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.
In order for Mesa West Rotary Club members and friends to have optimal opportunities to enjoy celebrating with their loved ones, there will be no in-person meetings of the club on December 26 or January 2.
During the final week of Salvation Army bell ringing, President Jay was accompanied by his granddaughter, Bella.
Kayla Mudge and Logan Harper were creative in their costumes for ringing the bell and were accompanied by Logan's fiancé, Taylor Adams.
– For over 20 years, the Mesa West Rotary has proudly participated in the Salvation Army’s iconic bell ringing campaign throughout the month of December. This beloved annual red kettle tradition, which began in 1891, serves as the Salvation Army’s major fundraiser, helping to support vital community programs for those in need. This year marks another exciting season as we continue our tradition of ringing the bell every day starting on Black Friday in November, extending our commitment for over 20 years, said Don LaBargea Club Rotarian since 1995 and who has led the project for every year since 2010.
"We are incredibly grateful to the Bass Pro Shop for allowing us to set up our red kettle on their premises since their opening in 2007 in Mesa. Their support has been instrumental in making our red kettle drive the largest revenue-generating kettle in the Southwest." LaBarge said.
Mesa West President GE (Jay) Paulus shared a heartwarming story from this season: "a woman approached us with a desire to make a contribution in the kettle by personal check. When asked whom to address her check to, we said the Salvation Army. Her generous donation was astounding, in the thousand's of dollars, showcasing the incredible spirit of generosity in our Mesa community."
As we ring the bells, we encourage children to join in the holiday magic by explaining from the movie, "Its Wonderful Life" that “every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings.” The joy on their faces when they ring the bell is a cherished reminder of the true reason for the season.
We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to The Bass Pro Shop for their generosity and support, as well as to all of our community members for their continued contributions to the Salvation Army. Together, we are making a significant impact and spreading hope to those in need during this holiday season.
The post-holiday celebration will be the evening of January 25 - specific details in future communications.
January 31 is the 5th Thursday in January. Instead of meeting at the Doubletree, we will visit the Mesa Historical Museum.
March 21 - Rotary Day at the Park - Cubs Spring Training Game. $49/person for full-dues members - $74/person for discounted dues-paying members and guests. CLICK HEREto email Jeanie Morgan to register.
March 27 - Ignite Innovation - a Venture Capital Challenge from 5-7 pm. Partnering with ASU, to host the event utilizing District Grant funding, a total of $5,000 will be awarded.
If you are interested in donating blood, please email Shelly Romine @ shellyromine@yahoo.com for additional details. This sign up is to help register donors coming in on the day of the blood drive.
Volunteers are required for the following event.
At this time, there is still a need for a volunteer to work the second time slot.
CLICK HERE to email Shelly Romine if you are interested and available.
Event:
Red Cross Blood Drive
Date:
Jan. 04, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. - Jan. 04, 2025 at 2:00 p.m.
Chair:
Shelly Romine 4802994533
Location:
Ross Farnsworth EV YMCA 1807 S Sunview Mesa, AZ United States of America 85206
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) will next bew held at the Anthem Civic Building, 3701 W Anthem Way, Anthem, AZ 85086 on Saturday, January 25, 2025 from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. All three sessions will be offered. CLICK HERE or on the logo to register.
Registration fees for Mesa West Rotary Club members in good standing will be refunded through their dues account. The only stipulation is that their attendance be confirmed.
Warren Williamson led the Pledge of Allegiance. Exavier King offered the invocation. Ray Smith shared some information about the Salvation Army "theme song" - Silver Bells before leading everyone in singing it together.
Introduction of Guests
Pai Bethea introduced his grandchildren - Josh Bethea and Jori Fisher.
Frank Rosenberg introduced his guest - Coren Collett
Lucinda General introduced the guests seated at her table - Jim Bannan and prooposed new member, Exavier King.
Gifts of Appreciation for Doubletree Staff
President Jay spoke about the wonderful service delivered by our regular server, Liz. He also voiced appreciation for the delicious food prepared each week by Chef Brandon, especially noting about how it seems to always be able to stretch to meet the needs those weeks when more members and guest show up than anticipated. He thanked Amy Ortiz, who we communicate with about any special needs or scheduling changes we might have. He gave each of them a gift card to tangibly show our appreciation.
Ace of Clubs Raffle
Chuck Flint explained that the proceeds of $5 each raffle tickets are split three ways. One third goes to the club operating account. Another third is added to the accumulating big pot. The final third ($30 this week) goes to the person whose ticket is drawn. That person also wins the opportunity to draw a card from the cards remaining in the deck. If they draw the Ace of Clubs (which we believe we are) they will win the large pot, which Chuck said was up to $515. Should they draw the joker, they would win an additional $20.
Chuck asked Pai Bethea to draw the winning ticket. It was held by Marilyn Klingler. After shuffling the cards, the card Marilyn drew from the deck was a near neighbor. It was the Deuce of Clubs.
