Rotary Club NEWSLETTER
August 26, 2026
104 Years of Service Above Self
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Sharon Schappacher officiated this week’s meeting.
If you did not get the chance to attend, you can read about it in this newsletter.
Patriotic Song: Howard Richards led us in God Bless America
4-Way Test: Dibby Smith
Invocation: David Thomas
The Story of Civilization Vol. I - Our Oriental Heritage page 635.
Will Durant
The Far East China
An Emperor knows how to govern when poets are free to
make verses, people to act plays, historians to tell the truth,
ministers to give advice, the poor to grumble at taxes, students
to learn lessons aloud, workmen to praise their skill and seek
work, people to speak of anything, and old men to find fault
with everything.
Address of the Duke of Shao to King Li-Wang,
845 B. C.
Calendar Winners Read Off By: Jean Frentz
Calendar Winners August 26, 2026
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Prize | Cal# | Calendar Winner | City | Sold By |
$50 | 1086 | Ethan Collier | Cheboygan | Cheboygan |
$50 | 2819 | Steve Ludwig | Petoskey | P. Sunrise |
$50 | 1029 | Skip Roberts | The Villages, Florida | Boyne City |
Visiting Rotarians: Shirley Love, Cincinnati, OH
Guests: None
Life Events: Christine Hammond has just been approved for the new medicine that has been successful in extending the lives by a few months for some pancreatic cancer patients. Chris herself doesn’t need help but in honor of her upcoming 70th birthday, you are encouraged to donate to PanCan which supports research for pancreatic cancer. Please keep Chris and her husband Tom in your thoughts and prayers. PanCan.org
Birthdays:
Christine Hammond
Anniversaries:
Georgia Abbott – 11 Years
Jeff Wynder – 11 Years
Neil Bidwell – 41 Years
Nick White – 46 Years
Singing/Song: Howard Richards led us in Happy Birthday and Smile
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Rotary Club of Petoskey Centennial Grant — Now Accepting Applications. The Rotary Club of Petoskey has launched its Centennial Grant Program, making up to $277,000 available for a bricks-and-mortar community project in Emmet County. Eligible organizations — including nonprofits, municipalities, educational institutions, and public agencies — are invited to apply. Projects must be shovel-ready and capable of completion within 12–24 months of award. This is a capital investment grant; events, programs, and operational funding are not eligible. Applications are open now through November 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET via the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation's SmartSimple grant portal. An optional Zoom information session will be held September 24 at 1 p.m. ET. Visit petoskeyrotary.org to learn more and apply.
Get ready! The Rotary Great Grocery Giveaway Raffle officially kicks off August 26.
Tickets are $25 each, and every Rotarian is asked to sell at least 10 tickets.
1st Prize: $100 a week for a year — $5,200
2nd Prize: $50 a week for a year — $2,600
3rd Prize: $25 a week for a year — $1,300
Tickets and everything you need to start selling will be available at our regular meeting on August 26. Get ready to sell!
Monday, September 10, 2026 Petoskey Rotary’s STRIVE Program will be the featured community nonprofit at the September 10 performance of Come from Away! STRIVE will receive $1 from every concession sale, have a table in the lobby to share information about our high school mentorship program, and be recognized during the pre-show announcement. We’re looking for a few Rotarians to help staff the STRIVE table beginning at 6:30 p.m. Complimentary tickets available for volunteers. Interested in helping? Let Sharon Schappacher know! To buy tickets click on the following LINK
Monday, September 12, 2026 Set sail with fellow Rotarians, family, and friends for a sunset cruise aboard the Little Traverse Bay Ferry. Enjoy a relaxed evening of fellowship, great food, and beautiful views of Little Traverse Bay. Bring your spouse, a guest, or a prospective Rotarian!
$45 per person includes:
2-hour sunset cruise
Appetizers, wraps or sandwiches, and dessert
Cash bar available onboard.
Boarding: 5:30 PM | Cruise: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
101 E. Lake Street, Petoskey
Space is limited Click on the LINK to register
Saturday, September 19, 2026 Mark your calendar for our fall Rotary Roadside Cleanup! Join fellow Rotarians as we help keep our community clean and beautiful. More details, including meeting time and location, will be coming soon. Save the date and plan to lend a hand! Register here LINK
Good news! We’ve been approved to set up a Rotary booth at the Downtown Petoskey Holiday Open House on Friday, December 4, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. It is FREE. We’ll have a tent in Pennsylvania Park near the chamber and stage where we can sell grocery raffle tickets and can hand out cookies, cocoa, or another holiday treat. This is just a heads-up for now. I’ll announce it to the full club and put together a volunteer sign-up as we get closer. We’ll need people to staff the booth and some bakers willing to donate cookies. The timing should be great since it’s just a few weeks before the ticket sales deadline and drawing, so hopefully we can move a lot of those last tickets! Just wanted to get it on everyone’s radar and calendars.
Member-Hosted Community Events
September 14 is a croquette challenge with the Kiwanis Club. See Andrea Koch for details.
Member Induction: None
Member Spotlight: None Raffle Launch and PRCCI Review
PROGRAM: Raffle Launch and PRCCI Review
Program: A Century of Rotary Giving
Ashley DeCarteret
Ashley DeCarteret took members on a fascinating look back at more than 100 years of service and charitable giving by the Rotary Club of Petoskey. Her presentation showed how Rotary’s priorities have evolved alongside the needs of our community, from helping a growing Northern Michigan town develop recreation opportunities and public spaces to supporting education, health care, housing, basic needs, the arts, trails and more. Early projects included Camp Daggett, the football field, waterfront tennis courts, the Winter Sports Park and scholarships.
One of the biggest takeaways was that we may never know the full financial impact of our club. Detailed grant records only date back to 1993, leaving decades of projects, donations and volunteer service that are not reflected in the numbers. Even so, the records we do have document nearly $2 million in grants and donations through Rotary’s various giving programs.
That legacy continues today. In 2025, the PRCCI and Rotary Park funds were combined for future grant making in partnership with the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. The fund balance is now nearly $1.3 million, with approximately $50,959 expected to be granted in 2026. Rotary has also opened its $277,000 Centennial Grant Program, which will make a significant investment in a lasting bricks-and-mortar project serving Emmet County.
Generations of Rotarians have made this impact possible through their time, generosity, and support of fundraisers such as the Rotary Calendar. Ashley closed with a fitting reminder: our real legacy is bigger than the number. The dollars matter because of what they have helped people build, learn, heal and become, and more than a century of relationships and service can never be fully captured in a spreadsheet.
Great Grocery Giveaway
Karen Ragland
Building on Ashley’s look at the history of Rotary giving, Karen Ragland introduced members to our newest fundraiser, the Great Grocery Giveaway. Karen explained how the raffle will work and encouraged every Rotarian to help make it a success by selling tickets. Tickets were distributed to members at the meeting, and additional tickets will be available at upcoming meetings. Members who need tickets or have questions can also contact Karen directly. The Great Grocery Giveaway is the next chapter in a long tradition of Rotary fundraising, helping grow the charitable funds that allow our club to invest in local organizations, projects and community needs for years to come.
Next Week’s Program: Steve Keck-Kinchloe – Air Force Base and the Cold War