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Welcome to our Rotary Club of Mesa West!
Mesa West
THE ACE OF CLUBS
Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Mesa, AZ
United States of America
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Stories
Highlights of February 18 Meeting
President Dan again opened the Zoom platform at 11:15 to allow Rotarians and guests to converse informally prior to the start of the actual meeting.  
 
Jeanie Morgan asked Wendell Jones if there was a story behind the saxophone everyone could see hanging on the wall behind Ray Smith.  Wendell explained the saxophone had been purchased by his grandfather for his children to play in the early 1900's.  Several siblings of Wendell's father played it in high school, but his dad was the main one.  His father also played it in the country dance band that played for many of the dances in Wendell's hometown.  Ray Smith's father played the clarinet and other instruments in the same dance band.  Wendell played it all through school and in the high school marching band.  So did two of his sisters.  The saxophone has become an icon in Wendell's family.
 
This conversation brought up other musical topics.  Robin Harris, a former Mesa Baseline member was visiting and it came up that he might be an even better vocalist than Ray or Wendell, and it was suggested that the club might be getting close to having its own barbarshop quartet.  Lola Smith had been in a British equivalent of Sweet Adelines at one time, and that lit a spark for Chris Krueger who also is musically gifted.  She said her range has changed and she might need to sing tenor now.
 
It sounded like there might be a musical program or fun event in the Mesa West Rotary future when COVID precautions are less stringent.
 
Allan Cady wondered if anyone else in the club ate oatmeal.  He said he hadn't had it since he was a child, but Polly had found a brand that you sprinkle things around.  He had it the first time a couple of weeks ago and three or four times since.
 
The funeral for Wendell Jones' father in Duncan had gone well.  It was a nice celebration of his father's life.  He was eight months shy of his 100th birthday when he passed.  Wendell sang in a quartet at the funeral.  He said his dad was extra special and there were lots of great remarks about him.  He had 8 children.  There were hundres of great grandchildren, and the great great's numbered in the 200's and there are three great, great, great's.
 
Bob Zarling said his grandmother lived to be 103.  She could remember her father trading sugar with Natiave Americans in Otters Creek.  He thought they were probably from the Potawatomi Tribe in Michigan.
 
At noon, President Dan started the meeting, reciting the current RI theme - Rotary Opens Opportunities and reciting the Rotary Vision Statement:
Together we see a world where people unite and 
take action to create lasting change - 
across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves
 
Invocation - Jeanie Morgan shared the following:
 
