President Dan continued his practice of opening the Zoom meeting site about 11:15 so members who wanted to arrive early and enjoy some friendly conversation could do so.  Some members were enjoying the break from work or COVID isolation boredom, so it was kind of hard to watch Allan and Polly Cady enjoying life on the boat over in San Diego.  There was a little jealousy noted as people mentioned that Polly looked like a model with her hair blowing in the breeze and also noted a very radiant glow.  She was finally honest enough to confess she was sitting in front of a fan because it was really hot there!

 

Greg Okonowski's background was a photo taken on a recent hunting trip to New Mexico.  He was about the time Mesa West was being called to order on the 20th, he shot his first spike elk.

 

Pam Cohen was caring for her grandson Wilder in Flagstaff.  He was getting hungry.  Actually, she said he doesn't get hungry, he gets mad!  She knew she would be muting her phone, and was pretty sure she wouldn't get to stay though the entire meeting.

 

At Noon, President Dan called the meeting to order.  After repeating the Rotary Vision Statement, he asked Wendell Jones to offer the invocation.

 

When searching for something to share, Chris had challenges searching the Rotary International Website.  She instead went to the July issue of the Rotarian magazine.  She found an article highlighting ways Rotarians in various parts of the globe had turned challenges into opportunities.  The article was titled "Adapt and Connect," and is found on page 16 of that issue.

 

A Rotary Club in Tunesia donated money to fight the coronavirus.  They organized a "coronathon" to collect donations from Rotarians and their families and friends to finance the needs of hospitals including respirators and other supplies.

 

A district in Taiwan used food donated by wholesale markets to prepare and deliver meal boxes to the medical professionals who were treating COVID-19 patients.  Government officials were instrumental in helping them build a central kitchen to efficiently prepare the meals.

 

Because of the lockdown, more people than ever were having their prescriptions delivered creating a delivery backlog..  Rotarians in Cambrian England stepped up to help the Old Chapel Pharmacy make deliveries.

 

When a hospital in Thailand asked for face shields, the Sanam Chan Rotary members raised money from their members, purchased materials and assembled the face masks working with members of their sponsored Rotaract Club.  They made 3,580 shields which were given to 22 hospitals and health care centers.

 

A Rotaract Club in Madras India challenged people to cook their favorite dish, taking photos during the process and post the photos and recipe on line.  They got a wonderful response.  They said "Nothing brings people together like good food."

 

 

Thirteen members of Mesa West Rotary gathered at the Feed My Starving Children Food-Packing Facility Thursday evening August 27.  Before being allowed to stay to work, everyone's temperature was checked and masks, hairnets, and gloves became mandatory apparel.  Secure lockers were available for purses, jewelry and any other personal belongings.

 

Volunteers gathered in a large assembly room and were seated for orientation far enough apart to maintain safe social distancing.  Some startling statistics were shared.  In our world today, one out of nine children will go to bed hungry.  Hunger is the cause of nearly half of the deaths of children under the age of five.  Feed My Starving Children believes hope starts with food.  CLICK HERE to watch a video from their website.

 

After the orientation, the volunteers scrubbed before reporting to their stations.  In the workroom, they found well-organized areas where teams of five could work together to fill bags.  Each bag contained essential vitamins, dehydrated vegetables, soy protein, and rice which were carefully measured by the volunteers and poured into a funnel through which the ingredients would fall into a bag.  The order with which the ingredients were added was very intentional.  The items with the most nutritional content were added first, followed by the protein and the rice was added last.  The volunteer who had held the bag removed it swiftly so the partner on the opposite side of the table could place the next bag under the funnel.  After each bag was removed from the funnel, it was weighed.  If it was too light, rice would be added.  If it was too heavy, rice would be removed.  The bags were then placed in a rack and the fifth volunteer had the job of sealing the plastic bags and organizing them for placement in a box for shipping.  The volunteers doing the sealing would help each other pack the boxes.  The count in each box had to be identical.  Filled boxes were placed on a pallet.

 

Feed My Starving Children staff kept the volunteers stocked with the necessary supplies.  It was rare to wait more than a few seconds for the supply replenishment to happen.  Even so, it nearly always slowed the process as the distraction broke the rhythm of the team.  Adding to the ability to move methodically, was fun music with a strong beat which played throughout evening.  Some Mesa West Rotarians were more skilled than others at getting in some dance moves without missing a beat in their responsibilities.

 

There were other volunteers working with Mesa West at FMSC on the 27th.  Twenty volunteers in total.  At the end of the evening, the group again gathered in the large assembly room to be thanked and to get a summary of what they had accomplished.  Typically, they expect volunteers to average about one box per person during a shift.  This group far exceeded that expectation.  46 boxes were packed.  Enough food to feed twenty-seven children for a year.

 

Way to go Mesa West - this is that People of Action can do!

 

Last month the club was introduced to a program called Vello which is virtual tutoring in reading to a 1st-3rd grader. The program is organized through the Valley of the Sun United Way. The Rotary Club of Mesa West currently has 6 volunteers and UPS will provide another 15 or so volunteers to tutor one class.

 

We hope to add another class but need more Rotary participation. The commitment would be for 30 minutes a week OR every other week for the school year.

 

The scheduling is done on line so you would get to choose from time slots that would work for your schedule rather than having a set time weekly. You are provided the tools and the training to sit and read with a child virtually - you are at the location of your choice and they are in the classroom.

 

United Way is gearing up to kick off right after labor day with this current school year. The partnership with UPS is not only to share volunteer hours but the company is also providing a grant to cover the $3,500 fee per classroom that is required. Partnering with UPS on this project also allows additional opportunities to apply for grant money UPS offers for future projects.

 

This is a perfect opportunity for a professional that has some time during the week to volunteer but can not necessarily commitment to a set time weekly, being virtual it also saves commute times that you would typically experience with volunteer activities. It is also perfect for some of our more mature club members or those who live with vulnerable people and are trying to limit exposure. Everything is done virtually so you don't have to leave the house and put on a mask to participate ;) We will discuss this opportunity this Thursday at our regular zoom meeting or you can visit the website vello.org to learn more about this exciting opportunity to help kids be successful in school

 

Anger makes your mouth work faster than your mind.

The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary that enables the amazing work we, as Rotarians, are all proud to be a part of.  Every Rotarian is strongly encouraged to support TRF every year by donating to the General Fund of TRF.  The target gift is $100 per year per member.  That has been the target for a very long time and in the US the average family income has multiplied a few times since that target was set.  Many Rotarians who have the means to do so have set their personal target at the $1,000 per year mark making them eligible for the Paul Harris Society level of donor recognition. 

 

The End Polio Now campaign is a separate fund to which gifts are matched two-for-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Many Rotarians choose to support both the general fund and the fight to end polio.

 

No matter what level you decide to donate, please support the Foundation by giving through Rotary Direct.  CLICK HERE to get answers to commonly asked questions about this program.  DOWNLOAD A FORM to authorize your Rotary Direct donations.  By giving through Rotary direct, the opportunity for human error is eliminated and recognition credit for the Rotarian and their club is much more accurate and timelier.