February 2012

Polio Lights It Up!

Click to read story.

 How To Create Something Good, From A Few Clicks

Do you wonder why the district sometimes sends you email? Here is a great example of how our members have so much power. Because of you RI received these United miles to offset travel expenses for our projects! If the District doesn't communicate with everyone, this type of windfall cannot happen. Thanks to all of you who voted!

The following note was received from Steve Solomon at the Rotary Foundation:

Thank you for voting for Rotary last month during United's 10 Million Charity Miles Giveaway. For the miles giveaway, we officially came in second place and will receive 2,488,070 charity miles from United. Rotarians will use the miles for humanitarian missions, such as transporting sick children to hospitals.  Note: all blue underlined text are hyperlinks to online resources.

How a Rotary club gave one woman hope: A club used donated airline miles to bring an Iraqi woman to the United States after she lost the use of her legs in an explosion during her honeymoon. The same blast killed her husband. She was unable to receive physical therapy in Iraq for her injuries, but donated miles helped take her to the treatment she needed.

Learn more about the program. 

Donate: Put soon-to-expire, unused United Airlines miles toward a good cause: Donate them to Rotary’s Humanitarian Miles program.  You can give your United Airlines miles in 1,000-mile increments by filling out the donation form (PDF).

How to participate: Rotarians can work with the Rotary International Travel Service (RITS) to collect airline miles from their community for a specific project. This approach is similar to a fundraiser, except Rotarians collect United Airlines miles instead of money. Donations must be in 1,000-mile increments. Learn more about the program.

Questions about Rotary’s Humanitarian Miles Program: Robert S. Mintz (Travel Manager, Rotary International)
Phone: 847-866-3445 Fax: 847-866-6297 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Thanks again for your participation and persistence in supporting Rotary!   

Steven Solomon | Annual Giving Officer for Zones 25 & 26

847.866.3195 | This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Two Steps To Prepare Your Club For A New Year July 1

Step One:  PETS 2012
March 2 & 3, 2012
Phoenix East/Mesa Hilton
If you are a President Elect, President Nominee, Secretary or Treasurer
New options for experienced Secretaries and Treasurers
Click To Register now! All 42 Presidents Elect are expected to attend

Step Two: District Assembly
April 14, 2012 (8:30-2:00)
EVIT   1601 W Main St Mesa
This is specific training for all Club 2012-13 board members
and great intro for new members $15

Click to register now!

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Caesar and Me
By Alan Havir

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Come to Life in the Classroom
By Norm Noble
The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes

When it comes to mathematics, most U.S. kids aren't making the grade. A recent study conducted by the American Institutes for Research on students in Grades 4 and 8 found that children in the United States consistently score on math below most of their peers around the world. As students progress to the high school level, the worrying trend continues, with the U.S placing ninth out of the 12 countries included in the study.

A World In Motion® (AWIM) is a teacher-administered, industry volunteer-assisted program that brings science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to life in the classroom for students in Kindergarten through Grade 12. It seeks to make science exciting. Benchmarked to the national standards, AWIM incorporates the laws of physics, motion, flight, and electronics into age-appropriate hands on activities that reinforce classroom STEM curriculum.

The program started twenty years ago by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), and is funded by the SAE Foundation. It is all about getting students excited about math and science. AWIM in Arizona began five years ago when a group of retired General Motors engineers who are members of the GM Retirees Club of Arizona took up the challenge. The program has impacted over four million student since its inception, and has programs in more than a dozen countries globally.

Through the support of corporations, foundations, volunteers, SAE members and the SAE Foundation, AWIM opens a window of possibilities for students as they discover the stimulating application of science principles and learn about rewarding engineering, science, and technical careers. The students learn to work as a team with their classmates and apply creative problem solving during the activities. Read more

 Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Recognized by Miracle League of Arizona

Miracle League of Arizona (MLAZ), an organization dedicated to helping special needs children play baseball, recognized the Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Club with a banner dedication ceremony on Saturday, January 21, 2012.  The banner commemorates the partnership of Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary with MLAZ, and $15,000 in total donations to support the objectives of MLAZ.  The banner is displayed on the outfield fence beneath the scoreboard. 

