Mass casualties and natural disasters can and do occur in any and all communities in our country. Fortunately, in Pima County, when tragedy strikes, there is a program available to assist victims and witnesses of trauma. Participants in this session will learn about the Pima County Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division’s role in supporting crime victims both immediately following a criminal incident or crisis event and throughout the criminal justice system. They will get information about the response provided in the aftermath of the Tucson Tragedy (January 8, 2011) and the Las Vegas Shooting (October 2017).
Vanessa Helms ~ Biography
Vanessa Helms is the Director of the Pima County Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division. Prior to this position she was the Executive Director of Homicide Survivors, Inc., in Tucson, Arizona. She has worked in victim services for over 13 years and has held a variety of positions including work as a crisis advocate and the coordinator of a crisis volunteer program with the Pima County Attorney’s Office and as the coordinator of the Pima County Crime Victim Compensation Program. Vanessa is a trainer on a variety of topics within the victim services field including, victimology, communication skills, crisis theory, crisis intervention and cybercrimes. She provides training statewide for the Arizona Victim Assistance Academy and internationally through the National Office for Victim Assistance. In addition, Vanessa has over 16 years of experience working with diverse populations in the human services field providing case management, education and training and therapy services. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona with an Interdisciplinary Studies degree and graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Master’s degree in Counseling.
How do you make a BIG Club feel smaller? That is a question that Bob Shaff, Margaret Higgins and I have wrestled with this year. Having good meetings is critical to maximizing our member experience…but there is limited time for fellowship at our meetings and it is difficult to really get to know each other, especially for new members.
Mixers are important…and we have tried to make them both fun and well attended…and the Car Show is critical…it is our single best opportunity to get members engaged and working together.
But after thinking about it, and working on it, it turns out some of the small things are really important. With 256 members how do members that have been with us for many years get to know new members? How many of you have looked across the table…or walked into a meeting and thought…is that a guest or a new member that I have not met?
I am amazed at how welcoming our Club is and the reception that guests and visiting Rotarians get at our meetings. The Board, Dorinna and Kari, as well as our New Member Ambassadors hear this on a regular basis...but back to that new member you did not recognize…did you go up to them to say hello? If you see their Red badge would you go to “High Profiles” look them up and feel more comfortable saying hello at the next meeting? There is nothing more important than each of us making the effort to get to know each other…it is both the bond that unites us and one of the strongest reasons for us to be Rotarians.
From the podium I try to impart small links that create a “connection” in a member’s minds by using…”something you might not know about” for our Birthday members. I think it is a good technique, but the challenge is I can only do that for 2-3 members a week, I can’t announce everyone…and what happens if you missed that meeting?
To take that technique to a bigger stage, Bob Shaff has been working hard on our “High Profile” I mentioned to you in my letter last month. We are up to 30% of members with a completed profile…but we need more. Please take the 10 minutes to fill out your form online in ClubRunner…it holds the power to let members that don’t know you…get to know something about you that they will remember.
For new members we are trying something different. We have split the membership this year into two teams, the Blue Team and the Gold Team. The Blue Team includes new members that joined from 7/1/18 – 12/31/18 and the Gold Team has members from the second half of the year from 1/1/19 – 6/30/19. The Mentoring committee will be working with these teams to schedule a work project, a replacement meeting social event and a way to work together at the Car Show to build camaraderie among our newest members. It is a new approach that we believe will help newer members connect with the Club quicker.
All of these initiatives work together to help our BIG Club seem smaller. I firmly believe that the work we do and the time we spend together on projects, at the Car Show, in Fellowships, at Mixers, at Home Hospitality and in Committees creates the culture that allows our “Remarkable Rotary Club to do Truly Remarkable Things!” I would like to thank all of you for all the things you do that enable us as a Club to contribute to making Tucson a better place to live.
