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.
President Colleen reminded those present of the current year's theme, the Rotary International vision and Mesa West Rotary's true north:
Dick Myren offered the invocation.
President Colleen led the Pledge of Allegiance
Appreciation was expressed for
Steve Ross who served as greeter
Chuck Flint for managing the raffle
Jack Rosenberg who filled in at the sign-in table for Diane Ware who was vacationing in Hawaii
Ron Thompson, our Sgt at Arms
Ed Koeneman for managing our technology
Introduction of Guests
Jullian Haefs was introduced as a guest for the second week in a row. Colleen asked her to share a little about herself. A bit of what she shared is that she earned a Masters in Business from ASU. She works for a firm based in Tempe and resides in Mesa.
Bert Millett was welcomed as though he were a guest - it had been some time since he's been able to attend our club meeting.
Those who were attending via Zoom were acknowledged: Machel Considine, Lu and Wayne General, Melodie Jackson, Bob Jensen, Jeanie Morgan and Diane Ware.
Ace of Clubs Raffle - Chuck Flint
Chuck explained that the daily pot would be $35, and the large pot was up to $1,015. He said that now that the large pot is over $1,000 visitors can no longer purchase raffle tickets. He asked Jillian, our guest, to draw the winning ticket. John Pennypacker's ticket was drawn. The shuffled the cards like a pro, but the card he drew from the cards remaining in the deck was the Ten of Spades.
Happy Bucks - Ron Thompson
Warren Williamson started with a story about Dr. Ron when he was at a dental convention a few years ago. He had gone to the bar before dinner to share drinks with some friends. While at the bar ordering drinks for his party, he noticed a young woman across from him and asked if he could order something for her. She loudly responded, "What do you think I am?" After Ron rejoined his friends while everyone in the bar stared at him, the young lady approached his table and apologized explaining she was a psych student working on a project, to which Ron loudly responded, "$250???"
Ed Koeneman was happy the Westwood High School Interact Club was going to have a float in the Columbus Day Parade. Don LaBarge is going to let them use his flatbed and Ed will drive Don's truck.
Dick Myren contributed his traditional $2 for his and Honorary Member Rod Daniels' good fortune of being members of the Ace of Clubs.
Jack Rosenberg contributed, but your editor was unable to hear what he was happy about.
Don LaBarge was happy saying it was the best dessert he'd enjoyed at a meeting for a while. He also contributed begging for forgiveness for the fact that he had signed up as greeter and failed to show up and perform the task.
John Pennypacker contributed $20 of his winnings to support the Guaymas hearing mission.
Deb Koeneman contributed - she was happy for the good times she has enjoyed with Rotary Youth Exchange students this year.
Harry Grossman contributed half what he normally contributes to celebrate his birthday. He contributed the other half at the Sedona Village Club that morning. Mesa West was his second Rotary meeting of the day. He said he's always the same age inside his brain. Each year is special and precious. You only live once. Don't regret growing older - it's a privilege denied to many.
Pam Cohen was happy to be seated next to the birthday boy. She blew a head gasket on her engine. She finally got her car back but left a big sum with the shop that repaired it.
Harry Grossman took the mic back to announce that Saturday, September 23 Sedona would be hosting an even for all the exchange students in our district. Mesa West members would be welcome to bring a pot luck dish to share and enjoy the festivities. He had put instructions on the tables, and hoped to see some of his Mesa West friends there.
Jim Erickson contributed some sad bucks - something about "ugly Cardinals..."
Via Zoom, Bob Jensen pledged $100 for the Guaymas hearing mission. In the Mesa Baseline club, they were fined if they didn't remember special events in their lives. Bob had celebrated his 74th birthday two days earlier. His Grandson's birthday was the 12th, and his son's birthday was the 15th. They went to Flagstaff for a couple of days to celebrate.
President Colleen contributed. She was happy her son, Ryan, had just called to announce a small bonus he received, and was glad his employer liked her son. Nicolas is now married and will be moving back from Las Vegas to Stevenson Ranch. Her sons are now 23 and 24. She is happy they now call to have actual conversations. She was also happy to have the opportunity to serve as our Club President. The position has made her move out of her normally shy mode of operation. The experience prepared her for a role she recently filled moderating a panel discussion about entrepreneurship and mental health.
Don Boucher contributed to celebrate his and Sharon's 15th Anniversary September 26. On a more somber note, he informed members and guests that a member of the department he served in when he was with the LAPD had been ambushed at an intersection. Don said there have been 83 ambushes of policemen in the country this year. 101 have been shot and 15 killed.
Announcements
John Pennypacker said there was a flyer on the table telling how to sign up for My Rotary. If you want, you can email John and he will send you a link to sign up on-line. Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) is a goal where all Rotarians challenged to give at least $100 each year to the annual fund of The Rotary Foundation. If you have a My Rotary account, though that account you can sign up to have $10/month charged to a credit card to easily and relatively painlessly do your part in meeting that goal. Our club's participation in meeting the EREY goal is a factor in qualifying for and receiving District Grants to do good in our own community.
President Colleen made several announcements:
She showed members the new "rack cark" which she thanked Pam Cohen for creating. It will be used to hand out at public events we participate in to raise awareness of our club and the impact we make. CLICK HERE to view the rack card, which is 11" tall.
