VolunteersPrayer – I forgot! But a special thanks to that person! 50/50 Drawing – Unfortunately we did not have tickets today so there was no drawing. TABLE HELPERS: President Kathye, Rhonda, Tim Pier
ROTARACT AT ADRIAN COLLEGE - View their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/rotaractac/ ROTARACT AT SIENA HEIGHTS UNIVERSITY
District Theme for 2021-22  District Governor 2021-22 Aruna Koushik  |
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ASO - Libby & Bruce Abby Watson and Bruce Kiesling from the ASO shared the stage to tell us about the upcoming season that they are excited will be in person! All concerts are expected to be held at Dawson Auditorium. The line-up for the 2021-2022 season is as follows: Sunday, October 10, 2021 at 3:00 PM Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 3:00 PM Saturday, December 11, 2021 at 8:00 PM Friday, February 18, 2022 at 7:00 PM Friday, March 18, 2022 at 8:00 PM Sunday, March 20, 2022 at 3:00 PM Friday, April 29, 2022 at 8:00 PM Friday, June 3, 2022 at 8:00 PM Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 8:00 PM For more information visit: https://www.adriansymphony.org/concerts-list.html |
Oppression in China - Fenfen Zhang Fenfen Zhang, guest of Chip, was our presenter today. Her presentation started with a very moving yet disturbing video about the outright oppression and deaths taking place in China today. Fenfen said that she grew up in China and came to the US in 1989 and is a citizen.She is trying to increase awareness of the effort in her native country, from which she and her husband are now “blacklisted”, to harvest and sell human organs from people who are being targeted and killed for that purpose. Fenfen referenced House Bill H.R. 1592 written and introduced in early March this year to “combat forced organ harvesting and trafficking in persons for purposes of the removal of organs, and for other purposes”. The bill still needs to be voted on. She urged us to write our congressional representatives about this and encourage them to support this measure. For more information, go to www.congress.gov |
Share the Warmth - Kelly Castleberry Kelly Castleberry, Adrian City Commissioner and new Director of Share the Warmth since this past April, spoke to our club today about her new role and all that the organization continues to do since the passing of Helen Hendricks.The organization, she said, will be looking at how the organization can move forward. A case management program has been developed to help begin the process while consulting HUD, MISDA, Salvation Army, the State of Michigan, etc. They are applying for an Emergency Program Grant. Their work with HUD allows them to tackle housing first, Kelly said. Therefore, anyone coming to their facility is signed up so they can determine how they can be placed in permanent housing. Kelly knows that people need to have their basic needs met before they can be productive at doing other things. Once there they are fed and clothed and given basic hygiene items. People arrive each afternoon at 5pm. They are allowed to do laundry there, take showers, etc. They are then free to play games and socialize. Kelly encourages volunteers to hang out with them if they'd like. Staff work with all residents on long range plans and assisting them with finding employment with the help of Michigan Works, qualifying for Social Security, medical and mental health care with the help of Lenawee County Mental Health. They are constantly placing people with outside resources to take care of their needs and break down the barriers that may have caused them to lose shelter in the first place, she said. The shelter, Kelly said, started approximately 18 years ago in some of the local Catholic churches to take care of people mainly during the cold months. It then moved to the Salvation Army facility. Residents were also housed at Bohn Pool. Following a successful fundraiser, the organization bought the former Moose Lodge in 2018 where it is today. Kelly said that the organization has benefitted from using many volunteers in the past. Top floor is their dormitory space while the bottom floor is their kitchen and dining facility. All of this, she said, has been due to volunteers and not staff. COVID did impact volunteers help in 2020. They are in great need of them now more than ever, she said because a number of those who did help did not return. The new grant, if approved, will allow them to bring in more paid staff and case managers. |
Tunnels to Towers Foundation - Tony Cruz We were delighted that Melissa Parson’s hubby, Tony Cruz, was able to join us today and speak a=on this important cause. Tony said that he was a 20-year veteran as a volunteer firefighter and works with three different agencies and has also worked in law enforcement at the local as well as federal level. He is an electrician by trade.Tony recounted the story about how this organization originated following 911 in memory of Brooklyn firefighter Stephen Siller, a firefighter and Rescue 1, who left after his shift early that morning and was looking forward to playing golf later that day with his brothers. On the way home, he heard about what had happened in New York City and headed to Manhattan. Along the way, Tony said, he was not able to get through a major tunnel so he put his gear (65 pounds in weight) on and ran the entire rest of the way to the World Trade Center towers which happened to be an exhausting 4 miles away! Unfortunately, Stephen along with 9 others from his unit died that day when the towers collapsed. The Siller family wanted to do something to honor their family member who was the youngest of 7 children who decided to help people by becoming a firefighter in the City of New York. It began with a local 5k run which raised a few thousand dollars, Tony said, which was donated to the local burn center. The next year attendance doubled. Since 2002, he said, there are 70+ events around the world! The Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation was founded to help people all over the world. The foundation provides free homes to catastrophically injured veterans and pay off the mortgages of families of law enforcement officials who have lost their lives in the line of duty. Tony mentioned the Dall 5 – police officers who were killed in the line of duty. Frank Siller, Stephen’s father, went the very next day to Dallas to inform the families of these officers that their mortgages were being fully paid off by the foundation. The Gold Star Family Program was another program the foundation founded, Tony said. This program was designed to help families of fallen young soldiers killed overseas who have a spouse and small children. In these cases, the family is set up in a modest, mortgage-free home to live in. To date, there are 68 Smart Homes for those having suffered catastrophic injuries with another 21 in progress, he said. The foundation has paid the mortgages of 56 First Responders across the country and have purchased 40 homes and have given them to Gold Star families. The foundation has also set aside $5M for a COVID-19 Relief Fund. Tony encouraged anyone who would like to give to the foundation through tunnel2towers.org. Prior to the pandemic, Tony was one of the directors who were planning the Stephen Siller 5k Run & Walk in Jackson scheduled for May 16which was postponed. Thanks, Tony for a great presentation! |
Rotary Woodworking Warriors – Luke Barnett
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Highwire Farms LLC - Eric Kennedy Melissa Parsons introduced Eric Kennedy, owner of Highwire Farms LLC in Adrian, wo spoke abut his new venture and operations in Adrian. He is originally from Indiana. Eric owns the new retail location on South Main Street (4-acre parcel) as well as the manufacturing facility on West Beecher near the intersection of Sand Creek Highway and Beecher Road. This, he said is a parcel of approximately 38 acres and is a marijuana grow facility of 15,000 square feet where he grows 6,000 plants. “We’re creating jobs there”, he added. The facility employs 80-100 people. That operation requires 5 separate licenses. Starting wages at each location are around $15/Hr.He spoke about the chemical Turpene Profile, THC, cannabis, distillates and CBD. He spoke about the difficulties he had as a grower and seller with local banks. He spoke about the taxes he has to pay as a business owner in this industry. Eric said that he services customers from a rather wide radius especially from Ohio. At his retail location on South Main Street, Eric said he employs a store manager, 2 assistant managers and 10 other people. For more info, visit their website at https://highwirefarms.com |
ASO Update - Libby Watson & Bruce Riesling Libby spoke first and thanked us for inviting them to speak so they could update members on the upcoming schedule of performances. Music Director, Bruce, then went on to talk about the first half of the season mentioning the concert last October – The American West; last November – Tchaikovsky; the Christmas Chorale last December. The second half of the ASO season will feature Marvel-ous Heroes on February 15; Mendelssohn & Mozart on March 13; Picture it! On May 1; Old Friends on June 5.Bruce was able to tell some very colorful stories around each of the concerts to put us in the mood to attend! Always great to have them visit our club and how fortunate we are as a community to have such a renowned group of total gifted and professional musicians. |
Extemporaneous Presentation - Gerry Burg Here are Gerry’s fine comments (word-for-word) at today’s meeting:“We don’t often get to thank each other for all of the difference you make. You’d be amazed at the number of times I hear individual names and many of whom are sitting here today from kids who I run into at Adrian High who say ‘Do you know so and so? They made a difference in my life.’ We often hear the difficult stories but you’d be amazed at the things that have happened with our Junior Rotarians and what they say about this group to their friends. There are great kids in Lenawee County and in Adrian Michigan. And you’re making a difference. And I can site each one of you and say ‘This is what I’ve heard. This is the difference you made’. So, my program is, any chance you have to work with kids, and many times have to work with kids who have serious problems – there’s no doubt about that, but also there are a lot of kids are, for lack of a better term, BC kids who are going to be then salt of this earth, they’re going to make good citizens and anything you can do to help them along the way – be a mentor – doesn’t have to be time intensive, just be a mentor by just asking them ‘How you doing?’ you’d be amazed at the feedback that I hear out of the Rotary Club of Adrian. It’s simply amazing. The scholarships that we give have gotten tremendous feedback as a way of promoting the 4-Way Test. Monday I was sitting with four of the Junior Rotarians and an item came up and I hear out of two of them ‘Is it the Truth, Is it Fair……..’ But you wouldn’t necessarily know that. So, as a retired educator, thank you for everything this club does and anything as small as you might think it is, has a tremendous ripple effect . So, that’s my point! Thank you!” |
Lenawee County Child Advocacy Center - Kelly Castleberry Sue Lewis came forward to introduce today’s speaker, Kelly Castleberry, but before she did she thanked members for their past support of the Child Advocacy Center and announced that they have achieved full accreditation through the National Children’s Alliance – all within 2 years in operation!Kelly, she said, is the newest addition to the CAC and is a Victim’s Advocate (Kelly prefers to use the title Family Advocate). She is a native of Adrian and the daughter of Terry Collins. She entered the military following high school where she traveled the world and returned to work for Mary Murray at Bigby Coffee. She was involved in human trafficking work and from there went to the Child Advocacy Center. She provides services to children who have been abused physically and sexually, she said. It is a multi-disciplinary team effort involving law enforcement officers, Child Protective Services and other key players. Assessment interviews are held with victims as well as the parents to understand exactly what happened. The center, she said, had started to set up a Needs Closet to provide basic items should people need them. Following the interviews with the children, they are given a snack and a blanket since the interviews can be quite emotional and tiring. Debriefing by staff occurs after every interview, Kelly said. Children, she said, are screened for special needs. Kelly said she gives victims her personal cell number so they can stay in touch. The center also is involved in all aspects of placement in coordination with CPS for such things as therapy and with foster homes in the county. In the event children as victims are required to appear in court, Kelly said she will go with them which does not happen very often. The CAC, she said, builds resiliency in children to help with the on-going effects of the trauma they experienced all in an effort to reduce the chance they will engage in juvenile crimes later on and decreasing school dropout rates. On a typical day, she said, the center will see 3-4 children a day Monday through Thursday, There are days they will not see anyone. In 2019 alone, the center saw over 200 children! |
Lenawee Now - Randy Yagiela President Nelson introduced Randy who is a former Adrian Noon Rotarian, the father of 2 children with 3 grandchildren and has 30 years of experience in workforce and economic development and has secured over $12M in grants over the course of his career. Randy worked in Hillsdale prior to coming back to Adrian in 2015 to work for Lenawee Now.Randy began by paying special tribute to his long time mentor, Frank Dick, and Greg DuMars who served on Randy’s LTEC board some years back. “Talent” he said, “is THE #1 economic development challenge today not just across this country but internationally”. Randy said that Lenawee Now’s primary focus is on building a talent pipeline “because there are more jobs than there are people” which equates to what is called a “talent disruption” – now a nationally-used term. Their focus is more on “labor participation” (those who are working or looking for work) than on the “unemployment rate”, Randy said. In Lenawee County that rate is 62% (lowest level since 1941) which means that for every 100 people, 62 are working or are eligible to work, while 38 people are not working. This is impacted by transportation – people who just can’t get to a job consistently, Randy said. Lenawee Now, he said, enjoys partnerships at the local, regional and state levels which include Michigan Works, and LISD. Lenawee Now has won major awards over the years through the International Economic Development Council for their work in marketing. “We continue to lose people to other states for jobs which was a net loss last year in Michigan of 31,000 people”. This, of course, negatively impacts employers in Michigan looking for qualified people. By 2030, Randy said, it is projected that overall deaths will outnumber births. The turnover cost per employee earning minimum wage, he said, is about $4,000 - $5,000. Through Lenawee Now’s Talen Pipeline program the focus will be to inform employers of this statistic while working with local schools to insure people have the necessary skills to find viable employment. Randy then shared retirement statistics stating that more Baby Boomers will be retiring soon further negatively impacting the number of people who will be looking for work. Then, he said, there’s also the issue of drug abuse and the fact that opioid abuse is “really affecting job candidacies”. It ranks second in the nation in terms of the state with the highest opioid rate next to Washington DC. “In Michigan most recently, the state is telling young people it’s okay to smoke dope at 21 but not if you want to work!” Randy said he was at Madison schools last week talking to parents and students and told them that it was an awesome time to be a young person and a junior and senior in high school because of the scarcity of people currently in the job market. “This is one of the best economies ever”. Colleges in general, he said, are going to be in trouble with this declining population. Some in the state have already cut back their curriculum. Central Michigan University, for example, has already cut a third of their curriculum out. Yet, manufacturers are still looking for qualified people. Factories today, he said, are not dark, dirty and dangerous places like their parents have told them. They’re incredibly clean and well organized. Lenawee Now is trying to change the image that people have of manufacturing facilities. Lenawee Now is scheduling a Carrier Con on March 24th at Adrian High School’s Performing Arts Center geared primarily to parents who once thought the worst about factories and to let them know their kids can make a lot of money working in a factory. “The message will not be ‘we don’t want you to go to college’ but rather than going there and running up a huge bill for a degree when you don’t know what you’re doing there”. Many employers, Randy said, offer tuition rebates. “If you don’t have the means to go to college, don’t give up on that, but find a job with an employer who can give you $5,000 a year to go to college”. Randy said that he doesn’t think parents are aware of these options and he’s convinced the students don’t either because he’s talked with them. Randy concluded his presentation by saying that Lenawee Now secured three grants last year totaling $1.4M and will be working with the LISD and various districts to talk about certification and credentialing. Current pilots, he said, are in Adrian, Madison and Sand Creek. Lenawee Now is trying to get employer reps into schools systemically as well as students going out to employers’ locations to have more common conversations about skills. |
Lenawee County Update - David Stimpsom David Stimpson from Tecumseh and represents District 1 and chair of the Lenawee County Board of Commissioners spoke to members today about a myriad of issues facing the board. Dave has served on the County Commission since 2005. Dave also runs a law practice in Tecumseh and Ann Arbor. He has been in the area for the past 20 years, is married and has four children.Dave spoke about the different county departments. Dave passed around copies of the county’s monthly newsletter. The commission, he said, was basically the Legislative and Judicial branches of Lenawee County. Public Safety (70% of the overall budget) and General Government are their responsibility. The county budget is just under $30M. Their source of revenues is from property taxes. Dave made it clear that the County Commission does not have authority over the roads in the county and that it is the responsibility of the County Road Commission who are all elected officials. Regarding the Department of Human Services, Dave said that there are about 300 investigations per month conducted in conjunction with the State of Michigan on cases of child abuse. WIC and housing programs are also the responsibility of this county department. Dave spoke about the issue the county’s Health Department has had to deal with of late and that is the raw sewage that has been found to exist in a section of the county and with fourteen property owners specifically. They are now forced to pursue condemnation procedures, he said. This case is currently moving through the court system. When he heard about our Woodworking Warrior’s program, Dave mentioned that the county’s Veterans Affairs office has, in the past, levied a Relief Fund Millage. While it has not been levied for the past 4 years, there are funds available organizations can access. Dave concluded by speaking about the new Sheriff and their new Sheriff’s Department offices. He also spoke about the county’s Landbank and its impact on blighted property which rests under the auspices of the County Treasurer’s Department, he said. |
Share the Warmth - Helen Henricks) Helen Henricks, president of Share the Warmth shelter at 427 W. Maumee St. (the old Moose Lodge) spoke to us today and said that her father was a Rotarian! She thanked for our past support of the outdoor enclosure as well for the effort serving meals at the shelter every other month. The Noon and Morning clubs, along with folks from the NAACP, Helen said, were the only service organizations helping with this. Others, however, are helping out financially.Helen refers to it as an emergency shelter since no ID is required nor is a criminal background check. “That is the reason that we can’t serve families”, she said. Rather, they are put up in hotel rooms to assure their safety. Some guests “could still be active in their addictions”. Guests are told they will never be kicked out of the shelter because of their addictions but because of their behavior (threatening or disruptive behaviors). If anyone is asked to leave, they will be off for three days the first time, seven days the second time, and thirty days for the third time. Even then, she said, it is not an automatic return, the individual would have to meet with a staff member and stipulations are imposed. The shelter operates on an all-volunteer staff except for one paid fulltime employee who is a case manager, she said. She works with setting a number of very small goals for some of the guests and does collaborative work with other agencies like Community Mental Health and Pathways. The shelter has been in operation for one year now. Up to that point, 275 people were served representing 13,000 bed nights, 13,000 dinners, 13,000 breakfasts! Capacity at that time was 55 guests per night, Helen said. Total allowed is 60 guests per night. Presently, they have served 292 individuals for a total of 15,000 bed nights and they have had to turn people away, she said. Over 5,000 hours have been provided by volunteers the past year, she said. Recovery meetings are held on site for guests with addictions. During the Phase 2 building project rooms were added in the downstairs area that included an activity center, office for agency reps to come in and meet with guests, board room and training room for the volunteers. There are also classrooms for budgeting training and a recovery room for meetings with AA representatives and Celebrate Recovery will begin soon there. Some people stay for a while, she said. The meals are great and many times there is leftover food that will be distributed to local area food banks and The Daily Bread, Helen said. "We are all extremely proud of Share the Warmth and could have not doe it without the help of Lenawee County. Ninety percent of the money for the building came from Lenawee County. |
