Chile. Anyone who has reser-vations about the youth fol-lowing us will be encouraged by these articulate and intelli-gent young people.

District Conferences are al-ways a mixture of fellowship, fun and some touching mo-ments when we realize the magnitude of Rotary’s impact throughout the world. Can’t wait for next year!

Those of you who attended the 2008-2009 5510 District Conference at Little America in Flagstaff know what a hit we had. Lucinda General did her usual magic of orchestrat-ing a large group of volun-teers who made this event memorable.

As the weather in the Valley heats up in May, it’s always a treat to escape the high tem-peratures by climbing the hill to Flagstaff where the days are pleasantly warm and the nights cool.

Our visiting RI Rep was Noel Bajat. Those of you who have heard Noel speak know how entertaining he can be. He brought along a Cajun come-dian who had us all in stitches—there wasn’t a dry seat in the house!

Mesa West’s Al Mabry was the recipient of Rotary’s high-est honor, the Service Above Self award. Can’t think of a more deserving man. Alan Havir received the Rotarian of

the Year award. Alan is on a roll: he has been selected to be our District Governor in three years. Alan’s daughter, Natane, was the Rookie of the Year for the Flagstaff Rotary Club. She joins Christine Ra-ney, Dale Patton, Don Sted-field, Kristine Ouzts, Liane Rouzuad, Lisa Mork, Robert Feher, Scott Dyer, Steve Net-zel, Tim Troy, Tony Pistilli and Walter Clark as our 2008-2009 club nominees for that award.

We were joined by our incom-ing GSE team from Switzer-land, and learned a lot about that country. Our outbound GSE team was also in atten-dance, and they shared their experiences with us as well.

As always, our inbound Youth Exchange students attended conference, and told us about their fears and joys while visit-ing the United States. We also heard from Diane Rish, our Ambassadorial Scholar who represented our District and the US while studying in

2 0 0 8 - 2 0 0 9 D I S T R I C T C O N F E R E N C E A B I G H I T

W E W E N T F O R T H E G O L D !

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

C O N F E R E N C E A H I T ! 1

D O N L A B A R G E W I N S A W A R D F R O M O B A M A

H O W A R E W E D O I N G ?

2

R V H O S P I T A L I T Y S U I T E A B I G H I T A T D I S T R I C T C O N F E R -E N C E

S U C C E S S F U L B O W L - A -

3

L E A D E R S H I P A C A D E M Y H O L D S G R A D U A T I O N

Y O U R P H O T O W I T H D . K . L E E ?

4

R O T A R Y F O U N D A T I O N A N N U A L G I V I N G

5

C H A R L E N E B A S H O R E —S U P E R A C H I E V E R

R O T A R A C T I N T E R A C T R A I S E A F R I C A M O N E Y

G E T A H E A D O F T H E C U R V E

6

S A N T A N C R O W N D O -N A T E S T O P O L I O P L U S

7

M A J O R C H A N G E S T O F O U N D A T I O N F U N D I N G

8

T H E F O U R -W A Y T E S T :

• Is it the truth?

• Is it fair to all con-cerned?

• Will it build good will and better friend-ships?

• Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

Make Dreams Real D. K. Lee, R I President, 2008-2009

Let’s Have Fun in Rotary Don LaBarge, District Governor

DISTRICT 5510 TODAY

District Governor Don LaBarge and his wife, Chris

C O M E T O I N C O M I N G D G K E N O A K E S ’ I N S T A L L A T I O N

As we begin another Rotary year, it is time to install our next District Governor, Ken Oakes. Ken is a member of the Rotary Club of Ahwatukee Foothills. His installation party (yes, party!) will be held on Saturday, June 27th, at the SRP Pera Club, 1 E. Continental Drive, in Tempe. There will be a buffet din-ner, no-host bar, and music

will be provided by the Ponga Boys Band. Cost is $35 per person, or $65 per couple. You can register for this festive event online at www.rotary5510.org. Attire is casual, somewhere between blue jeans and business casual, depending on your propensity to be formal. Come join the festivities, and say hello our next gov-ernor as he starts his term.