Approximately 20 club members celebrated the event with a parking lot tailgate party featuring coffee, juice, do-nuts, and bagels.  It was truly an emotionally rewarding experience watching the kids enjoy playing the game of baseball.  Games are played on Wednesday evenings at 5:30 PM and Saturday mornings at 9:00 AM.  Thanks to AG Eileen Klecka for the photos.

Gift of Life-AZ needs Home Hosting Assistance
Gary Whiting, PDG and GOL-AZ Board President

One aspect of helping GOL-AZ continue its success of helping needy children who are suffering from congenital heart defects is to provide a Rotarian Home Hosting environment for the child and their mother or guardian that supports them in the hospital location that is providing the needed heart surgery.  This provides home comfort, familiar faces, communication and transportation back and forth to the hospital and doctors office.  Additionally, it allows the host family the opportunity of getting to personally know and experience a new friendship with someone from another country, or in some cases from here in Arizona or elsewhere in the USA.

Usually when a Rotarian provides home hosting, their Rotary Club also provides help by sharing transportation, having the mother and child as guests to their club meetings and in some cases helping with the cost of providing food and etc.

The need is in proximity of where the surgeries occur at these Arizona Hospitals: 

More and more surgeries are presently being handled in Tucson.  For example one (1) was completed in 2011 and we have three (3) more pending as this is being written.  The Ronald McDonald House had to be used for the one in 2011 because of no Rotarian home hosting.  Presently, Rotarian Home Hosting is needed for the three pending and soon to be confirmed children.  As such, Rotarians in the Tucson, Mariana and Green Valley areas are needed as soon as possible.

Phoenix Arcadia Rotarian and Dentist, Dr. David Demaine and family share their experience of home hosting four (4) year old Loic and his mother Eugene Niyomugaba all the way from Rwanda that also included help from his Rotary Club and the Scottsdale Airpark Rotary Club which shared this experience by helping organize and raise funds for their airfare.  The successful surgery was to repair a large hole in his heart (ventricular septal defect) and was performed at Phoenix Children’s Hospital.  As a result, a life was saved and a Rotarian and his family along with two Rotary Clubs have a lifetime friendship with a family from Rwanda.  And, they all got to experience a language called Kinyarwanda and Swahili and learn about their home environment and the mothers experience as a fourth grade school teacher in a Rwanda Elementary School.  What a wonderful way to help build better friendship and understanding between people from different parts of the world.  This is Rotary in action!

We urge Rotarians and Rotary Clubs in the above areas to consider assisting GOL-AZ with home hosting, especially with the present needs in the Tucson area.  Please contact Gift of Life-AZ at 602-445-4343 or visit website www.giftoflifeaz.org for more information about Home Hosting.  

As this article is being written, GOL-AZ has now completed over 265 life saving heart surgeries from 24 countries of which 23 are from Arizona.  Should your Rotary Club wish to have GOL-AZ as your meeting program, please contact PDG Gary Whiting at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to confirm a date.  No club within the 3 Arizona Districts is too far away. 

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ITS COMING!!!!! District Conference 2012
Chapparal Suites in Scottsdale
June 8/9, 2012  More info click and register now!
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A Scholar's View From China
By Ian Curtiss, 5510 Scholar

I have now been in Beijing, China for a year tomorrow, and have been studying under the Rotary Ambassadorial scholarship program for almost 6 months.  I wanted to send you all an update on my experiences, and I recently finished the semester at Peking University on January 9^th, and I just finished the final for my winter course.  I decided to sign up for further courses to make sure I stayed busy over the winter break…. And let me tell you, I have been busy.  As my Master's and extra Chinese courses overlapped with each other, I was pulling 12 hour days for 3 weeks, because of my term papers and tests on top of the Chinese courses…..  I am really glad that time is over, my wife Sarah and I are really enjoying seeing each other again.   

I have also been really active in the local Rotaract club on top of my studies and have been able to interact with people from all over the world through our varied weekend activities.  Summarizing this time is almost impossible, though I would describe it as incredibly exciting, challenging, life-altering, belittling, and yet empowering.  The experiences I have had here will certainly stay with me for the rest of my life! 

The language studies, work with Rotaract, and my Master’s program studies have all given me different access to the surrounding country, and the culture around me.  The language studies have allowed me to access the people I see on a daily basis, the international studies have given me an understanding of the “big picture” of China, and my work with Rotaract has allowed me to have access to people and cultures outside of my normal daily contact.

As an elected board member in the Rotaract club, I’ve been able to lead and partake in many of the events, including a club funded trip to a local Science Museum, a (huge) food drive at Carrefour grocery stores around Beijing, and a Halloween Party for the orphanage and school we sponsor, Guang Ai (光爱).  Other projects such as an art auction for a school for mentally handicapped, cooperation with an organic farm for mentally handicapped, and a clothing drive for a clothing distribution charity, (my apartment is packed full of clothing to be donated to the distribution organization, since Sarah and I volunteered to be the collection point for donations in our part of town).  I’ll be sure to send pictures of that project when we are all done. 

The orphanage in particular has been a powerful experience for me, continue reading

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 Can you help paint? Scottsdale Foothills Rotary will be painting about 50 rooms at Sojourner House- 15th and McDowell near the Jack in the Box on 3 Saturdays starting with Feb 4, Feb 11 and ending Feb 18th. Paint and brushes will be supplied by our club and we need 25 people to help out. For further information people can contact Braham Polikoff at 480-980-3106.

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 Say GoodBye To Polio: As part of our District 5490 & 5510 Public Relations Grant from Rotary International,
you'll find billboards just like this dotted along Arizona highways & by-Ways! Keep a look-out!

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 Effective February 6th, The Rotary Club of the White Mountains will be moving to a Monday 12:00 noonn meeting.
The meetings will still be held at the Maverick Corral Restaurant in Lakeside

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For those of you who haven't heard.....mark your calendars. The Roaring Rotary Winefest is coming!!!
February 22nd at 5:30 @ The Phoenix Zoo.  If you need tickets, call Eileen Klecka 480-998-4485.  Only $35.00 for great cheeses, appetizers, wine, beer and fun. We will also have a great Raffle full of Fantastic Prizes. Flyer information

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5510 Announces Nomination of 2014-2015 District Governor

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN of District 5510, please welcome John Pennypacker as our District Governor Nominee Designate to serve in 2014-2015.  We are proud and honored to have John take on take on such an important responsibility. 

Thank you,

Alan Havir
District 5510 Governor 2011-12

Dear Alan,

I am humbled and honored to have been deemed worthy of becoming a Rotary District Governor.  I can only hope to measure up to those who have preceded me.  You have raised the bar and I need a new pair of track shoes if I have any aspirations of keeping up the terrific work you and the “Transformers” have started.  As an aside, I appreciated the open forum of the questioning. I had no expectations and came in cold, which is probably the most honest way to approach something like that.Thank you for asking me to be a SIG at the Zone Institute – that definitely tipped the scales for me.  Please thank the rest of the committee for their vote of confidence.  I will be calling on them for advice and counsel and to do things that they are best equipped to do.

John Pennypacker

Rotary international Assembly In San Diego 2012   
By DGE Abe Feder   

Every year Rotary International gathers all of the incoming District Governors in one place for training, fellowship and enlightenment.  Every Past District Governor I’ve met always says it’s the best Rotary experience they’ve ever had, and they’re right. This year my wife Barbara and I experienced an amazing week with committed people from all over the world that belong to a great organization. It was like Disney World and we could not take it all in or meet all the all the people we wanted to meet. 

We could not experience all they had to offer and yet we went non stop for 6 days. From the breakout sessions to the general sessions everything was about excellence.  In the end we learned our theme for this year is “PEACE THROUGH SERVICE”, and that say’s what Rotary is.  We bring peace to the world through our service.  If Barb and I could have brought one thing back to give to each of you within our District it would have been to experience the internationality of this event and the quality of the people that were there. It was a life changing event and even though PDG Barb went through it in 2000 it still brought tears to her eyes and goose bumps to her body.
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to serve you and represent our District Of Clubs. 

(Yes, even the RI Pres. Elect Sakuji Tanaka had fun!)

Our District Giving: A Comparison

This graphic illustrates how 5510 compares to our fellow districts in our Zone, in Annual Fund contributions.

