A presentation on the Global Grant project and the collaborative Rotary effort that raised $160,000 in funding. El's remarks will highlight how this project will create sustainable, long-term impact for the community served and reflect Rotary’s commitment to Service Above Self.
Elijah Ndoye was born and raised in Senegal, West Africa, and moved to Tucson, Arizona in June of 1995. A proud University of Arizona alumnus, he holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in Operations Management. Elijah has built a successful career in banking, with over 20 years of experience serving the Tucson community.
Beyond his professional life, Elijah is a dedicated husband, father, and passionate humanitarian. He is the founder and executive director of The Forgotten Children, a registered nonprofit foundation that supports orphaned, impoverished, and homeless children in M’bour, Senegal. The organization’s mission includes the establishment of a boarding school to provide safe housing, nourishment, and education to children in critical need.
An accomplished musician, Elijah blends world contemporary styles with traditional African instruments. He is also the author of Dream on Seydou: A Memoir of a Senegalese Immigrant, sharing his inspiring journey from West Africa to the United States.
Deeply committed to community service, Elijah has volunteered with Casas de los Niños and Big Brothers Big Sisters and remains actively involved in local initiatives. He is a past chairman of the Greater Oro Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Hugh Thompson received a BA from Yale University and his MD from Yale Medical School. He also did his surgical internship and 1st of residency at Yale then did his orthopedic training at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. He Immediately served our country as a Captain in the US Army in Vietnam. He has been blessed to be married to Allyn, sharing five wonderful kids and nine grand kids. He retired early to find a second passion, sculpting. He has been active: He was an alternate on the 1956 Olympic rowing team in 1956, has run 3 marathons and climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest and two other 14,000 ft mountains. Hugh has been a member of our club since 1989 and was our 77th Club President. He has traveled overseas with Rotary on a number of occasions. His recommendation for life is,” Always say yes”, to any new opportunity.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And Happy Half Year of this Rotary term.
Many thanks are due to your 2025-2026 Board members Brittany Battle, Jason Grabosch, Michael Guymon, Diana Madaras, Alan Schrope and Jonathan Walkup as well as Sergeant at Arms Dan Kalm, Secretary Jenn Delaney, Treasurer Glenn Ewing, Past President Kurtis Dawson and President-elect Bobby Larson. Congratulations and welcome to 2026-27 Board members Cami Evans, John Duval and Bill Tong! Special appreciation is due to our amazing Dorinna York and Deborah Munoz-Chacon!
Unite For Good is the RI motto for this year, and our RCOT goal is to Unite Southern Arizona through Connections, Collaboration, Community, Compassion and Cookies!
Thanks to our Cookie Monsters this quarter: Joni Condit (La Posada), Bruce Tunze (Medicare A to Z), David Lex (Pak Mail), Jim Wood (Merrill Lynch), Charlotte Harris on behalf of the Ride to End Polio, Alan Schrope and Camp Bow Wow, Jonathan and the Walkup family. Appreciation for our meeting sponsors Pat Zumbush and Well Spring Financial (Tommy Lloyd meeting), and Kym Adair and the Snoop Dog Arizona Bowl for sponsoring UofA President, Suresh Garimella.
Connections:
We celebrated accomplishments of our members with a Way to Go, welcomed our Virtual Viewers and promoted the Red Badge Selfies. Thanks to the hosts of our successful EAT (Events Around Town) program, which has enabled members to meet throughout the community for fun, food and fellowship! Our mixers have been well attended. Many thanks to George Larsen for hosting our holiday mixer at his Car Cave.
Fellowship gatherings: First meeting of the new Agave (Mescal and Tequila) and Axe-throwing groups. The Book Club, Cycling, Golf, Hiking, Whisky and Wine Fellowships are very active and popular.
