Tempe Downtown Rotary Centennial Anniversary
Stories
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One of our own - Jim Schmidt - District Governor Nominee Designate Message from DG Larry Horton the evening of December 6, 2022: Jim joined the Mesa Baseline Rotary Club at age 28 and immediately served as Treasurer for several years, chaired all the avenues of service on the Board, and then served as President in 1994-1995. When the club merged into Mesa West in 2015, he assisted in the integration of the Clubs and Foundations and went on to serve as Club president in 2019-2020. He is a graduate of Rotary Leadership Academy and Rotary Leadership Institute. He is passionate about Rotary’s vision and currently serves as Assistant Governor and on the district Finance and Strategic Planning Committees. Jim recently retired as a renowned tax adviser and business consultant for the public accounting firm of Schmidt Westergard & Company (now Forvis) where he led the firm as the managing partner for over 15 years. He was a respected leader of BKR International, an international association of more than 150 accounting firms in over 80 countries. He has served on the boards of various community organizations including PHX East Valley Partnership, Arizona Chamber of Commerce, Banner Health, and other professional and civic organizations. He also has extensive Church leadership experience. Jim and his wife Rosalyn have 8 children and 32 grandchildren. They enjoy traveling and meeting good people everywhere, having visited all 50 states and 49 countries and counting. Jim enjoys volleyball, golf, pickleball, hiking, snorkeling and any sport or activity his children or grandchildren are involved in. The following "Know your Fellow Rotarian" article was published in our Messenger about Jim in January, 2018 - nearly five years ago:  Our Club Treasurer, James A "Jim" Schmidt, was born in Great Falls, Montana. He was the first of seven children in his family. He has been an arizona resident for 34 years. Jim has traveled to 49 foreign countries, but is only fluent in English. He has travelled to all 50 states in the US, but has only lived in five. As a teen, Jim dreamed of becoming a doctor. Instead, he became a Certified Public Accountant - Tax and has served in that profession for 37 years. Jim has been married to Rosalyn for 40 years. They have eight children (six sons and two daughters. So far, they have twenty-two grandchildren, but have not yet had their first great-grandchild. Jim had a difficult time choosing a single best vacation as there are too many good ones in his memory. His favorite family vacations are cruises around the Hawaiian Islands and Alaska, and every summer in Coronado, California. His most romantic vacation memories were of leaf-changing trips to New England, France, England, Germany and Switzerland... he likes the "shoulder season" when the leaves turn in October. For historical vacations, he has enjoyed Rome, Florence and the rest of Italy. For relaxation, he remembers their first two-week cruise in the Carribean from the Bahamas to Trinidad. For outdoor adventure, he favors Machu Picchu, Peru and South Island of New Zealand. Jim's most rewarding volunteer experience was his service as a missionary for two years in Australia. Congratulations, Jim! We are proud of you!!!
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Help Child Crisis Arizona win Large Grant CLICK HERE to cast your vote for Child Crisis Arizona in the final round of voting. There is one vote per device per person during each round. They are now in the final round of voting which which will end September 18. If you first voted in any of the prior four rounds, you can vote again. In fact, you can vote a few more times. They are in the fifth and final round of voting, and you can vote using each of your devices once.  Mesa West Rotary has a long history of supporting Child Crisis Arizona. Your vote(s) will help propel them to do very well in this competition. The voting link was updated for each round. We have tried to keep the current link available to our members by updating this article. Just before the 2021-22 fiscal year ended, Mesa West Rotary Foundation sent a $2,000 donation to Child Crisis Arizona. CLICK HERE to read the letter of appreciation received from Child Crisis Arizona. You may want to have a tissue box handy... |
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Today's Chuckle |
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Meet our Honorary Member, Sharon Spane Sharon S. Spane Honorary Member of Mesa West Rotary My first knowledge of Rotary began in 1963 in Advance, Missouri. I served as waitress at the Rotary Meeting at the local Evelyn’s Restaurant. I continued serving the club weekly until my high school graduation in 1966. My next involvement was nearly twenty-two years later. While employed at a community-based Behavioral Health Provider, Kenneth Young Centers, a local State Representative, Terry Parke, invited me to attend a meeting at the Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates Rotary Club in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, District 6440. After I attended a few meetings as Rep. Parke’s guest, he submitted my application for membership September 23, 1988. I was inducted October 1, 1988.  In my early years as a club member, I served in a variety of capacities:
 Thus began my “Journey on the Rotary Road.” I had a record of perfect attendance my entire years in Rotary. Just being “only” a member for a couple years I was asked to serve as Director of Fellowship in 1991 – an avenue of service unique to that club. In the following years, I served as director of
I was the first woman in the Schaumburg Hoffman Estates Rotary Club to stay. I was a very active participant and helped organize the 25th Anniversary celebration of the club in 1994. The Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates club was in District 6440 – the home of Rotary International. The club was privileged to have four Rotary International Presidents attend our meetings. I had the privilege of meeting them and personally engaging with them. I became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1993. I recognized the need to eradicate polio. My older sister’s best friend was in an iron lung during high school. I was only three years old at the time, but could visualize how she looked. Later I would meet a member of the Sun Lakes Rotary club and my church who was affected by polio.  Not only was I actively engaged and involved in my own club, I attended and participated in nearly every district 6440 activity as well as conferences, chairing their district conference the 1993-94 Rotary year.The past Presidents voted unanimously for my being put in line to become Club President for 1999-2000. Following that decision, I then I served as
During my presidential year, the most difficult decision I had ever made was front and center. I needed to leave my current home, employment, close friendships, lifetime neighbors, church family and my Rotary family. My decision was made based on family, physical health, and the need for a drier climate with warmer temperatures. I told my board and past presidents about my planned move. The announcement was met with tears and disbelief of my decision. Near the end of my term as President, the club hosted a big celebration dinner with nearly all our club members and spouses in attendance. Surrounded by my board and all past presidents, I made the announcement of my move to Arizona.  After moving to Arizona, I first became a member of the Chandler-Ocotillo Rotary Club where I served as Club President in 2001-02. I met three more Rotary International Presidents after moving to Arizona. One of them was Past RI President Luis Giay from Argentina who had served in 1996-97. He and I remained in contact and friendship for years. My commitment to support The Rotary Foundation has continued over the years. In 2002, I became a member of the Bequest Society, Level 1 and a Benefactor, and am currently a Paul Harris Fellow Plus 4. I later transferred my membership to Chandler North Rotary Club where I served as Club Secretary in 2003-04, and Club President in 2006-07. I remained a member of Chandler North until 2014 when I transferred to the Rotary Club of Mesa West. In September 2019, I was invited to make presentation to the Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates - my original home club at their – at the 50th anniversary of the issuance of their club charter. They wanted me to talk about what it was like to be one of the first women in Rotary. It was fun to share wonderful memories with old friends. I felt deeply honored in June, 2020, when the Board of Directors of Mesa West Rotary Club unanimously voted to make me an honorary member.    |
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First 2020-21 Community Service Project Wednesday evening, July 29, Dan and Colleen Coons, Chuck Flint, Wendell Jones, John Pennypacker, Shelly Romine, Greg Okonowski, Jim Schmidt, Ray Smith, and Ron and Toni Thompson arrived at the Wells Fargo Branch located at 1860 East University in Mesa ready to go to work. Shelly's friend Sonya Aguilera and her friend also showed up to help.After a brief orientation, donning gloves and masks, the volunteers assembled in positions next to stacks of preboxed food items. They had fun in record-breaking heat placing the boxes into the trunks of cars for people in need. United Food Bank has been hosting these drive up food distribution events during COVID to keep exposure to a minimum for volunteers and food recipients. These thirteen volunteers each worked 2.5 hours - how much value do you place on a total of 32.5 hours of volunteer time invested in performing a labor of love? It's priceless!
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June is Rotary Fellowship Month Rotarians worldwide who have similar passions and interests can connect through Rotary Fellowships. The photo at right is one that was downloaded from the International Skiing Fellowship of Rotarians and was taken at a 2019 gathering in Telluride, Colorado. To see the variety of fellowships currently available, CLICK HERE. |
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Mesa West Supports a COVID 19 Need On April 7, the Mesa West Board Members received the following message from Robert LaBarge::First off, I hope that you are all doing okay and staying healthy! I am doing well despite being a little cooped up and missing my students. As you may know, the COVID-19 situation on the Navajo Nation is grim. Navajo county itself currently has the 12th highest per capita rate of the coronavirus in the nation. President Nez has issued advisories that all tribal members and nation residents limit travel and wear face masks in public. There are many crafty and otherwise bored teachers up here who have begun to hand-make cloth face masks for free distribution (both to tribal members and to the front-line workers at the Pinon Health Center). Unfortunately, we are running out of supplies. I am asking the board if they would be so generous as to approve a stipend for supplies. I think $500 would go a long way in helping us to reach every member of our larger community (Pinon Chapter). We already have an excellent distribution network in place for food and homework, as well as connections to the health center, so I can personally assure that every mask made will be put to good use. I've been in touch with Melodie, Pam, and my dad, who have agreed to help pick-up and ship the necessary materials. Melodie is already in possession of the list of what we need. But we are going to need our materials very quickly, as the Navajo Nation has issued a full lockdown starting Friday night. If we Melodie and Pam can get what we need by tomorrow, my dad can have it shipped so it arrives here Thursday, and I can have it distributed to the mask-makers that evening. Please consider helping us out. Thanks for everything you and Rotary does, and as always, I'm proud to be a member of Mesa West. Take care, Robert LaBarge With an e-mail vote of the Mesa West board, the project was recommended to be approved by the Mesa West Rotary Foundation. After being thanked for presenting this opportunity to serve a COVID-19-related need, Robert declined to take credit. Robert said he overheard some women talking about the project and offered to try to get help from Mesa West. He said that LeAndra Begay (shown in the photo) deserves the credit for making the project idea become a reality.
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Corona Virus Preventive MeasuresMesa West Rotary will temporarily cease holding their weekly in-person meetings until further notice beginning Thursday, March 19.
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February is Peace and Conflict Resolution Month Rotary wages peace through: |
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John Pennypacker's Answer to "Why Attend RLI?" "I am pretty sure most Mesa West Rotarians think they know full well the benefits of attendance at a Rotary Leadership Institute session. Many have attended and benefited from it."Personally, it was more the interchange of ideas with others that benefited me more than any of the information presented. But that is the best part of being in Rotary. "I would hope that at least a couple of members of our club will register and go to the February 8 Institute to be held at Grand Canyon University, and not just the NEW members. Very often it is the old crusty members who need this form of rejuvenation more than anyone." CLICK HERE for a link to more information about session content and a link to register.
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August is Membership and New Club Development Month August is Membership and New Club Development Month, and that’s the perfect time to celebrate you — the pillar of Rotary. You continue to show the world that Rotary members are people of action — people who are doing good in communities all over the world. For that, we thank you.
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The Seven Wonders (Gifts) of the World The following was shared by John T. Capps to John Pennypacker and on to the Messenger. John Capps' source was Jerry Criss/Mr. Positive in www.inspirationpeak.orgA class of seventh graders in the Chicago area were studying the seven wonders of the world and at the end of class were asked to list them. Some disagreement, but these received the most votes:
While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student, a quiet girl, had not turned in her paper. So, the teacher asked, "Are you having trouble with the list?" The quiet girl replied, "Yes, a little. I could not make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The student with her head lowered, paused, then read, "I think the Seven Wonders of the World are:" To Touch, To Taste, To See, To Hear," she hesitated and added... "To Feel, To Laugh, and To Love." The classroom was so quiet, you could hear the drop of a pin. Enjoy your gifts. Greatness is within us. Sometimes the simple things we take for granted are the most wonderful and we do not have to travel the world to experience or share them.
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Mesa West Changing of the Guard Celebration Rotarians and guests were welcomed to the home of Warren and Son Hee Williamson Saturday, June 29, 2019 for the annual Changing of the Guard celebration. To say the food was plentiful would be an understatement. Most people left with "to go" boxes that would be enjoyed for one or more additional delicious meals.Prior to getting started with the installation, Chuck Flint recognized Warren's generosity to The Rotary Foundation, presenting him with two new recognition pins - Paul Harris plus four and five. His recent win of the club raffle enabled the quick succession to the next level of giving. |
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Today's Chuckle |
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July – Start of New Rotary Officers’ Year of Service Each Year, on July 1, the leadership in Rotary changes. Mesa West Rotary Club has a new President - Jim Schmidt. He is the leader we, as members, will know best. He will be supported by Rosalyn, who has been by his side for over 42 years. David Simmer is now the District Governor for District 5495. He has been preparing for this role since he was selected as District Governor Nominee Designate in 2016-17. Johrita Solari is one of the first two women to serve on the Rotary Board of Directors. She represents the zone our District is a part of - Zone 26. Hers is the only two-year position of our new leaders. To ensure continuity, only half of the directors are new each year. Mark Daniel Maloney is our new Rotary International President. Our Past Presidents, Chris Krueger and Ed Koeneman both had the opportunity to hear his remarks at the recent Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama. New leadership each year keeps Rotary fresh and full of energy. The core values of our vision, the areas of focus of The Rotary Foundation, and our four-way-test keep Rotary dynamic, focused and ethically sound.
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ACT NOW - Only 4 Days Left We request that all Rotarians, if at all possible, contribute a minimum of $100 per year to the foundation. The clubs that have their entire membership contribute this amount, per member, are honored at the annual District Conference. When the Rotary Club of Mesa Baseline merged with us, they were all donating a minimum of $100 per year per member - something that those members should be proud of!Every Rotarian that makes a contribution from this newsletter will receive and additional 100 Matching Points towards their next Paul Harris Award; whether it is your first Paul Harris or an additional award. As an alternative, you may donate to Polio Plus and will still receive Paul Harris credit. Rotary WILL ELIMINATE polio world-wide. Please remember, that donations to the Rotary Foundation are tax deductible. Without donations, Rotary cannot do the fine work that we are known for. If you would like to know how many points you have, or how many you need to get to your first Paul Harris, or the next level, please contact Foundation Chair, CHUCK FLINT. Chuck will have the Club Recognition Summary at the meeting this coming Thursday, June 6.
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NO REGULAR MEETING THURSDAY JULY 4, 2019 |
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ACT NOW - Only 11 Days LeftWe request that all Rotarians, if at all possible, contribute a minimum of $100 per year to the foundation. The clubs that have their entire membership contribute this amount, per member, are honored at the annual District Conference. When the Rotary Club of Mesa Baseline merged with us, they were all donating a minimum of $100 per year per member - something that those members should be proud of!Every Rotarian that makes a contribution from this newsletter will receive and additional 100 Matching Points towards their next Paul Harris Award; whether it is your first Paul Harris or an additional award. As an alternative, you may donate to Polio Plus and will still receive Paul Harris credit. Rotary WILL ELIMINATE polio world-wide. Please remember, that donations to the Rotary Foundation are tax deductible. Without donations, Rotary cannot do the fine work that we are known for. If you would like to know how many points you have, or how many you need to get to your first Paul Harris, or the next level, please contact Foundation Chair, CHUCK FLINT. Chuck will have the Club Recognition Summary at the meeting this coming Thursday, June 6.
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ACT NOW - Only 18 Days LeftWe request that all Rotarians, if at all possible, contribute a minimum of $100 per year to the foundation. The clubs that have their entire membership contribute this amount, per member, are honored at the annual District Conference. When the Rotary Club of Mesa Baseline merged with us, they were all donating a minimum of $100 per year per member - something that those members should be proud of!Every Rotarian that makes a contribution from this newsletter will receive and additional 100 Matching Points towards their next Paul Harris Award; whether it is your first Paul Harris or an additional award. As an alternative, you may donate to Polio Plus and will still receive Paul Harris credit. Rotary WILL ELIMINATE polio world-wide. Please remember, that donations to the Rotary Foundation are tax deductible. Without donations, Rotary cannot do the fine work that we are known for. If you would like to know how many points you have, or how many you need to get to your first Paul Harris, or the next level, please contact Foundation Chair, CHUCK FLINT. Chuck will have the Club Recognition Summary at the meeting this coming Thursday, June 6.
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Grand Canyon University Rotaract Club Update.jpg) Members of the GCU Rotaract Club have been busy learning, socializing, and doing service above self this academic year:
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February is Peace and Conflict Resolution MonthRotary wages peace through: |
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Together, we... Recognize anyone in these photos?Some time ago, Lucinda and Pam turned a snapshot into a "People of Action" shot. The other shot is a picture Lucinda shared from 2003. Lucinda and Pam used these samples to illustrate ways regular folks can build these pics and documents on the RI website for use to promote Rotary in the correct voice. The caption that appeared under the 2003 photo stated: When Rotarians learned about the overwhelming medical needs in the small Nicaraguan community of Jinotepe, Rotary clubs from Phoenix and Mesa, Arizona worked with their Rotarian counterparts in Nicaragua to collect and deliver $500,000 in vital medical equipment to the village. We are People of Action" To join us, go to www.mesawestrotary.org. The "people of action" logo appeared under the caption. This is being shared at this time, because it is important that when we take photos, when we promote what we do, etc. that we understand those images and messages have the potential to be part of Rotary's People of Action message. Some of them can be used to help RI tell the Rotary story in a way that resonates with a potential Rotarian, inspires someone to move forward with an idea, or touches someone in a very personal way that helps them understand why we choose to connect and take action through Rotary. Each small story is a part of Rotary's impressive larger story. We need to tell our stories in ways that complement the overall messaging of the wonderful international organization we are a part of. Thanks to Lucinda for sharing the photos for this article.
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Highlights of December 6, 2018 Meeting President, Chris Krueger called the meeting to order asking Geoff White to lead the invocation and John Benedict to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.Guests Brian Harvey introduced his wife, Marsha. Jim McGown introduced his long-time friend, Dennis Holley. John Pennypacker introduced Robert Smethurst, a visiting Rotarian from the Bellingham, Washington Club. He will be staying in our area through May. Bob Zarling introduced Tom Bradford who was back for a second visit. He is serious about becoming a Rotarian. He had lunch with Membership Chair, Don LaBarge since his last visit to Mesa West. Aubrey introduced her daughters - one who stayed home from school not feeling well, and the other who stayed home for moral support for her sister. Alaskan Rotarian, Rick Bouse, was again a welcome visitor to our club. Drawings Marsha Harvey drew Jim McGown's badge number making him the $5 weekly attendance drawing winner. Chuck Flint explained that the weekly raffle winner would win $30 and a chance to draw the ace of clubs from the cards remaining in the deck, which would be worth $240. He asked Marsha to draw the winning ticket, which was held by Dick Myren. Unfortunately, Dick drew the jack of hearts from the deck. Chuck then explained the Buck Board for the benefit of our guests and circulated with it to sell additional squares on the board. Happy Bucks Greg Okonowski served as Sgt at Arms collecting happy bucks. He was glad to be back at our meeting having had conflicts for the past several weeks. Donna Goetzenberger was happy about a great weekend spent at the Grand Canyon with Youth Exchange students. Frank Rosenberg contributed $5 for Bob Jensen's ugly (UofA) shirt. Brian Harvey was glad for the organization at Mesa West. While in Baltimore, they tried to make up Rotary meetings, but clubs were not meeting at their published locations. Dave McGown shared a George H. W. Bush story. When he was patrolling a mall years ago, one of the employees who worked cleaning the food court had a story to tell about when he was in the military, he was the only one with the necessary code to get a submarine to surface and rescue young Bush after his plane was shot down. He had a photo of himself dancing at an inaugural ball to prove the truth of his story. Dick Myren was happy to have won the drawing and happy that Rod Daniels may in the relative near future be able to return as an active member. Dick was sad he had to cancel a bell ringing shift and was going to have to leave early. He is having problems with his leg. Jim McGown had found an AJ's jacket which he planned to auction, but Darl Andersen chose to be the only bidder in a one-person auction. He wanted his account billed for $40 for the collector's item which fits him perfectly, though a bit tight in the biceps. Bob Jensen wanted to respond to Frank Rosenberg's criticism of his shirt. Bob thinks it is ugly too. He is an ASU grad, but his kids went to U of A and have made sure he has shirts from there. Terry Diedrick announced that his wife, Patty, had a deer tag. She now hold the honor of getting the largest deer ever in their immediate and extended family. |
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November 29 Meeting Highlights President Chris Krueger called the meeting to order with Dick Myren offering the invocation and Pam Cohen leading the Pledge of Allegiance. John Pennypacker had served as official greeter making everyone feel welcome. Ray Smith led those present in singing Jingle Bells, including the verses.Several guests were present including a membership prospect, Tom Bradford. Seasonal visitors included Tom Mellen from Maine, Rick Bouse from Alaska, and Joan and Erwin Reimman from South Dakota. Drawings Karen Chavez won the attendance drawing. Chuck Flint announced that the winner of the weekly raffle would win $30, and if they were lucky enough to draw the Ace of Clubs from the cards remaining in the deck, they would receive an additional $231. Chris Krueger's ticket was drawn, but the card she drew was the five of hearts. Chuck Flint also explained the club's Buck Board - a way we keep The Rotary Foundation on members' minds, and raise money for TRF in the process. Happy Dollars John Pennypacker received a surprise package delivered by Sergeant at Arms on behalf of some Mesa West members who were aware that John suffers from insomnia and sends messages during times he is awake in the middle of the night. The package included some sleep-aid supplies - tea, honey, and a (hopefully boring) book full of home remedies. Jeanie Morgan paid happy dollars for the therapeutic effect of Salvation Army Bell Ringing. Karen Chavez also contributed as a recent bell ringer. Dollars were given in honor of the Bob and Ray Guaymas Show. Bob Jensen was the organizer and Ray Smith was the herder. Dan Coons announced that Caiu is now in their home. He thanked Rotarians for the effort made by club members to ensure Caiu has a positive experience on his inbound Youth Exchange adventure. He has already been to California three times. Melody Jackson contributed for an event of Mesa Leadership at the Mesa Center for the Arts. Warren Haessler was happy to have won the Chili Cook-off and said it was nice to have Youth Exchange represented that evening. Auction Item John Pennypacker had an auction item from the Rotary Institute he had recently attended in Reno. He wanted the proceeds of the auction to benefit ParadiseStrong.org which will help families in the Paradise California community who lost everything in the November fires. He had brought a poem written by a Paradise resident to share. If you missed seeing it in last week's Messenger and did not get a printed copy at the meeting, click here. After learning that John planned to match the highest bid, the bidding got more animated. Chuck Flint won the beautiful centerpiece that was auctioned with his bid of $50. Trivia Question Chris Krueger eliminated those that actually went on the Gift of Hearing Mission to Guaymas in November, and asked members if they knew how many had been served on that mission. Karen Chavez won because knew the correct answer was 370. She knew because she had read the report about the mission in the Messenger. Decision about When to be Dark for Holidays President Chris let the members decide which two dates we would be dark for the holidays. There will be no meetings on December 27 and January 4. Announcements
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Penny May's Holiday Shake-Up Our regular Alaskan seasonal visiting Rotarian, Penny May has been sharing information about their recent 7.0 earthquake and resulting aftershocks on her facebook page. The Alaskan humor shown in this photo represents why and how the people there are able to deal with the tough situations life throws at them. CLICK HERE to see photos some of the devastation experienced in the Anchorage area. In Penny's home, she had lots of broken glass and other clean-up to do because of things falling off walls and shelves. It sounds like toughest to clean was a large container of Tide that fell off a shelf in her laundry room, bursting and spreading blue goo all over her laundry room floor. She is thankful to be safe, and is amazed and thankful for the outpouring of caring and sharing of her fellow-Alaskans. She did a little research to find out why this quake and the aftershocks seemed more intense than what she has experienced in the past. On December 1, she posted: "Hey Anchorage peeps, I just found the neatest map for us who are still feeling aftershocks... it is quakes.globalincidentmap.com. It shows any earthquake in the world, magnitude, time and location. I am always curious about magnitude. This one felt so much stronger than the magnitude would suggest BUT the epicenter was just 5 miles away and only 25 miles deep. Our household is fine and we have much to be thankful for. Now to clean that laundry room floor again. It is still sticky!" You are in our thoughts and prayers, Penny May! We are so very thankful you are safe.
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'Tis the (Bell Ringing) Season Warren Haessler and his wife, Debby, were among the first Mesa West Rotary family to ring the bell, collecting red kettle donations for Salvation Army donations in front of Bass Pro. They had an afternoon shift on Friday, November 23 - the first day of our commitment for the 2018 bell-ringing season.Don LaBarge is coordinating the shift assignments this year. You could make his job easier if you would commit early and commit often.
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Losses Suffered by The Rotary Club of Paradise, California.png) Rotarians from District 5495 who attended the Zone Institute in Reno recently learned about the devastating losses experienced in Paradise, California from Paradise Rotary Club President Brian Gray.Every Rotarian in Brian's club lost their home in the Camp Fire. Many also lost their vehicles. It made an impact on all who heard their first-hand stories, but to get a sense of what they felt, John Pennypacker has shared a poem written by a local resident while grieving the loss of her hometown of Paradise. CLICK HERE or on the image at left to read her poem. www.ParadiseStrong.org
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Gift of Hearing - 2018 Report.jpg) On November 16, Bob Jensen wrote a brief e-mail thanking the volunteers who travelled to Guaymas, Mexico November 7-11 for the annual Gift of Hearing mission, which is a signature international service project of Mesa West Rotary. On the 2018 mission, 370 patients (179 children and 191 adults) were seen, 144 hearing aids fit and 178 earmolds made. There were only two days that patients were actually seen, the other days were for travel and some time for enjoying the area. Representing Mesa West Rotary on the trip were Bob Jensen, Erica Williams, Christy Citterman and Ray Schmal, Allan and Polly Cady, Chuck Flint, and Ray Smith. There were a number of additional volunteers on the trip who were either audiology professionals or students studying to enter the field of audiology. To see larger images of the photos featured, CLICK HERE to visit our Facebook page.
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Please Excuse the Smoke Please Excuse the Smoke Awakenings (from a Paradise resident and poet named Krystalynn Martin November 16, 2018 A poem I wrote the other night while grieving the loss of my hometown of Paradise: I’m sorry – Please excuse the smoke. It’s just the dreams and hopes of 27 thousand yesterdays. It’s just the minuscule evidence of That one baby picture, That painting of the sea captain by my brother, And those family portraits of the past 40 years. It’s just the piano from my grandmother who passed away years ago that my brother just brought back from Iowa. |
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Donate to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona Help someone struggle less. Donate to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona to help fund vocational education grants. Go to donate.trvfa.org to donate on-line. TRVFA is a Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) for Arizona tax credit donations of up to $400 for individual donors or $800 for a married couple. Their Arizona QCO code is 20698.In 2017-18, generous Mesa West members made us the top club in membership support of TRVFA in the State of Arizona. Please help us again set the standard for supporting this unique Rotarian-founded, Rotary-International-endorsed, charitable organization in the State of Arizona. Since its beginning over 25 years ago, TRVFA has been managed by a board of directors who are all active Rotarians and proportionately represent the Rotary Districts in our state. Because the recipients of TRVFA grants need to meet specific low-income guidelines, TRVFA enables individuals who are struggling financially to enter well-paying professions and truly transform their own quality of life and at the same time improve the economy of our state. If you prefer to donate by check, your donation should be mailed to TRVFA, P O Box 14412, Scottsdale, AZ 85257. Please indicate that you are a Mesa West Rotarian so they can give our club credit for your generosity. |
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Donate to The Rotary Vocational Fund of ArizonaHelp someone struggle less. Donate to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona to help fund vocational education grants. Go to donate.trvfa.org to donate on-line. TRVFA is a Qualifying Charitable Organization (QCO) for Arizona tax credit donations of up to $400 for individual donors or $800 for a married couple. Their Arizona QCO code is 20698.In 2017-18, generous Mesa West members made us the top club in membership support of TRVFA in the State of Arizona. Please help us again set the standard for supporting this unique Rotarian-founded, Rotary-International-endorsed, charitable organization in the State of Arizona. Since its beginning over 25 years ago, TRVFA has been managed by a board of directors who are all active Rotarians and proportionately represent the Rotary Districts in our state. Because the recipients of TRVFA grants need to meet specific low-income guidelines, TRVFA enables individuals who are struggling financially to enter well-paying professions and truly transform their own quality of life and at the same time improve the economy of our state. If you prefer to donate by check, your donation should be mailed to TRVFA, P O Box 14412, Scottsdale, AZ 85257. Please indicate that you are a Mesa West Rotarian so they can give our club credit for your generosity. |
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2018 Top Chili Chef - Warren Haessler The weather cooperated for a perfect evening at the home of Pam Cohen for the annual Mesa West Chili Cook-Off and Fireside Fun event.Those who attended were treated to delicious and plentiful appetizers that were provided by many of the guests who barely had an appetite left when it was time to sample chili from each of the four pots containing the competing chili. After a lot of sampling and re-sampling, the ballots were distributed, completed and collected. They were then counted with integrity and no re-counts were necessary to declare Warren Haessler the Top Chili Chef of the evening. He won a gift card that should help him shop for his next culinary adventure. Following the announcement of the winner, an abundant array of desserts was available to enjoy! A great evening of Mesa West Rotary fun and fellowship! |
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November 10 Foundation Dinner.jpg) PDG John Pennypacker starred as Charlie Brown at the November 10 District 5495 Foundation Dinner's presentation of "You're a Good Rotarian, Charlie Brown." After being belittled by Lucy, Charlie Brown delivered a litany about the many good things done by Rotarians. At the dinner, District Rotarians learned that Gift of Life Arizona is being absorbed by the larger Gift of Life Rotary organization that helps children with life-saving surgeries throughout the world. Rotarians present celebrated the fact that District 5495 was the third highest in per member giving in 2017-18 in our Zone, and our Zone was the highest in per-member giving in all of Rotary.
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International Service Commitments from October Friendship Conference.jpg) The USA-Mexico Friendship Conference and Project Fair held in Acapulco, Mexico October 26 and 27 was attended by Pollyanne and Allan Cade representing Mesa West Rotary. The Mesa West board had authorized them to make commitments at the conference to support projects presented at the event that they felt were worthy.The conference was the 18th annual opportunity to fellowship with Rotarians from District 4185 in Mexico and our District 5495. Because of the long history, many warm friendships exist, and the process of putting quality project proposals together has been refined over time. Mesa West commitments totalling $2,500 were made to the following projects: $500 - Community development with the creation of textiles in Chiapas. The sponsoring local club for this project is the Cuernavaca club. $500 - System for collection and storage of water in schools in Taxco. The sponsoring local club is the Taxco Rotary Club. $500 - Community improvement, paintings where there was once graffiti, sponsored by the Puebla Rotary Club. $1,000 - "Enchulame la silla," wheelchair restoration and purchase, sponsored by the Cuernavaca Juarez Rotary Club. At the end of the Project Fair, clubs in District 5495 had committed $28,875 to the various projects presented with a match from District funds of a like amount. Clubs in District 4185 had committed $16,500 to the projects, again with a like match from their district funds. Total funds committed to projects presented at the fair was $90,750 (approximately 1,815,000 pesos). In 2019, District 5495 will be hosting the Friendship Conference and Project Fair. It will be held at the Grand Canyon in October. Any questions should be directed to Allan and Polly. Thanks to Allan Cady for providing the information shared in this article
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2018 - 27th Annual Gift of Hearing Mission This little guy is being screened to see what his needs are at the 27th Annual Gift of Hearing project in Guaymas, Mexico. To see more photos taken by Polly Cady, click on the image or CLICK HERE.
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November 8, 2018 Meeting Highlights The meeting opened with Darl Andersen offering the invocation and Bob Zarling leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Three visiting Rotarians were present: one from Mesa East, one from Gilbert, and one from Alaska. Our Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Caiu, was also in attendance. Don LaBarge reminded everyone that the Veterans Day Parade would be held on Monday, November 12. Happy bucks were contributed by Lucinda General, Penny May, Don LaBarge, Kurt Klingenberg, and Dick Myren for Rod Daniels. Members were reminded the club would be dark on November 15. They were also reminded of the Chile Cookoff to be held November 16 at Pam Cohen's home. Don LaBarge reminded members that it is again time to start scheduling shifts for ringing the Salvataion Army bell at their donation kettle located in front of Bass Pro. Members are encouraged to include family and friends to help them with their bell ringing commitment. It is more fun to team up to engage people and have fun with them while encouraging their generosity. |
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Allan and Polly Cady - doing Rotary in Mexico.jpg) Following the USA Mexico Friendship Conference and Project Fair, Polly and Past President Allan Cady remained in Mexico a few more days traveling from Acapulco to Orizaba, sight seeing along the way.On November 1, Allan was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of the Valley of Orizaba. Using a translator, he told the club about Mesa West Rotary, discussing The Rotary Foundation, Polio Plus and the Mesa West Hearing Project in Guaymas, Mexico. As there is no audiologist in Orizaba, the members were very interested in our project for hearing. While in the area, their hosts invited them to participate in the annual Dia de Muertos activities, causing Polly to write, "This is such an important part of the Mexican culture. Actually, it is beautiful and respectful."
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November 1, 2018 Meeting Highlights John Pennypacker opened the meeting asking Daryl Bethea to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led those present in singing Vive La Compagnie, which sounded wonderful as it was amplified by the reverberating harmonious sounds in the room where the meeting was held.Guests We had several visiting Rotarians: Joan and Erwin Reimman from Rapid City, South Dakota; Tom Draggoo from Springfield, Oregon; Heidi Begeot from Hood River Oregon and Penny May from Alaska. Rotary News John Pennypacker reported on two things he had heard when attending a Zone webinar with RI Director, John Matthews.
