Jim Patmos, shown on the right in this photograph is an Advisor to the Board of Directors of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona. He is the middle of five generations of his family who have been members of Rotary Clubs in their communities. He is currently a member of the Chandler-Horizon Rotary Club, and has been a Rotarian for 54 years. His Father, who was a busy general practitioner who worked seven days a week still found time to give back to his community through Rotary and other civic organizations. His mother's father was also a Rotarian. Jim can remember Rotary always being a part of his family's life, and remembers visiting his dad's and grandfather's clubs with them as a young man. Jim's son, Brent (middle in the photo) is a Rotarian who has recently accepted a business position in another state and will be transferring his membership from Chandler Horizon to a Rotary club in his new location. Brent is the father of Bryce (on the left), who will become a Rotarian - it's only a matter of time. Jim has one granddaughter who is a Rotarian, having joined Rotary at age 27.
Why is Rotary such an important part of their lives? They want their family to leave a positive mark on the world. They feel they can do it best through Rotary. Rotary has five Avenues of Service:
- Club Service
- Community Service
- International Service
- Vocational Service
- Youth Service
The Rotary Foundation (the charitable arm of Rotary International) has seven areas of focus:
- Promoting peace
- Fighting disease
- Providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene
- Saving mothers and children
- Supporting education
- Growing local economies
- Protecting the environment
These are all areas the family cares about and where they know their family can have more impact through Rotary's combined efforts. TRVFA grants specifically help all the areas highlighted in aqua, and because the majority of our grants are for health-care vocations and many are to single mothers, we also have an impact on the areas highlighted in yellow.
The Patmos family has a meeting once a year - this year it was virtual - to talk about how they want to make a difference. They know, without a doubt, that they can have a bigger impact through Rotary, The Rotary Foundation, and - in Arizona - The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona. It is a known expectation in the Patmos family that, around age 30, future generations will be looking for a Rotary club to become a part of .
This Rotary year, which started July 1, TRVFA has already received donations from Jim, Brent, and Bryce. With Jim's involvement with TRVFA which goes back to the mid 90's. He has seen many grant recipients be enabled to have a better life because of TRVFA grants. Jim says with the Arizona Tax Credit, you have the opportunity to help someone make their life much better without it costing you anything in the long run (you either send the State a smaller amount or get a larger refund). He wonders why anyone would not do that.
Jim had a bit of advice to share with our alumni. No matter how much or how little you make, make it a priority to save something so you can live well in your retirement years and so you can be generous and make a difference. He also hopes you will accept the Patmos' family challenge to become Rotarians so you can be part of a worldwide network of individuals seeking to effect positive change in the world.
We only received photos of two of the seven students whose TRVFA grants were funded in February. 
TRVFA has already funded 95 vocational education grants this year totaling $168,128.50. That is what a typical year's funding has looked like in the past couple of years. There are four months left in 2020-21, and our pipeline of grants in process is not slowing down. Because TRVFA grants are awarded only to those who meet specific low-income guidelines, your donations help individuals lift themselves out of poverty and help grow the economy of our state.
The answer is that I got a lot of help along the way. That's not to say that I didn't work hard and struggle, I certainly did. However, along the way various people, often strangers, looked at me and said, "I'm going to take a chance on you and I am going to invest in your future." One of those people was a boss who made me a manager before I was old enough to really know what I was doing. One of those people was a family member who believed in the idea I had for starting a business. There are countless people who contributed to my success and I am grateful.
TRVFA Board Member Diane Ventura-Goodyear is also serving as District Governor of Rotary District 5500 from July 2020 through June 2021. In her role as District Governor, Diane has become very aware that there is a lack of knowledge about The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona as well as some incorrect information that many she comes in contact with believe to be true.
Rotarians attending the District 5495 Conference June 22, 2019 had an opportunity to hear from vocational education grant recipients telling about the profound difference their TRVFA support has made in their lives. CLICK HERE or on the image to watch a video of their presentation.
The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona was recently recognized for our transparency with a 2019 Gold Seal on our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile! GuideStar is the world’s largest source of information on nonprofit organizations. More than 8 million visitors per year and a network of 200+ partners use GuideStar data to grow support for nonprofits. In order to get the 2019 Gold Seal, TRVFA shared important information with the public using our profile on www.guidestar.org. Now our community members and potential donors can find in-depth information about our goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress. We’re shining a spotlight on the difference we help make in the world. CLICK HERE or on the image to check out our GuideStar Nonprofit Profile.
