Rotary Informer September 30, 2026

Rotary Club NEWSLETTER 
September 30, 2026
104 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Sharon Schappacher 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:  Bill Hicklen

Invocation:  Jean Frentz

THE FIRST 5 OF 10 THINGS PEOPLE LEARN TOO LATE IN LIFE

1. The less you say, the more your words will matter.

2. Don’t take everything personally. Not everyone thinks about you as much as you do.

3. When you focus on problems, you’ll have more problems. When you focus on possibilities, you’ll have more opportunities.

4. No matter how much it hurts now, someday you will look back and realize your struggle changed your life for the better.

5. You meet people for a reason. Either you need them to change your life, or you’re the one that will change theirs. Unknown

(Last five will come later)

Calendar Winners Read Off By:  John Emley

Calendar Winners September 30, 2026

Visiting Rotarians:  Dixon Gerber, Traverse City Sunrise; Jim McClain, Petoskey Sunrise

Guests:  David Emmel

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

Sharon Schappacher’s love prospects are looking up. Details in the adult's only section. 

Birthdays:  

Georgia Abbott

Rich Bruder

Anniversaries:  

Jim Wibby – 46 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! 

Grocery Raffle update:  Rotarians now have a fabulous opportunity to sell our grocery raffle tickets outside of D&W grocery store! A signup sheet is forthcoming. Remember, if we sell all 3,000 raffle tickets, we will raise $75,000 for Club activities. Congratulations to our Seller of the Week, Steve Brown, who has sold 68 raffle tickets so far!

Oct. 14 Club Mixer with District Governor:  Save the date! On October 14 from 6:00 - 8:00 PM, all Rotarians from Petoskey, Inland Lakes, and Cheboygan clubs are invited to join our District Governor for a mixer. It will be at Bob's Place Restaurant in Alanson. 

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:  David Gerber, Leah Wasserman – Little Traverse Sailors

We were joined by David and Leah from Little Traverse Sailors (LTS), who told us more about their organization. LTS is a non-profit summer sailing program based in Harbor Springs. With a fleet of 58 boats and 10-12 instructors, LTS teaches sailing to about 350-375 children per year, from ages 8 to 17. Approximately 60% of participants are summer residents, and 40% are year-round residents.

LTS teaches sailing at all levels of expertise. Each session begins with a "land lesson" where students discuss in detail the session's activities. One unique aspect about LTS instruction is that instructors are not on the sailboats with the students. They are nearby in power boats, observing and coaching in close proximity.

In 2027 they will start offering an adult sailing class, as well as a boater safety course.

Learn more at:  https://littletraversesailors.org

Next Week’s Program: Paul Bianchi — Cross Village Veterans Memorial Park