 in Vocational Scholarships to two graduating high school seniors.

Additionally, the club has expanded its global gifting with $3,000 going to a Rotary-sponsored microcredit program that makes small business loans in Sonora Mexico; $4,000 to The Rotary Foundation dedicated to the worldwide eradication of polio; $3,000 to Shelter Box USA an international disaster relief organization; and, $1,500 that will be matched by a Rotary District 5495 grant for a total of $3,000 in water filters for the Masai people in Tanzania.

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Fall Splendor Sedona: Sedona-VOC Garden Tour and Community Garden Fest

Mark your calendar! The Yavapai County Master Gardeners and Rotary Club of Sedona Village invite you to the Master Gardener Fall Splendor Sedona-VOC Garden Tour and Community Garden Fest on Saturday, September 19, 2026, from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy self-guided tours of four beautiful private gardens located in West Sedona and the Village of Oak Creek.  Plus visit a fifth garden -the Rotary community garden  in the Village of Oak Creek, which will feature expert lectures, vendors, pollinator garden and a Rotary barbecue.

Event Details At-A-Glance:

When: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Fall Splendor Garden Tour: $20 (limited tickets available – proceeds support gardening education)

Village Rotary Garden Fest: Free and open to the public that day

Tickets ($20) are on Sale July 1, 2026.  Register online at https://extension.arizona.edu/events/sedona-voc-garden-tour.                       

Registration information and a tour map will be sent to paid attendees the day before the event.

Scottsdale Sunrise members volunteer at St. Mary's Food Bank

Members of the Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Club recently had the privilege of volunteering at St. Mary's Food Bank, where they served as personal shoppers - carefully selecting groceries and toiletries to fill baskets for families in need. Beyond the hands-on work, the experience proved deeply meaningful, offering members a chance to connect with the families and children they were serving and gain a greater understanding of the challenges they face. 

Rotary Club of Sedona supports working families

Imagine trying to run a business or service in Sedona without enough employees. Imagine trying to work and raise children when housing, childcare, food, healthcare, and transportation have become unaffordable to many. It's hard enough with two parents, brutal for a single. 

The Rotary Club of Sedona’s Charitable Fund gave over $101,000 this last school year to support West Sedona School’s Extended Day Program, the “Wildcats Kids Club.”  This affordable, vital program helps Sedona's services workers who struggle to manage both time and money.  Sedona businesses benefit from this program. Sedona Residents use the services they provide.

At the Extended Day, children are supervised, playing with their friends, attending clubs, and working on projects or games. Healthy snacks are provided and homework help is available if needed. Young children are not on phones, social media or TV!  The program’s director, Jessica Sweeney, gets to know their parents and coordinates with the school’s principal and teachers. After work, parents can pick their children up any time before 6pm. Most of these families live in Sedona.  Those that don’t, work in Sedona.

Learn more directly from working parents, their children and employers about why our Sedona community needs this program.  And hear about updates from the West Sedona School’s Principal and Extended Day Director. Sedona Rotary’s two meetings in July will give a much better understanding of why our Sedona Community needs this program.  Everyone is invited! 

  • Live Testimonials from West Sedona School’s Working Parents, Children, and Employers 

Inviting all who can take off work to attend - and interested Sedona residents!

July 14, 2026, 12:00-1:00 PM 

Sedona Library's Community Room. 

  • West Sedona School and Extended Day Update by Principal Elisa Stieg, and Extended Day Director Jessica Sweeney - Changing Plans for the 2026-27 School Year

Inviting all who are interested!

July 28, 2026, 12:-1:00 PM

Sedona Library's Community Room. 

 Additional programs partially supported by Sedona Rotary Club/Charitable Fund are Hope House of Sedona, Verde Valley Imagination Library, Youth Service Clubs  (Interact) and Leadership Camps for high School students (RYLA), scholarships for graduating seniors, LISA (Low Income Student Aid), Sedona Community Supper, Sedona Community Food Bank, Adopt-a-Family for the Holidays, Community Library of Sedona, International Water Projects.

The Rotary Club of Sedona is an affiliate of Rotary International, and works locally and globally to support education, promote peace, fight disease, provide clean water, and make our community a better place through various service activities. The club does this from a foundation of integrity through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders. For more information, membership, or online donations, go to sedonarotary.org.  Mail donations to Rotary Club of Sedona, PO Box 2170, Sedona, AZ 86339.

Rotary Club of The Verdes serves residents of Navajo Nation

The Rotary Club of the Verdes has brought the highly popular Fountain Hills Sweet Corn market to Rio Verde on Sunday mornings in June to rave reviews from residents. Fresh sweet corn, melons, tomatoes plus organic nuts and dry fruits are available at Yvonella from 9 a.m. to noon.

On June 11, five Rotarians from Verdes and Past District Governor Michelle Holcomb from the Rotary Club of Fountain Hills drove to Chinle, Ariz., to assist the Navajo Nation with solar installation, updating library books for children, gardening, painting and some carpentry. 

Members worked June 12-13 with Chinle Planting Hope and joined several Rotary clubs from other areas. Donations of books and cash are welcome to assist residents in this underserved area.  

Please call or text Suzanne Nann at 480-586-5333.

Save the Date: Taste of the Village returns Oct. 18, 2026

Following a successful inaugural event, the Rotary Club of Sedona Village is pleased to announce the return of Taste of the Village, a celebration of local cuisine, community, and service.

The second annual event will be held on Sunday, October 18, 2026, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at The Collective Courtyard & Grotto in the Village of Oak Creek.

Taste of the Village brings together residents and visitors to sample offerings from area restaurants while enjoying multiple samples of wine and beer, relaxing and skilled entertainment provided by guitarist Eric Miller, and the welcoming spirit of the Village community. The event also provides an opportunity to showcase local businesses and highlight the unique dining experiences available throughout the Verde Valley.

The Rotary Club of Sedona Village is currently seeking participating restaurants, wineries, breweries, food vendors, and event sponsors interested in being part of this growing community tradition. Sponsorship opportunities will provide businesses with valuable exposure before, during, and after the event through promotional materials, social media, and event recognition.

Proceeds from Taste of the Village support the Rotary Club of Sedona Village's numerous service initiatives benefiting local youth, veterans, community projects including the Village Rotary community garden, and international humanitarian programs.

For more information regarding event details, how to participate as a restaurant, and sponsorship opportunities contact president@SedonaVillageRotary.org or call Jennifer at 224-234-7668. Early bird tickets will be available starting mid-July at www.SedonaVillageRotary.org. Come sip, savor and celebrate this wonderful place we call home!

The Rotary Club of Sedona Village is the only service club based in the Village of Oak Creek. Guided by Rotary's motto, "Service Above Self," club members work to improve lives locally and globally through volunteer service and community partnerships. Join a meeting on the first and third Thursdays of the month starting at 8AM at the Community Library Sedona at the Big Park School.  All are welcome!