Home Page Stories
Opening and Welcome - Past President Polly Cady
 
 
Polly thanked Mike Lutcher for serving as greeter, welcoming members and guests as they arrived for the meeting.  Connie Bunyard led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Dick Myren offered the invocation.
 
District Conference Highlight
 
 
Colleen Coons wanted the members to know that Jeanie Morgan had been named Rotarian of the Year at the final dinner of the Conference of Clubs Saturday, May 3.  The bell, which is a traveling trophy will be in Jeanie's possession until next year when someone else will receive this recognition.  The signatures which are on the base of the bell are those of the Rotary International Board of Directors during the 100-year anniversary of Rotary in 2004-05.  There are brass plates with lists of names of Leaders of the 2nd Century for both Districts 5490 and 5510.  Since those districts merged into District 5495, names have been added to a newer brass plate.  It is interesting to note that engraved on the brass plates are the names of other Mesa West Rotary Club Members:  Chuck Flint, Rod Daniels, Lucinda General, Donna Goetzenberger, and Colleen Coons.  Also listed is our Assistant Governor, Dan Coons. 
 
Introduction of Guests
 
 
Frank Rosenberg introduced his daughter and former Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Sammy Rosenberg.  He said Sammy had been released from school early and begged, "please, please, take me to Rotary with you."
 
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
 
 
Chuck explained that there were only 26 cards remaining in the deck, and that the small, weekly pot was $40 and the large, accumulating pot was up to $1,125.  He asked District Governor Elect Jim Schmidt to draw the winning ticket, which was held by Mike Lutcher.  After shuffling the cards, Mike drew the five of diamonds.  He was glad to know he hadn't alienated his Mesa West friends by drawing the Ace of Clubs and winning the large pot.  On May 15 there will be only 25 cards and a larger big pot.  
 
Happy Bucks - Sgt at Arms Andy Bradford
 
  • Jack Rosenberg pledged $100 to the sponsor program to celebrate Sammy Rosenberg's graduation from high school.
  • Dick Myren contributed his traditional $2 for he and Rod Daniels being in the Ace of Clubs.  He also contributed an additional $3.  His son had undergone cancer surgery. and was on the mend.
  • Harry Grossman was happy to learn RLI is scheduled to be held in Anthem on May 31, which will be a much shorter drive for him than where it was originally scheduled.  
  • John Pennypacker was happy to report he had attended two excellent breakout sessions at the Conference of Clubs.  One was an exceptional Toastmasters presentation led by Chad Reid.  The other was a very professional CPR Training Session led by Frank Rosenberg.
  • Deb Koeneman contributed.  She was happy about her recent trip to meet her new grandson and daughter-in-law, and her weekend at the District Conference.
  • Pam Cohen was sorry to have missed the May 1 meeting.  She had a painful time getting a tooth extracted and a bone graft.  She did get to babysit her grandson which lifted her spirits.
  • Ron Thompson was happy to be back at our meeting.  He's been enjoying the freedom of retirement.
  • Frank Rosenberg was proud that Sammy would be graduating from high school in thirteen days.   He and Amanda will be hosting a party celebrating her graduation on Friday, May 23 at 6:00 p.m. He invited their Mesa West Family to join in the celebration.
  • Colleen Coons was happy to have received a check from the Mesa West Rotary Foundation to reimburse her for the stipends due to our McKinney Vento students for their outstanding effort during the prior month.  The program is working, and all the mentors are very much appreciated.
  • Chuck Flint contributed celebrating that 80 years ago, Victory in Europe was achieved.
  • John Bunyard contributed advising members to avoid food poisoning at all costs.  He also announced that he is working with Sean, a high-functioning autistic young man.
  • Connie Bunyard pledged $100 toward her fundraising team.
  • Colleen Coons also pledged $100 toward her fundraising team.
  • Speaker Ben contributed saying he grew up hearing about Rotary at the American Legion.
  • Speaker Michael contributed.  He said he is thankful and appreciates what Rotary does for young people.  He heard about Crutches 4 Africa when he was at Hamilton.  He has seen lives changed through Rotary Malaria Prevention.
  • Ed Koeneman contributed.  He had met the speakers in the parking lot and got their help getting Jeanie's heavy bell into the building.  At the conference, when he learned that Danny White was a former Westwood High School Interact Club President, since Ed was working with the tech support at the conference, Ed was able to project that information on one of the slides.  Amyla will be Westwood HS Interact Club President for a second term.  Anise Carroll Covarubias will be Vice President.  She served as Interact District Governor this past year. Ed was very appreciative of the wonderfully  informative, nearly 2-hour tour Mike Lutcher provided for the Interact Club at the Mesa Salvation Army facility.  Ed announced it was only 379 days until the scheduled release of the next Star Wars movie.
  • Kayla Mudge pledged $100 for her sponsorship team saying she enjoyed the awesome conference.  She said the Interact kids she was working with who will be Ambassadors to Kenya and Mexico were great and they got a lot of support from Rotarians.  She was very complimentary of Frank Rosenberg's CPR breakout, saying it was humorous.
  • Warren Williamson told a dad joke.  A moth went to a pediatrist's office.  The moth was depressed because his buddy had flown into a flame and died.  The pediatrist asked why the moth had come to their office.  The moth answered, "Your light was on."
Announcement
 