Michener School ChoirIn keeping with the holiday season, the Michener Elementary School entertained the audience today by singing a medley of Christmas songs. Following their performance, Susan Tobey asked a number of holiday trivia questions and she was followed by a written test to see what our knowledge was relative to the titles of popular Christmas songs given on one line or less of lyrics.   |
Water Quality - Nathan Burd & Will Saddler City Administrator, Nathan Burd, spoke first and said from the minute he joined the staff, he’s known about the water quality issue the City has faced. This past March the City began conducting sampling of Wolf Creek followed by weekly samplings in the River Raisin. It was from this data that our club was advised not to make contact with the River Raisin due to increasing levels of E-coli (from fecal contamination from cattle waste in farm fields, failing septic systems, algae blooms, etc.) during its annual cleanup that was in September. Nathan then asked Will, the City’s Director of Utilities, to speak about their findings.Will said that the data collected was sent to the state for further analysis. Numbers were initially low, he said. When spring came it was unusually wet which caused a lot of run off and consequently the numbers started to elevate. 300 E-coli per 100M parts, he said, was the standard. By April of this year, the numbers did start going up. Fortunately, Will said, there have been no algae blooms occurring this year. The City worked closely with the Loch Erin Property Association this year, he said. “Yet, it is difficult to track where the actual contamination is coming from”. Will said that about 80% of Adrian water comes from the well field (ground water source) off Hamilton Highway and 20% from Lake Adrian (surface source). It was the water, Will said, from Lake Adrian that caused to bad taste. Will said that invariably the City always gets complaints about the water every year. It picked up a bit in 2017 though. For more information about this issue please visit the City of Adrian’s website. |
Auto Insurance Update - Chip Moore Resident expert and club member Chip Moore enlightened the audience today on the recent changes to the state’s car insurance law to take effect next July 1. Chip said he was glad he was speaking on Halloween because insurance was a scary topic!!! Boooooo!Already there have been lawsuits against the State of Michigan, he said, and it hasn’t even gone into effect! Chip gave everyone a handout with details of the new law. Ratings, he said, is an important issue when it comes to auto insurance and starting July 1 of next year, insurance companies will no longer be able to do that. Chip interjected that he really didn’t think insurance rates overall would come down with this new law due to the new “minimum liabilities” available in this new law. He said he saw more of an opportunity for lawyers to litigate any number of cases that would now occur. Any driver in Michigan who is hurt in an accident when the new law takes effect will have unlimited coverage in terms of medical expenses, help from others who will need to do work for you, build a ramp, or take care of you because of your injuries not normally covered by their regular health insurance. Starting July 1 you will have a choice: choose unlimited coverage, select $500k of coverage, or $250k, or if you are on Medicaid, it can go down to $50k. Chip suggested that you review what you’re paying now for your liability since he anticipates that figure going up next year. Starting next year, Chip said, every time your auto insurance renews, you will have to sign a paper stating your limits of liability, and what kind of PIP coverage you want which involves a lot of paperwork compared to how we do it now. Regarding Long Term Care coverage, your current policy covers it. Next July 1, if you choose any other coverage option except “unlimited” that goes away. Another important but often overlooked issue regarding your car insurance, Chip said, was “the name of the insured”, Chip said, includes the names of everyone in your household. Currently, if you have a child who is named as an “insured” but they live in another state, they would still be covered under your policy. However, next July they could be named as an insured but could be denied coverage because they do not live under your roof! Chip concluded his presentation by saying that the “mini tort” language will change with the new law. Currently you may sue the driver who caused your accident up to $1,000. Under the new law, the amount goes to $3,000! |
World Polio Day - PDG Bob Gallagher DGE Noel Jackson introduced PDG Bob Gallagher who was the keynote speaker at the annual World Polio Day luncheon. Bob spoke about a critical cause of RI’s since 1985 – Polio eradication. Polio myelitis actually dates back to the time of the Egyptians, he said.The March of Dimes campaign was one of the original organizations to raise money to eradicate polio. In 1979, he said, Rotary spearheaded a program in the Philippines with over 7,000 islands to eradicate polio in that country. They were eventually successful with vaccines in that country and thought that they could do the same throughout the world where the disease existed. “So, in 1985, Rotary had this great idea to conduct a world-wide effort.” At that time 125 countries were endemic with over 300,000 cases every year. “The governments across the world teamed up with the World Health Organization, RI, UNICEF and the Center for Disease Control in 1988 to start the process of eradicating polio. Joining a bit later was the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that finished the process.” The original budget, he said, was $144M yet raised $247M! Louise, Bob said, was the last case of polio in the America’s and was at his District Conference in 2002-03. RI is responsible for 144 laboratories around the world in order to contain the spread of Polio other contagious diseases like SARS and Ebola and will have a very positive affect well after polio is eradicated, Bob said. The polio vaccine must be kept at a temperature below 50 degrees. It is packed in Styrofoam containers to be shipped in order to be ready to immunize individuals across the world. Each person is given two drops. Bob suggested if anyone wanted to participate in a National Immunization Day event, they should do so now. “It’s a limited time offer” since polio has almost been eradicated in the world.” Nothing, he said, has been more rewarding than to immunize a child against polio. The pink pen is then used to color the fingernail to confirm that it occurred. Bob said that on one immunization day, 124 million children were vaccinated in a 24 hour period! By 2008, Bob said, there were only four countries left that still had polio cases – India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria. By 2011, there were no more cases in India! In 2016, there were only 4 cases of polio in Nigeria! Today, there is not a single case of polio in Africa, Bob said! There are only two countries now where polio still exists – Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2017 there were 14 cases in Afghanistan and 8 in Pakistan. Today, the number in Pakistan, Bob said, has gone up to 72. These are primarily in the north, the area still controlled by the Taliban. Total cases currently is 88. This is a far cry from where it all started representing a 99.7% cure rate thanks to RI who “has been the driving force” behind this effort”, Bob said. |
Hospice of Lenawee - Anne Sherman Our own Anne Sherman who has been at the organization for over 13 years as a nurse and in different capacities was our featured speaker today. She has given many talks the most recent one titled: “Why We Think Death is Optional”. She said that Hospice was fortunate to have as its Medical Director, Dr. Voorhees who is actually Kevin Keller’s son-in-law, on staff who understands that people are mortal and that we’re not going to cure all diseases.Anne said that Hospice has changed over the last 5 years in our county as they were the only one that did what they did. Today, however, others have come into the county professing to offer the same care yet Hospice, she said, was unique. Hospice started during the Crusades by Cicely Saunders, a nurse who became a physician in England and started the first Hospice – St. Christopher’s. Anne mentioned that the late Dr. Bruce Jones went there to see what they did and upon returning felt that it was something Lenawee County needed to have. Hospice grew in the US in the 70’s and 80’s, she said. Hospices’ philosophy, Anne said, was “comfort” and has been aggressive with its “symptom management”. Most of the costs (i.e. medications, durable medical equipment and services) associated with Hospice care are covered by most all insurances. Two physicians have to agree that the patient is terminally ill and will not live beyond 6 months, Anne said, to be admitted. Both the patient and family must also give their consent. Anne reminded the audience that in 2008 the Hospice board made a decision to begin a capital campaign to build a brand new in-patient facility in Lenawee County. Donors came together in spite of the economic conditions to raise $5M to make Dr. Jones’ dream a reality. Ann said that she was the first manager of the Hospice home when it opened. All rooms in the home are private and have large, long windows so that patients can enjoy the view on the outside, birds and wildlife. Anne mentioned that Hospice staff can be dispatched to a patient’s home without residing at the facility. A nurse (case manager) is assigned to that person to make periodic visits to provide care as needed, she said. There are also staff on-call at the facility should the patient living at home have an emergency. Nurse’s aides are also available to assist home-bound patients as well as those in nursing homes. Chaplains and social workers are also available to make visits as necessary. They have many volunteers, Anne said, and encouraged all members to check out assisting this great cause. Currently there are about 130 volunteers, Anne said, who work at Hospice and put in 13,000 hours! |
Child Advocacy - Becky Roller Crime Victim Right’s Advocate, Becky Roller, from the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and Morgan Torres were on hand to tell members that their job is to assist victims through the prosecutor’s office by attending court hearings with victims and even provide areas for them to stay while in a courthouse and insure that their rights are met. "We want to be part of the healing process", Becky said. Their office is 100% grant funded through the State of Michigan. Victims, she said, have the right to restitution and submit the orders to the restitution department in a timely manner. They also have a right to compensation. If victims are physically injured in an incident and required care by a hospital or physician, a form can be filled out requesting payment for those expenses so there won’t be late fees. The victim still needs to reimburse the office for those charges. Every year there is a Crime Victim’s Awareness Week usually every April to honor victims and those who serve them. Awards to law enforcement officers are presented at a regular Board of Commissioners’ meeting. An art contest was even set up for local high schools students. The office also sponsors the Annual Hot Dog Fest that provides clothing and hygiene items for victims of sexual violence. Becky said that she is currently working on “A Courthouse Guide for Children” which victims of abuse can take home and work on the activities in it. Becky concluded by saying that she had been trained in Mass Causality Assistance and even was involved in the incident this past summer in Las Vegas. |
Launch Lenawee - Mark Murray & Tim Roberts.JPG) Mark Murray kicked things off by mentioning that Hospice of Lenawee’s Candlelight Event will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Church on December 15th in tribute to loved ones and friends who have passed. It will start at either 5:30pm or 6pm.Mark introduced Tim Roberts who a business owner and will soon be moving his business to downtown Adrian called Acropolis Games and a member of the 2nd Launch Lenawee class that will graduate on November 1st. Tim highly praised the Launch Lenawee program and couldn’t say enough about the networking opportunities it provided. Tim said that there will be an open house at his new business on November 9 and 10 and invited all to attend. The DDA is hosting a meeting next Wednesday (October 9) at 5:30pm in the City Commission Chambers. Mark then returned to the podium and told the audience that the year old Launch Lenawee program is a Rotary-based program similar to and patterned after the Launch Detroit model supported to a great extent by the Lenawee Chamber, Lenawee Now, and many volunteers who serve budding entrepreneurs to help them get up and running with their businesses. The program, Mark said, consists of education, networking, mentoring and micro-loans. The overall goal, he said, was to support people like Tim who are the next generation of entrepreneurs in our community. Mark said that he was looking to strike up a possible partnership with SHU as well as Adrian High School to provide core entrepreneurial services to folks that would connect them to local bankers who could support them financially and help grow them into successful businesses. The Adrian Armory and Events Center, he said, was pleased to announce that they have opened their facility hosted just this past year over 150 events to the public. He thanked our club for our donation to the Community Kitchen and other services clubs and organizations for their support. Mark said that they will be starting their third class this January. Half of the volunteers in Launch Lenawee are Rotarians, he said. The first 10 weeks of the training is called Fast Track which is a blended on-line program. Participants, over time. Are expected to have a formal business plan from which to launch their business, Mark said. If you would like to volunteer to help set up meetings, be a business mentor, etc. just call Mark or Mary. |
Boy Scouts of America - Rachel Carson Rachel Carson, a Unit Services Director for the Boy Scouts of America who lives in Manchester actually grew up in Hudson. The BSoA is broken down into 4 field offices in Michigan, she said and serves the Southern Shores Field Service Council encompassing Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties. To prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law. Cub scouts serve the youngest population (Kindergarten to 5th grade) and belong to dens and complete various projects and work with their families to earn rank, she said. The next level is Scouts USA – 11 to 17 year olds and the program is guided by adult volunteers. Their Venturing program is for youth (up to 20 year olds) who earn badges and awards. These individuals focus on leadership, personal growth and service. Exploring is part – a career exploration program for youth ages 14 through 20 years old. Some Exploring posts are housed within several fire departments, she said, and give them experience with firefighting so they may consider making it their career in the future. Trade skills that used to be taught in our local schools is not part of the BSoA programming, Rachel said. The Boy Scouts is now named Family Scouting since it is no longer limited to just boys. This started back in 2018 with the Cub Scouts, she said. It was in February of this year that the program allowed girls to join. |
Hidden Lake Gardens - Paul Pfeifer Al Brittain, retired local businessman, community leader and bank CEO and board member of Hidden Lake Gardens gave a brief history of Harry Fee and his gift of the property to what was then Michigan State College and the organization’s current association with Michigan State University, introduced today’s speaker – Paul Pfeifer, director of Hidden Lake Gardens.Hidden Lake Gardens is owned and operated by Michigan State University under the division of Land Management, but supported through admission fees, endowments, gifts and the "Friends of Hidden Lake Gardens" membership program. The Gardens is open 360 days of the year. HLG is located within the Highway M50 corridor linking the Irish Hills with Lenawee, Jackson and Washtenaw Counties. Paul spoke about HLG’s capital campaign - $2.2M Reach for the Sky project. The Tree Tower and  Canopy Walk will provide persons of any ability to have a complete forest emersion experience. It will include a 500 foot long “walk” through the tree canopy some 65 feet above the ground via the wheelchair friendly boardwalk and suspension bridge canopy walk; a 100 foot tall “climb” up the tree tower via stairs and ADA compliant elevator – the only one of its kind; a direct connection with nature to escape the stresses of everyday life and to improve general health and well-being naturally.HLG offers visitors many educational programs for all ages. HLG attracted over 57,000 visitors in 2017. |
Rotary Woodworking Warriors - Luke Barnett Our own Luke Barnett update members about the unique and very impactful Rotary Woodworking Warriors program sponsored by our club in conjunction with the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. Luke showed members a video he had produced and edited himself showing various vets who have benefited from the program.A tri-fold brochure was developed by the club with important information about the program: The Rotary Woodworking Warriors program is an effort to provide veterans with opportunities for personal and professional growth. It is also a program that provides year-round support and technical education for veterans. The goals of the program include peer mentorship, PTSD support, vocational rehabilitation, comraderie, peer support, transitional support, and education. The program is in partnership with the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute (SBWI) of Adrian, Michigan. They will benefit emotionally and socially by gaining a sense of competence, confidence, responsibility, respect for self and others, and respect for materials and safety. Physical benefits include eye-hand coordination, strength, and fine motor control. Studies in neuro-imaging have recently shown that there are strong connections between the cognitive thought and motor control areas in the brain, Veterans will also learn cognitive skills like mathematical thinking (size, shape, and measurements), engineering skills, creativity and inventiveness. Aesthetically, students will experience the smell and feel of wood, the dusty friction of sanding something smooth, and the contrast of warm wood and cold metal. This combination of cognitive and hands-on education will be extremely beneficial to .JPG) participants of the program.The Woodworking Warrior’s Mission Statement: “Promoting positive outcomes for veterans through peer mentorship and technical education.” Be sure and visit their official website at: https://www.sambeaufordwoodshop.com/warriors Luke received special recognition when District Governor made his official visit on August 15. Thanks, Luke for your vision, insight and work on this important program! |
Official Visit - DG John Chambers AG Marilyn Kremer introduced DG John along with his wife, Sandy, and gave members a brief bio: became a member of the Detroit AM club in 2004; was club president in 2010 and 2011 and held other officer and committee posts. He was previously a member of the Rotary club in Novi. At the district level he has served on various committees among them an Assistant Governor for Area 1. He has traveled oversees extensively to participate in international programs for RI. John is a major donor to the RI Foundation and a recipient of the COG (Council of Governors) Award. He is a retired financial officer from the court system and the Detroit Public Library. He is a CPA and holds an MBA from the University of Detroit. He serves on a number of boards in the Detroit area. He was a city councilman for the City of Novi. John enjoys golfing, traveling and spending time with grandchildren with his wife Sandy.John spoke about RI President Mark Maloney’s focus this year which were Grow Rotary and Families – they work together. Rotary membership in the US, he said, was going downward and mentioned that Mark was the first RI president in 20 years who admitted he didn’t know why this was happening. His advice to growing membership was to (1) “grow our own club” with younger members in particular (2) starting an e-Club, he said, and that District 6400 already has one – sponsored by Windsor 1918 (3) “add yet another club in our district which we have with Kingsville South Shore with 25 members who meet in the evening” and (4) to add Rotaract Clubs and he commended our club for having two. “Families”, he said “are very important. You have your own family and the family of Rotary”, John said. “How big is our family? There are 1,218,311 Rotarians worldwide as of June 26, 2019 in exactly 35,963 clubs.” John emphasized the importance of wearing our Rotary pins wherever we go since we don’t know who we’re going to run into and also be sure and put the Rotary app on our phones so we’ll know when various clubs meet in the event we want to make one of their meetings. John said his theme this year is “Do the Right Thing” which he got from former astronaut, Mike Foreman, who has flown on two missions and lives in Houston and is John’s cousin and a new Rotarian. Mike will be the keynote speaker at John’s District Conference next May in Sandusky at the Kalahari resort. John also announced that at the District Governor’s Golf Outing at the Fox Hill Country Club on September 24th, there will be a surprise from Jack Nicklaus. On November 2nd is scheduled the Annual RI Foundation Dinner also at Fox Hills with clubs from District 6380 and their DG – Sparky Leonard. John closed by saying how important it is to thank people for what they do. Thanks you John and Sandy for coming to Adrian and share your knowledge and friendship with us. May you have much continued success! |
