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.

Club 8/6 ZOOM Meeting & Recent Activities

Club ZOOM Meeting on 8/6: “Start with Why”.
Our club viewed a video of the most popular TED talk of all time, "Start with Why," by Simon Sinek. Simon has been a speaker at several Rotary events and is a sought-after motivational speaker and the author of several best-selling books. If you wish to view it again or would like to pass it on to someone else, it may be viewed using this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOC4xcCxnzg

RECENT CLUB ACTIVITIES:

Rotary Foundation District Grant Approved: Our club’s Rotary Foundation District grant was approved to fund materials for a Refuge Employment program at Imago Dei Middle School, to sew 10,000 COVID-19 masks for sale to the community. Imago Dei Middle School, is a small, independent, tuition-free private school in downtown Tucson offering grades 5-8 for children from low-income families. The school provides small class sizes, individual attention, and an extended school day, week and year. The school’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty thru education and to strengthen families. This project will assist with skill training and employment for the school’s refugee parents, during the current pandemic. And the project is a part of a larger relationship between our club and the school.

TRVFA Scholarship Sponsored: Our club sponsored a $2,000 scholarship through TRVFA for Karla Villalobos, whose 20 month course of study at Pima Medical Institute will prepare her to become first a Veterinary Assistant and then a Veterinary Technician. Karla is a single mother with two young daughters, returning to school to fulfil her lifelong dream of working with and helping animals. Karla graduated from HS in 2007, has an Associates’ degree in General Studies from Cochise College, and has been working as a bookkeeper for more than 10 years at a small local design/construction firm. Karla was interviewed for this scholarship award on 8/4 by Joe Hentges, Teree Bergman, and Fred Novick.

Other Club Business/Highlights from 8/6 ZOOM Meeting:

Jennifer E. Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, has been nominated to become Rotary International’s president for 2022-23, a selection that will make her the first women to hold that office in the organization’s 115-year history.
Our club will sponsor 20 COVID-19 masks for our club’s Interact Students.
An initial discussion was held about a “Peace Pole” project for a park in Marana.
The Paul Harris Society was introduced to all club members, when a $1000 gift is donated annually.

Club Zoom Meeting on 7/30: Speakers from Sol Dog Lodge & Training Center

Our 7/30 ZOOM meeting speakers were Shelley Harris, Director Community Outreach & Marketing and Valerie Pullara, Executive Director of the Sol Dog Lodge & Training Center located in Tucson.

Sol Dog Lodge is a non-profit organization offering a broad array of services for dogs including boarding, training, daycare, therapy/service dog training, respite care for dogs due to a family emergency, and legacy planning for dogs after their owner passes.

They shared plans of breaking ground by year end 2020 on a large new state-of-the-art dog center in Marana on Tangerine Road (2 miles East of I-10) and also opening a new dog training space on Thornydale Road near Linda Vista Blvd.

In addition to their roles at Sol Dog Lodge, Shelly and Valerie have been long-time board members of the Arizona Greyhound Rescue that has facilitated the adoption of more than 2800 greyhounds. AGR was recently renamed Arizona Heartfelt Hounds. They spoke about the current prospects for greyhound adoption in the US.

Valerie mentioned that she has previously been a Rotarian, and Sol Dog Lodge would be open to a collaborative hands-on project with our club in the future when they have additional space. Our club of animal and dog lovers greatly enjoyed the program & speakers, which was arranged by Aleta.

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.

Social Distancing at Club Social

Our club held its’ first “socially distanced” club social event on July 9^th, attending an outdoor live music event at the Gaslight Music Hall. The Gaslight has established an outdoor stage, a “socially distanced” parking lot arrangement, and food/refreshment delivery for event attendees. The event included live country western music by the “Backroads Country Band” and excellent pizza. All attendees enjoyed the fellowship and we were pleased to have a special guest attending, Rotary District 5500 Governor Diane Ventura-Goodyear.

Staying in Touch with Bee Hive

Dove Mountain Rotarians Stay in Touch with Bee Hive

Dove Mountain Rotary's signature service project is adopting Bee Hive care center. Club members had a Valentine's Day party for the residents. Shortly after, visits to the home were prohibited because of cover 19, so the club members decided to send notes and cards to the residents. Honorary Member Brigitte Hentges decided to make an Easter card for each resident.

Dove Mountain Service Projects

Veterans Service Project

In March, just before the shutdown, Dove Mountain Rotarians and friends of the club served meals to homeless veterans. The meals were part of an event called Veterans Stand Down, sponsored by Veterans Serving Veterans. There were fewer participants this year than last, probably because of the emerging concern about Covid 19. Nonetheless, the volunteers found it to be a rewarding experience and were pleased to have this opportunity to serve.

Habitat for Humanity

DM Rotarians Volunteer at Habitat

A group of Dove Mountain Rotarians and family members donned hard hats and volunteered at Habitat for Humanity June 8. They worked on landscaping, roof trusses, and general construction.

Audiology Project

Audiology Project Brings Gift of Hearing

Dove Mountain Rotary wrapped up its District Grant project in April. With $6000 in club charitable fund money and another $6000 from The Rotary Foundation through the District 5500 grant program, we accomplished the following:

provided training for 3 audiology technicians
purchased and audiometer
tested 200 people for hearing loss
dispensed 170 hearing aids
adjusted 20 hearing aids
provided more than 500 batteries

At its June 6 meeting, the club members heard from audiologist Bob Jensen, who has been spearheading an audiology clinic in Guaymas, Sonora, for more than 25 years. He thanked Dove Mountain Rotarians for providing an element he had long dreamed of: sustainability. The need for hearing screenings and follow-up assistance for those with hearing aids exists throughout the coastal and rural areas of Sonora, technicians trained in this grant have planned mini-clinics every other month (on average) in local schools and nursing homes, rotating among the towns of Guaymas, Etchojoa, Navojoa, and Alamos.