Joe Sweeney, our Assistant Governor and the DGND, installs Christy Manning as Sunup's incoming Club President, as Dr. Laura Vanderberg, who has served as our President the past two years, witnesses Christy taking the oath of her office (and lifting the leadership load off of her shoulders).  The installation of our club officers for the 2024-25 Rotary Year took place during the barbecue held at the Lakeside Ramada at Goldwater Lake this past Wednesday evening.

 

President Christy Manning, in introducing her incoming Club Board, presented each board member with a pair of funky glasses, customized for their individual positions on the board.  In the back row (l-r): Youth Service Chair Jon Berry and Treasurer John Scholl. 2nd Row: Vocational Service Chair Bob Keys, Community Service Chair Marsha Teller, Pres.-Elect & Club Service Chair Jane Anne Shimizu, President Christy Manning, and Club Secretary Melanie Berry.  Front Row: International Service Chair Todd Clancy and Past-Pres. Laura Vanderberg.  Not pictured, since she had to leave before the photo: Communications Chair Cassidy Stauffer.

 

 

 

It has always been a tradition in Rotary for each International President, who serves a 1-year term, to select a Theme for his/her year of Rotary leadership, and to have a Theme Logo created.

 

In the creative Rotary image above, the graphic artist has depicted a progression from last year's theme, "Imagine Rotary," to this year's theme, "Create Hope in the World," leading up to next year's theme, "The Magic of Rotary." 

 

However, some changes are ahead for Rotary, including the decision by the RI Board that the 2024-25 theme, "The Magic of Rotary," will be the last annual Presidential Theme.

 

 

Richard Hernandez and Bob Keys led off the final week for this season, working our Sunup Rotary Snack Shack.  Thanks to all who agreed to work shifts during the Little League All Stars Tournament!  Special thanks to Snack Shack Chair Tim Wiederaenders, and to Dan Beyer, who did all of the buying, to keep our Snack Shack stocked.

 

 

Our 2024 Ambassadors to Mexico Team, flew from Phoenix Sky Harbor to Mexico City, on the first leg of their Rotary humanitarian service mission.  Cathleen Cherry, our Prescott High School Interact Club Faculty Advisor is leading this team.  This is the third Interact Ambassadors team we have sent to central Mexico.  Our seventh team we have sent to Kenya, to also help enable the disabled, leaves this Friday.  Both teams have undergone four months of training, after applying for, and being selected, to serve as an Interact Ambassador.  We are the only Rotary district in the world which offers this type of international leadership training & service opportunity to high school Interact club members. 

 

Xavier Torres, Interact Ambassador from Estrella Foothills HS Interact Club in Goodyear, being taught wheelchair repair & rebuilding by a member of ALEM, the amazing team of Rotary-sponsored mobile wheelchair mechanics.  Our Sunup Rotary Club has been a sponsor of this "Jazz My Chair" program, which trains wheelchair-bound individuals to become wheelchair rebuilding specialists.  The year before the pandemic, ALEM mechanics repaired more than 3,000 wheelchairs in the towns and villages in that part of Mexico.

 

Team Leader Cathleen Cherry and Jazmine Comeno, Interact Ambassador from Westwood HS Interact in Mesa, work with wheelchair replacement parts.

 

Cassidy Alvarez, Interact Ambassador from the Mohave HS Interact Club in Bullhead City, is being coached on the process of rebuilding a wheelchair.  Cassidy is the third member of her family to serve on one of our Interact Ambassadors Teams.