Colonel Pete Cossette, son of our own Margie Cossette and son-in-law to Candie and Todd Halberg, was our speaker last week.  Colonel Cossette is an instructor and evaluator on the Air Force F-35 Fighter, based at Luke Air Force Base.  He provided us with some very interesting information about the capabilities of the F-35, contrasting it with earlier fighters, and talked about how training missions are conducted from Luke to either the Goldwater Range (south of Interstate 8 to Mexico and roughly east of SR 85 and west to Yuma.  He also mentioned Military Training Routes centered on Bagdad, Arizona. 

 

Col. Cosssette said that when pilots arrive at Luke for training, they already know how to fly high performance aircraft, but the Luke phase of the training is to teach them war fighting. The Goldwater Range is a key asset which allows them to flight at supersonic speeds and safely deploy live ammunition.  The Colonel also gave us an overview of the Luke Days celebration this weekend at Luke AFB including a variety of static displays and an airshow headlined by the Air Force Thunderbirds.  Col. Cossette and his family live in Verrado.  Another terrific program at the Rotary Club of Verrado.   Thank you, Colonel Cossette for being with us today and for your service to our country.

 

  

 

                                                                                    

 

 

Your Rotary club is holding an event on April 6, 2024, the goal of which is to raise money to support the good work of the Buckeye Foodbank, All Faith Community Services.  

 

Date:  April 6, 2024, 5:30pm

 

Type of Event:  Farm-to-table dinner, featuring a gourmet meal provided by Chef Kevin and Heritage Street Cooks

 

Where:  W T Gladden Family Event Center, 6113 South Dean Road (Dean is parallel to and west of Verrado Road. Access from Lower Buckeye or Yuma and go south). Here is a link to a short video which shows an aerial view of this fantastic site. 

 

To benefit: All Faith Community Services will receive 80% to 90% of net proceeds.  The balance will support Verrado Rotary charities.

 

How members can be PEOPLE OF ACTION.  The club's board and the organizers of the event are asking that all members consider participating by either purchasing two tickets for themselves or by selling at least two tickets to other parties.  We expect to have 150 people in attendance.  The organizing committee is also asking that you volunteer to assist with the event before, during or after the event.  Volunteers are asked to provide 1 or more hours, as appropriate.  

 

What tools are available to me?  All event registrations, confirmations and tickets are sold on line.  Here is a link to the event website. Gathering Buckeye Website.   Following is a QR code which takes you to the same site if you are using a mobile device.  If people are unable or prefer to avoid on-line registration or payment, Doug Bredow is happy to accept their registration on the phone or in person and accept their check in payment.  Doug also has business cards with the QR code you can hand out to others.  

 

 

Please consider registering yourself today!  The early bird registration discount ends March 15.

 

 

 

 

Volunteers are needed to help support the club's signature fundraising event to be held on April 6, 2024, at 5:30 PM. We are seeking volunteers to assist with the execution of this event.  Whether you plan to buy a ticket to the dinner or not, we can use your volunteer skills as many hands make for lighter work.

Set up the day of the event. 

During the event.

 

After the event

Salary and benefits:  Commensurate with other roles in a Rotary Club. (in other words, your compensation is knowing you helped make a difference)

 

If you can assist please sign up with Doug Bredow, Mike Hosking or Trish Hosking.  

 

Please do what you can. It will take all of us to make this event a success.