Introduction of Guests
  • Ray Smith introduced Robin Harris, a former member of the Mesa Baseline Rotary Club.
  • Dan Lamborn and Tom Yuzer were both welcomed again as guests.
Happy Bucks - Colleen Coons
  • Chuck Flint pledged $20.  He had a lot to say.  He reminded members of Macy Rivas who our club had sponsored on a one-way exchange from Venezuela.  David Howell from Phoenix Rotary 200 and Chuck have gone to Porto Lobos Mexico many times.  At 142 West Main in Mesa a former exchange student, David Maria Fernanda Aconte, and his brother who had been an exchange student the year before have a Venzuelan restaurant.  Last week, Chuck and David invited Macy, who is a now a student at GCU to join them to enjoy some good Venezuelan food.
  • Allan Cady pledged $5 - happy to be at the meeting.  He announced he would miss the meeting on the 25th as he will be traveling to Charlotte North Carolina to spend time with sons and grandchildren while Polly is busy here in Arizona with Rotary Leadership Institute.
  • Polly Cady pledged $5 - happy that there were 32 people already registered for RLI's College of Knowledge on the 27th and told members it was not too late if they wanted to register.  If someone reading this wants to register, they can CLICK HERE to e-mail Polly.
  • Pam Cohen pledged $5 - she had started with a new mortgage company this week.  They are headquartered in Texas and Okalahoma.  There was no staff (because of the extreme weather) to onboard her, and her new manager had COVID.  It was a very weird start.  She was happy to be working.  Chuck Flint asked her if their interest rates were frozen.
  • John Pennypacker was happy to have given a TRVFA presentation to the Mesa Sunrise Rotary Club.  He said they asked a lot of astute questions.  He said a member of that club stopped by and brought a nice bottle of the water of life.  It is 24 years old.  Earlier this week he mistakenly read about someone he went to prep school and thought he was dead, but Bill let John know he is alive and well.  John pledged $100 to the sponsor program.
  • Shelly Romine pledged $10.  She was very happy and greatly relieved - both her parents were able to get COVID vaccinations this week.  She said her father had a laundry list of pre-existing conditions and was very nervous about getting sick.  
  • Wendell Jones and Ray Smith each pledged $10 in honor of Wendell's father.  Wendell pledged an additional $10.  At the funeral he was reminded that when guests would announce they were going to take off, his father would say, "Be careful what you take off.  We don't want to be the cause of any naked fannies.
  • Polly Cady pledged an additional $5 for the compliment from Robin Harris when he thought Polly was Allan's daughter.
  • Warren Williamson told a joke he'd heard from a retired judge.  A man got a Genie out of a bottle and was allowed one wish.  He wanted to visit Hawaii but was afraid to fly and got seasick.  He wanted a bridge built to Hawaii.  The Genie asked for an alternative wish.  He said he always had trouble understanding women and wanted the Genie to give him that understanding.  The Genie asked if he wanted a one-lane or two-lane bridge.  Colleen pledged $5 for the joke.
  • Colleen Coons pledged $5 on behalf of Dan Coons because Mesa West is phenomenal.
  • Bob Zarling told about the mask distribution that would take place on February 23 at Salvation Army and urged members to let anyone know who was in need.  They would be given out in 20 count packets between 9-5 that day.  Members were urged to contact Bob if they wanted to help with the distribution.  Bob was also happy to see some of the hand sanitizer in use that had been distributed in our club's name.  He thanked Jim Crutcher for making that possible and President Dan for coordinating with Jim.
  • Pam Cohen pledged another $5 happy to see Dick Myren was attending the meeting and happy to see our speaker, Barb Kiernan.
  • Irwin Reiman pledged $5 sad dollars and $5 happy dollars.  He was sad that a friend and long-time Rotarian died suddenly at age 74.  He was happy he and Joan had both had their second COVID vaccination.
  • Bob Jensen was attending from their new home in Tucson.  He was trying to get everything working.  he pledged $10 to the Guaymas mission happy for having Barbara join our meeting and for seeing at least ten people on his Zoom screen who have been on the mission to Guymas.
  • President Dan pledged an additional $5 to what Colleen had charged him.
Announcements
  • To clarify some confusing communications, Mesa West will continue to have our meetings via Zoom.  Those who want to go to the Salvation Army and attend the Zoom Call from there are welcome to do so.  Bob Zarling said that the protocol there is very safe.  The March 4 meeting will be broadcast from the Salvation Army as the speaker that day has several things to display and will have them available for people who do choose to attend the Zoom meeting from the Salvation Army to see in person.
Bob Jensen introduced our speaker, Dr. Barbara Kiernan who would be sharing great news about a Rotary International Global Grant in Mexico.  Barbara is a member of the Tucson Catalina Rotary Club, which was the international sponsor for this effort and our own club supported it as well.  A lot has happened in the last two years, COVID-19 included, but the story has a very good ending.  
 
Barbara has been a Rotarian since 1993, and president of her club from 20009-2010.  Throughout these years, she has worked extensively on writing grants and developing humanitarian projects, especially in Mexico.  Her years at the University of Madrid, undergraduate and masters from the University of Michigan, and doctorate from the University of Arizona have prepared her well for writing grants and developing sustainable programs.  Fluency in Spanish was another biproduct, especially following 14 years of living and working in Venezuela.  Her presentation focus will be on our joint efforts to improve healthcare for indigenous people living in very remote areas of Sonora, Mexico.
 
Bob introduced Barbara to members of our club on the 2017 Mission to Guaymas in 2017.  On Saturday, they caravanned to Alamo where they had a wonderful lunch at a hotel and got to meet a lot of officials.  They talked about plans and ideas for providing health care in an area that really needed help.  
 
There were clusters of villages of indigenous people with no healthcare.  Seven villages with a population of 1600 in and area in size of 219 square miles.  Instead of being called The Guarijio, a name given by the Spanish, they are now called Makurawe - the name they call themselves.
 
The base of operations for the grant was in Alamos:  Pueblo Magico.  Preserved history of the medical program is there.  Without that medical arm this effort would have been very difficult.  Beyond Alamos, there were many barriers. Using 4-wheel-drive vehicles, the trip in would take 2.5 hours.  The native language is the indigenous language.  There were no cells, electricity, or running water.  It was a very poor situation for emergency transport.
 
They had to utilize sustainable resources, partners, and collaborative options. There were clinics where people could be treated for free - if you could get them there.  There were community trainees in waiting.  Technological advances like solar power, satellites, and telemedicine could would be necessary.  There were Rotary Clubs in Sonora to partner with.   
 
