Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

April 3, 2024

102 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Reg Smith; officiated the meeting.

If you did not get the chance to attend, you can read about it in this newsletter.

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards led us in God Bless America

4-Way Test:  Becky Philip-Kranig     

Invocation:  Jean Frentz 

Life isn’t about you versus me or me versus you.

Life is about you walking your path and me walking mine.

So the question becomes, “Am I competing with the people on my team

Or am I completing the people on my team?”

When we compete, we hinder ourselves, but when we complete,

We bring value to others and to ourselves.

Unknown Author

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Georgia Abbott

Calendar Winners April 3, 2024

     
Prize
Cal#
Calendar Winner
City
Sold By
$50
3133
Laura Gorman
Petoskey
P. Sunrise
$50
1033
Julie Ford
Lowell
Boyne City
$50
1291
Don Woodhouse
Dowagiac
Dowagiac
$50
3063
Ben Budnik
Petoskey
P. Sunrise
$50
2762
Janet Blair
Pellston
Petoskey

International Insight:  Eradicating polio has been the primary focus of Rotary’s health care efforts, but it is not the only one.  Rotarians educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases life malaria, HIV/AIDS, and diabetes.

Karen Ragland and Chris Hammond filled in for Terry Newton. It was acknowledged that it takes two people to fill in for Terry, who has certainly earned a break.

Visiting Rotarians:  Garrett Godsey of the Grayling Club.  

Guests: 

  • Leslie Elrod of the Petoskey Club joined us as the guest of Sharon Schappacher and a follow-up to our previous presentation from the Petoskey Club.

  • Alise Ramsey of the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society attended as the guest of Becky Philip-Kranig.

  • Susan Stein joined us as the guest of Dibby Smith.

  • Art Tebo joined us as the guest of Roger Winslow.

Rich Perlberg, Prospective Members

Life Events:

The Club observed a moment of silent sympathy for Rotarian Liz Aherns on the death of her father James Alex Gowans.

President Reg gave a shout-out to Bob Howse who appears in the Reid Furniture ad. Watch for him on the big screen.

Birthdays:

Jane Millar

Anniversaries: 

John Parker – 63 Years

Stafford Smith – 63 Years

Singing/Song:  Howard Richards led us in Happy Birthday and Smile.

ANNOUNCEMENTS  

President Reg Smith Announcement:  in appreciation of Rotary's support of the college's athletic program, Rotary representatives have been invited to attend and present the Comeback Athlete of the Year award at the college's upcoming Athletic Banquet on Thursday, April 25 at 4:30pm.

If you are interested in volunteering for Pedaling for a Purpose with local 4th grade students you can sign up through Reg Smith.

Parade of Roses:  Already thinking about ringing in the new year?  For more than 40 years, Rotary has been a part of the Parade of Roses.  For more information see https://www.rotaryfloat.org/

Save the Date: Roadside Cleanup:  David Findley invited members to sign up for the Roadside Clean-up event on Saturday, April 20th, 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Meeting Location: Walloon Lake Marina. Signup here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45ADA62FA5F85-48899103-2024

District 6290 Conference:  Save the date for the Rotary District 6290 Conference “Hoofbeats and Handshakes” May 2-4 at the Double JJ Resort in Rothbury, MI.

Rotary Peace Fellowships:  Each year, Rotary awards fully funded fellowships for dedicated leaders for continued education focused on peace. Applications now open!

Spaghetti Dinner on April 18:  Mamma Mia! It’s time for the 72nd annual Spaghetti Dinner. Save the date for April 18, 5 – 7 PM at Petoskey High School. Every Rotarian is asked to volunteer that day—from slinging spaghetti and working the ticket table, to washing dishes and cleaning up, there’s plenty of fun to go around. Sponsorships are available and we ask for your support to make this event a roaring success. There is still time to join the Spaghetti Dinner Committee – contact Drew Smith or Karen Ragland to learn more.

PROGRAM:  Leadership Little Traverse Update

Leadership Little Traverse (LLT) representatives, Anna McGlashan (Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council), Liv Rollinger (Groundwork Center for Resilient Communities, Adam Ward (Petoskey Plastics), and Lindsay Winchester (Aster Brands) described the purpose of LLT and the focus of the 2024 class.

Leadership Little Traverse is a 9-month professional leadership program with a mission to inspire and prepare civic leaders in the Little Traverse Bay Region to take action and better our community. In its 23-year history, LLT boasts 320 alumni.

Each LLT cohort chooses a service project. The 2024 class has chosen to support childcare research initiative at North Central Michigan College.  Expanding childcare options has been identified as a significant concern by 91% of the employers in our region. North Central Michigan College professor Jennifer Wixson is leading the effort to develop a true-cost model for childcare in the region. Within these efforts, the LLT group is concentrating its efforts on research related to a living wage salary scale and career pathways. Research includes focus groups, as well as the gathering and analysis of data. The cost of the research project is $25,000. LLT’s 2024 cohort has assisted in the fund-raising effort. Members are encouraged to watch the Chamber of Commerce website for upcoming events that with support the research project.

At the conclusion of the program, Roger Winslow gave a special salute to guest Art Tebo (former CEO of Boyne USA) who served as a LLT mentor for Roger’s son, Bill.  Mentors play an important role for LLT participants and several members of our Rotary Club have served in this capacity.

Next Week’s Program:  Sam Baily, Northern Lakes Economic Development Alliance