Drawings The attendance drawing prize of $5 was won by Melodie Jackson. Frank Rosenberg won $25 as the holder of the raffle ticket that was drawn, but he drew the two of hearts, so the accumulating pot, which is now up to $201, will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained the Buck Board for the benefit of our guests, then circulated to sell some of the open squares to those present. Auction Penny May had a bag of goodies to auction from her recent 10 day cruise that included Havana, Roatan, Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. Bob Zarling's high bid of $35 made him the lucky winner. Guaymas Trip Drawing The names of all Rotarians who committed to donations supporting the annual gift of hearing mission were entered into a drawing. There were three prizes - all handmade by Son Hee Williamson. Pam Cohen won a beautiful black and white crocheted afghan, and Wendell Jones and Steve Ross each won very nice colorful bags which will likely make each of their wives very happy. Happy Bucks
Announcements
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Serving Hearing Needs in Guaymas Mexico Since 1992.jpg) Ray Smith, has been the organizer coordinating planning meetings for the Gift of Hearing team which departed Wednesday, November 7 for Guaymas. Traveling with Ray, will be Drs. Erica Williams and Bob Jenson. They are our Mesa West Rotary audiology professionals who will be doing true vocational service for the next few days. Accompanying the team providing volunteer support are the following Mesa West Rotarians and family of Rotary members: Allan and Polly Cady, Christy Citterman and Ray Schmal, and Chuck Flint. Additional volunteers infused with the spirit of volunteerism in the audiology profession will be doctoral candidates from Arizona State University and A.T.Still UniversityAt our May 17 meeting, Bob Jensen reported that since 1992, over 5,000 patients have been seen, and more than 4,000 hearing aids dispensed. In 2017, 333 patients were seen, 165 hearing aids fitted and 185 earmolds made. Bob felt he would be able to reduce the cost of the mission this year. He believes they can accomplish similar results with a smaller team and consequently much lower costs. The team will test preschool-age children as well as adults. Over the four days of the time away for the mission, two days will be spent traveling to and from Guaymas, and two days will be spent seeing patients. They will see from 300-350 patients who will be given a medical examination and medicine if needed by the team doctors, a hearing test by the audiologists and if needed, will be fitted with custom-made earmolds and hearing aids. Those patients who already have hearing aids will have the aids inspected, cleaned and fixed or adjusted as needed. Batteries will be dispensed to those needing them. Patients will be counseled on the use and care of the hearing aids. All services will be provided at no charge. Last year, then President-Elect Chris Krueger went on the mission. She wrote an article for the messenger detailing her impressions. The final two paragraphs of her article give an impression of the mission that are worth reading again: "The most amazing thing was the people, both the ones that served and the ones that we served. Some of them waited all day to see someone for their hearing issues. Children waited in cramped areas for hours and were still so well behaved. (sometimes better than the adults). One child and his mother were there all day on Thursday and then had to come back on Friday morning to complete the process. Many came from many miles away in order to seek treatment. Due to the large demand, we can only give one hearing aid per person. There was no complaining. "The volunteer staff was absolutely amazing. They worked tirelessly for two twelve hour days. Some didn't even eat lunch and barely had time to take restroom breaks. They gave not only the gift of hearing, but they gave of themselves. They were compassionate and loving to a group of strangers simply because they knew they had the skills that these people needed. It was a true example of service above self." We look forward to the photos and stories from the 2018 team, and thank them for their gift of time and their passion for service. |
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Mesa West Fireside Fun and Chili Cook-off Friday, November 16th6:00 to 9:00 pm Pam Cohen's Home 3650 E Quenton Dr., Lot 8, Mesa, AZ Just South of Thomas east of Val Vista Gate code 1492 Sign up to bring your "Kick-@$$ Chili!" Don't want to bring chili? Sign up to bring your own prize winning dish Guests $10 - Mesa West Rotarians Free! The competition is fierce and not for the faint of heart! Please sign up to bring a chili to share, another side dish of your choosing, dessert, an appetizer, or just condiments for the chilis. For those who don't have time to cook - we will also need paper/plastic bowls and tableware, napkins and the like - non-alcoholic beverages - so feel free to BYOB or your favorite adult beverage. This event is a fun way to meet our newest members and help to engage them in our club. There will be short presentations by several Rotarians on various aspects of Rotary and how it relates to the club, its members, our community, and the world. Don't miss this opportunity to mingle with club members and crown the newest Chili King or Queen! CLICK HERE to RSVP to Pam Cohen. |
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November is Foundation Month"It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world."
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Visitors with Russia-USA Inter-Country Committee President Chris Krueger hosted an informal gathering at her home Thursday evening, October 25 to give local Rotarians a chance to meet the group being hosted by the Mesa Rotary Club with the Russia-USA Inter-country Committee organized through Rotary.In 2014, someone wrote on the Committee's facebook page, "The mission of the ICC is still in its formative stages, but it is felt that the joint activities pursued by the member districts offer great opportunities for collaboration between the districts from the two countries. Some of the planned activities of the organization will include joint projects, friendship and professional exchanges, expansion of the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, Vocational Study Groups and annual meetings." Earlier that year, someone else had included this in a post, "This would be a similar follow-on to the (Center for Citizens' Initiatives) CCI’s Productivity Enhancement Program which was so successful in the past, bringing Russian Entrepreneurs to this country to study our business practices and take what they learned back to Russia and apply it to the business environment in Russia." It was a bit challenging to have in depth conversations trying to visit with our visitors. It seemed everyone struggled a bit to understand each other because of language challenges. At the same time, it was rewarding to see individuals who just a few decades ago were separated by the cold war sincerely reaching out to each other in friendship. It was clear that we were all able to laugh at many of the same things and enjoy good times together. Mesa Rotary Club President, Craig Henry, was overheard explaining to one of the Russian Guests that Mesa Rotary and Mesa West Rotary were almost as far apart as Russia and the United States used to be, and that he and Mesa West President, Chris were trying to bridge that gap and work on at least one project together - the Aqua Africa fundraising project being planned in February 2019. |
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Day for Special Smiles The volunteer experience serving as an escort for a patient at the Day for Special Smiles event held Friday, October 26 at A.T.Still University was very rewarding. The patient Jeanie Morgan escorted is in the chair posing with the staff who worked together to take care of his dental needs. In the second photo he is posing with his sister and Dr. Mai-Ly Duong, who organized the event.Mai-Ly is organizing a Rotaract Club at the University under the sponsorship of Mesa West Rotary. Mesa West Rotarians will likely enjoy many future opportunities to volunteer alongside her going forward. Many thanks to the other Mesa West Rotarians who volunteered and had the opportunity to learn more about this wonderful service to our local special needs community: Bob Zarling, Dan Coons, Polly Schumacher, Pam Cohen, and Chris Krueger.
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Colton Cagle Honored as Paul Harris Fellow Interact District Governor, Colton Cagle, a Westwood High School student, was honored Saturday, October 27, 2018 as a Paul Harris Fellow. The presentation took place at the Interact Fall Leadership Conference. With the help of E-Club member, John Winterstein, Colton's mother, Wendy Cagle, kept the secret about the presentation and was able to be present to do the pinning of Colton's PHF pin.PDG John Pennypacker explained The Rotary Foundation and the history of the Paul Harris Fellow Recognition to educate the Interact leaders who were attending the conference before calling Jeanie Morgan to participate in making the actual presentation. Jeanie decided to transfer some of her recognition points to honor Colton after she became active as the Interact Treasurer and Registrar on the Interact District Council. In watching Colton's leadership skills at work, she could see that he was a true "servant leader." He is someone who encourages others on the council and recognizes efforts that go beyond expectations. He gives credit where it is due rather than taking credit for himself. She was especially impressed with the impact he experienced with his Ambassadorial experience with Crutches for Africa this past summer. He told her that it helped him understand what is truly important in life and will forever change his priorities.
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Highlights of October 25, 2018 Meeting President Chris Krueger opened the meeting with the invocation offered by Bert Millett and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Jeanie Morgan.Guests Frank Rosenberg introduced his wife, Amanda. Mesa Rotary President Craig Henry was present with Russian Rotarians being hosted by his club through a program offered by the Russia-USA Inter-Country Committee: Alina and Natalia Dvornik, Irina Dmitrieva, Natalia Oborina, Evgeny Tikhmenev, and Aleksey Gridchin. With the group was Charles T Heberle III from the Russia - USA Inter-country Committee. His home is in Wellesley, Maine. Announcement President Chris reminded everyone that there would be an informal reception for the Russian visitors at her home that evening. Drawings Steve Ross won the attendance drawing. Chris Krueger won the small weekly raffle pot of $28 , but failed to draw the ace of clubs so did not win the $171 in the growing accumulating pot. Buck Board Chuck Flint explained the purpose of the club's buck board, which keeps giving to The Rotary Foundation on everyone's mind and gives members and guests an opportunity to win the opportunity to have $1,000 donated in their name to TRF, taking them to the next level of Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Happy Bucks Jeanie Morgan contributed for getting a good health report despite some poor eating habits she has developed in recent months. Pam Cohen was happy to have the opportunity to get acquainted with the Russian visitors. Darl Andersen was happy to sit next to Aleksey and get acquainted with him. Dan Coons was happy Chuck Flint again took Rotary Youth Exchange students to Havasu Falls. Chuck donated $100 to the Mesa West Scholarship Fund, happy that the trip went as well as it did. When they had arrived, it at first looked like rain might cause enough flooding to prevent the trip into the canyon. The company he had booked through came up with options that included pack horses. Instead of the usual clear water, they saw brown falls, but the 16 YE students had a great time. Chris Krueger had gone on the trip and was actually recovered enough to be wearing high heels at the meeting. Past President John Eagleston was happy to be visiting. He had taken over so many time-consuming projects that he had to put his Rotary membership on hold for a while. He is President of the PTO at his kids' school. He was hoping many of his Rotary friends would attend a Hoe Down at MacArthur Elementary Friday evening and enjoy some chili, corn bread and a blue grass band. Don LaBarge related a story Robert had recently shared with him about his teaching assignment in Pinon, Arizona. One of his students reminded him that he needed a "C" or he would be kicked off the football team. Robert informed him that he could earn that grade if he would turn in all of the assignments he had failed to complete in the first three months of school. Dick Myron continued Rod Daniels tradition of donation $1 for being happy to be a member of Mesa West Rotary. Frank Rosenberg proudly announced their daughter, Sammi, is carrying a 4.0 grade point average. President Chris got rid of all the $28 she won, donating eight dollars for the visiting Rotarians from Russia and $20 for making it out alive from her Havasu Falls adventure and she thanked Chuck for making it happen. He prepares the meals, makes the reservations and makes it an all-round wonderful experience. Ray Smith reminded Rotarians to contribute if they could to support the Guaymas mission. Anyone who wishes to do so can contact Aubrey to have her add a donation to their account. He also reminded everyone that those who had contributed would be entered into a drawing to win the hand made items contributed by Warren Williamson's wife, Son Hee. |
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Bob Zarling Bob Zarling was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the oldest of five children with two brothers and two sisters. Bob has lived in Arizona since February of 2014.In his lifetime, Bob has visited in more than twenty foreign countries throughout Europe, Brazil, Mexico, Canada and Guatemala. He doesn't claim to be fluent in any language other than English. In addition to Arizona and Wisconsin, Bob has resided in New Jersey, Oregon, Colorado and Michigan. When Bob was a teenager, he dreamed of a career in chemistry or accounting. He retired after 21 years in Strategic Sourcing. Strategic Sourcing is the science of building a global sourcing strategy for the short term and long term to ensure all the companies’ manufacturing plants around the world have secure, reliable, sustainable, and high quality raw materials at an economic scale to offer customers a competitive market advantage. Bob was responsible for many unique materials in the speciality chemical and botanical markets for use in an industry of the related sensory traits of taste and smell. He worked for International Flavors & Fragrances (NYE symbol is IFF). Bob's most memorable vacation was a summer vacation in 2004 in Norway. He says his most rewarding volunteer experience was a summer as a tour guide for the National Parks at Fort Hancock in Gateway National Recreation Area. Bob joined Mesa West Rotary Club in 2017, and became active very soon when he replaced Rod Daniels as the District's Polio Plus Chair. He currently is the Vocational Service Chair for Mesa West Rotary.
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October 24 is World Polio Day
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Highlights of October 11, 2018 Meeting.jpg) President Chris Krueger opened the meeting with Wendell Jones offering the invocation and Jim McGown leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Guests District Governor Jim Erickson and his wife, Maryanne were introduced. Other visiting Rotarians were Jim Bissonett of Rotary Club of the Southwest who serves as District Foundation Chair, and Noel DeSousa of Prescott Frontier Rotary Club who serves as Executive Assistant Governor. Erwin Reiman of Rapid City, South Dakota will be visiting for the season. Robert LaBarge and Andrea Murphy had a rare opportunity to break from their teaching duties to attend our meeting. Andrea introduced Westwood High School Interact Club members, Colton Cagle (currently serving as Interact District Governor), and Shakima Fagan, their Club President. Assistant Governor Lee Holmes was visiting from Superstition Mountain Rotary Club. Jack Rosenberg introduced his granddaughter, Sammi Rosenberg. Alex Hopkins, Immediate Past District Governor of District 5030 was also visiting. Drawings Carolyn Jones was the winner of the weekly attendance drawing. Chuck Flint announced that the weekly raffle winnings would be $25 and if the holder of the ticket drawn were to be lucky enough to draw the Ace of Clubs, they would win $102. Frank Rosenberg was the holder of the winning ticket. He had his daughter, Sammi shuffle the cards and try to draw the ace. Unfortunately, she drew the Queen of Diamonds. Buck Board Chuck Flint explained our buck board for the benefit of the many guests who were present. There are 100 squares on the board, with ten columns across and ten rows down. Individuals can purchase as many squares as they wish at a cost of $10 each. Members can charge their purchases to their club account, but guests must pay cash for any squares purchased. When the board is full, $1,000 will have been collected. Cards will be drawn to give values to the rows and columns. Those cards will then be re-shuffled and drawn with lines drawn through the column or row with that assigned value until only one square remains. The holder of that square will have $1,000 donated in their name to the annual fund of The Rotary Foundation and receive Paul Harris Fellow credit and the tax deductible receipt for that donation. After explaining the board, Chuck circulated with the board for anyone who wished to purchase squares on the Buck Board. Happy Bucks
Announcements
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Highlights of October 4, 2018 Meeting.jpg) Official greeter, Jack Rosenberg, welcomed Rotarians and guests to the meeting, which opened with Dick Myren offering the Invocation and Bob Zarling leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led those present in song. Drawings President-Elect Jim Schmidt was the recipient of $10 when his badge number was drawn in the attendance drawing. Dick Myren received $28.00 as the holder of the winning ticket in the weekly drawing. His attempt to draw the ace of clubs to win the accumulating pot was foiled when he drew the six of hearts. Happy Bucks Dr. Ron paid fine for not being at meetings. John Pennypacker told of recent unpleasant dental procedures and made sure to relate he was not talking about Dr. Ron. Dick Myren paid $1 remembering our honorary member, Rod Daniels, $5 because Sandy is back home and $5 for winning the weekly drawing. Former member Paul Richardson was happy to be visiting. Penny May contributed thanking the Alaska oil permanent fund for her ability to contribute $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation permanent fund. Lee Holmes contributed $20 to the Polio fund. Bob Zarling had attended the Westwood High School Interact Club meeting and reported it was awesome! Jim Schmidt contributed $100 Paul Harris donation for his birthday. DGE David Simmer was a guest. Greg Okonowski made a $100 Paul Harris donation. Howard Hill was visiting from Panama, as a guest of PDG Don Kelly. Karen Chavez said she would know next week if she is cancer free. Trivia The answer to the name of AG Lee Holmes African project, which was featured at Mesa West's September 27 meeting, is "Blessman International." |
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Highlights from September 27 Meeting President Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Darl Andersen to offer the invocation and Don LaBarge to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. She thanked Penny May for serving as greeter.Assistant District Governor Lee Homes and his wife, Roberta were welcomed as guests. Three tokens were drawn, but the owners of the respective badge numbers were not present to win the attendance drawing. Don LaBarge was the holder of the winning raffle ticket, which netted $20 for him, but after some laborious shuffling on his part, he drew the three of hearts, rather than the ace of clubs, so the accumulating pot, now up to $42, will roll over to October 4. Chuck Flint briefly explained the Buck Board for the benefit of our guests, then circulated with it while Charlie Brown, aka John Pennypacker, explained that even though he woke up early and watched the sun rise, he had a positive feeling about things, and wondered what could possibly go wrong on a day like this, he realized "GOOD GRIEF! My stomach hurts! I cannot go to Guaymas with my Rotary friends. I said I would help with the Rotary District 5495 Foundation Dinner. I hope my other Rotary Friends who cannot go to Guaymas will come see me in 'You're a Good Rotarian' on Saturday, November 10." As John Pennypacker collected happy bucks, Allan Cady contributed. He was happy about the generosity of other Rotarians who helped him come up with sufficient funds to cover costs for a trip for Caiu (our inbound Youth Exchange Student) to go to California with other YE friends. Two members made Guaymas donations. A reminder - members who give $100 or more to support the Guaymas Gift of Hearing Mission will be entered into a drawing to win one of three prizes made by Son Hee Williamson - 2 purses and an afghan. Warren Williamson contributed $100 for his and Son Hee's 12th anniversary, and another $100 for his 70th birthday. Jim Crutcher also contributed $100 for his birthday and vacation. Penny May contributed $1, continuing Rod Daniels tradition, and Dick Myren contributed $2 also remembering how glad Rod always was to be at our meetings. Don LaBarge contributed as he was looking forward to going to a family reunion. Tim Troy contributed celebrating a great trip to Havasu Falls with his wife and daughter. Pam Cohen had a bag to auction. It contained a cookie jar and cook book. The cookie jar was one of the centerpieces at the Lunch for Love event held Wednesday September 26 benefitting Child Crisis Arizona. Tim Troy made the top bid of $40. Jim Crutcher had two tickets for the Cardinals football game to be held Sunday, September 30, which he auctioned, stating he would match the top bid and the total would go to support the Guaymas mission. Tim Troy again had the top bid of $150. |
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November 10 - Foundation Dinner YOU'RE A GOOD ROTARIANProducer - ALAN HAVIR Charlie Brown - JOHN PENNYPACKER Linus - JIM ERICKSON Lucy - COZETTE VERGARI Sally - SHERRY MISCHEL Snoopy - LARRY HORTON Schroeder - JIM BISSONETT Special Guest Star - JOHN ABBS/GIFT OF LIFE The District 5495 Foundation Dinner will be held Saturday, November 10, 2018 at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel, 1600 South 52nd St., Tempe, AZ 85281. A reception will begin at 5:00 PM with dinner and show at 6:00 PM. Seating will be limited CLICK HERE to make your reservation. |
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Save the Date - November 10 - Foundation DinnerYou're a Good RotarianProducer - ALAN HAVIR Charlie Brown - JOHN PENNYPACKER Linus - JIM ERICKSON Lucy - COZETTE VERGARI Sally - SHERRY MISCHEL Snoopy - LARRY HORTON Schroeder - JIM BISSONETT Special Guest Star - JOHN ABBS/GIFT OF LIFE The District 5495 Foundation Dinner will be held Saturday, November 10, 2018 at the Sheraton Phoenix Airport Hotel, 1600 South 52nd St., Tempe, AZ 85281. A reception will begin at 5:00 PM with dinner and show at 6:00 PM. Seating will be limited so plan to make your reservation early. |
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Highlights of September 20, 2018 Meeting President Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Immanuel Beeson to offer the invocation and Pam Cohen to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. In remembrance of 9/11, Ray Smith led those in attendance in singing My Country Tis of Thee. Steve Ross was thanked for serving as official greeter for the meeting.Guests John Benedict introduced his wife, Jane, and Daughter, Julie. He also introduced Colb Arbin, Executive Director of Friendship Village, Tempe. Dr. Steve Ferrara was introduced. Bert Millett introduced Ryan Ellis of the YMCA. Immanuel Beeson introduced his wife, Holly, and daughter, McKenna. Penny May, a regular visitor during our cooler months, was back, stating she has made a "note to self" to wait until October 1 to return to Arizona next year. Drawings Chuck Flint was the $5 winner when the token with his badge number was drawn. Penny May won the $22 weekly drawing, but failed to win the initial $22 in the accumulating pot when she drew a club from the deck, but not the ace of clubs. Buck Board Before circulating with the board, Chuck Flint took time to explain the Buck Board in light of so many visitors in the room. To do good in the world, Rotary operates The Rotary Foundation. Those who donate $1,000 or more are recognized as Paul Harris Fellows, honoring one of the original four individual founders of Rotary in Chicago in 1905. The Buck Board has ten vertical columns and ten horizontal rows, making a total of 100 squares available to be sold at a price of $10 each. Visitors must pay cash, but members can charge the cost of their square(s) to their membership account. When all squares are sold, cards will be drawn to assign values to the columns and rows. Those twenty cards will be shuffled and redrawn to eliminate columns and rows until only one square remains. The holder of that square will have $1,000 donated in their name to The Rotary Foundation, and receive a receipt for that tax deductible donation. Announcements
Trivia President Chris is starting a new practice to encourage members to read the weekly newsletter and monthly Rotarian magazine. Steve Ross was the first winner, correctly answering that A.T.Still University is the location of a new Rotaract Club soon to be launched. There was some debate about the accuracy of the Rotarian trivia question, but the correct answer to the number of countries where polio cases have been diagnosed this year is three. Auction Item Bob Zarling has recently returned from an extended vacation in Wisconsin. He had a bag to auction containing a variety of unique-to-Wisconsin items (some perishable): pecan kringle, Spotted Cow Beer, Cheese, Sausage, Wisconsin BBQ Sauce, Craisins (Wisconsin is the largest cranberry state in the nation), cheese-head socks, canned green beans from the green bean Green Bay packers. Chuck Flint's bid of $40 made him the proud owner of the bag. Happy Bucks Polly Cady enjoyed celebrating Allan's birthday in Pt. Loma. Jane Benedict was wished a happy birthday by all. Dr. Steve Ferrara was happy to be at his first Rotary meeting. Penny May's Alaskan Club hosted a delegation from Russia wanting to learn more about good business practices. Immanuel Beeson says with the holidays approaching, his favorite time of year - Salvation Army Kettle Season - is coming. He and his wife, Holly, met during kettle season. He introduced Holly who shared that this year in mesa they will have a Kettle Kickoff Dinner on November 8. They will have celebrity Bell Ringers, a silent auction, and will sell tables to raise fund to support the work they do. In another Salvation Army post, Holly reported that their kick off dinner raised as much as the entire crew of bell ringers raised during the rest of the season. Paul Harris Recognition Chuck Flint invited Karen Chavez to be honored with recognition for her generosity to The Rotary Foundation as a Paul Harris Plus 2 donor. In doing so, he reminded members that one of the focuses of The Rotary Foundation is education, and important focus because 10% of the world population is illiterate.
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Volunteers Needed This Saturday VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR MESA SPRINT TRIATHLON. Mesa West Rotarian, Bert Millett, has appealed to fellow Rotarians to volunteer. Here are the details regarding this community service opportunity benefiting the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation. "Race Day is this Saturday, September 29 at Skyline High School. We could use help with set up at 5:00. Volunteers are assigned to a place on the bike or run course by 6:30, where they encourage the participants and help them know where to go. The kids Splash and Dash begins around 9:00. We’re all cleaned up and done by 10:30 or so." To volunteer, CLICK HERE to send your contact information to bert@orangewoodlaw.com. To learn more about the event, visit https://mesasprinttriathlon.com |
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September 13, 2018 Meeting Highlights President Chris Krueger opened the meeting with an invocation offered by Daryl Bethea and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Jeanie Morgan.Guests Donna Goetzenberger introduced Albie Abrahams and Sheri Collins from First Things First and who would be heard from later in the program. She also introduced Clem, who was an inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student from Belgium a few years ago. During her exchange, the Goetzengergers were her host family. Drawings Darl Andersen was the lucky $5 winner in the weekly attendance drawing. Chuck Flint explained that the weekly raffle winner would definitely receive $39.00, but might also be the lucky winner of $126 if they were to draw the ace of clubs (which we are). President Chris's ticket was drawn by Clem, and she did draw the ace of clubs. Feeling lucky, Chris announced she might use some of her winnings to buy lottery tickets. Buck Board Because we did not have many guests and Rotarians present were all familiar with the Buck Board, Chuck Flint announced he would simply circulate through the tables to give Rotarians the opportunity to purchase squares on the board with the hope they will be purchasing the square that will result in them going to the next level in Paul Harris Society giving to The Rotary Foundation. Happy Bucks Chris Krueger was the first to contribute - happy to have won the raffle, and very happy to have recently spent lots of time in Nebraska enjoying her family. Pam Cohen paid sad dollars as a fellow board member on Gift of Life Arizona, Michael Burke of the Arcadia Rotary Club, had recently passed away. Bob Jensen contributed $50 to go to the Gift of Hearing Mission. Bob helped the Dove Mountain club get a $12000 district grant to train Guaymas, Alamos and San Felipe, Mexico volunteers to receive training in basic hearing testing. Bob explained they would start with a two-day training session during our clinic in Guaymas in November, which will help us in pursuing a global grant as it begins the first steps to sustainability. The global grant was obtained by the Catalina Tucson club and will provide many aspects of health care in Alamos including some hearing health care. Our club has contributed money for this grant. Darl Andersen paid happy dollars thanking Carolyn Jones for being the young beauty putting up with the old guys at their table. Jim McGown was back from his summer travels. It wasn't clear that he was happy to be there, as he would have been out on the lake if he were still on his summer respite. Don LaBarge was happy to have enjoyed his Rotary adventure in Idaho. Chuck Flint was happy to announce the Havasu Falls trip had sold out. Donna Goetzenberger was happy to report they had interviewed another outbound youth exchange candidate the night before. They are now up to fifteen outbound students for next year. She also said that the inbound students had traveled to Sedona September 7-9 for to participate in a campout as well as work at a car wash fundraiser. Polly Schumacher contributing asking fellow Rotarians to keep the people on the east coast in their thoughts and prayers as they deal with the coming hurricane. Immanuel Beeson paid happy dollars because, even though his little boy's team lost their game, his son was the only one who scored. His other son had the opposite experience. His holder son's team won even though that son did not score. |
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Special Day for Special Smiles Volunteer Opportunity In partnership with Special Olympics Arizona and the Arizona Dental Foundation, A.T.Still University's Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health is looking for volunteers to help provide limited dental treatment to eligible patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities at the Rick Workman Advanced Care Clinic on Friday, October 26, 2018.Last year, dental and non-dental volunteers provided dental services valued at $25,000 to over 75 individuals with disabilities. They are going to do it again this year. Mesa West Rotarians have the opportunity to help as volunteers who will keep their assigned patient company and entertained while waiting for their turn in the dental chair. There will be games available to play with our new friends. There are three shifts available for those who wish to volunteer. Sign-up sheets will be available at our meetings. Jeanie Morgan will be coordinating the volunteer schedule. If you wish to volunteer, but cannot be at a meeting, e-mail Jeanie at dgjeanie1@gmail.com. The available shifts are:
Mai-Ly Duong, a Rotarian who hopes start a Rotaract Club at A.T.Still as well as transfer her membership to our club soon, is coordinating this event. Let's show her some strong Rotarian support with this wonderful community service project.
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Highlights of September 6, 2018 Meeting The meeting was opened by Dan Coons, since President Chris Krueger and President-Elect Jim Schmidt both had scheduling conflicts. John Pennypacker provided an inspirational thought for the day when called on to lead the invocation and Warren Williamson led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith assigned tables "rounds" and led everyone in singing "Row Row Row Your Boat."Drawings Pam Cohen was the $5 attendance drawing winner. Chuck Flint explained that the raffle winner would receive $34, and a chance to win $103 if the ticket holder were to draw the ace of clubs. Polly Cady's ticket was drawn, but instead of the ace of clubs, she drew the three of diamonds. Guests Michael Nudo was introduced as a guest who would be glad to stay after the meeting to visit as he is working with Dr. Steve Ferrara's congressional campaign. Brian Ellis with the YMCA was introduced as a likely future member. Frank Rosenberg introduced Caiu, our inbound exchange student from Ecuador. Kurt Klingenberg introduced his wife, Randi. Donna Goetzenberger introduced Clem, who was an exchange student in their home a few years ago and is back for a visit. Buck Board Chuck Flint again explained the Buck Board, which our club traditionally uses to enhance club support of The Rotary Foundation. Happy Bucks Dick Myren paid $1 for honorary member Rod Daniels. Terry Diedrick contributed, telling some grizzly stories about his camping adventure in Alaska. Allan Cady was unable to attend the Westwood High School Interact meeting on Sept 5, but reported 70 students did attend. At the GCU Rotaract Club's first meeting of the year, 40-45 students were present. Polly Cady contributed for recent vacations she and Allan enjoyed in Colorado and Minneapolis. Pam Cohen had been in Nebraska the prior weekend. Her brother had enough tickets for her to attend the Nebraska football game. They had wonderful seats, and alumni passes to the pre-game celebration. When the game was called because of thunder and lightning, their group retreated back to the alumni celebration facility. Wendell Jones was happy to report that 35 members of his family enjoyed the UofA/BYU football game together. Donna Goetzenberger had spent the prior weekend as part of the interview team for students hoping to go on outbound Rotary Youth Exchange experiences next year. She was impressed with the high quality of the youth they met. Steve Ross will not be at our September 13 meeting. His son will be here visiting before leaving for the Congo for a year. Paul Harris Recognition Chuck Flint conducted a recognition ceremony presenting Don Boucher with his pin and certificate recognizing him as a Paul Harris Fellow. Kurt Klingenberg was recognized for achieving Paul Harris Plus One status. Kurt's wife, Randi Klingenberg, was honored as a Paul Harris Fellow. |
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Highlights of August 30, 2018 Meeting President Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking John Pennypacker to offer the invocation - "A Soldier's Prayer." Ray Smith led the Pledge of Allegiance.Introduction of Guests Don LaBarge Introduced Ryan Ellis with the YMCA. Jack Rosenberg introduced his wife, Cindy. Chris Krueger was pleased to introduce member Karen Chavez who was back from an extended absence. Weekly Drawings Chris asked Cindy Rosenberg to draw a token for the attendance drawing. She drew #7, which made Frank Rosenberg the lucky $5 winner. Chuck Flint explained that the small weekly raffle winnings would be $22, and if that winner should be lucky enough to draw the ace of clubs from the deck, they would win $74. Karen Chavez drew Chris Krueger's ticket, but the card Chris drew from the deck was the four of clubs. Buck Board A Mesa West tradition of boosting support of The Rotary Foundation was back. Chuck Flint explained for the benefit of newer members and guests that there are 100 squares on the Buck Board. Members and guests will be able to purchase squares at a cost of $10 each. Members can charge the cost of the squares they purchase to their dues account, but guests need to pay at the time they commit to their purchase(s). When all 100 squares are filled, values will be assigned to each row and column by drawing cards from a deck. Those 20 cards will then be shuffled and redrawn one at a time eliminating rows and columns until only one square is left without being eliminated. The owner of that square will have $1,000 donated in their name to The Rotary Foundation for Paul Harris Fellow credit. They will receive a receipt from TRF for the $1,000 tax-deductible donation. Happy Bucks Steve West paid $100. He and his wife, Julie, recently marked their 39th wedding anniversary. He confessed he was in Brazil and Julie was not in Brazil with him on their special day. There were two common sources of contributions at this meeting. There were contributions celebrating the life of Senator John McCain, and other contributions were from Rotarians happy to have Karen Chavez back. One of those was Chuck Flint, who pointed out that Karen is a fellow Havasu Falls hike survivor. John Pennypacker was happy to have driven Francesca (his convertible) with the top down to Show Low to play golf there with his friend who rode with him. He was happy with the ride the game and the cooler temperatures. Dick Myren contributed $1 honoring Rod Daniel's tradition of paying $1 because he was happy to be a member of Mesa West. Jack Rosenberg was happy a recent corrective surgery endured by Cindy was successful and she is able to walk unassisted again. Ted Williams announced that he and Susan had recently celebrated their 15th anniversary as he donated $100 to the foundation. Don LaBarge was happy he would be heading to Boise next week for the Zone Institute for Zones 21A and 27. He was really happy his hotel and registration costs would be covered as thanks for his willingness to transport all the flags he has in his custody for use at the Institute. Don is not confused. He knows our own zone will be having their institute in Reno in November. A bonus will be that Don will get to reconnect with friends made before the zones were reorganized a few years ago. He will see many Rotary leaders from the midwest that he met while preparing for and serving as District Governor of 5510 in 2008-09. Don asked for thoughts and prayers for his brother, Neil. A spot was recently found on Neil's lung and they are anxiously awaiting biopsy results. Immanuel Gleeson also asked for thoughts and prayers. He has a teen-aged daughter who is going through some troubled times. Immanuel wants to be a loving, supportive parent, but is surprised to find himself troubled with some selfish feelings, such as "Why am I having to deal with this right now?" Chris Krueger was happy she would be headed for Nebraska Friday and would get to spend time with family. Jim Schmidt donated $100 for Paul Harris credit in Karen's name. Announcements Dan Coons shared Caiu's wish list of activities to enjoy while he is in Arizona for his Rotary Youth Exchange. He passed the list around asking Rotarians to sign up for any activity they wished to host. There were blanks on the last page for Rotarians to use to invite Caiu to have dinner with their family or participate in a unique planned event not listed. |
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September is Basic Education and Literacy Month Basic Education and Literacy is one of the six "Areas of Focus" of The Rotary Foundation. Our goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.Realizing that getting children into schools isn't enough to solve illiteracy, Rotary shifts to mentoring and coaching teachers. CLICK HERE to read a story featured on the RI Website telling how Rotarians are making a difference with a program which teaches teachers how to integrate critical thinking skills into the process of teaching basic literacy.
