Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

May 11, 2022

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 Elect Jeff Wynder  officiated the meeting. If you did not get the chance to attend, you can watch it from this:  Recording

Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Rotary, we understand that cultivating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture is essential to realizing our vision of a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change.

We value diversity and celebrate the contributions of people of all backgrounds, across age, ethnicity, race, color, disability, learning style, religion, faith, socioeconomic status, culture, marital status, languages spoken, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity as well as differences in ideas, thoughts, values, and beliefs.

Recognizing that individuals from certain groups have historically experienced barriers to membership, participation, and leadership, we commit to advancing equity in all aspects of Rotary, including in our community partnerships, so that each person has the necessary access to resources, opportunities, networks, and support to thrive.

We believe that all people hold visible and invisible qualities that inherently make them unique, and we strive to create an inclusive culture where each person knows they are valued and belong.

In line with our value of integrity, we are committed to being honest and transparent about where we are in our DEI journey as an organization, and to continuing to learn and do better.

Pledge/Anthem:  Howard Richards led us in God Bless America

4-Way Test:  Liz Eddington

Invocation:  Jeff Wynder since Melissa Thompson wasn’t here to do it

“Here’s to the Spicy Meatballs” which brought great laughter from the club since tomorrow is our 70th Annual Spaghetti Dinner

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Teri Donaldson

Calendar Winners May 11, 2022

    
    
Prize
Cal#
Calendar Winner
City
Sold By
$50
3214
Randy Danforth
East Jordan
East Jordan
$50
3572
Brian Wensauer
Battle Creek
Cereal City
$50
1192
Michelle Gray
Alanson
Petoskey
$50
2899
Jim O’Donnell
Indian River
P. Sunrise
$50
1195
Makenzie Fyke
Petoskey
Petoskey

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  Amber Pettit, being inducted today. She will remember and miss all the free lunches. Deanna Klosinski, Lynn Van Etten and Dave Breskman who were guests of John Van Etten. We also had three military recruiters Joshua Farve, Noah Mock and Daniel Allen.

Life Events: 

I will miss the contact until we return to MI in June. I had shoulder surgery in March and am still in the acute recovery time. Donna and I are looking forward to getting back to Petoskey soon. I hope to be able to drive again soon. Thanks again for making it possible to stay in touch with the ”home” club. See you all in June. Ron Snyder

Say Thank You to Jim Wibby and Sandy for coming up with the new sign by the badges with a cheery or public service announcement every week if Jim remembers to take it home.

Christian Smith got a puppy. An adorable Bernese Mountain Dog named Artemis.

Birthdays: 

Reggie Fiel

Frank Schneider

Anniversaries:  

Jim Linderman – 35 Years

Singing/Song:  We sang Happy Birthday, Smile and 1972 Stevie Wonder; “You are the Sunshine of my Life”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Save the Date - Thirsty Thursday:  This month we're meeting for happy hour on Thursday, May 26 at 5:30 PM at the Backlot in downtown Petoskey. Special thanks to Doug Buck for organizing!

Save the Date - Exchange of Officers Dinner:  On Thursday, June 30 we will gather for dinner at the Perry to install our new Club President and board members. Details forthcoming! There will be NO regular Rotary meeting that week.

Phasing out Zoom:  Just a reminder that Zoom will be available for Rotary meetings through Wednesday, May 26. 

Winter Sports Park fundraising:  Joe Blachy is leading an effort to raise an additional $500,000 for the Winter Sports Park, for upgrades that complement the pavilion roof that will be installed. Anyone interested in this effort is welcome to attend a fundraising committee meeting next Wednesday, May 18 at 6:00 PM at the Winter Sports Park. Please contact Joe Blachy or Kendall Klingelsmith if you have any questions. 

Seeking donations for July 4th fireworks and Parade:  We're again partnering with Sunrise Rotary to help with fireworks and the parade on Independence Day. Volunteers are currently looking for donations and sponsorships for the fireworks. Please contact Karen Ragland if interested. Also, you can check out the following: link

Jump for Polio:  Grand Haven, Michigan June 25, 2022 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. All District 6290 Rotarians plus family and friends are welcome to come to Grand Haven on June 25 to skydive to raise money to fight polio worldwide.

Our very own Betsy Newton has volunteered to jump as skydiving has been on Betsy's 'bucket list' for a long time. Please support her with a donation! If you also wish to join her in jumping, as we can have two jumpers per club in District 6290, please see our club president. We are seeking to procure donations of at least $1,000 per jumper.

PROGRAM  

Rotarians Roger Winslow and John Van Etten (both veterans) led a spectacular vocational program about military careers. They brought with them two military recruiters, one from the Army and another from the Marines.

We first heard from the Marines sergeant. Before becoming a recruiter, he was a diesel engine mechanic for the Marines. He talked about how he's been in the Marines for 9 years, and has been stationed at Okinawa, Thailand, South Korea and the Philippines. He said that the most important thing he's learned from military service is respect. He felt he had a lack of respect for his parents growing up, and previously didn't understand all the sacrifices they'd made for him. 

Next we heard from the Army sergeant, who has been in the Army for 10 years. He originally did satellite communications before becoming a recruiter and was stationed all throughout eastern Europe. He talked a bit about the ideal recruit: someone aged 18-27, no trouble with the law, no drug use, no medical issues, and has a high school diploma. He said COVID prevented recruiters from engaging high school juniors and seniors as they normally would. Ideally, they recruit 22-24 individuals each year from our area.

Then John Van Etten made remarks about his time in the Air Force. He graduated from Purdue University in 1969. He went to Texas and signed up for the Air Force. From there he enrolled in a three-month officer training program, where he was taught how to eat in 3 minutes and how to sleep with his eyes open!! 

Then John went to pilot training in Enid, OK. It was very competitive. There were 47 students, but only 22 graduated. After that, he was sent to gunnery school to learn how to accurately use and target weapons. He flew everyday through a gunnery range, releasing practice bombs. He received a "Top Gun" trophy! Then his journey led him to Spokane, WA for global survival school. He was taught how to build tents out of parachutes and was placed in a mock prisoner of war camp. Lastly, he was sent to the Philippines for jungle survival school and went to one more gunnery school. 

After all this comprehensive training, John was sent to Thailand for the Vietnam War. He flew 198 combat missions, doing a lot of search and rescue work. All of this was so amazing to hear about!!!

Chris Etienne and Bill Collins then gave a surprise presentation, where they honored John Van Etten with a Paul Harris Fellowship +2.

After this fabulous program, we had a new member induction. Welcome to Rotary, Amber Petit! Amber is originally from San Diego. She has 2 sons and a daughter, ages  8, 11 and 13. They also have a Great Dane and several rabbits. 

Amber has travelled to 30 countries and has lived in Spain and Argentina. She loves cooking and spending time outdoors. Amber has 12 years of experience as a counselor and started her own business 4 years ago. Her father was a Rotarian for over 50 years and she was involved in Rotaract as a youth. Welcome, Amber!!!

Next Week’s Program:  Teacher of the Year and Grant Recipients – should be a nice large group.  

Two-Week Notification:  This is a two-week notification for Bart English who was voted into the Rotary Club of Petoskey at yesterday’s board meeting.