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Mesa West Rotary - Zoom Meeting 
 
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Meeting ID: 922 628 1770
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Meeting ID: 922 628 1770
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Highlights of the May 7 Mesa West Meeting
Before actually calling the meeting to order, President Jim shared the following bit of humor:
 
After 45 days in quarantine, three good friends, a Mexican, a black, and a white guy walk into a bar. A good-looking girl comes up to them and says: "whoever can say liver and cheese in a sentence can have a date with me." So the white guy says, "I love liver and cheese." She says, "that's not good enough." The black guy says, "I hate liver and cheese", and she says, "that's not creative enough." Then the Mexican guy says, "liver alone cheese mine."
 
In lieu of an invocation our President played a video which had been shared by Greg Okonowski entitled "The Great Realisation."  CLICK HERE to watch it.  It is a very creative, heart-warming and well done look back at 2020 from the future.
 
Pam Cohen shared another video showing of a series of  military flyovers across the nation saluting our healthcare workers for our patriotic moment.  
 
Guests
John Pennypacker introduced Bill Pollard, a Past District Governor of Rotary District 7600 in Southeast Virginia.  Bill's district was the home for Secretariat.  Bill was the President's Rep to the District 5510 District Conference in 2014, when Jay Jones was District Governor, where Bill made it apparent he likes to dance.  Bill said that the military flyover video reminded him of his home near Virginia Beach where he hears the Sound of Freedom regularly.  He recalled an opportunity he enjoyed spending time on the George Bush watching military air traffic. 
 
Colton Cagle's presence as a guest was acknowledged.  President Jim asked him if there was anything he would like to share about what he learned on his trip to The Netherlands for Rotary Youth Exchange.  He said that he learned Dutch, which he found to be an awkward language.  He also learned that communication is much more direct in the culture there.  Colton said he has always tried to be very polite, and purposefully avoided being overly direct.  He said that while in The Netherlands he learned you can be both direct and polite at the same time.
 
AG Lee Holmes was also present.
 
Pam Cohen introduced our speaker, Monique Hammond and her husband Ross.  Monique was a pharmacist who had to leave her career because of acquired hearing loss.  Members were encouraged to visit her website:  https://hearing-loss-talk.com/
 
In an unintentionally impact resulting from four hours spent at a fundraising event, because of the loud sounds at the fundraiser, her ability to hear was lost.  She could no longer hear well enough to understand her patients and their physicians clearly.  She was no longer able to provide safe and quality service in her profession as a pharmacist.  Her life was forever changed.
 
Monique got involved with a hearing loss support group where she learned that increasingly, children are being impacted by preventable acquired hearing loss.  A staggering statistic was that 1/5 of children age twelve and over have some hearing loss that will never be regained.  She is passionate about wanting to spread the word and change that trend through education, prevention and empowerment.
 
Hearing loss is a communication issue.  For a child in school, loss of hearing affects their education, their future, and their quality of life.  Hearing loss is also tied to dementia, dysfunctional relationships, and financial hardship.
 
Noise-induced hearing loss causes premature aging of the ear which is preventable.  Parents need to teach their children about making good choices in this area by enforcing rules and living the example of making good choices:
  • Turning the volume down in home and automobile
  • Using hearing protectors and understanding how to use them correctly.
  • Ensuring their personal choices will not harm others
Monique explained that loud noise damages the inner ear and hearing nerve.  For humans, there is no possibility of rejuvenation.
 
Protection is the only prevention.  Once hearing is lost, hearing aids can be used, but she wanted us to remember that they are only aids and do not restore full hearing.
 
Many people believe an incorrect myth that one can become accustomed to loud noise.  She said that ears cannot become resistant to damage caused by loud noise.  She said an MP3 player should not ever be more than 60% of its possible volume, and that every sixty minutes, your ears should be given a rest.  She called this the 60/60 rule.
 
She said that parents need to intervene to protect their children and we all need to spread the word!  Monique knows that Rotarians believe in Service Above Self.  She suggested we make it a mission to help people of all ages hear better and longer, so that the day will never come when the music stops.
 
Happy Thoughts
  • Pam Cohen explained that the reason Chris Krueger was not attending the meeting was that her father had suffered a stroke and Chris was in Omaha with her family.  Pam has taken over the challenge of honoring the seniors from Westwood Interact for Chris and needed a few more volunteers.  Pam thanked John Pennypacker for donating $100 to support that project and said that Polly Cady had agreed to adopt one of the seniors.  She asked other members to contact her if they were interested in helping.
  • Wendell Jones let everyone know that Carolyn would be celebrating a birthday on the 14th.
  • Lee Holmes announced that he had been on a Zoom call earlier in the day and cautioned Rotarians NOT to behave as someone on that call (not a Rotarian) had behaved.  One individual announced that they had to leave the meeting early and another person on the call exploded with a series of expletives including the F-bomb when their microphone was not muted.  
  • Lucinda General was not in attendance, but another member conveyed Lucinda's warm greeting of welcome to Bill Pollard.
  • Greg Okonowski congratulated Jack Rosenberg for his 40 years in Rotary.  He also noted that Amanda Rosenberg had marked her first anniversary as a Rotarian - some great Rotary milestones for the Rosenberg family!
  • Dan Coons announced he had attended the Zoom meeting of another club and was proud to say our Mesa West Rotary Zoom meetings are better.
Before the meeting adjourned, there was a chorus of Happy Mother's Day wishes for all the mothers present at the meeting.
 
Rotary District 5495 Council on Legislation (COL)
At the Mesa West Rotary Zoom meeting May 14, 2020, John will be discussing the Council on Legislation for his Rotary Minute presentation.  He asked that this be published ahead of his presentation in case anyone had specific questions they would like to ask during or after the meeting.
 
The latest by-laws can be accessed on the district website and are dated 22 June 2019. These by-laws call for a Council on Legislation (COL) annually; usually in a face to face meeting during the District Conference.
 
As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed there was some concern not only for the Rotary International Convention in Hawaii, but also for our District 5495 Conference in June 2020.
 
Here are the events and tasks leading up to the COL regardless of when it happens.
  • Timeline is spelled out in the by-laws for clubs to submit proposed amendments to the by-laws. The deadline this year was sent to the clubs on 15 February with submittals due by 1 April.
  • Clubs were notified on 29 April to submit names of delegates by 20 May. Additionally, the Agenda with all the ballot items was sent to the clubs at this same time for review amongst its members.
  • Final ballots will be sent to each delegate on 21 May with a response due by 20 June.
  • The results of the voting will be posted on the district website by 30 June.      
Because of the pandemic several changes were mandated to even organize and construct the Agenda for the District 5495 COL.
  • There had been some concern regarding getting the required number of delegates to the COL to form a quorum. Last year this was an issue.
  • Some inquiry was made concerning the feasibility of electronic voting (E-vote).
  • When it became apparent that the RI Convention would likely be cancelled, the research into E-vote intensified. Queries were made to other districts and some individual Rotarians. No one had any experience with this.
  • Council Services at Rotary International did not have any documented methods for doing E-vote even though that is precisely what transpires for the RI Council on Resolutions. The COR is basically and up or down vote without debate on any issue.
  • Council Services did recommend a commercial firm which was helpful.
  • The commercial firm provided a pamphlet for conducting E-vote. This process mirrored the COR in that ballots are sent to delegates and votes received electronically and tabulated by this firm. The one thing noticed about this process was that they wanted all votes from a club to all be the same – they were not set up to handle split votes. This would eliminate the possibility for a club with 2 or more delegates to submit differing votes on an issue. This was viewed as a shortcoming. For the RI COR this is not a problem in that there is only 1 vote per district.
To establish E-vote for District 5495 several prerequisite events had to take place. The current by-laws did provide for the “Formulation of Temporary Policies”. To become permanent, these temporary changes would need to be reviewed by all district committee chairpersons and approved by the District Governor, and then submitted to the COL for the delegates to make them permanent.
 
Members of the By-laws committee reviewed the existing by-laws for possible impact. Several areas were noted, and a packet of the recommendations were circulated within the committee and then forwarded to the District Governor. The DG reviewed these recommendations with all district committee chairpersons and the Governor line officers. The DG did approve the changes and the by-laws committee then incorporated them into the Agenda for the district COL. To say that careful wording of the changes took multiple iterations would be an understatement.
 
Here is a breakdown of the votes for this COL. These are all YES or NO votes – no discussion.
  1. The votes to approve the “temporary policies” were deemed to be all connected and are presented as a collective vote for the 7 issues outlined in the Agenda. These involved changes to allow electronic voting and/or other than a face to face meeting at the COL. Basically it is an all or nothing vote for these changes. If not approved, these changes do not become permanent and would require further machinations should the COL in subsequent years face similar circumstances where a face to face meeting of the COL could not occur.
  2. Amazingly there were only 2 proposed amendments to the current by-laws:
    • Expansion of the Nominating Committee from 6 to 9 members. This would facilitate establishing a well-defined succession plan for this committee with 3 members terming out each year.
    • Additionally, the Nominating Committee felt it was prudent to establish that the current DG could not serve on the committee in the year following his or her year as district governor. This was not a reflection of the current DG.
  3. Election of candidates to the 5 standing committees
    1. Finance
    2. By-laws and Policies
    3. Nominating
    4. Strategic Planning
    5. Education and Leadership Development
  4. The Election of the Primary and Alternate Representatives to the Rotary International Council on Legislation.
I will bring a copy of the current by-laws, the COL Agenda (19 pages) and the Final Ballot.
 
I am happy to remain after the meeting to discuss any and all questions regarding these documents.
 
CLICK HERE to download the District Bylaws
Rotary Minute - Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)RLI
Mesa West is a fantastic and magnificent Rotary Club!  However, we are only one club out of 35,000+ Rotary Clubs worldwide.  Keeping Rotary Clubs vital, interesting and active requires a key ingredient:  Leadership Beyond the Club.  One of the best ways to develop leaders for clubs is to enroll members into the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI).
 
RLI is a grassroots coalition of Rotary districts implementing a leadership development program for "potential" leaders of Rotary CLUBS.
 
RLI has become a worldwide organization with divisions in every continent of the world.
 
RLI is not an official program of Rotary International and is not under its control but has substantial support of RI Presidents and current, past and incoming RI Directors.  Its curriculum is upgraded every 4 years.
 
RLI believes that excellent CLUB leadership (all types of club leaders) is essential to the future of Rotary in our complex and fast-changing world.  Most Rotarians have not been exposed to the great scope of Rotary around the world and have not considered what leadership skills are necessary to move Rotary forward.
 
RLI strongly believes that a good Rotary Club leader must know the evolution of Rotary - it's current status and activities in the world and have a vision for what Rotary can be in the future.  That said, RLI normally holds 3 one-day sessions in both Rotary knowledge and leadership skills.
 
The mission of RLI is to have clubs identify those members with the potential for future club leadership (not necessarily to become club president) and to send them to RLI courses at the club expense.  Any interested Rotarian my attend RLI.
 
The overriding goal of RLI is to create enthusiasm for Rotary and show the great potential of Rotary service and how, with excellent leadership in clubs, the world will benefit.
 
People often ask what the difference is in RLI.
 
RLI is a general education program.  Most Rotary International training programs are "job-specific."  RLI is not PETS, CLA or another District training program.  Graduates of RLI generally bring an enhanced background in Rotary when they do attend programs such as PETS or C.LA.
 
This May 30, RLI will hold its 3 Sessions via Zoom from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon.  If you would like to register for RLI, please send your name, Rotary Club and Session you will be attending to my e-mail, pcady2@cox.net.  This virtual RLI on May 30th is FREE!
 
Polly Cady is currently serving as the RLI Chairperson for Rotary District 5495.  
Today's Chuckle
May is Youth Services Month
Interact
 
Rotaract
 
Youth Exchange
 
RYLA
(Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)
 
Rotary Programs open the world for our youth, while our youth light up the lives of Rotarians!
The Most Efficient Way to Support The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary that enables the amazing work we, as Rotarians, are all proud to be a part of.  Every Rotarian is strongly encouraged to support TRF every year by donating to the General Fund of TRF.  The target gift is $100 per year per member.  That has been the target for a very long time and in the US the average family income has multiplied a few times since that target was set.  Many Rotarians who have the means to do so have set their personal target at the $1,000 per year mark making them eligible for the Paul Harris Society level of donor recognition. 
 
The End Polio Now campaign is a separate fund to which gifts are matched two-for-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Many Rotarians choose to support both the general fund and the fight to end polio.
 
No matter what level you decide to donate, please support the Foundation by giving through Rotary Direct.  CLICK HERE to get answers to commonly asked questions about this program.  DOWNLOAD A FORM to authorize your Rotary Direct donations.  By giving through Rotary direct, the opportunity for human error is eliminated and recognition credit for the Rotarian and their club is much more accurate and timelier.
Support TRVFA
Donations to The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona made through April 15, can be used to qualify for the
Arizona's Credit for Contribution to a Qualifying Charitable Organization for the 2019 or 2020 tax year, but not both!  Their QCO Code is 20698.
 
When everything starts to settle after our current pandemic-related business slow-down is history, some things may never to back to the way they were.  There may well be a shortage of workers that require vocational certifications available to those in low-income groups through TRVFA grants.  Your gift today may help someone have a better tomorrow!  CLICK HERE to donate on-line or CLICK HERE to download a mail-in form.
Upcoming Events
Mesa West Rotary Board Meeting
Teleconference
May 20, 2020 5:30 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
May 21, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
May 28, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jun 04, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jun 11, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Mesa West Rotary Board Meeting
Teleconference
Jun 17, 2020 5:30 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jun 18, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jun 25, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jul 02, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting
Jul 09, 2020
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
View entire list
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Bryan Goetzenberger
May 11
 
Carolyn Jones
May 14
 
Chuck Flint
May 16
 
Ed Koeneman
May 20
 
Greg Bouslog
May 21
 
Spouse Birthdays
David Murphy
May 8
 
Bryan Goetzenberger
May 11
 
Michelle LeCheminant
May 17
 
Anniversaries
Bob Jensen
Nancy Jensen
May 16
 
Shelly Romine
Scotty Romine
May 25
 
Jim LeCheminant
Michelle LeCheminant
May 29
 
Join Date
Amanda Rosenberg
May 1, 2019
1 year
 
Erwin Reimann
May 1, 1988
32 years
 
Jack A. Rosenberg
May 1, 1980
40 years
 
Joan Reimann
May 1, 2017
3 years
 
Shelly Romine
May 1, 2005
15 years
 
Polly Cady
May 6, 2010
10 years
 
Download Files
October, 2019 Mesa West Rotary Calendar
Rotary District 5495 Links
District Links
Rotary Interact District 5495
Rotary District 5495
The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA)
Rotary Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards - RYLA
RYLA Service Project Support
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
Club Service Director
 
Service Projects Director
 
Foundation Director
 
Membership Director
 
Public Image Director
 
Executive Secretary
 
Bulletin Editor
Jeanie Morgan
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