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Club Information
Welcome to our Rotary Club of Mesa West!
Mesa West
Transforming Communities, Creating Opportunities, Impacting Youth
Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Via Zoom or in-person
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Doubletree, 1011 W Holmes
Mesa, AZ 85210
United States of America
Our hybrid meetings are held weekly on the 1st thru 4th Thursdays of each month. The meetings are broadcast via Zoom to include all, whether attending virtually or in person.
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Stories
Tempe Downtown Rotary Centennial Anniversary
Highlights of January 26 Meeting
Opening and Welcome to Meeting - President-Elect Colleen Coons
 
  • Welcoming Remarks - Colleen reminded everyone that the Rotary International Theme this years is "Imagine Rotary."  She then recited the Vision Statement of Rotary International:
Together we see a world where people UNITE and TAKE ACTION to 
CREATE LASTING CHANGE across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
  • The Invocation was offered by Dick Myren.
  • The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Polo Santiago
  • A Rotary Minute was shared by Colleen Coons about RYLA.  Colleen had recently attended RYLA at Camp Pinerock.  On the final morning, when many in attendance were crying, realizing they were going to have to say goodbye to there newly formed deep friendships, some of those in attendance shared what they would be taking away from the weekend.  One young participant shared that before RYLA she spent a lot of time crying.  There were rumors about her being shared at her school.  From what she experienced at RYLA, she said, "I want to stay in this world . . ."  Colleen is proud that Mesa West Rotary supports Youth Services through RYLA, Rotaract, and Interact.  These programs do effect positive change!
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
 
 
Chuck asked Bert Millett to draw the winning raffle ticket, which was held by Erwin Reimann making him the automatic winner of the small $45 pot.  Erwin shuffled the cards, but when he attempted to draw the Ace of Clubs, he instead drew the Three of Clubs, so the large, accumulating, pot will continue to grow.
 
Happy Bucks - Ron Thompson
 
  • Allan Cady was happy to have attended and made a TRVFA presentation at the Mesa Rotary Club meeting January 25 at Benedictine University on Main in Mesa.  While there, he was presented with a nice-sized check from their charitable foundation in the amount of $5,000.
  • Polly Cady thanked the Dan Lamborn family for hosting our inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student - Fanny Leinard.  Fanny is now with her third host family - Frank and Amanda Rosenberg are her new host parents.  Later this spring, Fanny will move to a fourth host family.  Darl Andersen's son and daughter-in-law will then be her host parents.
  • Erwin Reimann donated his winnings.  He was happy he won, but sad he hadn't drawn the Ace of Clubs.  He was happy to have taken Joan's sister to the airport after a stay with them.  Erwin apparently had no regrets about the sister he chose for his life partner - Joan!  He was happy and sad that they would be leaving for South Dakota on Sunday to take a look at their new summer living option.  He wanted his winnings to be donated to Polio Plus.
  • Dick Myren donated his traditional $2 - happy that he and honorary member Rod Daniels are associated with Mesa West - the Ace of Clubs.  He donated an additional $5 in appreciation of Ron and Toni Thompson opening their home for the post-holiday celebration.
  • Gina Schroeder contributed, saying it was her first experience at our post holiday gathering.  She was glad she was still welcome at the meeting after having had to be tracked down when she disappeared with the set of Legos she had opened and someone else wanted to steal.  Gina added that she was from Stevens Point Wisconsin.  Her best friend's father was a Rotarian.  Gina contributed $50 to honor Jack Pastor's 50-year membership in the Stevens Point club.
  • John Pennypacker was very happy.  In a recent golf game, on the 12th hole (which was a par 3), he made 2.  
  • Ed Koeneman was happy that eleven from Westwood High School Interact would be attending the Interact District Conference in February.  Four of the members would be working at the conference as District Council members.
  • Colleen Coons was $58 worth of happy to have recently celebrated a birthday.  She was also happy to have travelled to Hermosillo Mexico to visit the Microcredit program with a group which was organized by Abe Feder.  She and Dan were supposed to be fasting, but the food there was amazing.  
  • Shelly Romine thanked Ron and Toni. She also thanked Lola McClane for all the amazing photos she captured at the post-holiday celebration, and Jeanie for posting a video to display the photos.
  • Jim Schmidt complimented the great party.  He also praised Polly Cady for the great job she does managing Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI).
  • Don LaBarge again remarked about how many friends he finds out he has when he has Barrett Jackson tickets available.  A Vice President of a company he deals with in South Dakota even came to see him.
  • Penny May was happy to be enjoying a visit with her sister, Mary Anne.  Penny's grandson Peter was here in January for a socker tournament.  He'll be back in February for a hockey tournament.  In March, she will travel with them to Italy where Peter will participate in an international soccer tournament.
  • Bob Zarling said he was happy to contribute to the Ron Thompson fund.  He let Gina know he was familiar with Stevens Point, Wisconsin.
  • Chuck Flint said he was recently in Costco.  He noticed a nice looking man with white hair putting stuff on his hot dog.  He also noticed the man had on a Major Donor pin from The Rotary Foundation.  Chuck introduced himself and enjoyed a pleasant conversation with a Rotarian from Sioux City Iowa.  His point - wear your Rotary pins - get recognized!
  • Pam Coons was attending via Zoom.  She pledged $50 to thank Ron and Toni for the wonderful party.  She said the she and Shelly arrived two hours early to get everything that had been delivered all set up.  The work was already done she and Shelly arrived.
The Rotary Foundation - John Pennypacker
 
