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.
There are still some openings for volunteers to help with a Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed-build project Saturday, January 14 from 8:00 AM until noon. The project will take place at 650 N 99th Avenue, Avondale, AZ 85323. If you would like to help, CLICK HERE to sign up directly on our club website. Friends and family are welcome to sign up as well.
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 Thunderbird School of Global Management, 401 North 1st Street, Phoenix, AZ 85004 Saturday, January 21, 2023 from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Check-in and continental breakfast will open at 8:00 AM. All the information is given in the link(below).
Here is the registration link for the upcoming RLI in January:
Mesa West Rotary Club sent a small contribution to The Rotary Rose Bowl Float project. Knowing that, we can all feel like participants rather than observers. CLICK HERE or on the image to see more images from parade day on the committee website.
Welcoming Remarks and Opening of Meeting - President Pam Cohen
President Pam welcomed everyone to the first meeting in 2023 by wishing everyone a happy New Year. On a more solemn note, she asked everyone to bow their heads and observe a moment of silence honoring PDG Nancy Van Pelt, whose memorial service was held January 4, and PDG George Wheeler, whose memorial service is scheduled for Sunday afternoon, January 8.
The invocation was offered by Dick Myren. Sean Green led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Introduction of Guests
Bert Millett introduced his daughter, Sage Millett.
Dan Lamborn introduced his mother, Bonnie Lamborn from Twi Falls, Idaho.
AG Dan Coons' presence was acknowledged.
Anita Kegler was introduced and welcomed to her first meeting since officially being elected as a Mesa West Rotary Club member.
Shelly Romine introduced Jim and Beth Hoban visiting Rotarians from the Honolulu Sunset Club.
It was noted Tom Yuzer, a visiting Rotarian from Minnesota, was in attendance.
Polly Cady introduced Penny May, a visiting Rotarian from Alaska and welcomed her to her first meeting of this Rotary year.
Rotary Trivia - President Pam
Q - What is the current Rotary International President's theme?
A - Jim Erickson - Imagine Rotary
Q - What is the Rotary monthly focus for January?
A - Jeanie Morgan - Vocational Service
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Dick Myren
After explaining that the small pot would be $40, and the large pot was $195, Dick asked Penny May to draw the winning ticket. John Benedict was the lucky winner of $40. When he attempted to shuffle the cards and draw the Ace of Clubs, hoping to win $195, he instead drew the Jack of Spades.
Happy Bucks - Ron Thompson
Ted Williams said there is balance to life. There are troubling things. His son-in-law who had a transplant a couple of months ago has had complications and it has not gone well. He is down to 129 pounds. Ted's sister had a stroke and is experiencing many challenges. The good news is he has a couple of grandkids who are having some great experiences with mission assignments.. His granddaughter's mission is in Uruguay, and his grandson's in Peru. Ted was so happy to be alive, he pledged $100 toward his Paul Harris recognition.
Dick Myren put in $2 for his usual contribution because he is glad he and honorary member Rod Daniels are associated with the Ace of Clubs - Mesa West Rotary.
Melodie Jackson was happy to announce that her mother, who has been living in Seattle, is 92, and has low blood pressure issues (which have necessitated Melodie traveling to Seattle a few too many times in recent history), will be moving here February 20.
Jim Schmidt was happy about the influence Nancy Van Pelt's connection with Rotary had with Nancy's grandson, who explained at the memorial service that a four-way-test coin Nancy had given him was a constant reminder of how to evaluate his personal choices. Jim suggested we all should do more in sharing Rotary's values with those we hold dear.
Allan Cady was happy his oldest grandson was in town. He is from Kansas City. Allan was sad, however, when the grandson had a conflicting schedule and cancelled lunch.
Polly Cady contributed. She was happy to be blessed to have good friends and family.
Penny May was happy to have recently enjoyed a 36-day cruise in the South Pacific. One of the places the ship stopped and she visited was New Guinea - not a place she ever expected to visit, but the ship stopped there, so she enjoyed taking advantage of the opportunity. She was very happy her grandkids are down here for the 14-state soccer tournament being held here. Her bad news was that she hurt herself shoveling snow before leaving Alaska.
Jim McGown was thankful for all the work Don LaBarge did scheduling Rotarians and others in his circle of influence to fill the shifts at our Salvation Army kettle station again this year.
Colleen Coons was happy to be married to AG Dan Coons - the best husband in the world - his other name should be Handyman Dan.
Shelly Romine was happy Steve Ross filled in as greeter.
Jim Hoban contributed $13. The reason they were here was to celebrate their grandson's 13th birthday. They have been present for his birthday every year since he was born January 5, 2020 - which was a Thursday that year as well.
Bob Zarling was happy his mother is now in Arizona, but sad because circumstances prevented him from attending Nancy Van Pelt's memorial service.
Don LaBarge contributed for double-booking speakers. He thought Dan Lamborn and Pam were joking when they told him at the 12-West Happy Hour that Dan could do a program on Snap Peas. He gave Joan Reimann $20. She and Erwin had given Don some money to take our kettle revenue this year to an even $23,000. They gave him $20 too much, so he gave it back to her.
Don Boucher was happy to be at this first meeting of the year. He was also happy Sharon joined the Queen Creek Club. They will enjoy double the Rotary social life this year.
President Pan contributed $10 - she was happy for Melodie's news and the update on Ted's son-in-law. The thanked those who were attending on Zoom - Pai Bethea, Bob Jensen, DebbieKoeneman, and John Pennypacker.
Ron Thompson was happy. He sold his dental practice in Scottsdale, and will now be able to focus on his practice in Mesa.
John Pennypacker pledged $5. His sad news was there had been a death in his family, which resulted in some happy news. His family would all be together for the first time in a long time.
Announcements
Shelly Romine thanked everyone who showed up for the happy hour at 12 West Brewery December 29. She reminded everyone of the Post Holiday Celebration to be held at Doc Ron and Roni's home in Scottsdale. The White Elephant gift exchange is optional. The target value of the gifts to be exchanged is $25.
David Brauchler announced that - courtesy of Sean Green members have another opportunity to participate in a Sleep in Heavenly Peace bunk bed build. There are 20 volunteer slots available on the on-line registration site. He promised it would be fun.
Another possible service opportunity would be to participate in a blood drive in March or April and every couple of months thereafter.
Polly Cady announced the next Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) would be held the same day as the Post Holiday Celebration - January 21.
President Pam had received a thank-you letter from Child Crisis Arizona for the $1000 donation. She passed the letter on so those who wanted to would be able to see it.
Program - Dan Lamborn - Snap Peas
Before getting into the content of his program, Dan shared a little bit of information about himself. He has been with Intel from 2007 until now. He has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Penn State. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Utah. He is currently in the process of working toward an MBA with Penn State. He had a photo of the crowd at a Utah/Penn State football game. Utah Fans (Dan was one of them) created a sea of red at the game.
Dan shared a photo of his family. He and Jessica have been married 23 years. They have three daughters. Selena is a Junior at NAU majoring in Chemistry. Anna is a Freshman at NAU majoring in Psychology. Julia is a Sophomore at Highland High School. Coco - the best dog ever - evens out the family size to six. Coco is a Gordon Setter.
Dan also shared a photo of Dr. Calvin Lamborn (Dan's father) who was a Pea Breeder and The Father of the Snap Pea. His creation of the Sugar Snap Pea has forever changed expectations of how peas could be eaten and enjoyed.
The discovery was actually accidental. He was trying to correct pod distortion of a snow pea. He crossed a snow pea with a rouge thick-podded shell pea which - surprisingly resulted in a round, edible podded pea that tasted more like candy than a vegetable.
Today, Calvin's legacy is enjoyed globally through the work of his children in the family business, Magic Seed Inc. based in Twin Falls, Idaho.
After he was "highly encouraged to retire" in his early 60's, Calvin and a close friend and supporter who had already left the company started a fresh distribution of snap peas company. He negotiated rights for breeding varieties. He and his friend incorporated. They did research in Idaho, California and Mexico. If your snap peas come from Mexico or California, they are likely "our" peas. If they come from Guatemala or Peru, odds are high that Calvin "touched" them.
As new varieties were developed, they were given names. Sugar Daddy Calvin (named after himself) was heavily used in Guatemala. Sugar Bon was named after his wife, Bonnie (Dan's mother). Three varieties were named Sugar Rae, Sugar Mel, and Sugar Ann - named after Dan's three sisters. For some reason, no sugar peas were named after Dan or his brother Rod.
Calvin wasn't limited in his creative approach to life to his craft of creatively breeding better and better varieties of Snap Peas. When challenged by limitations that come with an aging body, he created a customized farm machine that enabled him to comfortably continue his work. CLICK HERE to see the full slide 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.
Dan shared a photo of his family. He and Jessica have been married 23 years. They have three daughters. Selena is a Junior at NAU majoring in Chemistry. Anna is a Freshman at NAU majoring in Psychology. Julia is a Sophomore at Highland High School. Coco - the best dog ever - evens out the family size to six. Coco is a Gordon Setter.
Dan also shared a photo of Dr. Calvin Lamborn (Dan's father) who was a Pea Breeder and The Father of the Snap Pea. His creation of the Sugar Snap Pea has forever changed expectations of how peas could be eaten and enjoyed.
Calvin wasn't limited in his creative approach to life to his craft of creatively breeding better and better varieties of Snap Peas. When challenged by limitations that come with an aging body, he created a customized farm machine that enabled him to comfortably continue his work. 
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)
