Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

November 11, 2020

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey via Zoom on 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 Played the “Star Spangled Banner”

4-Way Test:  Chelsea Platte

Invocation:  Stu Fenton

Veterans Day Poem

Joanna Fuchs

History –

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed November 11 as Armistice Day to celebrate the end of WW1. The end of the war happened at the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 1th month, so that’s why November 11th was chosen. 

“While we were here at home

They traveled land and sea,

To make sure we stayed safe,

To protect and keep us free.

Words are not enough

To give them what they’re due.

On Veteran’s Day, please thank them

For their service, to me and you.

They sacrificed the comforts we enjoy;

The list is long of all the things they gave.

Our veterans are extraordinary people;

They’re loyal, dedicated, true and brave.

When terror and invasion were real threats,

They showed us they could handle any storm.

We owe our freedoms and our very lives

To our veterans, who served in uniform.

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Bob Metzger

Calendar Winners November 11, 2020

    
    
Prize
Cal#
Calendar Winner
City
Sold By
$50
2466
Gladwin Chamber of Commerce
Gladwin
Gladwin
$50
1765
Jim Richardson
Washington
Petoskey
$50
583
Claire Biancalana
Aptos, CA
Petoskey
$50
3123
Bill Marshall
Petoskey
P. Sunrise
$50
275
Sharon Schappacher
Petoskey
Petoskey
$50
3180
Richard Doxtader
Canton
P. Sunrise
$50
1658
Max Osborne
Petoskey
Petoskey

Visiting Rotarians:  Christy Lyons, Sunrise Rotary

Guests:  None

Life Events:

Rotary Care List: 

Howard Richards led us in singing Smile

Birthdays: 

Ron Snyder

Nick Liebler

Anniversaries: 

John Scholten – 15 Years

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Help spread positivity this Friday, Nov. 13:  Our board of directors recently came across this news article about a Petoskey man who has been standing in the new 'People's Park' holding a sign that simply says "Smile" for folks driving by. Nothing political, nothing controversial, nothing negative....just good vibes! Inspired by his actions, we're trying it for ourselves! Join fellow Rotarians in People's Park (across from Family Video) this Friday, November 13, anytime between 4:00 - 6:00 PM. You may bring a handmade sign with a positive message or hold up some Rotary-themed signs we had designed for this event.

Rotary Secret Santa gift exchange: Let's add some extra holiday cheer to our club this year! Ashley Whitney is organizing a "Secret Santa" gift exchange. Details are still being worked out, but if you sign up you will receive the name of another Rotarian to buy a holiday gift for -- keep it under $25.00 please. You will then mail or drop off the gift to that person. At a later date, we will gather virtually to guess who our Secret Santa’s are. We have at least 18 Rotarians signed up so far!! Contact Ashley Whitney if interested.

Calendar update:  We have 38% of calendars turned in -- thank you! We only have 6 weeks left, so a big push is needed to get the remainder in. Jim Beno in the lead for total sales. Jane Millar is #2, with 49 calendars sold. Awesome!

Toys for Tots:  This annual toy drive is still happening! If you'd like to donate a toy for a child in need, please drop it off at the Perry Hotel. Or you can make a cash donation if you prefer -- simply write a check out to Toys for Tots and mail it to Dave Thomas's home address. Please contact Dave Thomas with any questions.

Salvation Army bell ringing  on Dec. 18:  Save the date! We will ring the bell for Salvation Army. We're aiming for a new location this year, right outside the Petoskey Chamber building at the corner of Mitchell & Howard (across from our old JC Penney location). We will also have one location at Walmart. Stay tuned for details!

Wreaths Across America on Dec. 19:  Save the date! We will gather at Greenwood Cemetery for to conduct wreath-laying ceremonies on veterans' graves.

Spaghetti Dinner update:  The Spaghetti Dinner Committee recently decided to *postpone* this beloved event to mid/late April, when our pandemic situation hopefully will have improved. Also, we envision this year's dinner to be 'take out' meals only. Please contact Mike Snyder or Christian Smith with any questions or thoughts on this.

Board of Directors update:  Justin Blohm has decided to transfer to Sunrise Rotary. With his departure, the Board of Directors has appointed Reg Smith to complete Justin's term on the board, which is slated to end June 30, 2021.

Club elections happening soon:  The club's election will be on December 9th. With Justin Blohm transferring to Sunrise Rotary, the Nominating Committee had to redo its slate of candidates. The committee is also putting together bylaw amendment language to allow for electronic voting, which our club will also need to vote on.

The *new* slate of candidates includes:

President Nominee:  Reg Smith

Board of Directors:  Christian Smith; Lisa Hammond; Karen Ragland

Club bylaws update:  There's a lot of things (like the inability to vote electronically) that are outdated in the bylaws. Our centennial year is a good time to revise the bylaws and modernize some of our operations. If anyone is interested in helping with this in the coming year, please let Ashley Whitney know. Thanks to those who have already volunteered!! 

Help needed with Zoom meetings:  Do you consider yourself a Zoom expert these days? If so, please consider volunteering to be a 'Zoom master' for our club in the new year! Ashley Whitney has been doing a fabulous job managing Zoom for us during the pandemic, but on January 1 she begins her new role as President. Ashley will not be able to manage Zoom and President duties at the same time. If you consistently attend Rotary and are comfortable with Zoom technology, please consider taking over this critical function. Contact Ashley if interested! Thanks to those who have already signed up for this.

PROGRAM

Today we were joined by Christy Lyons, who now heads corporate and community education at NCMC. Christy gave a wonderful presentation on NCMC's initiatives/offerings in this realm -- lifelong learning, professional development and corporate training.

North Central's Corporate and Community Education (CCE) department offers the services that matter to area businesses:

  • Customized training – on demand, on location, on topic

  • Technological instruction – Blueprint reading, CAD, ISO 9000, SPC, electronics, Lean Series

  • Computer training – MS Office, webpage design, desktop publishing, e-commerce

  • Health care and safety training

  • Funding assistance – securing state and federal grants to pay for training

To serve the needs of the larger community, CCE also provides:

  • Community education – short courses in topics of professional and personal interest

  • Online courses – six-week, instructor-facilitated workshops on hundreds of topics

  • Employment services - connecting job seekers with business opportunities

  • Career development programs for adults and youth

  • Youth success programs – helping teens return to school, graduate and enter the work world

  • Continuing education units for professionals needing specific documented training hours

Contact Christy at clyons1@ncmich.edu  or 231-348-6822 to learn more.

Next week's program:  Megan DeWindt, Crooked Tree Arts Center

Parting Shots:  Howard Richards closed with an extended version of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. He used no sheet music to read from, proving once again why he is a virtuoso, and we aren’t worthy.