The Peoria North Rotary Club and members were recognized at the 2026 District 5495 Conference held May 1-2 in Mesa for their accomplishments and service to the community over the past year.

The club received the top “Impact” awards for service, and a top award for its support for The Rotary Foundation.

The club received the following awards from District Governor Jim Schmidt:

• The Greatest Hits in Service Award, awarded to the club with the most impactful and consistent service projects throughout the year. Peoria North recorded 48 service awards over the past 12 months, the most of any of the 60 clubs in the district.
• The Service Impact Award, honoring a single transformational project that created lasting change. The Peoria North Rotary Club was recognized for the Prom Closet, an annual event that provides formal wear to high school teens at no cost.
• The Foundation Champion Award, celebrating exceptional commitment to The Rotary Foundation. Peoria North recorded the highest per-capita contributions to The Rotary Foundation of any club in the district.
• The club also received a certificate recognizing its service projects and participation in Arizona 250 from Adrian Fontes, Arizona Secretary of State.

In addition, club member and Past District Governor Bret McKeand received the District Legacy Award, recognizing a lifetime of service, leadership and lasting Rotary Impact. Club member David Evans received an award recogning him as the district's Rotarian of the Month for May.

The Peoria North Rotary Club has awarded educational scholarships to four Northwest Valley graduating high school seniors. 

Each student received a $3,000 George and Willi Wheeler Scholarship during a recent club meeting. Two of the students are from the Peoria Unified School District and two are from the Deer Valley Unified School District.

The scholarship was created in 2023 and named after two long-time club members: George and Willi Wheeler. George was a founding member of the Peoria North Rotary Club and a former Arizona Rotary District Governor. He passed away in 2022.

This year’s recipients are:

• Seth Bucher, a student at Peoria High School who plans on attending Gordon College in Massachusetts.
• Isabella Shin, a student at Mountain Ridge High School who will be attending Princeton University.
• Kinley Sterne, a student at Deer Valley High School who will be attending Arizona State University.
• Brooklynn Valverde, a student at Centennial High School who will be attending Arizona State University.

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise. The scholarship recognizes high school students who demonstrate strong leadership skills that include opportunities to serve humanity.

The Rotary scholarship may be used for any school-related payments such as tuition, books, software and/or equipment at any accredited college, university, vocational school, or certificate program.

The Wheelers were strong supporters of education and instrumental in organizing a variety of club projects aimed at promoting literacy. The club recognizes Students of the Month at several Peoria high schools and has sponsored several book drives to benefit Peoria schools.

“All during their dedicated careers in Rotary, the Wheelers traveled to many countries to distribute schoolbooks, administer the polio vaccine, provide computers to schools and bringing goodwill to underprivileged children,” said Darlene Eger, president of the Peoria North Rotary Club.

“Their dedication to helping children is the reason the George and Willi Scholarship was founded. It is Rotary’s desire to help as many students as possible to achieve an education and eventually hoping to eliminate poverty throughout the world.”

The Peoria North Rotary Club was founded in 2005 and is a nonprofit community service organization. Members conduct service projects that benefit local food banks, veterans’ organizations and other local charities.

The club’s primary focus is serving youth in the community. In addition to the education scholarships, the club supports Peoria schools, hosts the annual Prom Closet, provides food to local school pantries and more.

The club meets 6 p.m. Wednesdays at Charly’s at the Lakes, 19260 N. Westbrook Parkway, Peoria. Visitors are always welcome.

The application can be found at www.peorianorthrotary.net.

Teens throughout the state will be able to attend their high school prom this spring without having to spend a single penny on purchasing needed attire thanks to the efforts of Arizona Rotarians.

For two weekends in March, The Prom Closet – a project spearheaded by the Peoria North Rotary Club -- will provide formal prom attire to boys and girls at absolutely no charge.

This year’s Prom Closet takes place 9 a.m.-2 p.m. March 14-15 and 21-22 at the GESD System of Care Campus, 7677 W. Bethany Home Road, Glendale.

All high school teens are invited. There are no financial requirements and no application to be completed. All items are available at absolutely no cost.

The Prom Closet has thousands of formal prom dresses to choose from, as well as shoes and accessories. In addition to women’s clothing and accessories, items available to men include suit coats, shirts, slacks, shoes and ties.

The club has been presenting the Prom Closet for 15 years. The event is supported by volunteer Rotarians from throughout Arizona. 

“It’s really grown into a community-wide project,” said Sharon Jarnagin, a member of Peoria North Rotary Club and chair of this year’s project.

“Not only do we have Rotarians from throughout the Valley, but we have many other residents who have joined on as volunteers – many of whom felt the impact of the program when their sons or daughters visited The Prom Closet in the past.” 

There are no reservations needed, however, there may be a short wait depending on the amount of people in attendance. Rotary volunteers accompany students individually through The Prom Closet to assist them with their selections.

Formal attire is only available to students. 

The event has steadily grown over the years as word continues to spread. Last year, over 600 students from 70 Arizona high schools were served.

“We had several students come from as far away as Winslow,” said Ms. Jarnagin.

Volunteers, too, are needed and welcome. Gina Schmitz, co-chair of the event, said volunteers are needed not only to help students select their formal attire, but to help with registration, set-up, steaming clothes and more.

“We have short, four-hour shifts and we’ll find a role for anyone who wants to help,” said Ms. Schmitz. 

Rotary is an international service club with members throughout the world. Eliminating polio is a major focus of the organization, but other areas of focus include improving literacy, providing sustainable fresh water and helping those in need.

“Rotary’s motto is ‘People of Action,’ and we think The Prom Closet lives up to that credo about as well as anything we can do,” said Darlene Eger, president of the Peoria North Rotary Club.

All items – from the dresses to sport coats to shoes – have been donated to the club over the years. 

Donations are currently accepted at several locations throughout the Valley. For more information and a complete list of drop-off sites, visit www.thepromcloset.com.