March 2025, Clubs & Classes

Rotary Club – March 2025

Left to right: RCSL President Peter Meade presents Rotarian of the Month plaque to Dick Meyer.

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Names Dick Meyer Rotarian of the Month

Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) named Dick Meyer the February 2025 Rotarian of the Month. Dick, a Gilbert resident, has been a Rotarian since 1988 and RCSL member since 2021. He has served as club president at his former Rotary Club of Kearney, Neb. Dick, a Rotary International (RI) Paul Harris Fellow, has been active at the RI District level on Youth Exchange and Charity and Community Services Committees.

Over the past years, as a member of the club’s Golf Committee, Dick has set up and maintained the technology (Givsum) used for RCSL’s annual golf tournament and other club projects. He is an energetic supporter of many of RCSL’s projects and fundraisers.

For info about RCSL, see www.sunlakesrotary.com.

Left to right: RCSL Rotarian Gary Whiting, Elder Robert Stone, School Principal Kim Franklin, and RCSL Club President Peter Meade welcome RCSL visitors to Casa Blanca Community School.

Rotary Club Supports Casa Blanca Community School

Dr. Honora Norton and Gary Whiting

Since 2003, the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) Arizona has provided more than 83,000 student dictionaries to Chandler Unified School District third graders. This school year, RCSL gifted dictionaries to the Casa Blanca Community and St. Peter Indian Mission Schools located in Bapchule, Ariz., on the nearby Gila River Indian Community.

Students entertained the RCSL visitors with their drumming and basket dancing.

Casa Blanca Community School Principal Kim Franklin invited the RCSL’s 80-plus members to visit the school on Jan. 28 for the opportunity to learn about the school and its students. Principal Franklin, along with Elder Robert Stone, provided an outstanding on-site luncheon, presentation, and tour in which members and their guests experienced an environment in which students can become lifelong learners and reinforce the ideals of their culture and community.

The RCSL group toured Casa Blanca’s pre-K to fifth grade school. The school has integrated both the indigenous community’s culture and language into each building and the school curriculum. RCSL gifted 15 age-appropriate books to the school’s library. The club plans to complete several service projects at the school.

The Sun Lakes Rotary Club will celebrate its 39th birthday in April of this year. RCSL is known for programs and projects that support reading, student education, vocational education, higher education, scholarships, and teacher recognition. If you have a passion for education, visit RCSL’s website at www.sunlakesrotary.com to learn about its projects and upcoming meetings. Guests are always welcome.

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Honors CUSD Teachers

Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Chair

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) presented its December 2024 Teacher of the Month Award to Sarah Aitken, CUSD Perry High School math teacher, and its January 2025 Teacher of the Month Award to Tyler Chase, CUSD Casteel High School math teacher/baseball coach.

According to Gary Kay, RCSL’s education chair, the award selection is based on a teacher’s total years of service in the field of education; examples of how the teacher goes above the normal requirements and enhances student education; the respect shown for the teacher by his/her peers, students, and parents; and the teacher’s involvement in extracurricular activities and service in the community. A $700 check is awarded to the honored teacher: $500 from Earnhardt Auto Centers and $200 from TrustBank.

For more info about RCSL, see www.sunlakesrotary.com.