Pam Cohen, who was presiding in the absence of President, Chris Krueger, opened the meeting by asking Bert Millett to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. She thanked Steve Ross for serving as Greeter, welcoming Rotarians and guests to the meeting.
Ray Smith led everyone present in singing two verses of "He's Got the Whole World In His Hands." Pam, standing in front of the podium so she would obscure everyone's view of the 2018-19 Rotary International theme banner, asked if anyone knew the theme. John Pennypacker readily answered, "Be the Inspiration."
Guests
Polly Cady introduced their guests from New Zealand: Colin Nagle and his daughter, Carla Hechler. Erwin and Joan Reiman, who are on the path to becoming Mesa West Rotary Club members were again introduced as Rotarian guests from Rapid City, South Dakota. Harry Short was introduced as a visiting Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Seattle Washington and the Kyrene Rotary Club in Tempe, AZ. Scott Morris was welcomed as a former member who moved out of state, but is now back in our area and working at Gateway Bank. Melody Jackson introduced visitor, Gabriela Warrant, as a potential member. John Pennypacker introduced Jerry Abrams who was visiting from the Commonwealth of Virginia. Jerry is a graduate of Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Pam thanked those who helped at the greeters table filling in for Aubrey who was not feeling well and unable to attend.
Drawings
Dr. Ron Thompson was the lucky $5 winner in the weekly attendance drawing. Chuck Flint explained that when raffle tickets are sold, 33 1/3 goes to the holder of the ticket drawn; 33 1/3 goes to the club for administrative expenses, and 33 1/3 gets added to the accumulating pot that will be the prize of the person who one day draws the ace of clubs from the dwindling deck. Each week when a card (that is not the ace of clubs) is drawn, that card is destroyed. In the weekly raffle, Lola McClane held the ticket drawn, but her luck did not hold out. When she attempted to draw the ace of clubs so she could take home the accumulating winnings, she drew the seven of hearts, instead.
Happy Bucks
John Pennypacker was happy to have Jerry visiting in his home. Jerry is the brother of John's son-in-law. John was also happy that 62 years ago on April 18, the Army Aviation Association was formed. John joined a few years later. Lola McClane was happy to have won, was happy to be at the meeting, and happy she remembered to bring her badge with her as she had worn it home the prior week. Allan Cady was happy to report he took advantage of an opportunity to go parasailing when he and Polly were vacationing in Cabo San Lucas. Allan was also happy that they had recently celebrated Polly's birthday. Polly explained a little more about their guests. Colin's son, Aaron (who did not get to travel to the US this trip) was an exchange student in Polly's home when she was a District 5500 Rotarian in Yuma. Carla was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Brazil, and her twin brother was a RYE student in Wickenburg, Arizona. None of the three siblings and former YE students are Rotarians - yet. Tim Troy was out of town last week on his birthday, but he made a birthday contribution anyway. Ray Smith was happy tax season was over for this year. Penny May contributed $2 with an actual $2 bill. She was happy to be heading home to Alaska, but also very happy she would be back in September. Dick Myren contributed $1 honoring Rod Daniels' tradition of being happy to be a member of Mesa West Rotary. Rod just completed his 60th year of preparing tax returns, and donated $60 to the RI Foundation for Polio Plus. Steve Ros was happy to announce he would be leaving for an extended vacation in Europe and would be enjoying time with his Son while there. Pam said she thought Steve should get extra credit for picking up the greeter table materials from Aubrey so we would have them at the meeting. She was also happy to see Scott and invited him to start the process of coming back into the club. Allan's parasailing story reminded Pam that she went parasailing when she was seven months pregnant with Alex. Alex was born early soon after that adventure. Alex wanted out of there!
Announcements
Spring Olympics planning crew needs a headcount of who will be there. See separate article in this newsletter for link to respond.
Allan Cady reported that with donations and commitments to date, the Sponsorship Program should bring in more than $45,000. He is hopeful in the last couple of weeks remaining that we will go over $50,000.
Allan Cady also reminded Rotarians to RSVP to their No Ball Ball invitation. He said that just 45% of Mesa West members have participated in the sponsorship drive so far. Coons (aka team Ribeye) is out in front so far, but being challenged by team Krueger.
Program
Harry Short was introduced to present the program. He is an honorary charter member of the Kyrene Rotary Club in Tempe, but is an active member of the Seattle Rotary Club. The Seattle club is a huge club with over 450 members.
Harry got hooked on the program to eradicate malaria when he had the opportunity to travel with a pilot project to Uganda. He has a history of active volunteerism. He is an active advocate for Rotarian Malaria Partners. He has also volunteered with Rotary Microcredit, Boy Scouts, United Way, Food Bank, and Habitat for Humanity. He worked forty years with Rogers Corporation. They moved him from Connecticut to Arizona where he lived six blocks from work.
Malaria is a deadly single-celled parasite that can survive only in human blood and the stomach of certain mosquitos. Rotaria Malaria Partners (RMP) began as a centennial project of 4 Seattle Rotary Clubs in 2009. They became a 501(c)(3) in 2013 to connect with multiple Rotary Clubs and NGO's to broaden their fundraising and capacity. Their vision is to eliminate malaria worldwide. More than 100 Rotary Clubs across the US and Africa are project partners so far. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation became a partner in 2018 and 2019.
Malaria is transmitted by the bite of a female mosquito after it has bitten an infected person. Mosquitoes typically only live 2-3 weeks. They are active from dusk through dawn. They breed in standing water, and their eggs become adults in a week.
The first step to eliminate malaria is to stop its transmission. This is done by avoiding mosquitoes. The first line of defense is insecticide treated bednets which remain effective up to three years. They repel mosquitoes and provide a physical barrier to them. The second line of defense is to coat the inside walls of homes with a residual insecticide that incapacitates them. It is safe for humans, and takes about an hour to apply. Drying time is less than three hours and it lasts 6-12 months. It is effective if people stay indoors from dusk to sunrise. To eliminate malaria from a population the bed nets and residual spraying has to be combined with education while simultaneously curing those who have malaria utilizing early detection, rapid diagnosis and effective treatment. Preventive measures need to be employed with pregnant women and the whole population needs to be monitored. It is essential to have an army of community health workers.
Harry explained the evolution of grants utilized beginning with a matching grant but evolving into later phases with competitive grants. The next Copperbelt Global Grant Phase I will be for $270K, reaching 250K population in Zambia. It will be a very comprehensive project with training of Village Health Workers. The Rotary Club of Federal Way would be the lead international club and the project would be Rotarian Malaria Partners largest project yet.
Getting started in Uganda - Phase 1, $190, 000 grant served 48,000 beneficiaries from 8,000 rural farm families. Village chiefs were enlisted to aid in community communication and education. Through employing bednets and residual spraying, there was an 83% reduction of malaria cases from November 2016 to November 2017 going from more than 50% infected to less than 5%. 33 US and Ugandan clubs contributed to the global grant.
Each new grant employs proven methods of prevention and protection, proven methods of measuring outcomes, and increased ability to effectively train village health workers. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation grant provides some ability to hire trained staff as well as incentivize donations.
Harry's final slide asked "What Can You Do?"
Become a Rotarian Malaria Partner Rotary Club
Commit to contribute to a new Global Grant
Initiate a large project and apply for matches
Initiate a small project and apply for RMP grant
Get RMP help to find a host country Rotary Club partner
Become an individual Rotarian Malaria Partner
Commit a direct contribution to a new Global Grant
Contribute directly to Rotarian Malaria Partners
Go visit a project in Africa with a small group
Trips have included national parks and game viewing
During questions following the presentation, some confusing information was stated about the polio eradication efforts worldwide. Following the meeting, John Pennypacker sent a link to a site that can be counted on for current accurate information. CLICK HERE to view that site and consider adding it to your "favorites."