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Westwood HS Interact and GCU Rotaract Begin 2018-19 Year Shakima Fagan kicked off the first Interact meeting of the year Wednesday, August 29. Approximately 40 students showed up to hear about all the great things that Westwood Interact has on the schedule. Purple Pinkie, Crutches for Africa, WAPI Wednesdays, and much more. The next meeting is Wednesday Sept. 5th at 8AM (then every other Wednesday).GCU Rotaract had a great recruitment night at the GCU club fair on Monday, August 27. Over 130 students signed up for the Remind notices. The first meeting of the year is Wednesday Sept. 5th at 6PM. Contact Ed Koeneman for the new meeting room information if you'd like to attend. |
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Highlights from August 23, 2018 Meeting President Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Wendell Jones to offer the invocation and Jim Schmidt to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led those present in singing "I've Been Working On the Railroad."Guests Lucinda General introduced her guest, Lola McClain. Dr. Ron Thompson introduced Ryan Ellis with the YMCA. Drawings In the attendance drawing, Lola McClain first drew token #5 with the owner not present. With her second draw of token #57, Jim Schmidt became the lucky $5 winner. Chuck Flint asked Sharon Spane to draw the winning ticket for the weekly raffle. She drew her own ticket, winning the small pot of $25.00. In trying for the accumulating pot, however, she drew the nine of diamonds rather than the ace of clubs. The accumulated pot of $52 will roll forward. Happy Bucks Dr. Ron served as Sgt at Arms collecting first from Allan Cady who was sad because Polly was not at the meeting with him. He was happy to have spent time with our inbound Youth Exchange Student, Caiu, and helping him put together a list of activities he hopes to do while he is on his exchange. Dan Coons will e-mail the list to all club members so they can volunteer to help make Caio's wishes come true. John Pennypacker paid happy dollars because when he recently discovered he had a slab leak (which can be very expensive to repair) he contacted Terry Diedrick for a referral. The referral worked out well and the repair was completed at a cost much less than anticipated. Chuck contributed because he was happy to see fellow-member Sharon Spane at our meeting. Pam Cohen donated a dollar since Dick Myren wasn't present to carry on Rod Daniels' tradition of being happy to be a member of Mesa West Rotary. Jim Schmidt contributed celebrating his 41st anniversary, and very happy that Rosalyn still loves him. John Bethea was present to pay happy dollars. His oldest daughter, Gisele, and Cole Farnsworth were married this week. Don LaBarge, like many other vets, is seeing Agent Orange problems related to his health. He decided to go to the VA to file for benefits. After spending LOTS of time there and needing to dig up records from a 1972 divorce, someone suggested he try getting help from the VFW. He had gone there prior to the meeting and had a very good experience. Frank Rosenberg and his family are enjoying hosting Caiu. He said Caiu is very much looking forward to meeting more Mesa Rotary members and their families. Everyone sang Happy Birthday to Jack Rosenberg after he paid happy dollars because of his birthday. Chris Krueger paid happy dollars because she had come into possession of an American Express card. Dr. Ron paid to get his card back. Announcements Allan Cady announced that Isabel Clausen, President of Grand Canyon University Rotaract, had notified him they would be holding their first meeting on Wednesday evening, September 5. It will be an informal meeting. Pizza will be available. Those who want to attend should go in the main entrance at GCU and ask for instructions on how to find the meeting location. Pam Cohen reminded members she is trying to fill her table at a September 26 benefit luncheon for Child Crisis Arizona. Doors will open at 11:00 AM for registration with lunch to be served at noon. The event should be wrapped up around 1:00 PM. |
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Caio Participated in YE Inbound Orientation.jpg) Mesa West's inbound Youth Exchange Student, Caio, participated in the District-hosted orientation held Saturday, August 18 at Washington High School in Phoenix.In the top photo, Caio is participating in a telephone game, and in the bottom photo, he is attempting to accomplish an icebreaker activity of getting a cookie from his forehead to his mouth without using his hands. Recently returned outbound students from District 5495 assisted Rotary Youth Exchange volunteers in welcoming our inbound students and helping them begin to get acquainted with each other. Mesa West members who want to invite Caio to participate in a family activity should e-mail Dan Coons, who will be coordinating club member engagement with our inbound student.
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Plans Begin for Relay to Support Water Project in Africa.jpg) On February 1 of this year, Mesa West Rotarians heard a compelling program delivered by Buey Ray Tut from Aqua Africa. He shared his story of the early years of his life when he lived in Sudan. His mother, like other women in their village, walked three hours each way several times each week to get water from the Nile for the needs of her family. Buey remembered a time when his life changed dramatically when a well and water system was installed in his village. Two specific things were very different. His mother was available for her children nearly all the time. The other difference was that chronic stomach ailments were no longer a part of his "normal" life.Through a series of events, Buey and his family eventually relocated to the United States as refugees. He received his college degree in economics and political science at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. He teamed up with a childhood friend from Sudan, and formed a 501(c)(3) non-profit to change lives in Sudan by providing the water systems for other villages in his native country. On August 14, President, Chris Krueger, hosted an initial meeting in her home to begin planning for a fund-raising event to take place this Rotary year. The goal will be two-fold. The primary purpose will be to raise funds to support Aqua Africa's next project. The secondary purpose will be to raise awareness of the life-changing impact access to clean water will have for the village where the system will be installed. More information will be provided as a date is confirmed and plans begin to evolve. There will be lots of volunteer opportunities. It is hoped other Rotary clubs, Interact and Rotaract members will join Mesa West Rotarians in supporting the event. For those who want to know more about Aqua Africa, CLICK HERE to visit their website.
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Some Mesa West Rotary Community Service History.jpg) Through my association with Save the Family Foundation of Arizona as a board member and board president for many years, I was able to connect Mesa West Rotary to them for several projects. Over the years, members would help to rehab vacant units for SFFA and we also assisted them in starting their Thrift Store. We secured racks and fixtures from a closing department store and provided the labor in retrofitting the interior of the building to function as a retail store. One of our members even provided concrete and manpower to pour an additional slab for them to expand with a storage facility. Our main project was the rehabbing of one of their family homes. They had one 3-bedroom house in Tempe that HUD had loaned to them for a period of one year. After that year, they would need to either purchase the house or vacate it. Since they didn't have enough funds for the purchase, I approached my employer, Wells Fargo Bank, with the purchase option. After going through proper channels, it was approved, and SFFA had their 3-bedroom house. Next, Mesa West Rotary took on the job of rehabbing the house. Through community donors, we were able to secure a new block wall fence, AC unit, reshingle the roof, new kitchen cabinets, new flooring, and even a swing set for the backyard. Members stepped up to provide manpower to remove old flooring, put in new desert landscaping, interior painting, etc. The project was completed in 1997 and received Wells Fargo's annual Volunteer Service Award for that year. |
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August 16, 2018 Meeting Highlights President Chris Krueger opened the meeting with Allan Cady offering the invocation and Dan Coons leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Attendance Drawing Greg Okonowski's badge number was on the token that was drawn making him the lucky $5 winner of the attendance drawing. Weekly Raffle The weekly raffle was back to normal proportions with all 52 cards in the starting deck of a new quest for the ace of spades. Allan Cady's ticket was drawn, making him the winner of $27.00. He did not draw the elusive ace of clubs so the new accumulating winnings will begin with $27.00 rolling over to next week. Happy Dollars Several Rotarians paid happy dollars. Allan Cady paid $10 to share information about a club he and Polly visited in San Diego while vacationing there. It was club number 33 - one of the oldest clubs in the nation. They have 500 members with 200 attending most weeks. When they arrived, they went through a receiving area where they selected from three lunch options and were given a chip to put on the table so the wait staff would know what to serve. The cost of the meal was $33.00. Bios were shared of some of the Rotarians featured at the meeting - a good way to engage members in such a large club. The meeting lasted from noon til 1:30 p.m. They have club foundations with balances totaling over $1,000,000. Their expected annual giving per member was $350.00. Polly got to use the last of the ten happy dollars Allan paid to tell that they won the prize for visiting Rotarians who had traveled the longest distance to attend the meeting. She received a t-shirt and a bottle of wine. Polly did not offer to auction either of those gifts. Dan Coons paid to warn Rotarians that his youngest son would soon be on the road as he is soon getting his driving permit. Chuck Flint was happy to have spent time recently in Greer, Arizona with friends. Dick Myren contributed $1 to honor Rod Daniels' tradition of being happy to be a member of Mesa West Rotary. John Pennypacker contributed for local temps less than 100°, which is apparently when he finds it cool enough to wear long pants. Pam Cohen paid sad dollars for the passing of the Queen of Soul - Aretha Franklin. Guests Visiting Rotarian, Miniandi, from India, presented a book to President Chris. His son was attending with him. Melody Jackson proudly introduced her boyfriend (her husband of 35 years - Randy). Aubrey Luma was happy to have her mother, Susan, and both of her sons with her. Jeanie Morgan introduced Cay Humphreys, and author and professor, who was visiting our club at the suggestion of a friend who told her that they believed her values were closely aligned with those of Rotary. Pam Cohen introduced our speaker, Jamie Podratz. Announcements
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Highlights of August 9, 2018 Meeting.jpg) President Chris Krueger opened the meeting after John Pennypacker had served as greeter. Ed Koeneman offered the invocation with the Boy Scout blessing, and Jack Rosenberg led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led almost everyone in singing "Red River Valley." Lucinda had never heard the song before.Introduction of Guests Guests were introduced. Colleen Coons introduced her son, Ryan Dellolio, and Christian Nessum, who is a student at Cal State Northridge and a lifetime friend of her son, Nick Dellolio, our speaker. Frank Rosenberg introduced his wife, Amanda; daughter, Danielle, and Mesa West Rotary's inbound exchange student, Caio. Penny Bolinger, a visiting Rotarian, was introduced. Aubrey Luma was accompanied by two handsome sons. Maya Gurrola, a Westwood High School Graduate, was introduced as an ASU scholarship winner. YMCA Executive Director, Brian Ellis was introduced by Pam Cohen as a possible prospective member. Attendance Drawing Badge numbers 57 and 39 were drawn but their owners were both absent. On the third try, Dick Myren's badge number was drawn, making him the lucky $5 winner. Weekly Drawing Saga Finale Since there was only one card left in the deck, and it was the Ace of Clubs, the ticket drawn would win the pot of $2,960, which had accumulated for more than a year. Dan Coons was the lucky ticket holder. Happy Bucks Dr. Ron Thompson collected Happy Bucks. Lucinda General paid for being rather astonished that everyone else seemed to know a song she did not remember ever hearing before. Colleen Coons was happy to have her boys back. Dan Coons' stepson (in light of his father being the lucky raffle winner) wanted his dad to know how much he likes him. Immanuel Beeson was happy to be back from a summer break from Rotary. Salvation Army officers get stretched thin over the summer. One thing that kept him busy was a summer program for 30-40 kids. He did take a vacation and brought back a T-shirt which he gave to President Chris. Jim Crutcher was happy that he was going to take his bike and go camping by himself. Dick Myren paid a happy dollar honoring Honorary Member Rod Daniels' "happy to be a member of Mesa West" tradition. He was also happy to report that following six weeks of radiation, his wife, Sandy, was pronounced cancer free. Don LaBarge was happy to have celebrated their 41st Anniversary on August 1. He was also happy to have a new Ford truck from Berge. John Pennypacker was happy to have played his best golf game in a long time recently. He already had an admirable score and topped it off with a birdie on the 18th hole. He also shared an adventure where he was stranded with two ladies at Rustler's Roost as they watched and waited for a haboob to pass. Pam Cohen was happy Dan Coons won the drawing. After all he does for our club, she thought it was about time he got a Rotary pay check. She was also very happy to have so many young people in the room. Auction Melody Jackson had a bag of surprises from her recent coastal vacation to be auctioned. Colleen Coons' bid of $50 won her some fun coastal themed culinary items. She said the next party would be at their house! Scholarship Awarded Maya Gurrola was called to the podium. Chuck Flint presented her with a check representing her $1,000 scholarship awarded last spring by our club. She will be enrolled in the Barrett Honors College at ASU, and will be studying Pre-med with a goal of becoming either an obstetrician or a psychologist. |
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August 2, 2018 Meeting Highlights The August 2 meeting got off to a great start with Polly Schumacher serving as the greeter. Dr. Ron Thompson offered the invocation and Ed Koeneman led the Pledge of Allegiance.Guests: Donna Goetzenberger introduced a longtime family friend, Brinton Johnson, who is a member of Phoenix 100, and has been a Rotarian for 24 years. Brinton has been a host mom for Rotary Youth Exchange students many times. Brinton's son, Michael was also introduced as a guest at the meeting. He has recently returned from a year as an exchange student in Spain. Bryan Goetzenberger was proud to introduce their daughter, Emilee who has recently returned from her year as an exchange student in Belgium. Daryl Bethea introduced Ryan Ellis, a prospective member, who is the Director of the YMCA in Mesa. Geoff White introduced Chris Johnson, who has moved to the Phoenix area. Chris Krueger introduced Keon, who was an intern with her bank, but is now full time. He is originally from Belgium and Chris thought he would enjoy the program. Lucinda General introduced her guest, Lola McClain, who has had a variety of careers, but at this time, her profession is court reporting. Ed Koeneman introduced the guests at his table. They were the 2018-19 leadership team from Westwood High School Interact Club. See their photo in the bottom row of the collage (l-r) Valeria Gutierrez, Secretary Shakima Fagen, President; and Hannah Mason, Treasurer. Drawings: Steve Ross was the winner of the $5.00 attendance drawing prize. The accumulating raffle was held with some electric tension in the room, since the weekly winnings would be $187 and the grand prize (if the ace of clubs were drawn from the two available cards left in the deck) would be $2,500. Jim Crutcher looked pretty serious when his raffle ticket was drawn. With a 50/50 chance of winning, he almost looked happily relieved to have drawn the queen of diamonds. He would not have to keep the promise he had made to himself to give at least half of the winnings to the Gift of Hearing Mission project. Since there will only be one card left, the rules for August 9 drawing are: There will be a $20 limit on the number of tickets any one person can purchase, and the owner of the ticket drawn will finally win the whole pot, which is now in its 14th month of accumulating. Happy Dollars Greg Okonowski collected happy dollars. Donna Goetzenberger was happy that many members responded to her e-mail asking for beverages and other snack items for the orientation planned for inbound youth exchange students on Saturday, August 4. Lucinda General paid happy dollars when she announced that with the help of Wendell Jones, Henry and Horne has agreed to help Rotary District 5495 with a review of the 2017-18 year of financial activity reporting. Kristen Klein was shamed into paying $5 happy dollars as the proud owner of a new Honda that was NOT purchased from Berge Ford where Jim Crutcher proudly serves. Jeanie Morgan paid happy dollars for a nice vacation visiting her daughter in Michigan and for the great job John Pennypacker did gathering photos and writing the highlights article for the Messenger about the July 26 meeting. Auction Jeanie had an auction item from her trip to Michigan - an item highly recommended by her son-in-law who grew up in Michigan. Donna Goetzenberger was the high bidder at $35 and took home a new bag and a sampler box of fudge from the Mackinac Island Fudge Shop. Announcements Pam Cohen announced a community fund raising event for Child Crisis Arizona, which will be a luncheon to be held Wednesday, September 26 at the Arizona Biltmore. Pam hopes to fill a table of 10 with members of our club. John Benedict as long been involved with this outstanding community resource and Pam suggested anyone who wanted more information about how the proceeds would be used talk to John. Chris Krueger spoke briefly about the information behind the recent e-mails to members about changes in the amount charged, in order to be fiscally responsible, for membership dues going forward. She also said we would be returning to the policy of members being charged for their meals at social events unless the club had gone dark to allow the cost of the meal to be transferred to the social. Members will always be charged for the cost of their guests to attend social events. She said it used to be that way. She does not know when or why that policy was abandoned, but it really doesn't matter. To be a responsible board, the policy needs to be reinstated. |
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Yordy Begins His Rotary Youth Exchange Adventure Our outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student, Yordy Miguel, arrived in Brazil on August 1. He was met by his host family. In his own words, "The airport in Sao Paulo was crazy. A lot of people were yelling and getting angry because they missed their flight. Unfortunately, I was one of the persons that missed their flight (haha). I stayed at the airport for ten hours waiting for the next flight to Curitiba. My host family picked me up at the airport. They are all very nice. I have three host siblings; Gustavo (16), Otavio (13), Vitoria (15). They also have two dogs. They showed me around the city and it's very beautiful and big. I really hope it's going to be an amazing year." |
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Warm Rotary Welcome for Carlos Mesa West Rotary Club will be hosting Carlos Luque, a Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Ecuador for the 2018-19 academic year. The original information the club was given about Carlos' arrival indicated he would arrive at 3:59 PM on Saturday, July 28.A message was sent to club members on the day of Carlos planned arrival updating the flight number and changing the arrival time to 6:40 PM. A later message to our membership indicated his flight was delayed a bit with an estimated arrival time of 7:10 PM. When Carlos' plane finally landed and Carlos walked past airport security, he was met by a welcoming entourage of fifteen. With Rotarians and their families living busy lives, to have fifteen in the welcome party when Carlos finally walked past security, was an impressive feat. Carlos is shown with his first host family in the top photo (l-r) Amanda Rosenberg, Carlos, Frank, Sammy, and Jack Rosenberg. Included in the welcoming group photo, are (l-r) Daryl Bethea, Frank Rosenberg, Sammy Rosenberg, Jack Rosenberg, Amanda Rosenberg, Colleen Coons, Dan Coons, John Pennypacker, Donna Goetzenberger, Carlos, Ryan Del'Ollio (ROTEX Mesa West Sponsored), Cooper Newman (ROTEX), Caleb Lowe (ROTEX) Hannah Lazere (2017-18 Rebound-ROTEX), Marla Lazere (RYE Committee) , and Kelly Gilmore (RYE Inbound Chair). ROTEX are former exchange students who volunteer to help the Youth Exchange Committee to plan and execute activities with inbound and/or outbound students. They are there to help share some of their experience as an exchange student with students who are starting (or about to start) their exchange experience. ROTEX are a vital resource to help our program grow! They are the Rotary Youth Exchange Experts! Now that Carlos has arrived and is beginning to get settled, Mesa West Rotarians who hope to get better acquainted and share a unique experience with him should make arrangements to be added to his calendar before it gets impossibly full. Remember, what seems ordinary to you will be a new and unique experience for him, so don't hesitate to invite Carlos to share time with you. It takes a brave and adventurous young person to leave all that is familiar, including friends and family, to spend a year in a different culture where very few people are bilingual. Most inbound students find that, even though they have studied English, it is difficult to understand conversations at first. Talking louder is not helpful, but slowing down, keeping your message simple, and making eye contact to verify understanding, or notice confusion early, can be very useful. Carlos will quickly adapt, and get used to our local speech habits, but his early days will likely be a bit stressful. Remembering the way he was welcomed will be a precious memory for Carlos of a great beginning to his Rotary Youth Exchange year-long adventure. |
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July 26, 2018 Meeting Highlights Jim Schmidt opened the meeting with an awful joke. Ron Thompson promised to fine him. He was obviously under the influence of drugs – courtesy of his dentist. Ray Smith led us in a rousing rendition of “In the Good Old Summertime”. In her presentation, our speaker from Ghana found the verbiage particularly amusing considering our current weather in AZ. Lucinda offered a Rotary gift bag of items from Rotary International HQs. Daryl Bethea was the lucky winner and was even happier when he didn’t have to pay for it. Our guests included Sandra Franco, AG from Westwood Interact Club. Jeremy R was the guest of Tim Troy. And just for good measure Frank Rosenberg’s daughter, Sammy, volunteered to taste the chocolate pie and pronounced it delicious. On a very sad, but also happy note, Matthew Rotty announced he and his family are moving to Prescott where he starts work on Monday with Keller - Williams. This has been a long-time quest and has finally come through for him. We wish him well and will forward all good wishes for his new Rotary Club in Prescott. SHOW ME THE MONEY Kristin Klein’s ticket was drawn and all she had to do was pick the Ace of Clubs out of three cards. The small pot was $217 with the mega pot at $2313. The pictures say it all - anticipation and disappointment! During happy dollars, Warren Williamson offer a suggestion for the food survey – eliminate anything that Greg O would not eat!!!!! Don LaBarge still crying over his downed tree, and how his gate and trailer got tangled up. The poor man really wanted to win the pot this week. Dan Coons reminded us that our exchange student, Carlos, from Ecuador arrives Saturday at PHX, terminal 4 at 3:59 pm. |
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Chris's Comments I am on an airplane right now, but can write up a short summary of our board retreat this last weekend. The meeting took place at my house and I bribed (I mean served) the board members egg casserole, monkey bread and a grape salad along with coffee and juice. We got down to business a little after 9:00 am and first worked through the constitution and bylaws for Mesa West Rotary. Ed Koeneman mentioned that this work began in his term, which was 2015-2016. I am happy to announce that we worked through both documents and have agreed to a final version which will be distributed to the club shortly. I want to thank everyone that had a hand in this process for over three years. This was a lot of work, but we finally made it. I believe we have some great documents to hold us for the next several years. We also came up with a balanced budget thanks to many helping hands on that as well. There are some announcements to be made regarding this that I prefer to do in person at the next club meeting that I am able to attend. Everyone should know that we are doing our best to be fiscally responsible while providing our members with the utmost value for their membership dues. We plan to have a couple of interesting fund raisers this year along with our usual sponsorship fund raising activities. I believe this will allow all of us to participate in the support of our club and the great things that we are able to do through Rotary. New members and membership engagement was a topic of discussion. We plan to have more activities that help our members to understand all of the facets of Rotary and Rotary International. Jim Schmidt mentioned as we called the meeting to a close, that he was very impressed that I finished the meeting with 2 minutes to spare. We were done by 12:58. That was four hours of great discussion and much work, but I feel we are in a great place at the beginning of our year and I am excited to share more with you soon. |
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Highlights from July 19, 2018 Meeting.jpg) President, Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Darl Andersen to offer the invocation and Don Boucher leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Allan and Polly Cady were happy to have their granddaughters attending the meeting with them, and they were all looking forward to a California getaway to spend time on their boat and move on to some other activities while there. Karen Estrada-Gonzales was introduced by Jeanie Morgan as a candidate for a grant from the Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona. Yordi Miguel, our outbound Youth Exchange student who will depart for Brazil on July 30 was introduced. The winner of the attendance drawing was Steve Ross. Chuck Flint provided an update on the weekly raffle. The small pot matched the prior week's record size at $125.00. The accumulating large pot was up to $2,096.00. He explained that the odds of holding the winning ticket were 75/1. The odds of holding the winning ticket and drawing the ace of clubs was 300/1. Yordi was asked to draw the winning ticket, and the ticket holder was Dan Coons. Unfortunately for Dan, of the four cards remaining, he drew the six of hearts. Don LaBarge paid happy dollars for the use of Dr. Ron's cabin in Pine. Dan Coons paid $20 happy dollars for an enjoyable family vacation in Taiwan. While there, they enjoyed meeting many of the Rotarians their son, Nick, had met during his Youth Exchange. Dan said he would take time another time to tell about the Rotary Club that had hosted Nick and which he visited while he was in Taiwan. Dick Myren was happy Mesa West was well represented at the celebration of Jerry Traylor's life. Steve Ross was happy that he and Luin had celebrated their 37th anniversary on July 4. He donated $100 to The Rotary Foundation annual fund to celebrate that special event. Jim Crutcher told about a policy of Berge Ford to employ autistic individuals. One very special employee, Robert Stevens, who had been with them for three years passed away in his sleep. He was only 49 years old. The priest who had baptised him came out of retirement to conduct the memorial service. Jim was proud that 68 of the Berge Ford employees honored Robert by attending his service. Allan Cady thought of a couple more things to be happy about. This was the first meeting where Jeanie Morgan's banner was on display and he had a flag he had received from District 4185 in Mexico when he and Polly spent time with their friend Omar while at the RI Convention. He reminded the club that we had participated with Omar's district with a wheelchair project where 4,000 reconditioned wheelchairs were distributed. They are working on a similar project this year, and have increased their goal to 5,000. Don Boucher was happy to announce the birth of their sixth grandson. Jeanie Morgan was happy to have a TRVFA Grant applicant at our meeting and also happy that Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary Club Foundation had given a $5,000 donation to TRVFA at their regular meeting. Polly Cady was happy that the theme banner she thought had been left in Canada was found when they received Allan's dry-cleaning from the trip. John Pennypacker was happy to have attended a Rotary Foundation meeting the prior weekend in California. One of the takeaways was a 16-17 page document on how the new tax law will impact giving. He offered to provide a copy to anyone who requested it. He was happy he was going to see Tim McGraw in concert Friday evening. Pam Cohen was sad that we would miss seeing Robert LaBarge who has relocated to Pinon, Arizona. Steve Ross had an auction item from their recent vacation in Northern California. Dr. Ron Thompson was the high bidder at $35. In the bag, he found a San Francisco Cap, a bottle of Saki, earrings, and a very small shirt that he thought might fit his leg, but someone else speculated that it would more likely fit his arm.
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Dick Myren Dick Myren was born in Sioux City, Iowa. He was the oldest of two children, with one younger brother. Dick has been an Arizona resident for twenty-three years, and has lived in only two US states - Iowa and Arizona. He has visited England, Scotland, Puerto Rico,Canada, Mexico and several Caribbean Islands. He is not fluent in any language other than English. As a teen, Dick dreamed of becoming an architect, but instead has spent fifty-nine years as a CPA. Dick has been married to Sandy for twenty-seven years. They have two sons, three daughters, eight grandsons, seven granddaughters, three great grandsons, and to date no great granddaughters. In remembering their best vacations, Dick says he and Sandy have been on several cruises in the Caribbean in February and several golfing vacations throughout the US and Canada. Dick has been a Rotarian since 1971. He was President of his club in Washington, Iowa in 1974-75. After relocating to Arizona, Dick served as President of Sun Lakes Rotary around 1995-96. He has served several terms as Treasurer of Mesa West Rotary. In reflecting on his most rewarding volunteer experience, Dick says he spent eight years helping with RYLA in Arizona serving as chaperone on the bus from the valley to Heber and driving the tram for the participants at the Salvation Army camp.
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Highlights of July 12 Meeting.jpg) President, Chris Krueger, opened the meeting by asking Dick Myren to offer the invocation and Wendell Jones to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.There were several guests president. Jeanie Morgan introduced her guest, Patty Bahoshy, and Dr. Kelli Ward who was visiting from the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club. John Pennypacker introduced the guests at his table: District Governor, Jim Erickson; District Governor Elect, David Simmer; Past District Governor, Barb Feder. Other guests present were Dr. Mike Ward, Sammi Rosenberg, and Jim LeCheminant, a previous Mesa Baseline Rotarian. Chuck Flint provided a little information about the weekly accumulating raffle, which has now rolled into its second year with no big winner. The small pot was at a record high of $125 at this meeting, and the large pot is now $1,971. The ticket drawn was not immediately claimed. It was found on the floor and determined to belong to Jim LeCheminant. There were only five cards remaining. To win the large pot, the ace of clubs had to be drawn. Jim did draw an ace, but from the wrong suit. On July 19, there will only be four cards remaining and the large pot will likely be over $2,000. Dr. Ron Thompson collected happy dollars. John Pennypacker contributed for a delightful dinner he enjoyed and added a bit more for successful eye surgery. Jim LeCheminant was happy about winning the small pot and was also happy about the swimming success of one of his granddaughters who was the state champion in freestyle swimming competition and her team also placed very high in relays. Polly Cady was happy about the good time they enjoyed at the RI convention and was also happy to have her dining room table back - it is no longer loaded with Rotary paperwork from Allan's Presidency. Don LaBarge had quite a tale about storm damage in the back yard of his home that was not apparent from the front. A tree had split and was laying on the roof, and nearly everything loose had been relocated. Don LaBarge was the winner of the attendance drawing. Polly had a gift for Chris from the convention. It was a scarf that conveniently went perfectly with the outfit Chris was wearing. There were other gifts purchased, but they did not make their way to Arizona. Polly did have a bag of edibles from the Toronto convention. President Chris's bid at the cap of $45 make her the lucky auction item recipient. President Chris held a brief club assembly. She introduced members to the organization chart that shows how the officers and directors will stay in touch with all the support committees. She noted that there are some empty assignments that will be managed by the director above them until the positions are filled. She encouraged members to get in touch with the appropriate director if they have a passion for any of the vacant responsibilities and would like to volunteer to fill that void. Lucinda General complimented Chris for her effort in organizing the club's management structure this way and complimented the club on growing to the point that we can have this much depth of commitment working together for good. To download a copy of the organization chart, CLICK HERE. |
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International Travel and Hosting Fellowship.jpg) Producing the Messenger each week has many benefits. It has helped me get to know my fellow Rotarians and my new Rotary Club much better than if I simply attended lunch each week. It also allows me to stay in touch with some of our seasonal visitors. This week, I learned a little more about Lolita Wiesner, a member of the Red Deer Rotary Club in Alberta, Canada. Lolita is a seasonal visitor, who regularly attends our Mesa West meetings during the cooler months of the year.Lolita and her husband, Hans, are members of one of the Rotary fellowships. Since joining the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship, they have been hosted by Rotarians in Scotland, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Denmark, India, Japan, United States and even Canada. When on cruises, where they've been in port for a day, they've been picked up by Rotarians to spend the day with them as they are shown around. Lolita says: "This has happened in quite a few cities around the world. It has been awesome. We've made many friendships, and quite a few of the Rotarians we've met have in turn visited us." |
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Ten Days in Toronto.jpg) Polly and I attended the Rotary Convention in Toronto June 23 – 27. We shared the Convention with 24,000 other Rotarians. For us, it was our third RI Convention, having attended both the Sydney and Atlanta events.Toronto is a vibrant, multi-cultured city with a population of 2.7 million. The general sessions were held in the Air Canada Centre, while the breakout sessions and the House of Friendship were based in the Toronto Convention Centre. Both locatons worked remarkably well with ample room for all attendees and presentations. The Keynote speakers were Laura Bush, First Lady and wife of George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States; Princess Anne, only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip; and Justin Trudeau, the Prime Minister of Canada. Polly and I attended a total of seven breakout sessions. Our favorites were Getting Your Story Covered in the News, Engaging Young Professionals, Involving Alumni in Rotary Projects, and Rotarians Combatting Human Trafficking and Slavery. Both Polly and I captured many program ideas which we look forward to sharing with Mesa West Rotary in the days and weeks ahead. Additionally, Polly and I attended three separate events: District 5495 Kickoff Dinner; District 6000 breakfast at the invitation of Lee Holmes, our recently appointed Assistant Governor; and a Gift of Life International reception. While we were in Toronto, we also reconnected with Omar Falcon Aburto and his family. They stayed at our home during the Mexican-USA Friendship Conference in Phoenix last October and acquainted us with Enchulamma la Silla, a wheelchair project to which Mesa West made a $1,000 contribution last year. Following the Convention, Polly and I made a side trip to Niagara Falls, a wonder neither of us had previously witnessed. We thrilled with a Hornblower Catamaran adventure into the mist and rain at the base of the falls. Many great pictures were captured with our camera and i-Phones. Finally, all Rotarians extended a hearty thanks and farewell to Ian Riseley, now Past RI President from Victoria, Australia. President Riseley is succeded by Barry Rassin from New Providence, Bahamas. The Rotary theme for 2018-2019 is Be the Inspiration. The RI Convention next year with all of its friendship, fun, and inspiration will be held in Hamburg, Germany. Polly and I hope to attend that one too! |
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DG Colton Cagle Interact Ambassador to Kenya Colton Cagle is a student at Westwood High School in Mesa. He is also a RYLA alumni, and is the District Governor of the District 5495 Interact Council. Rotary has already had a huge impact on the character of this fine young man. That life-changing impact of Rotary will now expand exponentially. He and a team of ambassadors left on June 30, headed for Kenya to deliver the mobility devices gathered in the 2017-18 Interact Crutches for Africa project. CLICK HERE to see a facebook album of photos taken on the day they departed.Another Interact Ambassador on the trip, Madelynn MacDonald, kept a daily blog. One of her observations on their first morning of delivering devices was of a situation that she will likely never forget: "We saw a perfect example of being there at the right time. A girl had fallen and twisted her ankle horribly and was relying on her friend to get across a huge campus. We were able to get her a pair of crutches, with one request, 'pass it on when you don't need it.'" CLICK HERE to see a Facebook album of photos taken on day 1 and read Madelynn's blog post for that day. Elizabeth Mahoney, who will be District Governor of our Rotary District in 2020-21, is enjoying the adventure with the Interact Ambassadors. She shared an impression from an interaction of a father of a 16-year-old girl who was left unable to walk from being stricken with menengitis at a very young age: "He shared that no one could ever truly understand the pain and suffering he has had all these years as a caregiver. Needing to carry her to and fro, while trying to work - while trying to make sure she was safe. In the same breath he shared that no one will ever understand the greatness of the gift he received today. He will no longer need to carry his daughter - she received her first wheelchair!" To see photos taken on day 2 and more of Elizabeth's remarks, CLICK HERE. |
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Our Outbound Youth Exchange Students are Coming Home Each of two couples in Mesa West Rotary have been separated from one of their children for close to a year.Dan and Colleen Coons' son, Nick Del'Ollio, was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Taiwan this past academic year. Dan, Colleen, and Ryan departed Saturday, June 29 to go to Taiwan to spend the last few days of his exchange with him. They will have the opportunity to meet some of the people Nick has become close to during his exchange an see a tiny amount of the cultural immersion opportunity he had a chance to enjoy. They will return to Arizona together on July 11. Bryan and Donna Goetzenberger's daughter, Emilee spent the 2017-18 school year in Belgium. She will be arriving home June 20. Before Emilee leaves Europe, she will visit the Police headquarters in Paris to pick up Mesa West Rotarian Ed Koeneman's recovered wallet which was stolen from him on his family's recent tour of Europe. The Goetzenbergers have had an established family tradition of enjoying weekend staycations at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. That is where they plan to spend the weekend to welcome Emilee back to their close family.
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Cady Moments at the Rotary International Convention.jpg) Past President Allan Cady and Polly attended a Session presented by Gift of Life International at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto the week of July 24. While there, they had the opportunity to spend time with the family of Omar Falcon Aburto. The Aburto family was home-hosted by Mesa West President Allan Cady and his wife, Polly during the USA Mexico Friendship Conference and Grant Exchange Workshop last October in Phoenix. They were reunited Tuesday, June 26 at the RI convention and enjoyed having dinner together that evening. CLICK HERE to see the Facebook photo album of that reunion. Allan and Polly will have a lot to share when they next attend Mesa West Rotary. Odds are pretty good that club members can expect some interesting auction items were gathered on their adventure and will be available at a Mesa West Rotary meeting in the near future.