Polly announced that the Orientation scheduled for May 17 at Pam Cohen's home has been renamed The Mesa West Experience.  While it would serve as a good orientation for new members, it is also a place where long-time members can brainstorm and expand their knowledge of the club and how it operates as well as share ideas about what they might like to see going forward.  
 
Opening and Welcome - President Jay Paulus
 
 
President Jay asked Machel Considine to offer the invocation.  The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Al Nunez.
 
Mesa West Rotarian of the Month Recognized
 
President Jay expressed his appreciation of the great job Andy has done as Sgt at Arms collecting happy bucks at our meetings all year.  He has also stepped up to help with technology during our meetings whenever that kind of assistance was needed.
 
When the idea was suggested that we might want to start a satellite club in the southeast area of Mesa near the Gateway Airport, Andy stepped up to lead the effort.  The first "recruiting meeting" was held in April and a second meeting was scheduled to take place Tuesday, May 6 at 4:00 p.m. at the Barrio Cafe near the airport.
 
 
 
Recognition for Support of The Rotary Foundation
 
 
Our Foundation Chair, John Pennypacker, truly leads by example.  When one of his Rotary friends loses a loved one, John typically makes a donation to The Rotary Foundation in their memory.  On special occasions, like his recent 80th birthday, John makes significant donations to TRF.  They accumulate to his major donor account which is join with his late wife, Betsy, so it is one way of continuing to celebrate his love for her.  His recent donations combined with past generosity has resulted in his achieving Major Donor Level 3 status.  Level 1 is $10,000 in accumulated donations, Level 2 is $25,000, and Level 3 is $50,000.  Jeanie Morgan had the privilege of presenting John with his Major Donor Level 3 recognition pin.
 
Introduction of Guests 
 
  • Mark Brinton introduced himself as a former member of Mesa Baseline Rotary Club.  He had attended a community event earlier in the day and rather than sit with "old white guys" with stories similar to his own, he chose to sit with a group from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community  .  He felt their President, Martin Harvier, could benefit from having a Rotary connection and wanted to try to facilitate an introduction to Mesa West Rotary..
  • Jim Erickson introduced his wife and chauffer, Maryanne Erickson.  Jim has recently injured his shoulder and Maryanne is driving him everywhere he needs and wants to go.
  • Connie Bunyard introduced Karl Ernsberger as a potential new member.  Karl had met Liz Paulus at a Mesa Rotary Club meeting, and she invited him to visit Mesa West.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
 
 
Chuck explained that the small weekly pot was $35 and the large, accumulating pot, was up to $1,085.  He went on to say there are only 27 cards left in the deck.  The person whose ticket was drawn would win the small pot plus the opportunity to draw the Ace of Clubs from the cards remaining in the deck.  Should they be so  lucky, they would win the large pot.  He asked Jim McGown to draw the winning ticket which was held by Connie Bunyard.  After shuffling the cards, the card Connie drew was the Four of Spades.
 