She is applying to Meta for a grant to provide headsets to the Mesa Library. Mets wants to make a grant to benefit the library, but cannot give directly to the library. They need to donate through a non-profit.
Our October 21 Service Project will be a partnership with Superstition Mount Rotary Club. We have to decide on a menu and prepare and serve a meal to approximately 150 homeless individuals in Apache Junction. There will be three shifts available to prepare, serve, and cleanup.
Polo signed up to be a basketball player at the Scottsdale Boys and Girls Club event.
Colleen reminded members of the Peace Pole rededication that would take place at MCC the afternoon of the meeting.
The September 28 meeting will be our monthly Assembly day. At the assembly, we will learn more about the district's Five Avenues of Service Award. Colleen's plan for our club is that we will accomplish all of them.
At the Assembly, Colleen will be auctioning something she purchased at the duty-free shop before coming back to Arizona following the Crutches for Africa trip to Mexico.
Program - Angelese Calderon - Eagle Pathway
Because of the epidemic of homelessness combined with her own personal experience, Angelese felt compelled to do something to make a difference. Her own parents were divorced. She lived in an environment of a parent with cocaine addiction. There was abuse. There were suicide attempts. She dropped out of school to raise her siblings. She was never in foster care, but she could relate to the issues foster care children face - especially those aging out of foster care. Because they are often transferred from home to home, they don't have solid connections and role models. The goal of Eagle Pathway is to break the cycle and support an affordable living environment when they age out.
There are lots of gaps in the system. They try to provide mentorship to help them connect with available resources and learn about the rights that are available to them.
CLICK HERE to see the slides Angelese shared when making her presentation. It contains some statistics and illustrates what they try to accomplish through their 501(c)(3) which is a Qualifying Charitable Organization for Arizona Tax Credit.
Colleen presented Angelese with a token of our appreciation.
The meeting ended earlier than anticipated giving Warren Williamson another opportunity to entertain with some musical humor. Warren suggested the best representation of The Preacher and the Bear song which he sang would be to hear the New Christy Minstrels sing it. CLICK HERE to hear their rendition.
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 Arizona 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.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Annual Fund - The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world." Giving a small amount each month adds up. CLICK HERE to download a form you can use to sign up for Rotary Direct, electing "Annual Fund - Share" for your recurring donation.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) Polio Plus - Rotary's commitment to eradicate polio is so well known and respected that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation matches donations $2 for $1. To take advantage of this opportunity to multiply the effect of your giving, CLICK HERE and download a second Rotary Direct form, this time electing electing "Polio Eradication" for your recurring donations. Those who donate $100 or more annually to Polio Plus qualify in District 5495 as Polio Plus Society Members. If you would like to make that commitment, CLICK HERE to download the commitment form.
The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA) provides vocational education grants to Arizona Residents who meet specific low-income guidelines. The grants enable the recipients to lift themselves out of poverty, benefitting themselves, their families and the economy of our state. TRVFA is a 501(c)(3) charity. They also are a Qualifying Charitable Organization for Arizona Tax Credit Donations. Their QCO Code is 20698. Many Arizona Rotarians say giving to TRVFA is a "no brainer." If you can help someone lift themselves out of poverty and it won't end up costing you anything why would you not do it? Mesa West Rotary has the highest number of members who have signed up for automated monthly recurring donations by electing that option on the "Donate Now" button on the TRVFA website. Click the image to learn more or CLICK HERE to DONATE NOW.
Mesa West Rotary Foundation, Inc. is the funding and fundraising arm of our own Mesa West Rotary Club. It is a 501(c)(3) charity. We have had successful sponsorship campaigns the last few years enabling us to spend our energy on service rather than on holding fundraising events. Charitable grants that we get involved with are funded through our charitable foundation, Our signature Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas Mexico is funded through this foundation. Scholarships are awarded annually to Westwood High School Students (the high school where Mesa West Rotary sponsors an Interact Club). Funds are used to support a variety of activities in four of the Rotary Avenues of Service:
Community Service
International Service
Vocational Service
Youth Service
The process isn't quite automated at this point in time, but we hope it soon will be. For now, you can email our executive secretary who can help you work out a recurring donation plan should you wish to make that arrangement to support our own club's charitable activity.
Because of the epidemic of homelessness combined with her own personal experience, Angelese felt compelled to do something to make a difference. Her own parents were divorced. She lived in an environment of a parent with cocaine addiction. There was abuse. There were suicide attempts. She dropped out of school to raise her siblings. She was never in foster care, but she could relate to the issues foster care children face - especially those aging out of foster care. Because they are often transferred from home to home, they don't have solid connections and role models. The goal of Eagle Pathway is to break the cycle and support an affordable living environment when they age out.
There are lots of gaps in the system. They try to provide mentorship to help them connect with available resources and learn about the rights that are available to them.
Mesa West Rotary Foundation, Inc. is the funding and fundraising arm of our own Mesa West Rotary Club. It is a 501(c)(3) charity. We have had successful sponsorship campaigns the last few years enabling us to spend our energy on service rather than on holding fundraising events. Charitable grants that we get involved with are funded through our charitable foundation, Our signature Gift of Hearing Project in Guaymas Mexico is funded through this foundation. Scholarships are awarded annually to Westwood High School Students (the high school where Mesa West Rotary sponsors an Interact Club). Funds are used to support a variety of activities in four of the Rotary Avenues of Service:.png)