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Highlights of June 28 Meeting President-Elect, Chris Krueger opened the meeting in the absence of President, Allan Cady. Allan and Polly had sent photos of the view of Niagara Falls, which they had sent earlier in the day from their hotel room. They apparently were having some travel adventures following their attendance at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada. Ray Smith led those present in singing one verse of "Old MacDonald Had A Farm." Dr. Ron Thompson offered the invocation and Ed Koeneman led the Pledge of Allegiance. Pam Cohen served as greeter, welcoming all to the meeting. Carolyn Ann Jones, introduced herself for the last time as a guest. Wendell will no longer be introducing her as his guest, since Carolyn will be our newest Rotary Reserve member. In the attendance drawing, Ed Koeneman was the $5 winner. Chuck Flint was looking for an honest Rotarian to draw the raffle ticket in the weekly drawing. The holder of the winning ticket would win $88 in the weekly drawing, and if they were to draw the ace of clubs from the six cards remaining, they would be the lucky recipient of $1,846. Chuck had Bert Millett (an attorney) draw the winning ticket. When no-one got excited when they heard the last four numbers on the ticket, Chuck checked his own tickets and found that he was the winner. John Pennypacker volunteered to help keep the card drawing honest, and laid the six cards face down on the table after shuffling them. Chuck had his eye on two cards. His first choice was (unfortunately for Chuck) the Queen of Hearts. This is the first time the weekly drawing has rolled into a second Rotary Year. The club will be dark on July 5. Attendance should be good on July 12 when the odds of drawing the right card will be even better, but offset by the odds of buying the winning ticket likely being worse. Sgt at Arms, Greg Okonowski, went around collecting happy bucks. John Hunt was happy to be at the meeting after having to miss several recently. Dick Myren paid $2 because he was happy to see his friend Rod Daniels at the Changing of the Guard. Steve Ross paid sad dollars for having to leave 75º weather in San Diego to return to 105º weather here. Dan Coons was happy he was going to get to see his son, Nicholas, on Sunday. Dan, Colleen and Ryan will depart early Saturday morning to fly to Taiwan and enjoy the last few days of Nicholas' Rotary Youth Exchange journey with him. Bob Zarling was happy to be heading for Long Beach next week. Ed Koeneman was happy to report that Emilee Goetzenberger was going to pick up his stolen wallet at the Paris Police Department and bring it home with her when she returns from her exchange in Belgium. Steve West made a generous contribution as he was happy to finally be able to find time to attend. John Pennypacker was happy to have placed Rotary Foundation brochures on all the lunch tables. He announced that on July 12, our new District Governor, Jim Erickson will be attending our meeting to officiate in recognition of some TRF giving achievements. |
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Here's to a Great Rotary International Convention President Allan Cady discovered a refreshing way to study the Four-Way-Test while enjoying a bit of relaxation in the House of Friendship at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada.For those who have never attended a Rotary International Convention, the House of Friendship is in a large convention hall where hundreds of vendor booths are set up selling all things Rotary and displaying international projects seeking funding for matching grants. Rotary Fellowship Groups have booths to try to build their membership in a variety of common interests ranging from wine-tasting to motorcycle enthusiasts. In the House of Friendship, there are also a variety of food and beverage vendors surrounding a large area of tables where Rotarians have the opportunity to visit with old friends and make new friends in a richly cultural diverse atmosphere.
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June 21, 2018 Meeting Highlights Pam Cohen opened the meeting. President Allan Cady and Secretary Polly Cady were on an airplane headed for the Rotary International Convention in Toronto, Canada. President Elect Chris Krueger was also unavailable due to an unavoidable business meeting. As Community Service Chair, Pam was next in line. Bert Millet offered the Invocation, Jim Crutcher led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Pam asked everyone present to observe a moment of silence remembering Jerry Traylor, who lost his battle to cancer on June 10. Jerry was a motivational speaker who touched the lives of all who heard him. Many district youth who attended RYLA heard him describe at RYLA what it was like to grow up and go through life on crutches because of cerebral palsy. Jerry would also tell about running across the US on those crutches, participating in marathons and climbing Pikes Peak multiple times. His message destroyed the excuses the youth may have had for doing any less than their best. It worked the same way for the adults in the room.There were several guests present: Ed Koeneman introduced Colton Cagle, 2018-19 Interact 5495 District Governor, and Hannah Mason, Westwood High School Interact Treasurer. Wendell Jones introduced his wife, Carolyn. Greg Okonowski introduced his guest and mentor, Carl Billings. Frank Rosenberg introduced John Ore from Tempe South Rotary Club. Pam introduced the Club to the name and theme for 2018-19 Rotary International President, Barry Rassin. The theme for our next Rotary year will be "Be the Inspiration." She added that RI has worked hard over a significant period of time on refreshing our public messaging. One of the outcomes is a powerful new vision statement: “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.” In the attendance drawing, badge number 63 was drawn making Warren Williamson the lucky $5 winner. Chuck Flint provided a little history about our weekly raffle. On June 15, 2017, with 52 cards in the deck beginning this rollover drawing, there was $18 in the pot. The accumulating pot had grown to $1,758 and after a single had been card drawn (and removed) each time a drawing was held in the past year, there were only seven cards remaining. The small weekly drawing was at a new high of $102.00. The raffle ticket that was drawn was one that had been purchased for Dr. Ron Thompson, who could not attend the meeting. Greg Okonowski was holding Ron's tickets, so he shuffled the cards and asked Chuck to pull the 5th card down. Unfortunately (for Ron), the 5th card was the six of clubs. Thursday, June 28, there will be only six cards to draw from and more potential winnings. During Happy Bucks, Don Boucher contributed for being able to enjoy cooler weather and beautiful scenery when he and Sharon attended a business meeting in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Jim Crutcher paid for celebrating his and Cheryl's 41st wedding anniversary. Daryl Bethea contributed for a recent trip to Europe. He paid $100 and solemnly told of the impact of visiting the beach at Normandy. He spent time in Winston Churchill's bunker where he had to keep himself and all those he led focused on doing the right thing even though there would be an enormous cost. Daryl contributed another $100 for a happy family event, but deferred to his son to announce that John's daughter, Giselle, who had taken a leave of absence from her ballet career, has recently become engaged to Cole Farnsworth. Their wedding will be August 21 in the Gilbert Temple. Jim Ore, of Tempe South, told of a recent motorcycle trip he had enjoyed with a long-time police academy friend. They rode from Arizona to Boston and back - a total of 8,120 miles, which was actually one of the shortest rides they have made together. He was glad to be home and visiting Mesa West. Matt Rotty told of taking his oldest son camping at Woods Canyon Lake and the wonder of enjoying seeing him experience that kind of adventure for the very first time. Chuck Flint told of an adventure with his dad when he was five years old. They flew in his dad's fabric airplane to Site Six (the island on the other side of the London Bridge in Lake Havasu) where they stayed in a hotel and went fishing. Pam contributed for all the wonderful help she enjoyed at the Changing of the Guard event at Don LaBarge's home on Saturday, June 16. Several contributed for the privilege of knowing Jerry Traylor. Ed Koeneman and his family recently travelled to Europe. He had an auction item in a Gucci (paper) bag. He put a cap of $25 on the bidding and it didn't take long to get there. Donna Goetzenberger was the lucky winner of a glass replica of the Eiffel Tower filled with bonbons. Ed also presented a Rotary Club flag which he received when he attended the Rotary Club Roma Est, when in Rome. He (being a true renaissance man) promised to sew the flag to our club flag-display banner. Colton Cagle made a brief presentation about the trip he will soon be making to Kenya as part of the Interact District Council's Crutches for Africa project. He will be part of a team which will deliver the mobility devices they gathered to individuals who have been afflicted by polio or other debilitating illness or injury. They will also deliver personal items and cheer to children in hospitals there. Following his presentation, Pam presented Colton with a check for $1,007 representing funds raised by the club to support his personal preparation and incidental travel-related expenses for the trip. |
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Remembering Jerry Traylor.jpg) I don't know anyone who ever met Jerry Traylor who was not inspired and enriched in some way from that encounter. I had the privilege of hearing his presentations at RYLA for many years. I know he had a positive impact on countless young lives. Most teens see themselves as seriously flawed in one way or another. Seeing and hearing Jerry took away all their excuses for letting those flaws get in the way of dreaming large and achieving much! Jerry was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago and fought that last battle valiently, but was peaceful and ready to move on to his final reward when he passed from this life in hospice care on June 10, 2018. I pulled my copy of his book, LIVE CAREFULLY off the shelf after hearing of his death. Back in my RYLA days, every participant took a copy of this book home with them. I plan to slowly re-read mine and remember my friend. A memorial service for Jerry will be held Saturday, July 14, 2018 (his 64th birthday) at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 16150 E. El Lago Blvd., Fountain Hills, Arizona. The best way to honor Jerry will be to remember "the importance of caring in a life of significance."
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Changing of the Guard Saturday, June 16, Mesa West Rotarians, with their spouses and friends enjoyed a rare, cool and comfortable June evening on the patio of Don and Chris LaBarge's home in Mesa. Chef Mike Krueger, prepared delicious brisket and ribs for all to enjoy along with the appetizers and desserts provided by those who attended.Following dinner, Chuck Flint started to MC the honoring of outgoing President Allan Cady and installation of 2018-19 President Chris Krueger, but was interrupted by Ima Snitch (aka Pam Cohen) of the Rotary Rumor Recorder, who wanted to litigate impeachment proceedings against President Allan. After booing from the crowd, Judge Jones allowed her to present her case, which she did with an extensive slide show showing what she believed to be irrefutable evidence that Allan had operated under the name of his alias, Allan Cady, along with his accomplice, also operating under an alias, Pollyanne Cady, but were actually Alonso Cadini and Polly Panache, who were using the alias names after being relocated with new names by the witness protection program. Ima Snitch's slide show attempted to prove that Alonso and Polly had reverted to their old ways, gathering money from illegal sources, storing it in peanut butter jars and shipping it out of the country where they partied with other accomplices. Attorney, Bert Millet, used the same photos with his defense of President Cady demonstrating what he felt was irrefutable evidence that President Allan and Pollyanne had acted in completely selfless ways throughout the year doing good in the community and internationally. After the defense rested its case, Judge Jones asked those present to serve as the jury and vote "guilty," which would result in President Allan's impeachment or "not guilty." which would allow him to retire and continue to serve the club with the honor of being our Immediate Past President Allan. The not guilty vote was nearly unanimous with only Ima Snitch voting to impeach. Following the trial, President Allan honored those who had served on his team during his Presidential year, giving each a Rotary 4-Way-Test Coin. He also named those who had perfect attendance during his tenure: John Benedict, Don Boucher, Allan Cady, Polly Cady, Pam Cohen, Dan Coons, Chuck Flint, Lucinda General, Chris Krueger, Don LaBarge, Jeanie Morgan, John Pennypacker, Jack Rosenberg, Jim Schmidt, Ray Smith, and Warren Williamson. He handed out perfect attendance certificates those named who were present. He surprised Jeanie Morgan, naming her Rotarian of the Year for her work in developing the Messenger electronic newsletter and promotion of the club through social media. He also had help surprising Jeanie with a flag to hang in our meeting room honoring her service as District 5490 District Governor in 2009-10. He also remarked that he had not realized until this event how well connected Don LaBarge was with our creator, but was impressed that Don apparently called in some favor to end the Arizona drought and lower the typical June temperatures so his guests could be comfortable for the changing of the guard.
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June 7 Meeting Highlights.jpg) President, Allan Cady opened the meeting by asking members to observe a moment of silence honoring those who lost their lives in the June 6, 1944 D-Day invasion before Jack Rosenberg led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led those present in singing the minstrel song, "Camptown Races" to get members in the mood to enjoy the Belmont Stakes coming up on June 9.Guests present at the meeting were Takuma, our inbound Youth Exchange Student from Japan, Carolyn Jones, Alex Hopkins (a soon-to-be Past District Governor from District 5030 in Washington, Andrew Martinez, and Dana, President-Elect from the Tempe Downtown Rotary Club. Don LaBarge was almost a "triple-crown" winner at the meeting. His badge number was drawn in the attendance drawing. Next, the raffle ticket drawn was held by him, making him the winner of the record breaking $71 weekly pot. He very meticulously shuffled the few cards remaining in the deck and carefully chose a card. He apparently did not understand which card he needed to draw. He drew the 8 of clubs rather than the Ace of Clubs, so the accumulating pot (now up to $1,651) will roll over to the June 21 meeting, when the odds of winning will be even greater. Donna Goetzenberger paid happy dollars for the opportunity to enjoy the District Conference June 1-3. Ted Williams paid happy dollars for a new grandbaby in their family - number 47. Counting great grandchildren, there are now 57. Jim Crutcher paid $100 happy dollars. Berge ford won the Triple Crown with Ford. In 2015, the dealership won the President's Award placing in the top 335 in Customer Satisfaction and won 1st place in their group. In 2016, they won again. In 2017, the rules changed. The Berge employees were all committed to win it. They had to be a Presidents Award Winner, be a Premier Parts and Service Winner and place in the top 100 in the nation in sales. In July, they were falling short and only had three months remaining. They had a good October. In December, they sold 42 cars to employees or their family members. On December 7, Craig Berge died. Nancy and her daughters came to the rescue asking his loyal employees to "Do it for Craig!" On December 20, they knew they qualified for the President's Award. December 21, the dealership was closed so all could attend Craig's celebration of life where there was standing room only. December 22 everyone went back to work with lots of dedication from family and employees. They moved from 132 to 80th place in five months. They won the triple crown. In March, they had a big celebration with employees, spouses, kids, and vendors at Rawhide. Nancy Berge went to Florida in May to celebrate the Triple Crown win. Jim had sent a story about the inspiration and dedication of their staff. The story was used to highlight the celebration at the Florida event. John Pennypacker paid happy dollars as a proud son of Capt. Jack Pennypacker, a World War II Pilot who was in the lead echelon of bombers during D-Day. In 2016, John visited the base in England where his dad was based. Pam Cohen paid happy dollars for some extraordinarily good customer service at Berge Ford. Polly Cady paid happy dollars for the outstanding group of Inbound, Outbound and prior Youth Exchange Students that were present at the District Conference. Allan Cady paid $5 happy bucks because we met our donation goal for Interact DGE, Colton Cagle's upcoming Crutches for Africa trip, because the District Conference was great, because Mesa West had twelve members in attendance at the conference. and for the District Achievement Award he received for our club while there. Soon the second year of our sponsorship program will kick off. President Allan called for a vote in the President-Elect and Secretary positions. voting on the ByLaws has been tabled for the time being because of something that came to light that may need to be corrected before the new governing documents are ready for club approval. Announcements:
Don LaBarge had an award to present. At International Conventions, typically a unique convention pin is sold to help support the costs of the convention. In Houston, the pin looked like a Sheriff's pin. At the 2007 Salt Lake City Convention, the International President asked a small team (of which Don LaBarge was a member) to seize some pins about which there was a dispute about registration and trademark. Somehow, Don ended up with a few that were not destroyed. He presented one of those pins to Takuma. |
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Help welcome Caio this Saturday! Our inbound Youth Exchange Student, Carlos "Caio" Luque, will arrive at Sky Harbor on July 28. His American Airlines flight number 948 is due to arrive at terminal 4 at 3:59 PM. Mesa West Rotarians are encouraged to join the welcome party at the airport to give Caio a warm Mesa West Rotary welcome! |
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Mesa West Well Represented at First District 5495 Annual Conference Twelve Mesa West Rotarians attended the District Conference June 1-2. Shown left to right in the photo are Chris Krueger, John Pennypacker, Bob Zarling, Jeanie Morgan, Frank Rosenberg, Pam Cohen, Lucinda General, Allan Cady, Polly Cady, Bryan and Donna Goetzenberger. Not shown, but also in attendance was Don LaBarge. In the center of the photo is a Peace Pole like many clubs have planted in public locations in our district and throughout the world.May 31, the day prior to the conference, John Pennypacker, Bob Zarling, Jeanie Morgan, and Frank Rosenberg attended the Pursuing Peace conference hosted by District 5495. They heard excellent speakers make presentations on the subject of peace. Rotary, world-wide, is becoming a leading force in promoting peace. Slightly over half of those who attending this event were non-Rotarian community leaders. |
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Highlights of May 31, 2018 Meeting Aubrey Luma had the winning raffle ticket. The small pot was around $40.00 and the large pot was $1,508.00. Sadly, Aubrey did not choose the ace of clubs so there will be a chance for a big winner at this coming meeting! Chuck Flint reported on EREY and said that there are only nine people who have not responded to his latest email urging everyone to donate at least $25 to the Foundation before June 30, 2018. Happy Bucks: See Jack Rosenberg’s Jelly Bean story and a photo in a separate article. Chris Krueger had $5 happy bucks because Ron Thompson gave her a new crown and she had NO pain! There were several happy bucks for just being at Rotary. Pam’s happy bucks were for spending a day with her daughter, Alex, in Flagstaff. Announcements:
President Allan exchanged flags with Takuma. When they posed for photos, Allan asked Takuma to "stand tall," so Takuma stood on his tip toes for one photo, then Takuma asked Allan to "stand short," and Allan obliged by crouching for a second photo. |
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Small World for Jelly Bean, The Clown I just had the most amazing experience! I stopped at Jerry’s Restaurant, in Phoenix, for a quick breakfast. I was speaking with a young man, named “Goren”. As we talked, I mentioned that I went to Bosnia, and Croatia, many years ago, as Jelly Bean, the Clown. I was volunteering my time, with some other Rotarians. My job was to make balloon animals, and entertain the Refugee children, to put smiles on their faces. “Goren” was one of those children! He was only 5 years old, and remembered me, as Jelly bean... |
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June is Rotary Fellowships Month Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience.Click on the image to find more information on the Rotary International website about existing fellowships, how to start a new fellowship, etc. The photo was taken at an event enjoyed by members of the Antique Automobile Rotary Fellowship.
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Bert Millett Bert Millett is an Arizona native. He was born in Mesa, Arizona, and was the second of eight children. He was raised in Arizona, and has resided here most of his life, but had short stints in Utah, Mississippi and Virginia. He also lived in Mexico for two years as a missionary and in Spain for six months as a student. Bert has travelled to six foreign countries, "and counting." He speaks Spanish. As a teen, Bert dreamed of being a performer at Sea World, but instead is a business and real estate attorney. He has been practicing for twelve years. Bert has been married to Kelly for eighteen years. They have five children. His best vacation memories are summer trips to Lake Powell. Bert has memories of two volunteer experiences that stand out in his memory. In 2009, he coordinated an effort to build a new playground at the Park of the Canals. In 2011, he founded a local triathlon race called Mesa Sprint Triathlon that happens each fall to raise money for the Foundation for Mesa Parks and Recreation.
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Highlights of May 24 Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting by asking Ray Smith to lead those present in singing God Bless America. Darl Andersen offered the invocation and Dick Myren led the Pledge of Allegiance.Several guests were introduced. Visiting from the Mesa East Rotary Club were Jim Schmentzler and Chuck Halland. Ed Koeneman was pleased to introduce his mother, Maryann Koeneman. Michael Polley was present, currently as a visiting Rotarian, but it is hoped his "application in process" will move swiftly through the process. Daryl Bethea's badge number was drawn, making him the $5 winner of the attendance drawing. Steve Ross handled the raffle. The weekly winnings were higher than usual at $69.00, reflecting the attraction for ticket sales with the large accumulating potential winnings up to $1,522. Darl Andersen's ticket was drawn, but his disappointment was apparent when he drew the 3 of clubs rather than the ace. Warren Williamson paid happy dollars announcing he had a gift to auction. It was a container of Son Hee's Special Sauce. He was also happy about a good time he and Son Hee enjoyed at the home of Dan and Colleen Coons. Don LaBarge paid happy dollars telling about how he was criticized by others in his office regarding how he had behaved during a fire inspection a year ago at his place of business. His staff had been pleased Don was leaving for Rotary after they noted the inspector was in the area and they were due for their annual inspection. Polly paid happy dollars because she thought his staff was probably concerned about being embarrassed in front of "cute firemen," a community resource which she obviously appreciates. Michael Polley was simply happy. Matt Rotty gladly paid happy dollars for having an amazing wife who is managing their household of four young children admirably. He was particularly thankful that baby number four who arrived a few months ago slept for 8.5 hours recently, a milestone which will improve quality of life for the entire family.  John Pennypacker contributed $20 to the Mesa West Rotary Foundation celebrating that his niece, Carolyn Lampl had another successful day Tuesday, May 22 contributing to Stanford's win of the 2018 NCAA Women's Tennis National Championship.Greg Okonowski had a cruise bag filled with goodies to auction off. Dan Coons was the successful bidder, paying $48 for the bag. Polly Cady brought a bag to be auctioned from the trip she and Allan recently made to Florida. Daryl Bethea was the successful bidder, paying $51 for something pretty and something to consume. Ray Smith made the winning $20 bid to purchase Son Hee Williamson's Secret Sauce. Announcements:
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Highlights of May 17, 2018 Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting asking Ed Koeneman to offer the invocation, which he did using the Boy Scout prayer. Jeanie Morgan led the Pledge of Allegiance.The large pot for the weekly raffle had grown to $1,454. Christy Citterman's raffle ticket was drawn, making her the automatic winner of the smaller $54 prize. The three of diamonds, which she drew, disappointed her, but others in the room celebrated the fact that the large pot will continue to grow and the odds of winning get better each week. Dr. Ron Thompson, serving as the Sgt. at Arms collected happy bucks. Ed Koeneman happily contributed as his school year has ended and he will be able to attend more of our Mesa West meetings and enjoy other activities. John Pennypacker paid for the privilege of recently serving as was the starter on the 1st Tee for the first 2 days of the Junior College Women’s JCNCAA National Championship held at Longbow Golf Course in Mesa. He said, "Learning to pronounce some of the Thai, Spanish and Greek names, along with a few others was a beautiful learning experience. Not only did some of these very petite young ladies drive the golf ball well off the tee, they were all very polite and a pleasure to be around. They did their schools proud." Bob Jensen paid celebrating 37 wonderful years married to Nancy. Daryl Bethea was thankful for mothers and all that they contribute to make each of our lives much more wonderful than our lives would be without them. Darl Andersen paid sad bucks because he was sitting at a table of losers, many of whom had not purchased raffle tickets when they arrived at the meeting. He reminded them and any others present that were also guilty of being losers - "If you don't play, you can't win!" Jim Crutcher was happy to be happy. Chuck Flint was happy that his list of members who have not yet contributed to The Rotary Foundation this year is now down to 14 and continuing to shrink. He reminded all present of the club's commitment to "Every Rotarian Every Year - EREY," and that meeting that commitment is a requirement for Mesa West to receive the District Five Avenues of Service Award. Announcements:
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2018 Mesa West Rotary Scholarship Recipients Maya Gurrola and Daniel Ochoa Castillo were recognized as the 2018 Mesa West Rotary scholarship recipients at the Westwood High School presentation held Thursday, May 17. Maya was not present at the recognition event.Mesa West member, Andrea Murphy, has been the Westwood Interact faculty advisor for many years. She is on Westwood's scholarship committee and sees all of the students who have applied for and received scholarships. The ideal student for our Mesa West scholarships is one that has good grades, but is not at the top of their class (with a plethora of other scholarships already lined up). Our recipients should be very service minded and of good character. There must be a clear financial need. The Mesa West Foundation checks presented by Chuck Flint are payable to the college or university each of the students plan to attend. |
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Highlights from May 10, 2018 Meeting President, Allan Cady, opened the meeting by asking Immanuel Beeson to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.There were several guests present at the meeting: Jim Erickson, District Governor Elect, Wendell Jones' wife, Carolyn; John Lane, a visiting Rotarian from Troy, Ohio; and Mike Polley, a Rotarian who has recently moved to our area from Hawaii. Frank Rosenberg was the lucky $5 attendance drawing winner on the third try - winning after badge numbers 19 and 14 were called with their owners not present to win. As Foundation Chair, Chuck Flint reminded members that for the club to qualify for the District's Five Avenues of Service for Club Achievement Award, every member must donate, during this Rotary year, a minimum of $25.00 to The Rotary Foundation. Chuck has personally contacted all the members who had not yet done so, and while many responded, there are still 14 members remaining who have not donated. He will contact them again, but is hopeful the reminder at the meeting and in this Messenger article will prompt them to take action. At the May 3 meeting, President Allan had promised to give members the opportunity to contribute to "walking money" for Colton Cagle to take on his upcoming trip to Africa. Colton was selected to be on the team to travel to deliver the mobility devices collected by the district-wide Interact project this past year. Colton served as the President of the Westwood High School Interact club this school year and was recently elected to be the Interact District Governor for 2018-19. Allan had an opportunity to talk to Andrea Murphy, our member who is the sponsor at Westwood High for the Interact Club when she attended the Mesa West Rotary Club's annual Spring Olympics. She spoke very highly of Colton who is a very impressive young man. John Pennypacker paid happy dollars to celebrate the birth of his father 102 years ago. Polly Cady paid happy dollars to be sitting at a prestigious table with two Past District Governors and one District Governor Elect. Wendell Jones contributed happy dollars for Carolyn's birthday. Pam Cohen contributed for the privilege of being seating with four handsome men, and Daryl Bethea contributed for the privilege of sitting at the same table with Pam. Greg Okonowsky contributed $20 to Colton's fund as the happy winner of the Spring Olympics competition. Ed Koeneman was happy that school is out for the summer. He announced that the Interact Club had elected officers Wednesday evening, May 9. All three newly elected officers are girls who have attended RYLA. Their President will be a senior next year and immigrated to the US with her family from the British Virgin Islands. Announcements:
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Spring Olympics Saturday, May 5, 2018, John and Jane Benedict again opened their home for the Mesa West Rotary annual Spring Olympics. The date, "Cinco de Mayo," could not be ignored, so a delicious menu of Mexican food was arranged by Club Service Chair, Pam Cohen. Click on the image to link to the Facebook album of the outstanding collection of photos taken by Wayne General at the event.Special guests were present from the Westwood High School Interact Club including Colton Cagle, who was recently elected to serve the Interact District as their District Governor in 2018-19. Members of the Gilbert High School basketball team again lent their support to the event by doing some of the heavy lifting with setup and tear down. They also served as referees to oversee the fairness of the games. Luin Ross (again) demonstrated her dominance as a first-place winner at this annual competition even though she had a different Rotarian, Greg Okonowski, participating as her partner this year. |
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Highlights of May 3, 2018 Meeting President Allan Cady invited Wendell Jones to lead members and guests singing four verses of "If You're Happy and You Know It..." Following this energizing activity, Dick Myren offered the invocation and Kurt Klingenberg led the Pledge of Allegiance.There were several guests present: Phyllis Avalon Rosh, who accompanied our guest speaker to the meeting; Donna Goetzenberger's daughter, Paige, and Donna's daughter-for-a-year, Rotary Youth Exchange student, Lissa; Wendell Jones' beautiful wife, Carolyn; Wayne General introduced his guest, Lola McClane from Scottsdale; and Jack Rosenberg proudly introduced his granddaughter, Sammy Badge number 27 was drawn in the attendance drawing, making Don LaBarge the lucky $5 winner. Chuck Flint announced that the weekly drawing winner would receive $61 and the chance to draw the ace of clubs to try to win $1,335. Allan Cady's ticket was drawn, but his luck did not hold out to win the large pot - he drew the nine of clubs. Dr. Ron Thompson was called on to collect happy bucks. Jeanie Morgan paid happy dollars for the privilege of knowing Chuck Denney, an enthusiastic member of the Lake Havasu City Rotary Club, but sad to have learned that he passed away earlier in the week. She was also happy to discover that she had the capacity without investing in new software to create movies with still photos on her computer, and happier still that she wasn't too old to learn that new skill. Polly Schumacher paid happy dollars celebrating Jim Crutcher's presence at our meeting. Polly was also happy that she was going to be able to see Mary Jo West inducted to the ARIZONA WOMEN’S HALL OF FAME. She was the first prime-time television anchorwoman in Arizona in 1976, thus opening the door for the women who followed her. She was also an anchor the pioneer CBS all night newscast, Nightwatch. She did not just stand in front of the camera, she worked on issues that were until then not in the forefront. She was the first woman to go-into the Arizona State Prison in Florence and interview inmates for her documentary on sexual assault, for which she won a Rocky Mountain Emmy. She has been a staunch supporter of mental health awareness throughout her professional career and private life, not only in Arizona but national as well. Polly says "Mary Jo is a remarkable person and continues to be involved in serving." Jack Rosenberg was happy that the transmission that died in his car recently was still under warranty. Wayne General thanked the models for his recent photography at the Donor Appreciation Reception. He thanked Lucinda for her help getting them uploaded and Jeanie for her work putting them into a movie. Paige Goetzenberger was happy to be at our meeting and happy to be finalizing her application to be a Rotary Youth Exchange student. Chris Krueger was happy that Dr. Ron would be available to help her with a needed crown. Donna Goetzenberger sarcastically said she was happy Bryan had spent their wedding anniversary with Don LaBarge, but quickly admitted that she went to California with youth exchange students the weekend of their anniversary. Dan Coons paid happy dollars saying he caught several Rotarians doing good Rotary service-above-self stuff as he went about his business during the past week. Jim Crutcher was happy to be back. Robert LaBarge announced that he had recently signed on as a new hire in the school system in Pinion, Arizona. The student body at the school where he will be teaching is 98% Navajo. He plans to remain a member of our club and hopes to introduce Interact, RYLA, and Rotary community service to his students and his new community. Announcements:
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TRF Giving Recognition At our April 26 Meeting, Allan and Polly Cady were presented with recognition materials from The Rotary Foundation. Newer members may not have understood the significance of the presentation which was handled by our club's Foundation Chair, Chuck Flint, and the Cady's good friend from Yuma Rotary , Mark Hansberger.Having reached over $10,000 with their lifetime giving, not including transferred recognition points, to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund, Polio Plus Fund or one or more approved global grants, Allan and Polly have achieved the first level of Major Donor recognition. The crystal on the right and the bottom pin in the photo are given to donors who have reached this level of giving. |
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Looking Back From the Future... FOUND ART PIECE - MAY 3, 2090NBC News reports that a man named Homer Kingston was attending garage sales and bought this book shelf for $10.00. He bought it because it was very sturdy and old. Once he got it home he began investigating. After several weeks, he now is reporting to police that he believes this is a masterpiece of art created by Don LaBarge and Bryan Goetzenberger sometime around 2018. LaBarge and Goetzenberger were well known wood-working artists in 2018. They created this piece for Bryan's wife Donna. It is unknown how the book shelf wound up in a garage sale but authorities are saying it is probably worth around $2 million. Homer said he will probably donate it to the Phoenix Children's Choir. |
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Highlights of April 26 Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting asking Ray Smith to offer the invocation and Immanuel Beeson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.Several guests were present. Tim Troy introduced his wife Angie and their children, Kylee and Adam. John Eagleston introduced his son, Asher, and Frank Rosenberg introduced his daughter, Sammi. Polly Cady introduced her long-time friends and members of Yuma Rotary, Mark and Diane Hansberger. She noted that Mark was wearing a very special Rotary pin - a coveted Service Above Self pin - which represents Rotary’s highest honor. Each year up to 150 Rotarians worldwide who have demonstrated their commitment to helping others by volunteering their time and talents are honored with this recognition. President Allan thanked Lucinda and Pam for their work on the Sponsor Appreciation Reception, which was attended by more than 60 Rotarians, their guests and donors. Chuck Flint announced that the weekly raffle winner would receive $58, and if they were to draw the ace of clubs, would additionally receive $1,294. Chris Krueger's ticket was drawn, so she was a little bit lucky, but not lucky enough. She drew the nine of hearts, much to her disappointment but everyone else was celebrating that the accumulating pot will be even larger next week. Greg Okanowski collected happy bucks. Tim Troy donated $100 toward his Paul Harris. He and his wife had spent the weekend away from their kids at a shredding conference. Dan Coons thanked Lucinda and Pam for the appreciation event and asked Lucinda to thank Wayne for the photos. Chris Krueger was happy to have won the $58. Her grandkids are coming to Arizona and want to swim with the dolphins (which is very expensive) while they are out west. Warren Williamson paid lots of happy dollars for the nice appreciation event. He was especially happy because his name tag for the event didn't fall off. Steve Ross donated $100 to The Rotary Foundation. Pam paid happy dollars to support Red for Ed. Don LaBarge paid happy dollars for the appreciation event. Daryl Bethea paid happy dollars because he appreciates all the many things that Chuck Flint does to support the club. Dick Myren paid happy dollars to honor our Honorary Rotarian, Rod Daniels. Polly Cady paid happy dollars to explain that she and Allan were going to lunch with their long-time friends after the meeting. John Pennypacker paid happy dollars celebrating the fact that he had received confirmation that a gentleman had been given notice that he would be allowed to propose to John's niece at Wrigley Field. He also told of his recent trip to Virginia. On April 18, he attended the dedication at Arlington National Cemetery of the Vietnam Helicopter Crew Member Memorial. He said it was a beautiful ceremony and well attended. Monday, April 23 marked the 43rd anniversary of the end of the Vietnam war. Fifty years ago, on April 26, John flew missions out of Camp Evans in UH-1H. In June, 1968, all his unit's helicopters were destroyed in a rocket attack and ammo dump explosion. There were 11,827 helicopters from all services used in RVN. 5,086 helicopters were lost in the conflict. Over 5,000 crewmembers from all services were killed in action. John suggested some members might want to watch a video about the helicopter pilots - God's Own Lunatics by Joe Galloway. John says, "For those who have fought for it, life has a flavor the protected shall never know." John had a bag of goodies from his trip to be auctioned. After some competitive bidding, John Eagleston's son was the successful bidder. Pam Cohen had centerpieces from the appreciation reception to auction. Dr. Ron was the top bidder at $35 for one large and one small centerpiece. There were others available at that same price. Chuck Flint and Mark Hansberger invited Polly and Allan to the front. Mark told of Polly joining Yuma Rotary in 1991. Today there are seven clubs in Yuma, where the summer population is about 120,000. Allan Cady was a Paul Harris Fellow before he joined Rotary. Allan and Polly were honored by Chuck who presented them with recognition materials from The Rotary Foundation. More details about this recognition will be in a full article in the May 9 Messenger. Announcements:
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Donor Appreciation Reception.png) Click on the photo at left to go to a seven minute video featuring all the photos taken by Wayne General at the Donor Appreciation Reception held at the Arizona Museum of Natural History.It was a lovely setting and an inspired way to thank those who donated a combined total of $40,000 to support the charitable work that Mesa West does and supports in our community and the world. Thanks to all who helped make the evening possible - Pam Cohen who coordinated the catering, Lucinda General who coordinated the venue and put together an informative slide presentation and Wayne General who took the photos seen in the video. President Allan supported by his wife and Club Secretary, Polly will always appreciate and never forget the support from donors and club members, especially the sponsorship team captains. They made the dream of Immediate Past President, John Eagleston, to seek sponsorships to fund the work of the club a reality. |
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Ed Koeneman's GCU Robotics Team Competes in Louisville Mesa West member, Ed Koeneman spent several days last week with The Thunderbolts Robotic team (from Grand Canyon University) in Louisville, Kentucky at the VEX Robotics World Finals. If you follow Ed on Facebook, you know he did some sightseeing while he was there. In a wrap-up facebook post, he said "What a week! The Thunderbolts finished 36th (in a field of 90 world class competitors). Our record was 2-7-1. So proud of what the entire team accomplished in our first year competing in the VEX Robotics league. Looking forward to next year." CLICK HERE to see other photos in Ed's facebook album from the event. Next time he can attend a meeting if he doesn't have some Louisville memorabilia to auction, some significant happy bucks would probably be in order.
