President, Jim Schmidt welcomed all who were in attendance for the Zoom meeting, including the person who would be presenting the program of the day - Buey Ray Tut from Aqua Africa.
Invocation - Dr. Ron Thompson
Dear Lord,
We thank you for this time of uncertainty and unrest. BECAUSE It is a time for us to hear what and whom we have not heard and a TIME for us to see whom and what we have not seen.
It is a time for us to understand that we can no longer be silent or moderate – as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I had hoped that there would be understanding that the present tension and protesting is a necessary phase of the transition from an obnoxious negative peace, in which those disadvantaged – our brothers and sisters of color, have passively accepted his or her unjust plight, to a substantive and positive peace, in which all men will respect the dignity and worth of human personality”.
God, you taught us that we must love our neighbor as ourselves. We would not seek to harm ourselves, so let us refuse this continuing state of violence of harming one another. Open our hearts to discover a love for one another despite the color of our skin or the origin of our birth. For you God have created all men equal with gifts and talents and destinies, that when put together, makes us a stronger, more vibrant, and a more prosperous nation. When those destinies are not reached and callings go unanswered, we are at risk as a people and as a nation. You said in your word that you sent your Son that we all might have life and have it more abundantly…help us to seek the abundance together - in love, in faith, and in hope.
As Maya Angelou says in her book, Amazing Grace,
Hope is born again in the faces of children
It rides on the shoulders of our aged as they walk into their sunsets.
Hope spreads around the earth, brightening all things – even hate, which crouches breeding in dark corridors.
Lord,
We thank you that even in the uncertainty and unrest, we still have hope.
In your Son’s precious name we pray,
AMEN
Patriotic Moment - Jeanie Morgan
Many heroic acts take place during times of tension in our country. Representative of that kind of heroism in the prior week was when Genesee County Sheriff, Chris Swanson met the protesters in Flint Michigan who were protesting the death of George Floyd at the hands of law enforcement. They were also protesting the many prior deaths of others who were targeted and died, were seriously harmed, or harshly dealt with because of their ethnicity. The Sheriff said he wanted to make it a parade - not a protest and joined in with the assembled crowd to march.
Presidential Humor
A couple of friends were enjoying happy hour together. One of them mentioned that lions have sex ten to twenty times a day. His friend responded, "Darn, I just joined Rotary."
Happy Bucks with Greg Okonowski
Polly Schumacher pledged $10. She was happy both of her granddaughters had safely participated Sunday and Wednesday in the protests and peaceful march. She was also thankful that they honored the curfew and were home by 8:00 PM.
Chris Krueger pledged $10. She was happily looking forward to having three of her grandchildren come to Arizona for a visit.
Dan Coons announced he was going to join Lions, then pledged $5. He was sad that he would have to miss the June 11 meeting as he would be having bunion surgery on his other foot.
Warren Williamson pledged $10. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to fix a faucet. He called Parker and Sons and hoped they wouldn't send Grandpa
Rotary Minute - Chris Krueger
Chris shared a bit about how much she had enjoyed being part of the faculty for the economical Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) that had been held via Zoom on Saturday, May 30. Rather than being trained for specific Rotary responsibilities, those in attendance have the opportunity to talk with and hear from other Rotarians throughout the District and learn what is working well, and what is not. Those in attendance learn from each other. Among other things, they learn about how Rotarian Action Groups help in our areas of focus. They are groups which are formed by Rotarians but function independent of Rotary International. The groups are open to family members of Rotarians, Alumni of RI programs, past Interact or Rotaract members. They operate in accord with RI principals, support Rotary's areas of focus, and collaborate with clubs and other entities to make good things happen. They help obtain funding or other assistance. Some of the areas where Rotary Action Groups are currently active are: Alzheimer's/Dementia, blindness prevention, blood donations, child slavery, dental volunteers, diabetes, family health aides, hunger and malnutrition, literacy, malaria, multiple sclerosis, Peace, Polio survivors, population growth and water and sanitation.
Program
Chris Krueger introduced Buey Ray Tut, Executive Director of Aqua Africa, our partner in a global grant to be submitted to The Rotary Foundation soon.
Buey was thankful to be invited to present a program to our club with an update on this project. He said it was currently 90° in Omaha with high humidity making it tough. Aqua Africa has a goal of providing clean drinking water for many more residents of South Sudan and a secondary goal of helping to bridge cultural differences in the US.
The Coronavirus will seriously tax the health systems in South Sudan. They have closed their airport. In the entire country, there are only six ventilators. Their population is twelve million. They are trying to test the population for the virus. So far, sixty percent have tested positive, but there has been no uptick in deaths.
