Rotary Informer September 16, 2026

Rotary Club NEWSLETTER 
September 16, 2026
104 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. Past President Christian Smith 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:  Jim Erhart

Invocation:  Tim Dykstra

Good afternoon fellow Rotarians. If you look around the room today, you’ll notice something is different. Many of our members are absent since they are attending today’s “Women Can Women Do” event. This absence got me thinking about Rotary and women.

In 1987 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that Rotary clubs could not exclude women from membership. And, in 1989, our Petoskey club welcomed our first female member, Pat Ryde. That was one of the best and most impactful decisions our club has ever made. Since Pat’s joining, women members have grown both in numbers and positive impact for our club. The joined committees, they chaired committees, they became club presidents. Their leadership branched beyond our local club’s boundaries to both the district and even the national levels. Now we can proudly boast that our current membership roster is over 31% female.

All of us can appreciate the outstanding contributions these members have made and continue to make to our club in our on-going efforts to put Service above Self.

Calendar Winners Read Off By:  Sam Fee

Calendar Winners September 16, 2026

Visiting Rotarians:  Chip & Marcy Southgate, Keene Elm City Rotary; Keene, New Hampshire; Marcy is the visiting Rotarian

Guests:  Abe and Hillary Manthei, Hillary was an exchange student in the 1990’s

Life Events:  Christine Hammond has just been approved for the new medicine that has been successful in extending the lives by a few months for some pancreatic cancer patients. Chris herself doesn’t need help but in honor of her 70^th birthday, you are encouraged to donate to PanCan which supports research for pancreatic cancer. Please keep Chris and her husband Tom in your thoughts and prayers. PanCan.org

Birthdays:  

Maggie Steffy

Anniversaries:  

Kristy Beyer – 25 Years

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

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Rotary Club of Petoskey Centennial Grant — Now Accepting Applications. The Rotary Club of Petoskey has launched its Centennial Grant Program, making up to $277,000 available for a bricks-and-mortar community project in Emmet County. Eligible organizations — including nonprofits, municipalities, educational institutions, and public agencies — are invited to apply. Projects must be shovel-ready and capable of completion within 12–24 months of award. This is a capital investment grant; events, programs, and operational funding are not eligible. Applications are open now through November 1, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET via the Petoskey-Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation's SmartSimple grant portal. An optional Zoom information session will be held September 24 at 1 p.m. ET. Visit petoskeyrotary.org to learn more and apply.

Get ready! The Rotary Great Grocery Giveaway Raffle officially kicks off August 26.
Tickets are $25 each, and every Rotarian is asked to sell at least 10 tickets.
1st Prize: $100 a week for a year — $5,200
2nd Prize: $50 a week for a year — $2,600
3rd Prize: $25 a week for a year — $1,300
Tickets and everything you need to start selling will be available at our regular meeting on August 26. Get ready to sell! 

Saturday, September 19, 2026 Mark your calendar for our fall Rotary Roadside Cleanup! Join fellow Rotarians as we help keep our community clean and beautiful. More details, including meeting time and location, will be coming soon. Save the date and plan to lend a hand! Register here LINK

Monday, September 21, 2026 Set sail with fellow Rotarians, family, and friends for a sunset cruise aboard the Little Traverse Bay Ferry. Enjoy a relaxed evening of fellowship, great food, and beautiful views of Little Traverse Bay. Bring your spouse, a guest, or a prospective Rotarian!

$45 per person includes:
2-hour sunset cruise
Appetizers, wraps or sandwiches, and dessert
Cash bar available onboard.

Boarding: 5:30 PM | Cruise: 6:00 – 8:00 PM
101 E. Lake Street, Petoskey
Space is limited Click on the LINK to register

Good news! We’ve been approved to set up a Rotary booth at the Downtown Petoskey Holiday Open House on Friday, December 4, from 6:00–9:00 p.m. It is FREE. We’ll have a tent in Pennsylvania Park near the chamber and stage where we can sell grocery raffle tickets and can hand out cookies, cocoa, or another holiday treat. This is just a heads-up for now. I’ll announce it to the full club and put together a volunteer sign-up as we get closer. We’ll need people to staff the booth and some bakers willing to donate cookies. The timing should be great since it’s just a few weeks before the ticket sales deadline and drawing, so hopefully we can move a lot of those last tickets! Just wanted to get it on everyone’s radar and calendars. 

Member–Hosted Community Events

Member Induction:  None

Member Spotlight:  None

PROGRAM:  Abe Manthei-Culture of Care, Coaching and Commitment 

We were joined by Abe Manthei from The Manthei Group, who gave a presentation of "A Culture of Care and Commitment." 

In 2019 Abe attended a conference, and learned about a company that had hired a full-time therapist for its staff. He was inspired by that, and did the same for The Manthei Group. 

He described his family's 4-step journey to creating a culture of care and commitment:

Step 1:  Realize their mission as a family. In their case, their mission is “to reveal God & God's Kingdom through our work in the marketplace.”

Step 2: Get to know their staff, and understand their needs.

Step 3:  Figure out how, as a company, to care for their staff's mental, physical, spiritual, and financial needs.

Step 4:  Figure out how the company can also care for their broader community.

This approach has led The Manthei Group to do several innovative things, such as open a daycare, build an affordable housing complex, acquire a sober living house and actively employ individuals in recovery from substance use disorder.

Next Week’s Program: Beth Wemigwase – Ephram Shay House