Page 2 D I S T R I C T 5 5 1 0 T O D A Y

D G D O N L A B A R G E R E C E I V E S A W A R D F R O M P R E S I D E N T B A R A C K O B A M A

Our very own Governor Don LaBarge received a surprise award from President Barack Obama Thursday evening at the district conference. Nomi-nated by the Rotary Club of Rio Salado and President Ben Eubank, Rotary Club President Ben presented the award to Don on Thursday evening. The award was a citation in letter form and framed. It was on embossed White House stationary addressed to Gov-ernor Don LaBarge Rotary

District 5510 and signed by President Obama. The award was called “The President’s Volunteer Service Award” The award read in part, “In my Inaugural Address, I stated that we need a new era of responsibility—a recog-nition on the part of every American that we have duties to ourselves, our Nation, and the world. These are duties that we do not grudgingly accept, but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satis-

fying to the sprit than giving our all to a difficult task. Your volunteer service dem-onstrates the kind of com-mitment to your community that moves America a step closer to its great promise. “Our nation faces the most challenging economic crisis in a lifetime. We will only renew America if we all work together. Individuals, the private sector, and gov-ernment must combine ef-forts to make real and last-ing change so that each person has the opportuni-ties to fulfill his or her poten-tial. While Government can open more opportunities for us to serve our communi-ties, it is up to each of us to seize those opportunities. Thank you for your devotion to service and for doing all you can to shape a better tomorrow for our great na-tion.” Signed; Barack Obama

Chris LaBarge and Rabbit For the first time in memory Governor Don was speech-less. Don said he was hon-ored that the Rotary Club of Rio Salado would nominate him for the award and thanked President Ben Eu-bank. Don said that Presi-dent Obama’s message applies all Rotarians and their work as Rotarians.

HOW ARE WE DOING WITH SUPPORT FOR THE FOUNDATION AND POLIO PLUS? The Rotary clubs in District 5510 have donated $102,812 through April to the Annual Fund against a GOAL of $143,000.00 and have donated $59,602 through April to the PolioPlus Fund against a GOAL of $41,000.00 for Rotary year 2008-2009. We recognize the following clubs which are leading the way toward achieving the goal of Every Rotarian Every Year $100 in Annual Programs Fund giving, and Per Capita Annual Programs Fund Giving: Annual Programs Fund Giving •Mesa West $13,767.00 •Flagstaff $8,118.00 •Fountain Hills $6,300.85 Per Capita Annual Fund Giving •Mesa West $393.34 •Mesa Boeing $483.17 •Mesa Sunrise $224.51 The following clubs which are leading the way toward achieving the goal of $1,000 PolioPlus Fund Giving: •Scottsdale $10,100

•Sun Lakes $5,200 •Superstition Mtn. $5,193 •Phoenix Camelback $3,100 •Flagstaff $3,047 •Fountain Hills $2,120 •Tempe South $2,000 •eClub of Southwest $1,946 •Mesa Boeing $1,774 •Four Peaks $1,487 •Pinnacle Peak $1,380 •Mesa Sunrise $1,335 •Phoenix East $1,261 •Kyrene Corridor $1,250 •Winslow $1,250 •Mesa Baseline $1,240 •Scottsdale Airpark $1,900 •Phoenix Arcadia $1,038 •Chandler North $1,004 •Ahwatukee Foothills $1,000 •Mesa West $1,000 •Mesa East $1,000 •Payson $1,000 •Rim Country-Payson $1,000 •Scottsdale Sunrise $1,000 •Mesa $1,000 •Chandler $1,000 •Paradise Valley $1,000

Regular attendees at our conferences know that each year a number of clubs host mini-parties, generally in a hotel room, where all atten-dees are invited to drop by and partake in shared food and beverages. These have been a popular staple in District 5510 for years. At this year’s District Con-ference, we added a differ-ent kind of hospitality suite. Bryon Harrington came up with a novel idea: why not travel to District Conference in our RV’s, and host our own hospitality party? There was some uncertainty about how many Rotarians would make the journey across the street and into a dark park to participate. In spite of the misgivings, the plan was implemented. Bryon and Jackie hauled their travel trailer up to Flagstaff.

