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.
Mesa West Rotary Club is a member organization of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Our own member, Connie Bunyard is our Chamber Liaison. She sent this information to share with our members:
I wanted to share with you some upcoming events that you will find beneficial if you go. If you end up going and would like a buddy feel free to text me at 480-678-9348 and I will find you and introduce you around (I go to most meetings). I hope to meet you sometime and wish you an Amazing day!!
Check out the photos from some of our events here: https://mesachamber.smugmug.com/. Is there anything I can say or do to make you feel better about getting involved and networking? As our CEO, Sally Harrison likes to say, “The world belongs to those who show up!”
Women’s Business Connection is on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. Colleen Biggs is a 22-year Business Strategist who empowers Business Leaders to expand their influence through Peak Performance Habits to attract the right clients and drive more profits. She has launched over 340 businesses, is a Keynote Speaker, Author to 7 #1 International Best-Sellers with the latest being Step Into the Spotlight to Expand Your Influence, the CEO and founder of the Leap Community, and was awarded the Most Inspirational Leaders in Business and Entrepreneur of the year in 2023. Colleen provides women with a community of entrepreneurs who take the leap daily and realize that their network is their Net Worth. You can register here: https://business.mesachamber.org/events/Details/women-s-business-connection-welcomes-colleen-biggs-1122447?sourceTypeId=Website.
It’s that time to look for sponsors, marketing collateral and vendor tables for the next Mesa Morning Live TV show! Let me know if you are interested in participating in the next Mesa Morning Live.
Where: Crescent Crown Distributing – 1640 W. Broadway Rd., Mesa, AZ 85202
Time: 7am-8:30am
Featured Guest: Mesa Police Department Chief Ken Cost
Theme: Law & Order
Episode Sponsor: $1,050 (1 per show) Admission for 2 guests Logo on all marketing material including video, web, and print Logo on all YouTube videos (approx. 3-5 guest interviews for that episode) On stage interview with Emcee /Host showcasing your business Opportunity to provide any marketing collateral in Attendee bags Mention by host at the beginning of program 1/4 ad in the program Full list of attendees including contact information following each program Logo on front page (www.mesachamber.org) Tabletop at program
Segment Sponsor: $400 (2 available per show) Top 10 – You will read the Top 10 List on camera Community Spotlight
Admission for 2 guests Pre-Show Screen Acknowledgment Pre-Segment Screen Acknowledgement Opportunity for “on-air” time at each show (Top 10) Opportunity to provide any marketing collateral in Attendee bags Recognition listed in show credits, in program and MML web page
Breakfast Sponsor: $300 (4 per show) Admission for 1 guest Breakfast room signage acknowledgement Pre-show digital signage Recognition listed in show credits, in printed program and MML web page Opportunity to provide any marketing collateral in Attendee bags Host acknowledgement during show
MML Program Advertising Full Page (4.5” W X 8.5” H) $200/episode Half Page (4.5” W 3.75” H) $150/episode
Tabletop: $75 (14 per show) Admission for 1 guest
Marketing Collateral in Attendee Bags: $40 + 100 items to insert
Individual Ticket: $20 members in advance/ $30 non-members/Members Walk-In (125 per show)
One of our newest members, Connie Bunyard, and her husband John are helping promote this fun, fundraising event to benefit House of Refuge. House of Refuge provides safe, stable housing to families who are experiencing homelessness. Their professional staff work with families on regaining dignity, healing from trauma, finding employment, and ultimately obtaining permanent housing. A past service project of Mesa West Rotary involved painting some of the homes in the House of Refuge community.
Connie and John are hoping to see some familiar Mesa West Rotary faces smiling and having fun at this June 22 event. CLICK HERE to make your reservation(s).
Opening and Welcome to Meeting - President Colleen Coons
President Colleen thanked:
Steve Ross for serving as greeter.
Dick Myren for offering the invocation
Jack Rosenberg for leading the Pledge of Allegiance
Jeanie Morgan for handling check-in
John Pennypacker for handling room setup and filling in as Sgt at Arms
Ed Koeneman for serving as Chief of Technology
Introduction of Guests
Bert Millett introduced Carlotta, an inbound Rotary Youth Exchange student from Spain. Bert has been her host dad in recent months. Prior to that, she stayed with Ed and Deb Koeneman. Members were reminded that they were invited to a farewell gathering to say goodbye to the youth exchange students before they depart on their YE Train Tour of the USA.
Bob Purinton from Four Peaks Rotary Club in the Fountain Hills area was introduced. He invited Mesa West members, friends and family to participate in the Octoberfest their club will be hosting. It will be held at the Pavilion of the Convention Center in Fountain Hills September 22-23. He said there would be lots of great German food including brats, apple strudel and Black Forest cake. He also brought greetings from incoming District Governor Michelle Holcomb and our new AG, Bob Harris.
Harry Short was introduced as a seasonal visitor to our club. He will be heading back to Seattle soon.
Julio Espinoza, with the Grand Canyon Council, Boy Scouts of America was introduced as someone who would like to join Mesa West Rotary.