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Colton Cagle to Serve as Interact DG 2018-19 Colton Cagle, a Junior at Westwood High in Mesa, and a 2-year veteran of the Interact District Council, has been selected to lead our 93-club Interact District 5495 next year as District Governor. He has named Ryan Gentry, the other very qualified DG candidate this year, to be his Executive Assistant Governor. Ryan is a Junior at Hamilton High in Chandler. Both Colton and Ryan will be serving on the AZ Interact Ambassadors Team that leaves for Kenya on June 29.Rounding out Colton’s extremely strong executive leadership team for 2018-19 will be District Secretary Gabby Alessio, a Junior at Notre Dame Prep in Scottsdale, and PDG Loralli Johnson, this year’s successful DG, who is a Junior at Perry High in Gilbert. Colton is a visionary leader with an engaging personality and a strong commitment to advancing Interact in Arizona and around the world. His goals include working toward making Interact Crutches 4 Africa, which has been pioneered by Interact D5495, and has become the signature project for this district and its clubs, to become the signature project for Interact clubs and districts worldwide. Where Rotary has focused on eradicating Polio, Colton and his team believe Interactors worldwide need to be focused on giving the gift of mobility to those in Kenya and other African countries, for whom Rotary’s 2 magic drops arrived too late, and who have been crippled for life by the devastating disease. “Interact has the incredible power to do this.” says Colton. “Our Interact clubs in Arizona, Needles and Laughlin have been collecting and shipping to Kenya thousands of crutches, canes, wheelchairs and other devices, as well as sending teams of our top Interactors to help our partners in Kenya with the distribution of this life-changing mobility equipment.” Colton’s personal goal is to get Interact’s C4A Project featured on the cover of The Rotarian Magazine. Twenty-four top high school Interactors from around the state have submitted their applications to serve as Assistant Governors for Interact District 5495 next year. As did the two DG candidates, they will be undergoing individual online interviews with the selection committee during the week of April 30. Those who are selected to serve will join Colton and his leadership team, along with District Interact Chair Ken Kelley and his Interact Committee, for an intensive annual Interact District Council Retreat, to be held at Camp Pinerock in Prescott, July 20-22. This mandatory leadership training and planning retreat serves as the “boot camp” for the Interact district leadership, as the team bonds, sets their goals, develops their plans and assigns responsibilities for the challenging year ahead. Each Assistant Governor, like their Rotarian counterparts, is assigned a group of clubs to coordinate and support during the year — including holding a Cluster Club Training Day for the student and adult leaders of their clubs. In addition to the valuable CCTDs, a unique club leadership training program developed by Interact D5495, the Interact District Council, which continues to meet online monthly throughout the year, also annually plans and leads for the clubs a Fall Leadership Conference and their biggest event of the year, the Interact District Conference, which is always held the last Saturday of February. Expect great things from this international pace-setting Interact District 5495 next year, under the leadership of Colton’s dynamic team. The district added three new clubs this year, and already has several more in the formation stages to launch next year. Colton can be reached at (480) 797-4221 or at caglecolton@gmail.com
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Mesa West Recognized by Salvation Army The local Salvation Army held a volunteer recognition event Thursday, April 19. Mesa West member Alan Ramsdell offered the invocation and spoke to the audience at the event. Alan has served on the local board of Salvation Army since 1967. It is his passion.Officer Len Virtue presented Mesa West President, Allan Cady, with an award for Mesa West Rotary recognizing us as "The volunteer Club with the highest collected donations at a Salvation Army bell ringing station" during the 2017 collection season. Mesa West members Immanuel Beeson, Polly and Allan Cady posed with Holly Beeson and Len Virtue to celebrate the success Mesa West members and recruited volunteers enjoyed collecting donations for the Army in front of Bass Pro last year. Not shown in the photos, but critical to the success of Mesa West Rotary in this endeavor was our club's coordinator, Don LaBarge. |
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District 5495 Club Leadership Academy Saturday, April 21, District 5495 held a Club Leadership Academy at the Black Canyon Conference Center in Phoenix. Well over 200 Rotarians were in attendance and each enjoyed the opportunity to attend five of the 40+ breakout sessions available on a wide variety of topics. Allan and Polly Cady had the privilege of picking up the keynote speaker, PDG Vicki Puliz, and her pilot husband when they arrived in Phoenix from Reno, Nevada in their twin-engine private plane with a Rotary wheel on the tail. The topic of Vicki's presentation was next year's Rotary Theme - "Be the Inspiration." Each of us, who are known as Rotarians by our family, friends, co-workers, business associates and acquaintances are "the Rotary brand." We need to remember that we represent Rotary in everything we think, say, and do. That responsibility puts our four-way test in perspective. It sounds simple until we think about how we react in various daily situations - when we are impatient in line at a store, when we are cut off in traffic, or when we tip for service at a restaurant. If we want to attract and retain quality members, donors, and volunteers, we need to represent Rotary well. Several Mesa West Rotarians were present at the Academy, some were presenters. Shown in the photo are (front row l-r) Pam Cohen, Jeanie Morgan, Polly Cady, Lucinda General and Donna Goetzenberger, (back row l-r) Bob Zarling, Allan Cady, Darl Andersen, Jim Schmidt, and Chris Krueger. Not shown in the photo, but in attendance was Bob Jensen, who was a presenter in a session on grants. Mesa West is an excellent club. It is good to know that our current and future leaders understand that Rotary is a large and ever-evolving service organization, and no matter how much each of our members know about Rotary, there will always be much more to be learned.
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GCU Rotaract Update.jpg) The GCU Rotaract club just had their final elections, meeting, and ice cream social on this past Wednesday night, and it was wonderful!As far as service projects go, our club has partaken in many projects these past four months! The first service project we took part in was in mid-December in which we packed food at a food shelter with various Rotarians around the valley! It was such a fun first project! The next project we took part in was on-campus where we packaged notes and granola bars to distribute to the homeless population in Phoenix. In January, our club teamed up with the Abounding Service organization!! This project involved volunteers coming in and helping immigrants learn English! The volunteer works with the student by either helping them fill out worksheets or by guiding them in their Rosetta Stone program! This was an exciting and eye-opening project. :) The next project we worked at was in February, in which we packed food at St. Mary's foodbank! It was such a blessing to work with so many volunteers at this event to help alleviate the hunger problem in Phoenix! In March, our club had our first fundraiser --- The Purple Pinkie Project! This project raised money to help Rotary's initiative to end Polio! We had a table in which we encouraged people to dye their pinkie purple for $1 to support the eradication of polio. Although our club didn't raise much money, it was a fun experience and we can't wait to do it again next year with new ideas to implement into the project! Finally, our last project was at the beginning of April! For 5 hours, our club volunteered at the Rugged Maniac Mud Run! Our job was to help competitors over certain obstacles to finish strong! Although we were sunburned, dehydrated, and tired, we had the opportunity to run the mud run for free! Of course, being the college kids we are, we decided to run the race! We got SO muddy! I hurt my back, cut up my hands, and tripped a couple times. But overall, this final project of the year was one that we won't ever forget! I am also excited to announce the new GCU Rotaract officer board for the upcoming 2018 - 2019 school year: President: Isabelle Clausen - Major in Finance and Economics Vice President: Natalie Lunsford - Major in Communications Secretary: Luke Schilperoort - Major in Biology with an emphasis in Pre-Med Treasurer: Taylor Anzalone - Major in Nursing Thank you and your club for all your support and encouragement these past few months! I can't wait to work with you all for many more years to come. God bless and Lopes Up! Isabelle Clausen, President |
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Highlights of April 19, 2018 Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting by asking Daryl Bethea to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Visiting Rotarian Penny May was the official greeter. Before we meet again, Penny will have left Arizona to return to her home in Alaska for the summer. She hopes to be back in September.Dr. Wilson drew the chip for our weekly attendance drawing. Jim McGown's badge number was drawn, making him the winner of the $20 of accumulated winnings. Chuck Flint announced that winner of the weekly raffle would win $44, and a chance to draw the ace of clubs to win $1,236. Chuck's own ticket number was drawn. Bob Jensen was sitting by Chuck and ensured that there was integrity in the shuffling and drawing process. Unfortunately (for Chuck) he drew the seven of clubs. President Allan drew cards and Chuck Flint posted the numbers on the columns and then on the rows of the buck board, which was full. With President Allan drawing cards a third time, in an elimination drawing, Chuck crossed out the numbers vertically and horizontally until the only remaining name left was that of Penny May, who was very happily surprised to win a Paul Harris Fellow at her final visit of the season. Several guests were present. Don Boucher introduced his guest, Mark L. Machanic. Don and Mark worked together in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Mark retired as Detective Sergeant after 36 years on the job. After retiring from his position as a detective, he became a 911 dispatcher. He also assumed some reserve duties on the force, and, adding to the many recognitions he received during his career for his outstanding detective work, he was named Reserve Deputy of the Year. Jack Rosenberg introduced Mike Polley, a Rotarian from Hawaii, who is relocating to Arizona. Joan and Erwin were repeat Rotary visitors from Rapid City, South Dakota. Happy Bucks were received from several Rotarians. Dick Myren was happy to have finished his 59th year doing taxes. Immanuel Beeson was happy to report that the Salvation Army would be holding their volunteer appreciation dinner that evening. He was also happy that he and his wife were planning to go on a date Friday evening. It sounded as though it has been a very long time since they've had that opportunity. Being parents of six children apparently makes the planning of date nights complicated. Dan Coons was not so happy with himself as he fined himself for signing up for the tree planting project, but not making it to do his share of the work. Bob Zarling was happy to report he did go to the tree planing. Penny May said she would be experiencing 16 hours of daylight in Anchorage. Don Boucher is happy to be in our club and be lucky enough to be married to his best friend and business partner. Polly Cady just loves our club. Chuck Flint paid happy dollars because he is thankful for Pam's good care. Pam paid for the full Rotary week coming up. Don LaBarge reported that Chris Krueger's all girl tree planting team out performed the others. Allan Cady was happy the tree planting went well. He was very impressed with the hard-working Interactors who helped. Announcements:
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Save the Family Tree Planting Project About a month ago, Polly Cady contacted Save the Family to inquire if they were in need of trees on any of their properties. She explained the international project with a goal of each Rotarian planting a tree by April 21, 2018. She received an immediate response from Steve Langstaff, Chief Property Development Officer, of Save the Family. Don LaBarge and Polly met with Steve to assess the need and then went to TreeLand Nurseries where they were given a good deal on 15 trees and needed supplies.Friday, April 13, a few Mesa West Rotarians met at Save the Family on University Drive in Mesa to remove stumps and start the holes for planting the trees to be planted on Saturday. Don LaBarge, along with Steve Langstaff, guided and helped Warren Haussler, Bob Zarling, Allan and Polly Cady in removal of stumps from the dead trees that were to be replaced. Due to improper planting, there were many dead trees on the Save the Family property. It was hard work, and the volunteer Rotarians wished the Interact Club could have been there to help. Even though it was very hard work, Polly said "We had good fellowship!" CLICK HERE to see all the photos taken on Friday, April 13, 2018 - the day of preparation. |
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Highlights of April 12, 2018 Meeting President Allan Cady, looking refreshed and enthusiastic following his recent trip to New Zealand, opened the meeting by asking Ray Smith to lead everyone in song. Ray chose two verses of "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands." Geoff White offered the invocation and Bob Zarling led the Pledge of Allegiance. Bob Jensen was the official greeter.Several guests were present. Frank Rosenberg introduced his wife, Amanda. Erwin and Joan Wyman were visiting from Rapid City, South Dakota. Carolyn Jones was introduced by Wendell. Ted Williams introduced two guests seated at his table: Cindy Koen, a realtor and Don Eckstrom, a visiting Rotarian. After badge numbers 68, 14, and 30 were drawn with none of the badge owners present to win, the growing pot for the attendance drawing will again move forward to April 19, when the potential winnings will be $20. Chuck Flint announced that the weekly raffle winner would receive $52, and if the ace of clubs were to be drawn the winner would receive an additional $1,192.00. Bob Zarling's ticket was drawn, but after being allowed to see that the ace of clubs was actually in the deck, and doing his own shuffling, he drew the four of hearts. Bob was disappointed, but everyone else seemed pretty happy that the potential winnings next week would be even more. Sgt. at Arms, Greg Okonowski, collected happy bucks. Steve Ross was happy the Spring Olympics were coming up. He urged everyone to start getting in shape, stating that Luin is already working out and planning to retain her title. Dr. Ron Thompson was simply happy to be present at the meeting. Chris Krueger was happy that Allan and Polly were back from their trip. John Eagleston was just happy. Pam Cohen had some Arizona gifts for Takuma (our exchange student from Japan), Polly Cady was glad to be home from their wonderful trip. Don LaBarge saw Jim Crutcher since our last meeting. It will be some time before life settles down at the Berge Ford dealership, but Jim will be back as soon as he is able. He assured Don he would not resign and he will be back. Bob Zarling paid $2 because Greg told him he had to since he won the weekly raffle, but he paid more because he was happy to be at the meeting. Penny May paid happy dollars because she was in Arizona long enough this spring to learn that 100° "isn't so bad after all." Polly Cady had an auction item from their trip to New Zealand. The bidding was pretty intense until Bob Jensen jumped his bid to $100 and became the lucky winner. Announcements:
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April 5, 2018 Meeting Highlights President-Elect Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Jeanie Morgan to offer the invocation, followed by Pam Cohen leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Lucinda General served as greeter.Several guests were present. Among them were Tom, a retired fundraiser from Columbia Center, Washington; Carolyn Jones, Bob James, visiting from Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Joel Gratz, a software design consultant from Southern California; and Aaron Hult, in the mortgage industry, a guest of John Pennypacker. Three badge numbers were drawn for the weekly attendance drawing with all three badge owners being absent, so the growing attendance drawing winnings will roll over to the April 12 meeting. The weekly raffle winners were three Rotarians who had pooled their funds. They split the $50 weekly winnings, but since they drew the Jack of Diamonds, the accumulated pot of $1,266 will continue to grow until a lucky weekly winner draws the Ace of Clubs. Members were happy to have Chuck Flint back in attendance and happy he is recovering from his recent knee replacement surgery. Pam Cohen paid happy dollars thanking Dan Coons for convincing Chuck to go ahead and have the surgery. Jack Rosenberg was happy he and Cindy would be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary over the weekend. John Pennypacker paid happy bucks for getting to play golf recently with his 11-year-old grandson, who was the winner with a score of 79. John said the boy would be moving back further to tee-off in the future his game a bit more challenging and the possibility of grandpa winning a bit more attainable. Bob James announced that he would not see his Arizona Rotary friends again until next season as he was going to be headed back to Canada. Donna Goetzenberger announced she would be headed for RYLA over the weekend, and that her daughter, Emilee is on a 10-day trip with other Rotary Youth Exchange students in Italy. Greg Okanowski paid six happy dollars for his little boy's birthday. Announcements:
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RYLA - Ponderosa Highlights RYLA Ponderosa was a "first" for me, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to witness it all in action from the bottom, up! I already knew John Wintersteen and his dedication and support of our youth; but, I also had the pleasure of meeting Sherry Mischel. I soon discovered that Sherry is a petite powerhouse of organization and management! I believe there were about 75 students in attendance, and another approximate 30 or so Rotaract and adult RYLA volunteers and committee members. John and Sherry were the ringleaders to it all, and did a fantastic job!How does RYLA work? Each year, thousands of young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program worldwide. High School students are selected for their leadership abilities and experiences. The Rotary clubs pay the registration fee for the delegates weekend. Those attending will reinforce their leadership abilities and skills, utilize new methods, learn about their inner selves through a well-rounded exciting, stimulating and busy program. Activities vary from climbing the wall and riding a zipline to exploring your own personality while meeting new friends of all ages and backgrounds. This is an interactive experiential program. Rotary Youth Exchange students from around the world are in each group to share their culture, background and knowledge.Our RYLA weekend will lead delegates to expand their leadership capabilities. It encourages leadership of youth by youth. Delegates exceed their expectations through increased self confidence and group support. Delegates are leaders and followers and gain knowledge of how to apply their skills in each area. |
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Highlights of March 29, 2018 Meeting President-Elect Chris Krueger opened the meeting by asking Ray Smith to lead everyone present in singing "Home on the Range." Wendell Jones offered the invocation and Jeanie Morgan led the Pledge of Allegiance. The greeter for the day was Penny May.Don LaBarge introduced his guest, Steve Jones from Seattle, Washington. Penny May introduced our District Governor-Elect, Jim Erickson from the Superstition Mountain Club and Lee Holmes, an Assistant District Governor. We had visiting Rotarians, Greg and Ann with us. Greg is from Thailand. Wendell Jones introduced his lovely wife, Carolyn. Other guests present were Susan Taylor, Carein Mooney, and Princess Jennifer Lee from Nigeria. Badge numbers 32, 36, and 28 were drawn with their owners not present to win. The $5 winnings were declared to roll over to the April 5 attendance drawing. Steve Ross handled the weekly raffle. Don LaBarge's guest drew Aubrey's ticket, so she won the weekly $50 pot, but after she drew the six of spades, everyone but Aubrey was glad the $1,161 pot will roll over and continue to grow. Steve then briefly explained the buck board and circulated it to sell additional squares. Carole Kralicek announced that she will be going to Canada for the summer. Happy dollars were collected from John Pennypacker who was glad to be looking forward to a golf outing with his son and grandson. Ray Smith was happy to report his family had welcomed their first great grandchild - a girl. Pam reported that Chuck is doing well, and is mobile now. A highlight of the day was the induction of two members by Lucinda General. Both Immanuel Beeson and Bert Millett have been Rotarians in the past (Bert is a former member of Mesa West). Because of their past experience, the induction was conducted in an interview style. Following the interview, both new members were warmly welcomed to membership in the Rotary Club of Mesa West with a standing ovation. Announcements:
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Donna Goetzenberger Shares NAYEN The North American Youth Exchange Network was simply an incredible experience, and I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend on behalf of our District. What is NAYEN?
The North American Youth Exchange Network facilitates collaboration and provides support to Rotary Districts and Multi-Districts in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, and promotes Rotary youth exchange around the world. I discovered that it is just one conference out of several, in different regions of the world. Needless to say, I am excited for the opportunity in the future to attend others, as well. |
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Outbound Youth Exchange Orientation Our own Donna Goetzenberger was in charge of Outbound Youth Exchange Orientation for our Rotary District the weekend of March 24-25. She had just recently returned from NAYEN and had only a few days to get caught up at home and work and put the final details of the orientation together. This is what she had to say about the orientation when it was all over: "Last weekend in Prescott for our District's RYE Outbound Orientation was a huge success, if I do say so myself. Suffice it to say, as it was my first year (let alone my first year 'in charge') of the two day/overnight camp, it was quite the learning curve for me with everything that had to be done in putting together all the student and parent packets that had to be created; knowing what information to give; creating the powerpoints, materials, and instructional videos; arranging the housing/cabins for all the students/staff/parents; and, even the little things like putting together games and entertaining evening activities for everyone - it was A LOT OF WORK for one person to do!!! (Whew, am I glad that's behind me - at least for a year! Ha!) Not to mention the fact that I was out of state almost the entire week prior (Tues-Sun), attending the NAYEN conference! Wowza, did that come at the wrong time!"
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Highlights of March 22 Club Assembly President Allan Cady opened the meeting with Daryl Bethea offering the invocation and Chris Krueger leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Guests present were Carolyn Jones, introduced by Wendell, and Gisella Bethea, a professional ballerina, who was proudly introduced by her father, John. President Allan said he had decided prior to the meeting to make one last attempt to encourage members to wear their Rotary pins by paying $1 per pin. Ed Koeneman made this a very expensive decision for him as Ed was wearing 23 Rotary pins at the meeting. The actual total of 41 was rounded up to a $50 donation to the foundation from our President. Dan Coons won the weekly attendance drawing. Steve Ross handled the weekly raffle. The winning ticket drawn entitled the winner to $39 and a chance to try to draw the ace of clubs and win the accumulated pot of $1,065. Ed Koeneman drew Jeanie Morgan's ticket, but since she drew the Jack of Hearts, the large pot will continue to grow. This, alone, should encourage attendance, and President Alan might want to consider issuing an executive order that the eventual winner must donate the large pot to our foundation if they are NOT wearing a Rotary pin when their ticket is drawn. Ed Koeneman paid happy bucks for the GCU Robotics Club earning the privilege of going to national finals. Dan Coons was happy the weather is warmer. Matt Rotty announced that his wife, Emily, had given birth to their fourth child, a baby boy who they named Zachary, on Saturday, March 10. John Bethea was happy to have his daughter home. Darl Andersen paid happy dollars for finding some 1984 photos of Jack Rosenberg - at least one of Jack riding a horse. Ed Koeneman was happy that it is only 65 days til the next Star Wars movie will be released. Ron Thompson happily announced he and Toni would be celebrating their wedding anniversary over the weekend. President Allan reminded members to turn or mail in their club survey if they have not already done so. He had extra copies to distribute to anyone who had not received or who had misplaced their survey. |
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March 15 Meeting Highlights Pam Cohen, Acting President, opened the meeting inviting Wendell Jones to offer the invocation and Jim McGown to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. In the spirit of major league baseball spring training happening throughout the Valley of the Sun, Ray Smith led everyone present in singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."There were several guests present. Among them were Samantha Rosenberg (Jack's granddaughter and Frank's daughter); Colton and Sandra of the Westwood High School Interact Club; Bob Yates from Calgary, Canada; Mike Grandjean, a former member now living in the State of Texas; Carolyn Jones; and Dan Coons introduced his wife, Colleen, her sister, Juday, and her brother-in-law Bob Roller. Wendell Jones won the attendance drawing on the third try. Owners of badge number 16 and 8 lost out as their numbers were drawn prior to Wendell's. Robert LaBarge handled the weekly drawing. Colleen Coons won the small pot of $51, but did not draw the Ace of Clubs so the large pot, now at $1,026, will continue to grow. Next week will be the Club Assembly. March 29 and April 5 do not yet have speakers confirmed. Steve Ross would appreciate any suggestions and/or help making contact with potential speakers. Bob Zarling paid happy bucks for receiving ten tickets for the Tuesday, March 20, Phoenix Suns basketball game against the Detroit Pistons. He gave them to the Gilbert High School basketball team in appreciation for their service as referees at our annual spring olympics and Salvation Army bell ringing shifts they worked for us at Bass Pro last November-December. Announcements:
Dan Coons had an auction item from a trip to Springfield, Illinois. Bob Jones from Canada was the most generous bidder. He was delighted with the first gift he pulled from the bag - reading "Four score and seven years ago..." from a mug from the Lincoln museum. There were a number of interesting mementos, one of which held one of Bob's favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln, "The better part of one's life consists of his friendships." He chose not to read the copy of the Gettysburg Address, which was among the treasures. Pam turned the program over to Ed Koeneman for our annual Youth Programs Day.
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March 8 Meeting Highlights President Allan began the meeting by inviting Darl Andersen to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Noting that there were a number of past and future District Governors present, he asked them to stand and be recognized.Guests introduced at the meeting were: Tom Hallison - District Governor 2006-007 from Columbia, Washington; Jim Erikson from the Superstition Mountain Club to serve as DG 2018-19; Carolyn Jones; Judy Webb, a member of the E Club of Kansas; David Simmer from the Sedona Club to serve as DG 2019-20; Dick Thomas of Sun Lakes Rotary; Jackie Hildebrand from South Bend Indiana, and Bert Millett, Attorney and former/future member. Judy Webb pulled the chips for the attendance drawing, after chips number 38 and 60 (belonging to absent rotarians) were drawn, she drew Dan Coons' chip making him the lucky recipient of $10 since no winning chip was drawn March 1. Steve Ross handled the weekly raffle, announcing the weekly winner would receive $60 and if they drew the ace of clubs would win $974. He had Pam Cohen draw the winning ticket. She drew Chuck Flint's ticket number. When she drew from the deck of cards on Chuck's behalf, she drew the king of clubs, so the large pot will continue to grow. Steve Ross briefly explained the buck board for the benefit of guests present, then circulated to allow interested members and guests to purchase squares on the board. Greg Okonowski collected happy bucks from:
President Allan and Secretary Polly had token gifts which they presented the Hilton wait staff in appreciation of the wonderful service they provide the club throughout the year. Announcements:
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Highlights of March 1 Meeting Jim Schmidt opened the meeting with Ray Smith directing those present to sing Three Mind Mice as it should be sung - in rounds! Darl Andersen offered the invocation and John Pennypacker led the Pledge of Allegiance.Visiting were Michelle from the Kyrene Rotary Club, Alex from Seattle, Wendell Jones' wife Carolyn, Daren Walker from the Mankato Club, and Aubrey's boys. Dick Myren introduced Bob and his wife from Columbia Heights, Minnesota. Bob had a club banner to exchange with Jim. Badge numbers 53, 29, and 43 were drawn in the weekly attendance drawing, but since their owners weren't present, the $5 prize will roll over to March 8. Our visitor from Minnesota drew his own ticket and won the small weekly drawing pot of $34, but since he drew the three of diamonds, the $913 in the large pot will continue to grow. Happy bucks were paid by Matt Rotty for the new baby that should arrive at their house in about two weeks. Immanuel Beeson announced his wife had been gone for five days. With six kids for him to manage while she was away, he was very happy she was back! Pam Cohen had many people to thank for their help with the Steak and Beans dinner. Carolyn Jones helped clean up. Warren Williamson brought citrus and arrived early with Son Hee, who also helped with cleanup. Daryl Bethea also helped with clean-up. Daryl and Chuck Flint represented sponsorship campaign teams that performed well enough that they weren't supposed to work at the sponsorship drive celebration event, but they both clearly worked hard to make the celebration a success! Announcements:
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Updates from Grand Canyon University Rotaract Club GCU Rotaract had their fifth meeting of 2018 Thursday evening, February 22. President-Elect Isabelle Clausen was pleased to share that their student leadership development has been increasing. A couple of their members are scheduling upcoming service projects and formulating and planning service projects for next semester. Their organization has also been increasing with the officers dividing up responsibilities and delegating roles to club members.Mesa West Rotary President, Allan Cady attended the February 22 meeting and presented the club with a check to support their service endeavors. They send their thanks to Mesa West Rotary for sponsoring their club. The young club has been getting quite involved in service around Phoenix. At the beginning of December, they packed food with fellow Rotarians in Mesa. Also, at the beginning of January, they had an on-campus project where they packaged notes and granola bars to distribute to the homeless population in Phoenix. At another January project, they volunteered at an organization called Abounding Service. The organization utilizes volunteers coming in and helping immigrants learn English. The volunteer sits with the immigrant while they take a Rosetta Stone lesson and helps the immigrant when needed. The project was intriguing and gave the Rotaract students a new cultural perspective as they realized just how many cultures are dispersed in the Phoenix area. The members had plans to pack food at St. Mary's Food Bank on Saturday, February 24. On March 3, they will be leading their biggest project of the year at GCU's last basketball game of the season. They will be doing the Purple Pinkie project before and after the basketball game when there are a lot of people on campus watching the game to raise money for the cure for Polio. They are very excited for this project.
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February 22 Meeting Highlights President Allan Cady called the meeting to order and invited John Pennypacker to the podium to deliver the thought for the day. February 22 would have been the 49th wedding anniversary of John and his wife, Betsy. He recited a following poem from an unknown source (see the end of this article to read the poem). Polly Cady led the pledge of allegiance.President Allan continued to challenge the members to wear their pins to the meeting by paying a dollar for each member wearing their Rotary pin. There was a record count of 22, costing him 22.00. He reminded everyone the challenge would last one more week. He also held up the progress meter for the sponsorship program celebrating the fact that the committee had been able to bring in the last $300 necessary to take the total collected to $40,000 secondary goal set after the original goal of $30,000 was reached quicker than anticipated. The successful campaign will support the charitable work funded by our club locally and internationally. Many guests were present at the meeting. PDG Terry Cowan, Immanuel Beeson with the Salvation Army, Angel Pilato, Parker Robertson, Dick Thomas of Sun Lakes Rotary, Pamela Mason, Mary Wyatt (Melody's guest), and Brett Morey from LaJolla CA Golden Triangle Rotary Club (who created "Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship, which is now 320 members strong) Bob James, Mike Polley (who works in energy), Bruce Devon (a rehab doctor from Michigan), and Abe Harrison from the Superstition Club. Greg Okonowski won the attendance drawing after the holders of badge numbers 21 and 25 were absent. In the weekly drawing, the small pot of $41 dollars was won by John Benedict, but he did not draw the Ace of Clubs, so the large pot, which is now up to $880 will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained the Buck Board for the benefit of the guests. Members were encouraged to look into attending the Arizona Mining Days activities at the state capital on March 15. President-Elect Chris Krueger announced the upcoming Club Leadership Academy to be held at Black Canyon University on Saturday, April 21. Rotarians who attend the academy will each have the opportunity to attend five of the forty offered subjects at the academy. The cost to attend is $65 per person, and to encourage incoming officers and interested club members to attend, the board has approved covering that cost for any member who wishes to do so. Members can contact Chris for more information or CLICK HERE to visit the district website for information and/or on-line registration. Yordi Miguel, who is being sponsored by Mesa West Rotary to be an outbound youth exchange student next year, was invited to the podium to announce that he has learned where he will be going. He was excited to report he will be going to Brazil and thanked the club for their sponsorship. Pam Cohen reminded members of the Steak and Beans dinner Saturday, February 24 to celebrate the successful sponsorship program. |
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Steak and Beans Sponsorship Campaign Celebration.jpg) Many thanks to all who helped raise the $40,000 during the club's first attempt at raising funds for our charitable endeavors by soliciting sponsors. The Steak and Beans celebration dinner was enjoyed by all who were able to attend.Somehow, one of the two most successful team leaders, Chuck Flint, ended up hosting the event in his lovely home and also served as "grill-master extraordinaire." Pam Cohen coordinated the decor and the appetizers and desserts which were provided by members who were not so successful. We may want to think of ways to celebrate that do not involve a winner serving his fellow members. On the other hand, maybe that is why Chuck was so successful - a true servant leader! The food, fellowship, and atmosphere were outstanding and truly representative of the Ace of Clubs! Thanks to all who made this celebration possible!
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Judge Tommy Webb, inspirational speaker coming March 8, 2018 On March 8th our speaker is Judge Tommy Webb, one of the most inspirational speakers you will ever hear. Judge Webb was born in South Korea sometime in l952. He never knew his father; his mother was a prostitute. He spent the first six years of his life as a “street kid” and left home shortly thereafter to walk to Seoul, South Korea, in search of a better life. At seven he was taken in by the Holt Orphanage and subsequently adopted by an American couple. Following high school and a stint in the Marine Corps and after attaining his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, Judge Webb went on to serve seven consecutive terms as the first Kansas Magistrate Judge of Asian descent. Over the years Judge Webb received many awards and recognition. Among those were Past President of the National Judges Association, Recipient of Distinguished Service to Kansas Children Award and National Judges Association recipient as the Outstanding Non-Attorney Judge in the United States. Judge Webb’s life story, “You can make a Difference” focuses on making a positive difference in a negative world. You will find his unforgettable life lessons, illustrated with humor and insight , to be both captivating and thought-provoking. Please, feel free to invite a guest. |
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February 15 Meeting Highlights President Allan Cady opened the meeting with Greg Okonowski offering the invocation and Polly Cady leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Allan introduced Alan Ramsdell. Guest, Gloria Holler was introduced as our speaker's mother. Penny May introduced Bob James from the Calgary Centennial Rotary Club. Bert Millett, a former member, was with us again and many are hoping he will rejoin our membership soon. John Pappalardo, a visitor from the Chicago area, was with us again. It looks like, in the foreseeable future, he may be spending more time here than there. Immanuel Beeson with the Salvation Army was introduced as a visitor.After badge numbers 16, 56, and 37 were called, but their owners were not present, the $5 from the attendance drawing will roll over doubling the size of the possible winnings on February 22. Pam Cohen won the weekly $36 raffle pot, but after a moment of false hope when she drew a black ace, was immediately disappointed to learn that she would not be the lucky winner of $839, since she had drawn the ace of spades rather than the ace of clubs. Alan Ramsdell had lots of happy dollars. Many others contributed as well, but failed to measure up to his enthusiasm. In the absence of Dick Myren, Jeanie Morgan continued the Rod Daniels tradition of paying a happy dollar for being happy to be a member of Mesa West Rotary. Announcements:
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Highlights of February 8 Meeting.jpg) President Allan opened the meeting by asking Ron Thompson to offer the Invocation followed by Dan Coons leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith asked the women present to go to the front of the room so he could lead the men and women present in serenading each other with "Let Me Call You Sweetheart."There were several guests present. The guest who had travelled the longest distance was PDG Chris Runion from Harrisonburg, VA. Chris is the immediate past governor of Rotary District 7570. He was on a business trip to AZ and stopped in to say hello. Don Boucher won the attendance drawing. President Allan is continuing to try to incent members to wear their Rotary pins by paying $1 for each member wearing a pin at our weekly meetings. Unfortunately, the number at this meeting was only nineteen - a new low. Jeanie Morgan won the $30 pot in the weekly drawing, but the $804 accumulating pot will continue to grow since she drew the seven of hearts. Steve Ross explained the Buck Board and circulated it while happy dollars were collected. Dick Myren paid a happy dollar to be a member of Mesa West Rotary continuing the tradition of the club's newest Honorary Member, Rod Daniels. Don Boucher paid happy dollars for the granddaughter they welcomed into their family last month, and for some new news. They've just recently learned a grandson will be added to the family later this year. Jeanie Morgan was happy she won the pot and was celebrating the last few days she would not yet be 75. The club sang happy birthday to her with much better harmony than she's ever enjoyed hearing in the past. Pam Cohen reminded everyone of the upcoming Steak and Beans dinner on February 24 celebrating the successful sponsorship campaign to raise funds to support our various projects. Steve Ross announced upcoming speakers, but said Mesa Police Chief Ramon Batista did not want a formal introduction.
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Mesa West Rotary Grant Project.jpg) Brian Goetzenberger and Don LaBarge are shown constructing shelving for the Phoenix Children's Chorus Music Library. |
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Highlights of February 1 Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting with John Eagleston offering the invocation and Tim Tory leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Brian Goetzenberger introduced their daughter, Paige, who was attending specifically to hear the program. She was active in starting an action group at her school, "Freshmen for Fresh Water." Lucinda Rose General introduced Diana Atkins, telling "she is a coach." Wendell Jones introduced his wife, Carolyn. Penny May introduced Chuck from the White Bear Rotary Club. Don LaBarge introduced Bert Millett, a former member who has recently started his own law firm. He also introduced Immanuel Beeson with the Salvation Army as a potential member. Bob, the new Community Manager at Leisure World was also attending as a guest. President Allan continued his commitment to encourage members to wear their Rotary pins by paying $1 for each Rotarian who is present and wearing their pin. At this meeting, 20 were counted, then he added an additional incentive, paying an additional $1 for each of the twenty who had worn their pin the day prior to the meeting. This cost him $7 more. The day was declared "Audiology Day," with a promise that the reason for the declaration would be clear later in the meeting. Bob Zarling was the lucky winner of the $27 in the weekly drawing, but drew the King of Diamonds rather than the Ace of Clubs so the accumulating pot will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained the Buck Board then circulated to collect $10/square from those hoping to win their next or their first Paul Harris Fellow. Of the three numbers selected for the attendance drawing, none of the badge owners were present. The $5 will double for the attendance drawing at the February 8 meeting. To celebrate Audiology Day, Bob Jensen contributed $100 during Happy Bucks indicating he wanted the money dedicated to the Guaymas mission. Dr. Ron paid $50 because he is going to "Hamilton." Bob Zarling contributed because he is getting close to all his goals. Announcement:
Chuck Flint inducted Kristen Klein and Erica Williams into membership providing some Rotary education during the welcoming ceremony. Both new members are audiologists, achieving a long term goal for Bob Jensen to have more professionals from his field in the club to support the annual mission he has invested so much of his own heart and energy. Both were given an opportunity to say a few words. Kristen indicated she had enjoyed the meetings she has attended as a guest and prospective member and looks forward to active participation. Erica indicated she has gone on the Guaymas mission the past three years, but her induction was the first time she had attended a Mesa West Rotary Club meeting. |
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January 25 Meeting Highlights - Salute to Rod Daniels.jpg) President Allan Cady brought the meeting to order with the Invocation offered by Wendell Jones, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Jeanie Morgan. Ray Smith called Rod Daniels to the front of the room so all present could welcome him with an enthusiastic rendition of "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow."Greg Eckart was introduced by John Pennypacker, Carolyn Jones was introduced by Wendell, and Kara Jackson-Royer was introduced as Rod Daniel's daughter. Lolita (our regular Canadian visitor) introduced her husband, Hans. John Hunt was introduced as though he were a guest because he's had to miss so many meetings recently. Greg Okonowski won the weekly attendance drawing of $5, and then was immediately fined $5 by President Allan for being late. Dan Coons ticket was drawn for the weekly drawing, but his luck did not hold out. He did not draw the ace of clubs so the $737 pot will continue to grow. Because we had several guests, Chuck Flint quickly explained the Buck Board, which he then circulated to collect from those present who hope to be the lucky winner of the next Paul Harris Fellowship. President Allan asked members present and wearing Rotary pins to be counted so he could keep his recent commitment to pay $1 for each person wearing a pin. Since several members were wearing many Rotary pins, he made it clear that he was paying per Rotarian wearing a pin and not the other way around (per pin being worn by a Rotarian). Even so, his commitment cost him $27, which is 35% more than the past two weeks. Announcements:
Greg Okonowski collected Happy Bucks. The majority of happy bucks were celebrating the many positive ways Rod Daniels has influenced club members |
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GCU Rotaract Update Ed Koeneman provided an update on activities of the GCU Rotaract Club. District Polio Chair (and member of Mesa West Rotary), Bob Zarling, attended their most recent club meeting and helped kick off their spring Purple Pinkie fundraiser. At the meeting, members helped draw or color Purple Pinkie Project posters. One planned event for February 3 had to be cancelled because too many members were having Honors college events that day. The members are using technology to remind them of their meetings and projects by authorizing those reminders through a GCU text messaging system. Their next service event will take place at St. Mary's Food Bank Saturday, February 24, 2018 from Noon to 2:00 p.m. The Purple Pinkie project fundraiser will take place on March 3. Two shifts will work prior to the last home basketball game, with six volunteers working each shift. The next club meeting is scheduled for February 7 at 6:00 p.m. in the Engineering building in room 201. |
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Donna Goetzenberger - Incredible 1st Year as a Rotarian.jpeg) Donna Goetzenberger is a relatively new Rotarian who has wholeheartedly embraced Rotary. She is a host-mom for an inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student. Her own daughter is spending this school year in Belgium as an outbound YE student.She not only shows up, but actively participates in our club projects and social activities. She went on the Gift of Hearing Mission, and participated in the work night for United Sound. When the USA/Mexico Friendship Conference was held last November, she was an active participant in helping Polly and Allan Cady show the family they were hosting how Halloween is celebrated in Phoenix. Even though Donna was inducted as a member a little over a year ago (in January, 2017) Donna is already very visible in Rotary beyond the club level. Recently or coming up in the near future:
Her enthusiasm is inspirational, but if she is like most highly involved Rotarians, she probably feels like the benefits of cultural enrichment, new friendships, and the joy of serving beside like-minded individuals are more than worth every moment of time she has and will be investing. Donna - a Mesa West Rotarian who embodies the definition of "Service Above Self."
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Post Holiday Party - Great Food, Fun, and Rotary Fellowship.jpg) Mesa West Rotarians were joined by members and guests of Mesa East Rotary on Saturday, January 20, 2018 to have a Post Holiday Celebration party at the beautiful Gilbert Arizona home of Dan and Colleen Coons. A buffet of appetizers was enjoyed by all prior to enjoying the main course, prepared by Chef Michael Krueger. A delicious variety of desserts was available following dinner and just prior to the gift exchange. Pam Cohen managed to explain the gift exchange rules and manage (referee) the exchange without losing her voice. There were a few popular gifts that were stolen the maximum of two times. It was apparent that libations and glasses in which to serve libations were among the most popular gift choices. Pam, supported by Chuck Flint are to be thanked along with our hosts and chef for the party setup. All who attended will be looking forward to a repeat event in 2019, and may already be thinking about their gift contribution for next year.
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Highlights of January 18 "LAW ENFORCEMENT DAY" Meeting President Allan Cady opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Ron Thompson, and the invocation offered by Wendell Jones. His offer to pay $1 for each Rotarian wearing a Rotary pin at the meeting resulted in $20 being added to club coffers. Penny Bollinger was visiting from the Rotary Club of Gilbert promoting the 33rd year anniversary of their Trivia Night fundraiser which will be held at the Southeast Regional Library in Gilbert from 6-9 PM on March 2, 2018. CLICK HERE to visit their Facebook page and see more details about the event. There were many guests in attendance at the meeting: Gerard Brockerhoff (former member of the Tempe Tri-City Rotary Club), Antoinette "Tony" Farmer, Dr. Kristen Klein, Carolyn Jones, Heather Harrison, Gloria Lain, Dave Ames, David Fuller, Bill Mickelson, Ben Armer, John Broome, Hope Fuller and Michelle Blanco. |
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Highlights of January 11 Meeting After the meeting was called to order by President Allan Cady, Geoff White offered the invocation and Warren Williamson led the Pledge of Allegiance.Wendell Jones introduced his guests: his lovely wife, Carolyn, and his neighbors, Suzanne and Morgan Davis, stating both were very active Rotarians in their past. Lucinda General introduced PDG George Wheeler as "our favorite visiting Past District Governor." Yordi, who will be our outbound Youth Exchange student in 2018-19 was attending with his mother, Mrs. Miguel. Yordi was looking forward to attending Rotary Youth Leadership Awards at Camp Pinerock in Prescott January 12-15. Guest, Kristen Klein chose the badge number for the attendance drawing. Because the pot had rolled over from the past two meetings, winner John Benedict won $15, which he gave to Kristen. |
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Mesa West Bell Ringers Net $17,420.91
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President's Korner by Allan Cady.JPG) Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return. During my time as a member of Mesa West Rotary Club, I’ve witnessed your many gifts – your time, donations, goods and your voice. I would also include others like experience, ideas and creativity, friendship and fun, business acumen and even your family. You should all be very proud of the record-breaking performances this year on Salvation Army Bell-Ringing and donations to the Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona and the Sponsor Program. And, who could forget the wonderful experience in Guaymas with the Gift of Hearing Mission? Your generosity with happy bucks, auction items and the buckboards at our meetings throughout the year has been fantastic. So thank you for being a part of Mesa West Rotary and all you do to support our many and varied activities. For me, there’s no club that can compare with ours. See you soon and best wishes. |
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Highlights of January 4 Meeting The meeting was called to order by President-Elect Chris Krueger as President Allan Cady was vacationing. The invocation was offered by Dick Myren. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ed Koeneman.John Pennypacker introduced a distinguished guest at his table, District Governor Elect Jim Erickson of the Superstition Mountain Rotary Club. Al was introduced as a visiting Rotarian from Olympia Washington. Warren Williamson introduced his better 90%, Carolyn. Lolita Wiesner, a seasonal regular was introduced. |
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Highlights of December 14 Meeting To begin the last club meeting of the year, the invocation was offered by Daryl Bethea, with Christy Citterman leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led an enthusiastic group in singing Jingle Bells.Seasonal visitor Lolita Wiesner was present, Yordi (an aspiring outbound Youth Exchange student) was present with his mother. Becky Morgan Beverly was attending with her mother, Jeanie. Robert LaBarge seemed and was treated like a guest since his professional duties have kept him from attending recent meetings. |
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The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) - Donate Before Year End.jpg) On Thursday November 16, at the District Governor's official visit, President Allan Cady announced that our club would collectively support TRVFA with $5,000 or more in donations from our members prior to the end of the year. As you may remember, the fund qualifies for Arizona Tax Credits, so the donations, in qualifying amounts ($400 for individuals and $800 for joint returns), will offset your Arizona State Income Tax obligation dollar for dollar and can also be a qualifying Federal Income Tax Deduction. In the three previous years, our Club has made the following donations to TRVFA:
At your very earliest convenience, we ask that you evaluate an appropriate TRVFA donation to address your personal tax planning needs, and then, send an email to me (don.boucher@ccwealth.com) and to Polly Cady (pcady@cadyfam.com) to identify your personal pledge. Your donation should be completed by year’s end (12/31) and you may complete your donation by delivering a check to Polly or by donating online via the link below: Note: Completing your donation online is the preferred club method for submitting your donation. Should you choose to make your donation online via the TRVFA website, please be sure to add “Mesa West Rotary Club” in the area that request:Please list your Rotary Club name here. Polly and I will look forward to receiving your emails to confirm your personal pledge amount, and we’ll provide weekly updates on our progress to meeting President Cady’s TRVFA pledge of $5,000.00. Should you have questions or need assistance, please call me (602-510-5285) or Polly (602-741-8835). “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV) We are kind and caring people who make a positive difference in the world, so as always, thank you for all you do! Don Boucher, Vocational Chair As of the afternoon of December 7, the total of TRVFA donations is $4,600 from Mesa West Rotarians for this this tax year, and Don has received 7 e-mail confirmations from our members verifying their donations. If yours is not one of them, remember to go ON LINE to make your donation. |
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December 7 Meeting Highlights.jpg) The December 7 Meeting was called to order by President-Elect Chris Krueger. Ray Smith encouraged members and guests to participate in singing "Silver Bells," which he understands was written with Salvation Army bellringing as their inspiration. The invocation was offered by Ted Williams and John Pennypacker led the Pledge of Allegiance. Darl Andersen served as the greeter.Ray Smith won the attendance drawing. Carole Kralicek brought a guest with her to the meeting. He drew the ticket for the weekly drawing and drew Carole's ticket, making Carole the winner of the small weekly pot, but since she did not subsequently draw the ace of clubs, the $570 rolling pot will continue to grow. During the Sgt at Arms portion of the program, Robert LaBarge paid happy bucks for learning the dental terms and vocabulary necessary for describing how to make certain linquistic sounds. Dr. Ron Thompson verified the accuracy of what Robert was describing. Bob Zarling paid happy bucks stating he will be gone for five weeks visiting Wisconsin. Rod Daniels paid to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of the date his former club merged into Mesa West Rotary. Carole Kralicek announced she would have the privilege of selling a collection of valuable western art. Ted Williams announced the birth of his 56th grandchild. John Pennypacker announced that he was sad to see that there were 5-7 people present who were not properly dressed. The background for this statement was that in March of 1978, the Duarte, California Rotary Club was terminated from Rotary for allowing a woman to join their club. The Supreme Court sided with the Club and in 1987, Sylvia Whitlock became the first woman to serve as a Rotary Club President, presiding over the Duarte, California Rotary Club. John distributed Silver Slipper Rotary Pins to the women who were present to celebrate the history of women in Rotary. John Pennypacker auctioned a gift which he had obtained at the recent Foundation dinner. Tim Troy made the winning bid. Don LaBarge announced that he had been able to fill every opening to date for the holiday bell ringing. Bob Zarling announced that the Interact Club Purple Pinky project netted $850 to fund polio eradication. The program was introduced. Scarlett Zinggeler has a longer history with Rotary than some of our members. She was in Interact in high school. She also participated in RYLA. She was a Rotary youth exchange student in Poland, and recently, she became the first President of the new Rotaract Club at Grand Canyon University where she is a senior. She is on the board for Rotex (past exchange students). The Rotaract club was scheduled to have their first service project on Saturday, December 9. They plan to have a purple pinkie project to raise awareness of the need for continued emphasis on the eradication of polio and to raise funds to support immunizations. One of her personal goals for the Rotaract club at GCU is to develop a system where they can be pen pals with Rotaractors in other countries. They plan to hand out water to participants in triathlons. Tim Troy asked how many members are in their new Rotaract Club. She indicated they have nineteen members. |
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Making Christmas Miracles in Mexico
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November 30 Meeting Highlights President, Allan Cady, opened the meeting with a moment of silence after he announced that Al Morgan, Jeanie's husband had passed away November 28. Ray Smith offered the invocation and Chris Krueger led the Pledge of Allegiance.Jeanie Morgan won the weekly raffle, but failed to draw the Ace of Clubs, so the $575 pot will continue to grow. Chuck Flint conducted the Buck Board elimination drawing. Frank Rosenberg was the winner. $1,000 will be donated to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) in his name. Chuck Flint reminded members that one of our goals this year is for Mesa West to be recognized as an EREY (Every Rotarian, Every Year) club with each member donating $100 or more to The Rotary Foundation this Rotary year. Chuck made EREY forms available, and enticed members to take the forms with them since a recipe was printed on the back of the form: Citrus Roast Chicken a la Lucinda (1998 Lucinda Rose General). In the interest of time, "Express Happy Bucks" were collected. Jeanie paid $47 for each of the 47 years she had the privilege of spending with a very good man. Announcements:
Carole Kralicek donated a bag to be auctioned of miscellaneous items she brought back from her Rotary Friendship Exchange to Australia. Bob Zarling was the highest bidder with his bid of $75. Steve Ross announced upcoming speakers. He also announced that when he joined the club, there were two annual events. The Spring Olympics, has continued as a tradition. The other event - The Rotary Shoot Out - no longer happens. He introduced Coach Jay Cassario from Gilbert High School as the speaker, and reminded members that the Coach has brought his team to our Spring Olympics to keep the games honest each year. Coach Cassario is from Wisconsin. He is married to his high school sweetheart. They arrived in July, 2000 to experience 118 degree temperature as they arrived. They have four children. His wife is a labor and delivery nurse. His first job was at Greenfield Junior High. Coincidentally, when he contacted a friend from his own small town in Wisconsin, he found that the friend was living in the same apartment complex. He moved from the junior high to coach under Coach Bennett. When Coach Bennett retired, he felt fortunate to be offered the head coaching position. It was challenging to take over following a very successful coach, particularly so, since he was only 8+ years older than his players. He enjoys having the team help with Salvation Army bell ringing as well as serving as umpires/referees at the Spring Olympics each year at John Benedict's home. When he inherited the basketball program, his primary hope was the he "didn't screw it up." Kids want to be in the program commuting from other districts. High school sports has changed. It used to be that football players, would go on to play basketball, and then baseball in the spring. Now each have year-round programs. More kids are focused on one thing. He has found that kids are resilient, and that they like discipline. In addition to coaching, he teaches High School Honors Biology. He has a full day - 150 kids in five sections. 7th hour every day, he teaches his basketball team It gets the kids home with their family in the evenings. One of his requests when he started was that he be allowed to continue with the 7th hour basketball class, which had been started by Coach Bennett. Coach Bennett was influencial in another way. "The way to judge if you've had a successful season is to see where the kids are in 20 years." In answering a question about parent complaints about their kid not getting enough playing time, Coach Casario announced that when parents complain, their child is suspended from playing. Coach Bennett had that practice and it had seemed harsh at the time, so he didn't operate that way when he first took over as head coach. It made the job much more stressful, so he reinstituted the practice. Parents may still complain - but not to him.
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Salvation Army Bell Ringing at Bass Pro Shops We are now nearly two weeks into the Salvation Army Bell-Ringing season. From all accounts, things are going well. There are still quite a few shift openings according to Don LaBarge, our Community Service Chair. With 26 days of bell-ringing and 5 sessions per day, sign-ups are an enormous task. President, Allan, is confident that the service-minded Rotarians of Mesa West will once again answer the call. Please, review your calendar and call or email Don to coordinate available shifts with that will best fit your schedule. The bell-ringing concludes Saturday, December 23. We need volunteers that will take 2-3 sessions each, even 4 if possible. Don’s contact information is cell 480-213-1617 and email dlabarge47@gmail.com. Your early response and the generosity of your time will be appreciated. |
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December is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month The Rotary Foundation has major focus areas to make our impact stronger throughout the world. During December, the focus on member education and advocacy is the work we do in disease prevention and treatment.The "elevator speech" we can all use in educating our friends and associates about why we are proud to be Rotarians in this area is: We educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases like polio, HIV/AIDS, and malaria. We improve and expand access to low-cost and free health care in developing areas. |
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The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona At the District Governor's official visit, President Allan announced that our club members, collectively would support TRVFA with $5,000 or more in donations from our members prior to the end of the year. The fund qualifies for Arizona Tax Credits, so the donations, in qualifying amounts ($400 for individuals and $800 for joint returns), will offset your Arizona State Income Tax obligation dollar for dollar and can also be a qualifying Federal Income Tax Deduction. If you are going to have a 2017 state income tax obligation, CLICK HERE TO DONATE. |
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District Governor, Nancy Van Pelt's Official Visit.jpg) The Rotary Clubs in Mesa, Arizona held a combined meeting Wednesday, November 15 to celebrate the official visit of District Governor Nancy Van Pelt. Mesa West Rotary President, Allan Cady, called the meeting to order. John Wiegenstein, President of Mesa Sunrise Rotary provided the thought for the day sharing the background behind how Herbert Taylor came up with the 4-Way Test for his business, and it became the test used for Rotarians world-wide to temper everything they think, say, and do. |
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The Mission to Guaymas by Chris Krueger.jpg) The morning of November 8, 2017, the parking lot at Red Mountain Community College was filled with those of us anticipating the trip to Guaymas for the Hearing Aid Project. As I had never been there before, I was unsure what to expect. Several Rotarians from our club met us with breakfast items that were welcome at that time of the morning and a great way to see us off on our journey. The journey ended up being a long one, especially for those on the bus. The bus was stopped at the border for three long hours, initially being told that new paperwork was not filled out and therefore, they would have to return home. Luckily, our Guaymas Rotarian friends were able to procure an email that allowed us all to continue. |
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Celebrating 25 Years - Gift of Hearing The team of doctors, students, and other professionals were honored at an evening of festivities celebrating 25 years of Mesa Baseline Foundation and Mesa West Rotary teaming with Rotarians in Mexico to carry out the Gift of Hearing mission to support needs in Guaymas and its surrounding communities. Mesa West Rotary President, Allan Cady started the festivities with the Spanish translation of: "Greeting to all Rotarians, Doctors and Students. Thank you all for participating in the 25th clinic for people of Guaymas and surrounding areas. Tonight we wish to present Paul Harris fellows to our friends from the Guaymas Rotary Club. This a very special occasion. May I introduce Chuck Flint." Everyone was very impressed that he made the effort to make the greeting in Spanish.Chuck Flint made the Paul Harris presentations in Spanish, as well. As seen in the photo, receiving this honor in their community is achieved by very few. Those who were named were elated. Bob Jensen, who has been the organizer behind the Gift of Hearing project since its inception gave certificates to the participating doctors. He also honored Mesa West Rotarian, Ray Smith with a certificate recognizing his loyal dedication to the project for so many years. It was truly an evening of celebration! Special thanks is owed from Mesa West Rotary to Mike Whalen of New Line Trophy for his donation of name pins for all the doctors, audiology students and Rotarians participating in the Guaymas Hearing project, and for his discount given for the certificates and plaques presented at this special celebration.
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Mesa West Rotary Support of Veterans Day Parade PDG, Don LaBarge reports "All went like clock work at the Veterans Parade." His team gathered at 7:45 am at 8st & Center. The team included Melodie, Jim McGown, Chris LaBarge, Warren Williamson and Ted Williams. Chris and Don LaBarge picked up the U-Haul about 7:15am. It had been loaded with supplies for the Fallen Soldiers Event the day before by Theresa Carmichael and her staff. The fallen soldiers event honors the 170 soldiers killed in action since 9-11. They drove the U-Haul to the loading area at 8st & Center. Theresa was Parade chair & Member of Mesa Sunrise. Several Mesa Sunrise folks were assigned other duties, but very visibly working to support the parade. The Mesa West crew had worried about getting past the barricades, and possibly being hassled by the Guard. It turned out Rich Guin from Mesa Sunrise was the Guard, so it worked perfectly. The first shift included Don and Chris, Melodie, Jim & Warren and about 75 ROTC kids from all branches. It took every hand to prepare the Fallen Soldiers poles and pictures for hand out. The parts came in four different boxes. The ROTC kids received the poles, pictures, wreath and ribbons from the Mesa West Rotary crew. In two-person teams, the ROTC kids put the poles together with the wreaths, picture and ribbons using zip ties. One of the jobs was to tie the ribbon into a bow to give the kids, Chris spent some time trying to teach Don how to tie a bow. He gave up and took the role as supervisor. He recruited two girl scout mothers, who happened to be using Don's truck for shade while they were waiting for other scouts, to help Chris tie the bows. Chris and the two girl-scout mothers tied bows and gave them to the ROTC kids. The ROTC adult leader and the head boss barked orders at the kids like it was boot camp. Don said, "It was great. Trust me when I say the kids paid attention to the boss." After all the Poles were finally assembled about 10:30 am, Don and Chris moved to 2st street and Country Club which was the end of the Parade route. They parked and set up with gear to receive the poles. Their job was to disassemble the parts and repack the boxes for next year. The Mesa Fire Department showed up with a large grill which they set up next to the truck and trailer. Don and Chris knew several of them as they are a retired group, and were part of the grilling crew. (Chris's brother Grant is a retired Mesa Fireman and they knew them from what Don calls the old days. After everybody shook hands and told stories, the firemen set up their grill and began the task of giving away 1500 hot dogs to the parade workers and participants, or, basically, anyone who asked for one, Their event was paid for by the Fire Union. While Chris and Don waited for the Parade to end, they accepted the assignment of testing the hot dogs for quality. After eating two or three, they gave the fireman the OK. The firemen had been warned by Theresa to be ready for the ROTC kids at the end as they would be hungry and tired and eagerly invade the hot dog stand. Ted Williams joined Don and Chris about 11 AM, along with Colton and ten Interact kids. They were ready for the ROTC, at about 12:20 PM, the 170 ROTC kids arrived with the boss barking orders and they marched straight to the Mesa West team's setup. The chaos began. After about thirty minutes all 170 poles had been collected. The team began the process of removing the wreaths, pictures, ribbons and zip ties and repacking. "Thank goodness for the Interact kids!" Mental notes were made about what will be needed next year: chairs, more cutting pliers, pipe wrenches to undo the poles etc. Tje team finished at 2 PM and returned the truck to Theresa's office. Don says "Many thanks to our volunteer crew." |
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Donations Associated With Gift of Hearing Mission Polly Cady is shown with the director and assistant of the school where the Gift of Hearing clinic is set up. The photo documents the school's acceptance of the school supplies that were donated from Mesa West Rotary Club, as well as from private donors, i.e. Warren and Sunny Williams and University of Arizona sorority Kappa Alpha Theta. |
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November 9 Meeting Highlights Presiding over the meeting was Immediate Past President, John Eagleston. The invocation was given by Geoff White, and Jim McGown led the Pledge of Allegiance. It was noted that many of our Mesa West Rotary members were missing, as they were participating in the 25th Anniversary of the Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas, Mexico. Guests in attendance were Kristen Kelin, an audiologist, a guest of Jeanie Morgan, who responded to an inquiry from Kristen made through the Mesa West Rotary Facebook page. Aubrey's daughter, Brin, was also present as a guest. |
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President's Korner by Allan Cady.JPG) While the Steak and Beans contest officially ended October 31, contributions to the Sponsor Program continue to come in. We are presently over $35,000 in receipts with numerous pledges still outstanding. In total, 34 Mesa West Rotarians have participated with either a personal contribution or one from a non-member acquaintance or company. That’s fantastic because it represents fifty percent of our club membership! Good going and thanks to all for your efforts on behalf of those in need in our community and internationally. In the days ahead, we will announce the dates for our Steak and Beans event and the Sponsor Recognition event. Please, be encouraged to pass along to Aubrey Luma any remaining contributions at your earliest convenience. Again, thanks! It is now time to turn our attention to one of our signature service events, Salvation Army Bell-Ringing. We are fortunate again to the have the Bass Pro Shop location, arguably the best location in the city. Don LaBarge, our “scheduler extraordinaire” is in charge of this event. As usual, we ring the bell Mondays through Saturdays from Friday, November 24, through Saturday, December 23. Sign-ups will be conducted at our regular Thursday meetings and via phone/email. We are asking each Rotarian to commit to a minimum of 3 or 4 two-hour time slots during the 26 day period. Let us remember the OBJECT of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service. Thank you for all you do for Mesa West Rotary. |
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Highlights - November 2 Meeting.jpg) President, Allan Cady opened the meeting with Chris Krueger offering the invocation and Penny May leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Christy Citterman introduced her guest, Bret Atkinson. Wendell Jones introduced his guest, his better 90%, Carolyn. Penny May welcomed Lolita Wiesner, from Red Deer, Canada, back as an additional (to herself) seasonal visitor and friend. |
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17th Annual USA/Mexico Friendship Conference The conference was held October 27-29 at the Franciscan Renewal Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mesa West Rotarians in attendance for all or a portion of the conference were Bob Zarling, Donna and Bryan Goetzenberger, and Pollyanne and Allan Cady. Overall, the attendance count numbered just over one hundred which was a record for this event. submitted by Allan Cady |
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Abundant Harvest - District 5495 Foundation Dinner Abundant Harvest, the Rotary Foundation Dinner, was held Saturday evening, November 4, at the Doubletree by Hilton in Tempe. Cowboy apparel was in abundance and country music was provided by Ryan Hart and the Heartbeats. The keynote speaker was Past RI President Ray Klinginsmith. Ray served as President during the 2010-2011 Rotary year and was the 100th President of the organization. He recognized Rotary as the top charitable organization in the country. There were numerous club, bequest society, and major donor recognitions. For District 5510, Mesa West was honored for the following --- · Total Highest Giving Club $27,572 · Highest Annual Giving Club $25,157 · Highest per Capita Giving Club $524.10 |
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Carole Kralicek on Rotary Friendship Exchange Down Under Carole Kralicek is with eleven Sun Lakes Rotary Club members on a Rotary Friendship Exchange to Sydney and Gosford areas in Australia. They were hosted at an office luncheon by the Honorable Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs (the Rex Tillerson counterpart), and Lucy Wicks, a member of Parliament. They watched Parliament “at work” during Question Time. “This shocking name-calling session was worse than our congress!!! HaHa” It even included the Prime Minister. |
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October 26 Meeting Highlights 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.
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Halloween Fun - Friendship and Grant Exchange Conference Bonus.jpg) Allan and Polly Cady hosted District Governor Omar Falcon Aburto and his family from Vera Cruz, Mexico for the USA/Mexico Friendship Conference held this past weekend. They are a lovely family who they are enjoying very much. DG Omar's wife is a Rotarian in an all women Club where she is also a past president. DG Omar has 99 Rotary Clubs in his District so is a very busy man. They have two children who are along with them - a daughter, age eleven, and their son, who is five-years old. The daughter mentioned she would like to go trick or treating on Halloween since in Mexico they don't observe this tradition. The kids picked out Halloween costumes and are very excited to go! So in light of this, Allan and Polly decided to have a little get together Sunday night and show the kids all about pumpkin carving. |
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Celebrating 25 Years - Serving Medical Needs in Guaymas For twenty-five years, the Mesa Baseline Rotary Foundation and the Mesa West Rotary Club have sponsored a team of audiologists and doctors that conduct a medical mission to help the people of Guaymas, Mexico with their hearing problems. Although the city has approximately 130,000 citizens, there are no ear, nose and throat surgeons, audiologists or hearing aid dispensers in Guaymas. |
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United Sound Work Project - "Completely Amazing".jpg) Finalizing the requirement of a $2,000 district grant that was awarded to United Sound and announced at our October 5 meeting, July Duty hosted a book assembly project at her home Friday, October 27. Members and guests of Mesa West Rotary Club participated in the work project, about which Julie exclaimed, "They got them all done! It was completely amazing!" |
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October 19 Meeting Highlights President, Allan Cady opened the meeting asking Chris Krueger to give the invocation, and Don LaBarge to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. When introducing Donna Ratonia with R&L Carriers as her guest, Chris Krueger noted that Donna is a former Rotarian from Nebraska. Larry Kasterbaum was introduced as a visiting Rotarian from Guam. Jerry Burnett, a lender from Chase Bank was also a guest at our meeting.President Allan shared three thoughts for the day:
Our President imposed a $5 "key fine" on Jeanie Morgan for leaving the October 12 meeting with another Rotarian's car key. The weekly drawing was won by a visiting Rotarian, who did NOT draw the ace of clubs, so the large pot will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained the background of our Buck Board for the benefit of our visitors, and gladly sold available spots on the board for $10 each. During the Sgt. at Arms program, Greg Okonowski started the happy bucks by donating $100 celebrating a recent vacation, he announced that the money collected this week would be used to purchase school supplies for use at the school where the Guaymas mission takes place. Since the money was going for a worthy cause, Don LaBarge searched his wallet for $$ to donate. Ron Thompson won the attendance drawing and donated his winnings to the Guaymas school supply project. Penny May had a gift from her recent European vacation to auction. Donna Goetzenberger made the winning $45 bid and received a beautiful cultured pearl necklace. President Allan made the following announcements:
Pam Cohen introduced Harvey Clark, Past President of Superstition Mountain Rotary Club. Harvey has a long history in Police Enforcement. The program was about InfraGard, an Alliance for National Infrastructure Protection. Harvey has an 18 year history with InfraGard. He explained that private citizens can get involved in the Alliance which works is affiliated with the FBI. In Arizona, there are 1400 members. They are each required to meet the following criteria:
An advantage to membership is the training that is available. Arizona's vision is to have a "live fire" training program. They train and hack and take down bad guys every single day. He also spoke about ACTRA - Arizona Cyber Threat Respose Alliance. Harvey introduced Agent, Paul Schaaf, who is the FBI InfraGard Coordinator. He explained that InfraGard is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization formed to strengthen infrastructure. They push to get information out faster to reduce vulnerability, understanding it is dangerous to "sit on it." They are often told the name of the organization is spelled wrong. Their answer is, "The only thing missing in InfraGard is U(You)." He reviewed a few common findings. Don't fall for transactions where you are asked to wire money. If you suspect you have had a breach of cyber security, report it. Breaches can be reported anonymously. He stated "You will be hacked, but won't know when." Their existence helps to thwart terrorism, counter-intelligence, and cyber threats. |
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October 12 Meeting Highlights President Allan was pleased to open the meeting with a full house. Jim Schmidt gave the invocation and Polly Cady led the Pledge of Allegiance. Ray Smith led all present in a harmonious rendition of "America, the Beautiful."Among the visitors were Colton and Saundra of the Westwood High School Interact Club, along with their sponsor, Andrea Murphy, a new member of Mesa West Rotary. Colton and Saundra explained the Purple Pinkie Project their club is doing to raise awareness of and funds to support Polio eradication efforts of Rotary during the month of October. Other guests in attendance were Don Kesner from Tempe Downtown, Norm Duve of Mesa Sunrise, Bill Beamish, Guest of Don LaBarge, a Four-Peaks Rotary Club Representative, Cindy Harrison, from Tucson Sunset, Christine Weeks, a former youth exchange student, Sakio Kamakawi (from Japan), Norm Duve, Yordy Miguel (an aspiring exchange student) and his mother, Aide Rayna. Jim McGown won $34 in the weekly raffle, but made everyone else happy when the drew the 7 of diamonds, allowing the growing accumulating pot to keep growing. After three badge numbers were called with their owners not present, President Allan declared that the $5 would roll over to be won by next week's badge number winner. Steve Ross collected happy bucks, with the largest contribution coming from Don LaBarge, who was celebrating his 70th birthday, and the fact that Chris has let him know he is now old enough that she will no longer pester him about wearing his suspenders. Chuck Flint explained the buck board for the benefit of our guests. Bob Kesner passed the district's Traveling Friendship Trophy from Tempe Downtown to Mesa West, explaining that we do not get to keep it, but pass it on to another club in District 5495 at their regular meeting. The speaker was introduced by Bill Beamish. Sarah Hagerman is the President of ASU Rotaract and was sponsored by a grant from our district to attend the Rotary International Convention last summer. Sarah opened her remarks by saying, "Rotary makes me feel good at the end of the day." She said it was amazing how welcome she felt at such a huge convention. She said it was like "visiting family she'd never met." Key ways the summer benefited Sarah:
In addition to attending the RI convention, Sarah talked about her experience participating in the Rotaract Round trip which started in Nice, France and ended in Paris. On the trip, she stayed with local Rotaractors, and met Rotaractors from around the world. She also attended the European Rotaract Convention. It was obvious Sarah was appreciative of the opportunities Rotary has given her, and that she is committed to Rotary as a way of life. Following the program, President Allan made a few announcements:
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United Sound Work Project - Friday, Oct 27 One of the requirements of the district grant that was awarded to United Sound and announced at our October 5 meeting is that members of Mesa West Rotary Club participate in a work project related to the grant. The mission of United Sound is providing musical performance experiences through peer mentorship for students with special needs. The grant funds, which were matched by the Mesa West Rotary Foundation for a total of $4,000 will cover printing of the curriculum/music books the participating students use. The work project will utilize Rotarians and their guests and participating family members to assemble and customize the curriculum books adding colored stickers to aid the special needs students in transferring what they see in the book to more easily play correct notes on their musical instrument(s). A work project/social event will be held at the home of United Sound Executive Director and Mesa West Rotary Member, Julie Duty, on Friday evening, October 27, at 7:00 PM. Wine and snacks will be provided.
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October 5 Meeting Highlights The invocation was given by Jeanie Morgan, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Bob Zarling. Ray Smith led everyone in singing "He Has the Whole World in His Hands." Among the guests were Carlos Sotos, from Argentina and an aspiring youth exchange student who was attending with his mother. Carole Kralicek won the attendance drawing. Warren Williamson was the holder of the lucky raffle ticket, winning $33 in the weekly drawing, but failed to pull the Ace of Clubs. The growing pot is up to $427. The happiest donor of happy bucks was Polly Cady because she and Don LaBarge have finished a peanut butter project they have been working on. Apparently, they now know more about how to make the best deal in large quantities of both creamy and crunchy spreads than they ever imagined they would want to know. The also discovered that when purchased in large cartons, the weight and space were both overwhelming surprises. Don LaBarge delivered a District Grant check for $2,000 which will be matched by a like amount from the Mesa West Rotary Foundation for United Sound - a total grant of $4,000. Earlier this year, new members were asked to submit grant requests for worthy projects. Our member, Julie Duty, who is Executive Director of United Sound, submitted the winning request. Rather than posing for a photo receiving the check, she wanted a photo of the members of Mesa West Rotary, so United Sound can give them credit in their PR communications. Chuck Flint circulated the Buck Board after briefly explaining the background of The Rotary Foundation and Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Bob Zarling announced that October 24 is Polio Plus Awareness Day and encouraged members who had time to attend the webinar that RI will host that day. He brought a Polio Plus Trick or Treat bucket, which was circulated for donations. President, Alan Cady made the following announcements:
PDG John Pennypacker reminded members to sign up to attend the Foundation Dinner and to take time to read the items to be considered at the Council on Legislation which were recently distributed. Steve Ross announced upcoming speakers prior to announcing the program which was presended by Dr. Scott Russell on Arizona Indian Tribes. Dr. Russell is an anthropologist who has been an instructor at MCC for 30 years. Dr. Russell shared some recent news articles showing "a month of news about Native Americans in Arizona. Some of the information highlighted:
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Fireside Chat/Chile Cook-off Huge Success.jpg) The Chili Cook Off and Fireside was a huge success! The Troy’s home was a perfect venue! With Pam Cohen’s and Carole Kralicek’s planning and coordination, everything went very smoothly and was a lot of fun. Not only was there good food and beverages, the whole evening was all about fellowship. I’m not sure what the highlight was: The induction of PDG John Pennypacker, conducted by Chuck Flint, the Chili Cook Off and food, or the Fireside Chat. Having known PDG John Pennypacker for a long while, Chuck conducted the induction with a glowing background of John’s military career and Rotary career. John said a few words and praised the Mesa West Rotary Club and let us know how happy and privileged he is to be a part of it. There were eight participants in the chili cook off. First place winner (again) was Chuck Flint. Second place went to Tim Troy and third to Polly Cady. The prizes were very appropriate: Chili’s (the restaurant) gift cards! The gift cards were placed on a stick with real red chili’s attached – very creative. As it turned out, Chuck offered to raffle off his gift cards so Polly joined him. Tim Troy was the bidding winner – another plus for the Club’s service projects’ coffers! Carole Kralicek had a great idea of how to facilitate the Fireside Chat. She had the new members who were there ask questions on Rotary subjects they were not quite sure about. Donna and Bryan Goetzenberger asked how District Governors are selected. Robert LaBarge, having been on such a committee, answered. He let us know that there is a committee which consists of District Governors, Past District Governors and a few people who are selected at random. They review all nominees and come up with an appointed District Governor. Actually, they appoint a District Governor Nominee who then becomes a District Governor Elect and then District Governor. Another question was asked by Bob Zarling. He wanted to know if all Rotary clubs are supposed to conduct meetings with the same format. Between PDG John Pennypacker and Chuck Flint, he got the answer that Rotary clubs are all different and conduct their meetings differently. One more question had to do with where the happy bucks money goes – answer: service projects unless specified to another fund such as Paul Harris, Polio Plus or the Rotary Foundation. Carole then asked President Allan “What makes a good Rotary club”. Allan mentioned, of course, Mesa West is the best Rotary club due to its members. Mesa West has the most giving . . . excellent projects . . . strong meetings with good speakers . . . . attendance is at 36-45 members each week with good involvement . . . strong board . . . . creative group with a variety of ideas. After Allan shared his ideas, he called on several Rotarians to give their thoughts on what makes a good Rotary club. Again, special thanks go to Tim and Angie Troy Submitted by Polly Cady |
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President's Korner by Allan Cady.JPG) Mesa West Rotarians – at the present time, we have $17,068 in donations and another $1.400 in pledges for our Sponsor Program. That means we are 62% of the way towards our first goal of $30,000. On our Steak and Beans Team competition, Team #7 – Steve Ross has the highest dollar amount of donations while Team #2 – John Eagleston has the greatest member participation with 5 of 9 team members participating. When John Eagleston presented the Sponsor Program concept to his board during his term, the thought was that if each Mesa West Rotarian secured one donation we could easily surpass our goal. At present, we have 16 Rotarians participating which is 1/4 of our club. If you are numbered in the sixteen, many thanks. If you have tried but had no success, still thanks. If you haven’t tried, please give thought to one person or business owner that you can approach for a donation. As you know, we extended the program through October 31, so you have plenty of time. Remember all contributions make it possible for Mesa West Rotary to make a difference in the lives of those in our local and international communities. Thanks for your dedication to Mesa West Rotary. |
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Andrea Murphy - New Member Inducted October 4 Mesa West is proud to introduce Andrea Murphy as our newest member. She is the faculty advisor for our Interact Club at Westwood High School and truly embodies the Four Way Test. Andrea was inducted to Mesa West Rotary at the Westwood High School Interact Meeting on Wednesday, October 4, 2017. |
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September 27 Meeting Highlights.jpg) President, Allan Cady opened the meeting with Daryl Bethea offering the invocation and Jim Crutcher leading the Pledge of Allegiance.Among the guests, were John Pennypacker, Cindy Rosenberg, and Dawn and Mike Polley. Jim Crutcher won the attendance drawing. President Allan made the following announcements:
Tim Troy held the lucky ticket making him the winner of $34 in the weekly drawing, but did not draw the ace of clubs, so the $394 in the larger pot will continue to grow. Chuck Flint circulated the Buck Board, continuing to raise funds which will go to The Rotary Foundation making the next winner the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship. For each $10 donated, members and guests who purchase squares on the board will have a one in one hundred chance of being the lucky winner. We had two drawings:
Darl Andersen was re-inducted into Mesa West Rotary. Darl is a Past President of the Club. As part of his induction, Darl was introduced by his sponsor, brother-in-law, and long-time friend, Daryl Bethea. CLICK HERE to read a copy of the impressive bio of this re-membered Rotarian. When Darl was first a member of our club, he was sponsored during the club's first year by member and past district governor, Ted Williams, who was a charter member of Mesa West. Darl and his wife, Kaye, enjoy spending time with their nine children and 39 grandchildren all living in the east valley. President Allan introduced our Program, a Kickoff of a Business Networking focus for our club. When Rotary first started in 1905, networking was one of the primary goals. Later, in the evolving history of Rotary, networking fell out of favor for a few years. It is currently encouraged again in Rotary, worldwide. Allan has a vision of having a second table at our greeter station with ads displayed and business cards and information available for our Rotarian's businesses. Jim Crutcher's in-house ad person will help develop a 7" x 7" ad for any member who would like that assistance. Jim Crutcher gave a personal narrative of his history in the automotive industry, which led him to his position as General Manager with Berge Ford. It was apparent that Jim takes a great deal of pride in the way Craig Berge has led the Ford dealership, making employee pride and satisfaction a priority which results in outstanding customer service. Berge Ford has 273 employees and do over $200 Million in business per year. They sell 4,000 new/used vehicles each year, and sell $1.5 Million in parts each month. They deliver 300 parts on a typical day, and service an average of 350 service customers daily. He is proud that the dealership has won the Ford's Presidents Award for the 3rd year in a row. 300 of these awards are given each year in our nation. They also won the Ford Elite Presidents Award three years in a row. Only 30 of these awards are given annually. They are not the cheapest - they get a fair profit which enables them to retain good employees, and deliver good service. The average employee has been there 8.5 years. They have over 50 emlpoyees who have been with Berge Ford for 25 years or longer. John Eagleston told of growing up as the youngest of eight children (but only five minutes younger than his twin). His dad started an insurance company in 1968. His business grew and he held licenses in all 50 states, doing a lot of business over the phone. Until John was in college, he really had no idea what his dad did. In 2001, John's brother went to work for their dad. After John graduated from college in 2004, he and his wife were living in Utah. When he let her know that he had been invited to join his father's business, he was surprised when his wife enthusiastically supported the move. Being in a family business can be challenging. Their dad was reluctant to support the investment in technology John and his brother both felt was needed for future development. They broke off from their father's business and started their own. It rocked their relationship with their dad for about a year, but eventually the relationship healed. He and his brother had a vision of being an insurance hub, with the ability to serve all insurance needs of their clients. They are still growing. They have 1100-1200 clients in all 50 states. They shop the market for their clients. They were pleased that in seven years, they accomplished the goal they had set when they started. They are continually growing and are having fun! Before the meeting adjourned, Rod Daniels announced that he was stepping down from his District Position as Polio Plus Coordinator, but that the position will stay in Mesa West Rotary with Bob Zarling stepping up to do so. |
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September 21 Meeting Highlights.jpg) After the September 21 meeting was called to order by President, Allan Cady, John Eagleston led the invocation and Dan Coons invited all present to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance. President Allan reminded members that the theme of the 2017-18 Rotary International President, Ian Risely, is "Making a Difference." Allan had recently received a book written by Larry Van Tuyl, People, People, People. The book contained a section on "Thought Starters," one of which was, "If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right."Guests present at the meeting included Beth Garrow, who is a remote employee of The Rotary Foundation, serving as a major gifts officer. She is a member of the High Noon Rotary Club in Carlsbad, California. PDG John Pennypacker was in attendance for his 4th consecutive week. Alice Phan, District 5495 Rotaract Representative was visiting and brought three colleagues from her new place of employment with her. Grace Canzoneri was a guest, attending with our speaker. Morgan and Suzanne Davis, were also guests. Jim McGown won the attendance drawing. Penny May won the weekly drawing, but did not draw the ace of clubs, so the large drawing prize will continue to grow. Tim Troy collected happy bucks from those present. Wendell Jones announced the birth of a new granddaughter - their 28th grandchild. Alice Phan paid happy bucks as she is soon going to leave on an extended vacation, which will include many stops, including Viet Nam. President Allan made several brief announcements:
Wendell Jones introduced his neighbor and guest, Suzanne Davis. Suzanne introduced the speaker, Dr . Gary Walker, from the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center with a personal endorsement. When her husband, Morgan, was diagnosed with cancer, it was highly recommended to them that they look into services offered by the MD Anderson Center. They took that advice and could not have been more pleased with the attention, expertise, and level of care received. Dr. Walker shared some information about his specialty, radiation oncology, illustrating how tumors can be specifically targeted with radiation using today's technology, combined with a team of specialists. targeted radiation is particularly useful in treating several specific types of cancer with head and neck cancers at the top of the list. In some but not all cases, radiation is combined with chemo-therapy. His personal care philosophy is "I partner with my patients to provide the highest leel of personalized, evidence-based medicine in a supportive and caring environment. My goal is to implement the world-renowned MD Anderson standard of care in Phoenix."
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Help Needed in Southern Mexico by Jeanie Morgan In the spring of 2005, I led a Rotary Group Study Exchange team to District 4180 in southern Mexico. A part of my heart will always remain with the many friends I made during that visit. I will always remember the hospitality, dedication to service, and compassion I witnessed in every club I visited and each Rotarian's home where I was hosted. The recent earthquakes were centered in the very area that became so dear to my heart.As District Governor in District 5490 in 2009-10, we had another exchange with District 4180, and I had the occasion to attend their District Conference, staying afterward to plan a Friendship and Grants Exchange Conference combined with a wheelchair delivery project in the fall of 2010 in their district in Mexico. Our current District Governor, Nancy VanPelt participated in that planned event and I saw her passion for Rotary service blossom as she witnessed and experienced the life-changing differences Rotary can make through collaboration with Rotarians in other countries. At my District Conference in 2010, Past Rotary International President, Frank Devlyn, agreed to be a speaker. He is one of my favorite Rotary Leaders. I have never met any other individual who can remember the names and circumstances of people he has met in past encounters as this amazing Rotary leader and friend. He resides in Mexico City and has first-hand knowledge of the devastation of the recent earthquakes. Like our District, 4180 was consolidated into a new, combined district, and is now numbered 4185. A friendship and grants exchange conference with District 4185 is coming up and will be hosted in our District 5495 this October. I would encourage you to attend all or part of the conference if at all possible. CLICK HERE to download a two-page document containing messages recently received from DG Nancy VanPelt, and another from PRIP, Frank Devlyn outlining ways that support can be sent to relieve suffering resulting from the recent earthquakes which impacted the area that has been dear to me since my 2005 visit there.
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Sponsorship Program Progress by Allan Cady.png) Mesa West Rotarians – at the present time, we have $16,650 in donations and another $1,400 in pledges for our Sponsor Program. That means we are 59% of the way towards our first goal of $30,000. Shown is the breakdown by team.I have had several club members tell me that getting donations is not as difficult as they at first thought. That’s encouraging. I’ve also had several tell me they think we would do well to extend the program through the month of October. So please consider for the purposes of the Steak and Beans competition, the Sponsor Program will now go through October 31. I must encourage all of you Mesa West Rotarians to continue your efforts on behalf of our club so that we meet our objective and maybe even our secondary objective of $40,000. Thank you for what you do for Mesa West Rotary. |
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Don Boucher, Vocational Service Director Don Boucher was born in Providence, Rhode Island. He is the oldest of six children. He has been an Arizona resident for almost ten years. Prior to relocating to Arizona, Don previously resided in Rhode Island, California, and Georgia. Don has traveled to six foreign countries: Canada, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Monaco and France. The only language in which he is fluent is English. As a teenager, Don dreamed of a career in Law Enforcement. He lived that dream for a significant number of years. He is a retired Narcotics Detective from Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He was medically retired in his fourteenth year of service as a result of service-connected injuries (cervical and lumbar). During his time of service, he received dozens of commendations from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, The California State Treasurer’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation for his high level investigative skills. While assigned to the Narcotics Bureau’s Marijuana Eradication Team, Don trained and worked with members of elite U.S. Military teams including the Navy Seals, Army Special Forces, Marine Corps Force Recon, and Army Military Police, and had the good fortune of completing a modified version of the Army’s Air Assault School at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma. Don is the recipient of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department highest honor – The Medal of Valor. He received this award for his role in the rescue of his partner who had become trapped inside an apartment during the execution of a narcotics search warrant and ensuing gunfight with two armed drug dealers. Don is currently Managing Partner with Wealth Advisor at Copper Canyon Wealth Management. They provide investment, insurance and wealth planning services. Don now has fifteen years of experience in his second career. Don has been married for nine years to Sharon, who is also his best friend and business partner. He has one daughter, two stepdaughters, and one stepson. They have four grandchildren with a fifth due in late December. Favorite vacation memories for Don are of fall hiking trips in Yosemite and the Eastern Sierras. Don’s most rewarding volunteer experience to date was his nine-week Mesa West Rotary Club grant for the Paideia Health, Nutrition and Leadership Program in the sping of 2015. Our club interacted with and positively impacted approximately 60 lower income children from the Sequoia Chartered School in Mesa. |
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Order Your Mesa West Rotary Business Cards! Dan Coons has generously offered to print business cards for Mesa West Rotary Club members at the nominal cost of $12.00 per box of 500.They are available in two designs, as shown, and should be ordered by Thursday, October 12 by members who wish to take advantage of this pricing opportunity. The initial orders will be printed in a single batch, making the cost savings possible. The business cards will be useful in many ways as we network within our own club, invite potential members to join us as guests at our meetings, promote our sponsorship program, etc. To order your cards, CLICK HERE to send an e-mail to provide Dan with the details of how you wish to have your cards printed. If you choose Option A, you will need to provide a digital head-and-shoulders photograph with your e-mail. If no photo is included, cards will be printed in the option B format. Cards can be ordered with fewer than four detail lines, but additional lines cannot be added. If you miss the deadline, cards can still be ordered, but the cost will be $20.00 per 500. To keep the bookkeeping as simple as possible, the cards will be paid by the club and available at the sign-in table. When you pick up your cards, you can pay cash to Aubrey or have her bill your account for the cost of your order.
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September 14 Meeting Highlights Ray Smith upstaged our President to lead the members in a harmonious rendition of Happy Birthday to celebrate Allan's birthday. Dick Myren offered the invocation, and Warren Williamson led the Pledge of Allegiance.The members welcomed a number of guests at their tables. Among the guests were: visiting Rotarian from Hawaii, Mike Polley, has recently purchased a home in our area made another repeat visit; PDG John Pennypacker who is visiting our club for the second week in a row; Penny May, a regular seasonal visitor, now back from the north; our inbound exchange student, Takuma Fujiya; Dan Pierce, who was the guest of Jane Pierce, and Colleen Coons. Lucinda General's badge number was drawn making her the winner of the $5.00 attendance drawing. The large pot has grown to $323.00. Christy Citterman's ticket was drawn again this week for the weekly drawing, but she did not draw the ace of clubs, allowing the large pot to continue to grow. Dr. Ron Thompson served as Sgt at Arms. Dan Coons paid happy bucks and encouraged members to take time to meet our exchange student. Penny May contributed, telling about clubs she visited and related adventures enjoyed during her summer travels. She shared flags from two of the clubs visited. Jim McGown told a story on himself as an "out-of-breath heart patient," whose cousin (who is an EMT) realized from symptoms Jim had described that he likely had a pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung). Jim went to the ER, and told the staff that was what he thought he had. Much to their dismay, he was right. They were able to treat it--problem solved! He paid happy bucks for his cousin's knowledge and for his restored health. This is a great illustration about how we all should listen to our body's signals and accurately report changes to medical professionals, and be persistent in getting answers that make a difference. Jack Rosenberg told about a summer of medical challenges. Early in the summer, he had a pacemaker installed and as that was being handled, discovered his kidneys were not functioning correctly. A mass was found in his right kidney and subsequently removed. As of two weeks ago, he is cancer-free. Chuck Flint explained our Buck Board for the sake of visitors in attendance, and gave members and guests the opportunity to buy $10 squares on the board. Lucinda General had a bag to be auctioned containing east coast memorabilia gathered during a recent vacation. Chris Krurger made the winning $50 bid. Jim McGown had a gift from the Fly Creek Cider Mill. Our speaker for the day made the winning $30 bid. Allan Cady reported on the volunteer project at the food bank. He also reminded members of the October 7 Chile Cook-Off and Fireside Chat. A sign-up sheet was circulated at the meeting. President Allan provided an update on the Sponsorship Program. An additional $2,500 has come in. We are now over $15,000, making progress and taking us more than half way to our $30,000 goal. A number of members were recognized for perfect attendance: John Benedict, Pam Cohen, Dan Coons, Jim Crutcher, Rod Daniels, Chuck Flint, Lucinda General, Wendell Jones, Carole Kralicek, Don LaBarge, Jim McGown, Jack Rosenberg, Ray Smith and Warren Williamson. John Eagleston was also recognized in absentia. Chuck Flint conducted the induction of Jane Pierce, sponsored by Don LaBarge. Jane was accompanied by her husband, Dan, who pinned her as she pledged to fulfill the obligations of membership, and Dan pledged to support her. During the induction, Chuck provided Rotary education, reminding members that The Rotary Foundation was begun with $26.50 left from the Kansas City Rotary International Convention, and from that humble beginning has given over $3 Billion to support causes worldwide. TRF holds a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator and over 91% of funds donated are used to do good in the world. The speaker, Denise McCreery of D'Vine Gourmet, was introduced by Dick Myren. Denise's business was awarded the Micro Business of the Year recognition by the Chandler Chamber of Commerce in 2015. Denise told of a life-changing Rotary experience when she was a high-school student. She had heard that there was a scholarship supported by the Wilcox Rotary Club for the Rodeo Queen at the annual Rex Allen Days Rodeo in their community. She was originally from Boston, had moved west with her family during elementary school. Her father owned a local drug store and she did not know how to ride a horse, but needed money to achieve a dream to tour Europe with Up With People. A boyfriend taught her to ride a horse. She did not win, but was selected as the Rodeo Princess. When the queen got sick, Denise had to fulfill the duties of the Queen and got the scholarship and achieved her dream after all. The Up With People Experience gave her a world view and changed her life. She told of how a fluke over 14 years ago, when she decided to try making jelly with wine that was accumulating in their household into jelly, resulted in selling 100's and 100's of jars of the wine jelly in a single weekend. The original plan was just to sell it at farmer's markets, but instead as they evaluated what their potential might be and who they wanted to be, they decided they wanted to be a business that sold the wine jelly and other Arizona-made products. In the D'Vine Gourmet shop, located at 4955 S Alma School Rd Suite 4 in Chandler, they have a kitchen on-site. They encourage others who are thinking of starting similar small businesses to first refine and test marketing their products in the D'Vine Gourmet facility. In addition to local gourmet food items, they have a lot of local art displayed in their shop. Denise firmly believes that "a rising tide lifts all boats," and encouraged those in attendance to shop local merchants. Statistics show that for every dollar spent locally, twice that amount stays in the local economy. As part of their business, they can create custom gift baskets. They have a wine cellar, and host wine tasings once each week. She had brought a gift basket with her, which was auctioned to those in attendance. Colleen Coons purchased it and planned to give the basket to our exchange student, Takuma.
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President's Korner by Allan Cady.JPG) Mesa West Rotarians -Please read this direct quote from Paul P Harris, January, 1911: "If anyone tells you that it is reprehensible to make a dollar or two for the wife and babies from club associates in straightforward business transactions, tell that person that some foreign substance has gotten into his carburator." I would say that is very much on point, wouldn't you? In my seven-year association with Mest West Rotary, I've seen some business networking but frankly not much. We want to breathe more life into this aspect of our associaiton one with another. In the days ahead, we plan to develop a display outside our meeting room, help you create a 7 x 7 ad with the help of Jim Crutcher's graphic specialist, and call on many of you to tell us about your business. I hope you can see the opportunity this represents. As this is a work-in-progress, please submit any thoughts/ideas you may have on the matter. Yours in Rotary, Allan Cady
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Know your Fellow Rotarian - Carole Kralicek, Membership Chair.JPG) Carole Kralicek was born on a farm in northern Minnesota in a log cabin and learned to read by a kerosene lamp. The oldest of two in her French Canadian family, her parents adopted her mother's sister's seven children when Carole was two. French was their first language. An eighth brother was adopted later. Her parents first wintered in Aizona when she was eight and Arizona has always felt like home. Four years ago, she became a permanent resident. Married 44 years to three men, who are now deceased, she has two children, their spouses and two granddaughters. Through business and Rotary interests, Carole has visited or worked in 50 countries and traveled to 48 states, having lived in three. Each journey was a vacation. During high school, Carole decided to become a physician but was told "girls aren't doctors so be a nurse". While working in a hospital, she learned she enjoyed the business world and has been a business owner continuously since age 17. Her retirement business is appraising antiques and conducting estate sales. Carole has conducted fifty two Antique Appraisal Show fundraisers for non profits. All volunteer experiences are rewarding, but it was a surprise when the Lions of Minnesota honored her with their annual Helen Keller Award. |
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Mesa West Rotarians at Work September 9 Bob Zarling, Matt Rotty, and Allan and Polly Cady responded to the call for volunteers to report for work at the Midwest Food Bank Saturday morning, September 9. They helped stack goods to go to Texas the next morning for the flood victims. The boxes contained everything from personal hygiene items to paper goods to cleaning supplies. Others were packing boxes with canned goods, water, tea, coffee, and fresh dates. Greg Okonowski and his family also were at the food bank to work Saturday, representing Mesa West Rotary,but were not available when this photo was taken. Midwest Food Bank has a new and wonderful facility where they provide a marvelous service. Polly wrote, "It was heart warming to know our efforts are actually doing good in benefiting the victims of hurricane Harvey." Midwest Food Bank is an organization that collects non-perishable food items from vendors throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area. These food items are collected using Midwest Food Bank trucks, brought to the Midwest Food Bank warehouse, repackaged by volunteers like us, then redistributed into Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and Tempe. Our club will be participating the second Saturday of the month for the remainder of 2017. One thing that makes this project worthwhile is the ability to play a vital role in feeding our community. Another reason is that the work is simple; we repackage bulk items (crackers, chips, and so forth) into smaller quantities for out-going delivery. We are asking that at least 12 people attend each of the remaining three Saturdays. You are free to attend for whatever amount of time is convenient. Members are encouraged to mark their calendars, and encouraged to bring their spouses, significant others, and friends because they need all the help they can get. Matt Rotty, who identified this volunteer opportunity says, "Thank you very much in advance!" Address: 725 E Baseline Rd Gilbert, AZ 85233 Remaining Schedule: Saturday, October 14th (9am to Noon) Saturday, November 11th (9am to Noon) Saturday, December 9th (9am to Noon) |
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Mesa West - Lead Club in 11-Club Joint Project Ray Smith is shown presenting our club's check for $1,010 to Director, Deborah Schaus at the East Valley Resource Center. which is located at 247 North MacDonald Street in Mesa. The photo was taken July 14 when Mesa West Rotary Club members were invited to be present for the check presentation, as well as enjoy lunch and a tour of the center. There were 11 clubs that participated in a joint project using District Grant funds, matching the funds with their own money, each check was $1,010.00. The clubs each received $510.00 from the District Grants fund and matched it with their funds of $500.00. Mesa West was one of the 11 clubs and was the lead club for the project. The other ten clubs involved were Fountain Hills, Mesa, Gold Canyon Superstition Mountain, Paradise Valley, Mesa Sunrise, Flagstaff, Sun Lakes, Phoenix Camelback, Tempe Downtown and Tempe South. 2016-17 District 5510 Governor Tonya’s theme was “Assist the Elderly.” As District Grants Coordinator, Don LaBarge challenged clubs to take part. Many more clubs wanted to join the project, but there were only enough funds available from District Grant funds for eleven clubs to participate at $500 each. It was a great project. The total expenditure of items purchased for the Elderly center will be $11,110. It is anticipated that the final purchases of equipment funded by this project will be completed this week allowing formal documentation of this joint project to be finalized. |
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Highlights of September 7 Meeting After the September 7 meeting was called to order, Geoff White led the invocation and Steve West led the Pledge of Allegiance. Among the visitors, were PDG John Pennypacker, visiting Rotarian, Michael Polley, Cristy Setterman, Christy Citterman and her guest, Ray Schmal, who will be going on the project trip to Guaymas. Jack Rosenberg won the attendance drawing. Visitor, Ray Schmal, was asked to draw the winning raffle ticket. He drew Christy’s ticket, making her the winner of the $28 pot, but she did not pull the ace of clubs, so the big pot, which is now up to $293, will continue to grow. Chuck Flint explained our Buck Board, which provides opportunities at $10 each for members and guests to potentially have $1,000 donated in their name to The Rotary Foundation so that they could be the recipient of Paul Harris Fellow recognition and be credited with a receipt for the tax-deductible donation. President Allan told quite a fish story about a fish Polly caught on their recent trip to Ontario. See the full story, as told by Polly, in a separate newsletter article. Sgt. At Arms, Greg Okonowski, collected happy bucks. Frank Rosenberg contributed proudly announcing that their daughter, Sammy, would be singing the National Anthem with the Phoenix Childrens Choir at Chase Field Saturday, September 9, at the Diamondbacks game. Don LaBarge contributed as he announced that he had finally been successful in selling Snowy. He announced that the price was $7,000 which covered expenses and that we made $1,000 on the deal. He requested that two huge plaques be made to honor those who were instrumental In getting Snowy sold. Members were reminded of the volunteer opportunity coming up Saturday morning at the Midwest Food Bank, and the Rotary Day at the Diamondbacks on Sunday, September 10. President Allan announced his intent to honor those with perfect attendance for the past year at the September 14 meeting. He also announced that Janie Pierce has recently qualified to become a Mesa West Rotary Club member and her induction will be planned in the near future. Chuck Flint provided Rotary education during the induction ceremony of our newest Member, Christy Citterman, who was sponsored by Allan Cady and accompanied by Ray Schmal, who was congratulated for supporting Christy in her commitment to Rotary service as she enters this new chapter of her life. Steve West introduced our speaker, Marc Garcia, from Visit Mesa (formerly known as the Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau). Marc is a graduate of Valley Leadership and has led Visit Mesa since 2012. Under Marc’s leadership the numbers have increased dramatically. Steve has long supported Visit Mesa and is currently a director emeritus. He has had the opportunity to observe the positive impact of Marc’s leadership. Marc showed some short video clips that have been developed to be strategically utilized in attracting visitors to our area. One of the markets they hope to target is one that, if their dream becomes a reality, will attract families to our area to participate in and support youth and amateur sports tournaments. It will be a Multi-Purpose Youth & Amateur Sports Complex to be developed in Northeast Mesa. The fields will be large enough to accommodate games like soccer and lacrosse, which will automatically make them large enough for other popular games. While the fees charged to use the complex will not produce a profit, it is anticipated the increased dollars generated in hotel bed taxes paid by families coming for the competitions and staying at facilities in our area will allow the complex to pay for itself. |
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Mesa West Rotarians attend Rotary Day at the Diamondbacks Lucinda and Wayne General joined with Allan and Polly Cady to enjoy Rotary Day at the Diamondbacks Sunday, September 10.Both couples exemplify the "Work Hard, Play Hard" philosophy of committed Rotarians!