When completed, our project will serve 8,000 people. It will have 4 water towers with a solar powered pumping system. A micro-democracy will be formed to run and sustain the system. Those on the managing committee will be elected through a democratic process by secret ballot and have limited terms. They hope to have enough excess energy from the solar system to power a marketplace and clinics. At the current time, water for those in the community is accessed through rivers and ponds - much like what Buey remembers experiencing as a boy. There was a lot of walking involved and during the dry season, a lot of digging as well. With COVID-19, hand washing is not possible. The project Mesa West is partnering with Aqua Africa on is likely not going to be completed until at least 2022. Necessary supply lines are all disrupted. Countries in Africa are not allowing neighboring countries to enter their borders. Everything is in a holding pattern. Buey believes we are on track to do the project in 2022 barring any new catastrophic events.
Buey was asked about history of Aqua Africa projects in South Sudan. He said they have completed four tower projects with all still in operation.
He said they have completed 26 hand pump installations with 24 of those still in operation. 30,000 people are served daily as a result of their effort.
Our project will be in Buey's former home village of Mairut. The micro-democracy management of the projects ensures their sustainability. The Aqua Africa team teaches those elected to everything works. Each system operates a little differently depending the social structure that existed prior to the installation of the wells. Those differences impact the level of trust the residents will give the committee. In some situations, water is paid for at the time it is received. In others, a weekly or monthly fee is charged for access to the water. This ensures they will have funds available for replacement parts or other maintenance. Aqua Africa subsidizes maintenance at 50% for the first three years, then drop to 15% for the next three years, and after that, it is intended that the mini democracy will be able to operate and maintain the system without outside support. There is a 15% commitment from the community before they start a project.
When asked about water usage, Buey explained that at this point, water is only used for consumption. There is not a sufficient available supply for showers and flush toilets. The mini-governments do a good job of anticipating extra usage during wedding and funeral celebrations when a festival atmosphere evolves. At this point, the communities do not communicate with each other. Our project will be the first one to produce both power and water. They have a Wyoming company that does an energy analysis and advises what is necessary to keep the system off grid.
Chris Krueger explained that a letter had gone out from The Rotary Foundation on June 3 stating that in 2020-21, TRF will only be matching District funds on grants. They will no longer be matching club funds or individual cash donations. If our grant is submitted prior to June 30 of this year, that decision will not impact this project. Buey is trying to get the remaining $20,000 we are short committed from one of his donors. If that does not happen, they will scale back the cost of the project so the grant can be submitted before that looming June 30 deadline.
The decision by TRF was based on the increased volume and value of grants being requested and what the fund can sustain. Mesa West Rotary has committed $10,000 to the Mairut project. Allan Cady took the project to the Mexican-American Friendship Conference last fall and several clubs and the District in Mexico have also made commitments. John Pennypacker has also pledged a significant amount.
Buey made some closing comments about the current unrest in the US. His observation is that Americans are better than most at confronting their ghosts. The vast majority have stepped up beyond what they are comfortable with. He also commented that the opening prayer was right on point.
He said it is too bad there is so much silence about how together we've become.. Ron Thompson encouraged Rotarians to hear and understand what other people feel, developing a skill to listen without being defensive so we can validate the feelings being shared. Disparity does exist.
Bob Zarling shared that nearly a month ago he read a book that is very relevant to today - Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins, who is a pastor today.
Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide (BREW) is a social group with members from all over the world. On June 6, one of the members made a presentation on COVID-19 and Polio.
In a recent National Immunization Day (NID) in India this member and his wife were part of a large assemblage treating kids for Polio. In five days they treated 11 million kids.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 entered the picture and has cancelled all NIDs.
Because of Rotary in 2019, 400 million kids were immunized for Polio. The statistics show this resulted in 16 million kids did not get Polio and 1.5 million lives were saved.
Our current world population is 7.8 billion people of which 2.2 billion do not have access to clean water.
If we do not get rid of Polio in the next 10 years, 200 Trillion kids will get Polio.
Clean water is a key element in Polio eradication effort. BREW is linked to WASRAG ( Water and Sanitation Rotary Action Group). At this meeting BREW presented a check for $5,000 to WASRAG. This makes $15,000 donated to WASRAG in four years.
John is a member of BREW, and shared the above notes following their Zoom meeting on June 6. He shared that there were 72 members in attendance with 14 of those from the US. He estimated 10 countries were represented. If you want to know more about BREW, CLICK HERE.
If you want to know more about WASRAG, CLICK HERE.
Rotarians worldwide who have similar passions and interests can connect through Rotary Fellowships. The photo at right is one that was downloaded from the International Skiing Fellowship of Rotarians and was taken at a 2019 gathering in Telluride, Colorado. To see the variety of fellowships currently available, CLICK HERE.
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.
President Jim
President, Jim Schmidt welcomed all who were in attendance for the Zoom meeting, including the person who would be presenting the program of the day - Buey Ray Tut from Aqua Africa.
Rotarians worldwide who have similar passions and interests can connect through Rotary Fellowships. The photo at right is one that was downloaded from the 
Donations to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona made through April 15, can be used to qualify for the
