Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

June 17, 2020

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey via the world wide web! Liz Ahrens, President officiated the meeting. If you did not get the chance to attend, you can watch it from this: Recording

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards led us in America the Beautiful

4-Way Test:  Bill Hicklen

Invocation:  Jean Frentz

Prayer for a Pandemic, by Cameron Bellm

May we who are merely inconvenienced

Remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors

Remember those most vulnerable.

May we who have the luxury of working from home

Remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent.

May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close

Remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips

Remember those that have no safe place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market

Remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for a quarantine at home

Remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love.

During this time when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other,

Let us yet find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

Amen.

Calendar Winners:  Read by Bob Metzger

Calendar Winners June 17, 2020

Visiting Rotarians2:  Patricia Wimmer, Rochester, MN; Suzanne Kanine, Sunrise Rotary and guest speaker today 

Guests:  Andrea Coronado, Angela Lasher both prospective members

Life Events: 

Rotary Care List:  None

Birthdays:

Nikki LaDeur

Greg Somers

Anniversaries:

Nick Liebler – 2 Years

Ron Snyder – 28 Years

Announcements:

Rotary Foundation – Since 2007 the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has been matching Rotary International's "End Polio Now" donations 2 to 1, up to $50m each Rotary fiscal year. Rotary International has secured $35m of this year's $50m goal, with just a few weeks left in our fiscal year. We hate to leave that money on the table! Mike McGovern, Rotary International chair for the End Polio Now campaign, had a creative suggestion. Since Rotarians are not currently gathering in-person or having to pay for meeting lunches, he suggests that each Rotarian donate one week of lunch money (about $10) to the End Polio Now campaign. Rotarians may donate online. If every Rotarian donated $10, we would reach our goal to secure the full $50m match from the Gates Foundation. Here is the link to make this possible: Link

Exchanges of Officers gathering on June 24 -- Next Wednesday, June 24 we will gather at 5:30 pm near the Pennsylvania Park gazebo, to honor Steve Cross's presidency and also to install Christian Smith as a new board member. This is a "BYO party" -- Bring Your Own beverages, food, chairs, and masks! Please use the 4-Way Test when it comes to wearing a mask. Please wear it anyways, even though we are outdoors, to create a comfortable experience for all. This will be our first time gathering in-person in three months. Please RSVP to noon@petoskeyrotary.org if you plan to attend.

In-Person Rotary meeting on July 1 -- On Wednesday, July 1st we will attempt an in-person meeting at the Perry Hotel. It will be in the Reycraft Room, limited to 40 people. Reservations will be required on a first-come, first-serve basis. There will be 8 tables, with 5 people seated at each table. You will be required to wear a mask when you enter the hotel and when you are seated at your table but not eating. There will be no singing, no group tea/coffee service and no buffet lunch. Everything will be served individually. This in-person meeting will also have several cameras and devices so that Rotarians can still participate via Zoom as well.

Obviously, this is a big test/experiment for our club. We ask that you please be patient and kind as we try to optimize the meeting experience for all Rotarians, whether that be in-person or via Zoom.

PROGRAM

We were joined by Suzanne Kanine, Emmet County Clerk (and Sunrise Rotarian!)

Suzanne was appointed to her position six months ago by Judge Johnson. She previously worked in the County Clerk's Office for about 5 years. Before that, she also used to manage a campground. She has a Bachelor's degree from Central Michigan University. She also served for 16 years in the National Guard, including Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2004. Suzanne and her husband have three children, all of whom attend St. Francis Xavier.

The County Clerk's Office attends all circuit court proceedings, maintains circuit court records, and makes those records available to the public. The records include criminal felonies, civil lawsuits above $25k, etc. The County Clerk's Office recently started a big project to digitize their records. It will make them much more efficient.

In addition to maintaining court records, the County Clerk's Office maintains juries for all the courts -- probate, district and circuit courts. The County Clerk's Office also handles vital records, including birth, death and marriage licenses. The records go back to 1880.

Lastly, the County Clerk's Office works with the Secretary of State and Bureau of Elections to administer local elections. The office orders ballots, trains election workers and reports the results. To prepare for the August 4 primary election, ballots are being delivered to the townships within the next week. On August 4 you may go to the polls to vote, or you may vote absentee for whatever reason. Also, you may register to vote up to the date of the election. Check out the Michigan Voter Information Center (www.michigan.gov/vote) for all information on when, where and how you may vote.

Following Suzanne's presentation, we had a great Q&A session.

Next week's program: The owners of Gypsy Vodka

Parting Shots:  Howard Richards treated us to Bob Dylan’s “Everything is Broken”

Two Week Notification:  Andrea Coronado and Angela Lasher were both voted into the Rotary Club of Petoskey and this is the second of a two-week notification for both of them to the Club.