Microcredit Opportunity
By Wayne Rish

To accomplish your Service goals for this Rotary year, do you or your club want to participate in a successful international service project? If so, consider joining the Rotarian Microcredit Matching Grant project in Nogales, Mexico. Now in its third year, this project has proven high return on whatever investment you or your club can make. Our promise for your contribution:

Paul Harris credits will be awarded dollar for dollar
50% match by the Rotary Foundation
100% of your contribution will be loaned
98% will be collected annually
Your funds will be loaned and collected three times per year for decades
Tax deductible for individuals
Life changing for borrowers and their family
An opportunity to meet the borrowers you will be helping

For more information contact Wayne Rish, Rotary Club of Fountain Hills at 480 664 4820 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  or Dan Albertson, Chandler San Tan Crown Rotary Club at 480 263 9420 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it " data-mce-href="mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Pictured: Senor and Senora Rodriguez who borrowed $175 to purchase additional food ingredients to expand their menu for the small restaurant they operate together

What Happens At Tarnished Brass?

All Past District Governors who live in District 5510 are invited to the annual Tarnish Brass dinner.  This provides an opportunity to get together to further District 5510 fellowship and the Rotary cause.  This year was special because we had immediate Past Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith attending.  We put him right to work in the kitchen by scooping the Ice Cream for the Bananas Foster that PDG’s; Gary Whiting, Barbara Feder and Greg Podd would flambé. Below is a thank you note from PDG Bill Sturgeon and his wife Sandra.  It captures the mood of the evening.  We are lucky to have such a compassionate group of leaders in our district coming together in the most heart felt way.  Alan Havir, PDG in training.

Dear Alan and Sandy: 

Just a quick note to thank you both for your hospitality in inviting a couple of "strangers" into your home last Saturday evening.  We have been to two or three 5510 PDG gatherings in the past, but this was our first for several years. We really enjoyed the gathering ..... especially the more than obvious caring fellowship that was present.  Having represented the RI President on several occasions and seen how other district gatherings go, we have the sense that 5510 PDGs really enjoy gathering for fun and Rotary "business", [including listening to your special guest: "Para" (sp?)]. We also enjoyed seeing the Podds and the Feders again.  And what a coincidence to see Ron Cowan.  We were on an RI Committee [about 2003 or so] to discuss RI's 100th Anniversary.  We hadn't seen each other since those meetings. Again, many thanks for the lovely evening.  Sandra sends her love to you both, as do I. 
Signed: PDG Bill Sturgeon

The Recreational Vehicle Fellowship of Rotary
By James Anderson, The Rotary Club of Four Peaks

I would like all Rotarians who own an RV come join us for some fun and Fellowship. Maybe you are not intending to head to Bangkok for the 2012 RI Convention. Instead, you are invited to join the RVF and join in our activities in BRANSON, MO, America’s Best Campground; JUNE 5-9, 2012 . Please visit www.rfvweb.org for membership application and information on our Rallies.

Many Rotarians know about our respective clubs but not about the fellowships of Rotary. The Rotarian magazine has featured some fellowships but the following are excerpts from a story written by the Past President of the Recreational Vehicle Fellowship of Rotarians (RVF), Jim Smith, who writes under the name of J. Oliver, for Family Motor Coach Magazine (FMCA). We hope Rotarians in your (this) district will be interested in the RVF.

The International Rotary organization is a service club of business leaders who meet weekly to exchange ideas on how they may be of service to more disadvantaged people throughout the world. The club originated in Chicago in 1905. Today Rotary has 1.2 million members in 31,560 clubs in 166 countries. In addition to community, nationwide, and international service activities Rotary has over 70 fellowships that cover both vocational and recreational association. Some of these groups are made up of lawyers, physicians, computer experts and even those who have had heart surgery. The fellowship associated with Rotarians is the RVF.

A bit of international RV nomenclature where this Rotary Fellowship is active may be in order. In Europe if you travel in a motorized home or trail a livable trailer you are a caravaner and the trailer is a caravan. The place you stop for the evening, days or week is referred to as a caravan or camping park. In Australia and New Zealand the caravaner designation is also the term used for motor home and trailer travelers. Continue reading

 Confucius Didn't Say:

 When two egotist meet, it's an I for an I.
A bicycle can't stand on its own. Its two tired.
What's the definition of a will? (It's a dead giveaway.)