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.
March 21 - Rotary Day at the Park - Cubs Spring Training Game. $49/person for full-dues members - $74/person for discounted dues-paying members and guests. CLICK HEREto email Jeanie Morgan to register.
March 27 - Ignite Innovation - a Venture Capital Challenge from 5-7 pm. Partnering with ASU, to host the event utilizing District Grant funding, a total of $5,000 will be awarded.
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) will next bew held at the Anthem Civic Building, 3701 W Anthem Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. All three sessions will be offered. CLICK HERE or on the logo to register.
Registration fees for Mesa West Rotary Club members in good standing will be refunded through their dues account. The only stipulation is that their attendance be confirmed.
President Jay asked Jack Rosenberg to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. He then asked Dick Myren to offer the invocation.
Introduction of Guests
Lu General introduced Tom Hutchinson, who was visiting from the E-Club of the Southwest.
Shelly Romine introduced two new members who have not yet been formally inducted into the club - Al Nunez and Exavier King.
Ron Thompson introduced Neil Theobald, a visiting Rotarian from Laramie Wyoming. Neil just retired after a 40-year career in higher education.
Miss Ahwatukee Katlyn Gallo, 2023 Miss Arizona Tiffany Ticlo and Tiffany's mother Gianiany Ticlo were introduced.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
Chuck explained that after selling tickets for $5 each, the sales proceeds were divided three ways - 1/3 to the club operating account, 1/3 to the small weekly pot, and the final 1/3 was added to the big pot. The person holding the winning ticket would win the small weekly pot and the opportunity to draw a card from the deck. If they draw the Ace of Clubs, they will win the large pot. If they draw the joker, they will win an additional $20. Chuck asked Miss Ahwatukee to draw the winning ticket. President Jay was holding the winning ticket. He gave his opportunity to draw from the deck to the former Miss Arizona. After she shuffled the cards, the card she drew was the Ten of Diamonds. She donated the winnings back to the club.
Happy Bucks - Sgt at Arms Andy Bradford
Dick Myren donated $5 - He was happy he and Honorary Member Rod Daniels are part of the Ace of Clubs. He felt we all should be proud of the service we are a part of around the world.
Harry Grossman contributed and pointed out he was wearing his red shoes because the Cardinals won their final game of the season.
Ted Williams was celebrating the season of special life events - their anniversary and his birthday - and pledged $79.
Brian Harvey contributed celebrating Ed Koeneman's new knee.
Jim McGown reported that while he was shopping for bargains in mobility devices, he cam across an opportunity to purchase communication devices used with special education kids. They are worth much more than what he paid for them. He purchased seven of the devices for $16.
Gaby Duran celebrated her daughter's 20th birthday on January 3. She is in her second semester at NAU.
Shelly Romine was thankful for our successful blood drive. There were 28 donors. The next drive will be April 3.
Erwin Reimann contributed $20. $10 was for a wonderful Christmas spent in South Dakota. He and Joan provided the table and chairs - everyone else provided the food! He was also happy about the work done through Paul Harris giving - it exemplifies Service Above Self.
Joan Reimann told of attending a Rotary International Convention many years ago. She visited a booth at the convention about water purification in the world. She was impressed with the lives which are truly changed forever, when a community finally has access to clean water. She told about a community in Tanzania where it was common knowledge that you had to go early to get your water before the animals went in. Continuing to work to provide clean water is something she will always support.
Jim Schmidt was thankful for those who want to help those in Districts 5280 and 5300 where the fires were raging and impacting the lives of many people. He encouraged giving to support the many needs that will result.
Colleen Coons pledged $50. She will turn sixty this month. She was happy the stipends for McKinney Vento students totaled $690 this month which means the students are doing well. She encouraged members to attend the May 2-3 District Conference. She is the conference chair this year.
Don LaBarge said he is dealing with chaos at work. He was happy to report that our Salvation Army station brought in $31,800 this year. He was very thankful for all the club members who responded and helped keep the shifts at the station covered.
Eric Silverberg wondered how much in donations the dinosaur costumes worn by Kayla Mudge and Logan Harper inspired.
Miss Arizona's mom was happy to be at our meeting.
Waume Barefoot was happy to be at the meeting.
John Pennypacker was glad to have received his new credit card. He had shared some information received from some of his Rotary friends in California about wildfire response. CLICK HERE to see what he shared with your Messenger editor January 8, but too late to get in last week's edition.
Ed Koeneman was happy about a few things:
It was three weeks post-op. and rehabilitation with his new knee was going well.
Marilyn Klingler is getting involved with Westwood HS Interact, and that is going well.
He was sad that a Rotarian he had visited with at the Singapore RI Convention had passed.
He was happy to announce that it was only 498 days until the next Star Wars movie will be released.
Connie Bunyard thanked Andy Bradford for a referral.
Warren Williamson recalled the 1968 Presidential election when comedian Pat Paulson ran a tongue-in-cheek campaign. His campaign slogan was that "All the problems today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian."
Polly Cady, who was attending via Zoom, pledged $20. She was happy to announce that Dick Myren will graduate from Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) at the January 25 session to be held in Anthem. She thanked him for his testimonial about the value of RLI which appeared in the District Newsletter. President Jay echoed the value of RLI and encouraged members who've not yet attended to go.
Announcements
Shelly said that we need to put in some more time in the Rose Garden at MCC. She has sent out volunteer solicitations for the afternoons of January 19 and 26 from 1-5 PM.
February 8 - is the "girl power" women-only Bed Build event for Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
February 12 - Westwood High School Interact is planning a Senior Prom at Aster Aging. They will need volunteers to dance with the ladies.
March 27 Mesa West will host an event in downtown Mesa -The Venture Challenge.". We are working with ASU to invite entrepreneurs to make pitches about their business plans to compete for awards. Their presentations will be judged by distinguished judges. $5,000 will be awarded.
Well, maybe NOT the shirt off your back, but instead some old t-shirts out of the back of your closet.
Westwood Interact Club will again be making dog chew toys for a couple of animal shelterswhere the Paws For Peers program rescues and trains dogs to work as therapy animals with teachers within Mesa Public Schools. .They make these dog toys out of old t-shirts. So, dig way back into your closet, or that drawer where all your old stuff is, and bring a shirt or two to lunch at one of our Thursday meetings this September.
As most of you know, Arizona has a very unique state tax credit program. If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can specify where your tax dollars go (state taxes only). These instructions are for your reference only. Please consult a tax prep professional with any specific questions about state tax credits.
There are many different nonprofit organizations that AZ recognizes as authorized recipients of these tax funds. Mesa West sponsors the Interact Club at Westwood High School, and they are a qualified recipient of these tax credit funds in the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) category. Here's how you can donate up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a couple filing jointly and deduct that amount from your state tax burden.
If you have children currently enrolled in Mesa Public Schools, you can use your existing login information. Otherwise, it's easy to setup a guest account.
Once you are logged in, select 'Items At All Schools'under the 'Shop/Donate' list on the Home page.
On the next page select 'High Schools', then select 'Westwood High'
Select the link for 'ECA Tax Credit', and then 'Programs G-K' on the following page.
Interact - ECA is under code 8646. Enter a dollar amount in the box, and click the Add button. That dollar amount should then appear in your cart (highlighted in green at the top of the page).
You can then proceed to the Checkout process and pay with a credit card. You will receive a receipt that you can print out and save for when you do your taxes.
Thank you for supporting Westwood Interact and all of our youth programs.
District Governor Michelle Holcomb did a great job of promoting the Rotary license plate that is now available when she made her official visit to our club September 26. Mesa West Rotary members often lead the way. We want to encourage our members to get their plates purchased so we can be known for having the highest percentage of members displaying the Rotary license plate on their car(s). To that end, we have two incentives to offer:
The first Mesa West Rotary Club member who can honestly tell a story about how they met someone who showed interest in Rotary because of their plate AND that conversation resulted in an approved membership application into Mesa West Rotary or any other Rotary District 5495 club will get one free quarter of their Mesa West Rotary Club dues.
CLICK HERE or on Michelle's photo to go to the order form on the MVD website, scroll down alphabetically and get yours ordered.
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.
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Announcements
Well, maybe NOT the shirt off your back, but instead some old t-shirts out of the back of your closet. 
As most of you know, Arizona has a very unique state tax credit program. If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can specify where your tax dollars go (state taxes only). These instructions are for your reference only. Please consult a tax prep professional with any specific questions about state tax credits.
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: