Little League spectators heading for our Rotary Snack Shack. Although it is located on the lower field at Bill Vallely Field, in Roughrider Park, next toYavapai College, we serve the spectators attending games being played on both the upper and lower fields.
When our Sunup Rotary Board made the decision this year to increase the prices and expand our items available, in order to more effectively use our Snack Shack as both a fundraiser and as a community service project, it was feared by some that our business would decline. Quite the contrary, our business has boomed!. As the result, the funds we have been raising from this activity have substantially increased. Much of the credit for our Snack Shack's success this year goes to Tiffany & Emmett Jones, assisted by Todd Clancy. They have taken over the active management of our Snack Shack and its expanded menu and calendar.
When Tiffany was asked, "Do you like doing this?" Her immediate answer was, "YES!!!! I love it!" (Not sure we got enough exclamation points behind her answer, to reflect her enthuisiasm.) She went on to explain, "I really love working with the little kids and their families." And she went on to tell about some of the touching experiences she has had this year with the children who have come to the Snack Shack window to make their purchases. She also said she believes she has memorized every item we have to sell, along with its price. (Most of the rest of us have to rely on the printed "cheat sheets.")
Pictured below is the crew from Tuesday night, June 30 — an incredibly-busy night! Todd Clancy and John Stewart, the "old pros," trace their Snack Shack service back many years — probably the most years of any of our current club members,
Emmett, Todd, Art, John and Tiffany
From the Phoenix airport, as he was leaving for Indonesia, Todd wrote: "We had an incredible run this year, from the Little League fall season through the spring season, the playoffs and All-Star championships. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all of our dedicated volunteers who made it possible. We owe a special debt of gratitude to Emmett and Tiffany for the tremendous amount of time and effort they poured into the Snack Shack, transforming it into both a highly profitable fundraiser and a truly meaningful community service project. We were clearly the place to be! We were even honored to have The Hulk and a Princess show up for our final game!"
Todd with the little Princess and The Hulk.
Olayinka Hakeem Babalola, a member of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi, Nigeria, took office as President of Rotary International on 1 July 2026, becoming the second African to lead the global membership organization.
During his one-year term, Babalola will focus on strengthening Rotary’s contribution to peacebuilding and supporting sustainable, community-led solutions that address local and global challenges and improve lives.
“Rotary gives people the opportunity not only to make a difference in their communities, but also to grow through meaningful relationships, collaboration, and a deeper appreciation of different perspectives,” said Babalola. “At a time when many societies face division and uncertainty, I believe Rotary has an important role to play in building understanding, advancing peace, and creating opportunities for communities to thrive. As president, I look forward to highlighting and strengthening that impact around the world.”
Babalola brings to the role decades of experience advancing community development, peacebuilding, and public health initiatives across Africa. He has been actively involved with Rotary’s Peace Center at Makerere University in Uganda – Rotary’s first on the continent.
As head of Rotary’s 45,000 clubs worldwide, Babalola will lead Rotary’s top priority of ending polio. Together with its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, Rotary has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent and contributed more than US$3 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect over 3 billion children from this paralyzing disease. He has also been deeply engaged in Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, serving on the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and advising the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee.
During his one-year term, Babalola will focus on strengthening Rotary’s contribution to peacebuilding and supporting sustainable, community-led solutions that address local and global challenges and improve lives.
“Rotary gives people the opportunity not only to make a difference in their communities, but also to grow through meaningful relationships, collaboration, and a deeper appreciation of different perspectives,” said Babalola. “At a time when many societies face division and uncertainty, I believe Rotary has an important role to play in building understanding, advancing peace, and creating opportunities for communities to thrive. As president, I look forward to highlighting and strengthening that impact around the world.”
Babalola brings to the role decades of experience advancing community development, peacebuilding, and public health initiatives across Africa. He has been actively involved with Rotary’s Peace Center at Makerere University in Uganda – Rotary’s first on the continent.
As head of Rotary’s 45,000 clubs worldwide, Babalola will lead Rotary’s top priority of ending polio. Together with its Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners, Rotary has reduced polio cases by 99.9 percent and contributed more than US$3 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect over 3 billion children from this paralyzing disease. He has also been deeply engaged in Rotary’s polio eradication efforts, serving on the End Polio Now Countdown to History Campaign Committee and advising the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee.
YOUTH SERVICE
Our 5th Interact Ambassadors to Mexico Team has safely returned, and 9th Interact Ambassadors to Kenya Team is currently serving in that country. After having spent their first week with the Maasai Tribe, they have moved this week to Naivasha, where they will be working on distributing to disabled poor individuals in that part of Kenya some of the mobility equipment our Interact Clubs collected and shipped to Kenya ahead of the arrival of this team.