Club Assembly – Committee Breakout Sessions
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New Member Induction District 6400’s Assistant Governor graced us with her presence today to induct the newest member of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club – Matt Swartzlander. Matt is s former member of our club and the Executive Director of the Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce. Former past president and club member, Dennis Swartzlander, is Matt's uncle. We promised not to hold that against him!!During Marilyn’s remarks she emphasized the facts that Matt was joining THE oldest service club in the world with 1.5 million other members who work hard to build water wells, schools, infrastructure, etc. Rotary is not just work, she said. It is also fellowship and fun. His sponsor, Immediate Past President Kathye did the honors of placing his new Rotary lapel pin on him. Congrats, Matt, and welcome to our club! |
The Hope Center of Adrian Fallon Bull, the Program Director of the Hope center said that the organization was formed 42 years ago to meet the needs of adults with developmental disabilities. One hundred different members are served each week to participate in their structured programming, she said. Those served, if they choose not to participate in a program can “hang out on the computer or talk a walk, or travel to various non-profits to do odd jobs there.” Fallon said. Hope has a garden that produces vegetables that are donated to local pantries and soup kitchens. Jerry said he especially likes to play pool and has helped pack snacks that members share in throughout the day.After hour programs include their Hoopster Basketball Team where members can play some 20 games per season. Members go to Mud Hens and Pistons games, she said, in addition to Hidden Lake Gardens, etc. to “provide them with experiences they would not otherwise have”. At Hope there are various Job Teams that members can engage in to teach them responsibility. Jerry said he goes out and gets the mail and paper each day. Job Teams also give members the opportunity to talk and socialize with others which is so very important to a person’s development, Fallon said. “Members need to feel they have a purpose and are valued”, she said. Mary Martin, Developmental Director at Hope, spoke a little more about the history of the center which began as a “walk in” center and grew to what it is today. Civitan of Adrian raised over $1M in 1988 to build the very facility they occupy today, she said. Mary provided statistics about their members and they are prone to being victims of crime and why it was important to teach them at Hope what to do to prevent that and how to take control of their lives including nutrition, participating in life-long learning activities, etc. “Hope provides a reason for people to get up and put each day”. Mary finished by announcing their big fundraiser – A NIGHT FOR HOPE event – Friday, November 8th from 6pm-8:30pm |
Remarks - New President Nelson Douglass This was Nelson’s very first meeting as the new president of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club! Congrats, Nelson. It’s going to be a great year! He took this opportunity to thanks Immediate Past President, Kathye, for a tremendously successful year and everything she, the board and fellow members were able to accomplish. Nelson gave a rundown of each of the 13 standing committees His summary and the programs each committee will be responsible for is as follows:Adrian Rotary Foundation; Club Service Committee; Community Service Committee - Programs responsible for: River Raisin Cleanup – September; Salvation Army Kettle Drive – December; Lenawee Bike Tour – September; Christmas Wreath Sale – December; Comstock Park Christmas Walk – December; Onion Sales – May; ERaceStigma 5k Run; Great Lakes Woodworking Festival – May; International Service Committee; Membership Committee - Programs responsible for: ; Fireside Chats (2-3 per year); Luncheon with former members of the club – October 24; New Member Brochure Revisions (Annually); Program Committee - Programs responsible for: Monopoly Game Project (Funds to go to 100th Anniversary Celebration); Christmas Club Social – December; Other Club Socials (2-3 per year); Junior Rotarian Day – May; Public Relations Committee; RI Foundation; Rotaract Committee; Scholarship Awards Committee - The charge of the Scholarship Committee will continue to oversee the annual 4-Way Test, Bob Brady and to ensure the timely and fair disposition of scholarship funds; Vocational Service Committee - Programs responsible for: Launch Lenawee Mentor Program; Networking Event (aka – Art of Mingling) – February; Youth Services Committee - Programs responsible for: Fluency Friends - September – May; R.Y.L.A. Conference – November. Nelson closed by encouraging all members, if they have not already done so, to join a committee. |
Membership in Rotary – District Committee Member Steve Ahles PDG Sue Goldsen officially introduced our speaker today, Steve Ahles, who is past president of the Southgate Rotary Club and will be District 6400’s Membership Chair in 2019-20. The committee exists, Steve said, to “help strengthen Rotary”.Steve spoke about membership flexibility – “the most important aspect of everything we do”, he said. Finding and engaging members makes everything we do easier. Talk to people about the things we do as a club. Always talk Rotary, he said. Do it at family gatherings, parties, meeting, etc. “You never know where you’re going to get your next member”. “You just need to ask”. Keep a list of who potential members are via their contact info, Steve said. And, be sure and follow up with them once you make the initial contact. Don’t overlook obvious people like spouses, former members and past Youth Exchange participants either. Also, make a list of the most important things (i.e. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions) about your club, Steve said, so you can talk to potential members about what is important to us. List things like our dues structure, our expectations for new members like meeting attendance and program participation, how many members we have, members who stand out, etc. This is information that will enhance the prospect of people joining our club, he said, because they really don’t know what we do. This could even be emailed to them, Steve suggested. “It gives prospects a factual base from which to work from”. An example, Steve said, is available from a fellow Rotarian who originally formulated it that he would be happy to share. Steve said he originally joined Rotary because he “wanted to make a difference in peoples’ lives.” Remind prospects that in Rotary we Join Leaders, Exchange Ideas, Take Action – it is our motto, he said. Know your strengths. If prospects that have want something you can’t offer, he said, direct them to another club in the area. “This has paybacks”. When you get a new member, he said, be sure and celebrate it. Make sure that person feels welcome in our club and is appreciated. At his club’s meeting, he said, we periods during the meeting called MOM’s presentations – Meet Our Members – that give new members an opportunity to tell others about themselves. He said that in a past issue of The Rotarian Magazine he saw the idea to post new member pictures on a poster board along with a bit of info on each person. Be persistent, Steve said. One or two times when you ask a prospect isn’t really enough, Steve said. Your club might not be a priority to them at that time because everyone is busy so keep asking when you think the time is right. “But, don’t let them fall through the cracks”. Think outside the box. Steve said that he asked a friend who was not a Rotarian to attend a District Convention with him and after that he joined! Whatever works for you. Clubs lose members, it’s inevitable, he said. So, be constantly recruiting. “You’re either growing or dying as a club”, he said. There is no other way to think about it. Steve said that he keeps a “Friends of Rotary” list that he constantly refers to in order to identify prospects who might want to join. Steve said he asks them on occasion to help out with various club projects in an effort to get them to join. “Stay connected”. Steve said that when we talk about “vibrant clubs”, we need to reflect on what clubs actually do. It important to do a club health check, he said. “Sit down at the start of your new Rotary year and do a club health check with your members at the next Club Assembly. Assess all aspects of what you do from your meeting room to all your projects. ”If you want to be a vibrant club make sure you know how you appear to new members. Think of all members as your customers”. “Make things comfortable and exciting for them. Get their feedback”. “Offer different types of membership if you can”, Steve said – business memberships, family memberships, senior memberships, etc. They allow others to help clubs out, he said. Steve said that his club belongs to the local Chamber of Commerce. It allows club members to interact with Chamber members. One of the questions Steve was asked was about retention and the fact that members in North America were leaving at a faster rate than new members coming in! It’s critical, Steve said, that we do what we have to as a club to keep the members we have. Thanks, Steve, for your time and some great suggestions. |
Habitat & AmeriCorps Presentation Maher Mualla from the Adrian Morning Club was on hand at our meeting today and bought with him Deangelo from the local Habitat for Humanity (Community Outreach Director) along with Isaiah and Bushra representing AmeriCorps who had been assisting Habitat with home restorations in the area. Bushra, who is from the Detroit area, and Isaiah who lives in Baltimore, shared their experiences with us while they have been working in Adrian. Most recently, they said, they had been working on property in Adrian on Church Street in conjunction with the local Habitat for Humanity.AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) members bring passion and perseverance where the need is greatest: to organizations that help eradicate poverty. AmeriCorps members serve as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation’s most pressing challenges and advance local solutions. Since 1965, over 220,000 VISTA members have served with the mission to strengthen organizations that alleviate poverty. VISTA serves in each of the 50 U.S. States and in all U.S. Territories. VISTA members go where they are needed and make a difference through volunteering and the mobilization of resources. They said that volunteers can spend one year serving full-time and make a difference at home. AmeriCorps, they said, is a unique opportunity to improve their own lives and the lives of fellow Americans. From Alaska to Puerto Rico, AmeriCorps VISTA members are building capacity, strengthening communities, and developing their careers. Isaiah also mentioned that volunteers also qualify for a scholarship by volunteering. As they complete their assignment here in Adrian, they suspected they would be traveling to Florida soon to assist in projects there. |
Flashbacks - District Conference Programs - Bill Morrison
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The Alliance of Therapy Dogs – Cindy Kojima Cindy Kojima, retired in 2017 from the LISD after 34 years in education there, spoke to the club today and brought with her, Hachi, Masahiro’s pet to talk about Therapy Dogs. Hachi is a 7-year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Hachi is an official Theray Dog licensed through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs headquartered in Cheyene, Wyoming. To qualify, Hachi had to pass three tests in a medical care facility. Hachi’s first visit as an official Therapy dog was on Valentine’s Day in 2018 at the Lenawee Care Medical facility. Then it was on to the schools in the area. The first was in April of 2018 at Michener Elementary, Cindy said, and with first and second graders. Cindi said she decided to begin Therapy Dog volunteering to help people and keep Hachi “socialized”. Therapy sessions, Cindy said, usually last between 5 and 10 minutes with individuals. About ATD (from their website): ATD provides testing, certification, registration, support, and insurance for members who volunteer with dogs to visit hospitals, special needs centers, schools, nursing homes, and other facilities. We’re a network of caring volunteers who are willing to share our special canines to bring smiles and joy to people, young and old alike. Whether you and your dog are looking to become a certified therapy team or your facility would like to start a therapy dog program, Alliance of Therapy Dogs (ATD) is your #1 choice for pet therapy. |
Horizon Travel & Cruises - Dawn Harkey Dawn Harkey, owner of this business since 1986, gave members a number of great trips the next time they travel. She highly suggested that anyone who travels abroad should purchase health insurance since, unknown to many of us, our health provider cannot insure us when we need medical attention. Dawn said that she has experience with a company called TravelGuard should people be traveling overseas.Dawn next suggested that when we travel, “we go with the flow” and to let their banks and credit card companies know when they are traveling abroad. She suggested that if we travel to European countries, be sure and take wash cloths since they are not provided in hotels there. Also, be sure and take a number of Zip Lock bags to pit dirty clothes in. To save money on bottled water when you travel. Dawn said to take an empty water bottle you can fill once you are over there and save money on otherwise expensive water. Dawn also suggested you save the plastic bags newspapers typically come in so that in the event you have muddy shoes, you can simply place them in these bags. Be sure and have rain ponchos with you when you travel, she said, that you can purchase at Dollar Stores. Always take a photo on your phone of your passport, she said, and be sure and take with you your phone charger with adapters for outlets overseas. Always keep your medications on you when you travel, she said. Money belts are good for this. Lastly, she suggested that if you are traveling with a partner to be sure and mix the cloths of each in bags in the event one’s bags get lost during the trip and this way they will both still have clothes to wear. The top destinations around the world, Dawn said were: Iceland, Alaska, South American countries and that Mexico trips were the best value. She suggested that travelers avoid countries like Venezuela and the Middle East. The Holy City, Dawn said, was still a popular destination and would cost approximately $5,000 per person to travel there. |
Let’s Get to Know Rotary Kathye, Nate, Nelson and Yours Truly [resented the program today and took the training program used to orient new members and narrowed it down to about 25% of the typical presentation and shared the information with members today.Kathye addressed the topic of “What is Rotary” explaining that it is an organization – Join Leaders, Exchange Ideas and Take Action. She spoke about the elevator speech which the PR Committee was still working on and shared one that the district had developed when she attended the PETS training. She then spoke about how Rotary began in 1905 by founder. Rotary got its name, she said, from rotating from one location to the next to meet. Kathye concluded her presentation by saying that Rotary is 1.2 million members strong across 200 countries and 38,000 clubs. One of their first projects was to provide toilets in downtown Chicago. Nate took the podium next to talk about what the many benefits were to being a Rotarian: Making difference in peoples’ lives, developing skills that can be applied to one’s career, and networking with other professionals, gives purpose to our lives among others. The official Rotary Motto, Nate said was SERVICE ABOVE SELF and coined in 1089. The Object of Rotary, he said was to encourage and foster the ideals of service as the basis of worthy enterprise. He went on to say that Rotary’s “Object” is implemented through RI’s five Avenues of Service: Club Service - Community Service – Vocational Service – International Service – Youth Services. Nate showed the breakdown of these and other committees and the members who serve on each and requested this be sent to each member. PE Nelson stepped up next to speak about The 4-Way Test which was developed by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 which is every member’s yardstick to measure one’s level of integrity and ethical standards, he said. He then spoke about we, as Rotarians, are all about including: Digging wells to provide fresh drinking water around the world, Vaccinating children against polio; Restoring eyesight, Build housing, and Educating children among many others. Nelson reported that our club has 59 members currently and we are among 49 other clubs within District 6400 with Paul Sincock as our current District Governor. Next year’s Governor will be John Chambers whose theme will be “Do the Right Thing”. Nelson reminded members that we will celebrate our 100th anniversary as a club in April of 2021. He went over the standard requirements of all Rotarians including attending meetings, joining a committee, paying dues on time, etc. Yours Truly spoke last and briefly mentioned the dues structure which appears at the bottom of the formal application in the club brochure for prospects the different sites that we use to post club information. They include our club website at www.adrianrotary.org, RI’s website at www.myrotary.org on which club presidents announce their goals for the coming year and track progress and where members can create their own username and password and sign up to have donations to the RI Foundation deducted automatically. Also mentioned was the district website at www.district6400.org, and lastly our club’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/adriannoonrotaryclub. Our club tracks membership and creates our weekly bulletin using Clubrunner as opposed to DaCdb which other clubs in the district use. |
Junior Rotarian DayAs you'll recall, we did not have a regular meeting on May 2nd as we joined the Kiwanis Club at their meeting on May 1st at the Center and participated in a very special presentation of Cradle to Career spearheaded by Nate Hamblin and Andrew Munson. Last week was the annual Junior Rotarian Day and 6 of our past Junior Rotarians did a fine job of handling all aspects of our meeting. During the meeting President Kathye presented Elizabeth Huffman with a $1,000 scholarship!  .JPG) |
Chaloner & Company - Laura Wanke.JPG) General Manager of the newly remodeled Chaloner & Company and Chaloner’s Cigar House, Laura Wanke gave members a wonderful update on the new facility and what it means for Adrian. “Chaloner’s was the oldest and longest operating retail store in Michigan run by the Chaloner family until about the mid 70’s”, she said. Dave Pilmore and Scott Westfall purchased the business in 2015 from Dwayne and Carol Flint to essentially “revitalize downtown Adrian”.The newly renovated building consists of 3 floors: first level – 300 square foot walk-in humidor with over 1,000 cigars priced from $2.50 to $112.50! Downstairs in their basement, she said, is yet another walk-in humidor that allows them to age a stock of other numerous cigars in house. 2nd floor – For 21 year olds and older only. You can smoke cigars on that floor but not cigarettes. It is replete with a full service bar consisting of cocktails, beer (4 local rotating selections from Michigan), wine (70 different selections by the bottle) and soft drinks. 3rd floor – On this floor is the Member’s Lounge with 130 lockers serving as individual humidors that "were all sold out within two days of opening", she said, complete with a vintage 1918 Brunswick pool table originally owned by Bob Westfall, Scott’s grandfather which was fully refurbished. Also on this floor is an atrium with waterfall and live plants which is the only area on the floor that is non-smoking. Fifty percent of their clientele, she said, are not cigar smokers. "They just come for the environment and good conversation and enjoy a drink or two". Half of their overall customers, Laura said, are women and the other half men. They are open 7 days a week. On Mondays through Thursdays they are open from 11am to 11pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 11 am to midnight; Sundays – from 11am to 7pm. “The owners will never get a return on this project”, she said, “but the goal of this was to bring people in from outside this community so they can see the potential of this community and patronize other businesses and possibly spur them to invest in this community!” They also want to be the best cigar lounge in the country!" The Copper House Coffee Company, their sister company next door, Laura said, is slated to open soon and owned by the Cotton family of Adrian. |
