The NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl is pleased to announce the return of NOVA Home Loans as our title partner. This year’s game will be played on Friday, December 30 at Arizona Stadium. The NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl will feature a team from the Mountain West competing against a team from the Sun Belt Conference.  Both the Mountain West and Sun Belt Conference have committed to sending teams to the NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl for the 2016-2019 seasons.  A Tucson based 501c3 has been formed to own and operate the bowl game. Additionally, Campus Insiders, the premier online destination and leading content source for college sports fans, has agreed to a multi-year media partnership for the streaming of the game and enhanced digital game experience. The NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl is dedicated to promoting community engagement and supporting local charities. The economic and charitable impact of the NOVA® Home Loans Arizona Bowl will have a profound effect on Southern Arizona for years to come.

 

 

Ali Farhang is a community activist and high school football coach who believes that making positive differences in one's community is an enormous aspect of living a successful life.  Ali is also an AV-rated attorney who practices in the areas of labor and employment, business consultation, commercial litigation and personal injury defense.  Ali has litigated a wide variety of employment, traditional labor, corporate and general liability matters. Additionally, Ali has advised and assisted management clients seeking to enforce restrictive covenants and with respect to a multitude of federal and state compliance issues.  He also acts as de facto general counsel to a number of significant corporate clients who conduct business across multiple jurisdictions.

Our “esteemed” President ELLIE began her 2^nd meeting with a moment of silence for the 5 slain police officers in Dallas.  PAULINE HECHLER then gave the invocation/inspiration in honor of our recently passed Rotarian – JACK MAREK. JACK was a mountain of a man and he always had a fun time at our Wednesday meetings – miss you JACK. ANGELA MOORE presented a Video of our National Anthem – thank you ANGELA. CHARLIE MEAKER introduced the guests which included six Davis Monthan personnel. We had three birthdays DIANA CANNON, who thanked member LISA FOGLE; MARY MARTIN, former Star President; and JIM RONSTADT – former President and who still works with son JEFF in the insurance business. Our Sergeant at Arms gave out the 1^st fine of her tenure to herself. We had another fine raffle with five winners. The announcements were MARY MARTIN for the GAP Ministries and a car show minute. DAVE GALLAHER for the Mt. Lemmon boy scout work day project on July 30^th and NANCY PURDIN gave RUBY PECKFORD her blue badge – yeah Ruby!

 

Our program was introduced by out #1 A-10 pilot, CLIFF BOWMAN aka “the Beave”. LT General/3 star/Mark C. Nowland gave an inspirational overview of his and the 12^th Air Force responsibilities. He oversees 360 aircrafts and 20,000 men and women. The General spoke about the North American South American Connnections, the $80B drug industry, criminal organizations, the recent earthquake victims, and the Panama Canal. The A-10, F-15, F-22, and F-35 are just a few of the D.M. aircraft. And, the “remotely piloted aircraft” aka drones are all under the General’s guidance. Wow, what an impressive presentation! The meeting closed with a quote from President Ellie exactly at 1:15pm. Great job Madam President.

 

This is a very strategic question and yet, amazingly, many organizations' goals do not point to any future direction. Fortunately, Rotary International, in the push for innovation and change, points clearly to a future direction of implementing changes for clubs to include:  increased flexibility in club schedules; allowing for more flexibility in choosing membership rules and requirements; and providing a vast array of tools to help clubs tell Rotary’s story in a clear and compelling way through a redesigned website.

 

Rather than list several goals that your Board and I have discussed and that were entered in Rotary Club Central on the RI website, here is what I envision for our club by the end of 2016-2017: 235 active members in our club who reflect more of our diverse and thriving Tucson community; active followers on our Twitter account and LinkedIn; several Rotaractors becoming members of our club since that is a new law of enactment and is encouraged; many visitors clicking on our newly redesigned webpage with curiosity while reading our Rotary story; members forming closer bonds through socializing at mixers; even greater participation in service projects including our fabulous car show; and increased annual giving in celebration of The Rotary Foundation Centennial. With the help of all of our talented, hardworking and devoted Tucson Rotarians, this vision will become our reality.