Liese Razzeto, Linda Racheal, Leslie Hawkins, Donna Birch, and Marie Speckhart (left to right)
Barbara Barr
During the pandemic, The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke never missed a beat. We continued to meet every Thursday on Zoom and called our meeting ZOOM at NOON. We had dozens of committee and planning meetings on Zoom. We even had a Zoom happy hour. But while we kept working and playing together with our Rotary friends, we did a lot more.
During the shutdown, we formed a new committee to help with COVID-19 Rotary relief. Through that committee, we provided fresh produce to those in need in the Copper Corridor. Working in a collaboration with Oracle Community Learning Garden, Inc., Creative Community Solutions, Inc, IMPACT of Southern Arizona, and the Tri-County Food Bank, we provided 7,000 pounds of fresh produce on the first delivery, and 14,000 pounds on the second delivery. We are thrilled that after helping with the first two distributions, the program is now self-sustaining.
In addition to our work in the Copper Corridor, we also supported the Sister Jose’s Women’s Center in Tucson. We wrote and received a grant from Rotary District 5500 for Sister Jose’s. The club then matched that grant. Next, we are loading up our vehicles with all kinds of supplies for the center, and delivering the supplies and the money for these special women.
Lastly, we awarded five college scholarships to five high school seniors. The focus of our scholarships has been students from the Copper Corridor. It’s such a joy to help young people with their education.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is not only an award-winning organization devoted to making a difference locally and globally, it is also a club that enjoys coming together for life-long learning. Normally, we meet weekly over lunch on Thursdays at the SaddleBrooke One Clubhouse. Currently, we meet weekly on Zoom where we ZOOM at NOON each Thursday from our homes. Plus, we enjoy getting together for social events and service projects. We have fun making a difference.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is open to anyone who is living or working in SaddleBrooke Ranch, SaddleBrooke, Oracle, Catalina, Oro Valley, and all surrounding communities. If this sounds like something of interest to you, come join us for lunch on Thursday, at 11:30 a.m., when we resume meeting at SaddleBrooke One Clubhouse, and meet our friendly members. We are currently holding our meetings on Zoom and you are welcome to join one of our Zoom meetings. For more information, contact Wendy Guyton at 520-404-5712 or [email protected].