Our Kenya Team, wearing their shukas, with Ole Keiwa, Meitamei and Dr. Mary Poole, who served as their instructors at Prescott College's Dopoi Center, where they were learning about the Maasai culture.
One of the anticipated highlights in recent years has been our Kenya Team's unique opportunity to take a 6-mile walk with three Maasai elders within the Maasai Mara Game Preserve, protected by two rangers and one Maasai warrior. This is like nothing any tourists to Kenya ever get to experience.
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
It is always gratifying for our club to receive a communication like this one from Rebeca Mendoza, Regional Grants Officer for The Rotary Foundation:
Dear Rotary members:
Thank you for submitting the final report for Global Grant GG2458674: Captación Agua de Lluvia para viviendas y una Escuela Primaria en Xalapa Veracruz, México. We are pleased to conclude this grant-funded project and congratulate your team on the successful achievement of its objectives. The project successfully improved access to water for 17 low-income families through the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in their homes, contributing to enhanced quality of life and greater water security. In addition, the second project objective was fully achieved with the installation of a rainwater harvesting system at the Mártires del 28 de agosto de 1924 Elementary School, ensuring improved and more reliable access to potable water for the school community. We are also pleased to note the project's strong educational component. Through a student fair held on the school premises, the entire student body was successfully reached with awareness-raising activities on the importance of hydration and sustainable water consumption practices. The initiative achieved promoting the use of drinking fountains and water dispensers with refillable bottles as an alternative to single-use plastic bottles. Thank you for your commitment and effective implementation of this project. We commend your efforts to improve water access and promote healthy, environmentally responsible practices within the community.
The report has been reviewed and is complete. The Foundation will now mark the grant closed. Your cooperation in fulfilling this requirement is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your time and dedication to this special project. We encourage you to share your successful global grant activities on Rotary Service Project Center.
Many thanks to all the Rotarians who gave their time, funds, and expertise to implement this grant. Many lives have been changed because of your good service. Your contributions support The Rotary Foundation's mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
Atentamente/Sincerely,
Rebeca Mendoza
Thank you for submitting the final report for Global Grant GG2458674: Captación Agua de Lluvia para viviendas y una Escuela Primaria en Xalapa Veracruz, México. We are pleased to conclude this grant-funded project and congratulate your team on the successful achievement of its objectives. The project successfully improved access to water for 17 low-income families through the installation of rainwater harvesting systems in their homes, contributing to enhanced quality of life and greater water security. In addition, the second project objective was fully achieved with the installation of a rainwater harvesting system at the Mártires del 28 de agosto de 1924 Elementary School, ensuring improved and more reliable access to potable water for the school community. We are also pleased to note the project's strong educational component. Through a student fair held on the school premises, the entire student body was successfully reached with awareness-raising activities on the importance of hydration and sustainable water consumption practices. The initiative achieved promoting the use of drinking fountains and water dispensers with refillable bottles as an alternative to single-use plastic bottles. Thank you for your commitment and effective implementation of this project. We commend your efforts to improve water access and promote healthy, environmentally responsible practices within the community.
The report has been reviewed and is complete. The Foundation will now mark the grant closed. Your cooperation in fulfilling this requirement is greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your time and dedication to this special project. We encourage you to share your successful global grant activities on Rotary Service Project Center.
Many thanks to all the Rotarians who gave their time, funds, and expertise to implement this grant. Many lives have been changed because of your good service. Your contributions support The Rotary Foundation's mission to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
Atentamente/Sincerely,
Rebeca Mendoza
I got a free air guitar.
No strings attached.
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Q – How does the man in the moon cut his hair?
A – Eclipse it.
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If you ever need to let all of your feelings out, a cornfield is recommended.
There’s no judgement, and they’re all ears.
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I was at a funeral today and asked the priest for the wifi password.
“Have some respect for the dead!” he said.
“Okay. Is that all lower case with no spaces?” I asked.
“Have some respect for the dead!” he said.
“Okay. Is that all lower case with no spaces?” I asked.
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I love board games. My favorite one is where people put meat and cheese on a board. Maybe some fruit and crackers.
I'm so good at that one!
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I need to re-home a dog. It's a small terrier and tends to bark a lot. If you're interested, let me know and I'll jump over next door's fence and get it for you.
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You know you're old when your village antique car show feels like your high school parking lot.
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I'm adopting a healthier lifestyle, so I parked and walked inside to buy donuts instead of using the drive-thru!
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I'll never forget the look on the cashier's face when she scanned the packet of bird seed, and I asked her, "How long does it take for the birds to grow after I plant them!"