Lance Jungmeyer is President of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, an industry association representing importers of Mexican produce, based in Nogales, Ariz. In addition to his role at FPAA, Jungmeyer is active on the United Fresh Produce Association’s Government Relations Council and Food Safety Oversight Committee, as well as the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s North America Trade Task Force. Before joining the association, Jungmeyer spent 13 years at the produce industry’s leading newspaper, The Packer, as Editor.

 

The meeting began with President PHIL GUTT introducing PAULINE HECHLER for the invocation.  PAULINE gave a touching invocation that was designed with our guest speaker in mind. 

 

GARY HIRSCH manned the piano and DALE BERG grabbed the mic on vocals to perform a smashing rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner”!

 

Birthday wishes go out to HUGH THOMPSON and President PHIL GUTT.  President PHIL made a donation to JIM LUBINSKI’s ride for polio and HUGH told an edgy joke involving a goose, a bucket, a gallon of paint, and two chickens….you had to be there!  HUGH reminded us to sell car show tickets by speaking to people about the charities that will benefit and not just the show itself.

 

We had six Paul Harris recipients today:  John Kitagawa, STEVE PICKERING, IRENE DECKER, CHUCK SAWYER, and BOBBY LARSON.  BOB LOGAN did an excellent job giving out gifts to each of the recipients that ranged from a U of A hat to pink golf balls because some members “play golf like girls” (I guess that means they are good at golf?).  Congrats!

 

President PHIL updated us on the results from the foundation survey.  We voted to keep the Tucson Classics Car Show as our primary annual fund raising event and the current charity funding split of 50/20/20/5/5.  The primary charity will have a literacy focus and the search has already begun. 

 

Our guest speaker for today was Dick Gruentzel from the Tucson Airport Authority (TAA).  He was introduced by fellow Rotarian TOM ANDREWS. The TAA is a nonprofit organization and manages the 8300 acres of land at the Tucson Airport.  The big story over the last decade has been airline consolidation due to rising costs.  Even though recently airlines have started to earn a profit, since 2000 airlines have lost $22.4 billion dollars!  Dick told us about upgrades that will be coming to the airport including new TSA check points, a children’s play area, expanding concession options, and possibly direct flights to the New York area!

Another fine lunch came to a close with a great group of fellow ROTARIANS.

 

Maybe not for your waistline, but possibly for your Rotary experience.

 

If you haven’t yet, you will come upon new club members who switched to the Rotary Club of Tucson from another Tucson-area club. Occasionally, a member leaves RCOT for one of our cousin clubs. It’s not always the time of day, day of the week, meeting location or meal quality that is behind swapping clubs. It might be that that person likes the “feel” of our club better.

 

That feel is made up of one or more factors that distinguish the personality of Rotary Club A from that of Rotary Club B. Pinpointing a factor can be quite a challenge. You may not be able to enumerate the qualities you prefer, but you know them when you experience them.

 

One factor that is quite easily recognizable and measurable is size. Rotary clubs in our town vary dramatically in membership numbers, from our own 232 (most in Arizona) to fewer than 10.

 

Clubs are all following the same avenues of service; nevertheless, they take necessarily different routes based upon club member count.

 

Why do some Rotarians prefer a small, even tiny, club? Typically, joining a small club means immediate, heavy, hands-on involvement. You could find yourself chairing a committee within a week or two. Or chairing three committees, while simultaneously being a member of four more. It’s not unheard of for an 18-month member of a small club to be selected as President-Elect. Presidents have been known to serve two – or more – consecutive terms. The bureaucracy is minimal and decision-making can be rapid, even unilateral. For many, the best part of a club without a triple-digit membership is the speed at which you get to know your fellow club members. It’s measured in weeks, rather than months (or even years in the case of the world’s largest Rotary club which has more than 600 members).

 

Some of that sounds appealing (a stint as President for 24 or 36 straight months, maybe not). Yet many prefer to join a large Rotary club where there often are certain advantages over a small club.

 

Need 100+ volunteers to carry out a project? Your huge club can potentially pull that off without reaching out to three degrees of separation beyond the membership. The skill set present in a collection of hundreds of members is undeniably greater than in a group of thirty. If there is a talent we need, it’s probably in hand. If there is an outside contact we need to engage, it’s likely someone in RCOT knows that person.

 

Large clubs provide inherent back-up in the volunteer pool. Temporary illness or relocation of one person doesn’t present as much of a challenge to continuing a project. Losing a member or two is not normally an existential threat. Having many experienced members provides a readily-available source of mentorship and institutional knowledge so valuable to any association. Do non-Rotary demands on your life mean your Rotary participation level must vary from month to month, or even year to year? The club will be better able to handle your up and down involvement, offsetting your peaks and valleys with those of your fellow Rotarians.

 

More often than not, the big clubs attract higher-caliber speakers and make a more dramatic public relations impact, both of which shine a larger community spotlight on Rotary’s work (and help all Rotary clubs attract new members).

 

No one should underestimate the power of the dollar in achieving the good Rotary is known for. It is nearly always true that the larger clubs have greater financial resources. It takes volunteer time – and volunteer money – to successfully complete many of our undertakings. Rotary’s biggest clubs often put to use collective dues dollars to engage a staff, bringing expertise and consistency to the organization. Members are not forced to do club work they find to be unrewarding. And, there is no substitute for the advantages of foundations affiliated with Rotary locals. These 501(c)(3) powerhouses almost always spring from, and are grown by, large clubs.

 

When viewed solely on the basis of member count, big club versus small club is a matter of your comfort and your situation. Remember, number of members is only one difference between Rotary clubs. Personality is almost always more significant than roster size in making a club right for you.

A huge thank you goes out to all those that helped at Camp Lawton on August 1st working on the Adirondack cabins for Catalina Council, Boy Scouts of America at 7000 feet elevation on Mt. Lemmon.

 

And of interest, RCT was chartered (as you know) 01 APRIL 1921.  RCT established the camp for Boy Scouts in May 1921 as its very first Community Service project. Contrast with the first Rotary Club in Chicago (1905) who’s first Community Service Project was building an enclosed urinal on the sidewalk of one of Chicago's main streets!

Hikers, the annual RYE pilgrimage to Havasupai Canyon this year is October 10-13, 2015.  This trip is sponsored by Chuck Flint, a member of the Mesa West Rotary Club who has been doing this trip for almost 20 years.  Most of the Rotary Youth Exchange students from around the entire state will be making the hike along with adult volunteers.  This year, we leave on a Saturday for the drive to Seligman and hike down on Sunday (when people are hiking out) to get a prime camp spot.  We spend two nights at the campground past the village (11 miles from the top) and hike out on Tuesday morning returning to Tucson around 7 PM.  The trip cost is $310.00 and includes food (except for snacks and breakfast) lodging and all tribal fees.  For more information call Dave Gallaher - 907-4983.