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Sponsorship Program - Get Your Ask in Gear When we show up to have fun at Chuck Flint's at the end of this year's Sponsorship campaign for our club's charitable foundation, will you be eating steak or beans? You will be eating steak if your team has raised the most in donations, or if EVERY member of your team has brought in at least one donation. If your team hasn't met either of these criteria, you are encouraged to come for the fellowship and to celebrate those who have worked at helping us make the funds needed to do the work we want to do in our community and the world, but Chuck Flint suggests you may want to bring some Gas-X."If it is to be, it is up to me," should be each of our attitudes. If you don't know what team you are on, CLICK HERE to download the team roster. The donations are not supposed to come from us, it is hoped we will each give our personal Rotary "elevator speech" to friends, neighbors, associates, neighbors who might be too busy to join a Rotary Club, but who would be happy to help us make a difference, if asked. Just ask! Download our Sponsorship Brochure to give (or send) to those you ask. Let's not try hard to make this program work, Instead, let's each try very hard to make it fun! (and pray you're not on a team of vegans)
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Northern Nancy, by Polly Cady We were in a bay in Sand Point Lake in Ontario, not too far from Crane Lake, MN. It was such a windy, cold and rainy day we tried to find areas that were protected from the wind. We were fishing mainly for Walleye using minnows. In the area I caught the Northern Pike, we were catching a lot of small Perch and throwing them back. A Perch bit my minnow and the Northern Pike bit the Perch! According to Allan, it took about 15 to 20 minutes to pull it in but felt like two minutes to me. J We did have a guide – a great and personable one who we’ve used before – he actually came to the US from Sweden when he was the age of 21 – he’s now 66. He’s very fun. Anyway, I’ve caught Northern Pikes before and know they really fight but this one felt like I was catching a Marlin! The guide coached me on what to do and I caught her (according to the guide, the larger girthed fish are female and that’s why I named her Northern Nancy). We did measure and weigh it. It was 45 inches long and weighed 26-27 pounds. In Canada, any fish longer than 29-1/2 inches has to be thrown back so, of course, we did. |
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Pam Cohen, Club Service Chair Pam Cohen was born in Lexington, Nebraska. She was the middle child of three children until stepchildren were added and she was the second oldest of six. Pam has been a resident of Arizona for thirty-six years, relocating here in 1981. She has resided in three states, Nebraska, North Carolina and Arizona.She has visited 27 foreign countries: Singapore, Bali, Malaysia, Borneo, Japan, China, Tibet, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Thailand, Hong Kong, South Africa, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Grand Cayman, Bahamas, Jamaica, France, England, Scotland and Canada. She is not fluent in any language other than English, unless we allow her to count South African, Scottish, Irish, Australian, and Canadian. As a teen, Pam dreamed of being an artist or anthropologist. Instead, she has spent the last 33 years in real estate sales, escrow, finance and marketing. Pam is not married. She is engaged to Chuck Flint. She has one beautiful daughter, one son-in-law and one granddaughter by marriage. When asked to share the location and time of year for the best vacation Pam can remember, she responded it was her trip to South Africa in May of this year. Pam's most rewarding volunteer experience to date is her service as the RYLA Director for District 5510 for eight plus years and being involved with RYLA for thirteen years. She still stays in touch with some of the students and am often surprised when someone recognizes her form their time at RYLA. "Growing Rotarians - they were my kids, too!" |
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Highlights of August 31 Meeting.jpg) Chris Krueger presided over the meeting. Ray Smith led the members in singing "God Bless America" to get the meeting off to a rousing start. Ron Thompson led the invocation.Volunteers are needed Saturday, September 7 to pack food with Youth Exchange Kids. Members can see the article below or contact Matt Rotty for more information. The Fireside Chat scheduled for October 7 will be held at the home of Tim Troy. Those who wish to support Rotary efforts to support needs resulting from Hurricane Harvey should send funds to any of the three districts mentioned in DG Nancy's recent e-mail. Members with questions can contact Lucinda General. Tim Troy was a double winner. He won the attendance $5 as well as the raffle draw of $15, but failed to pull the ace of clubs. Greg Okonowski served as Sgt. at Arms, collecting some nice fines including $5 from Don LaBarge. Way to go, Don! Daryl Bethea introduced his son as a potential member. Janie Pierce of Pierce Development presented the program, Habits of Effective Leaders. She donated two books titled "Coaching to Win." Her presentation included some great anecdotal applications. Habits of Effective Leaders A leader’s #1 job is to get results through others. Adopting the following three habits will unleash your leadership effectiveness and unlock the talent on your team, giving you a differentiated leadership advantage. HABIT #1: Look for the gold in others and inspire them to reach higher Each person has a measure of greatness – or ‘gold’ – within. It’s a leaders job to find it. Sometimes you have to move a ton of dirt to find it. But just like a prospector, the reward is not in the dirt. The reward is in the gold. Once you find the gold you are looking for, give it back to the rightful owner in the form of feedback, which will raise the owner’s self worth. When self worth goes up, so does the desire to contribute at even higher levels. Everybody wins. HABIT #2: Never forget that what gets pointed out gets repeated When you see something, whether it’s a behavior you like or one you don’t like, once you call attention to it, there is a higher probability you will see it again. It’s not a conscious act…it takes place deep within our subconscious. We’re designed to be visible. We do things that make us visible. Make it a habit to call attention to the things that you want to see repeated. HABIT #3: Behavior is always aligned with what gets rewarded When you see a behavior you don’t want to see repeated, always ask yourself – what’s the reward? Then address the reward. It’s your job as leader to ensure you are not unintentionally rewarding the wrong behaviors. Each one of these habits is impactful alone. But when you put them together, it’s magical. When you are consistently looking for the gold in others, they begin to reach higher. When they are trying to reach higher, that’s when they need your leadership the most. It’s your feedback that guides them along the way, and the rewards keep them on course. But, consistency is key. Always remember: Your consistent actions become your habits, your habits become your character, and your character becomes your destiny! |
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Dan Coons, Youth Services Co-Chair Dan Coons was born in Springfield, Illinois. He is one of three children with one sister two years older and another sister ten years younger. Dan has been an Arizona resident for 38 years. He moved here in 1973, but spent six years in Texas form 1980 to 1986. He has only resided in three states - Illinois, Texas and Arizona.Dan has traveled to Mexico, Canada, England, Australia and Japan. He is not fluent in any language other than English. Being an Indy 500 race car driver was his dream career as a teenager..."still is!" His current profession is print shop owner. He has been in the printing business for twenty-three years. Dan has been married to Colleen for four years. He (as the step-father) and Colleen have two boys. His favorite vacation memories are of a family trip to Japan in June. "Experiencing the Japanese culture was a real treat." Dan's most rewarding volunteer experience was when he helped administer polio drops in Hermosillo. "Seeing the gratefulness and generosity of the mothers was very rewarding." |
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Rotary Leadership Institute - Next Session October 7 2017 RLI is an excellent way for Rotarians, especially those already moving up into leadership roles, to learn more about the larger world of Rotary. The institutes are held three times each year in various locations throughout the state. Each institute has all three sessions available. To graduate from the program, Rotarians need to attend all three of the sessions. The next institute is scheduled for October 7 in Prescott, Arizona. The cost is $60 per session. CLICK HERE to download a registration/information form. |
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Highlights of August 24 Meeting Polly Cady lead the August 24 meeting, as President, Allan, was unable to attend. Ray Smith opened the meeting by leading the club in song. A recent repeat guest, Jane Pierce, was present again and her application for membership has been submitted for processing. Bob Murray, the District Public Image (Rotary Branding) Resource was also a guest. Dan Coons introduced his son, Nicholas Dellolio, who was scheduled to depart for his year as a Rotary Exchange Student in Taiwan on Saturday, August 26. Polly Cady won the small $20 drawing, but failed to draw the ace of clubs so did not win the cumulative prize. The new Buck Board is ready for Rotarians and guests to purchase one or more of the one hundred $10 squares. After the board is filled, cards will be drawn to number the rows and columns, then cards will be redrawn to eliminate squares until there is only one square left. The holder of that square will have $1,000 donated in their name to The Rotary Foundation and be eligible for a Paul Harris Fellow as well as receive a receipt verifying the $1,000 tax deductible donation. Members can pay cash or charge the cost of their squares. Guests must pay cash. The Goetzenbergers reported that their daughter, Emilee, who recently departed for her year in Belgium as a Youth Exchange student, is doing well and already has some extended travel planned to Berlin and Amsterdam in September. Chuck Flint explained the Steak and Beans competition to promote our club's Sponsorship Program. He suggested that those who are not on the top team or even on a team where each member brings in at least one sponsorship, might be rewarded with GasX, since they will be eating beans at the celebration event to be held at his home. To get started seeking sponsors, download and share the Sponsorship Brochure with potential donors. Stephen West was asked to share with club members details about the recent professional recognition he was honored to receive. Matt Rotty announced a monthly service opportunity he recently brought to the club, which has the full support of our Club President and our Community Service Co-Chairs, Polly Cady and Don LaBarge to put on a trial run through the end of this year. Read more about the project in a separate newsletter article in the August 30 Messenger. The Guaymas project planning committee reports that plans are going great, and were happy to report that thirteen Rotarians will be going this year. More than have ever participated in the project in the past. Wendell Jones introduced Jerod Langkilde, Director of Development at Mesa Community College, who presented a program titled "Building Tomorrow's Workforce Today." Jerod suggested Rotarians watch a You-Tube Video, Shift Happens, to review some of the startling statistics he shared. The video highlights the importance of recognizing the challenges that the workforce of today is already facing and which will continue to change dynamically going forward. New jobs will result form technological changes. Fourteen years ago, the US was #1 in highest educated population in the world. Today, we are 17th. 20% of jobs today will be gone in 7-10 years. 47% of today's jobs will be automated in twenty years. One example he provided was Fox.com, which manufactures the I-phone in China employing 65,000 people. Their jobs could be replaced by robots, with 300 people managing the robots. Jerod talked about specific challenges that MCC faces enrolling local students. The poverty level of students attending Mesa public schools is low as is average household education level compared to some of our surrounding communities. Scholarship programs to help students - particularly those from families where they will be the first generation to seek higher education is critical if we want our youth to survive in tomorrow's workforce. Jerod brought a current MCC student with him. Greg Thomas is taking advantage of the opportunity to take some of the technological curriculum available at MCC which will be required for him to transition from a retail career into the technical expertise that will be more relevant in the future. He is certain this change will provide better growth opportunity and higher income potential. |
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Ed Koeneman, Youth Services & Interact Ch. Ed Koeneman was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the oldest of three and has two younger brothers. They moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona in 1984, so he has been an Arizona resident for 33 years.Ed has traveled to eight foreign countries: England, Switzerland, Austria, Cayman Islands, Singapore, Malaysia, Canada, and Mexico. The only language in which he is fluent is English. He has resided in three states: Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Arizona. As a teen, Ed dreamed of designing and building electric guitars and amplifiers. He is starting his second year teaching engineering at Grand Canyon University. Prior to teaching, he was a co-founder of a small medical device company for fifteen years. Ed has been married to Debbie Koeneman for twenty years. They have two high-school-age children: James and Susie. The best vacation Ed can remember was taken in November, 1998, when they went scuba diving on the island of Pulau Sipidan (off the coast of Malaysia). Ed's most rewarding volunteer experience was the year he served as Mesa West Rotary Club's President. "It was an honor to serve during our merger year."
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Service Project for Mesa West Rotarians by Matt Rotty I’m excited to announce a proposed monthly service project for our club! Midwest Food Bank is an organization that collects non-perishable food items from vendors throughout the Phoenix Metropolitan area. These food items are collected using Midwest Food Bank trucks, brought to the Midwest Food Bank warehouse, repackaged by volunteers like us, then redistributed into Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, and Tempe. Our club will be participating the second Saturday of the month for the remainder of 2017. One thing that makes this project worthwhile is the ability to play a vital role in feeding our community. Another reason is that the work is simple; we repackage bulk items (crackers, chips, and so forth) into smaller quantities for out-going delivery. We are asking that at least 12 people attend and you’re free to attend for whatever amount of time is convenient. Please mark your calendars because they need all the help they can get. Thank you very much in advance! Address: 725 E Baseline Rd Gilbert, AZ 85233 Schedule: Saturday, September 9th (9am to Noon) Saturday, October 14th (9am to Noon) Saturday, November 11th (9am to Noon) Saturday, December 9th (9am to Noon) |
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Mesa West Rotarians Visit Other Rotary Clubs On August 18, our club was represented at opposite ends of our nation by members visiting other Rotary Clubs. One of the benefits of being a Rotarian is that we are welcome to visit any other Rotary Club anywhere in the world.Allan and Polly Cady visited the Point Loma Rotary Club and Polly will share more about that visit at the August 24 Mesa West Rotary Club meeting. Lucinda General, while in Virginia Beach, visited the Rotary Club of Hampton Roads, which is the club of PDG Bill Pollard.
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August 17 Meeting Highlights It seemed the majority of club members present wanted to sing since Ray was present, so Rod's birthday was celebrated with a harmonious rendition of "Happy Birthday" in his absence.Visitor Christy Citterman turned in an application for membership today and Jane Pierce returned and was welcomed as a repeat visitor. John Benedict was present to win the $5 attendance drawing. Warren's ticket was pulled to win the small drawing, but he did not draw the ace of clubs so the jackpot will continue to grow. The Sponsor Program has now reached $13,000 in donations. Team Captains have been selected for the Steak and Beans competition. The Steak and Beans finale will be held at Chuck's Place. The team raising the most dollars in donations will eat steak as will the team(s) where every member has brought in at least one donation. All other members will eat beans. President Allan announced that the Guaymas Project has received $1,000 in $100 donations from club members, which will cover the cost of 10 hearing devices. It is still possible for members or friends of Rotary to make donations to cover more devices. Don Boucher announced the day of departure, which will be November 8, there will be a breakfast for participants. Those not going can attend the breakfast to see them off. The breakfast will be held at the MCC Red Mountain Campus. They will be taking school supplies for the school there. We may ask for donations for those items. It is planned to award Paul Harris Fellows to Guaymas Rotarians helping with the project using accumulated points. The awards will be made at the final event. At the June 29 meeting, outgoing President, John Eagleston announced that he had selected Donna and Brian Goetzenberger as "New Rotarians of the Year." He also announced the selection of Chuck Flint as "Rotarian of the Year." The recognition plaques were not available to give to his honorees at that meeting. He made the formal presentations at the August 17 meeting. Dick Myren introduced the speaker, Brian Sexton, C.M., Community Relations Manager for Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Brian started with the airport 21 years ago. The airport is located on the property formerly known as Williams Air Force Base. For a period, it was named Williams Gateway Airport, which was confusing to some from out of state who thought it was an airport for Williams, Arizona. It is now known as Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Located at Power and Ray, there are three 10,000' runways - the same runway capacity as Sky Harbor. Brian works for the airport authority which represents six municipalities. Mesa is the majority owner, with Gilbert, Apache Junction, Gila River Indian Community, Queen Creek, and Phoenix all having financial involvement in the airport. The airport is self sufficient. In 2016, 1.3 million passengers flew out of the airport. It is the 38th busiest tower in the US. Fifteen Million Gallons of fuel were used. There are fifty tenants and 2,000 employees on the site. Military consists of 4% of the total operation. 48 cities are served from Allegiant and Westjet. Future plans are to focus on hub destinations such as Salt Lake or Denver. There is a 10-gate passenger terminal which adequately serves the current passenger traffic. The cheap fares offered by Allegiant bring new tourist dollars into the valley. There is a park adjacent to the airport which offers great views of aircraft landing and departing from the airport. Friday and Saturday are the best days for viewing aircraft. The views of various types and sizes of aircraft from the park are so outstanding that visitors from all over the world come to our municipality for the primary purpose of visiting the park for viewing purposes. For more information, visit their website: http://www.gatewayairport.com/
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Lucinda General, Presidential Advisor Lucinda General was born in Hartford Connecticut. She is one of two children. She is the oldest with one brother, David, who is four-and-a-half years younger. Lucinda has lived in Arizona for 21 years, having moved here in 1996. Prior to living in Arizona, Lucinda has resided in Connecticut and Texas. She has travelled to Spain, Sweden, Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Venezuela, Argentina, Canada, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao and about eight Caribbean islands. In addition to English, Lucinda is conversational in Spanish with "genuine lousy grammar." As a teenager, Lucinda dreamed of being a lawyer. She has the owner of a bookkeeping and small business management company since 1999. Lucinda married Wayne in April, 2009. She has two adult children both living in Illinois, Leslie, her oldest child, and Brian, who has two children, Sophia (8) and Quentin (3). The best vacation Lucinda can remember was a travel experience driving from Costa Rica to Connecticut to Arizona from May to September 1996 in a 1972 Diesel Land Rover. She hopes the great memories of that trip will be surpassed by a planned vacation in Italy in October of this year. Remembering her most rewarding volunteer experience, Lucinda recalls two trips to Jinotepe, Nicaragua on grant trips delivering medical supplies. She toured the hospital where the supplies went, watched a baby being delivered, saw their "basic, basic" hospital infrastructure and supplies and saw how much they do with so little. She also saw a village built by the same partner Club, seeing firsthand the effects of clean water on overall quality of life.
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Abundant Harvest - Rotary Foundation Dinner.jpg) Click HERE or on image to register.
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August 10 Meeting Highlights The August 10 meeting was a memorable meeting for many reasons. The meeting was attended by former member, Darl Andersen, who served Mesa West Rotary as Club President in 1984-85 and as the Governor's Rep. 1986-89. In addition to being a past member of our club, he has also been a member of the Mesa Rotary Mesa Baseline Rotary Clubs. We were also visited by Dane Pierce, a Rotarian visiting from Hawaii. He is relocating to our community and was aided in that relocation by networking through Rotary connections. Tim Troy collected happy bucks, which were generously shared by many members in attendance. President Allan announced that the Steak and Beans competition to raise funds for our club's foundation to support our projects is getting close to being ready to present to the membership. Team Captains are being identified. There will be two ways to eat steak at the closing event: The team that brings in the most $$$ will eat steak as will any team with each of their members bringing in at least one donation. Teams that do not reach either of those criteria will eat beans. Chuck Flint, Foundation Chair, made some presentations to members who have reached giving milestones with The Rotary Foundation. Before making the presentations, Chuck gave John Eagleston the family photo that was taken on June 29, when his family was invited to celebrate with John the many significant accomplishments of his year serving as our President. Four members were recognized for their first Paul Harris Fellow (recognizing $1,000 in giving to TRF). Those members were our Immediate Past President, John Eagleston; our President-Elect, Chris Krueger; our Public Image Chair, Matt Rotty; and Tim Troy. For each additional $1,000 in giving to TRF, members are given pins with precious stones in them for each additional $1,000 given. Two members were recognized for Paul Harris Plus 1 giving: Matt Rotty and Frank Rosenberg. John Benedict was recognized for Paul Harris Plus 3. Last year, our club was highest in our district in dollars given as well as in per capita giving to The Rotary Foundation. TRF is the 3rd highest ranked charity in the United States. 97% of donations are used for charitable purpose. Donations are held 3 years and invested. Net earnings on those investments is used to cover most of the administrative costs of running the foundation. There is a goal of Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) giving $100 to TRF, but it should be noted that we are not restricted to only give that amount. Chuck would be glad to meet with any member who would like to be more generous in their support of the work of The Rotary Foundation. Steve Ross introduced the speaker - Dave Keiser of Waste Not. The organization is celebrating 30 years collecting and distributing perishable food that would otherwise go to waste. The donated food comes from restaurants, resorts, caterers, grocers and various food purveyors. It is delivered the same day it is collected to a diverse network of organizations that feed the hungry, including schools, after-school programs, senior facilities, transition homes and rehabilitation centers. Overhead is covered by private and grant funding. They do not rely on state or federal funds to cover their costs. to learn more, visit their website |
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USA-Mexico Friendship Exchange |
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President's Korner - Allan M. Cady.JPG) During the 2016-2017 Rotary year, Mesa West Rotary achieved the President’s Award and the District Achievement Award, two truly wonderful accomplishments. Our entire membership should be proud of this and the collective effort it took to make this a reality. This year we plan to work hard to gain these awards once again. We’ll need your help with that. In addition to these efforts, we have 10 club goals for Mesa West Rotary which you will find below. Please, review these goals. Together with our Board, I believe it is important to keep our club aspirations in front of you. I don’t want you to see these objectives as a burden but rather the opportunity they represent. Yours in Rotary, Allan M Cady, President Mesa West Rotary Club .png) 2017 – 2018 CLUB GOALS 1. Achieve the Presidential Citation Award 2. Achieve the District Achievement Award 3. Net increase in membership of two members 4. Recruit two new members (between the ages of 25-40 years or female members) 5. Involve Former Rotarians in Community Service or Club Service event(s) 6. Create networking opportunities at meetings and through newsletter 7. Promote participation in Leadership Academy – four members 8. Start Mesa West Rotary newsletter 9. Increase participation in Club Community Service and Club Service events 10. Increase Paul Harris Fellows by five and add one Benefactor or Bequest Society Member CLICK HERE to download a printable pdf document listing these 2017-2018 goals. |
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Pollyanne Cady, Secretary & Community Service Co-Chair Polly was born and raised in Yuma, Arizona and moved to Phoenix in 1992. Her great aunt and uncle homesteaded in the Yuma valley and had a dairy farm. Her grandfather was from Texas and moved to Yuma to build cotton gins in the southwestern part of Arizona. Polly's father moved there from Indiana while he was in high school and met Polly's mother.Polly is the oldest of her siblings. She has a sister three years younger and two half-brothers who are six years younger. Polly has been an Arizona resident for 62 years. She lived in South Dakota for about seven months as a child in fifth grade. She is thankful a blizzard drove her family back to Yuma. The only two states that she has resided in are Arizona and South Dakota.She has visited Canada, Italy, France, Germany, Hungary, Australia, England, British Virgin Islands, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Holland, Bahamas, Grand Cayman, Fiji, and Mexico where she has stayed in Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, Rocky Point, Guaymas, San Carlos, San Luis, Algodonez, and Mexicali. Polly is not fluent in any language other than English, but pretends to know a little Spanish and loves to try Italian. As a teenager, Polly really wanted to be a flight attendant, but back then, she was too short. The requirements were 5'7". Polly has been retired since April of 2010 from a law firm she loved and where she served as Firm Administrator for ten years. Before that, she was a legal secretary for most of her adult life working for prosecutors and different defense attorneys. Polly is married to our President, Allan Miles Cady. They celebrated 20 years of marriage last December. Polly has no children. She skipped that part and went straight to being blessed with eight grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. Polly has many wonderful vacation memories, but the memory that currently stands out for her is a vacation to Paris immediately followed by a trip down the Danube and then on to Italy during the last part of April and through May. Polly listed two rewarding volunteer experiences. The first was in Rocky Point for the gift giving at Christmas to families in need. "It was heart wrenching. The second was the experience of helping with the Gift of Hearing project in Guaymas. |
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Barry Rassin selected to be 2018-19 Rotary president The Rotary International nominating committee has selected Barry Rassin of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, East Providence, Bahamas to fill the void left by the July death of Sam F. Owori two weeks into his term as RI President-Elect. Rassin will be declared the president-elect on September 1 if no challenging candidates have been suggested and will serve as president-elect for the balance of this Rotary year, and as the President of Rotary International July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019. CLICK HERE to learn more about this distinguished Rotarian.
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August 3 Meeting Highlights The meeting began with Ray Smith leading the club in singing My Country Tis of Thee. Warren led the invocation and Polly led the Pledge of Allegiance.Lissa, our new inbound Youth Exchange Student from Austria, drew the badge numbers for the $5 attendance prize. At the time she drew, none of owners of the badge numbers called were present, but President, Allan used executive discretion to give the $5 to Jim Crutcher, when he arrived late. Lissa also pulled the raffle ticket, and pulled Polly Cady's ticket, but the big pot rolled over as Polly did not draw the ace of clubs. Jeff substituted for Greg to collect happy bucks. Members present at the meeting were generous in their participation in this fun weekly activity. The highlight of the day was the program. Dan Coons introduced our speakers, Kegan Olson and Emilee Goetzengerger to talk about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. Kegan told of her many colorful experiences during her year as a Rotary Youth Exchange Student in Seville, Spain. She also told of how the experience has changed her as a person. In college, she wants to study psychology. She wants to study abroad. She plans to enlist int he military, and serve eight years as a psychologist. She wants to change the world, beginning at her high school, Marcos de Niza, where she hopes to start an Interact Club. Emilee told of her planned year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Belgium, where three languages are spoken (Dutch, French and German. She will be in the south, where French is the primary language. She brought some Belgium cookies to reward Rotarians who could correctly answer some Belgium trivia questions she had prepared.
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Know your fellow Rotarian - Ray Smith, International Service Director.jpg) Rotarian, Ray Smith, was born in Safford Arizona. He is the oldest of six children - two boys and four girls. An Arizona resident for seventy years (since birth), Ray has never made any other state his residence. Ray has traveled to six foreign countries - England, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, Argentina, and Mexico, where he has visited Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Guaymas and Rocky Point. English is his primary language, and he is moderately fluent in Spanish. As a teenager, Ray dreamed of a career in music. As a high school senior, he made Arizona All State Chorus and Band. Ray has served as a Certified Public Accountant since 1970, and continues an income tax practice as a sole proprietor. Ray has been married to Vicki Smith for forty-nine years. They have five children, seven grandchildren and no great grandchildren. His favorite vacation is a Hawaiian cruise in April, following tax season. His most rewarding volunteer experience has been the Guaymas, Mexico hearing project. He has made the trip five times to participate in and support the project. In addition to serving Mesa West Rotary this year as our International Service Director, Ray frequently leads our club in song at the beginning of our meetings. |
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Highlights of July 27, 2017 Meeting.jpg) We had quite a few guests. Among them were students from Westwood High School Interact: President Colton Cagle, Secretary Annika Reimers, and Treasurer Sandra Franco. Colton gave a very short talk about how their Interact Club is looking forward to working with Mesa West this year. He also reported that Westwood Interact has a goal to raise $600 for Polio Plus.Rod Daniels also had special guests: Brenda and Gary Looney who had their high school aged daughter, Sophie, with them. Sophie participates in The Power Of Voice charity at her school. She decided to raise money for an important cause: Polio Plus! She baked cookies and sold them for a dollar each and raised $100 for Polio Plus. She also put Polio Plus tags on her cookies for more awareness. During "happy bucks", John Hunt announced he would have his annual boxes of Colorado peaches to be auctioned off at our meeting in the near future. Carole Kralicek announced that our next Fireside Chat will be at her home on the first Saturday in October. $75 was given to Polio Plus through happy bucks - $50 from Allan Cady due to there being 50 people at the meeting. The Buck Board was completely filled at the meeting so the process of elimination resulted in Gil Gibbons being the recipient of a Paul Harris award. Gil was a guest of Carole Kralicek at a prior meeting. Allan talked briefly about the Sponsor Program and showed the barometer we're using to measure our progress. So far we have $10,000 with the goal being $30,000. He and Bryan Goetzenberger are considering to have a contest with teams. Their may be a steak and beans at the end of the contest. The Program was presented by Harvey Clark, a member of the Superstition Rotary Club. He is an agent for SkyMed, "If your trip turns into an emergency because of illness or injury, Skymed takes you home. They also offer travel services and protection for this type of emergency.
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New Member - Rick DePonte At the July 27 meeting, Chuck Flint had the honor of inducting Rick DePonte as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Mesa, West. Rick’s wife Donna was with him, as well as Polly Schumacher (his sponsor) standing up front during the induction. Rick was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, and was admitted to practice law in Arizona in 1987. He received his Juris Doctorate Degree from the University of New Hampshire School of Law in Concord, New Hampshire in 1987. Prior to that, he had graduated from Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts. He received a Masters of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University in 1980. Rick, and his wife, Donna, have been married for 40 years. They have two adult children, Austin and Taylor, both residing in Seattle. Donna and Rick enjoy the beach and especially enjoy escaping to Rocky Point whenever they can. He is a big Arizona team sports fan and a bigger Boston fan, especially the Red Sox. Rick has a history as a Rotarian. In about 1992 through 1996, returning to active membership in 2005 through October, 2016, when he was in the Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club (President 2010-11). The club closed in 2014. After that, he was in the Phoenix Camelback Rotary Club. 1992 Donna spoke for a few minutes after Polly “pinned” Rick. She mentioned that Rick has always loved serving in Rotary and although she’s not a member of Rotary, she has always been there with him. Rick let us know that he is looking forward to working with Mesa West. He mentioned that the thee extraordinary Rotary thoughts that come to mind have to do with Mesa West::
Rick is happy to be with Mesa West and mentioned that he is hard of hearing so don’t be surprised to see him scrambling for a seat at a front table. Rick received a standing ovation after his induction. |
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Tribute to Sam Owori - 1941-2017 In lieu of an invocation at the July 27, 2017 Rotary Club of Mesa Meeting, President Allan read a poem written by Samantha Pierce of Vacorville High School Interact Club honoring Sam Owori, who had been elected President-Elect of Rotary International, and unfortunately died as a result of complications from surgery on July 13, 2017.Happy As simple as can be his end goal was to make life completely free Joy he brought to all And devastated we were to see him fall The light he brought to us Will never turn to dust Because the fire within is bright Providing the drive to fight Bettering today tomorrow and forever To never stray on our endeavor To make the world united Is continuously sighted So together we stand tall Our ideas never small Our time together was brief And death is truly a thief For the world that's now dim Will completely miss him For the little influencer I am The greatest impact.... Sam President-Elect, Sam was buried with state honors on July 27, 2017, as announced by President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni. To learn more about this great Rotary leader, CLICK HERE.
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Know Your Fellow Rotarian - Chris Krueger Our President-Elect, who will serve as our Club President in 2018-19, is Chris Krueger. Chris was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and has lived in Arizona for the past three years. Arizona and Nebraska are the only two states in which she has resided. She has visited three foreign countries. English is her primary language and the only language in which she is fluent. She was one of two children, and is the oldest.Although, as a teenager, Chris dreamed of becoming an actress, she has served 31 years as a banker, and is currently Senior Vice President, Bank Client Care with Mutual of Omaha Bank. She has been married to Mike for 30 years. They have three children and seven grandchildren. The best vacation Chris can remember was a trip to Grand Cayman Island in November. In 2003, Chris went to China with her church to determine if they could build a relationship there with some people including someone who ran a private orphanage. She says "it was an amazing revelation as to how blessed we are to be Americans and all of the freedoms that we take for granted." |
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President's Korner by Allan M. Cady.JPG) Mesa West Rotarians Wow! What a special meeting we had last week – 50 members and guests, plenty of enthusiasm, laughs, happy bucks, and a marvelous induction of Rick DePonte conducted by Chuck Flint. I am excited to be your President this year. Together with our experienced and energetic board, we’re working hard to make this a very special year. Our theme is “Put Life Into Rotary – Your Life”. I encourage all Mesa West members to attend as often as possible, bring a friend or spouse or invite a Rotarian that hasn’t joined us in a while. Recently, you received a notice about our Sponsor’s Program. If our entire membership gets behind this drive, we are certain to pass our $30,000 goal. Soon we will divide up into teams and start our “Steak and Beans” competition. Should be a lot of fun! Let me or Bryan Goetzenberger know if you have any questions. This week our speaks are Emilee Goetzenberger and Keegan Olson from our Youth Exchange program. With youth lies our future and these are two amazing young ladies. We encourage you to come out and hear about their adventures, both planned and past. Several activities are planned this year with Westwood High School Interactors and ASU Rotaractors. Special thanks go to Jeanie Morgan, the editor of the Mesa West Messenger. I don’t plan to bore you with my thoughts every week. I thought periodically would be fun and it is! Yours in Rotary, Allan |
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Family of Rotary Growing - Meet Oliva Whalen On July 17, the Judge gave his final approval to Mike and Devon Whalen for their adoption of beautiful baby Oliva.Is she smiling because they've already told her about Interact, RYLA, Youth Exchange, and Rotaract?
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New Member Mentoring Program Carole Kralicek is our Membership Chairperson this year. It is statistically proven that new members who become engaged in Rotary early in their membership remain members longer and find their membership more fulfilling. Carole is also implementing a Mentorship Program where seasoned Rotarians will be assigned to new members to answer their questions and mentor them through a Red Dot Program of indoctrination and engagement. CLICK HERE to download a copy of the Mentorship Program. If you would be willing serve as a mentor, contact Carole. Download a copy of our club's 2017-18 Membership Goals and Objectives.
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July 20, 2017 Meeting Highlights Leslie Balderas and Alice Phan, two of the five Rotaractors who sponsored through a District Grant to attend the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta were the featured speakers. They enthusiastically talked about their observations. They learned that Rotaract is enthusiastically supported by college students and young adults in many foreign countries to a greater degree than it is in the United States. University based clubs can only have students in their membership. Community based clubs can include students and young adults. These young ladies believe new life needs to be encouraged for the community-based clubs to bridge an avenue for service for young people as they move from Interact to Rotaract to Rotary. President, Allan, illustrated the early success of the club's new sponsorship program. We are already at the $10,000 level. Members are encouraged to each find one individual or business who would be willing to sponsor our club's programs and services. Don LaBarge found a box of Rotary treasures recently. At the meeting, he presented PDG Ted Williams with a copy of Ted's District 550 Directory from 1989-90. Don also read off a list of Ted's many accomplishments, which had been prepared by Pam Cohen a number of years ago. |
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Know your Fellow Rotarian, Pres. Allan Cady Our Club President, Allan Cady, was born in Vancouver, Washington. He has one sister, two years older than himself, Barbara Wilderman. Allan has been an Arizona Resident for 35 years. During his lifetime, he has traveled to 18 foreign countries: Mexico (Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozmel, Rocky Point, Guaymas, and San Carlos), Canada, Bermuda, Bahamas, Grand Caymen, British Virgin Islands, France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, South Africa, England, and Puerto Rico. English is his primary language, and only language in which he is fluent. Allan has resided in four states: Washington, Missouri, Kansas and Arizona. When Allan was growing up, he wanted to become a pro basketball player. Instead, his career was in Automotive Management, serving as CFO, then Operations Manager East Region (16 dealerships), serving two months short of 39 years with a single company. Allan has been married to Pollyanne Taylor Cady for 20 years. Prior to his marriage to Polly, he had three children. He now has eight grandchildren and three step-grandchildren. When asked about the best vacation he can remember, it was a week cruising the Danube River followed by a week in Italy. Allan's most rewarding volunteer experience was last year, when he and Polly were fortunate to participate in the Gift of Hearing Mission in Guaymas, Mexico. The staff assembled by Bob Jensen was fantastic and the people served were very appreciative. "It was just an all-round wonderful experience." He is looking forward to going again this year. |
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Connect! The more we connect, the more we can accomplish together. Sharing ideas and resources will make us do better work together.Pam Cohen shared a link that she thought some of the rest of you might want to use. She subscribed to some Rotary newsletters through the RI website. The link she used was Newsletters. I (your editor) have two apps on my smart phone that you might want to download: (Rotary) ClubLocator was the app that helped me find Mesa West when I recently moved from Lake Havasu to Chandler and needed to find a great club so I could transfer. It is also helpful when traveling to find a club to visit. ClubRunner Mobile App requires you to use your ClubRunner ID and password to login, but it will bring up members names and contact information, list of upcoming events including meeting speakers, list of club executives and website stories. I only downloaded it a week ago, and it has already been useful more than once. If you have any additional ideas on how we can better connect, please let me know.
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Sponsorship Program.jpg) The mission of Rotary International is to provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through its fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.The Mesa West Rotary Club through its charitable foundation is soliciting business and individual sponsorship contributions. All funds received will be used for charitable purposes—there are no administrative fees. Through your generous support, we can continue to make a difference in our local and international communities. Donors can choose to designate specific areas of interest for their donation or allow their gift to be used where the need is greatest. To see a list of our 2017-18 sponsors, CLICK HERE
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June 29 Meeting Highlights.jpg) Past President, John Eagleston was supported by a full table of his family during his final meeting of the 2016-17 Rotary Year. He received an interesting humorous award presented by Pam Cohen, but also received a commemorative picture frame which will have a group photo of him with his family members who were in attendance mounted in it. A plaque with a symbolic gavel was presented by John to Allan Cady, who will serve as Club President for the 2017-18 Rotary Year.
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July 13 Meeting Highlights President, Allan Cady rang the bell to call his first meeting of the new year to order. He mentioned that he has set some ambitious club goals for 2017-18. CLICK HERE to see our goals.Members and guests were privileged to hear from two energetic exchange students - one who recently returned to Arizona from Spain and another who will be leaving part of her heart in Arizona when she returns to Spain. This was her last meeting with us - she will be missed! The program was delivered by Jim Welter, founder and Executive Director of IMPACT Phoenix. He discussed a project he is working on - a mobile shower unit with laundry capability. He is hopeful that Rotary Clubs in the Phoenix metro area will get behind the project.
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Record breaking donations resulted from the Salvation Army bell ringing effort of Mesa West Rotary and friends, family and cooperating organizations recruited by members and bell-ringing coordinator, Don LaBarge. The 2017 effort netted $17,420.91 surpassing our previous high recorded in 2015 of $14,400.00 by nearly 21%.
Many Mesa West Rotarians may already know that Chuck Flint travels, twice yearly, to a small fishing village on the Mexican mainland, on the Sea of Cortes, with Rotary Youth Exchange students. This is a primitive (they just received electricity 3 years ago - no water yet) village that he has been visiting since 1970. The YE kids will get to see the wonderful Sonoran Desert, hike two mountains in it, and kayak and swim in the sea.