Register Now - Rotary Spring Training Game - March 20, 2026
Grab your Rotary friends and head to the ballpark for an unforgettable day of baseball, camaraderie, and pure fun!
Enjoy VIP access to the 1st Base Party Deck, where you’ll take in the game from prime seating with a festive, social atmosphere for D5495 Rotarians.
Your ticket includes:
Game admission in the exclusive 1st Base Party Deck
A delicious ballpark lunch
Soft drinks throughout the game
A lively Rotary-only experience filled with laughs, photos, and memories
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just there for the hot dogs and high-fives, this is the perfect blend of fellowship and fun. Wear your Rotary swag, bring your cheering voice, and let’s turn the stadium into a sea of Service Above Self!
It’s not just a game—it’s a grand slam day with Rotary.
Registration Link: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50335/Events/rotary-spring-training-baseball-game
District Conference May 2026 - Registration is Now Open!
District Conference May 2026
May 01, 2026 12:00 p.m. - May 02, 2026 10:00 p.m.
Great Scott! Join Rotarians from across District 5495 as we go Back to the Future for a weekend of service, inspiration, celebration, and an unforgettable Enchantment Under the Sea Prom.
Register today and be part of something special:
https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50335/Events/district-conference-may-2026
Great Scott! District 5495 Is Going Back to the Future!
Friday, May 1 – Saturday, May 2
Get ready to hit 88 MPH at the District 5495 Conference—a high-energy weekend of service, inspiration, celebration, and connection. Guided by Together We Thrive, and as Arizona looks ahead to America’s 250th, we’ll celebrate our people, our impact, and the future we’re building together.
Conference Highlights by Event
Friday Lunch | Celebrating the Clubs with Music, Service & Community
- Meet the Beatles — a fun, high-energy tribute to launch the conference
- Club Grammy-Style Awards celebrating outstanding clubs and members
- A perfect blend of celebration, recognition, and nostalgia to start the weekend
Friday Afternoon | Together We Serve
- Enjoy a RYLA experience or attend Council on Legislation
- 3:00 – 5:00 PM Roll up your sleeves for hands-on service projects with fellow Rotarians, community partners, and local nonprofits, proof that when we serve together, our impact grows
Friday Evening | Special Celebration Dinner with state and local officials & community leaders
- Recognizing Rotary’s community impact and the future we are creating together
- Featured keynote: Elizabeth Mahoney, PDG, a crowd favorite and highly sought-after speaker at district conferences and PETS across the zones, delivering inspiring insights on leadership, purpose, and Rotary’s impact
Saturday Breakfast | Youth & What’s Next
- A powerful spotlight on our amazing youth and the future of Rotary
- Inspiring stories from Interact, Rotaract, Youth Exchange, RYLA, and scholarship leaders
- A look at how Rotary is shaping the next generation as we approach America’s 250th
Next | Forward-thinking breakout sessions to spark ideas, strengthen leadership, and help our clubs thrive together
Saturday Lunch | Leadership & Resilience
- Featured speaker: Eric Swann, former Arizona Cardinals All-Pro Tackle, 1st-round NFL draft pick, and an extraordinary human being. Eric shares a compelling story of perseverance, leadership, and personal growth you won’t forget
Next | More Forward-thinking breakout sessions to spark ideas, strengthen leadership, and help our clubs thrive together
Saturday All Day | Back to the Future Fun
- A cast of characters from Back to the Future entertaining and engaging attendees
- Photo ops, surprises, and plenty of smiles along the way
Saturday Dinner | Rotary Back to the Future with Enchantment Under the Sea Prom
- Elegant evening of dinner, music, celebration, and recognition as we honor our achievements and look ahead
- Featured keynote: Wyn Spiller, Rotary International Director, Zones 26-27
Attire
- Conference Sessions: Business Casual
- Saturday Evening: Prom or Formal Wear (tuxedo not required)
As Doc Brown said:
“Where we’re going… we don’t need roads.”
Just service, connection, and a shared vision for the future.
Register now — Great Scott, you won’t want to miss it!
Together We Raise Celebration Dinner - Thursday April 30th - Separate Registration Link Attached
(Sheraton Room Block Reservation Link Attached)Read More
It Happened at Rotary...February 20, 2026
Phoenix Rotary Club 100 welcomed the Rotary Club of Scottsdale to its 5,441st club meeting at the Biltmore Embassy Suites Friday, February 20th. President Kathy Mitchell introduced Past President (PP) Roger Marce who was wearing his 2002 Olympics jacket, led the Pledge of Allegiance, and reminded everyone that the 2002 Olympics, following the tragedy of 9/11 sent the message that “w
e are Americans, and we are special”.
