Mesa West Rotary Club has its own Charitable Foundation.  It has its own taxpayer identification number and is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation.  It serves as the fundraising and funding vehicle for our club's charitable activities.  It also has its own set of officers and trustees.  There are five trustees - three terms expiring in odd years and two in even years.  Current board makeup:
 
President - Jim Schmidt
Vice President - (recently vacated by Dan Coons)
Secretary/Treasurer - Allan Cady
Chairman - Chuck Flint
Jim Crutcher (E)
Bob Jensen (O)
Ed Koeneman (O)
Ray Smith (O)
Ron Thompson (E)
 
The relationship between the club and its charitable foundation is defined in governing documents.  "The purpose was to enable donors and supporters to enjoy the benefits of donating to a charitable non-profit organization while supporting the charitable endeavors of the Club.  The charitable and fundraising activities should meet IRS guidelines.  They should also support the Avenues of Service and Areas of Focus of Rotary International.  While donors will have the option to choose among these areas of interest, donor restricted funds involving a requirement from the donor to approve any expenditure of their funds shall be avoided.  If an ongoing project or purpose becomes obsolete, the Board has the right and obligation to remove the designated purpose of those funds so they can be used where the current needs and opportunity to effect positive change exist."
 
"All officers and Trustees must be members in good standing of the Rotary Club of Mesa West.  No one – other than the Chairman of the Board – shall serve more than four total years in succession on this board. In November of each year, the Board shall nominate individuals to serve on the Board and fill terms expiring at the end of the (fiscal) year. Such nominations shall be ratified by the Club board and presented at the Club’s annual meeting (held in December) for approval of the Members. In no case shall someone serve as a Foundation Board member without the approval of a majority of the Directors of the Club."
 
The annual sponsorship campaign that Allan Cady has spearheaded the past few years has brought in over $200,000 of support from members and those in their circles of influence to support our charitable endeavors.
 
In the fiscal year 2021-22 (July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022, the following charitable expenditures were made from the Mesa West Rotary Foundation:
  • Community Service
    • $2,000.00 - Child Crisis Arizona to support their mission of supporting safe environment for children in Arizona.
    • $2,000.00 -  NovaHope Foundation to support their work to enable patient digital access
    • $5,000.00 -  7th Street Food Pantry and Outreach to provide support for their mission of providing food for those in need
    • $3,596.93 - House of Refuge to support the costs of a District Grant improvement project at their facility
    • $2,000.00 - YMCA - to support Holiday and improvement projects at their Mesa facility.
    • $1,048.00 - Was reimbursed to members for expenses related to joint club project to relocate a refugee family
    • $2,677.43 - Was reimbursed to member who purchased bedding supplies for Sleep in Heavenly Peace Rotary Week of Service Project
  • International Service
    • $70,500.00 - Transferred management of funds for a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation to the District Foundation Committee.  The grant development effort was started in 2018 working with Aqua Africa to provide a source of clean water for a community of 20,000 in Kenya
    • $1,000.00 - The Rotary Foundation to support eradication of Polio
    • $1,050.00 - The Rotary Foundation to fund our commitment on a Global Grant in Mexico
    • $2,500.00 - Support installation of environmentally safe latrine systems in community in South Africa
    • $1,015.64 - Reimbursed to a member for out-of-pocket expenses related to Gift of Hearing Mission in Guaymas, Mexico
  • Vocational Service
    • $6,500.00 The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona - to support their mission of providing vocational education grants to those who are at or below 150% of the published poverty levels for Arizona
  • Youth Service
    • $6,000.00 - Rotary District 5495 - to support Interact District Council Crutches 4 Africa mission of delivering mobility devices to those in need in Kenya
    • $2,000.00 - Rotary District 5495 - to support registration of Interact Members to attend RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards).
    • $   120.00 - Rotary District 5495 - to support registration of Interact members for Interact District Conference.
    • $10,000.00 was awarded in scholarships of $2,000 each to five Westwood High School graduates 
    • $     100.00 was awarded to an individual Boy Scout for his Eagle Scout project
    • $     200.00 reimbursed to a member who purchased gift cards to incent Interact member activity
At their most recent board meeting, the Board of Directors of Mesa West Rotary Club approved forwarding a charitable spending budget totaling $65,200.00 for the 2022-23 fiscal year to the Mesa West Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees for their approval.