Adrian Center for the Arts - Pi Beneo & Alisa Lopez Pi took to the podium first to tell us three projects the center is working on. One was the Empty Bowls Project which will benefit the Daily Bread. Pi displayed a number of bowls prior to our meeting and some members purchased them. All bowls were made at the Art Center, she said, and are dishwasher and microwave safe and were made without any lead.Another one of their programs, Pi said, was called Side-By-Side which is a program that assists local Art teachers and their students who excel in this area. This program pairs high school art students who have been identified by their Art teachers as their number one student who would then come to the Art Center in the fall to work with one of their resident artists to work on and complete various projects while they are there. There were 7 students who participated this year and they hope to have ten participate next year, she said. All art was officially exhibited and it was juried and the one selected as THE best was awarded $250 donated by Meijer. The winner was honored as being designated the Number One Art Student in Lenawee County – who Pi brought with her today – Alisa Lopez from Britton High School. Alisa, who will be attending Siena Heights this fall majoring in Art and Psychology, spoke to the audience about the experience. She said she was grateful to have been part of this program and especially to have been chosen as the #1 art student in Lenawee County and to have met so many other art students who were as passionate about art as she was. Laura VanCamp was her mentor for the past six months. Prior to entering the program, Alisa said that her artwork involved painting. This experience allowed her to engage in sculpture which, she said, she really enjoyed. During the program she made three sculptures – a bird person, a totem, and a lion mermaid sitting in a bathtub! Alisa said she was particularly proud of her accomplishments since she had no prior training or experience in sculpture. Alisa said she would like to become an Art Therapist following graduation from SHU. Pi returned to the podium to talk about the third project the Art Center was working on which was a program in conjunction with Hospice of Lenawee this coming fall that would memorialize those who have passed. Doors will be used on which art will be done by local artists commemorating what deceased members of our community will be remembered for which will be aptly titled – The Power of Passage – coined by Anne herself, Pi said. Pi concluded her presentation by bringing members up-to-date about the facility the Adrian Center for the Arts occupies now. That building will soon be taken over by folks from PlaneWave. The Arts Center will be moving to two building behind it that have been renovated for their use. One will be their gallery and youth studio. |
American Farm Museum & Education Center Melissa Tsuji is a member of the Career Counseling Department at Siena Heights and Jerry Roessler is retired and a veteran member of the Blissfield Rotary Club. They are both board members of the American Farm Museum & Education Center on hand to bring members up to date on the progress made to raise funds for and to create a farm campus in Blissfield. The property is located west of the McDonald’s restaurant in Blissfield off Jefferson Street. It was the former Home Canning Company site.A 9-member board spearheads the organization and Pete Durbin is their CEO and Melissa is their President. Their strategic goals include: creating a unified campus building planned and constructed in stages; becoming a nationally-recognized educational center which will capture the significance of the American farmer and explain their important role in the food production process; construct storage for museum exhibits which includes their 13,000 toy collection, and 315 children pedal tractors, etc. They toys, Melissa said, were gifted to them by the late Charles and Barbara Burkholder valued at over $1M! Once electricity is available in the multi-purpose barn, these items will be moved into it for a small exhibition, she said. Melissa said that they were gifted an 1860’s era barn by the Miller Murbaugh family which was dismantled by an Amish organization the sections of which currently sit in 5 semitrailers in their storage facility. The barn will eventually be re-erected and serve as education space on the campus. The foundation for the building has been poured and the “skeleton will soon start to go up”, she said. Melissa said that there are 4 key areas they will be focusing on: Build, engage, educate, and sustain. The site plan and concept for the campus was developed by renowned architect, Friedrich St. Florian who also designed the WW II memorial in Washington DC! Melissa sat on the committee that helped build the memorial, she said! It was her grandfather, a WWII veteran, who proposed this project back in 1987!  Melissa said that the organization is current engaging in fundraising opportunities. The total goal is $20M, Melissa said. The organization has synergistic relationships with both the U of M and MSU and specifically with their museum faculties who are both interested in this project. The Education Center, she said will be THE key component on the campus. It will also serve as a meeting site and high tech facility for “all kinds of interested groups working in the AG industry”, she said. Their Farm to Table dinner events have also helped bring in needed money for the campaign. Melissa said they are currently looking to hire a Director/Fundraiser. She described in detail how our club could help should we wish to donate to a number of projects that need to be completed: They need $28,000 to complete the re-erection of the 1860s barn, $16,000 for their electrical contract, $10,000 for poplar siding and $4,000 for a steel roof. Melissa closed by mentioning their Facebook page and info should we wish additional info at the American Farm Museum and Education Center, P.O. Box 37, Blissfield 49228 and at AFMEC.blissfield@gmail.com |
New Sheriff - Troy Bevier Mark Murray introduced Troy who has been in law enforcement for over 30 years. During his career he has done “some IT stuff” as well, he said. He and his wife, Sandy, have lived in Tecumseh for 23 years. Troy commented on the work being done at the Sheriff’s office on Maple Avenue and said he still attends weekly construction meetings. There will be an official open house once the work is completed sometime in September, he said.He said he was glad to report that there were no major crime sprees going on currently in the county but they have received a number of calls reporting various scams. He said he has many wonderful staff (over 100) and employees and that he is looking forward to serving all of Lenawee County and if there was anything we need, to stop by or call. He closed by encouraging each of us to take time to commend a deputy when we see them as they put their lives on the lines every day to protect us since “it is a scary time to be in this line of work today”. |
Dick Eppstein - Better Business Bureau What are the latest scams? How do the criminals exploit technology to fool us? BBB President Dick Eppstein has witnessed tremendous changes in the way criminals exploit technology to their advantage. He was here today to educate us as consumers so we can avoid being cheated, and BBB’s effort to expose and destroy the crooks who prey on innocent victims every day.Dick is the president of the Better Business Bureau that serves a 24-county area of Northwestern Ohio, Lima and Southeastern Michigan from its offices in Sylvania Township and a Toledo Rotarian. He is a graduate of the University of Toledo and the Better Business Bureau Institute for Executive Development, Washington, D.C. For over 46 years, Dick has been involved in BBB work. He is well known as a regular guest on Toledo WTOL-TV (Channel 11), and is also a regular radio personality on several area stations. The Bureau under his leadership has established a national reputation for innovation, especially in its ethics instruction, charity review and advertising review programs. Among other honors, Dick is a three-time past president of the Ohio Better Business Bureau and has been elected to the Scott High School (Toledo) Hall of Fame. He belongs to the FBI Citizens Academy, Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, and other professional organizations. Dick and his wife, Grace, live in Sylvania Township. They are proud parents of two sons; Andrew, Chief of General Surgery at the Roudebush Veterans Administration Hospital in Indianapolis, and Alexander, Pastor at Bethel Reformed Presbyterian Church in Sparta, Illinois. They have four grandchildren. Here are just a few of the scams Dick shared with us today:
Dick cited a number of others and said for more info about these and others to go to www.bbb.org for much more information. |
Patrick Hartory - Motivational Speaker Patrick has helped business leaders and organizations across the country tell their stories. He is the founder and former head of a national marketing firm while having worked with Monster Energy, PBS, Capitol Records, AT&T and a full roster of top artists and other brands.Today, he is a nationally-recognized speaker and marketing influencer as well as the author of numerous articles and three books including “What Customers Love: 10 Ways to Turn Your Customers into Fans and Followers” available on March 30th. Patrick’s presentation focused on engaging with others in a world that has its challenges caused by increased competition, unlimited choices and short attention spans while asking: How do you stand out? How do you tell your story? How do you earn the attention your cause deserves? Patrick, through a series of stories and personal experiences described how to stand out and reach our audiences in a noisy world primarily through the power of stories and personal relationships. His advice to us was: Be Personal, Be Authentic, Help First, and Do it Now. |
2019 P.E.T.S. As you may already know, every incoming president of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club is required to attend this 3-day intensive and informative training event. This year it will again be held in Kalamazoo and our President-Elect, Nelson Douglass, will be in attendance from March 14th to the 16th at the Radisson Plaza Hotel at Kalamazoo Center.The Great Lakes Rotary President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) is one of the largest multi-district PETS in the United States. It was formed with a view to becoming a premier training event with the atmosphere of a mini Rotary International Convention by leveraging the expertise of six Rotary Districts with clubs in Michigan Indiana, and Ontario. With the ability to host exceptional speakers, informative workshops, detailed district training sessions, fellowship and networking, the basic purpose of our PETS is to motivate over an anticipated 400 attendees including club presidents-elect, presidents-elect nominee and assistant governors to ensure they are extremely well prepared for their year of service. As a six-district president-elect training seminar, Great Lakes Rotary PETS has always attracted engaging, motivating speakers and the best trainers and facilitators from each of the districts. The curriculum is frequently updated so new ideas are presented and discussed. One of the keynote speakers scheduled this year is Mark Daniel Maloney, RI President-Elect. |
Member Moment - Bruce Goldsen Bruce Goldsen who will turn the big 6-0 this year and our newest member and a recent transfer from the Adrian Morning Club, gave his member moment today. Bruce said he grew up in Connecticut and started his radio career in 1976 in Wilmington, NC at a “big” radio station WMFD. His first day on the job he hosted their Tradio Show called Swap Shop, he said.He said he met his wife, Sue, while living in Connecticut and going to school there. Bruce said he then went to a station in Tennessee and then in Florida and ended up in Jacksonville when he got a call from a friend who said that there were stations in Jackson that were for sale. So, in 1990, Bruce and Sue moved to Adrian and admitted that they didn’t know anybody so looked for a service club he could join to meet people. He decided to join the Adrian Rotary Club who were meeting at the YMCA at about the time the organization admitted ladies. The Adrian club was quick to admit six. Bruce said it was an excellent move and that we still need to have more diversity. He said he was president in 1997-98 but then transferred to the Jackson Club due to his work with the radio stations there. Two years later he, along with Dave Maxwell and a few other Rotarians decided to start a Morning Club in Adrian which was chartered in 1999. Bruce said that he has been a part of the Radio Industry for many years and very involved in it, too. He served on the 70+ member board of the National Association of Broadcasters as their Michigan representative from 2003-2009. Julie Koehn from WLEN, he said, served from 2009-2015. Bruce is doing another 6 year stint along with serving on their 10 member Executive Committee. On the Rotary side of things, Bruce said that while radio is his vocation, Rotary is his passion. In 1993 he hosted the club’s first Youth Exchange student, Adolfo, from Brazil. Since then, he said, they have hosted his sister, and brother and others totaling seven altogether! They have kept in very close contact with all of them, he said, sharing their excitement when their own children were born who they consider their own grandchildren! Bruce said that they travel extensively around the world with much of it being for Rotary. They have been to many Rotary International Conventions. They will be attend the one in Hamburg this year, he said. The past 3 years he has been proud to serve on the RI Youth Exchange Committee as well as serving as chair for the Youth Exchange meeting as part of the pre-convention activities. He, of course, has served as District Governor in District 6400 in 2008-09 as did Sue two years ago. They have been part of various service project oversees for Rotary in Ghana, India, and they look forward to their next project “wherever that may be”. They remain very involved in the district with chairing many district conferences including the one coming up. Bruce said he also had the honor of chairing a Zone Institute for past RI Vice President, Jennifer Jones. There are 39 zones around the world comprised of a certain number of districts made up of local clubs. When asked if he had any ambitions about becoming a future RI President, he quickly said without hesitation – “NO!” |
Dempsey's - Tiffany SielerDowntown Dempsey’s – Tiffany Sieler Tiffany Sieler (second from left in photo) shared with audience members how appreciative she was to have been chosen an Adrian Noon Club Junior Rotarian and being a past recipient of our club scholarship. She attended Adrian High School and graduated from the U of M and got her Master’s Degree from Columbia University. She said that she went to Florida to complete an internship where she saw some of the abuses of plastic and other refuse in the waterways. She returned to Adrian and is now the General Manager of the new Downtown Dempsey’s restaurant in Downtown Adrian where she has initiated the sustainable dining effort, using as many compostable/ biodegradable items as she can in the restaurant. Her folks, Les and Mary Sieler own Sieler’s Water System and bought the restaurant from Loretta Dempsey ensuring that family recipes got passed along. Tiffany developed a project called “Dine to Donate” designed to take contributions and distribute to different non-profit each month. When you dine in at Downtown Dempsey's, 10% of your purchase goes to that non-profit being featured for the month. The month of February will be United Way Lenawee/Monroe Counties (inside the Gallery of Shops). The month of March will be Hospice of Lenawee. |
Rotary Woodworking Warriors - Luke BarnettLuke returned to the podium today to speak about this new and “signature” program of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club. The full board last week approved the recommendation to submit a formal proposal to the board of directors of the Adrian Rotary Foundation for $25,000 in support of this important program. A motion to approve was made by Kathryn S. and seconded by Bob Behnke and was passed unanimously! Luke made special mention of State Representative Bronna Kahle’s hand-signed letters she gave him expressing total support of this program! Luke then proceeded to give more details of the program and answered a number of the audience's questions. The basic focus of the program, he said, was to offer PTSD support, allow veterans to use the shop and all of its equipment, receive valuable/marketable education through the classes that are taught and even certification through the state so those who want to pursue a career.  Mike Tobey, a fellow club member and veteran himself spoke next saying that he served in Viet Nam and has medical issues from exposure to Agent Orange. He left Viet Nam in 1966 but it wasn’t until 1986 that he was diagnosed with PTSD. He continues therapy to this day. Hollywood and the media, Mike said, need to be quickly corrected when they allege that those veterans suspected of commiting crimes, always attribute it to PTSD. Mike quickly put that to rest and added that it is actually less than 5% of all crimes. PTSD, Mike said, was something that could be addressed through woodworking which not only gives vets something to do but helps them interrelate with one another. “The program can potentially reach out in so many other directions, too.” Mike clarified that alcohol would not be part of this program unlike groups such as the VFW and the American Legion. It is an environment that is less than appropriate for people with PTSD who might have a weakness for alcohol. Nate added that the Brownstown Rotary Club in Brownstown Michigan started an organization called the Victory Gym and was aware of what we’re doing at the workshop and expressed much interest in learning to provide a similar woodworking program at their gym. They said that they would be willing to learn from us and therefore touch even a larger group of vets than are in Lenawee County alone. District Governor Noel Jackson provided a bit more info on what the Brownstown Club was doing. Luke summed everything up by saying that this program will officially launch in May of this year and that every Wednesday the Sam Beauford Workshop will be closed to the public. It will be called Woodworking Warrior Wednesday and run from sun up to sun down. Vets can simply show up and not do anything they want if it's only to enjoy fellowship and coffee with other vets. For others who want more they can embark on official vocational certification. Those who do simply come in and chat could further be encouraged to get involved in woodworking at some level and eventually seek certification, Luke said. There will be scheduled class time for those who would like to participate the workshop's typical 6-week classes, Luke said. Remember – there will be no charge to veterans regardless of their level of involvement. Side note: every member should have received a copy of the full color brochure that was distributed. (Shown at the right). |
Member Moment - Rod Hokenson
His life of 38 years as a Pastor, 17 of them here, he said, was very rewarding; particularly fulfilling in retrospect seems to be in the Copper Country 1964-72, helping two old ethnic churches (Finn and Swede) merge and build new facilities in the face of great economic uncertainty. After leaving Adrian he ministered in Oak Park MI, Hammond, IN, Connersville, IN, retiring in 1996. Earlier churches, following College in MN and Seminary in Chicago, were in WI and MN. “I am not shy to say I have reached age 87” he added. After seven years “away" , Rod and Helen decided to Adrian for their “second life”, now at 23 years. They are moving to where some of their family lives. That is, however, at the moment on hold (possibly moreso by the government shutdown and its possible impact on FHA loans). As you know, Rod and Helen started the Great Pasty Project to benefit Habitat for Humanity (Shown at last year's program at left). Rod then spoke about Rotary and specifically about the first Rotary Show he was in (about 2002 titled “Who Wants to be a Billionaire?”). He was put into a role which even won him the “Cracked Mirror”award for being the "best looking character in drag " playing the coveted role of “Miss Birdsall”! He actually joined Rotary while in Connersville, IN and was recognized “The Most Valuable Rotarian” his very first year as a member! It was Joe Wagley III, Rod said, following his year as president, who invited him to join this club. Joe was starting in real-estate at that time: he helped Rod find their present house, and ironically is again handling its sale. Nate Smith, he said, was his banker back then so it felt like he was truly coming home, he said.
“To sum up my lifetime”, Rod said, he is gratified to still be able to do things and to care for his “beloved wife”. How very grateful he’s been, he said, to be able to grow old together, in sickness and in health. The simple phrase “I love you”, Rod said, has been spoken more often in the past 5 years in their home than ever before! …… In closing Rod wanted to leave a word of wisdom , especially to the newer members – “Don’t wait to be asked to do something, be bold, look at yourself and ask ‘what do I have to offer?’ You don’t have to be a Bruce Goldsen, a Mark Murray, or a Nate Smith. Simply volunteer and make clear to the leadership what your interests. abilities and limitations are. Come, then, with what you have to offer and your passions and maybe they will become someone else’s”. “It’s been a pleasure to be a part of this club. I love you all, God Bless You”. Following Rod’s presentation President Kathy presented him with a maple wooden plaque designed and made by Luke in honor of his 20 plus years of service to the Adrian Noon Rotary Club. ……. Ed note: We’re going to miss you Rod and Helen. God Speed.