Happy Bucks - Sgt at Arms Andy Bradford
 
  • Jim McGown said he had recently travelled with his wife to her class reunion in Dallas.  It took them two days to get there and two days to return.  He said nobody knew him or seemed to care that they did not...  
  • Lizzy Barron said to bill her $100 for the sponsor program to celebrate the nice brunch she enjoyed on April 27 at her home with women from Mesa West.  The weather and the ambiance was wonderful.  The stories shared helped her know her Rotary family better.  She also celebrated the fact that a recent prom dress purchased for her daughter should be the last really expensive dress she has to buy for a while.
  • Connie Bunyard contributed saying what a wonderful hostess Lizzy had been at the luncheon.
  • Eric Silverberg contributed saying he had participated in the Queen Creek Rotary 5K.  He said he didn't run, but praised their great group.  Their signature cause is teen mental health and suicide prevention.
  • John Pennypacker contributed - he was happy to see two Jims seated side-by-side at our meeting.
  • Machel Considine was also happy to praise the nice brunch at Lizzy's home.
  • Chuck Flint wondered if President Jay had gotten his money's worth during his recent hair cut.  Chuck wondered if he'd been scalped.  Jay said the barber told him his hair grew fast enough that in two weeks, no one would know the difference.  Chad Reid said that was what his last barber told him, as well.
  • Harry Grossman was happy about a recent fabulous shindig.
  • Dick Myren made his traditional $2 contribution - happy that he and honorary member Rod Daniels are associated with the Ace of Clubs.
  • Don LaBarge was happy that Levi Slocum - the Bass Pro Manager - was finally able to be at our meeting.  Don said Levi has more duties than most store managers.
  • Mike Lutcher thanked Ed Koeneman for facilitating the Westwood High School Interact Clubs packing of hygiene kits.  He also enjoyed the tour of the music side of the high school which might result in a bank quartet or singing group coming to a Salvation Army event.
  • President Jay confessed that he and Liz would be leaving for Cabo Sunday after the District Conference.  That trip was going to be followed by a cruise and a trip to Harvard.  He said he would be gone most of the month of May and that Pam would be leading some meetings and John Pennypacker and Polly Cady would be helping out as well.   Since he was going to be gone so much, he did a recent makeup in Prescott.
  • Warren said that SonHee had recently celebrated by buying her first American made car.  She had been driving an Audi - a German car made in Mexico.  Warren said he got a new belt.  Warren made a $10 contribution to tell a joke.  A minister had gotten new dentures from his dentist.  The first Sunday with the new dentures, his sermon was only 8 minutes long.  The next week, the sermon lasted 10 minutes.  He said the fit of the dentures was causing pain when he talked too much.  The next week, his sermon lasted 2 1/2 hours.  He said he had put in his wife's dentures by mistake and couldn't shut up.  Some might think $10 wasn't enough for that one.... Just sayin'
Mesa West Rotary Club's volunteer service vests were very visible the evening of November 8 after the Gift of Hearing 2023 volunteers arrived at their destination and were enjoying an evening meal.
 
After returning to Arizona Sunday, Erica Williams expressed appreciation for all the volunteer hours invested in this year's mission.  She reported 232 patients were served, again making an impact for the hearing health of the Guaymas community.  True to the Rotary Service above Self motto, Rodolfo will continue to travel back a few times during the year for mini clinics to help meet needs until next November.  She said they have been training the Mexican doctors on some of the more advanced testing needs as well to bring back to their community.  
 
Erica said they are targeting the same week/weekend for 2024, with more information to follow in the future.  CLICK HERE for a link to an article Bob Jensen came across to reflect about why the team does what they do.
 
If you haven't already seen the reel about the project that was posted on our club's Facebook page, CLICK HERE or on the image  to view it.  
 
 
As most of you know, Arizona has a very unique state tax credit program.  If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can specify where your tax dollars go (state taxes only).  These instructions are for your reference only.  Please consult a tax prep professional with any specific questions about state tax credits.

There are many different nonprofit organizations that AZ recognizes as authorized recipients of these tax funds.  Mesa West sponsors the Interact Club at Westwood High School, and they are a qualified recipient of these tax credit funds in the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) category.  Here's how you can donate up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a couple filing jointly and deduct that amount from your state tax burden.

Go to https://westwood.mpsaz.org/page/eca/ and click on the link to pay on the district's website. 
Or go straight to https://mpsaz.sites.thrillshare.com/o/mpsaz/page/pay-donate  in lower right, click on Pay Online


If you have children currently enrolled in Mesa Public Schools, you can use your existing login information.  Otherwise, it's easy to setup a guest account.

Once you are logged in, select 'Items At All Schools' under the 'Shop/Donate' list on the Home page.

On the next page select 'High Schools', then select 'Westwood High'

Select the link for 'ECA Tax Credit', and then 'Programs G-K' on the following page.