Collaboration:
Our Global Grant for a vocational training program in Senegal has been approved! Much appreciation to Barbara Kiernan (Catalina Club), the District 5500 Global Grants coordinator, to Jim Lubinski who will be heading this project and to Elijah Ndoye, who is playing a critical role in implementation. And to the team of Rotarians who just went to Senegal to get the project started: Elijah Ndoye, Hugh Thompson, Darrell Stewart, Brittany Battle, Adja Ndoye, Allyn Thompson, Erica Cantua, Joe Puett (From the Sierra Vista Club) and me. You’ll hear more about this amazing trip on Wednesday.
Kudos and congratulations to our program committee, headed by Pat Zumbusch and Cami Evans, for an excellent slate of programs, which included: Alison Flynn Gaffney (CEO, Banner University Medical Center), Dave White for Car Show prep, Michael Guymon led a Housing panel, #1 UA Men’s Basketball Coach Tommy Lloyd, UA President Suresh Garimella, Michelle Conklin (CEO, Tucson Botanical Gardens) and the Honorable Danelle Liwski, Presiding Judge of Pima County Superior Court. We had a record breaking 72 guests join us for the Tommy Lloyd meeting and 27 for Suresh Garimella!
Community:
CAR SHOW 2025. Our Nifty 19th car show was one of the best ever! Our Friday night dinner was a sold-out celebration of our car show exhibitors and volunteers, sponsored by Faye Morse and Eric Smith. Huge thanks to Dave White, the Executive and theTLT teams - as well as all of our fellow Rotarians and friends who contributed so much. New member Daniel Allen won the Corvette! Join us for the Jan 21st meeting for distribution of funds (the BIG checks!)
Car Show recipient charities for 2026 are: Youth On Their Own, Interfaith Community Services and the Amphi Foundation.
Our many and varied service projects benefit Southern Arizona in myriad ways: Community Food Bank, Tucson Clean and Beautiful (We've adopted Oracle Road, between River and Wetmore - be sure to look out for our sign when you drive by!), Triangle Y, Camp Lawton, Salvation Army, Youth Services (Interact, Rotaract, Youth Exchange, RYLA), Reading Coaches at Robison, The Haven, Boys & Girls Club, TRAK, AZ Trail maintenance.
El Tour/ RTEP was held November 22: John Hewko again joined us and spoke at the Friday night pre-ride dinner.
Rotary Club of Tucson Ride to End Polio Teams 2025:
El Tour Team: Matt Blair; Luis Hernandez; Gary Hirsch; Kandy Hirsch; Dan Kalm; Bob Morken; Lee Olitzky; Alan Rogers; and Jonathan Walkup
Indoor Team: Dana Cole; Jo DeChatelet; Rich Flynn; Nancy Gutt; Charlotte Harris; Gary Hirsch-leader; Jennifer Hoffman; Sean Hoffman; Dot Kret; Ann Lancero; Bobby Larson; David Lex; David Lovitt; Jim Lubinski; Ernie Montagne; Steve Pickering; Darrell Stewart; Hugh Thompson; and Bruce Tunze
We have contributed to the UA and Pima scholarship funds as well as TRVFA (The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona). We hosted the Dove Mountain Rotary Club, who sold their beautiful color-changing mugs. Thanks to funds from the Rotary Club of Tucson, Wright Flight hosted another successful flight day, giving a proud group of students the chance to take to the sky and celebrate their hard work.
On December 13, a large group of 75 Rotary ‘Ding-A-Lings’ rang the bells for the Salvation Army, organized by Tom Strasburg and Dan Kalm. We raised more than $8,500!
Thank you to Tom Moulton (the Morning Voice), Mitch Pisik, Brittany Battle and Mark Irvin for the excellent news, radio and print coverage for our various activities. With your help, the Tucson community is learning about Rotary and how we Unite for Good!
Compassion:
Sadly, we said farewell to Sandy Dahl, lovely wife of Rotarian Frank Dahl and our member Steve Ochoa.
Report card: Thanks to you all. We did so well with all of our Cs and for that I give us an A!
What's next?
