Rotary District 5510

Dear 5510 Rotarians and Friends:

COUNTDOWNS! Today is March 1. 
3 days until PETS: last call to register at www.azrotarypets.org
31 days until District Assembly 4/2/11 at the Grace Inn
58 days until RYLA Camp on April 28
101 days until our June 10 District Conference at Hon-Dah Register now at http://www.directory-online.com/Rotary/Register/Register.cfm?EventID=77155769
121 more days (17 weeks) left to ring that club bell as often as you would like if you are a club president

I hope that you enjoy this month's issue of The Bridge. Remember, please submit anynews from your club by the 25th of any month for use in the next issue. Please attach separate, good quality, subject matter driven photos. (email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )

Polio: Can it be eradicated?

The following link is a fascinating article from the February 14 New York Times. Bill Gates is commenting about concerns over Donald Henderson's comments on Jan 26 that he did not think Polio could be eradicated. You will remember Donald was the one credited with eradicating smallpox. A MUST read!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/15/health/15polio.html?_r=2&src=twrhp

International Motivational Speaker Jerry Traylor to address RYLA for an unprecedented twelfth year!

"The thief that robbed him of everything that most children take for granted is cerebral palsy... People can scarcely believe that a fellow could finish dozens of 26-mile marathons.... or that he could race to the top of Pikes Peak three times... or that he could run 3,528 miles from San Francisco to New York on crutches!" ____Paul Harvey

Born with cerebral palsy, Jerry faced physical pain and loneliness that few children ever know. Yet it was this early difficulty that drew others to Jerry in caring and love.

His parents, teachers and other individuals empowered Jerry to set goals and achieve greatness even in his imperfection. His example compels many to look at their own lives and take positive action. Jerry is actually thankful for the cerebral palsy that he has had since birth since he has been able to use it to embrace and empower others. Read more

We Are Ready To Rock n' Roll with RYLA 2011!

Date: April 28-May1, 2011  Location: Camp Ponderosa in Heber
Who attends: Your club selectes 2 high school sophomore or junior students at $295 each
For all of the details, click here

DG Glenn's March Comments
Let's Talk About Membership

Remember that "Every Rotarian: Reach One, Keep One" is our membership Goal! We are eight months into Rotary year and counting. Have you "Asked" someone to visit your Rotary Club as your guest? If not – why not? Since July 1st I have been tracking all Club memberships' activity and discovered that seven Clubs have net zero membership growth. One Club has a net 14 new members and one that has lost a net 10 members. Over all we are net 21 gains since July 1, 2010 or 1,240 on February 10, 2010. Now is the time to get "ASKING".

"Come Join Us" - Every day, Rotarians make a difference in their communities and around the world. In this song, which was inspired by RI President Ray Klinginsmith and the work of Rotarians, singer and songwriter Jerry Mills asks the world to join Rotarians in Building Communities -- Bridging Continents. Rotarian Bob Gallagher produced the video. Version one features the orchestra performing the music; version two highlights images of Rotarians. Read how to download the videos, and ask others to "Come Join Us." You also can download the lyrics and story behind the song. In addition, visit the website for Jerry Mills to see several versions of the lyrics as well as piano and guitar sheet music. You will also find a link on D5510 website – check it out!

The following quote came from our founder, Paul Harris. Paul Harris knew, deep down in his soul, what was missing in his life – believed that others could be experiencing the same thing.

"The thought persisted that I was experiencing only what had happened to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of others in the great city ... I was sure that there must be many other young men who had come from farms and small villages to establish themselves in Chicago ... Why not bring them together? If others were longing for fellowship as I was, something would come of it."
-- Paul P. Harris, My Road to Rotary Continue Reading

Club Progress Mid-Year Check List

Is your club on track for the wrap up of the 2010-11 Rotary year? Run through this list as a good cross-check.

1. 2011-12 club officers selected, entered in district database & registered for PETS
2. All club board members/officers prepared to attend District Assembly,
Grace Inn/Ahwatukee on April 2.
3. Presidential Citation accomplished and the form in to DG Glenn by 3/31/11
4. District Achievement award accomplished and turned in to your AG by 4/16/11
5. Is your club net 1+ or more ABOVE YOUR GOAL in member count for the year? There is still time left to get there!
6. If your club selects a club Rotarian of the Year, please inform DG Glenn by 5/30/11. He would like to honor those people at the June District Conference.
7. Are your club and RI dues paid and all donations to The Rotary Foundation properly submitted to TRF?
8. Have you registered for New Orleans RI Conference in May 21-25, 2011? This is the last RI Conference in the U.S. until 2016-17 (6 years)
9. New RI Awards due by May 15th

· Membership Development & Extension Awards July 1, 2010 – May 15, 2011

· Recognition of Membership Development Initiative (contact DG for forms) May 15th due

10. Last but not least. Please register ASAP for the June 10-11, 2011 District Conference at Hon-Dah in Pinetop. 

Tempe Rotary Club held a "Thanks for Serving" going away party for Club President Jim Armstrong. Master Sergeant Jim has been called back to active duty.Club President-Elect Adele Anderson has stepped into the office a Club President for the remainder of the 2010-11 Rotary year. 