Happy Bucks - Sgt at Arms - Andy Bradford
As President Jay was handing introducing Happy Bucks, he expressed his appreciation of the fact that the Indian Health Services had recently donated a booth to be used during our club's annual Hearing Clinic in Guaymas, Mexico. The Booth had to be picked up right away if we were going to accept the donation. Our newest member, Justin Hart, or Just In Time Moving picked it up and has it in storage.
Don LaBarge was happy to be nearly done with scheduling of Salvation Army bell ringers. He had only two openings left and hoped to get them filled at the meeting. He said several members have put donation checks in the kettle. He said collections were going very well and thanked everyone who has taken shifts and donated.
Dick Myren donated his traditional $2 happy that he and Honorary Member Rod Daniels are associated with the Ace of Clubs. He also wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Shelly Romine put in a check and wished everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Jack Rosenberg was happy about the successful bell-ringing season and wished everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah!
Harry Grossman said the Cardinal's schedule had changed to Sunday Evening. They have now won seven games this season with a couple more to go. He put $20 in the pot anticipating two more wins. After the season is over he will start sharing some history of the 48 states.
Pai Bethea pledged $100 - $50 for each of his grandchildren who were attending with him - for the Salvation Army.
Colleen Coons pledged $10 recognizing Frank Rosenberg and his guest Coren Collett. Colleen's son will soon be a paramedic. His choice of his career path was due in large part to Frank and Carmen's nurturing when they gave him a jog while he was in high school.
Brian Harvey contributed.
Lu General said she has a bucket of available Rotary Foundation recognition points that she would be happy to use to match any donations made to TRF by members prior to the end of the year.
Marilyn Klingler contributed $30.
John Pennypacker said he had good news to share - he was already checked in for his Friday AM Southwest Airlines flight and had boarding position A4. He also shared some not-so-good news. Some members of Jeanie Morgan's family are going through a tough time. He asked for members to remember her and her family.
Jim McGown has helped a lot with this year's bell-ringing season. He was aware that Shannon Cady gave Don LaBarge a check for $10,000 for the Salvation Army. Don said it was the largest single donation he remembers. Don also received a $6,000 check from one of his neighboring businesses the day prior to the meeting.
President Jay said he has been happy to visit other Rotary Clubs. The Gilbert Rotary Club has seven people coming to our March 21 Rotary Day at the Park Spring-Training Game.
Warren Williamson shared a story about his nephew who was getting ready to retire as a game warden in Illinois. He heard of an old fisherman who was suspected of fishing illegally. He went out on the lake with the old fisherman. When they got to the middle of the lake, the fisherman lit a stick of dynamite and threw it into the water and several fish came floating to the top. As the fisherman was gathering the fish, Warren's nephew went into a tirade about how that method of fishing was absolutely not allowed. The fisherman lit another stick of dynamite and handed it to Warren's nephew saying, "Are you going to talk or fish?"
Announcements
President Jay
We will be dark the next two meetings. The next club meeting will be January 9.
The post-holiday party will be January 25
RLI will also be held January 25
January 31 is the fifth Thursday in January. We will not meet at the Doubletree. We will meet at the Mesa Historical Society Museum.
Ed Koeneman is working with the Interact Club at Westwood High School. The students will be working with the Senior Center to put on a Senior prom for senior citizens. It looks like it will be held February 12.
March 21 is Rotary at the Park - a Cubs Spring Training Game at Sloan Park.
March 27 will be a competitive event called "Ignite Innovation" Entrepreneurs will make pitches and a total of $5,000 will be awarded by judges who will decide who receives awards.
Shelly Romine reminded members about the Red Cross Blood Drive to be held January 4 at the East Valley YMCA. Volunteers are needed to help check in and donors are needed. In order for us to get to the point that we have regularly scheduled donation events, we need to get to 39 donors. CLICK HERE to download the flyer which contains information about how to register to donate blood.
Well, maybe NOT the shirt off your back, but instead some old t-shirts out of the back of your closet.
Westwood Interact Club will again be making dog chew toys for a couple of animal shelterswhere the Paws For Peers program rescues and trains dogs to work as therapy animals with teachers within Mesa Public Schools. .They make these dog toys out of old t-shirts. So, dig way back into your closet, or that drawer where all your old stuff is, and bring a shirt or two to lunch at one of our Thursday meetings this September.
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.
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.
District Governor Michelle Holcomb did a great job of promoting the Rotary license plate that is now available when she made her official visit to our club September 26. Mesa West Rotary members often lead the way. We want to encourage our members to get their plates purchased so we can be known for having the highest percentage of members displaying the Rotary license plate on their car(s). To that end, we have two incentives to offer:
The first Mesa West Rotary Club member who can honestly tell a story about how they met someone who showed interest in Rotary because of their plate AND that conversation resulted in an approved membership application into Mesa West Rotary or any other Rotary District 5495 club will get one free quarter of their Mesa West Rotary Club dues.
CLICK HERE or on Michelle's photo to go to the order form on the MVD website, scroll down alphabetically and get yours ordered.
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.
.png)
ements
Well, maybe NOT the shirt off your back, but instead some old t-shirts out of the back of your closet. 
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.
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: