Welcome to the Dove Mountain Rotary Club!

Service Above Self

We meet In Person

Thursdays at 5:15 PM

Highlands Clubhouse

4949 Heritage Club Blvd
Marana, AZ 85658
United States of America

We meet In Person or Online (check the Clubs calendar on this website for details).

District Site

Venue Map

Teree Bergman

Welcome to the Dove Mountain Rotary Club! We are people of action who are committed to making our community and our world better places. If you would like to visit our club or join in one of our activities, email:

Teree Bergman.

Sept 10 Speaker Joyce Sanford - Southern Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue

Joyce Sanford, President of the Southern Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue and author of two books, spoke to us about their organization, operation, accomplishments, and fundraising activities.

The Southern Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue, established in 2011 exclusively for Golden Retriever rescue & servicing Southern Arizona from South of Casa Grande to the Mexico border, has placed 400 dogs for adoption since starting operation. Their “foster based” and not-for-profit operation is comprised of 100 percent volunteers and takes in dogs regardless of their prior situation and age. Their network of dedicated volunteers check local shelters daily, respond to requests to take in dogs, work on items such as medical, vaccination, and behavioral issues as needed, sometimes foster dogs prior to adoption, effectively match dogs to adopting homes, and fully support owners after adoption. They also meet-and-greet at Pets Mart, operate a book club about dogs, and conduct educational events like snake training.

Their fundraising events have included an event at the Oro Valley Community Center in March, an annual Golden Retriever calendar for sale, a 30 day Barnes & Noble fundraiser wrapping Christmas presents, and an annual picnic at Reid Park in November. They have had to be creative & sometimes operate virtually during the pandemic with their fundraising.

Club President Teree Bergman has been a long-time volunteer & foster parent at the Southern Arizona Golden Retriever Rescue and has been a loving, caring owner of several Golden Retrievers. Our Rotary club, full of dog lovers, found Joyce’s talk very enjoyable and informative & greatly appreciate the work being done by this group of volunteers.

Guests: Our Sept 10 ZOOM club meeting welcomed one guest, Mary Pat Straw who is Teree Bergman’s neighbor and a fellow dog lover.

Sept 7 Imago Dei Middle School Visit

Dove Mountain Rotarians visited Imago Dei Middle School on Sept 7^th to present school officials with a check to cover the cost of materials for sewing 10,000 masks for the THREAD (Together for Hope, Resiliency, Empowerment And Development) project. The donated funds are from the Dove Mountain Rotary Charitable Fund and a matching grant from District 5500. The club members who attended, President Teree Bergman, President-Elect Fred Novick, and Service Projects Chair Ralph Harding, got a guided tour of the school from Cameron Taylor, Head of the School, and Renee Downing, Development Officer. The Rotarians also met Susan Gamble, who devised and supervises the THREAD project, Kitt Bret Harte, and some of the THREAD project participants picking up materials for sewing masks.

Our tour of the three-story school in downtown Tucson, included the Grade 5-8 classrooms, science lab, library, Graduate & Family Resource Center, Family Pantry, and an outdoor Aquaponics system & garden.

The school leaders and THREAD project participants were enthusiastic about the THREAD project and were especially grateful for the funding provided. The THREAD project is a part of a larger relationship between our club and the school. When the students return to campus, there will be opportunities for club members to mentor students.

Click here to see additional photos of this school visit.

Sept 3 Speaker Cameron Taylor - Imago Dei Middle School & THREAD Project

Cameron Taylor, Head of the Imago Dei Middle School, spoke to our club about the school, the community it serves, its’ operation & special services provided, and about the THREAD project.
      In operation for 14 years, Imago Dei is a private, tuition free G5-8 downtown Tucson middle school serving low-income families exclusively. Most students enter classes well behind with their families struggling, and an average family size of 5 with family income of $17k or less. A 5^th grade student may enter the school with math skills at the kindergarten level or below. The school’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty thru education and to strengthen families, changing the students’ whole life trajectory.
      The schools operation includes 10 hour school days & classes on Saturdays, year-round study, and 20 student class sizes with 2 teachers per classroom. Supplementary services are also provided for the students & families including student meals, a family pantry, programming & workshops, GED studies, tax preparation, & student support after graduation. Imago Dei has an impressive track record, having graduated 183 students - more than 97 percent of the students enrolled, with many continuing their education beyond the secondary level.
      The THREAD project supported by our club-sponsored district grant & charitable fund is helping to sustain 23 severely under-employed and economically disadvantaged parents. By providing materials for sewing 10,000 masks, skill training and employment has been enabled during the pandemic. To date, two participants have landed positions with local garment makers. So far, more than 17,836 masks have been sewn with a payout of over $62,426. The THREAD project is a part of a larger relationship between our club and the school.

Foundation Moment: Joe Hentges highlighted the Durango Daybreak Rotary Club’s “Navajo Solar Lights” project, lighting homes of Navajo Nation families & elders who are “off the grid”.

Guests: Our Sept 3 ZOOM club meeting welcomed one guest, Mandy McKaskie, from the travel industry.

Aug 27 Speaker Wade Nomura "Rotary Now and Then, History of Rotary"

Wade Nomura is a Community leader, Mayor of Carpineria, CA, a successful businessman, a National champion BMX racer, a model humanitarian and an active Rotarian. He is a recipient of the Rotary International “Service Above Self” award and the Rotary Foundation’s “Citation for Meritorious Service” award. Wade has spoken to more than 200,000 people across 15 countries about Rotary. His TV program “Rotary Serving Our Community” may be viewed on: www.WeAreRotary.TV.

Wade shared a comprehensive 55 minute presentation with our club and guests involving the history, organization, guiding principles, and interesting facts about Rotary International. This information was well received by veterans and new Rotarians alike. Wade gave our club a homework assignment: Prepare a short ‘elevator speech’ that when asked “What is Rotary?” will attract new members into the Rotary organization.
A special thanks to Joe Hentges from the entire club and guests, for arranging this excellent speaker and interesting presentation.

Guests: The guests attending our Aug 27 ZOOM club meeting this week included District Governor Diane Ventura-Goodyear, Past District Governor Michael Drake of the Tucson Sunset Rotary Club, and Judy Lindsey of the Valle Verde Rotary Club.

Interesting Highlights from Wade Nomura’s “Rotary Now & Then, History of Rotary”:

Rotary Internationals headquarters is in Evanston, IL.
First Rotary club was founded by Paul Harris and 3 friends: Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram Shorey, in Chicago on Feb 23, 1905.
First Rotary clubs included Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, & St. Louis.
First International club was Winnipeg in 1912, then Rotary quickly grew across 6 continents.
The Rotary symbol started as a simple ‘wagon wheel’ and was then refined 3 times with the current logo being adopted in 2013.
The “Service above Self” motto was adopted in 1989.
Rotary International has 35,000 clubs worldwide w/ 1.2 MM Rotarians.
Rotarian club members are part of clubs, each club is assigned to one of 530+ districts, and districts comprise zones.
Our club is in district 5500 and in zone 26. District 5500 has ~50 clubs and ~1400 Rotarians.
Only ~150 Rotarians total have ever been awarded the “Service above Self” award and ~50 Rotarians per year are awarded the “Distinguished Service” award.
World contributions by Rotarians include: Boy Scouts, United Nations, UNESCO, Easter Seals, polio eradication.
Famous Rotarians include: Woodrow Wilson, John F. Kennedy, Warren Harding, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong.
First women in Rotary from a Supreme Court decision on May 4, 1987 – Sylvia Whitlock, RC of Duarte.
Rotaries Guiding Principles include: Object of Rotary, Four Way Test, Rotarian Code of Conduct, & Declaration of Rotarians in Business & Professions.
Avenues of Service include: Club Service, Community Service, International Service, Vocational Service, & Youth Service.
The Rotary Classification system is based on each members’ profession, not position.
Characteristics of an effective club: active & informed members, strong ethics & professionalism, genuine fellowship, numerous successful service projects.
Rotary Foundation started in 1917, a non-profit corporation, supports clubs through grants, has 7 specific areas of focus that any grant application must fit into.
The District 5500 Charitable Foundation is a separate entity from the Rotary Foundation.
Practical Relevant Leadership Skills (PRLS) began in 1993 to provide a set of training sessions for current & future Rotary leaders and to improve club efficiency.

Dove Mountain Club Inducts Two New Members, Welcomes Former Members

At our August 20th ZOOM meeting, our club inducted two new club members:

Prudy Abeln: has a long track record in Rotary at Parker, CO and Taos, NM. Has been a former Club President, past Assistant District Governor and past Lt. Governor, International Service Chair, with service in Youth Exchange, & as a Host Family. Prudy and husband John recently moved from Taos to Marana.

David Eisenberg: a Psychotherapist by profession, recently moved to the Del Webb community in Dove Mountain. A former Interact Club member, David has long been interested in Rotary, but the time commitments of his profession made club membership challenging. David’s areas of interest include poverty, child development, law enforcement, mental health.

Our club enthusiastically welcomed its two newest members, and we look forward to many years of service above self and fellowship with them.

The club also welcomed back into membership Charter Members Carol and Emmett Smelser. Dove Mountain Rotary is delighted to have them back.

Aug 20 Speaker Joe Daniszewski - District Peace Pole Chair

Joe Daniszewski is a motivational speaker, relationship coach, executive Scout leader, Tucson Rotary club member, and the Rotary District 5500 Peace Committee Chairperson.
Joe shared some background information about the worldwide Peace Pole project, originated in Japan by Masahisa Goi to spread a message of peace worldwide. This action was in wake of the destruction by World War II and the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He outlined how “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is such a powerful message, and informed us that many of the 18 district clubs have launched one or multiple peace poles. He spoke about the opportunity to become a “Peace Builder” Rotary club by planning a year of projects that promote peace. He also shared the key role that Rotary International had in founding the United Nations. Joe suggested a memorial launch ceremony for each peace pole involving the host Rotary club, other service clubs, community leaders, and students. He informed us of the District Peace conference cancelled last April 4^th due to the pandemic, but which would be rescheduled next Spring, and may be a ZOOM event and having excellent speakers already lined up.

Guests: Our club welcomed a guest Dana Reynolds, who owns a resume preparation business and has been a long-time resident and business owner in Northwest Tucson.

Peace Pole for Local Park

Our club board & Rotary foundation board approved a service project to purchase & install a “Peace Pole” at a local park.

“Peace Poles” are internationally recognized symbols that send messages for peace, in our world full of conflict. There are more than 250,000 Peace Poles in every country of the world, dedicated as monuments for peace.

In addition to funds from the club’s Rotary Foundation, our club would like to thank club members Joe Hentges, Mary Ann Tatum, Teree Bergman, and Jeff Penfil for their monetary contributions in support of this project.

DESCRIPTION:

8 foot tall “peace pole”, 4 sides, white finish.
“May Peace Prevail on Earth”.
Languages: English, Spanish, Tohono O'odham Nation language, Mandarin, Hebrew.
(Tohono O'odham language was selected in reference to the original native inhabitants of the Sonoran Desert area).
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tohono_Oʼodham
Location: Tangerine Sky Park.

Club's 2019-20 President Recognized

Club's 2019-20 President Recognized

At its July 16 meeting, Dove Mountain Rotarians recognized immediate past president, Jeff Penfil for his outstanding leadership during a difficult time. During the meeting held via Zoom, each member recognized at least one of Jeff’s contributions to the club. He led our small club to keep it vibrant and accomplish significant results, in spite of the obstacles presented by the current Covid-19 pandemic. Through his leadership, positive energy, and can-do approach, Jeff has been a source of stability & inspiration for our club throughout the year. His leadership and dedication to the Club is evident in the successful completion of these accomplishments:

Dove Mountain Rotary Club 2019-20 Rotary Year Accomplishments

Club retreat, strategic planning at Tubac
Beer sales at Marana community events
Dove Mountain community garage sale at The Highlands
Pancake breakfast at Applebee’s
Participated in a benefit concert for homeless Marana students
Habitat for Humanity volunteer day
Adopted Bee Hive Home – Held Valentine’s Day party
Held a variety of social events
Built benches for the food pantry
Served meals 2 nights to homeless veterans through Veterans Serving Veterans
Volunteered at Feed My Starving Children
Sponsored 7 scholarships for the working poor through TRVFA
Awarded 2 academic scholarships to graduating seniors
Donated a Shelter Box
Received two grants from District 5500 and used the funds to provide needed food for shut-ins and low-income families
Reacted creatively to the pandemic
Earned the Rotary Citation

Rotarian of the Year

Fred Novick Named Rotarian of the Year for 2019-20

At its July 16 meeting, immediate Past President Jeff Penfil named Fred Novick as Rotarian of the Year for the 2019-20 Rotary year. He was honored for his service to the club and to the community. Since joining the club in 2018, Fred has chaired the club’s scholarship committee that selects graduating seniors at Mountain View and Marana High Schools for scholarships the club awards each year. He currently serves as president-elect and webmaster.

The presentation had to be virtual, as the club is not yet meeting physically. “Fred has been part of every service activity of our club,” Jeff said. Among those activities are building benches for the Marana Community Food Bank, packaging meals for Feed My Starving Children, and serving meals to homeless veterans as part of Veterans Serving Veterans. He also has volunteered to work at club fund raisers, the source of funds for service projects.
Fred and his wife, Mary Ann, live in Sky Ranch where he serves on the homeowners’ association board.