Get To Know Our 2010-2011 Youth Exchange Students
Interview with RYE Student Patricio Cabrere from Ecuador
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Flagstaff

1. What has been the best thing about being here in Arizona up to this point in time?
The trips and making new friends. I like the people in Arizona and very much in Flagstaff.

2. Tell us something that happened to you that you never expected to happen. Did someone ask you a silly question? Did they not understand where you are from?
Yes, one person asked me, "Are there beaches in Ecuador?"

3. What food have you discovered that you like here, (if any) and what do you not like at all?
I like fat food, In-n-Out Burger.

4. List 3 wishes that you have about things you would like to do while you are in Arizona or places you would like to visit. Maybe someone who reads this can make your wishes come true.
I would like to go to California, Hollywood, Disneyland and Las Vegas.

5. Please tell us anything else that you would like the Rotarians of D5510 to know about you.
My name is Patricio. I'm from Ecuador. I like to play soccer, basketball and baseball. I'm excited to start to learn to ski or how you have to do it. Thanks so much, Rotary, for everything! I love to live in Arizona. The people are really nice.

Interview with RYE Student Victor Fachin
Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Scottsdale

1. What has been the best thing about being here in Arizona up to this point in time?
I like the trips.

2. Tell us something that happened to you that you never expected to happen. Did someone ask you a silly question? Did they not understand where you are from?
I do not expect to go to the Grand Canyon.

3. What food have you discovered that you like here, (if any) and what do you not like at all?
My food preference is hamburger. I do not like salad.

4. List 3 wishes that you have about things you would like to do while you are in Arizona or places you would like to visit. Maybe someone who reads this can make your wishes come true.
I want to see snow. I want to go to Las Vegas and Washington.

5. Please tell us anything else that you would like the Rotarians of D5510 to know about you.
I love being with the exchange students.

Sidekick's Corner - March 2011
By Sherry Smith 

It is already March, are you wondering how you will spend your summer? Of course attending Rotary International Conference might be in those plans, but I also want to share Rotary opportunities you may not know about. I have decided to inform you of various Rotary opportunities in Rotary 101.

Rotary 101: Rotary Friendship Exchange

Rotary's International exchange program is for Rotarians and their families. Participants experience other cultures and build friendships by staying in the homes of Rotary club members in another country. This program advances international understanding and peace through personal contact across borders while developing interclub relationships that lead to fellowship and service projects.

There are three types of friendship exchange:

Visitor program – Rotarians may be accompanied by family members and spend a few days in a Rotarian's home abroad.Team program – (typically four to six) visit several communities in a host district for up to one month.Univocational – Rotarians of the same occupation observe how their job is done in other countries.

Guidelines for friendship exchange:

Only Rotarians and their immediate families are eligible for the visitor program, and participation in the team program is limited to Rotarians and their spouses.Spouses or children must always be accompanied by Rotarians on an exchange.Rotarians interested in participating must apply through their club president.

Not every district participates in Friendship Exchange, so prospective applicants should ask their club president about the program.

DG's from participating districts appoint a district Friendship Exchange chair who is responsible for coordinating exchanges through a list of chairs from around the world. Read More

Please join us for a New Community Based Rotaract Club in Fountain Hills.
The first Meeting to be held on Wed., March 16 at 6:00pm at Boys and Girls Club. 

Take a Step into your own Future!

Are you age 18-30 and looking for an opportunity to Grow and be a part of a service club that serves YOU and the community, has Fun and Growth as its goals? 

The Boys and Girls Club and Rotary Club of Fountain Hills are sponsoring an adult club  designed specifically for you that will focus on the challenges that you face in your life like Education, Careers, Family Matters, Financial Future, to name a few. “Rotary has sponsored many clubs like this one (called Rotaract) throughout the world very successfully”, said Tony Pistilli. There are over 7,000 clubs in 163 countries providing young adults with the opportunity to develop professional and leadership skills while they help the community.
Get in on the Ground Floor of this exciting Club and mold its direction and Objectives. Dinner and Refreshments will be served. 

Rotaract, a club for young adults, is an exciting idea, for us in Fountain Hills, it will be the first club of its type in our community said Staff Development Supervisor John Patris-Browne who will be the Club Advisor; and James Grubb, President, who is the former president of the Keystone-Interact Club said, 'I look forward to helping our membership and community through our actions in the club'.