  • Bert Millett was called forward to be recognized for his first Paul Harris Fellow.  His accumulated donations reached $1,000 plus in December, 2022.  John presented Bert with his Certificate and pin.
  • John pointed out the papers he had placed on the tables.  Out of our 65 members 29 have signed up for Rotary Direct.  The papers are for those who have not yet made that commitment, to make it easy to do so.  The stated goal - internationally - is for every Rotarian to give at least $100 every year to The Rotary Foundation.  Setting up Rotary Direct makes it easy to make that commitment without having to think about it.  You can set up monthly, quarterly or annual repeating donations using a debit or credit card.  It's safe and efficient - saving time and effort at each end of the transactions.
Announcements
 
  • Dave Brauchler
    • The February service project will take place on February 11.  Seven volunteers will be needed at the emergency shelter for Child Crisis Arizona.  The volunteers will be working with the kids that are there to help them with a Valentines craft project.  We have no way of knowing in advance how many children will be there.  The shelter age range is 2-10, but the most common ages are 3-7.  There may be as many as fifteen kids there, but we are limited to seven volunteers.
    • We will have an off-site lunch on May 11.  We will have lunch and a tour of the Ross Farnsworth YMCA.  Our member, Greg Bouslog responded positively to a request coordinate by President Pam to host a blood drive at the center that day.  Members may want to arrive early or stay late to donate blood as well as enjoy lunch and the tour.
    • Dave is working with Sunshine Acres to see if a service project can be coordinated at their facility.
  • Shelly Romine asked members to keep June 29 open on their calendars to celebrate Mesa West Rotary's 50th anniversary.  She also asked that if asked to do something to help with the event the appropriate answer is an enthusiastic "Yes!"  She also apologized for the error on the first "save-the-date" email she sent.  The first to note that the email said the event would be on Saturday, June 29 was a CPA.  The correct date is Thursday, June 29.
  • Colleen Coons wanted to point out she had kept up with Pam celebrating whatever national day it is on the day of our Mesa West meetings.  Thursday, January 26, is National Spouse's Day.
 
Program - Joanna Alhands - Does Arizona Have Enough Water?
 
Jay Stuckey introduced our speaker.  Joanna Allhands is the Digital Opinions Editor for the Arizona Republic.  If it's on-line and opinion-related, she likely oversees it.  She is an Arizona Native who has been with the Arizona Republic since 2004. 
 
Starting off with the disclaimer that she is a journalist, not an expert, she said she would be discussing the question, "Does Arizona Have Enough Water?"  It is a subject she has spent a lot of time researching and learning about.
 
She shared some interesting facts.  We have three main sources of water - surface water, groundwater, and reclaimed water.  In west Mesa, Salt River Project Water is the supply.  In the east side of Mesa, Central Arizona Project is supplying Colorado River water.  A fascinating fact shared was that we consume about the same amount of water now as we did in 1950.
 
When the Ground Water Management Act was passed in 1980, rural areas were not included.
 
She said there are issues.  The Bureau of Reclamation has stated there is a need to cut 2-4 million acre-feet of additional use by this year.  States have not figured out how to do this.  States are meeting.  There has been some progress.  592,000 acre feet of usage was cut this year.  FYI - an acre-foot is about 325 thousand gallons.
 
Tucson is the closest to getting where they need to be.
 
CAP is next in line for cuts.  Arizona is a junior user - the last state to sign on.  Water supply regulations only apply to subdivisions.  Most cities in the valley are up for usage review in the next few years.  Agricultural usage was 72% of the total water consumption in 2019
 
Ted Williams asked about an alfalfa operation operated by a Saudi Arabian entity.  No one seems to understand how they got the deal they got when the current lease was negotiated.  Apparently that lease is up for renewal in the relative near future.  Our speaker did say that that particular operation operates with better water efficiency than the majority of rural agriculture operations.  She also indicated that pressure needs to be put on legislators and officials to be assured the state's best interests are look out for when that lease expires.
 
A slide was shared showing very concerning projections of pool elevations in Lake Mead.  With regard to groundwater for urban use, "none of the five active management areas are in "safe yield."  It is anticipated a lot more "straws are about to go in the ground, thanks to the Colorado."  There are essentially no rules.  "Reasonable and beneficial use" is subject to interpretation.  Some wells are running dry.  Aquifers are permanently shrinking.  
 
Climate change is the X-factor.  We could get hotter and drier.  Or - we could experience feast or famine - extremely wet vs. extremely dry.
 
The largest amount of water is used outside.  That is where we can make the most difference.  Inside - if you have an old toilet in your home, consider replacing it with a newer more water-efficient one.  Look for leaks - fix them quickly.  Monitor your usage on your water bill - it can be a clue that helps discover unseen leaks.
 
