January 2019 Newsletter
Time for an Inventory
As you read this, we will have turned the page on another calendar year.  And we will have reached the halfway point in the 2018-19 Rotary year.  This would be a good time to take an inventory not only of where we have been and what we have accomplished, but also of where we will be going for the remainder of the year.
 
 
 
The Sun Lakes Rotary Club and Healing Vets are proud to present the 4th Annual Hooked on Healing Veterans Ride on February 23, 2019 and the more Motorcycle Riders the better.
We all know The Rotary Foundation is one of the most highly regarded charities in the world!  It is known for its efficient use of donations and effective management of local and international projects.  When you think of organizations that you support, The Rotary Foundation should be every Rotarian’s charity of choice!
Fellow Rotarians,
 
We Hope you all have had a wonderful Holiday season with your friends and family.  We are in the home stretch of 2018, and the first of our District's amazing RYLA programs is just around the corner in January!  Just 3 weeks away.  As we near the end of the year, we want to send out a gentle reminder that RYLA 5495 is still accepting tax credit donations to assist with the upcoming service project, Manzanita/Kids Against Hunger.  One of our key goals at RYLA 5495 is emphasizing to our young community leaders, the concept of Service Above Self. 
 
 
 
 
It’s RYLA Ponderosa time again!   This camp will be held in Heber, on March 28-31.
 
Please consider sponsoring a student or students to this life changing program!  
 
Registration opens on January 2, 2019 and runs through March 24.  Please go to www.ryla5495ponderosa.org for information on the camp and forms to be filled out.   This process is all online. 
 
For any questions or concerns, please contact Sherry Mischel, Director, at sherryfmischel@outlook.com or call 602-510-3339.
 
Thank you!
Sherry Mischel
Rotary clubs around the world tap into the resources of the Rotary Foundation to multiply the scope and impact of their projects.  This article from the Rotarian Action Group for Peace provides ideas and inspiration.  It showcases 3 large, unique projects:  construction of a huge artificial reef; changing lives in an orphanage; and, providing surgeons with medical tools needed to care for a flood of refugees escaping conflict.
 
Many clubs here in District 5495 are participants/partners in large global grants and many also take advantage of District Grants. 
 
This year, take time as a club to reflect on how your projects, whether large or small, contribute to building peace in our own communities and in the other communities we support.
Saturday, March 23, 2019
2nd Annual Gilbert Rotary Team Trivia Fundraiser
Southeast Regional Library 775 N. Greenfield Road Gilbert AZ 85234
 
Come and join us for a fun and challenging night of trivia. Bring a team of family and friends or form a Rotary Club team and compete for prizes. A silent auction will also take place. All proceeds benefit Gilbert Rotary Charities. This is our major fundraiser of the year and last year’s event was a huge success. Please join us. Tickets for individuals are $25 - Tables of 8 are $200
 
Meeting Location Change
The Rotary Club if Gilbert AZ is changing meeting venues with the first meeting of the New Year on January 3. 2019. We have been previously meeting the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Thursdays of the month at 7 AM at the Egg and I on Queen Creek Road and we have outgrown their fantastic space! We will be moving our club meetings to Superstition Springs Golf and Country Club 6642 E. Baseline Road Mesa, AZ 85206. Please join us at our new venue –there will be plenty of room to grow.  A buffet breakfast will be available.
Over the last three Rotary years the Sun Lakes Rotary Club members, family and friends have been going on a late spring cruise.  This Rotary ear in April and May there will be two cruises and for the first time they are also including Arizona Rotary District 5495 Rotarians, families and friends that would like to join them.  The first cruise will be a 7-day Pacific Wine Country Cruise on the Island Princess from April 24-May 1, 2019.  The second will be a 7-day Alaska Cruise on the same Island Princess from May 1-May 8, 2019. 
 
Rotarian Lisa Phillips, SLRC Cruise Chair can be contacted at 503-720-4978 or lisa@rwassociates.net for specific up-to-date pricing information, signing up for one or both cruises and other details of travel.
Merry Christmas
From all the Exchange Students of District 5495
Christmas is over for all our foreign exchange students. They had their district wide Christmas party, including the Grand Canyon and its many wonders covered in powdery snow.
The next RLI sessions will be held on January 26 at the DeVry Westgate campus. All three sessions will be offered. You can register at: https://www.123signup.com/register?id=rqgff
 
We believe Rotary Leadership Institute is the best way to learn more about Rotary outside your club. Don’t let the word “leadership” in the name scare you away. While many programs in the Rotary world, like PETS - the president elect training seminar, are designed to prepare future club leaders, RLI is more about personal leadership and the ability to tap into the many different ways Rotary can be a vehicle for you to express your passion in service. We cover topics like service projects, ethics, vocational service, the Rotary Foundation, fundraising and even public speaking. Some people like to call it the college of knowledge for all things Rotary.