Tucsotarian - December 27, 2017 (Dec 27, 2017)

Greetings Rotarians.

The Holiday Social at La Mariposa was excellent. Great staff, great food, and excellent company all in an amazing setting. Thanks to John Lewis and Dorinna for all their work in putting the gathering together. I certainly learned more movie trivia then I knew before we started.

It is hard to believe that we are about half-way through our Rotary year already! When I began the year, it seemed like a daunting task to go through the entire year as your president. Now, I want it to slow down, so I can continue to enjoy the time in serving you and our Club. Our club never ceases to amaze me with everyone’s contributions of talent, charity, and goodwill. From our District Governor to the charities we support – every one of them heap praises on you and the work that you do for our community. Our club was even acknowledged by the Association of Fundraising Professionals of Southern Arizona as the Outstanding Fundraiser of the Year. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

We are well on our way to meeting many of the objectives that we set for our club at the beginning of the year.

Through our partnership with Tucson Clean and Beautiful and Chuck Sawyer’s leadership, we have already planted over 200 trees on our goal to 250. In January/February, we will have a dedication to our beloved Don Shropshire and finish out our Tree Project.
The 2017 Tucson Classics Car Show was another huge success due to your work and Jim Murphy’s steady hand. The final numbers are yet to come; however, we certainly met our goals to put on a great show for the community, to support our local charities, and to build camaraderie and have fun with our fellow Rotarians. We also teamed with the Sunrise Rotary Club to support their Road Rally fundraiser.
Our Annual Fund Campaign has raised over $27K on our way to the $50K goal. Club members were quick to pounce on the $10K match which has already been met. We still have 15,000 points for a 1 to 1 match for donations to the Annual Fund – all of which will go towards a Paul Harris Fellowship!
Our other projects and activities have included Salvation Army Bell Ringing, Suds for Scholars, repair and painting work for the Arizona Theatre Company, United Way Fire Alarm Installation, and Red Cross Blood Drive.
We are supporting the leprosarium project in Foubarka-Mbe, Cameroon and are coordinating with clubs in Mexico for future international projects.
Club meetings are fun and entertaining. Thanks to Ellen Wheeler and Jeff Ronstadt, our programs have been fantastic. Our off-site meetings on 5^th Wednesdays have been well-attended and fun as have our monthly Social Meetings at T2 - thanks Ellie Patterson for beginning these traditions! And of course, a big “Thank You” must be given to our Executive Director, Dorinna York, and her assistant, Kari Meger – the real power behind the throne.

Of course, not all is perfect. One area that needs improvement is Membership. Unfortunately, we are down three members from the start of the year. This is certainly an area where your President needs to step up in the second half, and I also challenge all of us to focus on improving, increasing, and diversifying our membership. I welcome and encourage all ideas on how we can accomplish our membership goals!

I pray for the good health and happiness for all our Rotarians. May you be able to relax and enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. Again, thank you for all you do for our club and for Tucson!

Yours in Rotary,

President Cliff