As we enter a new year with a new president, Heather Hermen, inducted in a cheerleader induced gathering at Big Park School -- Go Rotary!President Jennette Bill came dressed as the Home Coming Queen, with her king, Bill, left.
We take a few moments to look back on the whirlwind that was the 2020/21 Rotary year. Jennette got the year started by organizing committees and inspiring them to "take action." And action was taken. The club did not let a little thing like a world-wide pandemic slow us down.
The Community Services Committee, headed by Heather Hermen, undertook to transform the Big Park School Ball Field into a Community Garden. By the end of the year a number of raised beds had been built, fruit trees had been planted and produce from the Club bed was being harvested for the Sedona Food Bank. If that was not enough, the committee promoted, staged and sponsored a blood drive for area residents; participated in the Red Rock Crossing cleanup; participated in the Sedona area Rotary Week of Service with a trash pick-up; adopted two families for Christmas; and cleaned up the overgrown Big Park School area. In early spring they took on a fund-raising project for the VA Hospital long-term residents in Prescott.
The Fundraising Committee held two fundraisers: the 100 Holes of Golf event to raise funds for both the club Charitable Fund and Northern Arizona Special Olympics and a grocery grab at Clark's Market in the Village. There was also a Garden Basket Raffle to benefit the Community Garden.
The Youth Services Committee carried on support of the Sedona High School Interact Club online. Interact members participated in two Community Garden workdays. Created the Youth Salnte Program for senior students from 5 area high schools who will compete for 4 spots attending a leadership conference in St. Louis in the fall of 2021. Four area students attended the virtual RYLA. Chair, Holly Johnson, participated in zone and district youth conferences. And nine summer camp enrichment scholarships totaling $3100 were awarded to area students.
We were not quiet about all of this. The PR Committee churned out press releases until you could hardly pick up a Sedona or Village paper without reading about the club. The website was updated regularly, the club bulletin came out after every meeting and there were regular Facebook posts. Sedona Wish List was used to garner garden tools and a refrigerator for the meeting room.
Under the leadership of Mark von Hoetzendorff the Membership Committee did the seemingly impossible and brought in 14 new members during a pandemic! The year ended with 40 members. The committee works on both membership development and retention. A Passport Program for new members was instituted to help new members learn about Rotary and get involved. The "friends of RCSV list was grown to 123 friends.