So did Bill McGrath and Anna Johnston, John Slentz, Kara Schroeder, and a few others. Each RV was responsible for one of the essential elements: chili, beer and wine, plates, flat-ware, decorations, etc. Kara even maintained a visitor log! Attendance exceeded all expectations! Two huge pots of chili were devoured. Chips, salsa, wine, beer—all were snapped up by enthusiastic visitors who braved some cool evening weather to make the jour-ney to Black Bart’s RV Park. The party went on late into the night. Governor Don and RI Representative Noel Bajat made an appearance, as did a number of PDGs and their spouses. As the

other hospitality suites folded their tents at Little America, their staffers made their way to where the ac-tion was—the trailer park. It’s hard to tell how many venues would lend them-selves to the setup we had in Flagstaff, but my guess is that whenever possible, the

RV HOSPITALITY SUITE AT DISTRICT CONFERENCE WELL ATTENDED

RV party will continue as a tradition in our District. If you are planning to come to the next conference that could support a fleet of RV’s, and have an RV, come join the party. Let’s see what kind of event will develop when it has even more participants.

DON’T FORGET TO GET YOUR ARTICLES ABOUT YOUR CLUB’S ACTIVITIES SUBMITTED ON TIME!

I am delighted to see the quality and quantity of the articles that you are submit-ting. It really shows the work that Rotarians in Dis-trict 5510 are doing for our communities and around

the world.

Please keep them coming. We are all interested in the projects and people in your club, so don’t be shy about tooting your own horn.

When you submit an article, please don’t embed the pictures in a Word docu-ment. For some reason, I can’t get good quality pic-tures when I extract them. Also, the higher the resolu-

tion of your photos, the bet-ter will be the end result. Thanks.

Bill McGrath Rotary Club of Mesa West wfm3@cornell.edu

Page 3 J U N E , 2 0 0 9

Mesa West Rotary hosted a Bowl-a-thon on May 9th at the Mesa Brunswick Zone on Southern Avenue in Mesa. The event was set up to raise money for a young woman with cerebral palsy to purchase an assistance dog through an organization known as Power Paws. This organization was founded in Scottsdale, Ari-zona, in 2001. It trains Golden Retrievers and Lab-rador Retrievers in 90 com-mands that will assist adults and children with disabili-ties. Its main focus is on mobil-ity-impaired persons like paraplegics and quadriple-

gics, but it also provides dogs to the hearing im-paired and people suffering from psycho/social disabili-ties, such as phobias and Post Traumatic Distress Disorder. The approximate cost and value of a fully-trained ser-vice dog is $15,000, but, thanks to donations, they are able to place the dogs for only a $5,000.00 fee. The Bowl-a-thon helped to raise this amount to place a service dog with a young woman from Mesa Arizona. The Bowl-a-thon was great family fun. Kids under 12 were allowed in free. The ticket price included two

M E S A W E S T H O S T S B O W L - A - T H O N T O B E N E F I T C E R E B R A L P A L S Y V I C T I M

hours of bowling, pizza, and soda. Mesa West Rotarians also sold raffle tickets for

some great prizes donated by local businesses.

T H E A R I Z O N A R O T A R Y T R I - D I S T R I C T L E A D E R S H I P A C A D E M Y H O L D S G R A D U A T I O N

Page 4 D I S T R I C T 5 5 1 0 T O D A Y

D I D Y O U H A V E Y O U R P I C T U R E T A K E N W I T H R I P R E S I D E N T D . K . L E E ?

the photo album from that evening. Find your picture, and write down the file-name. It will be something like “WFM_0025.JPG” The photos on this website are low resolution, so don’t try to use them for prints. Send me your name, the file name, and your e-mail ad-dress, and I will send you the full-resolution image.

