If you are looking for ways to boost your mental health, make meaningful relationships, and get more connected in your community, this may be your nudge to start volunteering. Although we’re wrapping up April (National Volunteer Month), there is no shortage of local volunteer opportunities to keep you engaged year-round. No matter your age, background, professional and life experience there are dozens of organizations right here in Marana looking for volunteers just like you!
The Rotary Club of Marana is an excellent place to start.
If you’re new to Rotary, here are the cliff notes. For more than one hundred years, this international organization has been achieving its mission: “We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.”
Their motto, “service above self,” guides the work they do locally and globally. Arizona’s Rotary roots run deep; the first Rotary Club in Arizona started more than a century ago! Arizona is made up of 115 Rotary clubs, with more than 3,000 Rotarians serving towns and cities of all sizes. The Rotary Clubs in Arizona fall into two districts: District 5495 and District 5500. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs officially proclaimed April 15 – 21 as Arizona Rotary Week of Service.
We caught up with Andrea De La Cruz, President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Marana to learn more about their local impact. De La Cruz started her Rotary journey in November 2022. Initially, she joined the group to further engage the Town of Marana in service to local nonprofits. De La Cruz is the Assistant to the Town Manager and is always looking for ways for the Town to support its community.
When De La Cruz arrived at her first Rotary meeting (7 a.m. on a Tuesday morning), she hadn’t imagined how this organization would change her life.
“One of my favorite things (about Rotary) is meeting other like-minded people who want to make an impact in the world. This sounds cliched, but every Rotarian has a big heart and wants to make an impact through our various service projects. Even if it’s not your club – here in Tucson, you have opportunities to participate in other states and parts of the world,” said De La Cruz.
This is no exaggeration! On May 23, 2024, De La Cruz will fly to Singapore to represent Marana at the Rotary Club’s International Conference. The conference provides a space for Rotarians to learn from each other and celebrate the impact each club is having in its corner of the world.
During Arizona’s Rotary Week, De La Cruz and 14 other members of Marana’s Rotary Club volunteered at the Marana Food Bank and Community Resource Center. Together, they rolled up their sleeves and spent half a day sorting and distributing food. Together, they performed 35 hours of service and served 175 individuals.
De La Cruz says the experience was so profoundly meaningful for her group; they will start volunteering there every month.
In addition to this latest service project, the Rotary Club of Marana has dedicated time and resources to other causes that include but are not limited to:
- Building a play and exploratory area for children with special needs
- Creating a peace garden at Marana Crossroads District Park
- Supplying air filtration systems for classrooms in MUSD
- Providing backpacks for underserved youth
- Wreaths Across America (placing wreaths on veterans’ graves)
- Funding ShelterBox relief efforts in Ukraine
- Hosting a public seminar on human trafficking
- Handbags for Hope (supporting survivors of domestic violence)
Are you interested in learning more?
Visit the Rotary Club of Marana’s website for more information.