______If you have not already done so, please give Jeanie Morgan your business card or to send her a digital image of your card, CLICK HERE.
______If you have not yet been featured in a "Know Your Fellow Rotarian" article, see the article in this newsletter and use the links to download the questionnaire so you can complete and send it along with your photo to Jeanie.
______Turn in (or mail) your club survey which was distributed at March 8 meeting.
I hope you are as excited as I am! Our Sponsor Appreciation Reception is now only two weeks away. The Arizona Museum of Natural History provides us a perfect and classy location for this event. I can guarantee wonderful food and drink and great fellowship to be had by all.
This is a special opportunity for us to share with sponsors and friends how much Rotary means to us all and benefits those we serve.
I must ask you once again to contact those donors from whom you received donations. While the formal invitation was mailed last Friday, a phone call will mean so much more. Let's put the perfect exclamation point on our great fundraising event.
President-Elect Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Jeanie Morgan to offer the invocation, followed by Pam Cohen leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Lucinda General served as greeter.
Several guests were present. Among them were Tom, a retired fundraiser from Columbia Center, Washington; Carolyn Jones, Bob James, visiting from Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Joel Gratz, a software design consultant from Southern California; and Aaron Hult, in the mortgage industry, a guest of John Pennypacker.
Three badge numbers were drawn for the weekly attendance drawing with all three badge owners being absent, so the growing attendance drawing winnings will roll over to the April 12 meeting. The weekly raffle winners were three Rotarians who had pooled their funds. They split the $50 weekly winnings, but since they drew the Jack of Diamonds, the accumulated pot of $1,266 will continue to grow until a lucky weekly winner draws the Ace of Clubs.
Members were happy to have Chuck Flint back in attendance and happy he is recovering from his recent knee replacement surgery.
Pam Cohen paid happy dollars thanking Dan Coons for convincing Chuck to go ahead and have the surgery. Jack Rosenberg was happy he and Cindy would be celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary over the weekend. John Pennypacker paid happy bucks for getting to play golf recently with his 11-year-old grandson, who was the winner with a score of 79. John said the boy would be moving back further to tee-off in the future his game a bit more challenging and the possibility of grandpa winning a bit more attainable. Bob James announced that he would not see his Arizona Rotary friends again until next season as he was going to be headed back to Canada. Donna Goetzenberger announced she would be headed for RYLA over the weekend, and that her daughter, Emilee is on a 10-day trip with other Rotary Youth Exchange students in Italy. Greg Okanowski paid six happy dollars for his little boy's birthday.
Announcements:
Club tree-planting project is coming up April 13-14. Rotarians wishing to help who have not already done so should CLICK HERE to contact Don LaBarge.
Club Leadership Academy is coming up April 21. The Mesa West Board of Directors has authorized payment of the registration fee for any member wishing to attend. The content should be beneficial not only for Rotarians but for business and personal growth, as well. CLICK HERE to go to the registration site. You can indicate that you will pay by check. Send a copy of your registration to Pam Cohen or Aubrey Luma so they can coordinate payment to the district.
April 25 at 5:30 PM, Mesa West Rotary will host their first Sponsor Appreciation Night at the Arizona Museum of Natural History. Members were reminded to make personal contact with any sponsors they personally solicited to encourage them to attend the event.
Chris Krueger read a thank-you letter from the family of Craig Berge, thanking the club for our donation in his memory to the Child Crisis Center - a cause that was very dear to Craig.
Dan Coons announced that our exchange student from Japan will finish his school year May 24, but will remain in Arizona through June 18, when he will depart on the train trip with other exchange students. Since proximity to his high school in Scottsdale will no longer be a necessity, Dan is looking for a Mesa West Rotary family that would enjoy the experience of hosting Takuma from May 24 through June 18. For more information, CLICK HERE to e-mail Dan.
Saturday, May 5, our annual Spring Olympics will be held at the home of John and Jane Benedict.
Lucinda General became a fan of opera when she met and married Wayne. She introduced the speaker, Joshua Borths, Director of Education and stage director for the Arizona Opera.
As a boy, Joshua's goal was to be a stage director on Broadway. His father took him to the Cincinnati Opera. He became enthralled with the way music and story came together richly even though songs were sung in unfamiliar languages. Through education and opportunity, Joshua ended up with the Arizona Opera. He enjoys being able to reach 50,000 kids with a free exposure to opera through his roll as Director of Education. They have a touring company that participates in festivals. They have an opera book club. In all, with the education outreach and approximately 20,000 reached at the theater, they touch about 80,000 lives each year.
