Jenny Volpe will speak about the importance of the first 1,000 days in a child’s life. She will discuss the science of brain development and how the early childhood years relate to a child’s future academic outcomes and success. She will draw on recent research to illuminate the educational landscape and highlight how effective language and literacy experiences and interventions in the early years help to build the architecture of a child’s brain and can ultimately work to close the achievement gap.
Biography - Jenny Volpe
Jenny Volpe is executive director of Make Way for Books-the Early Literacy Resource Center for Southern Arizona, a Tucson-based nonprofit organization that serves 30,000 children, parents, and educators each year. Jenny is passionate about helping children gain access to quality educational opportunities and believes in the power of literacy to change lives. In her work with Make Way for Books for the past six years, she has dedicated her time working to ensure that children in our community have access to early literacy services, are prepared to succeed the moment they step into the classroom, and have the chance to realize their fullest potential. Jenny holds a bachelor of arts in literature and education from The University of Chicago and a master’s in education from the Johns Hopkins University. Believing in education as a means to achieve social change, Jenny began her educational career as a Teach For America teacher and taught elementary school for five years before entering the educational publishing world and nonprofit sectors. Jenny has spent considerable time traveling and volunteering in countries throughout Asia working with children and families in a variety of educational settings. In her role as executive director of Make Way for Books, Jenny is proud to lead a dedicated staff working to ensure that Arizona is a place where all children can succeed in school and in life.
We had two Blue Badge recipients in this week’s meeting. It is always great to see new members become official members of RCOT! So congratulations to MARK BLAKEMAN and WOCKY REDSAR. To celebrate, MARK would like you all to enjoy an evening at the Tucson Symphony! And I must point this out. DOT KRET introduced WOCKY, and she made her entire introduction rhyme. I have a difficult time with a 4-sentence poem, so I was very impressed with DOT’s ability and creativity!
We also celebrated three birthdays this week. Happy Birthday to LARRY ADAMSON, TED FORSBERG and DR. JON WANG. LARRY, a 44-year RCOT member (wow!) celebrates his birthday on St. Patrick’s Day, so much of the country celebrates along with him. And just in case you weren’t paying attention, DR. WANG, a 33-year RCOT member, called on all RCOT members to “help work the Car Show!” I second that appeal.
For our program, we had a presentation by our very own MIKE ORCUTT who chose to speak to us about a topic, as he put it, “no one ever wants to talk about.” As you probably know, MIKE is the owner of Angel Valley Funeral Home and Old Pueblo Crematory. And his presentation was about that very subject, that is, how to plan for and deal with the death of a loved one. Truly a difficult topic to present, but MIKE, in his usual exuberant fashion, made a difficult subject both informative and interesting. Thanks MIKE for your insight!
And I would be remiss if I did not bring up the subject of BOB LOGAN’s introduction of MIKE. BOB, I love what you do, but those had to be some of the worst puns ever!
In closing, let me remind you that Spring will officially be here by our next meeting. So get outside this weekend and enjoy the perfect Tucson weather!
Our club is known, occasionally with an accompanying eye-roll, for having scores of committees. And that’s not even counting every sub-committee of our car show. We accomplish a great deal, and getting there requires considerable, organized human effort. We should be able to agree that the most efficient way to perform service is preferable, whether that means six committees, or sixty.
There is no District 5500 prize for number of committees, or how long they continue, or how many Rotarians serve on each. Some of our committees are as small as a couple of members; some grow and shrink as the need requires. You’ll hear “task force” substituted for committee, particularly when the job to be completed is one-off and relatively short-term.
Knowing that all club members want to serve, either our constituents or the club itself, here are just a few of the current volunteer openings (in no particular order):
1. Our Tucson Classics Car Show – as big as it is, there is always room for more volunteers
2. Social Networking – some background in how this works is required, as is the ability to frequently do an incremental bit of work
3. Change of Administration Party – ideas and implementation for decoration and theme
4. Membership Retention – keeping members engaged and satisfied that they make a difference
5. Mystery Editor – one-shot authoring of the Tucsotarian column is the minimum requirement
6. Public Relations – help let the world know about the accomplishments of Rotary
7. International Projects – there are three soon-to-be-underway
8. Social – help members know each other and the families
All committees can make use of additional help; a couple have leadership (i.e. chair) openings. And don’t be shy about volunteering for other RCOT committees, whether listed above or not. Send me, Dorinna, or any Board member, an email to get the lowdown on what is involved.
A reminder about what is perhaps our club’s most forgotten committee: Anonymous Aid. At times, generous donors want to help a cause and do not want that assistance acknowledged. With this committee’s ideas, you or someone you know can provide funds to any club project, to the club’s foundation, or to RI. No one knows the source, not even the club President, Executive Director, or Treasurer.
Small Rotary clubs offer limited committee opportunities – you may have to serve on one that doesn’t really appeal. Take advantage of our large club to give of your time in a way that makes you feel good about your membership.
We have a volunteer opportunity coming up on Sunday 4/10/16 Cyclovia. Cyclovia is an active event where people are encouraged to come by foot or bicycle and enjoy the beautiful weather. The route is from the Lost Barrio to Himmel Park. I need at least 10 volunteers to help man the intersection of 9th and Campbell between the hours of 10:00 and 3:00. The shifts will only be about 2 &1/2-3 hours, so you will be able to enjoy the event yourself. This will give us an opportunity to promote our Rotary Club and The Ride to End Polio to the community. If you are interested please let me know ASAP!
NESDAYS, 12:00 PM-1:20 PM
Jenny Volpe will speak about the importance of the first 1,000 days in a child’s life. She will discuss the science of brain development and how the early childhood years relate to a child’s future academic outcomes and success. She will draw on recent research to illuminate the educational landscape and highlight how effective language and literacy experiences and interventions in the early years help to build the architecture of a child’s brain and can ultimately work to close the achievement gap.
We had two Blue Badge recipients in this week’s meeting. It is always great to see new members become official members of RCOT! So congratulations to MARK BLAKEMAN and WOCKY REDSAR. To 
celebrate, MARK would like you all to enjoy an evening at the Tucson Symphony! And I must point this out. DOT KRET introduced WOCKY, and she made her entire introduction rhyme. I have a difficult time with a 4-sentence poem, so I was very impressed with DOT’s ability and creativity!
For our program, we had a presentation by our very own MIKE ORCUTT who chose to speak to us about a topic, as he put it, “no one ever wants to talk about.” As you probably know, MIKE is the owner of Angel Valley Funeral Home and Old Pueblo Crematory. And his presentation was about that very subject, that is, how to plan for and deal with the death of a loved one. Truly a difficult topic to present, but MIKE, in his usual exuberant fashion, made a difficult subject both informative and interesting. Thanks MIKE for your insight!