It all began with a meeting under a tree, where local people gathered and shared information.  In 2018 Barbara and others from the US visited the area on a Rotary Friendship Exchange.  At the end of the exchange, they had established four key objectives and a Global Grant was proposed.  
  1. Train 4 village Promotoras and 12 Vinculadores
  2. Provide basic healthcare equipment (villages, promotores, clinic)
  3. Community Trainings so everyone can understand and access healthcare
  4. Provide Telemedicine based on solar-powered satellite system.
In July of 2018, they were awarded a Global Grant.  The Vinculadores were high school students who wanted to provide medical services.  
 
There was intensive training.  One piece of equipment was something that would replace a soundproof booth for hearing testing - it was a headset.  After all the equipment was installed, the training had occurred, and everything was working, there was a four-day Rotary International site visit.  Over four days, which was a very rewarding experience, they evaluated what had worked, what could be done better.  This look at the project midway enabled improvements.  Instead of a large Rotary sign, the local people were welcomed with a sign that basically said "our community and its health care promotors are here for you."
 
In March of 2020, COVID Times came.  The Spanish equivalent of "safe distance" actually interprets as "healthy distance"
 
The training and equipment have paid off.  They can get around with smart phones and blue tooth devices, building into a strenght.  Nobody got COVID and nobody died.  
 
In December of 2020 a successful completion of the global grant was celebrated wearing masks and keeping healthy distances.  Another puppet festival was held.  The transition was very visible, interactive, memorable and non-threatening.   Problems were addressed without being threatening.  They found ways to teach and learn.  The Puppeteers created a script portraying how much promotores have done to keep villages safe and well.
 
The global grant has ended, but the effort continues.  A grant from the University of Arizona will keep it going.
 
 
CLICK HERE to see the slides used in this global grant presentation.
Read more...
Sponsor Program Update
Mesa West Rotarians are fortunate to have Allan Cady again leading our sponsorship campaign.  Having done so successfully in two prior campaigns made him exactly the right person to be in charge during this unprecedented time of COVID-related precautionary living.  Many clubs are struggling with how they will continue to fund their charitable activities, while Allan and his team captains appear to be on their way to another possible record-breaking year.  We have clearly surpassed the original $30,000 goal and other commitments are pending.  
 
The good thing about the sponsorship campaign is that the cost of fundraising is very minimal.  It is the most efficient way to raise funds.  
 
If you have not yet given or approached anyone with a request for support, CLICK HERE and review the fundraising pointers Allan shared in last week's Messenger.  
 
You might also want to visit Tim Troy's Facebook page to see how he is promoting support our campaign as well as TRVFA.  You might be surprised at what people you know will want to give if you show some excitement about what you are a part of. 
 
We are fortunate to be a part of an awesome club that is making a difference in our community and in the world - and in ourselves!
Rotarians at Work
On Friday, February 19, our Community Service Chair, Shelly Romine sent a blast email to the Mesa West members letting them know about a very generous mask distribution event that would be taking place Tuesday, February 23.  The primary purpose of the email was to let Rotarians know of the opportunity in case any members knew of individuals or groups in need of masks.
 
Bob Zarling had let Shelly know about the opportunity which he became aware of because of his connection to the Mesa Salvation Army - one of the distribution sites.  Bob and Penny May, a regular visiting Rotarian from Alaska (Pre-COVID), are shown in the photo helping with the distribution safely giving the masks to occupants of cars as they drove though.
 
There were several other sites where masks were being distributed thanks to the generosity of the Ford Motor Company Fund.
 
Mexico USA Friendship Conference
Allan Cady represented Mesa West Rotary at the Mexico USA Friendship Conference and Global Grants Exchange which was held virtually February 12-14.  Allan reports that the virtual conference was a tremendous success.  His only regret was that, because there was the virtual agenda was very full,  there was only enough time on the conference agenda for fifteen projects to be presented.  Because of the time constraints, Aqua Africa project was one of many that were not able to be presented.
 
The board of the Mesa West Rotary Foundation supported the recommendation of the club board of directors to authorize Allan to commit up to $4,000 at the conference for worthy global grant projects.  Allan did make four $1,000 commitments to each of the following projects:
 
  • Potable Water for the Community of San Juan Sabinas, sponsored by the Puebla Campestre Real club.  They were seeking commitments totaling $25,380.
  • El Cobijo, Home for the Elderly in San Jose, Mexico, sponsored by the San Carlos Club, which was seeking funding in the amount of $30,000 for Phase II of repairs to the facility made necessary by extensive hurricane damage.
  • Dream Center Renovation in Phoenix, Arizona - a home for girls who are victims of human trafficking, sponsored by the Scottsdale Rotary Club.  They were seeking funding in the amount of $30,000.
  • Capturing Water and Sowing Life - a project for capturing rain water.  The sponsoring club is Taxco A.C.  They were seeking $40,548 in funding.
Allan states that the four projects he selected ended up being fully-funded, which is a good thing.
 