John Patris-Browne Staff Development Supervisor (Center Right) greets Rotary Club Director of New Generations Tony Pistilli (Left) as Blake Evans (Center Left) and James Grubb Club President (Right) enjoy the moment.

Mesa West Rotary Club Donates to Gift of Life-Arizona
Gary Whiting, Centennial PDG and GOL-AZ Board President

It was a very pleasant surprise for District Governor, Glenn and Sherry "Sidekick" Smith to be presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from GOL-AZ Board President, PDG Gary Whiting on behalf of the Mesa West Rotary Club's $500 donation that was made in their honor. As they accepted the certificate, they expressed their appreciation to the Mesa West Rotary Club for recognizing the wonderful work that is being undertaken by GOL-AZ and for GOL-AZ's recent accomplishment of completing heart surgery on their 251st child.

Sun Lakes Rotary Club celebrates Valentine’s Day with their Sweethearts
By Gary Whiting, PDG and Sun Lakes Rotary Club Program Chair 

It was a beautiful February morning in Sun Lakes and the Sun Lakes Rotarians were arriving at 6:15 AM for their breakfast meeting with their sweethearts in hand to celebrate Valentine’s Day.  In a retirement community like Sun Lakes, most do not get out of bed until 9:00 AM, but on this special Rotary Club Day, everyone was on hand with smiles on their faces. 

The Sun Lakes Rotary Club has 100 members and with over 50 guests, the room was a little tight.  However, the breakfast, the fun, the laughter, the fellowship and honoring their sweethearts made the room heartwarming.  All sweethearts with less than 50 years of marriage were provided a single lavender rose.  One-half dozen red roses were presented to 20 sweethearts with 50 to 59 years and one dozen red roses were presented to 8 sweethearts with 60 to 64 years.  There were two sweethearts that each received one dozen yellow roses in honor of their 65 years of bliss…Rotarian Gorden and Betty Christensen; and Rotarian Don and Mary Henegar. 

The guest speaker was Nancy Rossman who presented her book entitled “First Love, Last Dance” which highlighted her mother’s love story of more than 75 years. This was followed by a power point presentation showing each Rotarian on their wedding day with all trying to guess who the Rotarian was.  In almost every case, no one named the Rotarian correctly. At the conclusion of the Valentine’s Day Celebration breakfast, the beautiful roses were presented to each Rotarian sweetheart as their wedding picture of many years ago was displayed on the big screen.

Meet the Microcredit Borrowers on March 26
By Wayne Rish

Microcredit Borrowers from Nogales Mexico will tell how small loans are changing their lives on Saturday March 26, 2011 at Quality Inn, 639 N. Grand Ave Nogales, Arizona. Funds for their loans are provided by Rotarians, Rotary clubs, our district DDF and Matching Funds from the Rotary Foundation.

A buffet lunch will be available for $17 at noon. Borrowers will speak beginning at 1 PM and conclude about 3 PM. Due to a State Department Travel Warning, no Rotary group travel is planned into Mexico. Also participating will be Rotarians from D5500, D5490, Pittsburg, California and our Host partner club in Nogales, Mexico, D4100.

Plan to join us to meet the nonprofit bankers and the borrowers, and hear them say why microcredit is such an effective antipoverty intervention that is helping them improve their lives and stay together as a family in Mexico with hope and confidence for their future. This is a very effective International Matching Grant project close enough we can see and hear the results of our efforts.

For additional information, contact Wayne Rish at 480 664 4820 or Dan Albertson at 480 263 9420

District Membership: How are we doing?

Is your club growing or shrinking? The future of 5510 is squarely in the hands of our 42 clubs. Open this up to see how your club is doing.

East Valley Rotaract Breaks New Ground at UMOM

Members of the East Valley Rotaract Club have a new community project! Partnering with Tempe Rotary, Tempe South Rotary and the Rotarian Action Group for the Alleviation of Hunger & Malnutrition, the Rotaractors broke ground on a new Community Youth Garden on the UMOM campus on February 26th.

The raised bed garden will be planted on March 12 to yield a summer crop of fresh produce for the children living at UMOM to take to their families.

Interested in helping?

Contact Laura Zilverberg at East Valley Rotaract

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Want to grow a community garden near you?

Contact PDG Barb Feder,President, Rotarian Action Group for the Alleviation of Hunger & Malnutrition This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Thanks for reading the  March 2011 issue of The Bridge. If you have something of interest from your club or committee, please submit your article by the 25th of any month for use in the next issue. Please attach separate, good quality, subject matter driven photos in jpg format. 
(email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )