Duane Hartzler
We welcomed Chris Justesen, Director of Resurrection’s Child Development Center as a guest speaker for our Dec. 7 monthly men’s breakfast. Breakfast Committee Chair Al Toensing opened the breakfast and Ken Shepard gave the invocation. The scrumptious breakfast was prepared by Roseanne and Don Thurmond and Fran Venet.
Program Chair for the month, Gary Zellinger, introduced Chris Justesen, who delightfully spoke about preschool through kindergarten activities at our own child development center. Chris was born and raised near Hershey, PA and attended Penn State University studying elementary education. She is the founding director of the school, a full day/full year program, which she opened in September 1996, and it has been going strong under her leadership for the last 23 years. She currently serves as the Vice President on the Evangelical Lutheran Association’s Board of Directors.
Quoting Chris, “I believe that the first five years of life are the most crucial for human brain development. It is therefore important that we use that time to expose children to a wide variety of sights/sounds and experiences so that they form the neurological pathways that allow for future learning. It is messy and chaotic and sometimes exhausting, but it is my passion and my calling. I feel blessed to serve Resurrection and to be a part of the community!”
Her enthusiasm and passion for teaching the children, keeps the school current and relevant, in a changing community, in Oro Valley. She is happiest when surrounded by “her” kids and, of course, she considers all the kids who are or who have attended our Child Development Center to be her kids.
The Resurrection Church Men’s Breakfasts take place on the first Saturday of the month October through May. Meeting place is the Outreach Center at the main campus in Oro Valley. We’ll meet at 7:30 a.m. Guests are always welcome and meetings adjourn by 9 a.m.
The breakfasts are organized by a five-member steering committee, and four of the five members of that group, Duane Hartzler, Ron McNutt, Al Toensing, and Gary Zellinger, are residents of SaddleBrooke. Anyone interested in attending may contact any committee member as everyone is welcome.
Resurrection Church at SaddleBrooke holds its all-denominational Sunday worship services at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in the Vermilion Room at the SaddleBrooke One Clubhouse. All are welcome.