Things we can do.
  • Be advocates
    • Talk to friends and neighbors
    • Write elected leaders
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Read more...
Save the Date - June 29, 2023
This is a REALLY big year for Mesa West.
 
We will celebrate our 50th Anniversary June 29, 2023 at the Doubletree where we regularly meet.
 
The details for this event are evolving.  Please say "yes" if you are asked to help!
 
SAVE THE DATE!  You won't want to miss this celebration!
Something to Ponder
True greatness is not determined by the number of people who serve you,
but by the number of people that you serve.
--Original Source Unknown
Today's Chuckle
The Big Four - Ways to Support Rotary in Mesa West
As Rotarians, we are regularly exposed to opportunities to support various causes with our time, talent and treasure.  Sometimes it is hard to sift through all the information and decide where we are going to use our available financial resources. 
 
It would be wonderful if every Arizona Rotarian would make the following BIG FOUR their Rotary charities of choice and support every one of them every year, we could make a bigger difference than we are making today.
  1. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund - The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world."  Giving a small amount each month adds up.  CLICK HERE to download a form you can use to sign up for Rotary Direct, electing "Annual Fund - Share" for your recurring donation.  
  2. The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Polio Plus - Rotary's commitment to eradicate polio is so well known and respected that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches donations $2 for $1.  To take advantage of this opportunity to multiply the effect of your giving, CLICK HERE and download a second Rotary Direct form, this time electing electing "Polio Eradication" for your recurring donations.  Those who donate $100 or more annually to Polio Plus qualify in District 5495 as Polio Plus Society Members.  If you would like to make that commitment, CLICK HERE to download the commitment form.
  3. The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) provides vocational education grants to Arizona Residents who meet specific low-income guidelines.   The grants enable the recipients to lift themselves out of poverty, benefitting themselves, their families and the economy of our state.  TRVFA is a 501(c)(3) charity.  They also are a Qualifying Charitable Organization for Arizona Tax Credit Donations.  Their QCO Code is 20698.  Many Arizona Rotarians say giving to TRVFA is a "no brainer."  If you can help someone lift themselves out of poverty and it won't end up costing you anything why would you not do it?  Mesa West Rotary has the highest number of members who have signed up for automated monthly recurring donations by electing that option on the "Donate Now" button on the TRVFA website.  Click the image to learn more or CLICK HERE to DONATE NOW.  
  4. Mesa West Rotary Foundation, Inc. is the funding and fundraising arm of our own Mesa West Rotary Club.  It is a 501(c)(3) charity.  We have had successful sponsorship campaigns the last few years enabling us to spend our energy on service rather than on holding fundraising events.  Charitable grants that we get involved with are funded through our charitable foundation, Our signature Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas Mexico is funded through this foundation.  Scholarships are awarded annually to Westwood High School Students (the high school where Mesa West Rotary sponsors an Interact Club).  Funds are used to support a variety of activities in four of the Rotary Avenues of Service:
    1. Community Service
    2. International Service 
    3. Vocational Service
    4. Youth Service
The process isn't quite automated at this point in time, but we hope it soon will be.  For now, you can email our executive secretary who can help you work out a recurring donation plan should you wish to make that arrangement to support our own club's charitable activity.
 
Speakers
Feb 02, 2023
Amarok Society
Feb 09, 2023
RYLA
Feb 16, 2023
Feb 23, 2023
Retired Kansas City Chiefs Kicker
Mar 02, 2023
TRF Disaster Grant Specialist
View entire list
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
Membership Dir "23
 
Director '23
 
Director '23
 
Director '24
 
Director '24
 
Public Image Co-Chair
 
Public Image Co-Chair
 
TRF Chair
 
Executive Secretary
 
Upcoming Events
PETS
Mariott
Feb 03, 2023 11:00 AM –
Feb 05, 2023 11:00 AM
 
Child Crisis Arizona Valentine's Day Party
Child Crisis Arizona Shelter
Feb 11, 2023
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Mesa West Rotary Board Meeting
Via Zoom
Feb 21, 2023 5:30 PM
 
Mesa West Rotary Board Meeting
Via Zoom
Mar 21, 2023 5:30 PM
 
View entire list
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Amanda Rosenberg
February 1
 
Melissa Stuckey
February 8
 
Jeanie Morgan
February 10
 
Scott Ramsey
February 15
 
Melodie Jackson
February 17
 
Bert Millett
February 18
 
Shelly Romine
February 21
 
Spouse Birthdays
Amanda Rosenberg
February 2
 
Melissa Stuckey
February 8
 
Join Date
Bert Millett
February 1, 2007
16 years
 
Erica Williams
February 1, 2018
5 years
 
Jim Schmidt
February 1, 1984
39 years
 
Diane Ware
February 14, 2022
1 year
 
Lola McClane
February 21, 2019
4 years
 
Chuck Flint
February 24, 1987
36 years
 
Rotary District 5495 Links
District Links
Arizona Rotaract
Rotary District 5495
Rotary Interact District 5495
The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA)
Rotary Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards - RYLA
RYLA Service Project Support
Bulletin Editor
Jeanie Morgan
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