Fascinating array of Sun Lakes Rotary speakers

Norm Noble

On Tuesday, July 5, Bruce Bro will talk about his climb to Mt. Everest Base Camp. Bro who is a retired entrepreneur and avid hiker has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, Mt. Whitney, and 15 Colorado mountains over 14,000 feet. He will discuss his time in Nepal and at Mt. Everest which will be very timely given the recent deaths of climbers on Mt. Everest.

Bro recently completed the Grand Canyon rim-to-rim in one day. On this epic Grand Canyon hike, he left from the North Kaibab Trail on the north rim which challenged his personal limits as he descended 14 miles and 6,000 feet to the bottom of the canyon before connecting with the Bright Angel Trail and climbing 4,500 feet and 9.6 miles back out again to the south rim.

On Tuesday, July 12, Jan Terhune, Executive Director of Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, will be the speaker. Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank, a charity supported by Sun Lakes Rotary Club, helps people find new strength. The opportunities they offer give hope to many, provide solutions to overwhelming problems and create powerful results. They provide assistance for individuals and families in need in the East Valley. Each month they feed more than 3,500 people. Most of their clients are working families who are employed full-time or part-time, and yet still are in need of supplemental food. Matthew’s Crossing also serves people between jobs, those on fixed incomes, seniors, people with disabilities and homeless clients.

Matthew’s Crossing is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

On Tuesday, July 26, Evan Medley from the Salt River Project will present the history of SRP in the Salt River Valley. Medley is a Ph.D. candidate in Public History at Arizona State University. His research focuses on public histories of the American West, especially monuments, memorials, and sites that interpret histories of conflict. His dissertation examines the shifting nature of place-making and public history at Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico since the National Park Service’s acquisition of the site in the 1950s. Evan has worked on museum exhibit projects with NPS and completed an internship at Te Papa Tongarewa, the National Museum of New Zealand. He currently works as an intern in the Research Archives division of Salt River Project (SRP), the nation’s second-largest public utility and one of the first reclamation projects in the West. Evan’s past academic training includes degrees in American Studies from the University of Wyoming and in English from Wake Forest University.

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes meets for breakfast every Tuesday morning at 6:30 a.m. in the Oakwood Country Club Ballroom. The meetings start at 7:00 a.m. and end promptly at 8:00 a.m. Cost of breakfast is $12. To make reservations for any meeting, contact Rotarian Don Prestin at 480-802-0439. For Sun Lakes residents, if you want to know more, contact Charles Loew at 602-721-3680. SunBird residents should contact Walt Mills at 480- 883-8007.