Interact - ECA is under code 8646.  Enter a dollar amount in the box, and click the Add button.  That dollar amount should then appear in your cart (highlighted in green at the top of the page).

You can then proceed to the Checkout process and pay with a credit card.  You will receive a receipt that you can print out and save for when you do your taxes.

Thank you for supporting Westwood Interact and all of our youth programs.
As Rotarians, we are regularly exposed to opportunities to support various causes with our time, talent and treasure.  Sometimes it is hard to sift through all the information and decide where we are going to use our available financial resources. 
 
It would be wonderful if every Arizona Rotarian would make the following BIG FOUR their Rotary charities of choice and support every one of them every year, we could make a bigger difference than we are making today.
  1. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund - The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world."  Giving a small amount each month adds up.  CLICK HERE to download a form you can use to sign up for Rotary Direct, electing "Annual Fund - Share" for your recurring donation.  
  2. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Polio Plus - Rotary's commitment to eradicate polio is so well known and respected that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches donations $2 for $1.  To take advantage of this opportunity to multiply the effect of your giving, CLICK HERE and download a second Rotary Direct form, this time electing electing "Polio Eradication" for your recurring donations.  Those who donate $100 or more annually to Polio Plus qualify in District 5495 as Polio Plus Society Members.  If you would like to make that commitment, CLICK HERE to download the commitment form.
  3. The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) provides vocational education grants to Arizona Residents who meet specific low-income guidelines.   The grants enable the recipients to lift themselves out of poverty, benefitting themselves, their families and the economy of our state.  TRVFA is a 501(c)(3) charity.  They also are a Qualifying Charitable Organization for Arizona Tax Credit Donations.  Their QCO Code is 20698.  Many Arizona Rotarians say giving to TRVFA is a "no brainer."  If you can help someone lift themselves out of poverty and it won't end up costing you anything why would you not do it?  Mesa West Rotary has the highest number of members who have signed up for automated monthly recurring donations by electing that option on the "Donate Now" button on the TRVFA website.  Click the image to learn more or CLICK HERE to DONATE NOW.  
  4. Mesa West Rotary Foundation, Inc. is the funding and fundraising arm of our own Mesa West Rotary Club.  It is a 501(c)(3) charity.  We have had successful sponsorship campaigns the last few years enabling us to spend our energy on service rather than on holding fundraising events.  Charitable grants that we get involved with are funded through our charitable foundation, Our signature Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas Mexico is funded through this foundation.  Scholarships are awarded annually to Westwood High School Students (the high school where Mesa West Rotary sponsors an Interact Club).  Funds are used to support a variety of activities in four of the Rotary Avenues of Service:
    1. Community Service
    2. International Service 
    3. Vocational Service
    4. Youth Service
The process isn't quite automated at this point in time, but we hope it soon will be.  For now, you can email our executive secretary who can help you work out a recurring donation plan should you wish to make that arrangement to support our own club's charitable activity.
 
Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Mesa West!
Mesa West

Transforming Communities, 
Creating Opportunities, 
Impacting Youth

We meet In Person & Online
Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.
Via Zoom or in-person
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85900479873
Doubletree, 1011 W Holmes
Mesa, AZ 85210
United States of America
Our hybrid meetings are held weekly on the 1st thru 4th Thursdays of each month. The meetings are broadcast via Zoom to include all, whether attending virtually or in person.
Club Executives & Directors
Executive Secretary/Director
President
President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Director '26
Director '26
Director '25
Director '25
Director '25
Membership Chair
Rotary Foundation Chair
Club Service Chair
Fundraising Chair
Public Image Chair
Sergeant-at-Arms
Vocational Service Chair
Youth Services Chair
Executive Secretary
Mesa West Foundation President
Mesa West Foundation Vice Pres.
Mesa West Foundation Secretary
Mesa West Foundation Treasurer
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Speakers
Natalie Barefoot-Earthjustice
Jun 05, 2025
Whales and Other Cetaceans-
No Meeting
Jun 12, 2025
Adrian Donnahoe
Jun 19, 2025
Fairway Warriors-(Veteran's Organization)
Holiday-No Meeting
Jul 03, 2025
Janet McConnell
Jul 17, 2025
Fitness and Wellness Trainer
Ed Koeneman
Aug 07, 2025
Travelogue-RI Conference and Beyond
TBD
Aug 21, 2025
Membership
Upcoming Events
 
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