NEW - Midwest Food Bank needs our help. They are having a food drive soliciting donations of specific items. Starting September 8, we will focus on a collecting a different item on their listeach week.
September 8 - please bring Peanut Butter and Jelly to our Mesa West Rotary Club meeting.
Help the Chef - Salvation Army heat relief project
Wednesday mornings 8-10 August 31 through October 26
We are excited to announce the 5th Annual Pursuing Peace Conference will be on Friday, September 16th! We have an amazing slate of guest speakers who will be sharing their peacemaking experiences. The primary topic for this year's conference is "Creating Peacemakers Around Us." Speakers include:
Chuck Fitzgerald – Conference Founder & Host
Elizabeth Gamarra – World Rotary Peace Fellow serving at the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency
Larry Horton - Retired Phoenix Police Officer & current Rotary District Governor
Lisa Jernigan – Co-Founder & President, Amplify Peace
Dr. Sanjeev Khagram – Director General & Dean, ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management
Scott Martin – Mediator & Conflict Coach, Mediators Beyond Borders International
Rev. Eve Nunez – Founder & President, National Latina / Latino Commission
Dr. Clyde Rivers – Founder & President, iChange Nations
The conference will be a one-day hybrid event; we will be streaming online, and we will be "in person" at the new campus of ASU's Thunderbird School of Global Management in downtown Phoenix, Arizona.
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is a series of three one-day educational sessions to learn about Rotary beyond the Club Level. All three sessions are held in the same place on the same day enabling car-pooling for participants no matter which session they plan to attend. The location where the sessions are held can move around, promoting a little Rotary tourism. Whether you are a relatively new Rotarian or a seasoned Rotarian who finally has time to get more involved, members are encouraged to sign up and participate.
At their August 16 Board Meeting, Mesa West Rotary Club officers and directors approved making one of the recent visioning session ideas become a reality. The club will cover the registration cost for those who register and attend RLI going forward.
The next RLI is scheduled to take place in Flagstaff Saturday, September 24, at the Flagstaff Art Leadership Academy, 3401 N Valley Rd., Flagstaff, AZ 86001. Check-in will start at 8:00 AM and the sessions will start at 8:45 AM. Lunch will be served at noon followed by a graduation ceremony for those attending Session III. The sessions will resume at 1:00 PM and end by 4:00 PM.
Members who wish to register can e-mail Jeanie Morgan, letting her know which session they are ready for. They are taken in order - Session I, II, or III. Registration is open for the September 24 RLI. If someone has Jeanie pay for their registration but fails to attend, they will be invoiced for the cost of their registration.
Our own Polly Cady is the current RLI Chairperson. She will be glad to answer any questions about RLI.
The competition is fierce andnot for the faint of heart!
Please sign up to bring a chili to share, another side dish of your choosing, dessert, an appetizer, or just condiments for the chilis. For those who don't have time to cook, we will also need non-alcoholic beverages.
This event is a fun way to meet our newest members and help to engage them in our club. There will be an update on our Visioning process and how it relates to the club, its members, our community, and the world.
Don't miss this opportunity to mingle with club members and crown the newest Chili King or Queen!
President Pam joined me today at Westwood's Interact Club meeting. We delivered all of the shirts that were donated and watched the frenzy as 30 Interacters made 150 dog chew toys that will be distributed to local animal shelters.
Wednesday’s Lunch: Ed Koeneman introduced Fanny to Mexican Food at Nando’s Mexican Restaurant. Fanny dined on a fabulous tamale, rice and beans. With chips and salsa as the appetizer. Thanks Ed!!!
Labor Day Weekend: Frank and Amanda Rosenberg invited us to go with LBW Training to a weekend of fun and relaxation in San Diego - with an all you can eat day at Sea World. On Friday, we were driven in luxury in Frank’s Ford F350 and stopped overnights in Polly’s hometown of Yuma. Fanny first buffet was Golden Corral, where Frank challenged her to have 6 plates and 3 sodas. Fanny was able to eat 3 plates and 1 soda - and that included dessert.
Saturday: Frank and Amanda continued the sight seeing as we visited the beautiful beach town of La Jolla. Frank’s impressive driving during a holiday weekend with his Ford F-350 in the beach town of La Jolla was a sight in itself! Beautiful, but hot day at the beach and we saw the same seals that Polly and Allan introduced us last year with Caio (exchange student from Ecuador). They were great to watch. We barbecued burgers and hot dogs, Frank and Amanda bought a case of Sprite for Fanny and a pumpkin pie!!! We played a dice game where all the kiddos seem to beat the adults!!!
