Rotary Informer

Andre Strydom led us in Oh Beautiful

Four Way Test:  Stuart Fenton

Invocation:  Lisa Hammond

I can do things you cannot,

You can do things I cannot;

Together we can do great things.

Mother Teresa

Singing/Song:  Andre Strydom and Georgia Abbott led us in The Dixie Cups “Iko Iko” and Smile

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Mike Spencer

Calendar Winners February 26, 2020

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Visitors:  Andre Strydom, Becky Philipp-Kranig, Rebeca Otto, Nikki Devitt

Life Events: 

Birthdays:  

Kendall Klingelsmith

Terry Newton

Anniversaries:  None

Care Committee: 

Ron Broquet  - recuperating.  

Mike Landi’s wife Molly - she came home but was rushed back to hospital but do not have a handle on her health issue.

Karen Ragland – Suffering from a gimp limb engaged in commendable and heroic feats during spaghetti dinner and went far above and beyond the call of duty as a pearl diver. She will forever be known as Wonder Rotarian.

Bill Collins – For the last two years, Bill’s young grandson, Luke, has been cancer-free. However, doctors recently discovered a small spot on Luke’s shin and found that his neuroblastoma has returned. Luke is going in for further testing. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Joe Blachy – Joe recently went on a cruise through Asia, which unfortunately ended early due to concerns of the coronavirus outbreak. No one on the cruise ship contracted coronavirus, but the cruise ended early to ensure everyone’s safety. Joe is now home in Petoskey safe & sound. He decided to ‘quarantine’ himself for two weeks though, just to be sure of his health. Joe, we look forward to seeing you soon!

Announcements:

Spaghetti Dinner:  Mike Snyder announced the results of the spaghetti dinner. We served 844 people and Melissa Thompson was the closest to the number and won the pot. There were a number of Rotary conflicts so we were tight on help, yet everyone stepped up to the plate including spouses, children, STRIVE students. Of the money raised that night, $1,000 is going to Petoskey High School to help pay off school lunch debts for low-income students. A huge THANK YOU to all volunteers and sponsors who made the dinner possible. In the words of Mike, “It was great. Thank you! You did a hell of a job!”

District Foundation Raffle:  Steve Brummeler announced that today is the last day to purchase District Foundation Raffle tickets. See Steve Brummeler if you are interested. They are $20/each.

PRCCI Grant Cycle:  Petoskey Rotary Club Charities, Inc. (a.k.a. PRCCI, a.k.a. the charitable arm of our club) is now accepting applications to its annual grant cycle. Applications are available on our website and are due by March 15 at 5:00 pm. Let local nonprofits know about this and encourage them to apply for a grant. PRCCI grants range from $500 - $5,000 to support charitable projects in our area.

YMCA Report:  The Grand Traverse Bay YMCA is conducting a community needs assessment and will design and deliver new programs and services that address critical issues in the areas of youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Your responses are not individually tracked and are kept confidential and it should take no more than 5 minutes of your time to complete this survey. Link to Survey 

Alzheimer’s/Dementia Action group:  Anyone interested in participating on a Rotary team fundraiser walk for the Alzheimer’s Association is welcome to attend a kick-off gathering next Wednesday, March 4 from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at Boyne Valley Vineyards. Contact Melissa Thompson if you have any questions.

Community Mediation:  Jane Millar has tickets for Community Mediation theater fundraiser on March 9. They are $25/person.

Char-Em United Way:  Anora O’Connor mentioned that Char-Em United Way’s “Toast to Literacy” event is happening on Saturday, Feb. 29. All proceeds benefit their Dolly Parton Imagination Library program to supply books to children.

Program:  Adam Koivisto MSU Extension

Today we learned about Michigan State University (MSU) Extension, which was founded in 1914. The purpose of Extension is to connect the broader community with information and resources from universities.

MSU’s Extension program focuses on four areas:  agriculture/agribusiness; children & youth programs like 4-H; health & nutrition; and community food systems.

Next Week’s Program:  Chris Struble History of Petoskey