April 25, 2016 - Dena Brinkman told us how she came to run the Marathon in Greece. She was born in Greece but as a young child she came to live with relatives in South Dakota. She left there to come to a warmer climate several years ago but didn't begin to run until she was 62. She ran in the Phoenix and Boston Marathons before running the Greek Marathon last November. She came in 7th out of 25 in her age range. Dena also gave us a brief history of the marathon from its early beginnings to the present day. Her personal goal is to "beat women with wrinkles". She also shared with us some of the life lessons she learned while becoming a successful marathon runner.

 

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April 18, 2016 - Today Dawn Hocking, Director of Development for The Centers for Habilitation (TCH) gave us an overview and a  tour of the TCH facilities.  Their mission is: Finding creative and innovative ways to provide hope and purpose for individuals with disabilities. TCH began in 1967 and today has 13 group homes in the Phoenix area and has about 700 clients per year. They are a non-profit contractor with the state which provides 60% of their funding. The balance of their funding comes from revenue generated by their document destruction division (ASDD) and various custodial contracts with nearby military bases.. We were all very impressed with the facilities and the organization. They are a stellar community resource.

 

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 April 13, 2016 - Kyrene Rotary members Ken, Harry, Doug, Tom, and Bill served lunch to homeless men and women at Phoenix Rescue Mission and cleaned up the serving area after.  Thanks Bill for arranging this annual service project.  Phoenix Rescue Mission provides 3 meals a day, 7 days a week, overnight shelter and many other services to homeless people.

We all enjoyed lunch and fellowship afterwards.

 

  April 11, 2016 - Kris Walters, Community Relations Coordinator for the Clothes Cabin  gave us an overview of the organization and some of its history. The basic mission is to provide free clothing to those who can't afford it. The organization began in 2001 just focusing on socks but expanded into a clothing bank in 2008. They also provide storage lockers and an address for the homeless.  In addition they have a back-to-work program. They have partnered with a few Title1 schools and have opened a resale store to help raise funds.  They serve over 6000 individuals and rely on the services of about 72 volunteers per month. Check out this organization here.

 

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