We were delighted to have Carmen Frederic, Director of our Prescott Area Shelter Services (PASS), speak to us at last week's meeting, giving us an update on what has been happening with this vital community service, with which Sunup Rotary has been a longstanding partner.  She first reminded us of their mission: "To serve women, families, and veterans by providing temporary housing, resources, individualized case management, and a pathway to permanent housing,"  PASS services include Emergency Shelter, a Homeless Transition Project, an Education to Employability program, a Transition Housing program, a Wheels to Work program, a Smile With Confidence dental program, a Children's Program (working with the children in the evening, when there are parents with children at the shelter), and an Operation Deep Freeze project, working in conjunction with Salvation army, to provide emergency shelter for homeless women, when the thermometer drops below 32 degrees.  Since 2007, PASS has achieved a 78% successful transition rate — a pretty impressive accomplishment!

 

Once each month one of our club members volunteers to purchase and deliver an evening meal to PASS to feed 30 people.  While the club reimburses the member for that club-sponsored meal, other members, on their own, have signed up to provide additional meals for PASS, at their own expense. 

 

 

Harry Ruggles, member #5

 

Harry Ruggles was at the second meeting of Rotary in Chicago in 1905, and became the 5th member of that Rotary Club.  He was a printer by profession,. and Paul Harris suggested him as the printer for the new organization.  Since the members rotated the meetings around their businesses, the sixth meeting was held at Harry's print shop.  Since they consequently called themselves "Rotary," Harry created the first printed emblem, or logo.  He used a wagon wheel, with "Rotary Club" above it.

 

However, Harry Ruggels is best known for something else.  According to the Rotary Global History Fellowship, Harry was a very moral man.  He detested off-color language, malicious innuendo and classless humor.  He argued in club meetings for clean language.  Little more than a year after Rotary had been formed, at an evening meeting in 1906 , the guest speaker began a story.  Having heard it before, Harry had also heard the off-color ending, which he felt was inappropriate for the club.  Consequently, he jumped up in the middle of the joke and yelled, "Come on boys, let's sing!"  He led the club in singing, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."  He had demonstrated that demeaning activities and off-color stories were not welcome at Rotary gatherings. It was reported that the speaker was embarrassed and offended by Harry's actions; so Harry apologized to him.  However, the club backed him.  It was decided right then and there that all subsequent Rotary meetings should be conducted so that any woman could attend without being embarrassed.  This has been the unwritten rule ever since, and the accompanying tradition of Rotary singing has endured.  As new Rotary clubs formed, the practice of singing at club meetings caught on. Ruggles's company published an unofficial Book of Songs -- a collection of patriotic tunes, familiar standards, and Rotary songs (many penned by Rotarians) -- to help clubs make singing a regular part of their meetings.  The first official edition of Ruggles's songbook, Songs for the Rotary Club , was published in 1920 and provided lyrics only. Editions with musical notation appeared in 1925.

 

Since successful group singing requires a strong lead voice, which others can follow, a number of Rotary clubs, lacking that, have abandoned this trademark Rotary singing element in their meetings.  Howver, club singing has continued as a tradition, and part of having group participation fun together, during our Prescott Sunup Rotary Club meetings. 

 

 

 

President Christy has instituted a new "Rotary Means Business" feature during some of our club meetings.  Pres.-Elect Jane Ann Shimizu led off with a demonstration of how this works, as she shared with us her excitement about what she is now doing with her new travel planning line of work — after deciding that retirement was not for her.

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It was great to see so many Sunup Rotarians last Thursday afternoon at Dr. Whitney James' ribbon cutting event for her new James-Marco Health Clinic.  We wish her the best with this new venture.

 

 

President Christy, PASS Director Carmen Frederic, and Todd Clancy, who has been very involved with our PASS partnership.

PASS Director Carmen Frederic was recently photographed, sitting on the tables which our Sunup Rotary work crew painted a couplke of years go — still lookng good. 

These were some of our Sunup Rotary volunteers who helped last year with the Healing Fields Flag Installation in Prescott Valley on the Civic Center center lawn.  This year's volunteers are reminded that this event is coming up on Friday, September 6, at 6:45 a.m..  

 

 

 

 

Sarah Van Bourgondien was inspired by the program on this subject at our club meeting a week ago to go to personally visit, and capture & post this photograph she took of this impressive memorial, which our club has continued to maintain over the years.