We all arrived to a buzzing room on this cool Wednesday luncheon before our famous Car Show.  Members were busy chatting, collecting their t-shirts for the Car Show event and picking up their Centennial shirts too.  Right on time, PRESIDENT MARK IRVIN rang the bell to begin the meeting at Noon. 

 

We were led in the pledge by BRENT DERAAD then we went right into singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee’.  The inspirational moment was given by MITCH PISIK on why we all love to live, work and play in the uniqueness of Southern Arizona.  We then took a short break for lunch – eat up! 

 

The SERGEANT AT ARMS, KHRIS DODGE, introduced our guests and visiting Rotarians on this Wednesday.  Welcome all to Downtown.

 

PRESIDENT MARK IRVIN shared some great news with the Club – Jim Click has just donated $25K!  Thank you Jim Click for your generous support of Rotary Club of Tucson.  

 

PRESIDENT MARK IRVIN then introduced our speaker for today, Ted Maxwell, President & CEO of Southern Arizona Leadership Council (SALC).  A video introduction about Ted and SALC played on the big screen. Ted Maxwell retired vet of the Air Force after serving our country for 34 years, he has been a part of SALC since 2013, then in 2018 he assumed the role of President and CEO.  SALC was formed in 1997 and currently has a membership of over 140 community leaders, CEOs, and businesses in Tucson.  The mission of SALC is to improve greater Tucson and the state of Arizona by bringing together resources and leadership to enhance the economic climate and quality of life in our communities.  Ted further shared SALC works to improve Tucson and community initiatives by being a voice for the community.  They make their decisions based on facts and data.  Ted’s presentation gave a detailed list of all that the organization has accomplished since its inception and highlighted what the current initiatives are. 

 

The book “I want to be a Leader” was given to Ted to sign for our Make Way for Book Library. 

 

Birthday announcements: RICK ROSE, a member since 1989, ROB LAMASTER a member since 2016 and, MIKE TANNENBAUM a member since 2019.  A very happy birthday to all of you!

 

The history moment was presented by CHAR HARRIS, she spoke about how the club progressed over the years with its charitable efforts from the UA Scholarship Cups to the holiday Bell Ringing for the Salvation Army which began in the 70’s!

 

Next is the always anticipated Raffle and King of Clubs Game presented by SERGEANT AT ARMS KHRIS DODGE.  The King of Clubs was not drawn, better luck next week! 

 

Announcements:

 

PRESIDENT MARK IRVIN showed a great picture of the biggest fish that has been caught to date by STEVE PICKERING!  You’ll want to be sure to check the video for the unbelievable size of this monster. 

 

PRESIDENT MARK then gave JIM LUBINSKI, LEE OLITZKY, JEANNE ZETAH, KEN LIGHT, and LISA FOGLE a big thank you for all you have done for the club.

 

BRUCE JACOBS reminded the club to Save the Date for the Replacement Mixer at Three Canyon Backyard Garden Grill on October 27^th from 5:30p-7:30p.  

 

JONI CONDIT presented the most recent updates to the Auction and Car Show Tickets sales.  We are looking forward to this grand event and hope to reach our fundraising goal, we are 80% of the way there as of this afternoon. 

 

GARY HIRSCH gave a presentation on The Ride to End Polio. Its history and how the club has grown each year in the fundraising efforts.  The first year $30K was raised and has grown to raising up to $14 million! 

 

PAST PRESIDENT JEN HOFFMAN invited the women to next weeks Women’s Membership Mixer to be help on October 20^th at Flemings from 5:30p-7:30p.  Please invite your friends, family members or colleague you think would be a great fit for our Rotary Club. 

 

PAST PRESIDENT JENN HOFFMAN also announced the Board of Directors Candidates, if you have not seen the candidate list yet, please be sure to grab a list from the registration desk.  We will be voting on these candidates soon. 

 

PRESIDENT MARK IRVIN closed with a final thank you to all our members, guests, and virtual attendees.  The scholarship cups are on the table if you’d like to donate and, remember to return your badge in your numbered slot on your way out.  Happy Birthday to RICK, ROB, and MIKE.   There is no meeting next week due to the Car Show.  We’ll see you at the Car Show this weekend or at Replacement Mixer on the 27^th.  PRESIDENT MARK gave the final toast before ringing the bell to adjourn the meeting.

 

The last three months have been a whirlwind.  So much is happening in October that I elected to hold off on the first quarter report to members until both our Centennial Celebration and the Tucson Classics Car Show were, pun intended, in the rear-view mirror.