Next year, the Friendship Conference will be held in Tucson, Arizona, and hosted by District 5500.  Allan really enjoys this conference each year and has already voiced his willingness to be our representative at the Tucson grants exchange workshop.
 
 
Family Caregiver Day at the Capitol - March 11
Shelly Romine asked that we publish this event in our newsletter.  Many we know and some of our Mesa West Rotary members are family caregivers.  Please share this information with them.  Registration for the event is open.  CLICK HERE to register.
 
Nominations are still being accepted for the David Besst award for contributions to caregiving in Arizona.  The David Besst award is presented to an individual and/or organization that has made a significant contribution in family caregiving.  The award honors the awardees but also David Besst, who untiringly worked to establish resources and respite for family caregivers.  Nominations are due on January 31, 2021 and a selection will be made in February.  Honorees will be recognized with a plaque at the Family Caregiver Day at the Arizona Capitol on March 11, 2021.  To nominate an individual or organization, CLICK HERE to complete the form providing details on your nominee. 
Today's Chuckle
In times past, Mesa West Rotarians worked at spring training baseball games.
CLICK HERE or on the image to take a trip down memory lane.
Something to Ponder
"It's hard to beat a person who never gives up."  Babe Ruth
Support the Mesa West Sponsorship Drive
If you or a friend, family member or associate would like the convenience of electronically contributing to the Sponsorship Campaign, EMAIL JEANIE
 
Please provide the dollar amount to be donated, the name and email address of the donor if it is not yourself, and tell Jeanie whether the funds should go to:
 
  • Community Service
  • International Service
  • Youth Service 
or
  • UNDESIGNATED - TO BE USED WHERE MOST NEEDED
Jeanie will e-mail an invoice from Mesa West Rotary Foundation which can be paid electronically using debit or credit card or bank-to-bank transfer.
The Most Efficient Way to Support The Rotary Foundation
The Rotary Foundation is the charitable arm of Rotary that enables the amazing work we, as Rotarians, are all proud to be a part of.  Every Rotarian is strongly encouraged to support TRF every year by donating to the General Fund of TRF.  The target gift is $100 per year per member.  That has been the target for a very long time and in the US the average family income has multiplied a few times since that target was set.  Many Rotarians who have the means to do so have set their personal target at the $1,000 per year mark making them eligible for the Paul Harris Society level of donor recognition. 
 
The End Polio Now campaign is a separate fund to which gifts are matched two-for-one by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  Many Rotarians choose to support both the general fund and the fight to end polio.
 
No matter what level you decide to donate, please support the Foundation by giving through Rotary Direct.  CLICK HERE to get answers to commonly asked questions about this program.  DOWNLOAD A FORM to authorize your Rotary Direct donations.  By giving through Rotary direct, the opportunity for human error is eliminated and recognition credit for the Rotarian and their club is much more accurate and timelier.
You CAN make a difference!
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
Foundation Director
 
Public Image Director
 
Club Service Director
 
Service Projects Director
 
Director
 
Membership
 
Executive Secretary
 
Speakers
Mar 04, 2021 12:00 PM
Law Enforcement - SWAT Team, Mesa Police
Mar 11, 2021 12:00 PM
Tiniest Victims of the Opiod Crisis
Mar 18, 2021 12:00 PM
Tribal History and Future
Mar 25, 2021 12:00 PM
Reducing Number of People with Mental Illness Who are Incarcerated
Apr 15, 2021 12:00 PM
FBI Community Outreach Role, Objective and Programs
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Mar 04, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Mar 11, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Monthly Board Meeting
Mar 16, 2021
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Mar 18, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
7th Street Pantry Project
7th Street Food Pantry
Mar 19, 2021 9:00 AM –
Mar 22, 2021 5:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Mar 25, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Apr 01, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Apr 08, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Weekly Club Meeting via Zoom
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
Apr 15, 2021
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
 
Monthly Board Meeting
Apr 20, 2021
5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
 
View entire list
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Jim LeCheminant
March 3
 
Dick Myren
March 12
 
Erica Williams
March 31
 
Spouse Birthdays
Angie Troy
March 6
 
John Yost
March 25
 
Anniversaries
Erika Yost
John Yost
March 3
 
Terry Diedrick
Patty Diedrick
March 16
 
Join Date
Wendell Jones
March 1, 1989
32 years
 
Rotary District 5495 Links
District Links
Rotary Interact District 5495
Rotary District 5495
The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (TRVFA)
Rotary Youth Exchange
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards - RYLA
RYLA Service Project Support
Bulletin Editor
Jeanie Morgan
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