Bringing home the award for the Rotary Club of SaddleBrooke are (left to right) Bill Demeroutis (Environmental Services), Diane Demeroutis (Membership), John Oszust (2023-24 President), Monica Oszust (head cheerleader), and Kristi Halvorson (sworn in as District Foundation Chair); not pictured is Barbara Barr Bengen (sworn in as District Assistant Governor).
Barbara Barr Bengen
So, there you are at the annual installation of the new District Governor and awards for the 2023-24 Rotary year. You’ve been an award-winning club year after year. In past years, you’ve won awards for things like membership growth, membership retention, being a club that has the most fun, service projects, contributions to various Rotary programs, and a variety of other awards. Then there is the annual Presidential Citation you bring home year after year. As they begin announcing the awards for the 2023-24 year, you wonder how you will be recognized by the district this year.
Every time the District Governor says, “And the winner is …” your ears perk up. Then, finally, you learn that your club is recognized for Membership Engagement. It takes a team to keep Rotarians engaged.
Membership engagement begins with strong leadership, and 2023-24 President John Oszust was amazing. His meetings were fresh, fun, interactive, and meaningful. John’s sidekick Monica Oszust made wonderful contributions to our gatherings. Being a great leader, John also selected an incredible list of committee chairs, officers, and directors. John and his team made such a difference.
One of the most important jobs in any organization is supporting the club members. Club Services Chair Wanda Bailey worked tirelessly to make sure we have fascinating speakers, fun-filled social events, and opportunities to get to know each other. Wanda made sure our club responded to the needs and interests of our members.
Another key to membership engagement is a strong membership team. Headed by our new president Wendy Guyton and Diane Demeroutis, our membership team leads the district. Their recruitment, onboarding, mentoring, and support programs were so phenomenal that they trained the 51 Rotary Clubs in the Southern Arizona district.
Also, membership cannot stay engaged unless they are well informed. Webmaster and bulletin editor Joe Guyton made sure our members were in the know! It takes tremendous dedication to keep up the web pages and weekly bulletins.
Furthermore, membership engagement requires offering significant opportunities to make a difference. Chairs of our various committees made sure that we had plenty of service projects and events to help us make a positive contribution to our community and the world. The fabulous leaders of our service committees include the following:
Wanda Bailey: Club Services
John Howard: Community Service
Bill Demeroutis: Environmental Services
Dan Watson: Fore For Kids Charity Golf Tournament
Stephen Argentati: Interact and RLY Chair
Harvey Smith: International Service
Wendy Guyton and Diane Demeroutis: Membership
Doug May: Peace Chair
Wanda Bailey: Public Relations
Tom Turriff: Rotary Foundation
Bre Zientarski: Vocational Services
Roger Bailey: Youth Services
Lastly, it is the officers and directors who keep the machine running to support the committees and members who are making a difference.
Paul Herr: Director at Large
Gordon Wainwright: Immediate Past President
Wendy Guyton: President-Elect (President as of July 1, 2024)
Leslie Hawkins: SaddleBrooke Rotary Club Foundation President
Liese Razzeto: Secretary
Joe Guyton: Treasurer
Come join our fun on Thursdays at the Ranch! Contact Diane at [email protected]!