Highlights of July 27 Meeting

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLICK HERE or on the images to see the slides used during this portion of the meeting.

 

Mesa West Rotary is a club of People of Action.  Those who have accepted leadership position this year are:

 

The Mesa West Rotary Foundation board reviewed what we hoped to do.  They have approved a charitable spending budget of $73,000.  We will be volunteering in the community.  The board wants to hear from members about where some of our community service budget should go.  Some speakers ask for donations.  Each quarter members will have seven days to vote on which charity we give $500 to.

 

The International Service budget is up 27% from last year.  The increase will help us fund a needed audiology clinic in Guaymas.

 

The vocational service budget will remain the same.

 

Youth Services Spending is up considerably.

 

Membership - Polly said the commitee is not the only group in the club to bring new members in.  They are looking for ideas on where and how to publicize Mesa West Rotary in the community.  We should invite some of our speakers to join.  Members should invite people as guests who they feel would make good Rotarians.  If unsure how to go about that, the membership committee will be glad to offer suggestions.  Dick Myren commented that there was an excellent article in the Rotary magazine about maintaining membership.  He strongly urged members to look it up and read it.

 

Ed Koeneman was standing in for Kayla Mudge.  He said we have both Instagram and Facebook accounts.  We want to get the word out and increase our visibility.  They will work on developing a photo archive.  They hope to publish member spotlights and new member spotlights.  They are also looking into Volunteer t-shirts - something you can get down and dirty wearing.

 

Community Service- Shelly Romine has volunteered to insure we do monthly service projects.  In April - Maternal and Child Health Month - during our club assembly we will be making blankets to be given to Children's Hospital.

 

Colleen joined Mesa Leadership so she could help our club better.  July 26 was the first gathering of this year's class of participants.  The first person Colleen met was a business owner.  When Colleen explained what we were going to try to accomplish with McKinny Vento, he was immediately intrigued.  His own family had economic challenges as he was growing up.  His youngest sister did not graduate high school.

 

Ray Smith reported that the Guaymas Hearing Mission is slated for November 8.  They will be taking vans again this year.  Participants will be given a choice.  Come back to Arizona on Saturday after a hard days work on Friday.  Or - stay and have a play day on Saturday and come back to Arizona on Sunday.

 

Alan and Polly will again represent Mesa West at the US Mexico Friendship Conference.  They have attended at least three conferences in the past and have become fast friends with a Rotary couple from Ori'Zaba Mexico.  The conference will be in Prescott this year in late October.  Grant projects are presented and Allan will have a budget of how much he can available to commit to support one or more projects. 

 

A final International project will be our participation in a global grant initiated by Phoenix Rotary 100 to save mothers and children in Kenya.

 

Vocational service will be 6.8% of the total budget.  We hope to bring in some recipients to share their stories.  Logan had the opportunity to observe one recipient being interviewed.  He said it was extremely moving.

 

54.1% of the total charitable spending budget will be dedicated to Youth Services.

 

The McKinney Vento project will need a significant budget the first year.  It is hoped that - over time - funds to support the project in future years will be gathered from sources beyond our club.

 

We have been approved for a district grant to purchase shelving and equipment to help the Working Warriors at Westwood High School better sort, store, and distribute the items that are donated to them by Amazon to provide them to organizations in the school system and community who serve those in need.  The program teaches career readiness.

 

Ten Westwood HS Interact Members and four McKinney Vento students will be sponsored by Mesa West Rotary to attend Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).  Attending RYLA helps participants learn to like themselves, which improves mental and emotional health.  

 

We will be sponsoring two inbound and two outbound youth exchange students.  In addition, we will be housing students not sponsored by Mesa West.  Our club continues to embrace and support the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.

 

When Ed Koeneman was club President, he went to visit the Westwood High School Interact Club.  At that time, Andrea Murphy was the faculty sponsor.  She told Ed she knew of a freshman who needed to go to RYLA.  That is when Ed met Colton Cagle.  Colton attended RYLA as a Freshman and went back as a Junior Counselor when he was a Sophomore.  Colton was President of the Westwood HS Interact Club during his Sophomore and Junior years.  He was an Ambassador on the Interact Crutches 4 Africa trip during the summer between his Junior and Senior Year.  During his Senior Year, Colton served as Interact District Governor.  Following graduation, Colton waited a year before starting college so he could go on a Rotary Youth Exchange trip to Holland.  He had to come home early in the spring of 2020 due to COVID.  In the fall of 2020, Mesa West awarded a $2,000 scholarship which Colton used to purchase a computer to use during his college years.  He stayed active in Rotary volunteer activities helping with Virtual RYLAs during COVID isolation.  He became involved in Rotaract and helped revive the Phoenix Community club where he currently serves as President.  Colton was presented with Mesa West's first $2,000 Rotaract scholarship which he will use to help with his final semester at ASU.  He will graduate in December with zero student loan debt.  

 

Colton expressed tremendous gratitude.  Mesa West Rotary has been part of his journey since he was fifteen.  He has learned very well that one can achieve their dreams while helping others fulfil theirs.

 

Josephine Sili and Adrian Bojorquez provided a report on their Interact Ambassador trip to Mexico.  After showing brief videos, Josephine, who was team captain on Day 5 - said the trip changed her outlook on life.  She is from a low-income family.  Before going on the trip, she was always aware of what she did not have.  Since going to Mexico, she sees what she does have.  Those in Mexico were genuinely grateful for what they have.  It has helped her focus on her own life with a more positive attitude.  Someone noticed the purse Josephine had with her.  It was made by Son Hee Williamson.  They took several with them to give to children in wheelchairs.  

 

Adrian was team captain on day 6.  He shared that 7.4% of the population in Mexico is disabled.  There is no ADA.  ALEM (the organization they helped) allows people in wheelchairs to have a job.  ALEM gives them back their dignity.  They provide a service to the community that cannot afford to upgrade their wheelchairs.  He said that before his trip to Mexico, he was unaware of ADA.  In Mexico those with disabilities were looked down on as "nothing."   He was proud to have been a small part of the restoration of dignity for those.  It changed his perspective.  In working beside those who were disabled, they developed a sincere interest in each other.  It will forever change the way he relates to those who are challenged.

 

Frank Rosenberg announced a sendoff party for Sam - a pizza party on August 3.  He also announced that he is attending school full time in Flagstaff to be a Nurse Practitioner.  As part of his experiential studies, he is working in a mobile RV providing services to the homeless community in Flagstaff where the winters are really cold.  He will be collecting warm sweatpants in large sizes as well as warm socks and underwear during August to be distributed in the areas where he is working.

 

Jim Erickson said Mesa West had won the annual District award - a travelling trophy - for being the top giving club in the District in 2022-23 both in total giving and per capita giving to Polio Plus.  He declined taking the trophy home.

 

At the August Club Assembly, we will hear from John Pennypacker about goals in supporting The Rotary Foundation.

 

Don LaBarge said he is honored to be Colleen's advisor.  He said AG Dan Coons told him it is not possible to change Colleen's mind so his work is cut out for him.