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.
All members of Mesa West Rotary are invited to attend the Orientation - Membership Matching - Speed-Dating event scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 15 from noon to 4:00 pm at the Coons residence. Lunch will be provided.
No matter what we call it, it is intended to be an opportunity for members to see where they might be able to become more engaged and use their skills, passions and energy to make a meaningful contribution to our great club, making it even greater.
If you have not yet registered to attend, CLICK HERE. We hope to see you there!
Rotary Leadership Institute offers a leadership development program in three full-day sessions (Parts I, II and III). Each time RLI is scheduled, all three parts are offered. The courses are designed to provide Rotary knowledge beyond the club level in a sharing environment where those in attendance learn from each other. The intent is to develop leadership skills for Rotary which are also relevant in other volunteer organizations.
Often RLI is scheduled in the Phoenix Metro area, but in some cases, it is scheduled in an outlying area, creating an opportunity for Rotary tourism.
The next RLI will be held at the Riverside Resort & Casino in Laughlin, NV on November 19, 2022. All the information is given in the link(below). To take advantage of the discounted room rates, registration must be completed by October 17th.
UPDATE - Midwest Food Bank still needs our help. They are having a food drive soliciting donations of specific items. Each week, we will focus on collecting a different item on their list.
October 13- please bring pasta and rice to our Mesa West Rotary Club meeting.
Help the Chef - Salvation Army heat relief project
Hands-on Project Saturday, November 19 at Midwest Food Bank Facility
10 volunteers needed.
Saturday November 19th
Time: 9am-12pm
What will the task be: TBD. It depends on what product we have to be completed at that time. There's a good possibility it could be repackaging bulk cereal
Where is it: Indoors. 725 E Baseline Rd. Gilbert, AZ 85233. The warehouse is on baseline in between Mesa and Stapley Dr
Extras: Please carpool if possible - Midwest has very limited parking.
Please wear close-toed shoes to volunteer and wear warehouse appropriate clothing.
Finally - a Fall Break (October 3-17) for Fanny, but she was just as busy as ever. She is hard at work for cheer, even though it is fall break. Fanny and I headed to Disneyland and California Adventure via Southwest. While all of Arizona was there, she still experienced all the wonders the Magic Kingdom and Disney offers.
After flying home on the 6th, they were off to Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Ponderosa from Friday the 7th to Monday the 10th. In Fanny's own words, are her comments on RYLA:
WHAT WAS YOUR HIGH POINT EXPERIENCE?
I had so much fun this weekend! My favorite activity was probably the BAFA BAFA or the blankets. Meeting new people was amazing. I got many new friends now.
WHAT IS YOUR "TAKE AWAY"?
The 4 rules of Rotary to speak in front of people. And be confident when I speak to people.
President Pam Cohen recently had an opportunity to participate with the President of the Queen Creek Satellite club, Jason Jantzen, in providing clothing to be kept on hand at a local elementary school. Jason had learned that children in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades at the school occasionally have embarrassing situations where they soil their clothing during their school day. Rotary has now enabled the school staff to come to the rescue.
Welcome and Opening of Meeting - President Pam Cohen
President Pam asked Ted Williams to offer the invocation, following which Shelly Romine led the Pledge of Allegiance. Pam thanked Steve Ross and Jack Rosenberg for serving as greeters making everyone feel welcome as they arrived for the meeting.
Rotary Minute - Jim Erickson
PDG Jim suggested members read the information in the October Rotary Magazine about polio. There have been 27 cases of wild polio virus confirmed so far this year. The WPV continues to be found in environmental samples in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is rumored, but difficult to confirm, that parents who fear the immunizations will paint their child's pinkie purple to make it appear they have been vaccinated when they actually have not. Two police officers who were guarding the safe transport of vaccine were shot and killed.
When annual donations to Polio Plus in Rotary equal or exceed $50,000,000, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will match those dollars two for one. Donations were a little short last year to qualify for that match, but Rotary was able to come up with the difference and the match has again been assured.
We had a case of polio this year in New York State. The individual was an unvaccinated person. We have a ways to go in educating the general public about the importance of vaccinations.
The final result needs to be nothing less than eradicating the second disease from the planet. The first virus to be officially be declared to be eradicated was smallpox in 1980.
There is promise in new vaccine being tested which is hoped to eliminate the risk of vaccine-derived polio cases.
National Mad Hatter Day - Pass the Hat for Polio Plus
President Pam asked PDG Jim (aka Mr. Fun) to don a special had in recognition of National Mad Hatter Day.
After having his photo taken wearing the hat, it was passed around the room for the purpose of gathering donations and pledges to support Rotary's efforts to continue to be a leading partner in the world's efforts to eradicate polio.
Introduction of Guests
Ed Koeneman introduced the four officers who were in attendance from the Westwood High School Interact Club - President Kassandra Macias, Vice President Natalie Pacheco, Secretary Sherlyn Montano, and Treasurer Josephine Sili. Ed announced he would introduce the Westwood High School Interact Faculty Advisor Daniel Becker later as he would be presenting the meeting program.
John Pennypacker introduced PDG Sherry Mischel. Sherry served as District Governor of Rotary District 5510 in 2015-16.
Member Jim McGown was welcomed back to Mesa West after being gone for the summer.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Dick Myren
Dick asked one of our visiting Interact officers to draw the winning raffle ticket. The ticket was held by Shelly Romine, making her the automatic winner of the small pot of $25. After shuffling the cards, rather than drawing the Ace of Clubs which would have made her the winner of the large pot of $247, she instead drew the Ace of Spades.
Happy Bucks - Allan Cady
Jack Rosenberg was happy to be at the meeting.