 

July 7^th kicked off our first luncheon meeting of the new 2021-22 administration.  It coincided with our move back downtown after a 39-year absence.  The newly remodeled Tucson Convention Center is our new home, a move fitting of our 100 years of “Service Above Self” and returning to where it all started – DOWNTOWN.

 

Although we are not out of the woods yet, we are back to meeting in person.  We still maintain many protocols we learned in the past and have brought on others as we do our best to keep everyone as safe as possible.  After seeing President Bob wrestle with pandemic related issues during the last 3 months of his administration, we saw these concerns continue during the first 9 or 10 months of President Jen’s time at the helm.  Both were uniquely qualified to get us over those humps and helped set the stage going forward.  Thanks to both for their amazing leadership.

 

Hopefully, with safeguards in place we will be able to continue to meet in person.  We will also continue with our broadcasts on YouTube for those unable to attend but wanting to keep in touch. My hope is we can enjoy this year, and next, by doing a hybrid meeting – both in person and virtual. 

 

The Keynote Speakers at our luncheons have been drawn from the “Tucson Treasures” well.  We have had some incredible keynote speakers so far this year.  This includes the likes of Randy Rogers (Tucson Association of Realtors); Colonel Joseph Turnham (DMAFB); Adia Barnes (UA Women’s Basketball); Bishop Gerald Kicanas (Catholic Cathedral); Kathy Prather (Pima Co JTED); David Yetman (The Desert Speaks & Inside the America’s); Fletcher McCusker (Rio Nuevo); Rotary District Governor “Hank” Huisking (District 5500); Bonnie Schock (Fox Theatre); Zach Yentzer (Tucson Young Professionals); Lisa Bates & Diana Madaras (Tucson Wildlife Center); Joni Condit (Tucson Classics Car Show); and General Ted Maxwell (Southern Arizona Leadership Council).  An all-star lineup. 

 

Please note that all these meetings are recorded and able to view both live or later on our Rotary YouTube Channel if you missed it.  This provides a great opportunity for us to stay connected and is also a great sales tool for folks who just want to know more about Rotary. 

 

Our Centennial Celebration at the Tucson Convention Center on Saturday, September 25th was a big success.  It was attended by just shy of 200 folks.  Although it will be a few weeks until final numbers are out, it appears $28,900 was made in the live auction and $35,000 in the on-line auction, so netting out fees, roughly $60,000 was raised in these two auctions.  Also, close to $19,000 was made with our Centennial insert with the Arizona Daily Star.  It will all go toward not just keeping, but exceeding, our $250,000 commitment to Pima County JTED. 

 

Our 15^th annual Tucson Classics Car Show was held on Saturday, October 16th at The Gregory School.  Over 400 cars were in the mix, and it is estimated that over 25,000 people attended. 

 

Outside of our commitment to JTED, our biggest goal this year is to grow our Club.  Yes, we lost a few members when we moved downtown but all of them stayed engaged in Rotary and have joined other Clubs that were more convenient for them.  Despite this, our Club grew during the 1^st quarter, and we now stand at 250 members with 15 of them being community leaders we have tagged as our Centennial Honorary Members.  These folks provide incredible connectivity for us.

 

Another membership goal is to increase the percentage of women in our Club.  We are tickled to report that during July we increased from 28% to 29% women in our Club.  This will be a continual trend with Past President Jen heading up the recruitment of women and Board Member Steve Pickering focusing on women as well as recruiting younger members and those who are a better reflection of the demographics in our community. 

 

The next President’s quarterly report will showcase the results of the Tucson Classics Car Show, the Ride to End Polio and provide an update on the Boys and Girls Clubs DEK Hockey Rink Landscape project.   

 

Hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a month away.  Looking back and forward, we have much to be thankful about this year.

 

The Club will hold a Replacement/Social Mixer on Wednesday, 10/27/21 at Three Canyon Beer & Wine Garden, 4999 N. Sabino Canyon Road from 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.  This Mixer will be a replacement of our lunch meeting on Wednesday, 10/27/21.  ALL must register on the Club Website under "Upcoming Events".  Bring your Guests, the fee is $25.00 and will be billed to your account.  Let's all have some fun and fellowship on the 27th. 

 

If you have any questions, please contact the Rotary office.

 

To view videos on the RCOT YouTube channel go to our Home Page of the Club website and click on the YouTube link on the right hand side of the page.  Or, go to YouTube and type in Rotary Club Of Tucson.  You will be able to click on the video you wish to watch once they are posted.  Here is the link to do this: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rotary+club+of+tucson