YIR,
Chuck Sawyer President 2018-2019 Rotary Club of Tucson
P.S.Please plan to attend our last meeting of the year at the DoubleTree on June 19th. We have scheduled a Club Assembly, the first in several years. We will review the goals that we set out for the year, the things that we have accomplished and recognize the good work of our board and committee leaders.
Most importantly we will be conducting a brief in-meeting survey that will provide your feedback about what our Club is doing well and where we need to improve to maximize the value of your membership. Bob Logan will use this information to help shape his goals for theupcoming year…which by the way promises to be a great, fun year with terrific programs…many of which have already been booked!
ALSO: please remember not to invite guests to our Club Assembly on the 19th.
For nearly 100 years, the Rotary Club of Tucson has contributed thousands of hours to community service and over $6,000,000 of support to various organizations in Tucson and throughout the world. Each year we provide multiple scholarships for both Pima Community College and the U of A to students based on need and merit. The Club is made up of over 250 business and community leaders and is one of the largest of the over 35,000 Rotary clubs in World. Our common mission is Service Above Self.
In 2021, we will celebrate our centennial. To commemorate this occasion, our Club decided to seek out a major project that would leave a legacy to members by strengthening our community’s future. The Dream Big Make a Difference in Our Community grant drew 41 applications from a wide selection of non-profits across our community. The grant is guaranteed to provide a minimum of $250,000 to the selected organization. Funds will be raised through our annual signature event, The Tucson Classics Car Show and from a special event to be held in early 2021.
From this group of outstanding candidates, the JTED Innovative Learning Center rose to the top and was chosen by a vote of our members. JTED and the Rotary Club of Tucson have an, albeit short, history. For the last several years JTED students and volunteers have made up the largest group of non-member volunteers for our car show. So, our grant for the Innovative Learning Center will continue to build on our partnership.
The Rotary Club of Tucson is thrilled to be a part of this bold new venture. The Innovative Learning Center will provide state of the art educational alternatives to the traditional high school experience. The Center will provide employment ready graduates in various technical and trade occupations thus strengthening our community by helping to provide the work force for the 21st century.
On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Tucson, congratulations to JTED on this monumental accomplishment. We look forward to continuing to work with JTED as our club moves into its next 100 years of service to our community and the world.
The Change of Administration Event will be held on Saturday, June 29th at Hacienda Del Sol, 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Rd., from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Cost per person is $55 and will be billed to your account. All must register for this event on our website, www.tucsonrotary.org and scroll down the left side to "Upcoming Events". Overnight rooms will be available for those who would like to spend the night.
So come on out for this special evening when President Chuck will pass the gavel to our 2019-2020 President, Bob Logan.
We had a very nice group for this sunrise hike on Saturday morning. The photo is a sunrise shot from the trail. Martha and I were joined by President Chuck, Rich Flynn, Jeff Heath and Aimee Graves husband Mike.
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Mass casualties and natural disasters can and do occur in any and all communities in our country. Fortunately, in Pima County, when tragedy strikes, there is a program available to assist victims and witnesses of trauma. Participants in this session will learn about the Pima County Attorney’s Office Victim Services Division’s role in supporting crime victims both immediately following a criminal incident or crisis event and throughout the criminal justice system. They will get information about the response provided in the aftermath of the Tucson Tragedy (January 8, 2011) and the Las Vegas Shooting (October 2017). .jpg)
How do you make a BIG Club feel smaller? That is a question that Bob Shaff, Margaret Higgins and I have wrestled with this year. Having good meetings is critical to maximizing our member experience…but there is limited time for fellowship at our meetings and it is difficult to really get to know each other, especially for new members.
The Change of Administration Event will be held on Saturday, June 29th at Hacienda Del Sol, 5501 N. Hacienda Del Sol Rd., from 6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Cost per person is $55 and will be billed to your account. All must register for this event on our website, 
We had a very nice group for this sunrise hike on Saturday morning. The photo is a sunrise shot from the trail. Martha and I were joined by President Chuck, Rich Flynn, Jeff Heath and Aimee Graves husband Mike. 
