Hello Mesa West! This is Paige Goetzenberger reporting again from the beautiful Austrian countryside. It was so nice chatting with a number of you during the Zoom meeting on Thursday, so I thought it would be nice to write a little more about my current situation for the newsletter.
As of last Friday, I have been in Austria for a total of eight months! During this time, I have made the most amazing memories and have had so many life changing experiences, but this is not to say that Rotary Youth Exchange hasn’t tested me in ways like never before. This past month has challenged me greatly, but I have come into April more strong-minded and sure of myself than ever. After the initial scare of COVID-19, I watched many of my closest friends return to their home countries and questioned what the safest choice for myself really was. After conversing with my parents and a few intense journaling sessions, I could not be happier to say that I will be continuing to make these next few months the best as possible. I am spending my time in quarantine reflecting, learning, and appreciating the amazing country that I am still lucky enough to be living in.
With four host sisters, it is easy for us to keep each other entertained. We’ve become pretty creative in planning activities, such as tie dying, makeovers, treasure hunts, baking contests, spirit weeks, and fashion shows. We are also able to keep each other motivated with our studies and completing our online assignments. I am using this as a chance to study German as much as possible and am even able to continue my tutoring sessions through video chats. In the middle of June, I still hope to take the official test that certifies me as fluent in all German speaking countries. The Corona virus has not put my exchange on hold, as I am still with an amazing host family and chatting with my new friends every day.
I think it is important to remember that although things could be better, they could be a lot worse. All of us are fortunate enough not to be “stuck” inside but privileged enough to have the basic necessities that allow us to remain safe within the comfort of our own homes. I will definitely be joining more Mesa West Zoom meetings in the future and look forward to speaking with all of you again soon.
Paige and her Austrian sisters are shown doing some physical fitness activities, including yoga, and had a backyard beach resort-themed celebration on a balmy day, Monday, April 6.
Local Air Force Reserve medical professionals deploy from Arizona to help others across our great nation. May God protect these local heroes; may they be helpful to others and may they all come home safely.
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --
In response to short-notice mobilization orders, several members of the 944th Aeromedical Staging Squadron deployed today to aid in the COVID-19 response in New York City and surrounding states.
This deployment is part of a larger mobilization package, activated by President Donald Trump, of more than 120 doctors, nurses, and respiratory technicians that Air Force Reserve units across the nation have provided over the past 48 hours in support of COVID-19 response to take care of Americans.
In accordance with DoD and the Centers for Disease Control guidance, deployed members received medical evaluation and were screened for impact to their civilian communities and professions.
“We did not want to pull a doc or nurse out of their community clinical practice or hospital if already ensconced in coronavirus operations,” said Col. Teresa Bisnett, Air Force Reserve Command surgeon general. “It was truly a team effort with our units to ensure the right Reservists were selected to provide this surge capability to our nation.”
As one of the hardest hit regions in the United States, the Northeast is considered the epicenter of the coronavirus.
“My priority for the wing remains to take care of our Airmen and their families. We’ll keep doing that so these members can go help take care of Americans in need,” said Col. James Greenwald, 944th Fighter Wing commander. “We will stay connected with them and we will continue to help care for their families while they are deployed.”
The 944th ASTS has over 125 Reserve Citizen Airmen boasting a range of medical job specialties. Of the squadron members, all but a handful are traditional reservists, serving part-time in the 944th Fighter Wing while maintaining the same standards and training as their active duty counterparts.
There once was a father who had four sons. One day he sent his sons to their cabin to ready it for the winter. The cabin was located some distance away from their home, and was without phone connection, but the father didn't worry, because he had given each son a cell phone and knew that he could contact them in case of an emergency.
Not long after the sons arrived at the cabin, the father learned that because of heavy rains in the nearby mountains, the cabin was in the path of a potential flash flood. He called the first son to warn him to take his brothers and evacuate the cabin. The first son had not even turned on his cell phone and didn't receive the message.
He then tried to call the second son. His phone rang, but the music he was listening to was so loud, it drowned out the phone and he didn't receive the message.
He then tried to call the third son. The third son actually heard his phone ring, but he was so busy working on the cabin he didn't take time to answer it and didn't receive the message.
When the fourth son's phone rang, he heard it and tried to answer it, but he wasn't used to working with a cell phone and didn't know how to get an incoming call, so he did not receive the message.
The father was grieved for he had done all he could to warn his sons, but for various reasons they did not receive his message.
Life is full of distractions. Some things are more important than others in our life. Whether you believe in God, in a God, a higher power, the great spirit or just karma there is a voice, some call it conscience, that helps us make the best decisions for us and our families. If we get too distracted, for various reasons, we do not always hear that voice. Let's weed out the useless distractions in our life.
Warren Williamson - shared a photo of the "social distancing" line he and Son Hee had to wait through in order to enter Costco Saturday morning, April 3.
DG Lee Holmes - I would like to encourage Rotarians to reach out to your club members, your family, and friends with simple words of compassionate support during these challenging times. Let them know that you care about them and miss them. Your message does not have to be eloquent or long. Please encourage them to respond to you. I hope you are doing well, but call me, email me, or drop me a note if there is anything, I can do to help you.