You can have this printed at any facility that does digital printing. The size and quan-tity will be up to you.

You can e-mail your photo to some printers like Costco, and pick up your finished prints in an hour. Cost is very reasonable, and you can have additional prints made at any time.

Did you have your picture taken with Rotary Interna-tional President D.K. Lee last January 9th? Have you been wondering how to get your picture? They have been available on the Inter-net for some time, but ap-parently we didn’t get the word out to everyone. The solution is at hand!

Visit the link below to see

When you have retrieved your photo’s file name, con-tact me at:

wfm3@cornell.edu

If you have any questions, you can call me during busi-ness hours at 602-989-9300.

Bill McGrath District 5510 Photographer Rotary Club of Mesa West

On Saturday, May 9th, six Past Club Presidents from Arizona Rotary Districts 5490, 5500 and 5510 at-tended their final session of the Arizona Tri-District Leadership Academy and then attended the Academy Graduation Banquet where they were presented their Certificates of Graduation by PDG Gary Whiting and District Governor, Charlie Teagarden. Not attending, but also graduating were two from Caribbean Rotary District 7020. Their Certifi-cates of Graduation will be presented by District 7020 Governor Rupert Ross Jr. at their upcoming District Con-ference in The Virgin Is-lands. Over a six month period these nominated Past Club Presidents embarked on a venture that allowed them the opportunity to enhance their Rotary leadership knowledge and skills for use beyond the club level and as such, become recog-nized within their districts. The Graduates of Class 2008-2009 consists of the following from both metro and rural Rotary Clubs:

District 5490: Debbie Beebe, Phoenix West; James Green, Sun City; Ruth Howe, Phoenix 100; and Randy Prinz, Phoenix West. District 5500: Randy Brooks, Marana District 5510: Jay Jones, Superstition Gold Canyon District 7020: Dennis Chong, New Kingston Ja-maica; John Lawson, Provi-denciales Turks & Caicos Islands The Leadership Academy is achieved via the Internet through the Academy web-site over a six month period that is divided into two se-mesters consisting of the following courses taught by experienced Past District Governors from the three Arizona Districts: September: Leadership Beyond the Club Level, by PDG Mel Taunt October: Collaboration and Funding to Meet Needs by PDG Art Harrington November: Understanding and Utilizing the Rotary Foundation by PDG Barb Feder December: No classes January: Building on a Heritage of Leadership and Accomplishments by PDG Ron Roderique, PDG Roger Bonngard, and RI Director and PDG Phil Silvers February: Club Membership Growth and Retention by

PDG Gary Whiting March: Rotary’s Fiduciary Responsibilities by PDG Greg Podd .The instructors and stu-dents are supported by the Academy Website, in mak-ing the courses internet deliverable, providing chat rooms, a message center and security. As the Academy closes its fifth year, it has now gradu-ated 46 Past Club Presi-dents. Most all graduates have gone on to serve their district in some capacity as a District Committee Chair, GSE Team Leader, Assis-tant Governor, District Gov-ernor Nominee, District Governor Elect, and District Governor. We invite and encourage all Past Club Presidents to check out the Academy and seek out graduates and instructors for their input and suggestions. Even if you can’t find the time to

immediately put these ad-vanced Rotary skills and knowledge to use because of family and/or career obli-gations, you are still encour-aged to consider being nominated to the Tri-District Leadership Academy for this coming Rotary Year 2009-2010 and prepare for future leadership opportuni-ties. Visit website www.azrotaryleadership.org to see if this could be for you and if so, download the three documents needed for the nomination process: Leadership Academy Syn-opsis Leadership Academy Letter of Understanding Leadership Academy Nomi-nation Form Nominations are now being accepted for Rotary year 2009-2010 and must be received by July 15, 2009.

http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=276007383/a=107834501_107834501/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/

W H E N R E C R U I T I N G R O T A R I A N S , D O N ’ T O V E R L O O K T H E “ G R A Y H A I R S ”