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Habitat for Humanity - Carrie Hartley Carrie is the Development Director for Habitat and told members that what Habitat does is “all about neighborhood revitalization”. It’s helping people repair homes as well as build them so people have a place to live. Habitat, she said, partnered this year with the Adrian Morning Club and focused on the Parish Park neighborhood in particular. Habitat has campus chapters at both Adrian College and SHU working in construction, working at Habitat’s Restore, volunteering in their office, etc. The students really love helping out, Carrie said.Carrie showed photos of a new home built for the Steffen family. Carrie said it was so nice to talk with the children to ask them what their hopes and dreams were and hearing their responses. One said she was very excited about having her own bedroom she could decorate herself. Another child was just happy about now having a place she could come home to. Their Mother was grateful that she could now give stability to her family. Carrie said that Habitat was even partnering with RI, that they really have similar missions and that they were exploring grant monies that might be available. She showed pictures of the proposed housing plan at the former McKinley School property. She spoke about their Faith Build Program where local churches contribute to their cause. She said that in order to be successful, 15 churches must be involved. These could be small groups at these churches being involved. Carrie announced that The Great Pasty Project will be January 24 and 25. She pointed out that it was our own Rod and Helen Hokenson that started this important program which usually makes about $20,000 a year, involves 300+ volunteers who make over 3,000 pasties! A new Breakfast pasty, she said, will be available this year. Carrie closed by announcing Habitat’s 30th Anniversary Celebration scheduled for February 18th at Adrian College in the Tobias Room. |
Woodworking for Warriors – Luke Barnett Luke began by making this statement: “This program is an opportunity for veterans to go to the Sam Beauford Workshop and work for free”! The group’s mission, he said, is: “PROMOTING POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR VETERANS THROUGH PEER MENTORSHIP AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION”.According to the US Government, he said, only about half of veterans get the help that they need due to such reasons as: many suffer from shame and stigma, the fear of being seen as weak, a lack of understanding about treatment options, concerns over wait time and the inability to travel distances for care. This program, Luke said, will provide them what they need right here in Adrian. These will not be therapy sessions but will go a long way to increase the self-esteem of the men and women who served our country. While we’ve all heard of PTSD (a condition caused generally by a single event), Luke said, CPTSD is a different condition and a bit harder to treat. It is repeated trauma over an extended period of time. Both, he said, can be addressed through woodworking. The program will consist of “Woodworking Wednesdays”. The workshop will be closed to the public those days and be a veterans ONLY day. No classes for the public will be scheduled that day, Luke said. Veterans will be able to come in and choose from several options. One option will allow them to use the machinery to make whatever objects they want with some materials the workshop will provide. There will also be the educational component which will allow veterans to participate in training by skilled instructors. Classes will be offered in guitar making, knife making, etc. There will also be a PTSD support group even though it won’t be called that. The success of the program, Luke said, will be measured in several different ways. A veteran who completes a high quality project will be deemed a success. “These are not your typical popsicle sticks and toilet paper tubes. These are projects that have marketable value in the world.” Veterans will see their accomplishments as meaningful. As participants develop skills on machines, they get vocational certification for doing it through a national accredited organization, Luke said. It will be a real plus for those wanting to get into the woodworking industry long term. Luke shared with the audience the cost involved which was just under $35,000 that would include instructor wages, materials, facility expenses, marketing, tooling & software, and certification fees for up to 20 veterans. Thanks to the equipment the workshop currently has, the costs to launch and run this program have been greatly reduced. This program will seek funding from outside donors as well as from our club who has already confirmed it as a club program. It could very well be our “signature project”! Following our regular meeting a group of members and veterans from the area as well as four who traveled from Big Rapids met to discuss the details. |
Christmas Program - Students from Michener Elementary What a wonderful presentation put on by nine students of Michener Elementary School under the direction of Mrs. Force. They sang a medley of popular songs to put us all in the holiday spirit. Today's program was a complete surprise to us all. Joining them were Reading Specialist, Kathy Sielsky, and Building Principal, Anne LaCasse. |
Launch Lenawee.JPG) Mary Murray kicked things off before handing the mike over to Naomi Lolley by saying that Launch Lenawee is a new program actually run by volunteers to assist individuals who want to start their own businesses in Lenawee County. She thanked Adrian Morning Rotarian, Dave Maxwell, for his efforts in the program along with Nate Smith as well as Naomi Lolley who she asked to share more about this program.Naomi said she has been very proud to be a part of Launch Lenawee. She said that the program began with 12 applicants initially which was later narrowed down to 7 who participated in a very structured business training program. All sessions are approximately two and a half hours in length every Wednesday evening at the Adrian Armory and Events Center for six weeks conducted by herself and Gary Clemetson from Lenawee Now. At the conclusion of the training, a mentor is assigned to each. Naomi showed the audience a short video describing the program. You can see it again at: www.launchlenawee.org. Interested candidates, Naomi said, meet with her to determine what things they need, where their deficiencies are and then direct them to the proper resources. A critical partner of Launch Lenawee has been Lenawee Now. Naomi introduced two students currently participating in the program – Jay and Guinne Marks and Joe Kozakiewicz and Jay Marks. Both spoke about the tremendous help they have received from going through the program and mentioned the importance networking, having a business plan and knowing who their customers are. Mark Murray concluded this informative presentation by mentioning how proud he was of all of the participants in this program and the leadership team. The Kauffman Institute, he said, whose only job is to educate entrepreneurs for over the past 50 years, makes available a blended on-line program that is intense yet critical to each of the participants. He said that the partnerships with the Adrian Rotary Clubs, Lenawee Now, the Adrian Chamber and everyone else who is on board to support Launch Lenawee have contributed to its success. Potential candidates in the program, Mark said, should they be selected to participate in the program understand that they must commit to: Two and a half hours per week in the classroom for a total of 8 weeks; 4 hours of homework in between; monthly meetings with cohorts – checking; business topic presentations; monthly individual meetings with their Primary Mentor; other individual meetings with Resource Mentors; attend various networking events. Mark ended by encouraging all members to seriously consider becoming a mentor since Launch Lenawee is an official Rotary project! |
River Raisin Watershed Council - Katie Goplerod-Smith Nate introduced his daughter-in-law who has a degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Wisconsin. Katie is an Outreach Coordinator for the River Raisin Watershed Council (RRWC) and she and her hubby live in Dundee.Katie said that the council’s executive and other committees are comprised of 63 individuals each of which represent a different municipality within the watershed. Corporate sponsors help underwrite the costs of events put on by the RRWC. The watershed is the size of Rhode Island! It starts up by the Brooklyn/Irish Hills area (the “headwaters”) and flows (very crookedly that is) down into Monroe and then out into Lake Erie, Katie said. The River Raisin itself is about 140 miles in length. The Guinness Book of World Records lists it as “The world’s crookest river”! "The council really wants to spread the word about the river", Katie said. The RRWC goes to various events  throughout the year to promote their efforts and enlighten people about the watershed. Such venues include: the Lenawee County Fair, the Great Outdoor Jamboree, the annual Art-A-Licious, Family Fall Celebration in Adrian, the Wampler’s Lake Boat Wash and the Washtenaw County Clean-Up Day.The council, Katie said, participates in numerous river cleanups among which was our recent one at Trestle Park. The council also worked along the river near Wacker Chemical freeing up log jams. They work to remove invasive species in Dundee with the help of the Boys and Girl Scouts, Stewardship Network – all in an effort to make for a healthy environment. Katie said that there are four regions in the watershed and meetings are going on all the time with representatives from each area to catch up on what they are doing. They have a program called “Adopt a Stream”. The council has identified and marked 22 such sites along the river from which bugs are collected. They are aquatic insects that live on the bottom of the river and tell a lot about the quality of the water in terms of level of pollution, degree of oxygen present, etc., she said/ Katie concluded her presentation by speaking about the signage that are posted on numerous road crossings in order to reduce littering, the Discover the Raisin $200 scholarship, the work the Blissfield Rotary Club was doing to help Frank Baker on his property and the items at the Clinton Arts Center some of which raise money for the council. |
Facebook - Luke Barnett Luke said that the main goal of his presentation was to “market the Adrian Noon Rotary club as good as possible and that the easiest way was through Facebook”! He went on to say that we were not using it as much as we should to promote our club on this social media site.Luke asked everyone to take out their phones and connect to FB. He said that when we are scrolling through pages on our own FB page, you’ll see a lot of others’ postings come up. Those “comments”, “likes” and “shares”, he said, that come up are generated through something called algorithms. They are designed to keep people on FB by feeding you more of the content you want to see. Those getting more “likes” and “shares” will post more to your FB and other’s FB site. So, when a Rotary post comes up, be sure and comment on it, “like” it and then “share” it. Those pages that you, yourself, click “like” and “share”, Luke said, will continue to be sent more often than others.  Luke then spoke about administrators of our FB page. Yours Truly is one as well as Like. They can post to the site. Since it’s important to have content on the content page, Luke said. “The more we have, the better”. So, that means we really need more administrators. Members who volunteered were: Jim Potthast, Mike Olsaver, Brent Mercer, Allen Slater, Rod Hokenson, Pattie Ellerholz and Kathye Herrera. The easiest way to add content to our site, he said, was to do it from our phones which requires a special app. We should not post content from our club’s FB page, Luke said. That app is called Pages Manager. Pages Manager lets you manage up to 50 Pages from your smartphone or tablet. You can check Page activity, share with your audience and see insights. Right now, the app is available on iPhone, iPad and Android in some countries. Download Pages Manager: From the iTunes App Store. Luke said that once we add administrators to our club’s FB page, we should all be posting content at least once a day. If we have just 2 admins, and they both post once a week, that’s only two posts per week. But, if we have 7 who post once a week, we are actually increasing our posts to once a day! That will spread info about our club to a much greater segment of the population who may eventually want to join our club. In closing, Luke said Facebook is the most effective program to promote our club and it will be so much easier if we all did what we could to do that. |
Lenawee Cares – Jim Hartley & Sue Hammersmith.JPG) Jim Hartley, chair again of this year’s Lenawee Cares campaign, spoke first and thanked those in the audience who have supported this great cause in the past – some of whom are members of the LC Pillars Club. Their contributions account for about 40% of the total monies raised each year, Jim said. Jim eluded to the history of this organization (a program of the Lenawee Community Foundation which was established in 2016 when the Lenawee United Way board and its members unanimously approved the alliance with the Foundation.)This is the third year of the LC campaign. Lenawee Cares is the product of the former Lenawee United way having combined forces with the Lenawee Community Foundation, The new organization, Jim said, has been able to realize over $150,000 in operating costs alone within the first two years of the change! They have also increased the amount of money going to their non-profit agencies by 46% and distributed much quicker than in the past! Last year $533,000 was raised  during the campaign that go to fund “basic needs in our community”, Jim said.Jim listed some of the organizations that benefit from LC: Boys & Girls Club, Catholic Charities, Hope, Adrian Community Pre-Schools, Catherine Cobb, Habitat for Humanity, Associated Charities, Hospice, YMCA, Housing Help of Lenawee, Legal Services of South Central Michigan, Lenawee County Humane Society, Neighbors of Hope, Tecumseh Service Club, Child Care Network, Daily Bread, Share the Warmth, various food pantries, Adrian REA Literacy Center, ASO, Boy Scouts, Care pregnancy Center, Croswell, Adult Day Service, and others. Many of these organizations, Jim said, received significant grants up to $45,000! “All money stays in Lenawee County”, Jim said. Ten percent of contributions each year, he said, is endowed.  Jim said he get much personal satisfaction for serving on the board of Lenawee Cares. He has seen first-hand the needs so many kids have in this county and what this organization has done to address it. “We are blessed to have so many great agencies that much such a difference in peoples’ lives. Thanks to you all for your support!”Sue Hammersmith also thanked those who give so generously to the cause and for what we are doing as a club. “People truly do live out ‘Lenawee Cares’ every day”, she added. “Until basic needs in our community are met, it will be difficult to fix any other issues in the community like education and job training. None of those matter when kids don’t have clothes on their back, proper nourishment and a roof over their heads. That’s what Lenawee Cares is all about”, she said. The Lenawee Community Foundation also offers additional programs that include: Volunteer Center who is always looking for volunteers. They also produce a Resource Guide, Sue said. Another is their Lenawee Youth Council, deer processing efforts for hunters who have more than they need which will be processed for free and donated to various food pantries in the area, just to name a few. Sue closed by thanking all members for everything they do. |
Southeastern Dispute Resolution Services – Marc Stanley Marc Stanley is the executive director of Southeastern Dispute Resolution Services. He has spoken to our club a number of times and returned today to discuss resolution and mediation. Mediation is a private process where individuals have the opportunity to be heard, share different points of view, brainstorm options and negotiate a solution that meets everyone’s needs. The mediator facilitates communication and promotes voluntary decision making as participants work through the process. Participants are empowered to retain control of decision making as they work together to design a resolutionMediation is: A communication process that works. A place to share concerns. A place to explore options and solutions. A place to make decisions for the future. Voluntary and private. More comfortable than a courtroom. Fast and inexpensive. Legally binding and more often fulfilled. And, helpful in restoring relationships. Mediation is not a legal process. A place to determine who’s right or wrong. Or, a place where you are told what to do. The types of cases mediated include divorce, pre and post-judgment domestic relations, truancy, child protection, general civil claims case-evaluated at less than $25,000, general civil claims, landlord/tenant cases, small claims, guardianship, conservatorships, trusts and testamentary matters, employment cases, school conflict management services, restorative practices, peer mediation, truancy prevention, restorative conferencing, bullying prevention and the Michigan Special Education Mediation Program. The mediation centers rely on volunteer mediator involvement for both implementation and service distribution. Mediators reflect a wide variety of backgrounds, have completed a minimum of a 40-hour training program approved by the State Court Administrative Office, and have met additional qualifications. They are highly skilled and have a passion for helping their community. |
DG Paul Sincock's Official Visit Assistant Governor, Marilyn Kremer was on hand as DG Paul and Tracy Sincock paid his official visit to our club. She introduced Paul by mentioning that he joined the Plymouth Rotary Club in 1981 and is a second generation Rotarian, was club president in 2001-02 and his passion is the Youth Exchange program. His Father and Mother were both Rotarians. He and his wife are multiple Paul Harris Fellows. Paul is a C.O.G. Award recipient in the 2010-11 year. He is the City Manager of Plymouth for over 17 years.DG Paul met with then club’s board prior to the regular meeting for an update on what he had accomplished thus far and what we had planned for the future. During his formal presentation Paul started with a selfie as he does when he visits all other clubs. He commended our club on its long, rich history and acknowledged the fact that we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary thanks to 24 charter members in 2021 and one of the oldest clubs in District 6400. He spoke about how our club and all of the other clubs make a difference around the world. Paul repeated what RI President Barry Rassin says many times and which is his theme this year - “It is our time to be the inspiration.” Paul mentioned his district theme – “Pursue the Dream.” Paul said he wants us to think big particularly in Rotary’s six areas of focus: Clean water, Prevention of Family Disease, Promoting Peace, Maternal Health, Supporting Education, and Growing Local Economies. Walt Disney said “All of our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them!” One such dream, he said, is the eradication of polio and “it’s a dream that can come true because Rotary has the courage to dream.” Paul made special mention that for every dollar given to eradicate polio, the Gates Foundation will contribute $3!! “Rotary is on the front line of changing peoples’ lives as the Adrian club has with programs like the River Raisin Cleanup as just one example of all of the other things you do”, he said. Paul emphasized RI President Rassin’s priorities for the year: Support and strengthen our clubs (through membership), increasing our humanitarian service (through the RI Foundation), and enhancing our public image and awareness (through RI’s Brand Center via the Internet). DG Paul encouraged our club to contact at least five “Rotary Alumni” and to determine what impact Rotary has made on their lives.  DG Paul encouraged members to consider attending his District Conference in Windsor (Caesar’s Windsor Hotel) scheduled for May 10-12, 2019. It’s the very first time in 40 years, he said, that it will be held within our district! For more information, visit the district’s website at www.rotary6400.org. DG Paul promises that it will have “real take-home value” with many fabulous speakers which starts Friday evening, continues all day Saturday and well into the evening and concluding Sunday morning. Following Paul’s presentation, President Kathye presented him with a wooden plaque in the circular shape of his theme for the year specially made by President-Elect Luke! It was wonderful to see the Sincock’s today. |
Salvation Army Update - Bryan Bowers.JPG) Pattie introduced fellow board member and chair of the Salvation Army, former Adrian Noon Rotarian, and an investment counselor in Adrian, Bryan Bowers who spoke about the good things the organization does in our community. He’s been a board member for 22 years, is a grad of MSU, is married with 3 sons and very active with the Boy Scouts, and is a church board member.Here is what he shared with us today. The SA was founded in England in 1852 and this local agency has served Lenawee County for some 122 years! They are actually an Evangelical Christian Church with a chapel who hold weekly services and youth programs as well as a “social welfare organization", he said. A social worker is on staff there. The SA has a canteen, a truck with a kitchen built into it that feeds many in need following natural disasters. Their truck has also traveled out of state to help with hurricane relief efforts specifically with food and shelter. SA’s social service area is their primary focus. They feed some 140 people twice to three times a week out of their facility here in Adrian. Their Fresh Food Initiative provides fresh produce to over 600 people each week on Tuesdays in the county. Pathway to Hope is another SA program that provides families with the necessary education and tools (i.e. learning finances, how to apply for a job, family relationship skills, etc.) that are so critical to assisting them in breaking the cycle of poverty and social welfare dependence, Bryan said. Another big SA program is their annual Toy Drive in conjunction with Wagley Funeral Home in Adrian and Blissfield. The SA provided space for Share the Warmth until 2017 because they are now in their own building. SA also coordinate with area churches to shelter nuclear families in particular at local hotels and have spent over $28,000 this past year. SA helps families with their utility bills. Overall, various assistance, he said, is provided to between 1,800 and 2,400 people per month. SA has a resale store, of course, and staffed by 7 people. This store provides half of SA’s revenue to provide assistance to those in need. The SA is looking to expand their existing store on Church Street by adding a rag processing facility which will take clothes that cannot be resold and bundling them and sending them overseas. The SA will also be upgrading and expanding their kitchen facility for a cost of $400,000 due the increasing numbers of people they feed each week and to prepare for a natural disaster when they might have to feed up to 1,000. Bryan closed by saying that another Annual Kettle Drive is being planned in addition to a Kettle Kickoff event on November 9th at the First United Methodist Church at 7am to build community awareness about the organization. Hope you will be able to attend! |
