What's Next at Sunup? Posted by Bud Ackerman on Mar 23, 2020 St. Michael's is closed for meetings until further notice. While Sunup meetings are temporarily suspended, Sunup Rotary certainly is not. The Board of Directors met last Thursday afternoon as scheduled. During the on-line meeting much was discussed including cancellations. Since there will be no breakfast meetings there will be a reduction in dues to reflect meal costs during this time. Little League has been cancelled this season so no Snack Shack this year. The auto show at Yavapai College will be rescheduled to a different date. Junior RYLA is still on for June. The installation dinner is still scheduled for June 10th at Goldwater Lake. So how do we keep Sunup members engaged with meaningful activities that Rotarians do?   This is a time when we can engage our community in different ways. Ideas have included working with organizations like Yavapai Family Advocacy Center which needs both monetary and safety/hygiene donations. Also mentioned was working with Meals on Wheels by volunteering. Some seniors cannot get out to purchase essential items. The Board is interested in member ideas and comments. Our newsletter allows you to comment in a blog session by clicking on the "Read more" section below. You will need to enter your Club Runner user name and password to make comments and see others. If you don't have your password go to the sunup website and click on Member Area in the upper right hand corner. It will send you an email if you don't have your password. Let us know your thoughts. Read more... Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona Posted by Art Harrington on Mar 23, 2020 Hello, All:   Because The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) is one of the least understood, and most under-used of our Rotary programs by our Sunup Rotary Club, let me take a few moments of your time to explain how it works, and why this is a perfect opportunity for our club board to utilize it to meet some individual needs in our own community (as well as to promote giving to it by our club members).     TRVFA scholarships are an ideal way for us to reach out and help a struggling single parent in our area who is under-employed, and trying in vain to make ends meet.  By challenging the person that our club would sponsor them if they enrolled in one of the vocational training programs at Yavapai Community College that would equip them for a better-paying career, helping them through the application process for a TRVFA scholarship of up to $2,000 (paid to the school), and providing the encouraging support net to get them successfully through the courses involved the vocational training program, we have the capability of totally changing some of these persons' lives.  The fact is that there are hundreds of these kinds of people around us in the quad cities area that we could potentially help with TRVFA scholarships.  We simply need to reach out and connect with several of them.  It does require sponsorship by our Rotary club.   For a copy of the latest TRVFA Scholarship Eligibility Requirements  Please email Art Harrington.  The website address is www.trvfa.org.  You need to understand that this Arizona Rotary vocational scholarship program, with its tax-credit qualifying donations, is totally unique in the entire country.  No Rotarians in any other state have ever been able to establish any program like this, that can be funded by tax credits for donors.   Here are some additional facts.  The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona was recently recognized for our transparency with a 2019 Gold Seal on our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile! GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations.  The mission of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona, Inc. (TRVFA) is to partner with Rotary Clubs to provide assistance to Qualified Candidates in obtaining education, training, and skill development so they may, in turn, attain career oriented employment and financial stability and contribute to their communities.  Our vision is for students go on to become productive citizens in our state. The education they obtain will help them earn a living and raise their families. Because of their increased earning potential they help grow the economy of the state of Arizona.   Forty-five students benefited from $85,433 in total grant funding this past year.  This number is limited by the amount of funds our Rotarians and others donate each year.  The scholarships have, at times, been for up to $3,000 per recipient, but had to be reduced last year to $2,000, in order to help more people.