Page 5 J U N E , 2 0 0 9

J O N A T H A N D I L L : Y O U T H E X C H A N G E S T U D E N T F R O M B R A Z I L

Page 6 D I S T R I C T 5 5 1 0 T O D A Y

C H A R L E N E B A S H O R E — A S U P E R A C H I E V E R

Rotary International, she helped provide funds to start a self sustaining school for women and girls in Malawi, Africa, and a scholarship for children in Kenya. 'Greater than yourself' If there's another hallmark of this year's First Team members, it's that they rec-ognize their good fortune, are grateful for their talents, and have made sure not to squander opportunities to help others aim similarly high. When Charlene Bashore, 22, who graduates in May from Arizona State Univer-sity, helps put on leadership retreats for high school stu-dents, she cites "the impor-

Charlene Bashore, ASU Rotaract president and Dis-trict Governor for Rotaract Interact District Council, is a super achiever in USA TO-DAY’s 2009 ALL-USA Col-lege Academic Team. A Goldwater Scholar and biochemistry major, Bashore’s research centers on developing faster, cheaper methods for se-quencing DNA. She in-terned last year at the Na-tional Institute on Aging, and has conducted chemis-try demonstrations at book-stores, schools and science expos to show “just how cool science can really be.” As a member of the campus Rotaract Club, a community service group affiliated with

tance of being part of something greater than yourself.” “The mere fact I'm at an American university with the chance to learn whatever I want puts me in such a privileged group," says Bashore, who also plays the violin and is learning Pol-ish. "I try to experi-ence as much of life as I can and try to help others access those same opportu-nities." This year she has made a big difference in the development of the District Youth Movement of Rotaract and Interact. Next, she is on to graduate school

at Berkeley and plans to continue her commitment to Rotary values. Alan Havir

R O T A R A C T I N T E R A C T 5 5 1 0 D I S T R I C T C O U N C I L R A I S E S O V E R $ 3 , 5 0 0 F O R M A L A W I S C H O O L S

District Council members voted last year for a District 5510 International project. The beneficiary was the African Country of Malawi. Their country is one of the poorest in the world and has one of the highest birthrates and shortest life spans in Africa. Education helps developing nations control population rates and im-prove healthful living. The money raised will help fund projects for a clean and safe area to teach chil-

dren from the most destitute areas of Africa. The chil-dren of Africa are the poor-est in the world and need the most help. Just $3.40 a month can provide school-ing and supplies for an en-tire village. Besides teach-ers and school supplies it will also provide a protected area, basic health needs and nutrition for children. ASU Rotaract held their annual fund raiser at the Tempe Center for the Arts. This was a very classy

event. Jan Snyder from Sustainable Resources, Ltd., who is also a professor from ASU and director for the Malawi projects featured a slide presentation about Africa. NAU Rotaract held several events over time like per-sonal auctions called “slave labor”, dog walks and Din-ner at Chili’s which netted 10%. Congratulation to the Dis-trict Council of Rotaract

Interact 5510. Working together they have made a tremendous advancement in their second year as a governing body for youth programs in District 5510. To find our more how you can partner with the great-est movement in the future of Rotary contact their web-site at www.rotaractinteract5510.com or Alan Havir DC Chair at 623-297-1541 or alan@abaloscpa.com .

D I S T R I C T R O T A R Y F O U N D A T I O N T E A M P R E S E N T S “ G E T A H E A D O F T H E C U R V E ” S E M I N A R O N S A T U R D A Y , J U N E 2 0 T H

In preparation for Rotary Year 2009-2010, your Dis-trict Rotary Foundation TEAM will provide HANDS ON from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM on each of the nine Sub-Committee Programs. It will be held in the upstairs conference room at Berge Ford, 460 E. Auto Center Dr., Mesa (Mesa Ave. and Arizona Superstition High-way 60). This will be Nuts and Bolts up-to-date and useable in-formation to help ensure

better understanding, use-able knowledge, successful implementation, and timing with regards to each of these programs so that you will ready to kick off this upcoming Rotary Year. With the many changes

being implemented July 1st, attendance is highly recom-mended so you can “Get Ahead of the Curve” and be ready to move forward on July 1st. Of course, all interested Rotarians are invited to at-tend. However, it is most important that the Incoming Club Presidents, Club Ro-tary Foundation Chairs and Committee Members, and Assistant Governors con-sider attending. There will be NO CHARGE.