What most people would not be aware of, is that it is more difficult to get into the Arizona Opera studio than to get into Harvard Law. Vocal techniques go back to The Renaissance. The vocalists aspiring to the highly competitive program are all very well educated. In the opera, voices are not amplified with sound equipment. The vocalists are trained to project their beautiful voices enough to be heard over a orchestra with brass instruments. Female voices mature at about age 25. Male voices mature a bit later. In addition to the voice training, the artists linguistic skills in multiple languages are extremely important to interpret communicate the operatic story effectively. The life span of a voice can last into the 50's and in some cases beyond. Calcification is generally what deteriorates voices.
The process of putting a show together can take two years for a single two-week performance. If new, sets and costumes can be made in-house. Sometimes sets and or costumes are rented. Each new performing group brings fresh ideas and can make the story seem contemporary and relevant.
An interesting fact was that only twice in history were ticket sales enough to derive a profit from opera. That happened briefly in the 1640's and again in the 1830's. Ticket sales produce about 50-60% of the Arizona Opera revenue. The balance needed to operate comes from private donations and public and corporate grants. Performers in the productions are often a combination of studio and guest artists. Guest artists would be invited for a specific show when they are well known in particular roles and are willing to travel. The chorus and orchestra are typically local. Typically, the chorus is the name for the entire year, making the studio feel like a small community. When children are needed, they pull from local groups and local arts schools.
To promote a better community, those attending public education events are encouraged to bring items to support local food bank or other local charity as their cost of admission.
Next year's season will be interesting. We are in the middle of an operatic renaissance. More new operas are being written today than in any other prior period. Two new operas will be performed in the Herberger Theater in the coming season and the final three operas will be performed in Symphony Hall, including an American Masterpiece, Silent Night, which is about the Christmas Eve truce the British, French and German soldiers agreed to during World War I.
Those who attend the Arizona Opera are encouraged to arrive early for education and stay after for the "talk back" where performers talk about what went right and what went wrong during the performance.
There are various pricing options, some of which are reasonable for families to enjoy opera together. Go to ARIZONA OPERA for specific information and/or to donate.
Polly was born in Watseka, Illinois and had one younger sister, Cathy Jo Pate. During her lifetime, she has had the opportunity to visit several foreign countries: Australia, Bahamas, Bangkok, England, Orient Express, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Stockholm/Helsinki, and the Caribbean. She was fortunate to travel and represent the International General Federation of Women’s Clubs to Central and South America. English is the only language in which she is fluent.
Polly has been a resident in the states of Illinois and Texas, and has been a resident of Arizona for 44 years. As a teen, she dreamed of being a flight attendant or teacher. Polly is semi-retired. She is an agent with FDR Real Estate. In 2000, she retired from KTVK-3 where she had a 20-year career in administration and management. While in Illinois, she owned a True Value Hardware store and Dairy Queen.
Polly is a widow. She is the mother of two daughters, one of which is deceased. She has four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
Polly has enjoyed so many wonderful vacations, she could not single one out as the best.
She has memories of two volunteer opportunities that she found very personally rewarding. She enjoyed the dictionary project and seeing the little faces light up when they received their very own dictionary.
The other activity she found extremely rewarding was an annual recognition event the Ahwatukee Foothills Rotary Club held honoring those who protect and serve our communities. A local hero with a big heart, Anthony Ameen would be their featured speaker. They would host representatives from the FBI, Homeland Security, Police, Firefighters, Luke Air Force Base, National Guard, Emergency Responders, first responders, Mayor, Councilmen. Those who were honored were very appreciative that the club brought them all together to be honored.
Polly's Rotary history is interesting. She was a Charter Member of the Chandler West club when it was established in 2002, serving as their Secretary from 2003-2005. That club merged into Ahwatukee Foothills in 2006. She served as their Club President 2006-2007. While with Ahwatukee Foothills, Polly served as Assistant Governor in 2009-2010. That club disbanded in 2014 with their members merging into various local Rotary Clubs. Polly chose to transfer to Mesa Baseline Rotary Club. Mesa Baseline merged into Mesa West in 2015.
