Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

December 8, 2021

1921 – 2021          100 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey via Zoom on the world wide web and in-person from here on out if God willing and the creek don’t rise. President Ashley Whitney officiated the meeting. If you did not get the chance to attend, you can watch it from this:  Recording

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards played God Bless America on Zoom

4-Way Test:  Walt Byers

Invocation:  Lisa Schneider

Let’s pray that in this holiday season,

Love replaces hate,

Faith replaces fear,

And people remember the bond we all share.

Amen

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Reg Smith

Calendar Winners December 8, 2021

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  Deanna Klosinski, Sarah McDonnell, Prospective Member

Life Events: 

Congratulations to Ashley Whitney, who won the Athena Award this week at the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce's annual Breakfast for Champions event!!!

Herb Carlson is feeling much better and will be released from Villa by the Bay soon.

This is Howard Richards' last week with us before he begins his winter travels. We will miss your music, Howard!!! Thank you for all the joy and creativity you bring to our club.

Rotary Care List:  

Bill Collins and Deanna Klosinski:

Our grandson, Luke Albright, incurred neuroblastoma (pediatric cancer) March 2017 before his 5^th birthday; relapsed February 2020. Luke will be 11 April 28^th – he has spent almost half of his young life dealing with cancer. He’s a fighter with many successes. Now he’s fighting again.

Family is mom Megan (Bill’s daughter), dad Ryan, and older brother Liam (9^th grader).

582 Bassett Rd

Bay Village, OH

Update December 8, 2021

New treatment – antibody immunotherapy for specific neuroblastoma cancer cells in his bones and bone marrow – will begin December 13. Supervised by Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital and administered by Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.

If you desire to donate, any of the following organizations always help children and their families.

Go Fund Me for Luke: Link

Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland – where Luke receives his medical care: Link

“A Special Wish Cleveland Chapter proudly opened its doors in 2013. Since launching, the award-winning Cleveland Chapter is proud to be locally operated by dedicated Clevelanders. All donations to the Cleveland Chapter stay right here in Northeast Ohio and are directly applied to granting the wishes of local kiddos battling life-threatening disorders.”

Luke and family have been able to attend several local special events, the Ohio State vs Michigan State football game November 20, 2021, and even a trip to Disneyworld: Link

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC)

Donate: Link

MSK Kids Neuroblastoma Treatments: Link

“Antibody Therapy for Neuroblastoma

Perhaps the greatest mark MSK Kids has made on neuroblastoma care is the invention of antibodies that target and kill the cancer cells. This form of immunotherapy is typically used in people with neuroblastoma that persists despite surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. Thanks to these antibody therapies, many children with neuroblastoma who once would have been told they were out of treatment options are now long-term survivors of the disease.”

Neuroblastoma Research at MSKCC: Link

Birthdays: 

Reg Smith

Anniversaries:  

Steve Cross – 10 Years

Singing/Song:  Howard Richards, on ZOOM, played Happy Birthday and Smile

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Smores with Santa at Camp Daggett:  December 12, 2021, at Camp Daggett between 1:00 – 3:00 pm.

Christmas Program:  Christmas program will be 12/15 and we will have live music from Owen James – no madrigals this year as they aren’t performing out and about.

2022 - 2023 Slate of Candidates- approved:  Following our annual club election, we received 60 'yes' votes for this year's proposed slate of candidates:

President Nominee:  Christian Smith
Board of Directors, Club Service:  Andrea Coronado
Board of Directors, International Service: Georgia Abbott
Board of Directors, Charitable Giving:  John Emley
Member at Large:  Judy Zorn

Winter Sports Park Project Update:  Kendall Klingelsmith delivered the excellent news that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources recently approved a $300,000 grant for the Winter Sports Project upgrades. Between the DNR grant and Rotary's contribution, the Winter Sports Park has raised $600,000!! First priority will be to put a roof over the hockey rink to turn it into a year-round recreation pavillion.

Toys for Tots - Final Week Approaching:  Dave Thomas announced that Toys for Tots is back and he is requesting donations.  Items can be delivered to the Perry Hotel, unwrapped.  He suggested gifts in the range of 20.00. Next week (Dec. 13 - 17) is the final week to participate.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing on Dec. 17:  Christian Smith is the chairperson of this endeavor. There are two positions at Walmart at the North and South entrances. It begins at 10:00 AM and ends at 8:00 PM with one hour shifts. Please sign up for this important annual event HERE.

Calendar Stubs Due by 12/31:  Just a reminder to please turn in calendar stubs by December 31! Any stubs not turned in by 12/31 will be invoiced to the corresponding member and those stubs will not be included in the raffle. 61% of calendars have been turned in to-date -- thank you!!

Looking for Old Rotary holiday photos:  Do you have any photographs of Rotary holiday festivities from years past? If so, please email them to Chris Hammond! She hopes to put together a presentation

PROGRAM

Today we held our annual Club Assembly. Current board members spoke about our club's different avenues of service and opportunities to become more involved. If you have been wanting to deepen your engagement in Rotary, please do not be shy! Contact any of the board members to talk about where help is needed. It takes MANY folks to keep our club vibrant.

Jim Wibby, Treasurer, gave a financial update.

Terry Newton, Secretary, talked about our current membership level and social media activity. We need more volunteers to assist with social media posts.

Kassia Perpich talked about Club Service. We always welcome volunteers to give the weekly invocation, or lead us in our song, or organize our program. Volunteers are also needed to help organize social activities.

Christian Smith talked about Community Service. Volunteers are welcome to help organize and/or participate in roadside cleanups, Salvation Army bell ringing, or other ad hoc community service projects. We also need folks to vet requests we occasionally receive from local charities seeking cash donations.

Karen Ragland talked about Vocational Service. She hopes to bring back more programming where Rotarians talk about their career experiences. The first program will be a conversation with Matt Breed and Mike Landi on their careers in law enforcement. 

Nikki LaDeur talked about International Service, which often involves researching projects and writing grants to the Rotary Foundation to support an initiative happening overseas.

Lisa Schneider talked about Youth Service, which encompasses Life Leadership, our STRIVE youth mentorship program, and scholarships and Service Above Self Awards. Volunteers are always needed to help present awards, review scholarship applications, help organize STRIVE site visits and more.

Ashley Whitney talked about Charitable Income on behalf of board member John Emley. This avenue of service focuses on our fundraisers - calendar sales, spaghetti dinner, sidewalk sales, Pedaling for Polio bike rides, Diamonds & Denim, etc. 

Dianne Litzenburger talked about Petoskey Rotary Club Charities Inc. (PRCCI) which is an entirely separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose purpose is to support the charitable obligations/initiatives for our club.

Next Week’s Program:  Christmas Program