Sunday: First class all the way with Frank and Amanda - front row parking, dining every hour with an entree, drink, dessert….yes - every hour. So between the delicious food, the amazing shows, where the Orcas loved to soak Fanny 6 times, the roller coaster that Fanny was brave enough to go on - and the highlight of being one of the few Sea World guests to be stuck on the Sea World Tower (in air conditioning)……what a great day and memories to keep forever.
Monday: The drive back and another stop in Polly’s hometown. And this time - Olive Garden. Fanny loves pasta and she had lasagna, bread sticks and salad!!! Frank drove us home while we all slept…..Many thanks goes to Frank and Amanda for a wonderful and memorable weekend.
Thought for the Day - Colleen Coons "Today, you could be standing next to someone who is trying their best not to fall apart. Whatever you do today, do it with kindness in your heart."
Pledge - Logan Harper led the pledge of allegiance.
Greeter - Sean Green.
Rotary Minute - Dan Coons
Dan talked about the culture of giving that exists in Rotary. Our dues support club administration. The charitable efforts of Rotarians internationally are financed through The Rotary Foundation. All Rotarians are encouraged to be donors to The Rotary Foundation - Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY). The charitable endeavors of Mesa West Rotary Club are financed through The Mesa West Rotary Foundation. Each year for the past few years sponsorships have successfully been solicited from members and those within their circle of influence.
In addition to financial giving, there are many other ways Rotarians give. Dan said that when he first met Colleen ten years ago, he quickly saw that she was a very giving person in ways that did not involve writing checks. He realized that is also true in the Rotary culture. There are many ways to support what we do by using our time, our abilities, and our energy. In many cases, through our contacts and connections, we can help refine and define a purpose, connect resources, and take something from an idea to a reality. All of this makes it possible for Rotarians to effect positive change. When Dan and Colleen were in Kenya, the Rotaract Club there took them to a shanty village where they saw recycled plastic making a very real difference. Rotary money really does go where we want it to go...
International Hotel Employee Day
To celebrate International Hotel Employee Day, President Pam presented gift cards to the following Doubletree employees who work to make our meetings a pleasant experience every week:
Jan Cramer is the Catering Director.
Luis is the first captain in charge of room setup.
Gina prepares the food - we will rarely see her at our meetings.
Martha makes it happen at each place setting every week.
Introduction of Guests
President Pam asked those present in-person to welcome those who were attending via Zoom: Melodie Jackson, Bob Jensen, Jeanie Morgan and Bob Zarling.
Ed Koeneman introduced his friends, Mike and Gina Schroeder, saying they had been friends since the beginning of time.
Sean Green introduced Gerald Birin, a Rotarian who has recently moved to the Phoenix metro area from Tucson and is looking for a new Rotary home club.
Honolulu Sunset Rotarians Jim and Beth Hoban were again welcomed as visitors.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Ron Thompson
Ron asked Gina Schroeder to draw the winning raffle ticket which was held by Dan Coons. Dan automatically won the small pot which was $25.00. He also won the right to attempt to draw the Ace of Clubs which, if successful, would make him the winner of $175.00. His attempt to draw the Ace of Clubs was unsuccessful.
Happy Bucks - Ron Thompson
John Pennypacker was prepared to donate $50 to the Mesa West Rotary Foundation for sharing trivia knowledge about the significance the color of small square plastic bread wrapper closures. They come in five colors and in alphabetical order, define the day of the week the bread in the wrapper was baked: Blue - Monday, Green - Tuesday, Red - Thursday, White - Friday, and Yellow - Saturday. There are no colors assigned to Sunday and Wednesday because most break bakeries take a production break on those days.
Pam Cohen contributed $5 for the privilege of assigning a new nickname to John - "Pillsbury Dough Boy (PDB John)."
Ed Koeneman contributed $20. Suzy is no longer a teenager. She turned 20 August 29. He was happy to have Mike and Gina at the meeting. He and Debbie attended the Star Trek Convention. They renewed their wedding vows there with 5,000 Trek nerds in attendance.
Dick Myren contributed $2 happy that he and our Honorary Member Rod Daniels are associated with the Ace of Clubs - Mesa West Rotary.
Colleen Coons was happy because she was touched by the positive reference to her made by Dan during his Rotary Minute presentation. She was also happy they were going to see Dan's son and daughter-in-law at Sea World over Labor Day Weekend. She reminded members of the opportunity to get better acquainted with Fanny by joining Fanny and Colleen for lunch any Wednesday while the Coons are still Fanny's host parents. August 31, they ate at Nando's Mexican Grill. She also mentioned that the cheer squad members are supposed to jump whenever their team scores. She had a video cued to be shown illustrating how well Fanny has learned to soar.
