https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85900479873
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.
Frank Rosenberg introduced Blake Layton and Denise Riden
John Pennypacker welcomed Jeanie Morgan and Polo Santiago back following their extended absences.
President-Elect Logan introduced his girlfriend, Taylor Adams, proudly stating they have been together five and a half years.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
Chuck briefly explained the raffle. The tickets are sold for $5 each. 1/3 of the revenue goes to the club operating account, 1/3 goes in the daily pot (which was $40) and 1/3 gets added to the large pot, which accumulates until the Ace of Clubs is drawn. The large pot was up to $1,090. The holder of the winning ticket gets to try to draw the Ace of Clubs from the cards remaining in the deck. Each week the card drawn is destroyed. There is also a joker in the deck. If it is drawn, the daily winner will win an additional $20.
Chuck asked our speaker, Danielle Fischer, to draw the winning ticket, the stub of which was held by Allan Cady. After verifying the Ace and joker were in the deck, Allan shuffled the cards face-down before drawing. Unfortunately (for Allan) the card he drew was the Five of Clubs.
Happy Bucks - Ray Smith
Dick Myren contributed his customary $2 thankful that he and Honorary Member Rod Daniels enjoy the good fortune of being associated with the Ace of Clubs. He asked to be billed an additional $32 to celebrate their 32nd wedding anniversary. They honeymooned in Arizona and decided to make Arizona their home.
Shelly Romine was happy they were going to travel north over the weekend and finally get to see the Grand Canyon.
Harry Grossman contributed $3 - he was happy the Cardinals had two pre-season wins and one win in the regular season.
Allan Cady contributed $5 to pay Polly's fine for being late to the meeting.
Polly Cady was happy Olivia was able to attend our meeting during fall break. While on their way to the meeting, they were chit-chatting and drove right past the Alma School exit, causing their late arrival. She was glad Olivia's bucket list was in the Messenger. There were also copies of the list available on the tables.
John Pennypacker was thankful for Chuck Flint's willingness to make sure Francesca (John's car) made it to her next visit to her mechanic. John had a jar of chocolates for Jeanie Morgan to share as she had chastised him the last time he shared chocolates at a meeting because she wasn't present to enjoy them. John showed one of the four stuffed Koala bears he had brought back from the Rotary International Convention in Australia. He had four of them and said he would give them to anyone donating $100 to End Polio Now. Allan Cady immediately made a $100 donation and gave the koala bear to Olivia.
Warren Williamson (sorry - no photo) said that Son Hee is having their kitchen remodeled, so it is all torn up. They had ordered tacos, beans and rice to be delivered then arrived at Rotary to have a like meal. Trying to avoid any politically incorrect groups, Warren felt it was safe to talk about a couple of lawyers who were putting new siding on an old house. One of the attorneys seemed to be discarding every other nail. Concerned about the waste, the other attorney asked him what was wrong with the nails he was throwing away. The answer - "Their heads are on the wrong end!" The first attorney responded - "Stop wasting them, you idiot! Those are for the other side of the house."
Ed Koeneman was happy to report that Jim McGown had bid $4 on a truckload of mobility devices, which will go a long way in helping gather enough devices for the 2024 Crutches for Africa Interact Ambassador trips.
Jeanie Morgan was happy to have enjoyed cooler weather while visiting her daughter's family in Michigan. They have two daughters. The oldest has been diagnosed with autism and enjoyed talking with Jeanie but the conversations were rather unusual. The younger sister (just turned 15) is at an age where she is intimidated conversing with adults, so Jeanie enjoyed hearing her interact with others, but had few meaningful conversations. After arriving in Arizona, the granddaughter in her home here welcomed her with a lengthy conversation. She didn't stop talking Wednesday morning for about three hours.
Logan contributed. He had recently travelled to southern California on business. While there, he got to visit Allan and Polly on their boat.
Announcements
Logan reminded everyone that Ending Polio in the World is the monthly focus and October 24 will be celebrated as World Polio Day
Shelly Romine reminded everyone of the October service project feeding the homeless at Desert Mission in Apache Junction. See a separate article in this Messenger with link to sign up to help. She said Colleen had suggested Shelly reach out to the Superstition Mountain Rotary Club to see if they would partner with us on the project. They were willing. In fact, she wanted to introduce their President, Jeffrey Mitchell so he could say a few words. Jeffrey was very enthusiastic about the opportunity to partner with us to do a service project in their community. He presented a $250 check from their club to Shelly to help offset the cost of the food to be provided that day. Jeff used to be a chef, so he is very glad to put his skills to use. He is the youngest member of his club. His dad had 45 years of perfect attendance. Jeff wants to carry on the tradition of smiling while serving others. He invited Mesa West Rotary members to participate in their December golf tournament. He said they usually do quite well with their tournament. Because of it, they were able to fund $20,000 in scholarships last year.
Warren Williamson presented Olivia with a hand-made gift from Son Hee.
Program - Danielle ?Fischer - Solari and 211 Arizona Hotlines
Allan Cady introduced Danielle Fischer and the topic of her presentation. He said that a few months back, while he and Polly were in San Diego, they visited the Point Loma Rotary Club and heard a very informative program about 211 services - a resource he and Polly had previously been unaware of. He was happy our club members would be learning about 211 services available in Arizona at this meeting. CLICK HERE to view the slides Danielle used in making her presentation. For those who want more detail, you are encouraged to send an email to request the full Powerpoint Presentation which includes Danielle's presentation notes.
Danielle explained that in 2021 they changed their name from Crisis Response Network to Solari. The company had expanded their service offerings beyond the 24/7/365 crisis line. "Crisis Response Network" is now one of two Solari subdivisions along with "Community Support Network." Under the Community Support Network division, they have 211 Arizona, Be Connected, Eligibility and Care Services, and Homeless Management Information System.
Following her very informative presentation, Jay Stuckey presented Danielle with a token of our appreciation.
Olivia - our Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Sweden has a bucket list of things she hopes to do while here on her exchange. Review the list and see what you might want to do with her. CLICK HERE or on the image to email Polly Cady so she can coordinate scheduling an opportunity to make that to happen!.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Scottsdale recently expressed their appreciation for the Scottsdale Sunrise Rotary community basketball game hosted at their Virginia G Piper Branch recently. Proceeds from the event will be used to re-surface the basketball court floor.
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.
President-Elect Logan shared some interesting facts as he welcomed all to the meeting:
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)