Polly served as District 5510 Registrar from 2004-2011. She served as the Arizona Tri-District PETS Registrar from 2006-2011.
In addition to her commitment to serve through Rotary, Polly has been actively involved in other organizations:
House of Broadcasting Radio & TV, Inc. Board Member 2004-Present
Ahwatukee Lions Club - President 2005-2006, recipient of Melvin Jones Fellow Award
Arizona Women Education & Employment (AWEE) Board Member 1988-90
General Federation of Women's Clubs Organization (GFWC) 1956-Present
GFWC, which was organized in 1890, is an international women's organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service. As an officer serving as Junior Director, Polly was responsible for representing the 2,300 Junior Clubs throughout the United States with over 100,000 Junior members. She had the privilege to speak at 18 State Conventions promoting the programs and projects of GFWC. As Junior Director She also traveled with other officers of the GFWC to Central and South America, visiting with international clubs. The group was hosted by the Embassy in each country with a reception to thank GFWC for the volunteer work being done in their countries. Polly is currently a member of the Las Noches WC in Tempe.
RYLA Ponderosa was a "first" for me, and I am so happy that I had the opportunity to witness it all in action from the bottom, up! I already knew John Wintersteen and his dedication and support of our youth; but, I also had the pleasure of meeting Sherry Mischel. I soon discovered that Sherry is a petite powerhouse of organization and management! I believe there were about 75 students in attendance, and another approximate 30 or so Rotaract and adult RYLA volunteers and committee members. John and Sherry were the ringleaders to it all, and did a fantastic job!
How does RYLA work?
Each year, thousands of young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program worldwide.
High School students are selected for their leadership abilities and experiences. The Rotary clubs pay the registration fee for the delegates weekend.
Those attending will reinforce their leadership abilities and skills, utilize new methods, learn about their inner selves through a well-rounded exciting, stimulating and busy program. Activities vary from climbing the wall and riding a zipline to exploring your own personality while meeting new friends of all ages and backgrounds. This is an interactive experiential program.
Rotary Youth Exchange students from around the world are in each group to share their culture, background and knowledge.Our RYLA weekend will lead delegates to expand their leadership capabilities. It encourages leadership of youth by youth. Delegates exceed their expectations through increased self confidence and group support. Delegates are leaders and followers and gain knowledge of how to apply their skills in each area.
Mesa West was very well represented at RYLA, with many students from Interact that Mesa West has sponsored, as well as our Inbound Exchange Student Takuma and our future Outbound Yordy. I received many thank you's from our students over the weekend, however, those thank you's should be directed to ALL in our Club, as it is our Club as a whole that continues to strongly support Rotary youth programs.
One event over the weekend that should be mentioned in particular, is the service project. RYLA partnered with Kids Against Hunger, to do a food packing project that would serve kids in St. Johns, Apache County. We split the project up into two separate sessions, with groups of 4 teams each, to include the large number of volunteer students. In the first session the first 4 teams packed over 16,000 meals in about an 1.5 hours! The second session met the challenge as well, and I am happy to report that our RYLA students' motivation and diligence paid off and we packed no less than 30,000 meals in just a few short hours.
Click on the image to see the video that we created of the RYLA students in action!!
It was a pleasure being able to witness it all first-hand, and I was thankful to be included, even in the small part that I played. (At one point I was given a microphone and was the cheerleader/motivator for the Team meal packing.) [Insert eye-roll here, because we all know how well I am with a microphone in my hand - oh, geez, cringeworthy.]
Despite me and my microphone - I believe, overall, John and Sherry were pleased with the weekend. I just kept looking around over the weekend and I continued to see very happy students, working together, learning, engaging, laughing, serving others; and, most important, building their own pathway toward leadership and goodwill to others.
It's that time of year for us to take our annual senior citizen test. Exercise of the brain is as important as exercise of the muscles. As we grow older, it's important to keep mentally alert. If you don't use it, you lose it! Below is a very private way to gauge how your memory compares to the last test. Some may think it is too easy but the ones with memory problems may have difficulty. Take the test presented here to determine if you're losing it or not. Don’t read the correct answer until you have (quickly) given your answer. OK, relax, clear your mind and begin.
1. What do you put in a toaster?
Answer: 'bread.'
If you said 'toast' give up now and do something else.. Try not to hurt yourself.