Fred Scott - After 3 weeks of confinement following our return from Mesa (which, by the way was a real pick-me-upper) the investment by Alberta of 1.1 billion dollars in the Keystone XL may well ease the unemployment rate in our province which was previously predicted to hit 25% because such governmental involvement may well encourage others to put up some investment in our oil patch. We have had precious little interest from Ottawa to date, emphasizing the myopia eastern Canada has shown in a healthy oil patch which would spin off downstream benefits throughout Canada, not just the West.
Then throw in the deprivations of the Mexican beer bug to depress the economies of the nations on both sides of the 49th parallel which seems to have left us all reeling. I really admire the help for all people spirit of the Mesa West Rotarians; the business of being CB'd (in military lingo "confined to barracks") with only the gloomy predictions over the TV to console me is a real pain in the ass!!! The golf course across the road has been shut down completely leaving greens without a smidgen of flags flying from the holes; it's a beautiful sunny day to be ignored completely in such manner! Disgraceful!!!!!! I am about to go outside, take up a shovel and help Freddie dig up his garden. Disgusting!!!!! I guess there is still a use for retarded (retired) lawyers.
Our warmest wishes for all the good-looking Rotarians (fool that I am, there isn't another kind). Keep up the good work and maintain the social distance wherever possible. Cheers to all and sundry.
Bailee Langford (one of the TRVFA students Mesa West Rotary sponsored this year) - I went grocery shopping for doctors and nurses at Banner Ironwood because they didn’t have time to get the essentials like toilet paper while they worked their 12-hour shifts.
Amber Zenteno – (also a TRVFA student sponsored by Mesa West Rotary) Things have been different because of COVID-19. We've been doing online school since March 16th. Not much to report unfortunately. I've just been reading our textbooks and praying that we can still go to clinicals in July. I miss my classmates and hope things will get better. Hope you are keeping safe! Every once-in-a-while I'll listen in on the news and hear what our president has to say. He is working very hard to help the country. We have American companies manufacturing personal protective equipment and ventilators. It's amazing to see our country working together to save lives. Our health care workers are angels on Earth and I'm excited to join the force. Times are scary but we are in good hands.
Lucinda General – Enjoyed listening to, and watching a fun video and wanted to share it with you: https://youtu.be/clhsqVEwHEY
Penny May - This week I got together with a group of friends making face masks. I cut out the material as I have no sewing abilities. We made masks all week long until the machines died. They were available for anyone for free or a donation if they wished. People came from all over the park with more fabric from their personal stashes. Soon we were giving instructions on how to make the masks and giving away the cut outs. It was a perfect example of coming together in this pandemic. It felt so rewarding to be a small part in this effort.
Jeanie Morgan - I was touched when I received a call from Hannah Mason, President of the Westwood HS Interact Club. She was calling to check on me to see how I was doing with being confined to home. Our future is in good hands.
Daryl “Pai” Bethea - Happy, Happy, Happy to be here in Arizona with family and ROTARIAN support. Even in these tough times GOD and loved ones make life wonderful! Keep smilin’, Pai
Lola McClane - With all the spare time people have these days, I am hearing more from friends and relatives by phone or Skype and that makes me really happy.
Terry Cowan - One of the most memorable visuals I have seen was a lineup of kitchen matches, standing upright spaced about 3/4 to an inch apart. The first in the row was lighted. As it flared, the second caught fire. Then the next and the next. While the fire was progressing, a hand reached into the line and removed one of the unburnt matches down the line. Now, the space between the matches was too great for the fire to jump the gap and the rest of the matches were unaffected. Or, you could say unharmed.
I witnessed this in real life this morning. I went to Walmart. Yes, we still do need groceries and other items. The floors are marked with six-foot markings. Most of the people shopping were wearing masks. Many wearing gloves. All observing the distance guidelines. Now, it is not a direct parallel to the matches, but the idea of maintaining space and controlling our own space is very much in evidence.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures." Looks like we are all in this together and it is encouraging to see folks practicing, "desperate measures."
Chris Krueger thought her fellow-Rotarians might want to learn about this project which has been making a difference with Rotarians working collectively since 1997:
The Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) is one of the largest grassroots, multi-club, multi-district projects in Rotary. More than 600 clubs and 80 districts have been working together since 1997 to improve education for underserved students in Guatemala. In that time, nearly 225,500 students have been served through four sustainable programs that are tested and proven to work. In 2017, RI President Ian Riseley called the GLP "the gold standard of Rotary projects" for its sustainability and impact.
I grew up in many small towns in Iowa and Illinois. Springtime was a special time. When the last snow melted, the sun shone brightly, creating rivulets on the ground and streets, it was great to be outside at last, enjoying the warmth, smelling the rich odors of the earth. Other children would gather about, playing marbles, building small dams, flying kites. The world seemed large and limitless and we played with abandon.
Three poems by E. E. Cummings that have always helped me heighten my love of life and this time of year are “I thank you God for most this amazing”, “sweet spring” and “[in Just-]”.
