Don LaBarge shared some thoughts following the last day of the 2021 Salvation Army Bell-Ringing Season for Mesa West Rotary:
Well it was an interesting 29 days, I am anticipating good income.
Anyhow, being I said that Christmas Eve was a fun day to ring, here is the rest of the story'
True to the prediction, it was raining when I awoke on Friday Morning, and it was still raining at 12 Noon. Jim & Laura McGown were up first from 10am-12 . Jim & the Bass Pro Shop employees set up the canopy for us and I had supplied the sandbags in case of wind. Up 12 Noon to 2pm was Jeanie, and around 1pm I noticed that it was raining very hard so I thought I would drive over to Bass Pro and see how Jeanie was doing and thinking I probably should shut down.
I found Jeanie under the canopy and she said she was fine, and after she said she wanted to stay I went back home, My shift was 4pm-6pm, so I arrived at 3:45 pm to Dan & Colleen ringing and it had stopped raining. In fact Dan was ringing outside of the canopy' All was well.
I took over and all was fine until 5:20pm. I looked up to the North and this series of dark ugly black clouds appeared, what seemed like out of nowhere, was directly coming towards the Bass Pro shop, and then suddenly it started pouring and very high wind. It blew the top of the canopy off and twisted the metal frame around, I grabbed one of the frames because it seemed the wind was going to knock me down, some shoppers in the pouring rain ran to help me, and reported it to bass Pro shop employees. About 5 employees ran out in the rain, by this time our stuff was blown everywhere, the kettles and stand blew over along with the candy dish and my chairs. One of the managers brought me inside the sliding doors, while the employees were out there getting soaked.
The employees could not figure out how to dismantle the frame and a girl employee ran outside and showed them. She told me later that she used to work in the Canopy department.
It all happened for about 10 minutes.
The employees got the canopy under control and brought what was left of it inside the sliding doors and they helped me pick up the mess.
Using a shopping cart I loaded everything in my truck and left. It was 6pm. My shift was over.
Next year I will say to the Christmas Eve ringers "It could be fun."
Note from your editor:
When Don came by to see if I wanted to shut down the kettle station because of the rain, and I told him I wanted to stay, he made an adjustment in the way the station was set up. He moved the kettle stand closer to the edge of the canopy so it would be convenient for people to drop their change in the kettle on their way past it. He had observed that most people were rushing through the rain to get to their vehicles. After Don left, one man stopped to put some bills in the kettle. As he was trying to fold them small enough to fit through the slot, his generosity was rewarded by a stream of water pouring off the canopy and down his neck. I moved the stand back to the middle where it had been.
An American born, Calgary Rotarian who carried Rotary "Around the World."
James Wheeler Davidson, name itself is story of how one Canadian with $250,000 of his own money supported or started the first Rotary clubs in Australia, New Zealand, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Palestine, Burma (Myanmar), Thailand and in several of the Malay states including Seremban (Negeri Sembilan), Kuala Lumpur, Melaka, Penang, Perak, Singapore. He also played major roll for founding clubs in what is now Java, Indonesia including Jakarta, Bandoeng and Malang - nearly "Rotary Around the World," as Paul Harris had dreamed.
In 1921, on his first trip for Rotary, he traveled Australia and New Zealand. A second and much longer journey took him through Asia and the Far East from 1928 to 1931. Before his trip to Asia, Rotary appointed Davidson honorary general commissioner and tasked him with introducing Rotary in various countries and facilitating the organization of new clubs. Davidson was instrumental in expanding Rotary to other countries in the early years, embarking on journeys to distant lands that resulted in the chartering of 23 clubs in 12 countries from Greece to Thailand. As a result, Rotary founder Paul Harris dubbed him "the Marco Polo of Rotary."
Photo courtesy Wikipedia - Thank you John Pennypacker for sharing this bit of Rotary history.
The Community Service Committee would like to invite you to participate in one or both of our events for January. A previous event with The Genesis Project was posted but had to be postponed until May.
Our "hands on" project for January will be at the United Food Bank.
Your help is needed! Volunteers are required for the following event. Click on Sign Up to view available slots and book yourself directly online.
Event:
United Food Bank Emergency Food Bag Build
Date:
Jan 19, 2022 at 6:00 PM - Jan 19, 2022 at 8:00 PM
Chair:
Shelly Romine
Location:
United Food Bank Volunteer Center 358 E. Javeline Ave. Mesa, AZ United States of America 85210
We will also be collecting disposable face masks for A New Leaf (turnanewleaf.org). A New Leaf provides housing, health and social services for families in need. Their services need to be in person and with the continued challenge of COVID 19 they use a lot of masks. If we can help meet this need they can spend donations helping their clients in better ways. Please bring a box of disposable masks to any meeting in January.
We hope you will schedule this event on your 2022 calendar! December is always such a busy month for Rotarians - who are already busy people - that we have held off until January to have our Mesa West celebration.
Since the fine print might be too fine for many, it will be held at the home of Pam Cohen, 3650 E Quenton Drive, Lot 8, Mesa AZ 85215. You will need her gate code which is 1492. It will be a pot luck dinner with appetizers and desserts provided as a courtesy of attending members. Non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. If you have a favorite beverage you wish to enjoy, please bring it with you. The event is free for members. There will be a $10 charge for guests.
A highlight of the evening will be our Annual Gift Exchange. The exchange is anonymous and optional. Participating members will draw numbers out of a hat to select a gift. Be prepared however, as your gift could be stolen if someone drawn after you likes it better than their chance of opening another gift.
When you complete the survey, we ask that you let us know whether you plan to provide an appetizer or dessert, and you will have an opportunity to let us know specifically what you plan to bring.
The survey will save your executive secretary a lot of time, but for those who are technically challenged, or have a specialized form of ergophobia where you fear taking surveys, you can e-mail Jeanie Morgan providing your name, the name(s) of any guest(s) who will attend with you, and the appetizer or dessert you plan to bring.
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.
Club Information
Welcome to our Rotary Club of Mesa West!
THE ACE OF CLUBS
Thursdays at 12:00 PM
Via Zoom or in-person
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/3748672091
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.
An American born, Calgary Rotarian who carried Rotary "Around the World."
Our "hands on" project for January will be at the United Food Bank.
We will also be collecting disposable face masks for A New Leaf (
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:
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