Vincent "Vinny" Gallegos, Executive Director of the Central Yavapai Metropolitan Planning Organization (CYMPO) gave us an excellent and very thorough presentation on the 25-year history so far of the controversial Sun Dog Connector, which would provide an additional connection between Highway 69 and Highway 89.  He explained to us the multiple pieces of the planned connector, which each fall under different governmental jurisdictions. While there is agreement that a multimodal transport route would help reduce traffic congestion through Prescott Valley on Hwy 69, and it would enhance safety by providing an additional evacuation route, in case of a disaster, there has been no agreement yet between all of the essential participants on an exact route, when it might be built, or how it would be funded.  Residents in the area have raised concerns over potential traffic noise, light pollution, wildlife protection and cost — currently estimated to be $13 million per mile.  CYMPO is still gathering information, and hopes to present a proposal by January 2024 for each of the participating entities to consider.  Our thanks to Vinny for a great job in helping to simplify for us a very complex project, which has been talked about now for over twenty years, but may never be completed, unless an approval can ever be gained from all of the entities who each hold a necessary piece of the puzzle.

 

Shea Daniels, recent graduate graduate of Chino Valley High School, and recipient of one of our club's $3,000 scholarships, was a guest at our meeting, along with her father.  She expressed her gratitude for our confidence in her, and for the greatly-appreciated scholarship.  She will be attending Yavapai College in the Fall.  (Apologies for our failure to snap a photo of Shea while she spoke.)

 

Rotary's Five Avenues of Service:  According to the Rotary Bylaws, every authentic Rotary Club is to operate within five structural guidelines, which are known as Rotary's Five Avenues of Service.  They include:

   • Club Service

 

While it is easy for a club to become imbalanced, with annual changes in volunteer leadership, and to focus upon only one or two areas, Rotary encourages every club to work at becoming a fully-functional, well-balanced, genuine Rotary Club, which seeks to serve in all five of these areas, which Rotary has historically deemed to be essential elements of our Service Above Self as Rotarians.  In future issues, we will be addressing each of these Avenues of Service, and why they are important to Rotary's identity.  In the meantime, you may have noticed in recent weeks that our club's news articles in this weekly club bulletin are being grouped under these Rotary Avenues of Service.  

 

 

Our Highway Cleanup was a huge success.  Thanks to all who participated in helping us clean up our club's section of Highway 89, south of town.  Our club does these Highway Cleanups at least twice a year.

 

Snack Shack:  Tim reports that the Snack Shack is dark for now, but that an All-Star Little League Tournament will be coming up later this month.   No dates are available yet, but stay tuned.  Tim says that, although we have kept the prices low to make them as affordable as possible for families attending the ball games, and the fact that the our Snack Shack is primarily a Community Service Project, we have actually cleared about a $1500 profit on its operation this year.  Thanks to Tim for a fantastic job of heading up this reactivated community service project this year!  Lots of negotiations were necessary, and hurdles that had to be cleared; but Tim continued to move us forward through the processes, and we were able to provide a much-appreciated service again at the ball park — and had some fun doing it.  Thanks also to Dan for his stocking and re-stocking, as needed, and to Eric for wrangling the cash boxes. 

 

 

Snack Shack Memories:  John Stewart recalls one evening several years ago when Tony Terrasi, longtime club member from Panama, John Stewart & Jane Dunham, and Todd & XiaoZhu Clancy from Taiwan made a great international Snack Shack team.

 

 

 

Stan's Badge:  John Stewart arranged to have lunch this past week with Tracey Steiner, one of Stan Steiner's daughters, before she returned to her home in Georgia.  One of his purposes in meeting with her was to be able to present her father's Prescott Sunup Rotary badge to her as a reminder of his long, faithful service to Rotary. Thank you, John, for this caring service, on behalf of our club. Tracey informed him that a memorial service will be held for Stan on Friday, August 11, at 10:00 a.m. at the Prescott Veterans Memorial Cemetery. 

 

 

The framed memorial announcement at Las Fuentes, where Stan lived.  In case you missed it, Stan's obituary appeared this weekend in the Sunday edition of The Daily Courier.

 

Update on Jerry Fohrman from Janet, posted on Sunday: "Very Good News!  Jerry is now on his 3rd day of no drama!  Urologist may be removing the catheter tomorrow.  They can then start him on the Heparin (blood thinner) for a few days; and if nothing else gets triggered, they will do the heart procedures for the a-fib.  One step at a time, but I feel the last two days are uplifting and encouraging!!! Love to all."

 

 

 

Utilizing our Social Media:  Last week we told you that you can access our club's Facebook page by doing a Facebook search for "The Rotary Club of Prescott SunUp," and that once you are there, by clicking on "Follow" you will begin to see in your Facebook account the pictures and news items which have been posted to our club's page.  It addition to clicking on the "Like" button when you spot one of those posts, you can also select the "Share" option, and thereby share the post with your Facebook friends.  It is always most impactful when you also enter a personal comment, such as, "I really enjoyed doing this (or being there, etc.)," or "We had a great time!"  Your personal reactions are appreciated by those with whom you share your posts.  They like to know about things that mean something to you.  Sharing what we do via Social Media helps to build our club's public image, and causes those who see what you share to consider joining us in our Rotary service.

 

 

 

Our JR RYLA, the Rotary-sponsored leadership camp for 6th - 8th grade youth, is coming up rapidly on June 14-17.  Stella and Art recently visited the Camp Nurse's quarters at Camp Wamatochick, and A.J. and  Jon were out there this past week, checking out the Challenge Course.  This year we have doubled the number of delegates we had last year, according to Bob Keys, who serves as the hard-working JR RYLA Registrar.

 

 

Our 2023 Interact Ambassadors:  Pictured above, when they spoke to our recent District Conference in Phoenix, are the eleven exceptional high school youth who applied and were selected to train and serve this summer on Rotary humanitarian missions in Central Mexico and in Kenya.  The five Interact Ambassadors to Mexico will be flying from Phoenix Sky Harbor on June 22, and will be returning June 29.  The six Ambassadors to Kenya will be embarking on their mission from Sky Harbor Airport on July 2, and will be returning July 17.  A record five of these Ambassadors this year are from the Prescott High School Interact Club, which our Rotary club sponsors.  Included is that number is Marty Coleman's daughter, Ciara.