More details will be pro-vided in an upcoming email. However, please send an email to Gary Whiting glw602bmw@wbhsi.com to let us know your interest in attending and for our prepa-ration of material. We look forward to your attendance. Gary Whiting Centennial PDG and District Rotary Foundation Commit-tee Chair

S A N T A N C R O W N R O T A R Y C L U B D O N A T E S $ 2 , 5 0 0 T O P O L I O P L U S

spearheading partner in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative three years later. The other partners are the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Dis-ease Control and Preven-tion, and UNICEF. Thanks to Rotary and its partners, the number of polio cases has been slashed by more than 99 percent, preventing five million instances of child-hood paralysis and 250,000 deaths. When Rotary began its eradication work, polio infected more than 350,000 children annually. In 2008, fewer than 2,000 cases were reported worldwide. To find out more about the San Tan Crown Club, and the community work we do, you are invited to a lunch-eon meeting at the Holiday Inn, Ocotillo and Alma School Road any Thursday

at 12 noon. Please contact Bob Feher, at 480-802-9828 ; rofe@wbhsi.com for more information and reser-vations. Pictured Bottom right to left; Bill Seefeldt, Hal Woch-holtz, right to left back row- Chandler Mayor Boyd Dunn; Rotary District 5510 Governor Don LaBarge and Chandler Chamber of Com-merce President Jerry Bustamante. Clothing Drive Donations Needed: As one of our Clubs out-reach programs, San Tan Crown Rotary Club of Chandler AZ is holding a clothing drive from May 10 through June 11. All do-nated cloths will be given to the FIRST INSTITUTIONAL BAPTIST CHURCH. Please help us help those

San Tan Crown Rotary Club of Chandler presented a donation of $2500 to the Rotary International Polio Plus Eradication Program at a Diamondbacks game on May 12. The check was presented by Bill Seefeldt, San Tan Crown Club Presi-dent, to Hal Wochhotz. Hal was infected by Polio as a young man and heads the local Rotary District 5510 Polio Plus fund raising ef-forts. The $2500 was raised by the San Tan Crown Club by selling toy ostriches at the Chandler Ostrich Festival sponsored by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce, last March. Rotary, a volunteer service organization of 1.2 million men and women made a commitment to immunize the world’s children against polio in 1985 and became a

who are in need during these hard economical times by donating your us-able cloths, shoes, coats etc.; articles for men, women and children of all ages are needed. For more information on this clothing drive, please contact Carl Nunnally at 480-883-0742; cnchicago@wbhsi.com or Leon Reed at 480-895-3241; Lpried@aol.com . Thank you for your support. If you would like to know more about our Rotary Club and the community work we do, you are invited to a luncheon meeting at the Holiday Inn, Ocotillo and Alma School Road any Thursday at 12 noon. Please contact Bob Feher, at 480-802-9828 ; rofe@wbhsi.com for more information and reserva-tions.

Page 7 J U N E , 2 0 0 9

F U L T O N E L E M E N T A R Y F O U R T H - G R A D E R S H O L D P A N E L

D I S C U S S I O N A B O U T ‘ T H E D I C T I O N A R Y P R O J E C T ’

Page 8 D I S T R I C T 5 5 1 0 T O D A Y

A M B A S S A D O R I A L S C H O L A R E M I L Y W I N A N S R E P O R T S F R O M B R A Z I L

Page 9 J U N E , 2 0 0 9

M O N A D A S I L V A L O P E Z , E X C H A N G E S T U D E N T F R O M B R A Z I L