Welcome to District 5495 Club News

Kingman Route 66 Club dedicates park bench in honor of PDG Danny Messersmith
The Rotary Club of Kingman Route 66 has dedicated a park bench in honor of Past District Governor Danny Messersmith at Mohave Community College in Kingman.
 
Club members, friends and fellow Rotarians gathered Nov. 17 for the ceremony to officially unveil the bench. The bench is located on the MCC Campus on Jagerson Street in Kingman. The bench was created by the welding shop class and the automotive painting class.
 
Danny served as the District Governor in 2016-17. He passed away Oct. 27, 2022. He is a former president of the Kingman Route 66 Club and was instrumental in the creation and success of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona. He received Rotary's highest award, the Service Above Self Award, at the district conference in 2022.
 
Dan spent a total of 30 years at Mohave Community College serving in several Director and Dean roles. He also chaired the Kingman Festival of the Arts for many years, for the Mohave Community College Foundation. In 2008, he retired from the college.
 
In the photo above, PDG Charlie Tegarden, also a member of the Kingman Route 66 Club, dedicates the bench.
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District 'Friendship Trophy' travels to Sedona/Verde Valley
District Governor Kevin Pitts delivered the District 5495 Friendship Trophy to the Rotary Club of the Verde Valley on September 14, 2023. 
 
The Rotary Club of the Verde Valley President Amanda Arnold then delivered the traveling "friendship" trophy to the Rotary Club of Sedona Village on October 12, 2023 at a joint club service project at Manzanita Outreach in Cottonwood.  The The Rotary Club of Sedona was also represented in this joint club service project. Rotarians lined cartons with plastic bags for their weekly food distribution and labeled donation request cards for about two hours.
 
There are four Rotary Clubs in the Verde Valley. They join forces in service projects and youth projects, such as sponsoring Interact Clubs at local high schools and junior high and often help each other raise funds for the services they support.
 
The Friendship Trophy will make its way through the district as DG Kevin completes his club visits in 2023-24.
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Rotary Club of Sun Lakes names Rotarians of the Month
 
 
Submitted by: Dr. Honora Norton - RCSL Public Image Chair
 
The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Club (RCSL) President Victoria Flatley presented the October 2023 Rotarian of the Month award plaque to Roger and Judi Edmonds. 
 
Roger and Judi Edmonds, Sun Lakes residents, are dedicated RCSL volunteers.  To name a few of the projects they support:  Rotary Dictionary Project, host and sponsor of 2023-24 Rotary International Exchange Student, Welcome to America Project, Student Scholarships, Splash newspaper deliveries, cooking meals for the homeless, holiday greetings as Mr. & Mrs. Santa and much more.
 
Both Roger and Judi are multiple Rotary International Paul Harris Fellows. Roger joined the club in 2001 after retiring as a high school educator for 37 years in Oregon where he taught science and chemistry. He continues to teach local students.
 
Judi, a RCSL member since 2018, leads the RCSL's Peace Builder and Local Charity and Giving Committees; is a member of Rotary International (RI) District 5495 Peace Building Committee and for the past two years has been the Club's designee to the Mexico USA Friendship Exchange.
 
For more information about RCSL programs and membership - see http://www.sunlakesrotary.com.
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Glendale Elementary School District recognizes PNRC Prom Closet project
The Glendale Elementary School District each month recognizes a business or organization in the community for its strong support of students and for September, the district recognized Peoria North Rotary Club's Prom Closet community service project. A district official surprised members of The Prom Closet Planning Committee during its September meeting and presented the group with a certificate of thanks.
 
The GESD "Champion of Our Students" certificate reads: "Thank you for all your hard work and dedication. We are so grateful to be part of this amazing program. Thank for bringing so much joy to our students and community.
 
The Prom Closet Committee consists of, from left, Sandra Eng, Maura Gill-Millette, Sharon Jarnagin, Bret McKeand and Gina Schmitz. The 2024 Prom Closet is scheduled for the first two weekends of April 2024 at the Glendale System of Care Center, 7677 W. Bethany Home Road, Glendale. For information, visit thepromcloset.com.
Dayna Gustke: The story behind my Rotary pin collection!
 
 
By Dayna Gustke
Club Secretary, Rotary Club of Tempe Downtown
 
 
Hi, my name is Dayna Gustke. I am a member of The Rotary Club of Tempe Downtown, and currently serve as club secretary.
 
My first day of Rotary was Sept. 12, 2011, as a regular member, and of course, there was a Rotary Induction Award, and a Rotary Pin.
 
The whole Rotary Pin Vest started when my mother, Lynn Gustke, started in Rotary in 1997 in The Rotary Club of Tempe East.
 
She was heavily involved with Rotary for many years, many club and District 5510 and 5495 events throughout the years and collected many pins.
 
When she passed in January 2021 due to COVID-19, she left behind over 100 Rotary Pins -- so I started working on my Rotary Pin Vest.
 
It is still a bit of a journey to finish, but overall, I have about 300-plus Rotary Pins and will continue to strive for more Rotary Pins to add to the collection. I thank my mom, Lynn Gustke, every day for letting me have this opportunity to join Rotary back in 2011 to learn and experience everything after 12 years.
 
I am looking forward to the future. I am also looking forward to the future to helping with more charitable causes around the world, just like my mother, Lynn Gustke did, and wanted me to do as well for Rotary.
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