President Dan followed his recent practice of opening the Zoom platform at 11:15 so members who wanted to arrive early and engage in informal conversation would have the opportunity to do so. Jack Rosenberg was one of the early arrivals and was very glad to be there as he feared an earlier medical procedure might keep him from attending at all. Jack's photo had been on Facebook and in the September 2 Messenger modeling a Rotary mask. It seemed to be a consensus that every Mesa West Rotary members should be the recipient of a like mask and of course want to coordinate with other clubs to get them to take advantage of volume discounts.
Bob Zarling spoke about a greeting card rehab project. Used greeting cards are collected and reconstructed into like-new cards to be sold in care facilities at $1 each, with the proceeds all being used for a charitable purpose.
At noon, President Dan opened the meeting, first introducing himself and then reciting the Rotary Vision Statement. He called on Ray Smith to offer the invocation After some back and forth between Ray and Wendell Jones, Wendell finally offered the invocation.
Rotary Minute - Greg Okonowski
Greg joined Rotary when he was very young - he was in his 20's. It changed his life. He had sent a video to be shared. It had been prepared by Rotarians in Great Britain and Ireland. CLICK HERE to enjoy the video.
You are in a good place.
Think about it.
Every day, you make a difference.
You hit the targets … and sometimes they hit you.
You put in the hours … yet you still make time for what’s important.
You do the hard yards.
You take responsibility … for the successes … and, sometimes, for the failures.
You weather the storms … and enjoy the time in the sun.
So think about it.
You may not realize it … but your skills are invaluable.
And, now?
Now it’s time to put them to good use … to give something back.
To get into a new business … the business of making a difference.
The business of improving lives …
The lives of those who didn’t get your opportunities.
The business of saving lives … and making lives worthwhile and fulfilled.
The business of caring … and sharing your experience.
Of restoring pride … and rediscovering dignity.
Imagine the difference your time could make.
That your skills could bring to bear.
Imagine a simple “thank you” was your reward.
Imagine a smile was your return on investment.
Imagine what a difference you could make.
Following the video, Greg remarked about how he was seen his fellow club members do everything that was highlighted in the video, specifically mentioning his memory of Jack Rosenberg travelling to Bosnia and Kuwait to entertain refugee children as Jelly Bean The Clown.
Happy Bucks
- John Pennypacker - John had two things to be happy about, each worth $10. He has ordered new carpet for the second floor of his home. Getting ready for the installation, he removed all that had accumulated on the floors of four closets over thirty-plus years and has the treasures in his living room where his son has offered to come and help with a purging effort. John was also happy to report that his daughter would be starting back to work on September 14.
- Greg Okonowski - $5 for all the pleasant memories of his years in Rotary.
- Jack Rosenberg - $5 pledge for the reminder of Jelly Bean the Clown. Last year, when Jack was dining in a restaurant, one of the refugee children he had entertained recognized Jack and spoke to him. The young man, now grown, is living in the USA and they get together occasionally.
- Pam Cohen - Pledged $5 to remind/inform members that the hat we use at in-person meetings for raffle tickets is Jelly Bean's hat - Jack had it bronzed and donated it to the club when Jelly Bean retired.
- Greg Okonowski - Pledged another $5, glad that Bob Jensen was present and asked Bob to bring everyone up to date on the Gift of Hearing mission in Guaymas, Mexico.
- Bob Jensen - Bob reported that his doctor friend in Mexico has indicated that the reporting about COVID cases in Mexico is not accurate. Nobody is being tested unless they are symptomatic, and he felt even that information was being underreported. Hospitals there are not taking new cases. It is not likely the mission will happen this Rotary year.
- Ray Smith - was attending from Alpine, Arizona where it was 50° outside when he woke up.
- Chris Krueger - Pledged $10. Her best friend since 7th grade was coming from Austin, Texas for a visit . The two friends were heading to San Diego for the Labor Day weekend after which they would return for a few days before heading for Sedona for another outing. On a sad note, Chris reported that her father who is recovering from a stroke has now been diagnosed with COVID. She is worried he is giving up hope.
- Wendell Jones - Pledged $10. With Ray in Alpine, Wendell was missing the clown in his office.
- Ed Koeneman - Pledged $10. $5 was because he was happy that Ashley Ferguson, GCU Interact President 2020-21, was in attendance. The remaining $5 was because he is sad that when school starts next week, his teaching schedule will prevent him from attending our Rotary meetings until the semester is over.
- Jim Schmidt - Pledged $5. His son and his family have moved in with them for six months. They have three teenagers - 13, 15, and 18. When Jim arrived home recently he noticed the freezer (which is in their garage) was open. The temperature in the garage was 123°. After Jim cleaned up the thawed, melted mess, someone had a lesson in the importance of closing what one opens.
- Chuck Flint - A conditional pledge of $10 if Chris Krueger and her friend return from San Diego without being subject to any arrest warrants.
- President Dan Coons - Pledged $5. He was embarrassed that after making a big deal about wanting lots of service project opportunities during his year of service, he and Colleen were "no shows" for the Feed My Starving Children food-packing event.
- Bob Zarling - Pledged $5 because he is happy to be back in Arizona.
- Donna Goetzenberger - Contacted the Messenger Editor following the meeting to pledge $20 because Rotary Youth Exchange is prominently featured in the most recent issue of the Rotary magazine.
Presidential Humor
A patient with a bad heart was finally at the top of the transplant list. In fact, he had three hearts he could choose from.
- 20-year-old man in good health
- 30-year-old man who was very fit, a vegetarian, and an active marathon runner
- 60-year-old attorney who was a heavy drinker, and who led an inactive lifestyle
With no hesitation, the patient said he would take the attorney's heart because it had never been used.
Announcements
- Dan expressed appreciation for the work of the Community Service Chair, Shelly Romine and Colleen Coons, who is working to partner with UPS in a virtual tutoring program for young readers.
- The club has received a $2,000 grant which we were awarded because of the number of members participating in Rotary Direct automated giving to The Rotary Foundation. The grant will be used for the Steps of Love program which was presented to our club by Kathleen Turner last year. Dan completed the paperwork on the 30th (one day before the deadline) and was happy to say, "The check is already in the bank."
- Grand Canyon University Rotaract Club will be looking for speakers. Since they will be meeting virtually, they hope members of Rotary will volunteer to get involved.
Program - Trinity Cole with the Genesis Project
Trinity began by explaining that she does not really have an introduction that she give to program coordinators. She said it just seems really inappropriate to try to tell about what she enjoys doing. It might sound like, "She takes long walks on the beach and she feeds homeless people."
The Genesis Program i s the only soup kitchen in Pinal county. The meals they serve are hot, highly nutritious meals.
In 2006, the program fed 46 people. Ladies at a church would bring food from home and serve it at the church. The outgrew that church and were in two other churches as they grew in to the need for their present facility. In 2019, they served 86,000 meals. They have a full-service commercial kitchen. They have teams of volunteers who work shifts from 12-2 Monday thru Friday. Each daily team has their own manager. The organization is 96% volunteer ran. They have a part-time office manager and a part-time pickup driver. They are part of the grocery rescue program where useable food that can no longer be available for sale at grocery stores is picked up and used.
Trinity is a 10-year volunteer. She came on with a thanksgiving group and was hooked. She has been President since last October. She says they "Feed, clothe, hydrate, and provide hygiene products. They have a community resource center where they serve 130 people per day. There are three office spaces which are used by resources that come to them as many of the people they serve do not have a way to travel to social security office, etc. Many arrive on foot or bike and have no other transportation. One of the resources is a "navigator." They provide culinary job training and has people who will hire the grads. He helps others obtain documents. They do what they can to help people with avenues to overcome their situation.
Before COVID, they averaged 130 meals/day in their dining room. Since COVID, the dining room had to be shut down. In twenty-four hours, they converted a storage area into a drive-thru/pickup window. They installed misters and shade tents for those waiting outside. Hygiene was an issue. There was no place and no way to wash their hands. Trinity visited a hardware store. She had no idea what she was looking for, but when she described her need, the employees in the store built a sink that could hook up to a hose for her. They provide wet towels for those waiting to stay cool. They have a zero-contact method of packing food to be picked up at the hand-out window. They have a giveaway table - more food for a "to go" bag for a later meal - dessert - more water (they give out lots of water). They have a clothing resource center where they give out two shirts and one pant every day.
There are zero shower facilities open. They partner with Salvation Army. Showers are available at their facility every other Sunday.
50% of the people they serve are homeless. 35% are elderly - they have a home but limited income. Having their food supplied often means they can afford their medications.
The Genesis Project is very strict about not allowing their patrons to be photographed. They do not want them to feel exploited or diminished.
They have a monthly outreach program where volunteers can work Saturday or Sunday shifts on special teams.
Their location is 564 N Idaho Road in Apache Junction. Their website is https://www.genesisprojectaz.com/ Contact information is readily available on their site.