President, Allan opened the meeting with Darl Andersen offering the invocation, followed by John Bethea leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith set an energetic tone for the meeting when he led those present in a Rotary version of "If You're Happy and You Know it."Among the guests present were Spencer Jones from Utah, Warren's wife, Son Hee, Gary Johnson, AG from Tempe, Salman Mubarak, and his wife from Multan, Pakistan.
John Bethea won the attendance drawing. Ron Thompson won the weekly raffle, but did not draw the Ace of Clubs, so the $511 pot will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained the Buck Board for the benefit of the guests, and Greg Okonowski served as Sgt. at Arms collecting happy bucks. Jim McGown paid happy/sad bucks for enjoying a great meal at Durant's where the meal for four cost $400. Pam Cohen made a $62 donation to our sponsorship program to celebrate her birthday and announce a job change even though she announced she is now old enough to retire. Chuck Flint paid happy bucks for a successful Havasu Falls trip with the inbound Youth Exchange students. Bob Zarling matched the $81 collected in the Polio Plus Bucket for a total of $162 to support the cause.
Announcements:
- Donations and pledges the sponsorship program has now raised $23,500. President Allen reminded members that even though the steak and beans competition will end October 31, and final donations and pledges are now due, the sponsorship program is ongoing. Many donors have indicated a willingness to renew their gift each year and donations will be gladly accepted anytime.
- Don Boucher announced the need for six to eight volunteers to help with the Guaymas Departure Breakfast. Donations for the school supplies for the Guaymas school total $324.00.
- Don LaBarge reminded members that we are partnered with Mesa Sunrise for November 11. He needs a team of six to sven to meet by 7:30 AM to put flags out and again at 2:00 PM to put the flags back in the trailer.
- Members were reminded of the United Sound Book Assembly Party to be held Friday, October 27 at the home of Julie Duty.
- John Eagleston presented a District Achievement Patch to be placed on our banner.
- John Pennypacker reminded members of the Foundation Dinner coming up on Saturday, November 4.
The Speaker, Salman Mubarak, is from the Multan Midtown Rotary Club in Pakistan. He is the CEO of a charity hospital. He has extensive Rotary experience, and has enjoyed meeting Rotarians and being part of making lifelong change possible. His home club is a small club with only fifteen members. They have participated in 2 matching grants with clubs in the United States and one with France. They have participated in a global grant to provide solar power electricity for the hospital. Multan is one of the oldest cities in Pakistan with a population of over 3,000,000.
They focus on ophthalmology, providing cataract surgeries and screening for congenital diseases. They pre-screen for diabetes and glaucoma. Some of their projects have been featured in the Rotarian Magazine. A polio awareness project involved survivors playing cricket form wheelchairs.
When asked about news reported and its influence on perceptions, he stated that Rotarians can bridge gaps caused by negative news.
The average income in Pakistan is $2/day putting enormous pressure on charity hospitals. His hospital is funded from families and businesses, but not supported by the government. He announced that Pakistan had three reported cases of polio so far this year.
(John Pennypacker was not sure he heard correctly, so did some checking following the meeting and found more current figures - 5 reported cases in Pakistan and 7 in Afghanistan this year)
There are very large hurdles being created from the war on terror. Thousands of schools have been destroyed. His wife is an ob/gyn physician. Access to health care is poor. A big hurdle for education for girls is the lack of toilets at available schools. Clean water and sanitation is a big problem as is malnutrition. Rotary can help.
Following the program, President Allan asked the members whether or not to hold a meeting on November 9, since several members will be absent and participating in the Guaymas mission. Those in attendance who will not be on the mission enthusiastically said they wanted to meet. Jim McGown will be the speaker.