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President Jim welcomed Rotarians and guests as they arrived early to the Zoom meeting Thursday, May 21.   Those who were early heard Irwin Reimann announce that fellow club-members would likely not see he and Joan again until they return to Arizona in the fall.  Their daughter has a place that she operates in the summer with cabins, etc. in the Black Hills of South Dakota about five miles from Mount Rushmore.  They will be staying in an apartment in an out-building. He said they tell people they are going to spend their summer in a garage.  Cell and internet service are not reliable in the area, so he doubted they would be able to attend our Zoom meetings.

 

After the meeting was called to order, Ray Smith offered the invocation, a duty which apparently kept him from leaving as early as he might have liked on a getaway to the mountains.

 

Shelly Romine provided the patriotic moment when she spoke about the Payroll Protection Plan (PPP) loans she has been busy processing.  She has a background as a CPA, and it has felt a bit like she was reliving tax season. The loans are processed through the Small Business Administration (SBA) and US Treasury Department.  PPP is part of the relief enacted through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act which was passed into law on March 27.  The bank where Shelly works, Horizon Community Bank, had processed 601 PPP loans from April 3 to May 4.  That resulted in loans totaling over $64,000,000, with an average loan amount of $107,000, and helped businesses cover payroll for over 8,500 employees.  

 

Melissa Stuckey was welcomed as a guest at our meeting. She and her husband, Jay were our speakers on May 14.  Also welcomed to the meeting was Assistant Governor, Lee Holmes.

 

President Jim said that when he took on the role of club President and made the Rotary Vision Statement his own, he had no idea the new meaning "unite" would take on - using technology to retain groups.  He pointed out that we are united with the world in different ways, including how our decades-long focus on the eradication of polio was temporarily set aside to use our network and resources to aid in combating the coronavirus.  In our own Rotary District, the per capita death rate from the virus in the Navajo Nation is extremely high.  Dig Deep, who has partnered with Rotary to provide running water in remote homes on the reservation, has placed water trucks in locations throughout the community to minimize the necessity of too many people gathering in tight quarters to access this precious resource.

 

Rotary International will hold their first virtual International Convention June 20-26.  Rotarians throughout the world will be able to hear dynamic convention speakers without having to pay for lodging, registration and travel.  CLICK HERE to see current information about this opportunity as the plans evolve.

 

Our district is represented by leaders who are participating in a study in our Zone to come up with ways to advise clubs when and how to come back to meeting in person.  It is very likely Zoom meetings will continue through June.  Rotary will proceed very cautiously.  A great new team of Rotary leaders will take the helm on July 1 as Rotary adapts and changes leaders during these difficult times.

 

We are told Angel Hernandez cried after the parade of Rotarians left his house. He said he was very surprised and very grateful for all Rotarians do. Also, he really wanted to give each person in the parade a hug but knew he couldn’t because of the social distance rules. Rotary holds a place in his heart. He hopes he can visit Mesa West while he is studying at ASU.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clara found a love for service through Interact club at school by volunteering at a football game concession stand three years ago. Since then, she has been a dedicated member of Interact and two other service clubs at school. Clara is an International Baccalaureate student who spends her free time riding horses, drinking lots of coffee, and collecting way too many stickers. She played varsity badminton at Westwood and was a team captain in the 2019-2020 school year. She graduated with the Service-Learning Seal on her diploma as part of the top 20 students in her class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hannah Mason is a girl on the go.  While at  Westwood she was a student in the International Baccalaureate program, a two-year Varsity tennis player, three-year member of NHS and a four-year member of the Warrior Marching Band, where she served the last two years as a drum major. However, it was her experience through Westwood's Interact club that impacted her the most.  She joined Interact her Sophomore year and was selected as one of the Club's 2018 RYLA delegates.  Her experience at RYLA was transformative and she came back not only as a committed member of the 'Rotary family' with a new found passion for service, but also with a vision of what she wanted to do after high school. She was elected as an officer for Interact the last two years, including this past year as President, and did her best to lead amid dynamic personal challenges in the Fall and the unprecedented events of this past Spring.  She also has served as an Assistant Governor in the Interact District Council  for two years and was accepted as a 2019 District 5495 Interact Ambassador to Kenya.  She found the trip to Kenya to be life-changing and further focused her career ambitions.  She is still debating between two universities, but in both cases aims to study nonprofit management and public policy with an emphasis on international service.  Her goal is to graduate with her Master's within 6 years then serve the next two in the Peace Corp, hopefully returning to Kenya.  

 

 

 

Mia is a recent graduate from Westwood High School and their International Baccalaureate program. During her time at Westwood, she was actively involved in badminton, Model United Nations, National Honors Society, and Interact club. In her free time, Mia enjoys reading, writing about her favorite music, and playing the guitar. She will continue her education in the fall at Arizona State University to study journalism and mass communications.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Naomi Sellers will attend Yale University this fall to pursue a global studies degree. In addition to excelling academically and being named the Arizona International Baccalaureate DP Student of the Year, Naomi invested a lot of her time and energy to clubs and extracurricular activities during her high school years. Aside from participating in Westwood High School’s Interact club and the service opportunities it promoted, Naomi was a co-founder and Executive Team Member of the Young Athena club and President of Little Warriors, a monthly afterschool program at Emerson Elementary School. Naomi also served as the secretary for the National Honor Society. Naomi participated in Westwood’s Link Crew to help new students acclimate to Westwood and was selected to represent Westwood as the school’s student liaison to the District School Board. Naomi loves to dance and was a member of the Dance Production Team her senior year. Naomi also loves working with children and co-led a children’s program at her church for two years. Naomi is also an active participant her church’s youth group. When not studying, dancing, serving, or playing with kids, Naomi enjoys being outdoors, hiking, playing board games, working on any kind of creative project, and snuggling with her dog.

 

 

 

 

 

To see an album of photos taken the day the gifts were delivered to these and six other Westwood High School Interact 2020 Graduates CLICK HERE.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.