Fletcher is a third generation Tucsonan. His grandfather Russell moved to Tucson from Indiana just after the depression. Russell worked for the WPA and laid many of the downtown and University area sidewalks for $1.00 a day and eventually went to work for the railroad. Fletcher's mother was a Tucson High School grad and Fletcher attended John B Wright, Davidson and Amphi. He completed a BS in Rehabilitation at the University of Arizona in 1974 but left Tucson for greener pastures attending graduate school at ASU.
Fletcher rose through the ranks in many health care companies in Oklahoma, Maryland and Texas and while in Texas in 1996 he conceived and launched the Providence Service Corporation, the first home based mental health company in America. His wife, Liz, actually suggested they base the company in Tucson and Providence was launchedin January 1997. Fletcher followed an unusual route for Tucson companies with Providence: his money, family and friends, venture capital, and ultimately a very successful IPO. When he exited Providence in 2012 it was a billion-dollar business located in 44 states and employing over 11,000 people. During the Providence run Fletcher became very involved in the rebuilding of downtown Tucson. He relocated the company headquarters to downtown Tucson in May of 2010 remodeling a block of boarded up buildings that not only became the company headquarters but opened up restaurant, residential and commercial space. His passion for downtown was a catalyst for many and in 2012 he was appointed to the Rio Nuevo board, responsible for the State funds designated to revitalize Tucson, and elected Chairman unanimously by his fellow board members. Just weeks after his announced retirement from Providence Fletcher launched a new company called Sinfonía, also in a remodeled downtown warehouse. SinfoníaRx was the first major spin out from Tech Launch Arizona. Sinfonia sold in October 2017 and McCusker immediately launched UA Venture Capital, a growth fund dedicated to UofA commercialization. UAVC has made 15 investments in UofA related science and technology and has become a pivotal part of the developing start up ecosystem expanding in the Tucson region.
“Talk about being a bright light in our Tucson firmament! A neon light, could we say? (Don’t groan!). 21 Rotarians came to see the Ignite Museum; and were thoroughly surprised at what they found! Some had heard about the museum, dedicated to preserving neon signs in Tucson, but had never visited, others had never heard of it….. but it’s safe to say that all were thrilled at what they saw.
Jude Cook took us on a tour of the museum, including the outside Alley, which showcases some of the neon lit shops in earlier Tucson days. Then he took us into the cavernous interior, where superb neon signs, previously high up on hotels, motels, signposts in Tucson, are showcased. Brilliant! Truly brilliant. And then, to top it off, we were given a demonstration of how to actually heat and bend glass, making neon signs.
Let’s all give much praise to Jude and Monica Cook for sourcing, resurrecting, refurbishing and retaining parts of our precious Tucson heritage.
Then, after the tour of Ignite Museum, about six of us went to lunch at Flora’s and spent a couple of hours trying to get to know each other better. I think it’s fair to say that we all had a ‘jolly’ good time!”
Nominations of nonprofits to receive the Request For Proposal (RFP) to compete to be one of the two Secondary Beneficiaries for the 2025 Tucson Classics Car show are due no later than 5:00 pm on May 7th. If you need a copy of the nomination form, you can contact Jim Murphy, Grants Committee Chair, at jmurphytsn@gmail.com.
Adopt A Road Clean-Up: Saturday, April 27th at 7:15 am. As we did last time, we meet at 7:15 am at the Fiesta Bowling Lanes parking lot. 501 W River Road.
Please bring sunscreen, water, a hat, and gloves. We have safety vests, grabbers, and plastic bags. Our first effort had 14 club members and we filled a dozen bags of roadside trash! Our responsibility is Oracle Rd., from Wetmore to River.
Please let me know if you will be able to attend. Regards, Lee Olitzky YIR Lee@wit2tucson.com
Posted by Jeanne Zetah and Don Rollings on Apr. 01, 2024
Let’s Help UA Rotaractors with the Dental Kit Project on April 27 and May 2
The UA Rotaract Club has asked us to help them to pack 1325 dental kits on Saturday April 27th and deliver them to three schools on May 2. We’re cosponsoring this project so it would be great to join them in their efforts!
DENTAL KIT PACKING HELP NEEDED: SAT., APRIL 27 from 10-11:30 at University of AZ Modern Languages Building Rm. 311 (Just south of E. 2nd St. between Mountain and Cherry). Please sign up on ClubRunner if you can make it or contact Don Rollings who is our Rotaract advisor.
DENTAL KIT DISTRIBUTION DAY: THURSDAY MAY 2, 2024 – Can choose to help at one or all schools – Contact Jeanne Zetah at 612-859-6137 if you can help at one or more schools and if you’ll join for lunch.
8:30-9:30 at Gallego Elementary (6200 S. Hemisphere Place) for 525 students (8:30 K-1 & 9:00 Gr 2-3)
10-11 at Southside Elementary (2701 S Campbell Ave.) for 260 students
11:30-12:30 LUNCH with DISTRIBUTION TEAM - RSVP by April 22 to Jeanne Zetah at 612-859-6137
1-1:30 pm at Liberty Elementary School, (5495 S Liberty Ave.) for 540 students in Gr. K-3/4-6.
Please join us at the first Meeting of the RCOT Recycling Committee- May 1st, 11 am (just prior to lunch). If you would like to join the committee, please email Diana@madaras.com ASAP. Our goal is to collect plastic from Rotarians at our lunches, then drop it in the orange bins (3 locations in Tucson). MOST of the plastic in our homes is not recyclable! (only water bottles and jugs) You will be shocked at how much plastic you throw away during the week that is going into landfills. A company called ByFusion is now recycling plastic into building material. Best news—you don’t have to clean it—just collect it. We are looking for coordinators AND people who have trucks to make the drops. We’d like to get enough volunteers so no driver has to drop every week. We’re hoping each driver can make a run once a month. This project will make a difference. We need your help!
We had an awesome inter-generational Rotary Service Project with Edge High School Interact students. U of A Rotaract members, our Rotary Club of Tucson members plus a Northwestern University Alumni group. Working together we packed 2,160 boxes on 45 pallets which was 64,800 pounds of food to benefit people in 5 counties in southern Arizona.
Thank you to all those that came out on a Saturday to help with this very important service project for our community.
We had a great turnout at Tri-Y on Saturday. In total there were 49 who attended with 34 being Rotarians (1 from Catalina, 11 from Saddlebrooke, 11 from Saddlebrooke Sunrise, 10 RCOT, 11 YMCA, 1 from another club, 4 other volunteers). We started at 8:30 AM and finished working at 12:30 PM when we met for lunch. Thank you to all that gave up their Saturday to work the Ranch. It was much appreciated and a huge success once again.
April 27- Rotaract Dental Kit Packing - LEAD: Jeanne Zetah
May 2- Rotaract Dental Kit Distribtion - LEAD: Jeanne Zetah
May 18- Camp Lawton Boy Scout Camp workday- LEAD: Don Riegger/Joe D
Weekly- ongoing- Reading Coaches- LEAD: Jon Wang
If you haven’t signed up yet but would like to participate, please contact the lead.
Find more detail on the RCOT website under Service Projects.
Why participate?
Service Above Self
Camaraderie with fellow Rotarians
Making a difference feels good!
Why turn in your point sheets?
$50 gift card awarded to the Rotarian with the most points that month. Incredible year-end prizes including a week-long stay in San Carlos, 4 nights in Pinetop, an airplane ride over Tucson, weekend at the Ritz Carlton and El Conquistador, $500 gift certificate to Madaras Gallery, one hour medical massage.
Good luck and thanks for your service to Rotary! --Diana Madaras
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Fletcher is a third generation Tucsonan. 
Jude Cook took us on a tour of the museum, including the outside Alley, which showcases some of the neon lit shops in earlier Tucson days. Then he took us into the cavernous interior, where superb neon signs, previously high up on hotels, motels, signposts in Tucson, are showcased. Brilliant! Truly brilliant. And then, to top it off, we were given a demonstration of how to actually heat and bend glass, making neon signs.
The following new Member applications have been submitted for membership in Rotary Club of Tucson:
Adopt A Road Clean-Up: Saturday, April 27th at 7:15 am. As we did last time, we meet at 7:15 am at the Fiesta Bowling Lanes parking lot. 501 W River Road.
The UA Rotaract Club has asked us to help them to pack 1325 dental kits on Saturday April 27th and deliver them to three schools on May 2. We’re cosponsoring this project so it would be great to join them in their efforts!
join for lunch.
Please join us at the first Meeting of the RCOT Recycling Committee- May 1st, 11 am (just prior to lunch). If you would like to join the committee, please email 
We had an awesome inter-generational Rotary Service Project with Edge High School Interact students. U of A Rotaract members, our Rotary Club of Tucson members plus a Northwestern University Alumni group. Working together we packed 2,160 boxes on 45 pallets which was 64,800 pounds of food to benefit people in 5 counties in southern Arizona.
We had a great turnout at Tri-Y on Saturday. In total there were 49 who attended with 34 being Rotarians (1 from Catalina, 11 from Saddlebrooke, 11 from Saddlebrooke Sunrise, 10 RCOT, 11 YMCA, 1 from another club, 4 other volunteers). We started at 8:30 AM and finished working at 12:30 PM when we met for lunch. Thank you to all that gave up their Saturday to work the Ranch. It was much appreciated and a huge success once again.