Sean Green announced the departure of Jaylee Alvin for her RotaryYouth Exchange adventure in Spain.
Jim Hoban was happy to announce the Little League team from Honolulu won the Little League World Series, saying it was the fourth time in history that a team from Hawaii won the international championship.
Announcements
October is Polio Immunization Month. This year, our District has initiated a campaign titled "Pints for Polio."
Clubs have been asked to make arrangements with a local establishment to partner with them to promote polio eradication. Rotarians will be asked to take their turn sitting outside of the pub or taprooms selling Pints for Polio packages which will contain a glass, tee shirt and koozie. Purchasers of the packages will then be entitled to purchase their first pint at the establishment at a discount. Mesa West Rotary will be teaming up with
Community Service Chair Dave Brauchler reminded members we have three service activities going on at this time.
Salvation Army Chef Assistance project. Wednesday mornings from 8-10 a.m. through the end of October. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Rock relocation project at the Y Saturday, September 24. CLICK HERE to sign up.
Midwest Food Bank - each week, we will be bringing a different badly-needed non-perishable food to be donated to the food bank. September 8, members are asked to bring peanut butter and jelly.
Ed Koeneman thanked members who remembered to bring old t-shirts to the last two meetings. The Interact Club made 63 toys during their August 31 meeting, and will make more September 7. He added that our own Greg Bouslog is Executive Director and the Y and Greg donated two bins of shirts which will be used to coordinate with Gilbert Rotary Club on a children's clothing drive.
Program - Desiree Garcia - Read Better Be Better
Ed Koeneman introduced our speaker, Desiree Garcia who taught for eight years before joining the Read Better Be Better program. Two years of her teaching experience were in Glendale, and six in Phoenix.
Desiree is a Development Coordinator for the Read Better Be Better Program. The program pairs 3rd grade Readers with middle school Leaders in after school programs at Title I elementary schools. College students earn community service hours by helping as coaches. Retired teachers also serve as volunteer coaches.
Arizona has a literary crisis. If students don't read proficiently by 4th grade, they have a disadvantage in all of their academic work. Standardized testing does not start until 3rd grade. Children from low income families are most affected. This program is designed to provide an after school opportunity to provide a solution to that problem.
The program's curriculum is separate from the reading curriculum in the school environment. It is a program that uses 24 books. The readers and leaders read the books together. The leaders ask questions that align with the standardized testing. Participating 3rd graders have shown a 20% greater improvement than their nonparticipating classmates. The leaders benefit by knowing they have the qualities to be an effective leader.
This fall, the launch date is September 13.The program will be active in 64 schools mostly in the west valley. If all works according to plan, they will be in some Tempe schools in the spring of 2023. The program runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each book has its own set of questions the readers and leaders discuss.
They are working to pilot a program for younger children in their primary year.
Read Better Be Better
Mission - Connects young readers with youth leaders
to inspire a love for literacy and learning.
Vision - A society in which all children master foundational
CLICK HEREto cast your vote for Child Crisis Arizona in the final round of voting. There is one vote per device per person during each round. They are now in the final round of voting which which will end September 18. If you first voted in either of the prior four rounds, you can vote again. In fact, you can vote a few more times. They are in the fifth and final round of voting, and you can vote using each of your devices once each round.
Mesa West Rotary has a long history of supporting Child Crisis Arizona. Your vote(s) will help propel them to do very well in this competition. The voting link was updated for each round. We have tried to keep the current link available to our members by updating this article
Just before the 2021-22 fiscal year ended, Mesa West Rotary Foundation sent a $2,000 donation to Child Crisis Arizona. CLICK HERE to read the letter of appreciation received from Child Crisis Arizona. You may want to have a tissue box handy...
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.
Club Information
Welcome to our Rotary Club of Mesa West!
THE ACE OF CLUBS
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.
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is a series of three one-day educational sessions to learn about Rotary beyond the Club Level. All three sessions are held in the same place on the same day enabling car-pooling for participants no matter which session they plan to attend. The location where the sessions are held can move around, promoting a little Rotary tourism. Whether you are a relatively new Rotarian or a seasoned Rotarian who finally has time to get more involved, members are encouraged to sign up and participate.
Rotary Minute - Dan Coons
ements
Ed Koeneman introduced our speaker, Desiree Garcia who taught for eight years before joining the 
Arizona has a literary crisis. If students don't read proficiently by 4th grade, they have a disadvantage in all of their academic work. Standardized testing does not start until 3rd grade. Children from low income families are most affected. This program is designed to provide an after school opportunity to provide a solution to that problem.
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:
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