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The 2026 MWRC Spring Olympics event was a great success! There was great food and fellowship. Also, tons of nonperishable food was collected for the food bank. And as usual, the games were highly competitive, yet lots of fun. Here are this year’s medal winners:
 
 
Women’s
Men’s
Doubles
Gold
Melody Jackson
Jay Paulus
Jay & Liz Paulus
Silver
Colleen Coons
Andy Bradford
Andy Bradford & Kayla Mudge
Bronze
Liz Paulus
Jim Schmidt
Jim and Roselyn Schmidt
 
Liz left early, so we had to put stand-ins in the photos.
 

 
 
President Kayla Mudge opened the meeting, Deb Koeneman led the Pledge of Allegiance, and John Pennypacker gave a Thought of the Day.
 
“Lord, I hate buttermilk.”
And “Lord, I hate lard.”
“And Lord, you know I don’t much care for raw white flour.”
“But Lord, when you mix them all together and bake them, I do love warm, fresh biscuits.”
"So Lord, when things come up that we don’t like,
When life gets hard,
When we don’t understand what you’re saying to us, help us to just relax and wait until you are done mixing.
It will probably be even better than biscuits. Amen”
 
Within that prayer, there is great wisdom for all when it comes to complicated situations like we are experiencing in the world today. Stay strong, my friends, because our life is being mixed with lots of things that we don’t care for…….. relax and wait until the mixing is done.
 
To continue, click on the blue "Read More" to the right below!!

Contributed by Colleen Coons

Mesa West Rotary proudly showed up in support of the AZ250 Traveling Museum at the Red Mountain Library, celebrating Arizona’s rich history and Rotary’s commitment to being a strong community partner in the AZ250 initiative.

President-Elect Connie Bunyard, along with Eric Silverberg, Machal Constadine, Colleen Coons, and Melody Jackson, staffed the Mesa West Rotary booth with energy, fellowship, and a welcoming Rotary spirit. Thanks to PE Connie’s creative vision, our booth featured a branded photo experience that quickly became a highlight of the event. Community members were excited to stop, take pictures, and learn more about who we are and how we serve.

The results speak for themselves:

  •  29 guests received personal follow-up emails with their photos attached

  •  10 people signed up to receive the Mesa West Rotary newsletter

  •  A membership conversation is already scheduled over lunch

This is what meaningful engagement looks like—turning conversations into connections and connections into future Rotarians and friends of Rotary.

Our presence at the AZ250 Traveling Museum reflects how Mesa West Rotary is actively supporting the statewide celebration and partnering with the City of Mesa and Mesa Public Library to bring history, service, and community together. It was a perfect opportunity to share Rotary’s story, invite others into our impact, and demonstrate that Rotary is an essential part of Arizona’s future as well as its legacy.

A heartfelt thank-you to everyone who helped make the day such a success. Because of your teamwork, creativity, and follow-through, Mesa West Rotary’s visibility and momentum in the community continue to grow.

People of Action—supporting AZ250, building connections, and creating the future together.


 
Mesa West Rotary Club's volunteer service vests were very visible the evening of November 8 after the Gift of Hearing 2023 volunteers arrived at their destination and were enjoying an evening meal.
 
After returning to Arizona Sunday, Erica Williams expressed appreciation for all the volunteer hours invested in this year's mission.  She reported 232 patients were served, again making an impact for the hearing health of the Guaymas community.  True to the Rotary Service above Self motto, Rodolfo will continue to travel back a few times during the year for mini clinics to help meet needs until next November.  She said they have been training the Mexican doctors on some of the more advanced testing needs as well to bring back to their community.  
 
Erica said they are targeting the same week/weekend for 2024, with more information to follow in the future.  CLICK HERE for a link to an article Bob Jensen came across to reflect about why the team does what they do.
 
If you haven't already seen the reel about the project that was posted on our club's Facebook page, CLICK HERE or on the image  to view it.  
 
 
As most of you know, Arizona has a very unique state tax credit program.  If you pay taxes to the state of Arizona, you can specify where your tax dollars go (state taxes only).  These instructions are for your reference only.  Please consult a tax prep professional with any specific questions about state tax credits.

There are many different nonprofit organizations that AZ recognizes as authorized recipients of these tax funds.  Mesa West sponsors the Interact Club at Westwood High School, and they are a qualified recipient of these tax credit funds in the Extra Curricular Activities (ECA) category.  Here's how you can donate up to $200 as an individual or $400 as a couple filing jointly and deduct that amount from your state tax burden.

Go to https://westwood.mpsaz.org/page/eca/ and click on the link to pay on the district's website. 
Or go straight to https://mpsaz.sites.thrillshare.com/o/mpsaz/page/pay-donate  in lower right, click on Pay Online


If you have children currently enrolled in Mesa Public Schools, you can use your existing login information.  Otherwise, it's easy to setup a guest account.

Once you are logged in, select 'Items At All Schools' under the 'Shop/Donate' list on the Home page.

On the next page select 'High Schools', then select 'Westwood High'

Select the link for 'ECA Tax Credit', and then 'Programs G-K' on the following page.

Interact - ECA is under code 8646.  Enter a dollar amount in the box, and click the Add button.  That dollar amount should then appear in your cart (highlighted in green at the top of the page).

You can then proceed to the Checkout process and pay with a credit card.  You will receive a receipt that you can print out and save for when you do your taxes.

Thank you for supporting Westwood Interact and all of our youth programs.
As Rotarians, we are regularly exposed to opportunities to support various causes with our time, talent and treasure.  Sometimes it is hard to sift through all the information and decide where we are going to use our available financial resources. 
 
It would be wonderful if every Mesa West Rotarian would make the following BIG FOUR their Rotary charities of choice and support every one of them every year, we could make a bigger difference than we are making today.
 
Club Information
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Mesa West!
Mesa West

Transforming Communities, 
Creating Opportunities, 
Impacting Youth

We meet In Person & Online
Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.
Via Zoom or in-person
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85900479873
Doubletree, 1011 W Holmes
Mesa, AZ 85210
United States of America
Our hybrid meetings are held weekly on the 1st thru 4th Thursdays of each month. The meetings are broadcast via Zoom to include all, whether attending virtually or in person. NOTE: The meeting location is accessible.
Club Executives & Directors
Executive Secretary/Director
President
President Elect
Secretary
Treasurer
Director '26
Director '26
Director '27
Director '27
Director '27
Club Service Chair
Membership Chair
Programs Chair
Public Image Chair
Public Image
Rotary Foundation Chair
Sergeant-at-Arms
Vocational Service Chair
Youth Services Chair
Mesa West Foundation President
Mesa West Foundation Vice Pres.
Mesa West Foundation Secretary
Mesa West Foundation Treasurer
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Mesa West Foundation Trustee
Speakers
Aspire Academy
Apr 23, 2026
No Meeting - DARK
Apr 30, 2026
Dr Richard Daniel
May 07, 2026
Mesa Community College
Connie Bunyard
May 14, 2026
Club Assembly
Sandrine Coniau
May 21, 2026
Craig McGinnis
Jun 11, 2026
Salt River Project
Colleen Coons
Jul 09, 2026
Rotary International Conference in taipei
Club Social Event
Jul 30, 2026
Upcoming Events
 
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