Events

4 Pm to 6 Pm - Plan to have a wonderful evening meeting to kickoff the New Rotary Year with fellowship and a great meal.

Dental Services for Special Needs

What it’s like to be dropped into an alien world that has no instructions, clear regulations or operating manuals that tell you how this alien world works and what your place in it is!!! If you haven’t embraced Amor Fati, you may have a tough row to hoe.

Chandler Library/Historical Society

An update on the Mesa Gateway Airport and future plans

Panera Bread is providing the Rotary Club of Sun Lakes the opportunity to raise some funds for our club and enjoy delicious food at the same time. On July 30 from 4-8 pm, Panera on Arizona Ave will donate 30% of proceeds to our club.  All we have to do is bring our friends and family to Panera and show them the attached flyer.  You MUST show the flyer for us to receive the 30% for our club.   Please share the flyer with anyone and everyone!  The only requirement is net sales must be at least $150.  

Thank you Panera Bread and to all that attend.  Remember, you must show the flyer at Panera Bread when you place your order.

Lana Berry is a graduate of Colorado State University and a CPA. She has served as the Assistant Superintendent for Business Services, and now Chief Financial Officer, of the Chandler Unified School District (CUSD) since July 2013. Prior to CUSD, she worked in the Page Unified School District for 13 years. While in Page, Lana served 11 years as the District Business Manager and two years as a high school teacher and boys’ basketball coach.

Lana enjoys volunteering for her church, her children’s sports teams, and in local Political Action Committees, as well as both Chandler Education Foundation and Queen Creek Education Foundation. Her husband, Queen Creek Unified School District Superintendent Dr. Perry Berry, and Lana have four amazing children.  All four kids keep them busy and happy, as they travel around the country for all their sporting activities.

Marlene Ramirez is a Casino Players Club Marketing Manager with 15+ years in Marketing and Guest Service for Gila River Resorts & Casino Enterprise.  She is very passionate about helping the casino business grow to include informing people of all, and new exciting happenings.

Natasha Davis is an Arizona transplant from New Jersey where she was a Special Education Teacher and School Social Worker in an out-of-district placement serving students that experience social, emotional, mental health, and educational challenges. For the last few years within CUSD she served as the District Social Worker and Prevention Coordinator before becoming the Director of Counseling and Social Services.

Natasha completed her Bachelor's Degree in Human Development from Virginia Tech and her Master's in Social Work from Boston University. Natasha has also completed her second Master's in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. It is her hope to continue to destigmatize mental illness, raise awareness and spark conversations about wellness. 

At the start of her career, Bridget Doherty worked for the City of Phoenix Police Department, where she collaborated with detectives from multiple bureaus to assist crime victims in navigating the often cold criminal justice system. During this time, she was selected as the Mothers Against Drunk Driving Advocate of the Year and became a co-recipient of the Office of the Attorney General Distinguished Service Award.

Bridget continued her passion for serving the community during her 12 years with Dignity Healthcare. As a community educator for St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center, she built community programs and partnerships to promote health and safety within the City of Phoenix and surrounding suburbs. and surrounding suburbs. and surrounding suburbs. Moving on from her role within the hospital foundation system, Bridget transitioned to a community non-profit. She served as the Sr. Director of Development for Make-A-Wish Arizona, Chapter. Over six years, she worked to raise funds for over 4,000 wishes to come true for critically ill children.

Bridget is now with the Arizona Burn Foundation as the Chief Development Officer. She has been with the organization for a little over a year and is working to tell stories of triumph of  the Arizona Burn Foundation through the eyes of our survivors and their families along with growing the awareness of the Arizona Burn Foundation by connecting with people in the community, corporations in the community, and groups with the state that can help further our mission by volunteering, donating, and spreading our mission in their circles of influence.  

 Ken Sain grew up in Phoenix, attending Washington High School and just about every community college at the time. He hung around Arizona State University long enough until they got sick of him and finally gave him a Bachelor of Arts degree in history. Most of his journalism career has been in sports, starting as a part-time reporter for the Arizona Republic, before leaving the state to travel the country. He went from Southern California to Alaska to Northern California to Ohio/Kentucky to Texas to Washington, DC to Baltimore. Finally, after 27 years in Arizona, then 27 years around the country, he moved back to Arizona for his last chapters to be close to his family. In his 30-plus years in journalism he has been laid off five times, had to choose other journalists who would lose their jobs, and watched as some of the brightest and best people left the profession. He is now the managing editor of the Chandler Arizonan and Santan Sun News, covering Chandler for Times Media Group.

Brainstorming our club membership story from a start of 15 members in 1986 to 140 members in 2000 and our present membership in 2025..  Please share your ideas and suggestions.

How the Foundation is organizated, supports projects, and how you can provide support.

Off-site Club Meeting.  See below.

Janet Hartkopf serves as the Emerging Technologies Coordinator for Chandler Unified School District in Arizona, where she leads the development and implementation of innovative educational programs. She specializes in bridging the gap between K–12 education, industry, and post-secondary institutions to create forward-looking career pathways for students. In July 2025, she helped launch the district’s first Career and Technical Education (CTE) semiconductor program at Hamilton High School, in collaboration with the University of Arizona. Janet is a member of WiCyS Phoenix and InfraGard, contributing to regional and national conversations around cybersecurity and workforce development. Her work has earned recognition including the 2022 Passport to Cybersecurity award from TeachCyber and the 2023 ACTE Region V Innovative CTE Program Award. She is currently completing a master’s degree in cyber operations at the University of Arizona, with expected graduation in April 2026.

 At Hamilton High School (3700 S Arizona Avenue, Chandler AZ 85248). Enter at the main entrance doors facing Arizona Avenue..

Continental breakfast will be served - Panera bagels and cream cheese, fruit, juices, coffee and water.

This will be held at Hamilton High School in the lunch room.  Be prepared to take the boxed dictionaries for your assigned elementary school with you to your home.  Additionally, if you are picking up dictionaries for another Rotarian that was not able to attend, please don't forget tp tale them with you.  Let Roger know who is doing what. 

We started this 3rd grade dictionary project in 2003 and each school year we provide around 4,000 to the Chandler Unified School District Elementary Schools and last year we we included 2 schools on the Gila River Indian Community and this year we will provide for 4 schools.

Mathews Crossing Food Bank is located in Chandler and provides food service to the greater Chandler community for those in need.  The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes first started supporting Mathews Crossing in Rotary year 2011 & 2012 by making a donation of $100 each club meeting in the name of the club meeting speakers as a way to express our THANK YOU for their time and effort to speak to our club members.  Additionally, some of the RCSL members volunteered there and as a result, it was found that they badly needed a referigater/freezer.  Based on this need, a fund raiser was started and withe the use of a D5510 Grant one was purched for $4,254 and donated for their use in 2011.

Rotary Club of Sun Lakes Membership Chair, Ann Diamond and the Membership Committee will present our membership program and  YTD results.  With all the projects and programs going this Rotary year, we need more membership to support this effort.

The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) is a non-profit organization under IRS Code 501(c)(3) whose purpose is to assist those people who qualify under Arizona law to obtain financial assistance to further their vocational studies. TRVFA is an organization that meets Arizona’s Credit For Contributions To A Qualifying Charitable Organization requirements. 

Candidates who meet the eligibility requirements are identified and recommended to TRVFA by financial aid counselors in vocational education institutions. and/or Rotarians and their clubs.

Between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024, The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona funded 164 grants totaling $311,346.43

The TRVFA website: https://www.trvfa.org/ 

The conference now in its 25th year, is the ideal way for your club to get involved in a Roary Foundation Global Grant.  Open to all Rotary clubs and districts, you'll have the chance to experience fellowship at the finest with clubs from Mexico and Arizona, plus we will work on getting global grants funded in this unique project-focused event.

This year's friendship conference will be held in yuma, Arizona.

Additional information, registration, cost and accomodations will be released at a later date.

Clubs that wish to present Rotary Globla Grant project proposals please send a brief project description and draft busget toyour respective Disrict Rotary Foundation Chair and cc PDG Kevin Pitts.

Program Highlights:

Thursday, October 30, 2025 -- Welcome Reception

Friday, October 31 -- Project Presentations and Halloween Party

Saturday, November 1 -- Project Presentations and Downtown Yuma Experience

Sunday, November 2 -- Project Funding Results and Closing Ceremony

Questions can be directed to: kpitts@stratoswp.com  

The Rotary Club of Sun Lakes proudly marks its 39th year of honoring the memory and service of the men and women who have served, and are currently serving, in all branches of the United States Military. This longstanding tradition is especially meaningful to our club, as many of our own members are veterans. Each year, the club’s meeting in November, coinciding with Veterans Day, is recognized as a particularly special occasion, dedicated to showing appreciation for their sacrifices and contributions.