photo of Dr. Suezie Kim presenting to Catalina Rotary Club

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Suezie Kim

A service project at the Community Food Bank, a wellness project for the people of Northern Sonora and a tree-planting event at Jacobs Park highlight our club announcements this week. We also got a glimpse into the fascinating life of an orthopaedic surgeon. Please read on…

President Pat Egbert opened the meeting right on time (12:10) and Paul Bennett offered the invocation.

Guests:

Pat Dwyer, our winter visitor from Connecticut, introduced our guests. Arturo Mojica brought his 8th grade son, Nicholas. Norm Rebenstorf also introduced two visitors who were interested in knowing more about our club. The first was Elise Jumbelick, a native of Yuma. She is with Reachout Women’s Center. The second was Cathleen Jernigan, a native of Sacramento. She is a realtor and owns her own firm, eXp Realty.

Announcements:

President Pat reminded the club that the we would be doing a service project at the Food Bank (3003 S. Country Club) on March 31th with lunch to follow. No Friday luncheon on the 30th. He also announced that the Board voted on Tuesday, March 13th, to approve a contribution of $6,000 to our Global Grant effort in Sonora, an effort that will improve rural healthcare there for the indigenous people in the mountains around Alamos. When this sum is matched at the District and The Rotary Foundation level, it becomes a donation of $18,000! Barbara Kiernan, World Community Service Committee Chair, also announced that sufficient pledges from Rotarians have now been received so that we can submit the grant to Rotary International in Evanston, Il. Upon approval, the grant will begin; hopefully in October of 2018. Jeff Hamstra announced that we will be planting trees on May 19th as another Service Project, and fulfillment of RI President Ian Riseley (2017-2018) request that every Rotarian plant at least one tree during this Rotary year.

Queen of Hearts:

Jeff Hamstra led us again in the Catalina drum-roll and asked our speaker to draw the “winning” ticket. Bob DeLaney jumped up as his number was drawn. With Steve Pender and camera ready to record the moment, he drew his card. With a flourish and “Bingo,” Bob then announced that it was the Jack of Diamonds! Good show, but no Queen. So, the pot rolls over once again!

Sergeant At Arms (SAA):

SAA Andy Kerr, after being away for several weeks, offered to redeem himself by spotting the can for things other people knew. He actually fulfilled his promise! He also got Pat Dwyer to admit that she was glad to be back in Tucson’s lush desert after an amazing trip to the Sudan. Pat also told us that if we were going to Khartoum (capital of Sudan) anytime soon, we could make up at 2 PM on Saturdays. The Khartoum R.C. is the only Rotary club in the country. It was chartered on 27 June 1938. The club has 35 regular members and holds its meetings in English. Sharyn Chesser then announced that the Wellness workshop to be held on March 23 and 24th is now full! Great progress stemming from Catalina’s Capacitar efforts in Peru and Pima County.

Today’s Speaker:
TOI CEO Paula Register Hecht

TOI CEO Paula Register Hecht

DGE Kirk Reed introduced our two speakers from the Tucson Orthopaedic Institute (TOI), Paula Register Hecht, CEO, and Dr. Suezie Kim, Orthopaedic surgeon. Paula told us about the history, vision, and mission of TOI, an organization owned by 26 surgeons dedicated to serving patients with orthopaedic needs across the full spectrum of services they need – from evaluation, surgery, physical therapy, balance clinics, and even “nurse navigators.” The latter was officially endorsed by Al Chesser following his successful experiences at TOI himself! Hecht emphasized that in each of their 6 locations, their focus is on sub-specialized care and a “flawless” culture of service. Following this overview, Dr. Kim stepped forward to energetically describe her training and experience of an orthopaedic surgeon. Fascinating glimpse into this profession – even to the tools of the trade (hammers, saws, etc.)! Q & A from Rotarians brought out fascinating information about the impact of military medicine on the regular community (Dr. Kim was a Navy surgeon for 4 years), why balance is so important, and what a day looks like for a doctor in this area of expertise. Apparently, many Rotarians have received medical treatment at TOI so further information on patient experience is close at hand. Thanks to our speakers to a very interesting presentation! You can learn more about TOI by visiting their website: www.tucsonortho.com.

President Pat adjourned the meeting at 1:30 PM.

 

More photos from this week:

6-Speaker-PaulRegisterHecht
5-SAA-AndyKerr
7-Speaker-SuezieKim
1-JeffHamstraSellsQueenTix
4-NormRebenstorf-Guests
2-GreeterPatDwyer
Tucson Orthopaedic Institue CEO Paul Register Hecht