Dick Myren made his traditional donation happy that he and Honorary Member Rod Daniels enjoyed the good fortune of being associated with Mesa West Rotary.
Jeanie Morgan pledged $10 to Polio Plus because all five of Mesa West's newest members already have their photos uploaded to ClubRunner and she believes they have downloaded the app to their smart phones. The newest members are already ahead of some of our seasoned members in both regards.
Ray Smith was happy to be at the meeting and happy the Guaymas Gift of Hearing Mission is going to happen this year for the first time since the COVID epidemic started.
Polly Cady was happy to be at the meeting. Their day had started early. Allan had made a TRVFA presentation at the Sedona Village Rotary Club, which is a morning club. Polly was aware of the club's garden project and was pleased to have received a tomato from the garden.
Shelly Romine as happy to have had the pleasure of spending the weekend in San Diego with her niece and her niece's children.
Jim McGown enjoyed his summer in New York and had a tale to tell about a boating incident where either he or a friend ended up in the lake...
Melodie Jackson contributed. She said Frank Rosenberg had cleaned the floors in her salon and did an amazing job.
Kassandra Macias contributed saying she was happy to be at the meeting. One of the other Interact officers also contributed for the same reason.
Warren Williamson said he was disappointed when the Chile Cookoff was cancelled as that was going to be his and Son Hee's wedding anniversary dinner. The 15th is Warren's birthday. In honor of those two occasions, he has contributed a total of $200 - $100 to Polio Plus and $100 to the Annual Fund of The Rotary Foundation. Warren was also happy that the Guaymas project is again alive and well and he donated $100 for that as well.
Sherry Mischel was happy to be enjoying her warm welcome at the meeting, saying it was great to see so many friends.
Ed Koeneman contributed. On October 12, he would be celebrating his 12th anniversary as a member of Mesa West Rotary. He was happy to have the four Interact officers present at the meeting and was proud of their Purple Pinky display and collection efforts at the meeting. Ed was also happy to see Polo Santiago as well as new members Mike and Gina Schroeder at our meeting.
President Pam also donated saying she was glad to be at the meeting. She also wanted to remind everyone that World Polio Day is coming up on October 24. She also was happy that Dan Coons, Pai Bethea and Dave Brauchler were attending the meeting via Zoom.
Announcements
President Pam announced on behalf of Dave Brauchler volunteers are still needed for the decorative rock moving project at the Y on October 15 from 8-10 a.m.. Interact members are willing to help but will need transportation.
We are also continuing to collect food for the Midwest Food Bank. at the current meeting soups and stews were being collected. At the October 13 meeting, pasta and rice dinners will be being collected. The Midwest Food Bank flyer was on the table.
The Member Match-Up orientation will be held the same date from noon to 4:00 p.m.
Paul Harris Fellow Recognition
John Pennypacker explained that when individuals have donated $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation - or someone has donated that much on their behalf, they are recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. For each additional $1,000 donated in their name they receive additional Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Donations accumulate for this recognition whether made to the Annual Fund or to Polio Plus. He invited Steve Ross to come forward to be recognized.
Steve was presented with his Paul Harris Fellow plus five pin, indicating that a total of $6,000 or more has been given to The Rotary Foundation in Steve's name.
Program - Daniel Becker -
Service Learning and Vocational Programs at
Westwood High School
Ed Koeneman introduced our Honorary Member and Interact Faculty Advisor at Westwood High School as someone who grew up in Mesa, went to Westwood High School and on to Arizona State University. Daniel has been on the faculty at Westwood since 2013. He does several different things at Westwood including managing the Working Warriors Program (Warriors is the Westwood HS Mascott).
In a very practical learning environment, students are exposed to some logistical challenges of handling and documenting incoming inventory which is received as donations from Amazon Distribution Centers. Amazon donates products they can no longer sell, most are new and all are still usable.
The donations come in on pallets. They have to be sorted and organized, repacked and distributed with several steps in between. It definitely creates a simulated work environment. It is like a mini-warehouse. The items that are re-packed for distribution go back into the boxes that were emptied. They have absolutely no control over what products will arrive or when they will receive them.
The goods are sorted into various categories, such as:
Things that teachers can use in their classrooms and save their having to spend their own funds to have them on hand.
Things that can be used by schools in the area such as cleaning and hygiene products
Things that can be donated on to organizations in the community with resources to get them into the hands of families in need.
The program continues with volunteers during the summer when school is not in session. Many of the students enjoy it enough they are glad to volunteer. During that period, non-profits are the primary beneficiaries.
The program has a positive impact on the community as they try to keep those benefitting from the distributions local.
Daniel enjoys the opportunity to make this practical learning environment part of the school curriculum. It is fun and practical - very different than normal classroom environments. Students can readily apply what they are learning and see why it matters. They also have the opportunity to see how what they are learning in more traditional classroom environments can be applied to their receiving, sorting, and distribution activities.
The end goal is to find employment partnerships so the students can move into jobs in the community as a result of their practical knowledge and experience. The students have enhanced reasons to connect with and work with each other and see how their actions impact each other, their school, and their community. They become role models and leaders because of the team-based environment.
CLICK HERE to see the slides Daniel shared during his presentation.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Community Service
International Service
Vocational Service
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.
All members of Mesa West Rotary are invited to attend the Orientation - Membership Matching - Speed-Dating event scheduled to take place on Saturday, October 15 from noon to 4:00 pm at the Coons residence. Lunch will be provided.
Rotary Minute - Jim Erickson
National Mad Hatter Day - Pass the Hat for Polio Plus
Paul Harris Fellow Recognition
Program - Daniel Becker - 
This is a REALLY big year for Mesa West.
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:.png)