Because of the restrictions that we currently have on socializing, I see many more people walking and enjoying the outdoors, conversing perhaps more than they have for a long time. I see that others, like myself, are also recalling memories of childhood, reflecting on their families, looking at old photographs and hoping for a better time.
I hope you are doing well. CLICK HERE to check out the above-mentioned poems and share them with your friends.
Erwin Reimann was born in Parkston South Dakota. He was the oldest of two children in his family and had one younger brother. He hasn't been an Arizona resident a full year, yet. Before making Arizona his primary home, he had resided in South Dakota, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, Washington and Tennessee.
Erwin as enjoyed considerable international travel. He has visited Canada, Germany, China, Egypt, Mexico, Belgium, Israel, Bahamas, Lichtenstein, Austria, Costa Rica, Netherlands, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, Slovakia, Italy, Hungary, Tanzania, and Rawanda.
As a teen, Erwin dreamed of having a career in science. He made his dream come true. His Rotary Classification is Biomedical Research, retired. He is fully retired today but tells us his most recent profession was that of being a restaurant owner for two years.
Erwin and Joan have been married for fifty-eight years. They have one son, one daughter, two grandsons, three granddaughters, and three great-grandsons.
He says the best vacation he can remember was spent in Tanzania and Rawanda in May of 2017.
In describing his most rewarding volunteer experience, he said "I enjoyed helping our church set-up comprehensive software for financial accounting and membership information.
"I'll have the rump steak, rare, please." He said, "Aren't you worried about the mad cow?" "Nah, she can order for herself."
And that's when the fight started.....
_____________________________
My wife and I were sitting at a table at her high school reunion, and she kept staring at a drunken man swigging his drink as he sat alone at a nearby table.
I asked her, "Do you know him?" "Yes", she sighed, "He's my old boyfriend. I understand he took to drinking right after we split up those many years ago, and I hear he hasn't been sober since."
"My God!" I said, "Who would think a person could go on celebrating that long?"
And then the fight started...
________________________________
When our lawn mower broke and wouldn't run, my wife kept hinting to me that I should get it fixed. But, somehow, I always had something else to take care of first, the shed, the boat, making beer. Always something more important to me.
Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point. When I arrived home one day, I found her seated in the tall grass, busily snipping away with a tiny pair of sewing scissors. I watched silently for a short time and then went into the house. I was gone only a minute, and when I came out again I handed her a toothbrush.
I said, "When you finish cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."
The doctors say I will walk again, but I will always have a limp.
_____________________________
My wife sat down next to me as I was flipping channels. She asked, "What's on TV?" I said, "Dust."
And then the fight started...
_______________________________
My wife was hinting about what she wanted for our upcoming anniversary. She said, "I want something shiny that goes from 0 to 150 in about 3 seconds."
I bought her a bathroom scale.
And then the fight started......
______________________________
I rear-ended a car this morning...the start of a REALLY bad day!
The driver got out of the other car, and he was a DWARF!! He looked up at me and said, 'I am NOT Happy!' So I said, 'Well, which one ARE you then?'
That's how the fight started.
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One year, I decided to buy my mother-in-law a cemetery plot as a Christmas gift...
The next year, I didn't buy her a gift. When she asked me why, I replied, "Well, you still haven't used the gift I bought you last year!"
Rotary makes high-quality health care available to vulnerable mothers and children so they can live longer and grow stronger.
We expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
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.
Donations to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona made through April 15, can be used to qualify for the
Arizona's Credit for Contribution to a Qualifying Charitable Organization for the 2019 or 2020 tax year, but not both! Their QCO Code is 20698.
When everything starts to settle after our current pandemic-related business slow-down is history, some things may never to back to the way they were. There may well be a shortage of workers that require vocational certifications available to those in low-income groups through TRVFA grants. Your gift today may help someone have a better tomorrow! CLICK HERE to donate on-line or CLICK HERE to download a mail-in form.
April 5, 2020
There once was a father who had four sons. One day he sent his sons to their cabin to ready it for the winter. The cabin was located some distance away from their home, and was without phone connection, but the father didn't worry, because he had given each son a cell phone and knew that he could contact them in case of an emergency. 
Warren Williamson - shared a photo of the "social distancing" line he and Son Hee had to wait through in order to enter Costco Saturday morning, April 3.
Chris Krueger thought her fellow-Rotarians might want to learn about this project which has been making a difference with Rotarians working collectively since 1997: 
I grew up in many small towns in Iowa and Illinois. Springtime was a special time. When the last snow melted, the sun shone brightly, creating rivulets on the ground and streets, it was great to be outside at last, enjoying the warmth, smelling the rich odors of the earth. Other children would gather about, playing marbles, building small dams, flying kites. The world seemed large and limitless and we played with abandon.
Erwin Reimann was born in Parkston South Dakota. He was the oldest of two children in his family and had one younger brother. He hasn't been an Arizona resident a full year, yet. Before making Arizona his primary home, he had resided in South Dakota, Wisconsin, California, Ohio, Washington and Tennessee.
Donations to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona made through April 15, can be used to qualify for the
