President Bob Grady opened the meeting right on time, at 12:10 pm. Frank Presson offered the invocation.

The menu featured fish & chips along with a Chicken Caesar Salad option. Apple Crisp was everyone’s dessert. (Norm wanted ice cream on top!)

Announcements

From President Bob:
• We are dark next week (May 31), with Happy Hour Social taking place at the Guadalajara Grill right next to the Viscount Suites (5 – 6 PM)
• On June 7th, we will be meeting at the Boys and Girls Club (second floor) at 3155 E. Grant, just west of Country Club. The room we will be meeting in will become The Catalina Rotary Creative Art Center this summer. It’s our Big Idea this year so come and check out the venue. Lunch as usual; Email Jo Anne Westerman if you need a Vegetarian or Vegan lunch.
• June 15th is our club’s workday at the same site; bring work gloves. Morning shifts is from 8 – 12; afternoon shift from 12 – 4. This is be a cleanout day; no strenuous demolition.
• Gavel Roll-Over party on Friday, June 28, from 6 – 8 PM at Cindy and Tom Robertson’s home. Details forthcoming.

From the floor:
• Frank Presson announced that we could get a special discount on next year’s Rotary Convention in Hawaii if we sign up for it online (rotary.org) between June 1–5. The cost will be $395 at that time.
• Barbara Kiernan passed out a brochure she put together for the Global Grant in Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. It was used last weekend at a Global Health Conference in Nogales, Mexico. Thanks to Catalina Honorary Rotarian Lisa Kiser for inviting us to participate. The grant strategies to improve healthcare in rural areas of Sonora were very well received. Extra copies of the brochure remain at the Viscount for visitors who are interested in what the club is doing. Please feel free to share them.
• Pat Egbert reminded us that the Special Raffle to support the Catalina Rotary Creative Arts Center at the Boys and Girls Club are now on sale: $200/ticket. Grand prize: $2,000. Right now, the ticket sales are restricted to club members. Soon, tickets will be offered to non-members.

Queen of Hearts

Al Chesser won the draw, but NO QUEEN. The pot rolls over. Next draw will be worth more than $2,000!

Sergeant at Arms

SAA Norm Rebenstorf solicited lots of happy bucks from Joan Buth, Andy Kerr, Tony Spear, Al Chesser, and Jo Anne Westerman. He then turned to our knowledge about Hamburg, Germany, the site of this year’s RI Convention. Given that he found all this information in the Rotarian Magazine, and we knew almost none of it, we need to read this more closely!! For example, did you know that Hamburg was the 2nd largest city in Germany? Or that Berlin is nine times bigger than Paris? You would if you had done your reading!

Program

Sharyn Chesser introduced our speaker, Susan Luzader, the VP for Philanthropy at the National Charity League (NCL) of Tucson. Susan was born, raised and educated in upstate New York. She moved to Tucson with her husband John in 1990. She has been a full-time dental hygienist for thirty years. Her free time is spent as a soccer mom, taking care of her beloved animals, and volunteering for the NCL with her daughter Sophie.

The NCL has strategies for getting teens trained volunteer…whole families even. The Tucson chapter has over 240 members, women and daughters in grades 7 through 12, that serve local philanthropies such as Ben’s Bells, Community Food Bank, Gospel Rescue Mission, Integrative Touch for Kids, Special Olympics, Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT), Tu Nidito, Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Tucson Festival of Books, Youth On Their Own, and many others. A six-year commitment from mother-daughter teams is a big part of their success. Last year alone, the Tucson chapter contributed over 6200 hours of service to our community. Susan’s presentation reflects the strong commitment that she and her daughter, along with the other 240 members, to service, leadership and philanthropy. What a positive example of how individuals and families can make a sustained and meaningful difference in our community! For more information, visit https://tucson.nationalcharityleague.org/

President Bob adjourned the meeting at 1:30 pm.