Rotary Informer March 25, 2026

Petoskey Rotary Club NEWSLETTER 
March 25, 2026
104 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Andrea Coronado 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 My Country tis of Thee

4-Way Test:  Ashley DeCarteret

Invocation:  Tim Dykstra

We have an opportunity later this meeting to make a major decision regarding how we use the club’s funds. That got me thinking about opportunity. John Wooden, the famously successful basketball coach at UCLA, had an interesting observation: 

“When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” 

Calendar Winners Read Off By:  Sharon Schappacher

Calendar Winners March 25, 2026

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  Lindsey Walker

Life Events:  The Memorial Service for Herbert H. Carlson will take place on Saturday March 28 at 11:00 AM at First Presbyterian Church of Harbor Springs, 7940 Cemetery Rd., Harbor Springs MI 49740

Birthdays: 

John Van Etten

Anniversaries:  

None

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PRCCI Grant Notification:  The PRCCI Committee met this week. The call for PRCCI grant applications closed March 1. The committee has made their decisions and will be announcing them soon. They will be granting $25,480 at this time, which leaves another $25,480 to award in the fall grant cycle. All of the grant recipients will be invited to our Rotary meeting on Wednesday, December 2 to share the impact of their grant funds.

Save the Date – Upcoming Rotary Events 

*RESCHEDULED TO Wednesday, March 25: – International Project Discussion
11:30 AM (30 minutes before the regular meeting)
Joe Blachy will lead a brief discussion before the meeting about a potential international Rotary project. All interested members are welcome to attend and learn more. RSVP not required. 

Wednesday, March 25: Centennial Funds Vote 
At today’s meeting, the club voted to move forward in seeking a new Centennial Project. This is an exciting opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact in our community. Megan DeWindt will be leading the formation of a new committee to guide this effort with Jim Wibby providing expert and transparent financial oversight. I know there will be a great deal of interest in participating, so please stay tuned—more details on how to get involved will be shared in April. We are at the beginning stages of this process, and we appreciate your patience as we plan next steps. This will not be an overnight process, we anticipate a thoughtful and thorough review, with plenty of opportunity for input from the club along the way. Through this initiative, we have the opportunity to redistribute more than $275,000 back into our community in support of a new, impactful project. Thank you all for your engagement, thoughtfulness, and commitment to Rotary’s mission. More to come soon.

Wednesday, April 8 – Vocational Meeting 
Great Lakes Center for the Arts at 12:00 PM
We will meet offsite at the Great Lakes Center for the Arts and will not meet at Stafford’s Perry Hotel that day. GLCFA staff will share about their work and what happens behind the scenes to bring performances and programs to our community. Lunch will be provided by Julienne Tomatoes and will include assorted sandwiches, chips, cookies, and beverages. The cost will be billed to your next Rotary invoice at the normal lunch rate. Please Register by Monday, April 6.
Register HERE 

Thursday, April 30 – Rotary Spaghetti Dinner
Petoskey High School, 5:00–7:00 PM
Our annual Spaghetti Dinner is back. Join us for an evening of great food and fellowship while supporting Rotary’s community projects. Dine-in and carry-out will be available.
Sign up to Volunteer HERE 

Member-Hosted Community Events

Thursday, April 9: Building Supportive Communities 
Hosted by Rotarians Andrea Coronado and Andrea Koch
Join Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan for an evening with nationally recognized survivor advocates Samantha Stites and Dr. Danielle Moore. Samantha’s 13-year experience with stalking is featured in the Hulu docuseries Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror. Dr. Moore is a clinical and forensic psychologist and survivor of the Olympic Doctor Larry Nassar. The evening will include presentations followed by a facilitated discussion and audience Q&A. Doors open at 5:30 PM. Program begins at 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served. The event is free and open to the public.
Register HERE 

Saturday, August 15: Northmen Food Den – Adult Prom Masquerade
Hosted by Rotarian Liz McKenney
Join the Northmen Food Den for Adult Prom: Masquerade on Saturday, August 15 at the Grand Unity Event Center in Petoskey from 5:00 to 11:00 PM. This fun evening invites guests to relive the magic of prom with grown-up flair and includes signature cocktails, appetizers and a buffet dinner by Sweetwater Catering, a live auction, photo booth, and Prom King and Queen voting. Proceeds support the Northmen Den Youth Pantries.
Tickets and details HERE

Member Induction:  None

PROGRAM:  Lindsey Walker, Emmet County Recycling

The Emmet County Recycling program is a self-sustaining, closed loop process. 

Emmet County Recycling began in the late 1970s following landfill closures. It evolved from a source-separated drop-site system into a comprehensive dual-stream processing facility by 2010, now recognized as a top rural recycling program in Michigan. The program serves the county through curbside pickup, 12 drop sites, yard waste and food scrap collection, wood recycling, material recovery and hazardous waste collection, and waste transfer station. 

In 1991, the Solid Waste Ordinance (Emmet County Ordinance Number 20) was approved by the County Board of Commissioners. The Ordinance provides incentives to recycle and reduce waste by establishing Pay-As-You-Throw, the only recycling system in the state to offer this. By flow controlling waste to the County Transfer Station it levels the playing field among competing waste haulers and allows secondary funding for recycling operations to be drawn from reliable Transfer Station revenues. As a result, the program no longer includes county tax dollars in its budget.

An impressive 97% of our recyclables supply businesses in Michigan, keeping jobs in state and returning value to our local communities. This has been accomplished by taking a pilot approach in response to community needs. As a result, we are one of the few recycling centers in the country that accepts: 

• Plastic film and bags
• Horticultural containers 

The recycling center also used a pilot approach for food and floral scrap collection. It is estimated that 50% of the average household trash is compostable. They are a member of SEEDS - a unique network of partners across the 10-county NWMI region doing work in and around surplus food, food waste, yard waste, and other types of organic waste. In Emmet County alone, over 8,000 tons of organic waste is generated annually, with 1,048 tons recaptured. Through the SEEDS partnership, the county hopes to more than triple double that number to 3,843 tons.

8000 tons of organic waste generated annually 

Upcoming Events:

• Master Recycler Training - 5 week course, Mondays, April 6 - May 4 @ NCMC
• Earth week tours
• Project connect
• Annual household hazardous waste collections: June 17th and August 22nd
• Backyard composting workshops at the library 

Q&A

Q: Can I recycle or compost cardboard takeout containers. 

A: Typically, if the containers are clean, they can be recycled. If they are dirty and marked BPI compostable, they should be composted.

Q: What should I store my food scraps in for transport to a drop location?

A: Five-gallon buckets with lids work well or there are food scraps caddies available at the Emmet County Recycling office.

You can do your part by following the pyramid of sustainability:

Prevent > Reduce > Reuse > Recycle > Repair/Recover > Dispose

Next Week’s Program:  April Fool’s Day! Michelle Gallagher, American Red Cross