Tom and Gail Fraioli enjoy the first bench the club made from recycled soft plastics. This bench will be going to the new home of Senior Village.
Turning Trash Into a Treasure
Barbara Barr Bengen
Tom and Gail Fraioli are literally sitting on a heap of trash. Actually, that’s 1,000 pounds of recycled soft plastics turned into a beautiful bench. To date, Tom Fraioli has led Rotarians, pickleball players, and other community organizations to keep over a ton of soft plastics out of our waterways and landfills.
Think about it—Waste Management doesn’t collect soft plastics. So, what do you do with all those mailers, frozen food bags, air pouches, plastic bags, produce bags, bubble wrap, soft plastic packing material, soft plastic dog food bags, and grocery bags? Probably most of us put them in the trash. Maybe a few of us return plastic bags to the grocery store. However, all this trash can be turned into a treasure. One thousand pounds of soft plastics can be recycled into a beautiful bench.
You can take the soft plastics you collect to these locations:
SaddleBrooke:
• The pickleball courts
• The home of Bill Demeroutis, 62492 E. Ironwood Lane
SaddleBrooke Ranch:
• The pickleball courts
• The home of Tom Fraioli, 30808 S. Greenstone Drive
Soft Plastics that can be collected:
• Mailers (you can even leave the paper address label on the mailers)
• Frozen food packaging (rinse to clean off any food residue)
• Meat packaging (rinse to clean)
• Bubble wrap and air pouches
• Grocery bags
• Produce bags (rinse out any produces residue)
• Plastic dog food packaging (rinse out any food residue)
• Soft plastic packing materials (no foam)
• All those tiny packages used to pack screws, building supplies, etc.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is also looking for other organizations and individuals to help with this endeavor. Since each organization can only create one bench a year, we need organizations to sponsor a bench. We’ll do the work. We just need organizations to put the project in their name. We also need recipients of the benches and more drop-off locations. The first bench will be placed at the new home of Senior Village. Tom’s goal is to collect enough soft plastics to produce four benches a year.
Research shows that most people join Rotary to help make a difference in the world and to socialize. Volunteer work is so good for a person’s health. This is just one of our many service projects. We were recently recognized by the District Governor for being the club involved in the most service projects in District 5500 (Southern Arizona).
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is an award-winning club. We meet Thursdays at 11 a.m. for lunch at the Ranch House at SaddleBrooke Ranch. Next we meet in the ballroom, followed by an educational program or speaker. Rotary is open to those who live and work in SaddleBrooke, SaddleBrooke Ranch, and the surrounding communities. All are welcome! For more information, check out saddlebrookerotary.com or contact Diane Demeroutis at [email protected].
Bill Bengen provided two podcast training sessions with the American Institute of CPAs for the CPAs hunkered down for tax season.
A Richer Retirement, Lessons from a Financial Legend
Linda Drake
On Thursday, March 6, at 1 p.m. at the Ranch House ballroom of SaddleBrooke Ranch, join us for “A Richer Retirement, Lessons from a Financial Legend.” The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke is hosting an illuminating event on the latest research needed for your retirement planning. The “Father of the 4% Rule” and member of the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke will open your eyes to new possibilities from the latest research. Bill Bengen was the very first to examine and study safe retirement withdrawals.
Bengen is mentioned in almost every recent book about retirement planning. You’ll recognize his work as the “Father of the 4% Rule” if you’ve been studying retirement or financial planning. Not only is Bengen in the financial planning college textbooks and magazines, frequently in the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, and AARP publications, but also the subject of many articles. Just Google his name. Bill frequently speaks nationally and internationally at conferences and events for financial literacy, CPAs, and financial planning. If you’re into podcasts, you might have heard Bill’s folksy style on some of the top-ranked financial podcasts such as Paula Pant’s “Afford Anything,” “Catching Up to FI,” or on any of a number of podcasts in the United States and foreign countries. And now he’ll be speaking at SaddleBrooke Ranch!
Bengen’s latest book, A Richer Retirement, Supercharging the 4% Rule to Spend More and Enjoy More, will be coming out in August. However, attendees will get the inside scoop on the latest research on retirement well before the book comes out. His last book is based on over 30 years of research. There is even a case study on altering your retirement planning when you are well into your retirement years. The book is available for pre-order on Amazon, but it won’t be delivered until Aug. 5. So, you don’t want to miss this.
The Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke offers this complimentary program to residents of SaddleBrooke and SaddleBrooke Ranch. There will be limited seating in the Ranch House ballroom, located at 31143 S. Amenity Drive, SaddleBrooke Ranch, Oracle, AZ 85623. There is plenty of parking to the sides and back of the Ranch House building. To help us plan for enough seating, or for additional information, please contact us at [email protected] to let us know you are coming or get answers to your questions!