July 2023 Rotarians of the Month
RCSL Club President Victoria Flatley presents Rotarian of the Month plaque to Dr. Fred Crist and Alan Kurth.
Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director
Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) has named Alan Kurth and Dr. Fred Crist the club’s July 2023 Rotarians of the Month. Each month a RCSL member is recognized and honored as the Rotarian of the Month because of his/her involvement in club projects, committee work, or other outstanding efforts within the club and/or community.
RCSL Rotarians since 2017, Sun Lakes residents Alan and Fred have been key players in the delivery of the Sun Lakes Splash newspaper each month to nearly 16,000 homes and businesses in the East Valley. Monthly, the duo delivers newspapers to homes along their Sun Lakes community route. They are also the “go-to” guys to step in when other volunteers are unable to do their routes. Both Alan and Fred are Rotary Club Minot, N.D., past club presidents.
For more information about RCSL programs and membership, see www.sunlakesrotary.com.
August Rotarian of the Month
Bill McCoach with his Rotarian of the Month plaque
Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director
Rotary Club of Sun Lakes named Sun Lakes resident Bill McCoach Rotarian of the Month. Bill McCoach, who serves as RCSL Sergeant at Arms and member since 2014, is the “go-to” person to manage many RCSL activities—speakers, greeters, 50/50 raffle, Happy/Sad moments, Four-Way Test competition, Splash deliveries, RI Exchange Student support, and more.
Bill is a multiple Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow. As a past RCSL club president, he has served on the Sun Lakes Rotary Foundation 2000 Board. Bill was a retired CFO prior to relocating to Sun Lakes and was a Rotary Club president in Ohio and a Rotary assistant governor for three years.
Congratulations to Bill for this recognition. The club is proud to have him as a member.
For more information about Rotary Club of Sun Lakes projects and membership, see www.sunlakesrotary.com.
Rotary Club Keeps Dictionary Project Tradition Going
Excited children with their dictionaries with RCSL/Sun Lakes resident, Rotarian Bonnie Whiting
Gary Whiting, RCSL Rotarian, and Dr. Honora Norton, RCSL Public Image Director
In the Summer of 2002, Rotary Club of Sun Lakes (RCSL) Rotarian Dwight Grotewold visited the Rotary Club of Logan, Utah, and learned about their elementary school project called A Dictionary for 3rd Graders. As a former K-12 teacher and retired vice president of admissions for the University of Colorado, in 2003 Dwight introduced this project to RCSL’s board and members. The RCSL 3rd Grade Dictionary Project fundraising was started, and in its first year, more than 5,000 dictionaries were gifted to 3rd graders in the Chandler Unified School District, Gila Indian Schools, private schools, and Title 9 programs.
RCSL Rotarians ready the dictionaries for delivery then personally contact each school to set up a day of distribution that would allow the Rotarians to gift each student with their “own” dictionary, with classroom teacher involvement.
RCSL Rotarians and others believe that this project helps students become better spellers, readers, thinkers, and speakers. Teachers have consistently been the number-one supporters. They use the dictionary for class projects and take-home assignments. A Student’s Dictionary & Gazetteer is more than just words and definitions. It contains sections on world geography, civics, multiplication tables, science, the water cycle, planets, the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and presidents and even has illustrations for sign language and braille. And when the students see the longest word in the English language, which contains 1,909 letters, the fun starts. As a part of the presentation, Rotarians ask the teacher and students to write us a short letter on how they like their dictionary after a couple months of use.
As RCSL begins its 20th Dictionary Project year, the members remember the great past experiences this project has provided students, local communities, 135 Arizona Rotary clubs, and Rotarians, along with friends of Rotary. Examples are as follows:
• In 2007 then State of Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano was so enthusiastic about this Rotary project that she personally participated in a school presentation.
• In 2010 Dwight Grotewold and then RI District 5510 past District Governor/RCSL Rotarian/Sun Lakes resident PDG Gary Whiting obtained additional funding to provide 70,000 dictionaries across Arizona.
RCSL Rotarians celebrate 20 years of dictionary service and thank RCSL/Sun Lakes resident Rotarian Roger Edmonds for keeping this club educational tradition going.
For more information about RCSL, see www.sunlakesrotary.com.