Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

March 3, 2021

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

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards Played “America”

4-Way Test:  Lisa Hammond

Invocation:  Tim Dykstra

A Message of Hope

Laura Kelly Fanucci

When this is over,

May we never again

Take for granted

A handshake with a stranger

Full Shelves at the store

Conversations with neighbors

A crowded theater

Friday night out ….

A routine checkup

The school rush each morning

Coffee with a friend

The stadium roaring

Each deep breath

A boring Tuesday

Life itself.

When this ends

may we find

that we have become

more like the people

we wanted to be

we were called to be

we hoped to be

and may we stay

that way – better

for each other because of the worst.

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Bob Metzger

Calendar Winners March 3, 2021

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  Eric Leister

Life Events:

Rotary Care List:

Birthdays: 

Steve Brown

Anniversaries: 

Jeff Bodette – 23 Years

Bill Fedus – 45 Years

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

100 Acts of Service:  This year our club aspires to complete 100 Acts of Service for our 100 years. If you did something to serve others in the last week, please be sure to record it in our online survey -- click here. Thank you!

Centennial Service Project Fundraising Committee:  We need to form a committee similar to our usual Diamonds & Denim committee, except this one will be devoted to fundraising for our centennial service project (the Winter Sports Park upgrades). While it may involve grant writing, event planning and direct solicitations, it will not involve collecting any silent or live auction items!! Please contact Ashley Whitney if interested.

4th of July Festivities:  Sunrise Rotary has taken over Petoskey's annual 4th of July festivities. They are asking other service clubs to become involved -- cash contributions, or join the program committee to plan the parade, etc. Sunrise Rotarians Andy Hayes, Carlin Smith and Brian Wagner are leading this effort. Please contact Karen Ragland or Ashley Whitney if you are interested in helping with this on behalf of Noon Rotary.

Spaghetti Dinner:  Save the Date! On April 22, 2021 we will hold our annual spaghetti dinner at the Grand Unity Events Center (1106 Charlevoix Ave., Petoskey). We will be offering carryout service only, from 3:00 - 7:00 PM. To celebrate our 100-year anniversary, this year's spaghetti dinner will be FREE for the community. There will be no ticket sales. Members will be billed $100 this year (instead of $90). We recognize that not selling tickets means members may not have the chance to recoup their individual $100 expense. If this creates a hardship for you, please don't hesitate to say so -- contact Christian Smith directly.

Petoskey Rotary Club Charities Inc. (PRCCI):  Every year PRCCI makes grants (usually in the $1,000 - $4,000 range) to a variety of local nonprofits. The PRCCI grant application is now available on our club's website. The deadline to apply is March 15. Please contact Dianne Litzenburger if you have any questions -- and be sure to let local nonprofits know about this opportunity! 

PROGRAM

Today we were treated to a delightful presentation by our very own Rotarian, Chris Hammond, who told us more about the history of our club's involvement with the Winter Sports Park. Seeing as the Winter Sports Park has been chosen as our Centennial service project this year, it was awesome to learn just how deep our ties go to this beloved community amenity. Chris walked us through a timeline. Some milestones include:

1927 -- Organized Winter Sports Committee, led by 2 Rotarians

1928 -- First Annual Winter Sports Carnival is held

1935 -- Carved a gigantic "Ice Throne" for the "Winter Queen"

1979 -- Rotarians paint all of the facilities at the Winter Sports Park

1980 -- Rotary donates $40,000 to the Winter Sports Park

1981 -- Over 300 people take ski lessons at the Winter Sports Park

1982-83 -- Rotary spearheads fundraising for a snow machine, a $10,000 project

1983 -- Rotary wins a Civic Pride Award for its support of the Winter Sports Park

1989-90 -- Rotary spearheads a fundraising drive of $206,000 for a new Winter Sports Park lodge, does a collection drive for ice skates

2013 --  Rotary donates $5,400 toward replacement of fencing around the Winter Sports Park's hockey rink and the installation of a PA system

Next Week’s Program:  John Smarge – Haiti Project – Jane Millar

Two-Week Notification:  The Board of Directors held a Podium Board Meeting last week. Eric Leister’s application into the Rotary Club of Petoskey was approved and this is his second week of a two-week notification.

Parting Shots:  Howard Richards closed with 2014 Rodney Carrington “Dancing With a Man” A little too racy to include the lyrics in the bulletin this week!