Our first speaker was Col Frank Milstead, Director of the Arizona Department of Public Safety, who told us about his history with the department. The group was surprised to learn that Frank’s father, Colonel Ralph Milstead, served as Director of DPS during the 1980’s.
It was interesting to hear about the wide range of functions and services in Arizona. Most people only think about State Troopers and the Highway Patrol … but there are scores of other activities in the department too numerous to outline here. During our Q&A, Frank generated lots of interest in describing the effort being made to reduce or eliminate the Wrong Way Driver problem we have on our highways.
Our second speaker was Princess Jennifer Lee. Her organization, Operation Heart to Heart, provides healthcare through medical missions in Africa. They are also joining hands with other organizations to focus on helping, through vocational training, the survivors of the insidious evil called forced Slavery, Sex, and Human & Organ trafficking. Princess calls it "From Adversity To prosperity"
.jpg)
Yanick Hicks is a certified motivational speaker and trainer. His topic at our meeting was "Becoming a Rotarian of Influence". It touched on a few methods to become more successful as a leader. He spoke about a simple way of developing leadership influence -- asking oneself three questions at the end of each day: 1. What did I do right ... 2. What did I do wrong ... and 3. What can I do differently. By answering those three questions everyday a person will have a positive impact on achieving their goals.
Our Club had the opportunity on September 11th to visit the Apache Junction High School campus. Club members wanted to learn as much as we could about the upcoming bond and capital override election slated for November. Club members appreciated Apache Junction Unified School District giving us the opportunity to tour parts of their campus and learn more about the issues that are a part of this upcoming election. We encourage residents to attend one of the scheduled public forums or campus tours.During our tour, it was easily apparent that the high school is in much need of many repairs and updates in order to provide an environment that would be both safe and conducive for learning.
Notably we learned from facility maintenance staff of the need to replace outdated HVAC systems. Many of these units were installed 15 to 20 years ago and have been repaired numerous times. Age of current equipment is presently costly for taxpayers, due to excessive maintenance costs and higher electricity bills, and is not doing an adequate job of creating a productive learning environment. Many plumbing fixtures need to be replaced, including drinking fountains, sinks, showers in locker rooms and bathroom facilities. The interior and exterior of buildings needs paint. Also observed is the need for new flooring, desks, tables and chairs. Security issues need to be updated. So many things in the facility seem to be suffering from deferred maintenance.
Our members are supportive of youth in our community. Funds are needed to handle the needs of the Apache Junction Unified School District. Voting yes on the capital override and bond elections will work toward providing funds to bring about a safer and better environment for the education of our young people.
.jpg)
Our members learned about an unusual business model when Becky Huffman spoke to us at our meeting. Becky’s Charity Car Sales LLC is a family owned and operated used car dealership and mechanic shop.
She and her partner, Kevin Schweitzer, are committed to being more than just a used car dealership and mechanic shop. For every car they sell a donation is made to a local charity. Becky shared several stories of how they got personally involved in generously helping people obtain or repair their critically needed vehicle. Their lives and the mission of their business are above and beyond just running a small business … Impressive! Becky and Kevin are residents of Apache Junction and are attempting to relocate their business closer to home. They will be reaching out to AJ’s Business and Development Department for assistance in finding a suitable location.