Immunization saves millions of lives every year. Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Yet outbreaks of diseases that vaccinations could prevent continue to put children's health at risk throughout the world. Rotary knows firsthand that Vaccines Work. We've contributed more than $1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children from polio. Take action and help Rotary spread the word about the importance of vaccination during World Immunization Week April 24-30.
You can contribute in a couple of easy ways:
Use a purple marker or nail polish to paint your pinkie finger - or your nails. Post your picture on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter using the hashtags #EndPolio and #VaccinesWork.
Make a donation to End Polio Now and your donation will be tripled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Plan to attend the Mesa West Rotary at their Spring Olympics Saturday, April 27, 2019. Practice opportunities will be available at 5:30. Dinner will be served at 6:00, and games will begin at 7:00.
John and Jane Benedict will again be our Grand Hosts and the Gilbert Basketball Team will keep us all honest!
The cost is $10, but for members who pay full dues, the event is free. Sodas, water, and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided, but Rotarians can feel free to bring their own favorite beverages. Coolers will be available for chilling bottles and for drinks. CLICK HERE to download the event flyer. To RSVP, send an e-mail to Pam Cohen.
Our sponsorship program for this Rotary Year is drawing to a close. If you've not yet solicited a sponsor or contributed to the campaign, now is the time. For the past two years, our club has elected to solicit sponsorship donations from members and their networks rather than invest the time it takes to plan and carry out a major fundraising event. For fun, and to remind members to not let their sponsorship campaign team down by failing to respond, invitations were sent to members to the "No Ball Ball" steak and beans event which will be hosted Saturday, May 11, at the home of President Chris Krueger. The invitation contained a computation page and an RSVP card. If you've not yet computed what your contribution should be or sent your RSVP, CLICK HERE to download a copy of the key invitation, computation and RSVP elements. You can send an e-mail to Aubrey with a commitment to be billed for your contribution as well as let her know if you plan to attend.
Through The Rotary Foundation, we expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
Rotary programs improve women’s access to skilled health personnel: doctors, nurses, midwives, or community health care workers.
Rotary provides education, immunizations, birth kits, and mobile health clinics. Women are taught how to prevent mother-to-infant HIV transmission, how to breast-feed, and how to protect themselves and their children from disease.
Pam Cohen, who was presiding in the absence of President, Chris Krueger, opened the meeting by asking Bert Millett to offer the invocation and Warren Williamson to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. She thanked Steve Ross for serving as Greeter, welcoming Rotarians and guests to the meeting..png)
Immunization saves millions of lives every year. Vaccination is one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions. Yet outbreaks of diseases that vaccinations could prevent continue to put children's health at risk throughout the world. Rotary knows firsthand that Vaccines Work. We've contributed more than $1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2.5 billion children from polio. Take action and help Rotary spread the word about the importance of vaccination during World Immunization Week April 24-30.
Plan to attend the Mesa West Rotary at their Spring Olympics Saturday, April 27, 2019. Practice opportunities will be available at 5:30. Dinner will be served at 6:00, and games will begin at 7:00. 
Our sponsorship program for this Rotary Year is drawing to a close. If you've not yet solicited a sponsor or contributed to the campaign, now is the time. For the past two years, our club has elected to solicit sponsorship donations from members and their networks rather than invest the time it takes to plan and carry out a major fundraising event. For fun, and to remind members to not let their sponsorship campaign team down by failing to respond, invitations were sent to members to the "No Ball Ball" steak and beans event which will be hosted Saturday, May 11, at the home of President Chris Krueger. The invitation contained a computation page and an RSVP card. If you've not yet computed what your contribution should be or sent your 
No - It's Past President Allan Cady parasailing in Cabo San Lucas despite an intense fear of heights. We are told alcohol was not involved.
Through The Rotary Foundation, we expand access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
