Highlights of September 22 Meeting

 

After explaining she would be using the "gavel" Colleen brought back from Africa, Pam told everyone why the day was special. September 22 is the first day of fall - otherwise known as the autumnal equinox.  In ancient times the pagans celebrated the equinox and solstice as part of their belief system.  Equinox is when day is equal to night.  They would take a look at themselves, looking back at the year past and prepare for the year forward.  They would try to reconcile what they did did right in the past and what they needed to improve going forward.  Yom Kippur is a similar celebration of introspection in the Jewish faith.  

 

When going through this introspection she suggested we look at everyone we meet as our equal just as night and day are equal.  Look at the differences as well as the similarities.  Strive to understand the differences.  

 

Thought for the Day was presented by Dick Myren, and the Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ray Smith.

 

President Pam thanked Diane Ware for serving as greeter welcoming members and guests to the meeting.

 

 

 

Steve asked DG Larry Horton to draw the winning raffle ticket, which was held by Allen Cady.  Allen did not draw the Ace of Clubs, so the big pot will be even larger when we next meet on October 6.

 

 

 

 

Dave Brauchler auctioned a CD purchased at a jam session featuring George Kahumoku they attended in Maui.  Steve Ross was the lucky winner with his $30 bid.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Tanner has a website, which Mike Whalen helped him put together where Rotarians can list themselves and their business to enable Rotarians to network with each other.  He encouraged members who have not yet listed themselves on the website to do so.  He grew up in  Rotary hearing about how Mesa West Rotarians are people of action.  Mike put out a call for action to get more Mesa West members to go on the website and list themselves.  The value of the website increases with each new contact added.

 

 

Dan Coons, as our current Assistant Governor, has the honor of introducing our District Governor.  Dan has known Larry Thornton since 2011, prior to Larry being a Rotarian.  Larry and Dan spent a month or so together in Australia when Larry was a participant and Dan was a team leader for a Group Study Exchange.  Dan was able to observe Larry in action as he met with others in his profession (he was a police officer at the time) and how he took care of others in the group at times.  Dan saw him as a great guy with lots of leadership skills.  GSE was a great program, but didn't have the hoped-for result of team members coming back and joining Rotary.  Larry was the exception.  He not only came back and joined Rotary, he started the District's first Satellite Club - a vibrant club with lots of young members.   Larry has held various offices in his club.  He has been a strong supporter of RYLA and other Rotary youth activities.  Larry has a couple of children - a son who is a little bit older and a three-year-old daughter.  He retired from his police work in 2016 and is now a self-storage asset-class investor.   He likes the Arizona Diamondbacks.  He has a motorcycle.  Larry is impressed with the power of Rotary and is passionate about increasing its relevancy.  He has a servant-leadership mindset.  He asked the members and guests to rise and welcome District Governor Larry Horton.

 

After saying how happy he was to be at Mesa West Rotary, the first question Larry asked was "If you were going to carve a road through a mountain, what would you use.  Bulldozers and dynamite were suggested.  He then told about a pregnant lady, from the lowest caste, who lived in a small, remote village in India.  She knew she was having a problem and left to walk about 30 miles over a mountain to get to someone who could provide medical care.  In crossing the mountain, she fell.  Her husband, Dashrath Manjhi, was summoned by other villagers.  She died in his arms, but the baby was saved.  He didn't want anyone else to suffer a similar fate.  He used a sledge hammer, a chisel, a crow bar to start carving a road through the mountain.  He started in 1960.  It took 22 years.  The distance was reduced from 34 miles to 9 miles.  You can drive a car through that mountain now.  Dashrath saw a problem and decided he would provide a solution and leave a lasting legacy to that village.  

 

We want to leave lasting change - with lasting impact.  Our district does a better job than most in utilizing the district grant and global grant systems to create lasting change.  Donations to The Rotary Foundation are necessary to ensure that continues to happen.  We hear about Every Rotarian Every Year.  The goal of 100% participation is not being met.  Rotary Direct makes it easy to do that.

 

RI President wants percentage of women participating in Rotary to be 30%.  To us that sounds shocking, but we have to understand there are many countries that have not actively tried to involve women in Rotary.  We need to be more inclusive.  It is rare to see a high chair at a Rotary meeting.  Larry has three-year-old daughter.  We can do better to make our meetings and activities more family-friendly.  

 

Rotaract is already at 50% female participation.  

 

7th Area of Focus is the Environment.  This creates an amazing opportunity.  District 5500 chartered an on-line club focused on the environment.  They chartered with 45 new Rotarians under the age of 50.  He talked about the End Plastic Soup cleanup in Lake Havasu.  Rotary partnered with 27 other organizations to make it happen.

 

Larry asked if anyone had participated in administering Polio vaccine drops.  In Rochester New York, a polio case was recently diagnosed in an unvaccinated young man.  It was the first case in the US in over 50 years.  Rotary's relevance is again in the forefront. 

 

We have a plan to raise awareness.  We have a District Brewmaster - Steve Cervantes.  For a $50 donation, individuals will receive a glass, a t-shirt and information.  There will be a number of participating establishments where Rotarians will be present to raise awareness and deliver the kits.  By next spring, we should have our own brew and offer it for sale with proceeds going to Polio Plus.

 

Larry wants to put the onus on recruitment of new members on the Service Project Chair.  We need to shift to doing a better job of comfort and cars and engagement of our existing members.  We need to improve retention by making sure our members are getting what they want out of their Rotary membership.

 

Rotary Week of Service in 2023 will involve a project greatly influenced greatly by Mesa West.  It will start April 15 and end April 22.  He asked John Pennypacker to model and hand out work gloves to those present.  We will be partnering with Sleep in Heavenly Peace.  We will be building around 150 beds for children who do not have beds.  We will have media coverage.  We will also have the opportunity to deliver those beds.  They also want clubs to partner with other clubs or organizations to accomplish other projects.  

 

What Dashrath Manjhi did not have was a network, a vision statement, multiple hands to do the work.  Collaboration makes miracles happen.  

 

Pam thanked Larry for his wonderful presentation.  The told members we have two grants going on right now.  We have a district grant to provide equipment for the Salvation Army to support the after-school program they are starting at the Mesa facility.  We also have the Aqua Africa global grant to bring water to a community of 20,000 in South Africa.