A lot! More kudos to our program committee, as upcoming speakers include:
1/21 Dave White and Alan Rogers: Car Show Charity Presentations and Car Reveal; 1/28 Mike Ortega (RTA), 2/18 Rob Draper, O'Reilly Chevrolet; 3/4 Tucson Youth Music program, 3/18 Steele Children’s Research, 4/1 Cliff Bowman, RCOT Foundation with more exciting speakers to come.
Thank you to everyone for such a successful start to this Rotary year; I am honored to be a part of this remarkable club!
Saturday, January 10th 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Join Us for a Morning of Giving & Fun! 🗓 3003 S. Country Club
Calling all Rotarians – it’s time to roll up those sleeves and make a difference! We need 50 energetic, fun-loving volunteers to help pack food for those in need. Get ready for some hard work, a ton of laughs, and the satisfaction of giving back to the community. Let’s make it a morning to remember! Contact Bobby Larson for information.
Our next meeting will be on Monday, January 12th at noon at Canyon's Crown restaurant, located at 6958 E Tanque Verde Rd, Tucson, AZ 85715. We discussed meeting at Risky Business again, but alas they are closing, and I am not creative enough to come up with something else. We will be reviewing the book Born to Run by Christopher McDougall.
For February, our book is The Boys in the Boat. I learned from Charlotte Harris, that our own Hugh Thompson was also on the Olympic Crew Team as an alternate and is willing to join our meeting to share his experience. The meeting will be on either February 16th or 23rd, based on Hugh's schedule, location TBD.
There will be NO regular lunch meeting on Wednesday, January 14th. Instead, join your fellow Rotarians for Events Around Town (EAT) at various hosted lunch locations! If you are interested in hosting, please let the Rotary office know the location and how many you will be hosting. This is a wonderful way to get to know your fellow Rotarians.
Great news, Rotarians! Our next Tucson Clean and Beautiful Adopt-A-Road event is coming up on Saturday, January 17th. We’ll meet at 8:15 AM at the former Fiesta Lanes (now Pinz), located at 501 W. River Rd.
Be sure to wear a hat, closed-toe shoes, sunscreen, and gloves. We’ll provide bags, grabbers, and safety vests. Bring your Rotary spirit and a little morning energy — together we’ll help keep Tucson looking great!
Subject: Saturday, January 17th - Babad Do'ag Trail - 7:15AM meet time at LeBuzz Tanque Verde
Happy New Year fellow hiking enthusiasts,
As we launch another year of fellowship on the trails, I am excited to kick off 2026 with a first time hike for Martha and I. The Babad Do'ag trail presents a hike offering sweeping views over the Tucson valley. As with our Summer Hiking Series, this trip into the Catalinas will begin at the traditional meeting place of LeBuzz Tanque Verde at 7:15AM with an anticipated departure time of 7:30AM. As noted the hike is moderate in difficulty covering 4.5 miles and around 1,100 vertical feet. Anticipated hike time is 2.5-3 hours leaving everyone's afternoon free for other adventures.
Get ready to sip, savor, and celebrate one of Mexico’s most iconic traditions—agave 🌵🥃
The Rotary Club of Tucson Agave Fellowship invites you to an evening where culture, craftsmanship, and camaraderie come together in true Tucson style.
📅 Date: January 22, 2026 ⏰ Time: 6:00 PM 📍 Location: The Lodge on the Desert 306 N Alvernon Way, Tucson, AZ
We’ll enjoy a guided tasting of three unique tequilas and one mezcal, paired with a delicious taco bar 🌮—because great stories (and spirits) are always better with good food.
During the evening, you’ll be taken on a cultural journey through the agave fields as we learn how tequila is harvested, crafted, aged, and bottled, complete with a full educational presentation that will change the way you look at what’s in your glass.
💵 Cost: $50 per person 👥 Space is extremely limited—only 25 spots available
This intimate experience will fill up quickly, so don’t wait. If you enjoy learning something new, sharing a few laughs, and raising a glass with fellow Rotarians, this night is for you.
👉 Reserve your spot soon before the last lime is squeezed!
Mark Your Calendar: Due to the Gem Show at the TCC, the club lunch meeting on January 28th will be held at the Sheraton, 5151 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85712. We will be meeting upstairs in the Catalina Ballroom.
This is the most special time of year, as it is when the Rotary Club of Tucson's February Whisky Event is announced. As per always, this is going to be the most fun one yet.
Details, Details, Details: Date: February 19 Day: Thursday Start time: 6:00 PM End time: Before Monday morning Who's invited: All the cool Rotarians. Who else is invited: Anyone philanthropic, fun, and who YOU believe would be a great new Rotarian; and/or your significant other. Cost of entry: $20 plus an interesting bottle of whisky (extra credit for Rye). Can you bring your bottle back home with you: Absolutely. Food: Ample amounts of your favorite munchies. Where: 750 W. Landoran Lane. Oro Valley. 85737 RSVP: Text Rob at 520-661-5519 Deadline to RSVP: 2:30 PM on February 12th Maximum # of guests: 20 Any questions: Call Rob at 520-661-5519
At the Rotary Club of Tucson, we believe in giving back to our community and supporting causes that make a real difference. And now, it’s easier than ever to contribute to our efforts!
We’re excited to highlight a new way for you to make your donations directly to the Rotary Club of Tucson Foundation – all from the comfort of your own home! Simply head to our website, where you’ll find the gold Donation button at the top right of the menu bar. Whether you're contributing to our Scholarships, making a General Donation, or supporting our Local Charities, your generosity will help fund important initiatives that uplift our community.
But wait, there’s more! If you're joining us for lunch at the next meeting, don’t forget to look for the blue scholarship cups on the tables. These cups now feature a QR code that will take you straight to the Donation Page with just a quick scan. No need for cash or checks – donate right from your phone!
We can’t thank you enough for your ongoing support of our Foundation. Your donations directly benefit our community and empower us to continue making a meaningful impact. If you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Rotary office.
Let’s continue to do good in our community – with a click, a scan, and your generous heart!
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Hugh Thompson received a BA from Yale University and his MD from Yale Medical School. He also did his surgical internship and 1st of residency at Yale then did his orthopedic training at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in NYC. He Immediately served our country as a Captain in the US Army in Vietnam. He has been blessed to be married to Allyn, sharing five wonderful kids and nine grand kids. He retired early to find a second passion, sculpting. He has been active: He was an alternate on the 1956 Olympic rowing team in 1956, has run 3 marathons and climbed to the base camp of Mt. Everest and two other 14,000 ft mountains. Hugh has been a member of our club since 1989 and was our 77th Club President. He has traveled overseas with Rotary on a number of occasions. His recommendation for life is,” Always say yes”, to any new opportunity.
HAPPY NEW YEAR! And Happy Half Year of this Rotary term.
Hello Rotary Book Club fellowship - 
There will be NO regular lunch meeting on Wednesday, January 14th. Instead, join your fellow Rotarians for Events Around Town (EAT) at various hosted lunch locations! If you are interested in hosting, please let the Rotary office know the location and how many you will be hosting. This is a wonderful way to get to know your fellow Rotarians.
RYLA
Great news, Rotarians! Our next Tucson Clean and Beautiful Adopt-A-Road event is coming up on Saturday, January 17th. We’ll meet at 8:15 AM at the former Fiesta Lanes (now Pinz), located at 501 W. River Rd.
Get ready to sip, savor, and celebrate one of Mexico’s most iconic traditions—agave 🌵🥃
Mark Your Calendar: Due to the Gem Show at the TCC, the club lunch meeting on January 28th will be held at the Sheraton, 5151 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85712. We will be meeting upstairs in the Catalina Ballroom.
At the Rotary Club of Tucson, we believe in giving back to our community and supporting causes that make a real difference. And now, it’s easier than ever to contribute to our efforts!