If you said, bread, go to Question 2.
2. Say 'silk' five times. Now spell 'silk.' What do cows drink?
Answer: Cows drink water.
If you said 'milk,' don't attempt the next question. Your brain is over-stressed and may even overheat. Content yourself with reading a more appropriate literature such as Auto World.
However, if you said 'water', proceed to question 3.
3. If a red house is made from red bricks and a blue house is made from blue bricks and a pink house is made from pink bricks and a black house is made from black bricks, what is a green house made from?
Answer: Greenhouses are made from glass.
If you said 'green bricks,' why are you still reading these?
If you said 'glass,' go on to Question 4.
4. Without using a calculator - You are driving a bus from London to Milford Haven in Wales. In London, 17 people get on the bus. In Reading, 6 people get off the bus and 9 people get on. In Swindon, 2 people get off and 4 get on. In Cardiff, 11 people get off and 16 people get on. In Swansea, 3 people get off and 5 people get on. In Carmathen, 6 people get off and 3 get on. You then arrive at Milford Haven ... Without scrolling back to review, how old is the bus driver?
Answer: Oh, for crying out loud! Don't you remember your own age? It was YOU driving the bus!!
Taken from Neal Davis' "Ten Things to Enjoy" dated April 10, 2018
Rotary supports activities and training to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality for children under five.
Area of Focus Statement of Purpose: TRF enables Rotarians to improve the health of mothers and their children by
Reducing the mortality and morbidity rate for children under the age of five;
Reducing the maternal mortality and morbidity rate;
Improving access to essential medical services, trained community health leaders and health care providers for mothers and their children;
Supporting studies for career-minded professionals related to maternal and child health.
The Rotary Foundation reaches mothers and children in need by giving communities the help and training they need to take control of their own maternal and infant health care.
Business networking is something President Allan Cady is passionate about. He has asked Jeanie Morgan to work on putting together a business directory of our members. We will be able to have the directory available as a download on our website, but since we will be adding new members regularly, it will be maintained electronically so it will be current at all times. The photo shown is a reduced size sample of what each person's listing might look like. To do this so it is a quality product, Jeanie will need digital images of your business card as well as a close-up, current photo. CLICK HERE to send yours to her.
Many members have commented on how much they have enjoyed this series. We have now finished publishing profiles of all the leadership team. It is time to move on to the general membership. To keep the profiles somewhat consistent, we have had everyone respond to the same questions. If you would be willing to let your fellow members know a little more about you, please CLICK HERE to download the list of questions.
You can send your answers to JEANIE MORGAN along with a head and shoulders photo of yourself. Selfies from smart phones work and can be texted to 928 486 4328. Please provide your name when texting so she can add you to her contact list.
If she receives multiple profiles, she will publish them in the order received. If she receives these at the same meeting, she will publish them in the order of time in Rotary - longest to shortest.
This article will reappear in the Messenger anytime there is not a waiting list of profiles to be published.
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Mesa West Rotarians,
President-Elect Chris Krueger opened the meeting asking Jeanie Morgan to offer the invocation, followed by Pam Cohen leading the Pledge of Allegiance. Lucinda General served as greeter.
Polly was born in Watseka, Illinois and had one younger sister, Cathy Jo Pate. During her lifetime, she has had the opportunity to visit several foreign countries: Australia, Bahamas, Bangkok, England, Orient Express, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, Singapore, Thailand, Stockholm/Helsinki, and the Caribbean. She was fortunate to travel and represent the International General Federation of Women’s Clubs to Central and South America. English is the only language in which she is fluent.
ANNUAL DEMENTIA TEST:
Rotary supports activities and training to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality for children under five.
Business networking is something President Allan Cady is passionate about. He has asked Jeanie Morgan to work on putting together a business directory of our members. We will be able to have the directory available as a download on our website, but since we will be adding new members regularly, it will be maintained electronically so it will be current at all times. The photo shown is a reduced size sample of what each person's listing might look like. To do this so it is a quality product, Jeanie will need digital images of your business card as well as a close-up, current photo. 
Many members have commented on how much they have enjoyed this series. We have now finished publishing profiles of all the leadership team. It is time to move on to the general membership. To keep the profiles somewhat consistent, we have had everyone respond to the same questions. If you would be willing to let your fellow members know a little more about you, please 
