Dear Fellow Rotarians,
Sometimes January can seem like a long month, but not this year! District 5495 Rotarians have been on fire! Clubs held fundraisers, service projects and events that changed lives and enhanced the quality of life in our communities. Leadership Development was front and center on a District level, with events of like RYLA Camp Pinerock (the first of our two Rotary Youth camps!) and the Rotary Leadership Institute, where 25 members gathered to share and learn! You’ll enjoy reading about the amazing energy and good work of our clubs and program teams in this newsletter..jpg)
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Interact District 5495 is sponsoring a walkathon on Saturday, February 10 at Encanto Park, 2605 N. 15th Avenue, Phoenix. This fun event is designed to be an opportunity for Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors to come together for fun and fellowship, and to help raise funds for an Interact project that is enabling our Arizona Interact youth to give the life-transforming gift of mobility to people of all ages in Kenya. These people have have been crippled by polio, and have never been able to stand or walk on their own. The Interactors’ goal is to raise $20,000 for this worthwhile project.
For Rotarians and Friends of Interact, you are invited to a special Crutches 4 Africa Hors D’Oeuvres Reception on Saturday, February 24 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the DoubleTree by Hilton Phoenix/Tempe. This is the evening after the Interact District Conference. It will be both a thank you and a celebration for all who have helped collect crutches and other mobility devices, and who have contributed in any way toward the Interact Crutches 4 Africa Project’s success.
Announcement! 
The 5th annual Interact District Conference is being held this year on Saturday, February 24, at Perry High School, 1919 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert. The 20-member Interact District Council, under the leadership of District Governor Loralli Johnson, has been hard at work planning and preparing for this event and its multiple breakout sessions. The IDC is expecting at least 500 Interactors, Rotaractors and Club Advisors to gather in Gilbert for this high-energy, fast-paced one-day annual event.
Last year’s Club Leadership Academy received RAVE REVIEWS from attendees.
District Grants—Now is the time to start planning your club project in 2018-19 that can be partially funded by a District Grant. These awards are available up to $2,000, with the club funding at least 50 percent of the project cost.
For the past four years, Brenda and Don Gentry from Portage, Michigan, and a few of their friends have travel to Isla Mujeres (Women Island)—12-1/2 miles off the coast of Cancun, Mexico—to distribute shoes to local kids. 
Fellow Rotarians, the San Tan Crown Rotary Club of Chandler is excited to announce plans for their Third Annual “Hooked on Healing Veterans” motorcycle ride to take place Saturday, February 24th. Anyone who rides a bike of any make or model is welcome to join us for a day of safe riding, good food, friendship, fun and games all in the name of charity.
Thank you to PDG Roger Bonngard for gifting DG Nancy with a complete ‘history’ of D5510 – through PINS! What a treasure! Since a similar pin collection probably exists somewhere in the former D5490, let’s find it. Then, let’s create a way to preserve our histories and display them together! Are you a ‘crafter’? A historian? To be involved in this project, read on.
Our past Rotary Leadership Institute was terrific thanks to the wonderful folks at DeVry Westgate. We had 25 participants throughout the three levels and we added two more graduates. We are closing in on a milestone—100 RLI graduates in our district. Congratulations to you all. We will be hosting a special RLI Graduates reception on April 21 at Aunt Chilada’s in Phoenix. Invites will be going out soon. We are also working on adding additional RLI curriculum covering specialized topics. Your input is welcome—
On Saturday, January 13, Chandler Rotary Club dedicated a Peace Pole at Chandler Downtown Library.
Former New Jersey Governor and EPA Administrator Christie Todd Whitman was a special guest speaker at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Scottsdale.
It is certainly true that the reasons for a person joining Rotary are varied and many. For some, it’s the personal and business networking that motivates them. For others, it’s fellowship and a sense of belonging to a world-wide organization of people. Still for others, it’s a status symbol. Whatever the reasons, everyone has one. Sadly, some of the reasons don’t fit Rotary’s primary purpose; a network of problem solvers living the mantra of 
Max Rumbaugh, past club president, welcomed and introduced Valentina Cristi to Rotary Club of Scottsdale members and guests. Valentina, the club's 2014-15 in-bound Youth Exchange student from Coyhaique, Chile, visited the Club and her Scottsdale host families while on break from Universidad Mayor—a private university in Santiago, Chile. Valentina initially arrived in Phoenix on July 24, 2014 to spend the year as Rotary Youth Exchange Ambassador at Coronado High School.
The Peoria North Rotary Club will hold its next Wine Classic featuring a three-course food and wine pairing on Sunday, February 17, 6 p.m. at Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria.
Rotarian Christopher West welcomed and introduced Red Conger, president/COO of Freeport McMoRan Americas to Rotary Club of Scottsdale members and guests at a meeting held at McCormick Ranch Golf Club's Pavilion. Conger has over 30 years of mining industry experience—21 years with Freeport-McMoRan Inc.
On Friday, January 26, Phoenix Rotary 100 honored ASU President Dr. Michael Crow with its annual Career-Community Award of Merit. The award was established to honor someone who is not only stellar in their career, but also stellar in the community. The awardees should exhibit accomplishments similar to that of the late Mayor John Driggs, for whom the award was created. The past awardees have consisted of Sandra Day O’Connor and Jerry Colangelo, with Dr. Michael Crow, president of Arizona State University, as our third honoree.
The Rotary Club of Scottsdale North will host its third-annual fundraising event on Saturday, March 10, to benefit Soldier’s Best Friend, a Peoria-based charity that aids veterans and rescue dogs.
The Parker Rotary Club has an ongoing project with the Colorado River Community Crisis Shelter where they sponsor a room and completely refurbish it every other year. They paint and replace fixtures, furniture and linens.
Ask a Rotarian, “What is vocational service?” and you may get a blank stare or you might get an “I’m not sure.” Every once in awhile you will get one of life’s little lessons on Rotary history as those who do know seem to have dedicated themselves to it.