President-Elect Nominee Kayla Mudge was applauded. She will be leading an Interact Ambassador team on the Crutches for Africa mission. In order for the team to go, they needed to raise $65,000 in less than six months. Kayla was congratulated by President Colleen for making that happen.
Attending via Zoom were Deb Koeneman, Bob Jensen, Shane White and Marilyn Klingler.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Dick Myren
Dick explained that the proceeds of raffle ticket sales are divided three ways. A third goes to the club operating account. Another third goes to the weekly winner, and the final third is added to the accumulating "big pot". He said the weekly winner would win $25, and if they were lucky enough to draw the Ace of Clubs from the cards left in the deck, they would win the big pot which was up to $626. He asked Amy Sailors with Mesa Police Department to pick the winning ticket which was held by Brian Harvey. Brian elected to have Carlotta be the weekly winner as well as try to draw the Ace of Clubs. Sadly - for Carlotta - the card she drew was the King of Clubs.
Happy Bucks - John Pennypacker - Sgt at Arms For the Day
John announced that the funds raised during Happy Bucks would be divided between the Youth Exchange students our club has "adopted" this year who are going on the train trip.
Ted Williams contributed. He was happy one of his granddaughters was returning from Barcelona. Another granddaughter was leaving for Greece.
Visitor Bob Purinton contributed. He said John Pennypacker had recently driven Olivia to visit his club - which meets very early in the morning in Fountain Hills. With John interviewing her, Olivia shared information about her year as a Youth Exchange student. Bob said they were a tremendous hit.
Jay Paulus contributed - bragging about Liz Paulus being honored by ABC TV and Sanderson Ford. CLICK HERE to see the video they ran about Liz.
John contributed mentioning how inspired he was by the Aspire Academy.
Wayne General contributed sharing some police humor.
Frank Rosenberg contributed. He was very happy that Sam Rosenberg would be returning from her outbound Youth Exchange trip to Denmark - arriving around midnight.
Kayla contributed. She thanked the members who had supported her fundraising effort.
Harry Grossman contributed. He announced he was starting a new tradition. Each week he would be wearing a different hat - each featuring a local business. This week, the business is Chompie's
Warren Williamson contributed. He told about little Johnie who had learned about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden and told his mother that was were we all came from. When he told his father the same lesson learned, his father said that people actually came from ape-like creatures. Johnie asked his mother which was right. His mother explained that Johnie's father was talking about his side of the family.
Dick Myren made his traditional contribution - thankful that he and honorary member Rod Daniels are associated with the Ace of Clubs.
Ed Koeneman was happy to see Carlotta. She had spent the fall in their home. He congratulated Kayla on raising the funds necessary to fund the trip to Africa. He was also very happy that Deb would be returning. Apparently, their dishwasher doesn't work when Deb is out of town.
Deb Koeneman was very happy to be in Georgia welcoming their son back from Poland. She said "It's been wonderful - James' smile is real!"
Don Boucher contributed sad bucks. A couple who are very dear friends had travelled to Prescott where they were hit by a cement truck. She did not survive.
John Pennypacker contributed. He was happy his grandson, Ty enjoyed the opportunity to have dinner with Allan and Polly Cady, Olivia and Braly while he was in the San Diego area recently.
Colleen contributed. She was very thankful for Ranger Ben who came to their rescue when a hiking trip at Picacho Peak with the exchange student from the Ukraine. Dan got lost. The youth exchange student ran out of water. She was very thankful for cell service and the help of Ranger Ben.
Sponsor Program Update - Steve Ross
Steve said we are now a little over $52,000 and reminded members that "many of us have way to many ties." He suggested members ask their kids to donate to the sponsor program rather than purchase a Father's Day gift for them.
We just have a few weeks left before this year's campaign ends. Let's try to reach our amended goal of $60,000.
Auction Item - Wayne General
Wayne had a bag of items purchased during the trip he and Lucinda made to Curacao, an island in the Caribbean, in April. He said the bag contained ten items, nine of which were edible, and the tenth was alcohol. He said the proceeds of the auction would go to the sponsor program to benefit the Ed Koeneman team. After several bids, the final, top bid, was from Bob Purinton, our visitor from Four Peaks Rotary Club.
Announcements
Jay Paulus encouraged members to attend the Chamber's Mesa Has Heart event Friday evening June 14. He said Dan and Colleen would be there.
Members were urged to sign up to participate in the conversational English practice sessions for ESL students which Polo Santiago has opened up for us on June 26 and July 11.
Program - Efran Cammona and Amy Sailors - Mesa PD Fiesta Division Events
Efran and Amy have been working together for the last year. She has been with the department for fourteen years. She is single with no children and loves the Cardinals.
Colleen mentioned that she met Efren at Mesa Leadership and sees him as an humble soft-spoken leader. He and his wife, Joy have three children. Two of them are adopted - one from China and one from Ethiopia. He is peace-focussed both personally and professionally.
He described Colleen as bossy, but backtracked saying persistent was probably a better word. In the nine months they went through Mesa Leadership together, she was persistent in telling him about Rotary. He noted he gets paid. She volunteers. She was looking for ways our club could partner with the Fiesta Division.
One tangible thing that a few Mesa West Rotary volunteers did do was cook breakfast for the cadets at the Aspire Academy his past spring. Aspire is a four-day immersive academy for girls to learn about positions in the fire and police departments - many of which have been traditionally filled by men. The cadets stay overnight, shower and engage in activities. They forfeit their cell phones when they arrive so they are fully engaged. They learn about and practice some activities. He mentioned repelling, search and seizure, speakers, sex trafficking, and teen violence. They learn life skills and how to stay safe. The goal is to recruit for the future. The academy is for girls in the 9th-12th grades. It is held during spring or fall break. Other local metro communities are offering comparable academies. Mesa PD plans to host one every other year. It is fully funded by donations. The meals are prepared for 100 people - 50 participants and 50 workers. The meals were covered at no cost. They appreciated the donation from our club.
The academy is located in the DT Room. The girls slept on training mats.
CLICK HERE to see the Aspire video. CLICK HEREto see the slides Amy used during her part of the presentation. There are a number of volunteer opportunities available for community partnership.
Both Efren and Amy were given Four-Way-Test tokens at the end of their presentation.
Mesa West Rotary Club has recently become a member of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Members are encouraged to CLICK HERE to go to the Chamber website where you can click on a link "Email List" to subscribe to their e-newsletters. As a business member, our club members are able to take advantage of educational and networking events held by the Chamber which you will learn about via their electronic newsletters.. The QR code in the image above will take you to their Facebook page.
At the May 21 Board Meeting, Mesa West Rotary club officers and directors approved a recommended increase in all levels of dues effective July 1. This recommended change is primarily due to the fact that Rotary International and District per-member dues will be increasing. The good news is that the full-dues option is still less than the $250/member we were paying prior to the COVID pandemic.
Dues Options 2024-25
$360/Quarter
Corporate Dues – One person registered as the active member
(Includes meals for member or their designated representative from the same organization)
$240/Quarter
Full Dues – Includes all meals at meetings
$90/Quarter
Members electing following options will be charged $25 for each in-person meeting attended.
E-85 – Age plus years in Rotary equals 85 or more
(includes members in Rotary 20 or more years)
Family of Rotary – Second member of family
Rotary Service – Participation in Service Projects
(includes local and international service projects)
Zoom Only
(intended for members who cannot attend in-person due to health or other accessibility limitations, but who wish to be actively engaged in Mesa West Rotary Club)
When 2024-25 Budget is approved, this document will become an Addendum to the Bylaws of the Rotary Club of Mesa West adopted in December 17, 2020
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.
Mesa West Rotary Club operates two separate legal entities. Our Rotary Club is a 501(c)(4), which is not a tax-deductible charitable organization, but is exempt from income tax. Our club operations income from dues, most happy bucks (unless otherwise designated), raffle income, etc. is used to pay for the cost of operating the club - our meal expense, supplies, education of our officers, etc.
The charitable work and giving that we do is funded through Mesa West Rotary Foundation. It is a 501(c)(3) public charity. It is the fundraising and funding vehicle for our charitable endeavors: Donations to MWRF are tax deductible.
For the past several years, rather than have major public events to raise funds, we have quietly gone to our friends, family, current and past business associates, etc. and simply asked for sponsorship donations. We have averaged about $50,000 each year in revenue from our sponsorship drive. So our members will be better acquainted with those who are involved with the MWRF Board of Trustees, each of the five Trustees will be team leaders this year. CLICK HERE to down load a list showing who is on each Trustee's team. Traditional fundraising events are very time and effort intensive and rarely yield the kind of results this effort has produced. The Sponsor Drive has allowed Mesa West Rotary Club members to focus their Rotary effort on service projects. The other advantage is that our donors can be assured that their donation will go entirely to charity as there are no cost-of-fundraising expenses.
Sometimes donors hesitate to give to a fundraising dinner where names of sponsors are published because they don't want others knocking on their door asking for more money. There are probably many people we know who admire what we do that would like to be a part of it, but cannot afford the time to be involved. More people would admire what we do if we bragged about it outside of Rotary more often. You might be surprised that someone would offer to donate if you bragged about the fact that we don't waste our time and resources putting on lavish events. Some of those donors may have the opportunity to have their gift matched by their employer.
Have fun telling why you are proud to be a Rotarian, and get your "ask" in gear.
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.
Mesa West Rotary Club is a member organization of the Mesa Chamber of Commerce. Our own member, Connie Bunyard is our Chamber Liaison. She sent this information to share with our members:
Sponsor Program Update - Steve Ross
Announcements 
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.
The charitable work and giving that we do is funded through Mesa West Rotary Foundation. It is a 501(c)(3) public charity. It is the fundraising and funding vehicle for our charitable endeavors: Donations to MWRF are tax deductible.
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)