With a full house of members and visitors, President Kathy had all visitors introduce themselves. She introduced Club Secretary, Bernadette Hirsch, who reminded everyone of upcoming events including Families Giving Back on 2/28 at the Creighton Community Foundation from 9-11 AM; the “Take Flight” Esplanade Art Walk on 3/7 from 5-7 PM with live music and raffle; the “Take Flight” Old Town Art Walk in Scottsdale from 6-8
PM on 3/12; the 3rd annual “Take Flight reception and final bidding at the Shemer Art Center from noon to 3 PM on 3/29; the 95th annual speech contest at the AZ House of Representatives on 4/11; mock interviews with Hope Ignites on Thursday, 4/16 (we need volunteers); 4/24 Upper Division Speech Contest at the club meeting at the Salvation Army from noon to 1:30 PM and the Outstanding Youth Leader Awards on 5/1 at the Phoenix Country Club (no charge for lunch).She also encouraged members to attend District 5495 events including: the Club Leadership Academy on 3/7 at Paradise Valley Community College; Rotary day at the Park Cubs vs Reds @ Sloan Park; District 5495 district conference 5/1-5/2 at the Sheraton Mesa Hotel. As Bernadette said this Club is making a lot of things happen!
Board member Phil Geiger welcomed our newest member to the Club, Iryna Sukholovets, who said she is eager to
learn from club members and become part the good work Phoenix Rotary 100 is doing,
Parick Walsh, president of the Tempe South Rotary promoted his Club’s virtual auction fundraiser being held from 2/27 (7 PM) to 3/2 to 9 PM and they are also seeking donations and auction items. 100% of the proceeds will enable their club to perform service projects in their community. (www,RotaryVirtualAuction.com).
Board member, Clay Janson, introduced his guests and visitors from the 944th Fighter Wing Booster Club which is supporting today’s speaker Col. Scott Riddle. They are also sponsoring a Booster Club Golf Tournament on Friday, March 27th at the Falcon Dunes Golf Course with registration at 6:15 AM and shot gun start at 7:30 AM. A foursome is $1,500 but single spots can be obtained by calling Erin @ 518-225-0894. (https://fwboosterclub,org/golf-tournament-2026)
Clay Janson served as sgt-at-arms raising significant dollars for the Club. Scottsdale Rotary Club president thanked his members for attending and proceeded to donate $120 to Phoenix Rotary 100; Brooks Hilliard donated by announcing a meeting of both conservatives and liberals in Congressman Greg Stanton’s district on 3/14 and 3/28 to address immigration; Past District Governor (IL) Ron Broida donated $121 in honor of Rotary International’s 121st birthday and PP Jay Murphy followed suit; Board member, Ted Haynes, recognized the beginning of Family Promise 21 years ago and its founders Bob Withers and the late Rev Dr. Charles Emerson; Andrew Dillner was happy to announces his daughter’s cheerleading squad won their national championship; Iryna Sukholovets said she would be a sponsors at the “Red, White and Vogue” event at Mar-A-Lago to support veterans’ mental health programs; and Sarah Desmond who works in the Esplanade expressed gratitude for the
beautiful butterflies that are now on exhibit there.
PP Dan Capote and PP (NJ) Lisa Henning announced that this year there will be a $50 charge to ALL members for the “Take Flight" fundraiser. Members can buy $50 worth of raffle tickets, or they can pay a little more and attend the reception at the Shemer Center on March 29th.
Ted Haynes provided additional details regarding the 95th annual speech contest noting that the scholarship checks from Rotary 100 are sent directly to the colleges the winners attend which have included Yale, Harvard, West Point, Brown, Duke, BYU, U of Texas and 10% attending California colleges including Stanford and Berkely. Very impressive!
Alyssa Spitale, representing Chirstian Family Care, one of our grant recipients spoke about how our funding enabled foster children and potential adoptive parents to meet resulting in several adoptions taking place before they aged out of the program at 18 years old. Donations to CFC can be made until 4/15 for your 2025 state tax credit..png)
President Kathy showed a video of the Young Mother’s Sewing Group in Rwanda to which Rotary 100 donated 10 sewing machines to make this project a success. She reminded everyone that applications for our 2026 grant awards are due on February 28th and are open now. Every application needs a Club sponsor to be considered.
One of our likely future presidents, Clay Janson, introduced today’s distinguished speaker, Colonel Todd Riddle, commander of the 944th fighter wing at Luke air Force Base. He said that Luke AFB is the global training alliance for training on F-35s, a modern day jet with 44,000 pounds of thrust. Col. Riddle explained that the Air Force Reserves are stationed at Luke with 25% on active duty and 75% part time retraining a regular civilian job while still able to spend one day a month or more training jet fighter pilots, Currently 140 Luke airmen are stationed in Qatar. Overall there are 1,300 airmen stationed at Luke and Col Riddle also oversees bases in Florida, New Mexico, and North Carolina. Luke trains 37% of all F-35 fighter pilots worldwide
To view more pictures, please click here
Rotarizonian Report By: Dr. Philip Geiger
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