Hospice of Lenawee - Dr. Justin Voorhees We were honored to have representatives of the Hospice of Lenawee with us today. Joining our speaker, Dr. Justin Voorhees, were the Executive Director of Hospice, Travis Havens, and our own Anne Sherman.Justin is a native of Missouri and the son-in-law of Kevin Keller! He attended Texas A & M, studied medicine in Grand Rapids, practiced internal medicine for some time and then became interested in “end of life” care. He participated in a Hospice Fellowship program and moved to Michigan as Hospice of Lenawee was looking for a medical director. He started in July and has been very encouraged since he’s been here as to ”how people in this community are pouring into this organization”. Hospice not only helps their patients, they help their families, he said, providing extensive resources. Justin said that Hospice has its beginnings during the time of the Crusades. Cicely Saunders, Justin said, is widely regarded as a key founder of modern hospice programs as well as one of the first leading advocates for palliative care to help ensure patients with terminal illnesses are treated with compassion and respect. She was formerly a nurse who later became a physician. Hospice, he said, focuses more on comfort than on a cure. In other words, on pain management. Medicare Part A helps with the costs of people needing Hospice’s services. Certain criteria, however, need to be met. Patients need a terminal diagnosis by two separate physicians, and must be within 6 months of their demise, Justin said. Covered items include all medications, equipment and services related to the terminal illness. “Volunteers are a huge help to us at Hospice”, he said. In some cases, a Hospice patient’s health actually improves and their medications will be cut back, he said. Many are discharged and the average is about two a month. For these patients a medical plan is developed moving forward. Should their conditions worsen again, they can re-enroll. As Justin was wrapping up his presentation, Frank Dick mentioned how fortunate our community is to have a Hospice to meet the needs of the terminally ill and that we should all support it. |
Gerrymandering – Gwynne Fisher, Judith Hammerle and Marcia Boynton These ladies presented a lot of information about the League of Women’s Voters’ efforts on this subject and passed along a site members might want to go to for more information on this important issue: www.lwvmi.orgAn overall summary of the issue and a quote from the site: On December 22, 2017, The League of Women Voters of Michigan and 11 individual voters filed a lawsuit against the State of Michigan in federal court in Detroit to end unfair, partisan gerrymandering of Michigan’s Congressional, state senate and state house districts. “The Michigan League of Women Voters today filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of voters throughout Michigan to end the practice of unfair, partisan gerrymandering,” said Judy Karandjeff, president of the Michigan League of Women Voters. “Michigan’s State House, Senate and Congressional districts are among the worst in the nation when it comes to partisan gerrymandering, and today’s lawsuit aims to fix the problem and restore voters’ rights to choose who best represents them. Ending partisan gerrymandering is critical to preserve our democracy and ensure every vote counts,” said Sue Smith, director of the League’s Redistricting Program. |
Results of Branding Survey - Potthast & ChaseWell, the results are in! Here is the info we compiled as a results of the responses to the 3 questions we asked:  Here were the number of times the following words showed up in our responses:
Equal weight (scored 3)
Additional Noteworthy Words Used include:
Next steps include:
Mark suggested that when we ask reach out and ask non-Rotarians to help us on different projects, that would be quite significant to possibly increasing our membership. Jim closed by saying that all research on this subject reveals that story telling is the most impactful way of getting our message out to others. |
Club Assembly - PR Committee Presentation Today was actually a Club Assembly in addition to Sinner of the Year and Perfect Participation Awards. Yours Truly kicked thing off by letting the audience know that the Public Relations Committee was working on the issue of identifying exactly who are club is and what do we do. Committee member, Jim Potthast, went on to explain further why this was necessary and asked those in attendance to take time to complete a very brief questionnaire that would help the PR Committee answer those questions and eventually develop a brief, consistent “elevator speech” all members could learn and respond to anyone asking them “So, what is the Adrian Noon Rotary Club and what do they do?”Jim took us through a number of slides during his presentation and said the thrust of it would be to be able to tell others who are not familiar with Rotary what it is that we do in a short, concise sentence or two which would also be helpful when recruiting other members yet we say something different every other time! “We have slogans and symbols everywhere! And, they change every year. But none of the capture who we are!” In his research on RI over the weekend, he said, he came upon two mottos. One read: He profits most who serves the best. He said that the exercise he was going to put us through should be fun. All ideas should fuel off another. We are in this together. It’s a total team effort, he said. The bottom line is: What is the message we want to deliver verbally, on social media, radio as well as print that communicates an emotional connection with others. Take Harley for instance, they use words they live by in their communications like “ruggedness”, “adventuresome”, “strong”, “American”, and “rebel”. It’s the makings of an “elevator pitch”, Jim said. We’ll take everyone’s comments which will then be developed into a Marketing Plan. Prior to giving the audience a few minutes to complete the questionnaire, Jim concluded by saying that we are in need of additional people to serve on the PR Committee. Please let us know if you would like to serve. Perfect Participation Awards The following members were recognized today for their consecutive years of perfect participation in the Adrian Rotary Club. If you are not on the list, please consider making it a goal for yourself. The criteria is basically to do 50 things in the spirit of Rotary (including meetings) for the year. Please let Allen know if you choose this as a goal and keep him posted regarding your activities. Congratulations to: Luke Barnett- 1 Barry Reinink-1 Kevin Marti-2 Susan Tobey-2 Mike Tobey-2 Sue Lewis-3 Dane Nelson-3 Kathy Williams-3 Brent Mercer-8 Mary Murray-9 Gerry Burg-10 Kathye Herrera-10 Chuck Chase-14 Nate Smith-14 Rod Hokenson-15 Bob Sack-16 Patty Clark-17 Rhonda Gage-17 Allen Slater-17 Kevin Keller-22 Mark Murray-23 Sinner of the Year Award The following members were fined these amounts last Rotary year in ascending order: Sutherland ($1) Ellerholz ($6) Sack ($7) Sherman ($7) Behnke ($7) Maxson ($8) Kojima ($10) Potthast ($11) Gage ($12) Slater ($12) Kathryn S. ($13) Easton ($13) Salazar ($14) Hokenson ($14) Douglass ($15) Burg ($15) Lewis ($19) S. Tobey ($20) Williams ($20) Barnett ($22) Keller ($22) Herrera ($25) Pender ($26) Smith ($56) Chase ($66)  |
Japanese Exchange Program - LISD Ed Lyons, a fulltime teacher at Sand Creek Schools and LISD Japan Exchange Student Coordinator who spoke about the program which results in an exchange of students twice a year between Adrian and Moriyama Japan – Adrian’s Sister City! Ed began by thanking our club for its support of this program over the years.A delegation of middle school students (usually 4 boys and 4 girls) and teachers (2) from Japan in October each year who travel here and stay with host families there for 7-10 days which includes a trip to Washington D.C. Then in June of the following year, they host a similar delegation from Lenawee County which includes a trip to Hiroshima. Two of the 8 students who just returned from Japan in June, Liam Cornish (Tecumseh Freshman this year) and Maddie Bowman (a Blissfield Freshman this year), shared their experiences while there with the audience. They spoke about the lasting friends they made, the foods they developed tastes for and the different activities they were involved in. Maddie said that, in Japan, students stay in the same classroom throughout the school day and the teachers go to them to conduct their classes! Liam said that he learned so much about the Japanese culture and language while he was there he had never known before. While there, he was able to play on a Japanese high school soccer team. Ed concluded the presentation by saying that the money we donate supports the cost of admissions to various sites when the Japanese delegation comes here along with lunches and transportation expenses. Should any student (6th and 7th graders in Lenawee County) wish to become part of this program, a registration site (https://www.lisd.us/instruction/programs/japanese-exchange/) will be up and running this November and December, Ed said, to indicate their interest. |
Legislative Update - State Rep Bronna Kahle Bronna started by thanking our club for the work our club has done throughout the community and that she was proud to represent Lenawee County in Lansing. Bronna said she was proud of her accomplishments the past year and a half that strengthen our economy, raising incomes through additional training in skilled trades, reducing taxes and regulatory burdens, increasing resources to school classrooms, and rebuilding Michigan’s infrastructure. She went on to speak about the issues before the legislature in Lansing:
Other efforts she is working on, Bronna said, include auto insurance rates, anti-bullying and Alzheimer’s Awareness (Bronna was selected to receive the Champion for Alzheimer’s Award from the Alzheimer’s Association last year!). Thank, Bronna, for a great update and all you do for Lenawee County. |
ProMedica Presentation - Katie Young Members from ProMedica’s administrative staff presented today’s program. First up was Katie Young who is the Executive Director of the ProMedica Bixby, Herrick and Hickman Hospital Foundation and a member of the Y board of directors (and also a Kiwanian!). Katie acknowledged Dave Hickman who attended the meeting and who is the general chair of the ProMedica Charles & Virginia Hickman Capital Campaign. The hospital will be named after Dave’s parents. Also attending from ProMedica’s offices in Toledo was Christi Ansburg, VP of Philanthropy. Katie then called on Ronda Winans, Associate VP of Operations for ProMedica Bixby/Herrick/Hickman Hospital who took us through a slide program.Ronda told the audience that a site plan for the new hospital has been prepared and work has begun at the new location and adding: “Things will start to go vertical at the site by October with the steel structure being constructed”. Ronda presented an aerial view of the campus and pointed to where the entrance will be in addition to the ER. The main lobby, by the way will be named the Frank & Shirley Dick Lobby! The original cart path will be maintained and provide a walking path for visitors. The hospital, Ronda said, would be over 200,000 square feet, consist of 58 acute care beds, 40 med-surgery beds, 8 labor and delivery rooms and have two helipads. She then explained what would be on each of the three levels: 1st floor - ambulatory services, Radiology Department, women’s health area, diagnostics, outpatient services, mammography and the ER; 2nd level - the administrative offices, med-surgery units, pre and post-op surgery, pharmacy, and various nurses’ stations. And, finally, on the 3rd level will be the second of the 2 med-surgery wards, 10 CCU units, and the 8 labor units. The original clubhouse on the golf course will remain on the grounds and serve as office for the various contractors working at the site. Katie then returned to the podium to provide details of the new YMCA of Lenawee ProMedica Wellness Center. “This is a unique collaboration and the first of its kind in the ProMedica system” and that ProMedica was excited to be partnering in this way, she said, and added that a study conducted by an outside consulting firm hired by the Y showed that the potential for membership growth was four times what it is now due to the new facility at this location. Katie pointed out that there was considerable green space around the facility and would lend itself to possible playground space, baseball diamond, etc. that could be used by others in the community. The Y Wellness Center, she said, would house 2 pools, a gymnasium, kids’ space, fitness/workout rooms and locker rooms. Katie then spoke about the ProMedica Farms, Hoop House (only the second one in the entire country!) on the campus. This one was funded, she said, by the Eisenhower Center out of Ann Arbor. The Hoop House is a medical-clinical facility which is handicap-accessible and offers numerous rehab opportunities throughout. The Hoop House, Katie said, would feed into ProMedica’s Veggie Mobile. She concluded her presentation by announcing the goal for the Y campaign which is $18M. The combined cost of the hospital and Y project is $145M of which ProMedica is contributing $125M. Of the $18M goal, she said, $12.2M has been raised. She said that she was aware that our club had supported the current YMCA in the past and that the new facility would “be a great opportunity for our club or any individual to partner in this project”. |
2017-18 Fluency Friends Year Wrap-Up by Kathy Sielsky Yet another successful Fluency Friend’s program has come to an end and Michener Elementary’s Reading Specialist, Kathy Sielsky, was on hand to provide the update. Here is what she shared with us:
The year was capped off with another Celebration Reception at the Michener Elementary Library on May 24th. Kathy thanked our club for once again purchasing over 500 books of which each student was able to select 5 to keep and take home and read during the summer! The remainder of the books were shared with summer school students and some were added to the Fluency Friends Library collection! An afternoon was set aside for club members to affix labels to each of the new books. Among the comments made by members who volunteered this year were:
Among the feedback from students participating in the program this year were:
Kathy concluded the presentation by saying that “The students really appreciated your dedication by sharing your time and talents with them. The extra reading practice and the kindness you all showed them was priceless”! A special thanks goes to Mary Murray for chairing this important event again this year and helping to make it the success that it was!! |
Victory Gym - Char Haener.JPG) Brownstown Rotary member, Char Haener, spoke to us about the collaborative effort of her club and other Rotary clubs in the area to create a gym for veterans and first responders who have served our country at no charge. Char is the gym’s Executive Director. Staff members are all volunteers, she said. The organization boasts of over 2,000 members who go to the gym to exercise, enjoy peer support and helps vets suffering from PTSD.The gym is open to outsiders for a nominal fee and a banquet hall on the site helps to provide revenue throughout the year to help offset operational costs of the gym. The last piece of the puzzle is connection, not only with peers but the community. Transitioning back to civilian life presents a number of challenges, particularly with PTSD, Char said. Interacting with other gym members during workout and socializing in a comfortable setting eases the process. All too often, PTSD leads to isolation and depression. The gym offers a safe haven to promote a healthy lifestyle! Char mentioned that improvements are still being made to the facility. The heating system is in and functioning but the AC has yet to be installed. They have and will continue to apply for grants to assist them with necessary building improvements in the months to come. Char said that her goal is to see a gym for veterans in ec=very state. |
Neighbors of Hope - Pastor Steve & Tim.PNG) Steve started out and spoke about the new Women & Children’s Shelter that was once Herrick Manor on Tecumseh and about all of the hurdles the organization had to go through to pave the way for it to become a reality. The process began in August of last year, Steve said. Neighbors of Hope (NOH) has been around for 13 years and Steve said he has been part of it for the past 12.The deal, he said, is scheduled to close soon and then the renovations will begin. It should be fully operational, Steve said, by September/October of this year. Among the anticipated improvements will be work to the existing kitchen, an expansion of the the pantry and separating the utilities that are connected to the hospital building. Steve said that there are currently 4 paid staff people at NOH and that 80% of all donations go to operations. When the new facility opens, he said, five to seven more staff will be hired. Volunteers, however, are the life blood of the organization. Kathy then spoke next about the fundraiser scheduled for next week Friday the 13th in front of County National Bank through the following Saturday. She further elaborated on the purpose of the new shelter saying that it will offer homeless women and children in Lenawee the chance to stay together and get off the street. It will be a transitional housing facility. There is currently no permanent facility in our community for homeless women and children who are not victims of domestic violence. Tim then thanked everyone who helped recently with their garden last month. He also spoke about our support of their 3rd Day Farm Project and mentioned that the shed the club bought for them that was erected on the Bethany property originally was too large to move and required them erecting a new but smaller Amish one on the current Methodist Church property on West Maple. They are selling produce now at the Tecumseh Farmer’s Market. Tim said that the City of Tecumseh has asked NOH to take over their community garden next year which he said will be a challenge but also an amazing opportunity. Steve concluded by mentioning that their property on Broad Street was put up for sale by the landlord. Steve said he wasn’t worried about being asked to leave since he doesn’t think it will sell. |
ARF - Mark Murray & Brent Mercer Adrian Rotary Foundation Chair, Mark Murray and fellow ARF board member Brent Mercer shared with members facts about this local foundation. Mark went around the room asking these questions. The real answers are included.1. What is the ARF and how is it different from the Rotary International Foundation (RIF)? Answer: The dollars donated to the ARF (a 501C3 organization) stay in Adrian and are used by our club for programs/causes as determined by the ARF board of directors. Half of the monies donated to the RI Foundation go to RI and the other half come back to our district who then decide which clubs to give matching grants to. 2. How old is the ARF? Answer: 55 years old as of 2018 (Began in 1963) 3. When the club held a luncheon to celebrate the ARF’s 50th anniversary, how much money was raised at that event? Answer: $50,000 4. There are several levels (Fellows) of recognition within the ARF. Who is the highest level of recognition named after? Answer: Frank Dick. A Frank Dick Fellow are donors who contribute $5,000 or more to the ARF. Ken Roof Fellow - $2,500-$4,999; ARF Fellow - $1-$1,999. 5. Who are the members of the ARF? Answer: All Adrian Noon Club members. 6. What are the 3 main responsibilities of the ARF board of directors? Answer: (1) monitor the accounts where money is invested (2) administering the funds (3) grow the corpus 7. What percentage of funds from the ARF are given to the club each year? Answer: Five percent of the corpus is given each year to the Adrian Noon Rotary Club and the club's board of directors determines how it is to be used. 8. When is that 5% of the holdings allocated each year? Answer: The holdings (account balances) are calculated on December 31st of each year and 5% is distributed to the incoming president the following July 1. 9. How much money is in the ARF as of March 31, 2018? Answer: $436,574.14 10. How much money was in the ARF 15 years ago? Answer: $199,000 Additional ARF Information The ARF monies are held in three separate accounts:
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Member Moment - Chuck Davis Chuck Davis missed his calling! He should be a stand-up comedian and a motivational speaker. He took time today to tell us about himself and here’s what we learned: He is 53 years old, born in Virginia and raised in Southfield, Michigan and, contrary to what most people think, he was not born in a taxi cab but a real hospital!He played high school football as a running back and linebacker at Plymouth/Canton, graduated from Adrian College on a scholarship and has a degree in Business and Psychology. He worked at Merillat’s in Adrian for about 5 years and UPS to pay his way to school. Toward the end of college he worked at Herrick and Bixby Hospital as an in-house counselor. He currently has a Series 7 Broker’s license and was going to go to New York but “God had other plans”, he said. While at Herrick Hospital he met his first wife. They had 5 children – Zachary, Zane, Zariah, Zoey and a dog named Zeke! “I have been blessed beyond words”, Chuck admitted, and that people have 160 reasons to trust him – which represents $165M in home sales since he began his real estate career. Yet, he wished that he had King Solomon’s wisdom go along with that which, he said, was another story! He now has six pets – 3 cavaliers and 3 cats. His passions and hobbies include bow hunting and even took his lunch breaks and go 15 feet up in a tree to hunt, he said. He hasn’t done that in a while because of his brain tumor. Chuck said he also loves to teach Sunday school going all the way back to his days in Ogden. He said he accepted Jesus when he was just 8 years old. He is also a professional Karate instructor. He is skilled in the deadly Japanese Karate, he said. He is now in Tai Kwando and even took time to show audience members the art of Key Eye. That is, when someone attacks you, take your car keys and hit them in the eye!!! Twenty years ago doctors found he had a brain tumor. He owned his own real estate company at the time employing 30 agents and he noticed that when he tried to play basketball, he noticed a flicker in his eye. After a successful eight and a half hour surgery, he woke up and said “Thank you, Jesus”. He said he is a firm believer in “God’s will be done” and he has a passion to this day to do God’s work. He concluded by saying that “Rotary is the essence and the vehicle to be all that I can be because of God’s leading me”! |
M.A.D.D. - Kathye Herrera One of our own again, Kathye Herrera, gave a very moving presentation that she has been giving for well over 25 years now to vast numbers of audiences. It was 27 years ago today, she said, that she buried Matt, her son, who was tragically killed in a truck accident. Her hope throughout the years, she said, was to help people understand what drinking and driving can do. Kathye said that 7 years prior to quitting her job 46 years ago she was drinking and decided to move to California with her then 4 year old son. She could not find a job and ended up, she said, “drinking more and more and more” and overdosed because she was also taking pills at the time. She entered the San Bernardino Mental Ward and her Father, who was a part-time deputy here in Adrian, went to Judge Glaser and got custody of her son. The next year Kathye was determined to get her life together and get her son back and she started attending AA. When she did regain custody he was still angry with her and scared she would leave him again. While it was a pretty rough time in her life “we made it”. Kathye then got married and returned to Michigan and started her life again which “wasn’t that good either”, she said, “but I did remain sober”. However, on Memorial weekend when her son was 17, he asked his Mother if he could go to Archbold, Ohio with buddies to the Mud Bogs which Kathye said he could. Nobody checked the ages of anyone at the event, she said, and many were drinking. When he returned after a full day there, he was the only sober one out of the six others he went with. Matt, she said, now had a choice to make. He could have chosen to go back with his girlfriend who was there who had her own car and was sober. He could have even called her who would have gone right down there to bring him back but Matt, unfortunately, decided to return with those he went with. On the way home, the driver lost control of his vehicle on railroad tracks and Matt was the first one thrown from the pickup, she said, “sliding a quarter of a mile down the asphalt”. A policeman she knew went to her home and said “it’s bad”. Matt had been life-flighted to St. Vincent’s. A friend drove her to the hospital along with her other son, Mic, and Matt’s girlfriend. Upon entering his room, she said, she saw he was hooked up to all kinds of machines and the extensive injuries were to his head, face and arms were indescribable. Eleven hours after being admitted, a nurse, she said, came in and told the family that Matt was brain-dead and they would be grateful if the family would agree to donating his organs. At first, Kathye said “no” but after further to speaking to the nurse, she agreed. One recipient was a retired fireman from Monroe. Three others were also recipients of Matt’s organs but have since passed away yet lived 13 more years because of Matt, Kathye said. Kathye said that Matt’s favorite holiday was always Christmas, ever since his death, she has never put up a Christmas tree. Exactly one week after Matt’s death, Mic attempted suicide. He spent the next eight weeks in the Adolescent Psych Unit in Tecumseh. “He wouldn’t eat for three weeks, wouldn’t stop wearing Matt’s clothes, didn’t want to talk and had bad dreams”. He was medicated and “through the grace of God”, Kathye said, Mic connected with a person at the Psych Unit and “started to come around”. He felt guilty because he wasn’t there to keep Matt from getting in “that truck”. Kathye said she had the same guilt inside of her. Mic would have another bout of depression and would attempt suicide once more and was admitted to Charter Hospital. Having come around again, he started high school. Mic too, Kathye said, faced a number of his own choices. “He didn’t do his homework, didn’t go to school many times and just hated life”. Kathye told him, however, that “you will graduate”. He would be hospitalized three more times for depression and for suicidal tendencies. Yet, Mic did graduate and thanked his Mother for pushing him. He got a job while he lived at home but one day she found marijuana in his bedroom, confronted him and told him he had to leave but could return if he could prove that he was longer using it. He packed his bags and left. Within 2 months, she said, he was arrested and spent the next 6 years in prison for which she said she was grateful since the other 6 friends he hung around with had since overdosed and died. Mic came home “determined to get his life together again”. He was on parole at the time and it “went pretty well for a while” but Kathye said she found out that while he’d turned 21, he was drinking and Kathye said that this was “not okay”. Mic has been in sobriety for 5 years now! Kathye said that she is MAD! Mad at Matt for getting into that truck whose driver was drunk. She’s also mad at Jason, the driver of the truck who decided to drive after he’d been drinking all day. Kathye told the judge at his trial not to send him to jail even though it was his third drunk driving arrest. “He has a problem and he needs help”, she said. He was sentenced to 5 days in jail and a $50 fine but her family “had a life sentence”. Jason, Kathye said, had 2 more drunk driving arrests and 2 more accidents. He then started to do Meth and even ran a lab, was caught and sentenced to do a year in the Lenawee County Jail. Shortly after he was released he overdosed on OxyContin and died at 32 years of age. Two young men are dead, Kathye said, because of “bad choices”. Kathye then went back to college to get her Master’s Degree in hopes of working with children who she could prevent going through what Matt did. She became the Executive Director of Big Brothers & Big Sisters and saw so many wonderful things “happen with that program” and often wonders what her kid’s lives would have been like had they had a club like that as they were growing up. Thanks for sharing your story with us, Kathye. What courage you have. What an ambassador you are to others who face similar issues and know that what you do and the experiences that you have can truly change other peoples’ lives! |
Member Moment - Bob Behnke One of our newest members took the podium and told us about himself. Bob said that he grew up in South Warren. His Father was an electrician and the school district was not one to promote a college education. He cited three distinct situations while in school that made him believe that where he was today was by “luck”. One day at school his Social Studies teacher pulled him aside and told him if he wanted to go on a tour of Central Michigan University. He decided to go and became the first generation college student!Six months later a counselor mentioned the trip to CMU and asked him if that was where he was going to apply. Bob said “Yes”! Bob completed an application, was later admitted and worked for the campus police while there. After graduating he took a teaching position at the Huron Valley School System then went onto Assistant Principal and then Principal. He then became the Principal at Lakeland High. He mentioned that the work we do with Fluency Friends is so important in being a positive influence in a child’s life. His Mother’s expectations was for him to be an assistant manager at Farmer Jack’s someday. He said that while she meant well, she didn’t fully grasp the other opportunities that might have been available to him as he chose a vocation. He credits his own teachers for setting high standards for him. He reminds his own staff today at APS that they can have that same influence on the students right here in Adrian by being role models for them while they are going to school. The students, in turn, can then reframe that perspective with their own parents so they can take that different pathway, Bob said. Bob added that college and a 4-year degree was not for everyone and that there was currently a shortage for people entering the trades. APS is committed to providing the best education for students, he said, while suggesting different paths they can take following graduation. That included partnership with the LISD and their Tech Center which is second to none, he said. The key is to get kids involved early so they will recognize that it is not the traditional “shop class” anymore but that it cutting-edge technology, he said. Within APS, he said, they had an outstanding Educational Foundation providing state-of-the-art programming and facilities, the arts, as well as an outstanding orchestra equal to Oakland Public Schools. Bob then mentioned the International Baccalaureate Program (IBP) – “an opportunity to provide and accelerate and provide an outstanding focus on looking at things from a global perspective”. He thanked Gerry for helping to “blur the lines” from high school to college and then onto the workforce at APS with the work he has been doing. Kids from Springbrook, he said, are attending the high school to take advanced classes due to their proximity. Dual enrollment programs are also being worked on, Bob said, where students get college credit which helps offset tuition costs when going to college. |
Brazilian Facts – Danilo Riella from SHU Rod Hokenson, the club's International Service Committee Chair, introduced today’s speaker, Danilo (he said to call him Dan!) who spoke to us about his new role at SHU and about his native country. He said he’s been in the US for 5 years now and that all of his family was back in Brazil but saw his parents last December. He received his associate’s degree from JCC and just graduated from Siena Heights last week! He is their International Admissions Counselor. He really loves this country, he said.His country, he said, in the middle of 2016 experienced much economic hardship due to the two largest companies there got into conflict and in what he called a scandal and the country’s president happened to be involved which led to his impeachment at which time the vice president took over. Another elect will take place in November of this year. Dan said that he was hopeful things would get better and he can already see an upswing in the economy now. The Amazon, he said, was the largest forest in the world and runs through 9 countries with 60% of it in Brazil. His country, he said, was the only one where residents speak Portuguese and the other countries in South America speak Spanish. Brazil, he said, was colonized by the Portuguese around the 1500’s and brought slaves from Africa at that time. Immigrants then came into the country from various countries like England, Italy and Poland, he said. His grandfather was originally from Italy and that’s where he said he got his name. Because it is a third world country, he said, it still has its share of violence but is hopeful that in the future it will become safer. Dan spoke about the country’s famous carnival (traditionally between February and May every year) which originated in Salvador in the northern part of Brazil and said it has since expanded across the entire country and is very popular in Rio. The carnival is popular for its parades, fancy costumes, dancing and music, he said. Brazil, he said, was the site of the 2016 Summer Olympics. While it did bring in many tourists, the buildings that were built for the games have since been abandoned unfortunately. Dan will be tasked with recruiting foreign students from Brazil and other countries to attend Siena. He, himself, was a product of this same system to play soccer for JCC in 2013 where he played for 2 years before transferring to Siena. He will report to Fatmy Abed who joined him at today’s meeting and spoke to us some months back. He and Fatmy, Dan said, were thinking seriously about joining our club. Best wishes, Dan, for a very successful career at Siena. |
E-RaceStigma 5kRun - Greg Adams Our own Greg Adams spoke about the program which really had its inception, Greg said, when he was speaking with Mike Olsaver years ago and then with Mark and Mary Murray, Nathan Salazar and then Chip Moore about the idea of a race to heighten the awareness of mental health in this community. It was Kathryn S., he said who was his co-chair initially and with her help, the race is now a reality! Greg credited the late former Rotarian Sandy Keener for being on the board of Community Mental Health and who eventually approved the race.The first race, Greg said attracted some 270 runners. This year there are already 600+ pre-registered!! He expects upwards of 700 which means that if every runner brings one additional person, some 1,400 people could be downtown on the 20th for the event! The Daily Telegram, he said, ran a news story back in January that got the greatest comments and clicks on their web page. It was about the closing of ProMedica Herrick Hospital’s Mental Health Unit and the decision not to have one at the new hospital which was very upsetting to him. He shared these statistics:
Greg said that ProMedica has admitted that due to the lack of psychiatrists in the area, they have decided not to provide mental health service at their new facility north of town when it is built. He questioned why a hospital the size of Hillsdale would have services but ProMedica’s new one would not which will be much larger. He said he also angry at not wanting to work with community groups to resolve this problem. Greg said he has attended a number of conferences with other mental health officials and has met with State Senator Zorn and State Rep Kahle about this issue. An open line registry, he said, while it does not solve the problem, will allow those in need to go on –line and see where beds might be available at neighboring hospitals. Toledo Hospital will be opening a few beds yet it still means having to travel to Toledo. |
We Photo - Lad Strayer & Vickie Schmucker Lad Strayer, Adrian City Commissioner but best known for his unique photographs for the Daily Telegram over the years and his business partner Vickie Schmucker showed a number of photographs they have taken for businesses in the area. Lad said that they have been working together for 10 years. He told the audience that while they still do weddings and high school graduation pictures they are unlike other typical photographers in that their clients are other businesses whose success is based on developing relationships where they have to "get to know their assignments very well". One of their clients, he said, was Lily Ann Cabinets who took over the facilities on East Beecher once occupied by Merillat Industries. Lad mentioned that it was this relationship that started encouraged him and Vickie to add professional videotaping to the services they offer as a business. Other clients, he said, include Wacker Chemical in Adrian and Uckele in Blissfield. Their business, he said, has grown ever since! |
Habitat for Humanity Restore - Randy Lighthall Randy Lighthall from Habitat for Humanity’s Restore spoke to us today and shared these interesting facts. On September, 26 2015, the Habitat ReStore formerly located at 2811 Treat Hwy with 3,300 square feet relocated to expand its inventory to 12,000 square ft. at 1025 E US 223 (behind Rally's).The ReStore, Randy said, is open to the public! Your purchases, he said, helps to support revitalization in our community. Whether you are a treasure hunter, bargain shopper, or personal contractor your purchase helps to make the dream of homeownership a reality for a low-income family in our community. The ReStore provides a more affordable avenue for household items and home improvement projects, all while keeping tons of perfectly good items from ending up in a landfill. Randy said that between July 1, 2014 and June, 30 2015 they diverted 174 tons of recyclable and reusable items from ending up in a landfill! So, if you have something you don’t need, why not run it out to Randy so it can be put to good use! |
Launch Lenawee - The Murray's Our own Mark and Mary Murray spoke about the exciting “Launch Lenawee” project they are spearheading that is patterned after the very successful Launch Detroit program sponsored by a number of other clubs in District 6400.Mark spoke first about the Adrian Armory – the site he and Mary own and purchased one year ago. The facility – “a real feature of this community” – is 22,000 square foot, three floors and was built in 1924 and was home to the Michigan National Guard. Phase one, Mark said, was completed on the first and second floors. The next phase will focus on improvements to the lower level. Mark thanked Bob Behnke for donating three stained glass panels for the front window of the building. The school system also donated much woodwork that has been refurbished from the old McKinley School building before it was demolished that was used to build a bar. Mark said that two full time tenants have already signed leases and that Justin Gifford from the Lenawee Visitors Bureau is assisting with this process while Mary is the official Events Manager. “Launch Lenawee is part of what Adrian Area Investment Accelerator group is attempting to do which is to get us to put some of our resources back into the community”, Mark said. They are in the process of filing for 501(c)3 status. The Armory Project is a non-profit organization and will be operated by a board of directors. Mark said he “will be looking for all sorts of continuing support from the community as well as other opportunities the Adrian Armory can be used as a real resource for Lenawee County.” Mary reminded members of PDG Larry Wright’s presentation to our club last fall when he spoke about the successful Launch Detroit Campaign where several Downriver clubs teamed up to spearhead this program which has since been recognized as one of the top 10 programs in the world by the United Nations for its overall merit and success. Launch Detroit helps young ambitious people and entrepreneurs stay in their communities and develop their businesses through mentoring and financial assistance. This model, Mary said, fit precisely into what she and Mark envisioned for this community and the Armory will provide the space for this to happen. There is a large kitchen in the lower level, she said, and will be looking to start an incubator program with that once it is refurbished which they estimate will take $100,000 to accomplish this. As indicated on the printed materials the Murray’s distributed - Launch Lenawee is a small business development incubator project developed to fill the need for support to small local startups that currently are not served by other means. The pillars of the program include mentoring, education programs, micro loans and networking. What a great project this is! Mark and Mary envision many members of this very club will be able to contribute their professional expertise should they wish to serve as mentors for young entrepreneurs as the incubator project gains traction and is fully operational. Thanks folks. Looking forward to being involved! Best of luck to you both! |
Goal Setting - Bill Kenyon President Nate introduced Bill Kenyon who, when he left Hospice as their Executive Director, is now operating his own leadership development consulting business. He is a certified John Maxwell trainer and personal leadership coach and mentor to individuals as well. Bill also offers workshops, seminars, and keynote speaking engagements.Bill began by thanking our club for the support we have given to Hospice especially the Peace Pond and gazebo at their location. Bill then spoke specifically about goal-setting and mentioned the S.M.A.R.T. acronym by which we could measure whether or not our goals were “good” ones or not. Bill, an avid runner as we all know, used this activity as an example of how people should set goals that satisfied yet another acronym- P.A.S.S. First, however, was to be sure and write in the “goal. In this case it was a “5k run”. The first letter – “P” – stands for PLAN which could include such things as Googling “Couch to 5k” in an effort to get a sedentary person in shape to run a 5-mile race. Shortly after reading this info, the next step might be to purchase some appropriate running shoes from a reputable shoe store. Now we have a PLAN! Next, we need to ACT on that plan. As we all know, he said, the best strategic plans are developed only to lay on a shelf and gather dust. So we need to Act or implement our plan. This might include nothing more than a brisk 20 minute walk and continue for the next week or two. Three weeks later, according to the plan he came up with, he would walk for 20 minutes and then jog for 20 minutes. Two weeks later, more jogging, less walking and eventually all jogging. The first “S” in PASS, Bill said, stands for “Stick To It”. Somewhere during this training time, it will rain and our tendency is to just “sit this one out” but that won’t happen because the person is determined not to let things like the weather interfere with his training. The last “S” in PASS stands for “Success”. What does it look like? When this person crosses the finish line, his friends and family are there to give him a high-five and to congratulate him for crossing the finish line. Bill went on to site a hypothetical situation with member Anne Sherman and her position at Hospice. Thanks=, Bill for training us on something we could all do a better job with – Goal Setting. |
Relationship Marketing - Pat Deere Pat is very involved in the community, is involved with many non-profit organizations, owned and previously operated a stained glass window business and now runs her own relationship marketing business – SendOutCards. She is also a trainer and teaches Relationship Marketing to businesses and individuals and hosts many different networking events. She also did a 500 mile trip across the Appalachian Trail, too! Her husband owns Deere Electric.Bringing Hope, Healing, and Happiness, Pat says, is what she really does. “Life is nothing without relationships and being authentic is the best way to build them”. SendOutCards (SOC), she said, is an online card and gifting service specializing in relationship marketing for businesses, and the gift of giving for all people. With SendOutCards, Pat said, you can create greeting cards online, and SOC prints, labels, stamps, stuffs, mails and tracks it for you. It has a built in contact manager and reminder system for important dates. Your own handwriting font can be added as well, Pat said. Bringing Hope, Healing, and Happiness through a system that allows you to be known as the business person who truly cares and remembers their customers is what this business is all about. Being the quintessential relationship marketer that she is, Pat brought with her pens and trinkets that she distributed to everyone in attendance. She also sent every board member a delicious brownie after the club agreed to have her come in for this presentation! She also brought with her a nice gift basket that went to a club member whose name was drawn after the presentation. During her presentation Pat shared some real life stories about how effective relationship marketing is to businesses big and small and how it helped to grow them. You can get more info by going to: http://www.SendOutCards.com/PLDeere Thanks, Pat, for giving us all an idea about making our businesses more effective! |
Permaculture on the Motherhouse Campus - Sister Carol Sister Carol Coston from the Dominican Sisters was our speaker today. This is National Catholic Sister’s Week. The Adrian Dominican Sisters been engaged, individually and communally, for quite some time now, she said, in efforts to protect the integrity of creation and bring about a more just, peaceful and compassionate world through a program they call “Permaculture”. The Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation coordinates these efforts by bringing to light injustices and recommending ways to take action.The Adrian Dominican Sisters have implemented the “Permaculture” program on the Motherhouse campus. A contraction of “permanent” and “agriculture,” permaculture is an ethical design system for human habitations and land use that emphasizes sustainability, integration, and cooperation with, as opposed to domination of, natural systems, Sister Carol said. The Permaculture Gardens cover an area of over seven acres of mowed turf grass in restoration. She said that “our goal is to return to an abundant, diverse, and healthy ecological system guided by the permaculture ethics of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.” One example of their commitment to permaculture design is the construction of earthworks to slow, spread, and retain water on their site. This serves to re-hydrate the soil of their edible food forest, and naturally and passively filter storm water runoff. Also on their campus are: Charlotte’s Web Community Garden – A 4,800 square foot, 20-plot, free community garden open to all on their campus; Gaia Garden – An accessible raised bed garden with six wheelchair/walker/amigo accessible raised beds, and a permeable recycled asphalt surface; a Vegetable Cooperative – Eight raised beds made from repurposed wood. Vegetables here are grown by our Sisters using crop rotation and companion planting to ensure soil quality. |
Adrian District Library Update Kathy Chesser, a 22 year veteran of the library along with new director Jennifer Kozlowski, were on hand today to talk about many of the exciting programs offered by the Adrian District Library in addition to mentioning that the organization is soon to celebrate their 150th anniversary! Kathy began by thanking the club for supporting their Summer Reading Program which has attracted over 200 kids each year encouraging them to read over their summer time off from school. March, Kathy said, is National Reading Month. Jennifer Wrzesinski, who started last September replacing Shirley Ehnis who had worked there for over 40 years, then spoke and said that she'd most recently worked at a library in the Lansing area and in Marshall before that. This is her first "director" position and she is the 7th director in Adrian's 150 year history, she said. The Adrian Library Association started in 1868. The original library was located in the current Lenawee Historical Museum on Church Street and was named after Andrew Carnegie. To commemorate the library's milestone anniversary, events will be planned monthly up until Sunday, August 26, she said, replete with an open house, band, cake & ice-cream, giveaways and a variety of different activities. Everyone is welcome to attend. Kathy then went into a bit more detail about upcoming programs including their Cops & Kiddo program, Wild Swan Theater event, Summer Slide, Circus Workshop, Teen Read and other pre-school and elementary age programs that involve stories and crafts. Guest readers are invited to participate as well, she said, including Classroom Critters by Adrian resident Paul McCormick. Kathy closed by telling us that one of the things our support has allowed her to do is purchase books she can give the children participating in the Summer Reading program. They are used to incentivize the kids to read. Over 500 books were given away last year, she said. "Each child gets a book when they sign up for the program and they get one when they completed their "reading log". What the library offers, she concluded, is all about offering programs where kids can just go and have fun, Kathy said! |
4th Annual Art of Mingling Event
A fair amount of time was spent discussing the “30 second Commercial” and its importance. The students were asked to build their commercial by concentrating on where they wanted to go, not where they’d been; concentrate on skills, not job titles; use statistics; have a punch line and keep it to about 30 seconds. The commercials would prove important to them when they would be expected to introduce themselves at meetings they’d be attending. They were also trained on using “Informal Commercials” – oftentimes used in social settings such as trade shows, chance meetings, and where contact is one-on-one. Students also learned many critical business principles in addition to important networking skills which were reinforced throughout the presentation with role playing and written exercises. Prior to the programs’ conclusion, students were given an opportunity to put the skills into action by “mingling” with others while practicing the interpersonal skills that were presented. Thanks, Melissa for an awesome program. We thoroughly enjoy helping you each and every year. |
Strategic Plan Update - Nate and Chuck Today’s program was an opportunity for President Nate and Yours Truly to update members about what the board discussed at their time together on February 2nd at Gleaners during the Strategic Planning meeting. We first shared what our official Statement of Purpose as a club was: The Adrian Noon Rotary Club is a vibrant, fun, and action-oriented club that is growing its membership and financial capability with strong, committed members working toward improving the quality of life within our community and the world we serve.Next, we shared the top 3 goals the board agreed our club should be involved in moving forward. They are: Goal #1 - Increasing Membership & Engagement; Goal #2 - Increased Community Involvement; Goal #3 - Signature Project – 100th Club Anniversary (2021). Members were then referred to a number of handouts they were given one of which was a sheet on which our club's "strengths and weaknesses" were listed along with "community opportunities and challenges". Another sheet that was passed around consisted of (1) ideas generated back in March of 2015 at what we called the Club Visioning meeting and facilitated as you’ll recall by our own DG Rick Caron and a couple of other District 6400 representatives and (2) important Hedke Award requirements that committees need to give thought to so that we can be serious competitors for that award in the coming years. It is the hope of the board that all committees would be actively engaged, meet on a regular basis and report out to the full membership what they have accomplished and have planned for the future. President Nate challenged all committees to immediately identify programs they would like to run before the end of this Rotary year on June 30th and be able to report back to him before the next board meeting on March 8th as to what they were planning. That, of course, includes proposed budgets and timing, he added. President Nate then addressed the "Committee Structure Sheet" and commented that he did not see every member’s name on it and encouraged anyone not on it to choose one or more they had a passion for and could serve on. We’d like 100% involvement! Total involvement, President Nate said, was the only way we will be able to have significant impact in our community and around the world. Members, he said, who cannot be as active as they would like should still put their names on the list as they would be valuable in simply being present at various club activities and/or events to show support. Yours Truly mentioned that to insure that committees are functioning effectively, a process would be in place whereby each board member would be assigned a specific committee chair who could share with them what they were doing as a committee and that board member could report back to the full board on their progress. Following the presentation, several questions and suggestions came up around the club’s specific brand, the timing of committee program development and execution. Another suggestion was to give focus and attention to skills training for young people coming into the job market and particularly the types of jobs we need in this state in order to keep moving forward. What a great club we have! Thanks to each and every one for helping to make it one that allows us to live up to our Statement of Purpose as cited in the very first paragraph!! |
Hospice Bereavement Services - Sharon Van Tuyle
Sharon began with Hospice in 1990 when they had 9 patients and provided bereavement support to families along with two other staff members. They soon expanded to support in the entire community. The organization expanded as a result. They now boast over 12 different programs at no cost. Generous donors along with the proceeds from their various fundraising events throughout the year make it possible for Hospice to provide them.
Sharon said she was grateful for the others who work in her department who are compassionate about serving those who mourn the death of loved ones. Among the many programs they offer are: Lunch Bunch – a program that brings individuals who have suffered losses; Trillium – a monthly women’s support group; Let’s Talk it Over – an adult daytime support group, etc. Hospice in collaboration with Kay Ross at Community Mental Health, she said, is planning to offer a program for parents who have lost a child to a drug overdose.
A retreat is planned for September for families who wish to memorialize they loved ones followed by horse riding rounding out the afternoon of the full day event, Sharon said. Grieving is important but so is time out for fun and relaxation, she said. All workshops, seminars and programs are free of charge, Sharon said. For more information or to register you can call 517-263-2323. |
Adrian International Film Festival Mark Murray introduced today’s speakers: Scott Westfall (business owner and a professor at Adrian College) and Michael Neal (Festival Director and a 2012 graduate of AC is also a professor there) who spoke to us about a unique and exciting event coming to Adrian – a Film Festival this summer in May (18 & 19)!Scott began by sharing with us how this all came about as a simple idea he approached Michael about who agreed that they would “make this happen”! Michael credits Scott with providing him with business and legal advice and would not be where he is with the project without it. Michael said that this event will showcase filmmakers of all kinds by bringing people together the best storytelling, press, industry, and film enthusiasts from around the world for the 2-day celebration. A total of 38 films will be shown in 8 different venues, he said, who will each host a different genre of film. For example, the Croswell will host all of the “feature” films. The Adrian Armory will host the documentary films while the Seasons will host the “Shorts”, the Lenawee Historical Museum will host the “Documentary Shorts”, the “Animation films” will be hosted at the Steele Carriage House, and the “Student films” will be hosted between AC and SHU. Seven additional events will be hosted at these venues as well, Michael said. There will be an outdoor screening at Comstock Park and discussion of the film titled “The Page Fence Giants” produced by Michael himself along with the author of a soon-to-be-released book on the subject. Interactive student activities will also take place allowing them to interact with real industry professionals. Panel discussions will also take place. The event will culminate with an Awards Ceremony. An audience award will be named as well. A trolley will run between downtown and AC and Siena Heights. Refreshments will be available at most of the venues. There will be outdoor gathering areas for festival pass holders and more fun for the whole family, he said. Michael encouraged any other potential film makers to take part by showing their productions and registering to do so by March 31st at www.filmfreeway.com/adrianfilm . For more info and specific ticket prices you can go to: www.filmfreeway.com . Michael Neal’s contact info is: mike@adrianfilm.org; 517-902-2988. They are hoping to sell 500 festival passes this first year and have 200 festival entries. |
Dr. Joe Myers - U of M Eye Health Institute President Nate introduced today’s speaker, Dr. Joe Myers, an optometrist with University Health Services at the U of M Kellogg Health Center and co-founder of the Eye Health Institute. Joe’s name was mentioned to us as a possible speaker by DG Rick Caron. We are so glad he was able to share with us the work he and the U of M have been doing to address eye health in Jamacia.In 1996, Myers, alongside an eye-care team including Dr. Richard Cross, traveled to Jamaica to conduct vision screenings and provide glasses for those in underserved communities. With ancestry tracing back to Jamaica, both doctors desired to return to help. They were met by a large need for ocular care. In 2001, Joe and Dr. Cross founded the Eye Health Institute (EHI), a nonprofit clinic that aims to provide comprehensive quality eye care and ocular health services to the people of Jamaica.  He received his optometric degree from the Ferris State College of Optometry, now the Michigan College of Optometry. He came to U-M more than 25 years ago and is still enjoying his position at UHS in addition to working with the clinic.Joe showed a series of slides of the eye clinics (shown at right) consisting of pre-constructed walls that made into clinic spaces and erected on cement slabs of various sizes. Joe said he remains active with EHI and continues to visit Jamaica with a large group, spending two to three weeks working at the clinic and overseeing pod installation. He describes EHI as being one of the best-equipped clinics in Jamaica thanks to donations, with advanced technology such as electronic charting, surgeons on staff who can perform cataract surgery, and the ability to facilitate the best they can for the government to provide glaucoma medications. On a day when the clinic is conducting eye exams, doctors may see 40-50 patients, and when conducting cataract screenings, they may see as many as 70-100. In several cases, doctors have saved lives by finding tumors. |
Plane-Wave/Meridian Mechatronics - Kevin Iott Luke introduced today’s speaker, Kevin Iott, of Meridian Mechatronics/Plane-Wave Instruments of Deerfield who shared with us some very exciting information about possible expansion of his business here in Adrian. Luke has known Kevin for about two months, he said, since they were both in a commercial together and will share the same property when Kevin’s business locates on the former Adrian Training School site.Kevin said that his interest in astronomy began at a very early age and that he decided to make the equipment he needed because it was too expensive to buy himself! From there his interest evolved to owning his own company in Deerfield with offices now in California. The company manufactures telescopes from 12 inches in diameter to 40 inches and are used by “high-end” amateurs, he said, as well as professionals in the field of government, aerospace, and the military. Kevin said that the company has been in existence for 11 years now. It is the partnership between Meridian Mechatronics that Kevin started in Deerfield and Plane-Wave founded by people in California. The company is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Plane-Wave and Kevin is now a partner in this company. The company is planning to consolidate their California offices (Plane-Wave Instruments) with the manufacturing operation (Mechatronics) here in Adrian. They are currently in talks with city officials to acquire the 55-acre training school property north of town where the Adrian Center for the Arts has been located. Kevin presented a number of slides showing the products they manufacture. One of the examples was a one meter telescope (the mirror is 40 inches in diameter). Mirrors are made, he said, of a solid piece of fused quartz which, in this case is valued at $40,000 for just the blank piece of material before it even get fabricated and machined! There are only four other companies in the US that can machine material this large and at two and a half times the cost of the material to machine it. So, Kevin and his staff took about one year to develop their own process at much less cost. His company can now make this size mirrors in about four weeks in their plant in Deerfield! The company also makes the mounts and motors for the telescopes. The company has 27 employees currently and consist of software engineers, electrical engineers, and mechanical engineers which is what Kevin said he was. The company is growing very rapidly, he said. His products are in every continent except Antarctica, he said! Kevin said he actually has installed his telescopes in India, Poland and Germany just to name a few. One of his telescopes, Kevin said, was unveiled in a spaceship at the Virgin Galactic hangar in New Mexico where he met Sir Richard Branson! Kevin concluded by saying that he was encouraged that his company would be close in proximity to the Tech Center in Adrian and that might mean advancing the careers of prospective students who might want to get into this field. He was also excited about the prospects for Adrian and Jackson Colleges and SHU who might have an opportunity to host scientific conferences in the future that would attract experts in the field to Adrian to speak and make formal presentations. |
Club Assembly President Nate conducted the first Club Assembly of the new year by asking members to discuss two important issues: club membership and committee involvement. Before doing that, however, he shared with the audience an update of accomplishments for the last 6 months of 2017 and what is planned for the last half of his year.He referenced the Presidential Citation (See below) and said that we were fulfilling many of the requirements for it but a possible gap is our membership. We started the year at 52 members and added 3 new members but dropped 2 when the Simays departed. We need 6 to 7 new members by June 30th to qualify for recognition. This was a great segue into what President Nate wanted members to accomplish during this Club Assembly. He asked certain tables to brainstorm suggestions as to how they thought the club could increase its membership numbers. He asked other tables to discuss committee structure and what suggestions members might offer to strengthen current committees and insure that they be more active moving forward in addition to how we could get more members to get involved. Nate also asked tables to discuss other possible programs we might want to support that require little if any financial support. Following a ten minute discussion among the tables, spokespeople from each table reported out highlights of their time together. Here are the various suggestions: MEMBERSHIP GROWTH
COMMITTEE STRUCTURE
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Salvation Army - Envoy Terry Gaster.JPG) It was only fitting on the last meeting before we celebrate the Christmas holiday that we asked Envoy Terry Gaster from the local Salvation Army to join us and share the meaning of the holiday. Terry said that 95% of the organizations funds are raised during the kettle campaigns. Of every dollar taken in, he said, 94¢ stays right here in Lenawee County to provide clothing and food for those less fortunate while 6¢ of each dollar “goes to keeping the lights on”.The initial fundraising campaign began at the Salvation Army in 1891 when a SA representative, Captain Charles Jeffries in the San Francisco Bay area, wondered how he would be able to serve food to the surge of people who were needy from towns that went bust after the gold rush and the surge of poor Chinese immigrants to the area at the same time. Captain Jeffries didn’t know where he could come up with the money necessary to provide meals since there wasn’t ever much money left from the week’s Sunday church collections. So, he came up with an idea and took a large pot out of their church kitchen and placed it in the street and put a sign on it that read: “We want to feed the hungry a Christmas dinner”. As a result, he raised a lot of money that day. The next day he did the same thing and then went down to the wharf area where the ships came in and placed another kettle there. From all of the money raised he was able to feed over 20,000 people! A few years later, the same concept was tried in New York and over 50,000 people were fed a Christmas meal at Madison Square Gardens! The Salvation Army world headquarters in London thought that this would be a wonderful event they could continue well into the future…and it was, Terry said. Thus the beginning of what would become the signature Red Kettle Drive which is now established in over 120 countries across the globe! Every dollar they raise, Terry said, stays right in their communities like it does in Lenawee County. Terry reported sadly that donations this season were down. Their goals is $125,000 of which $109,000 has been raised. There are only 3 days left to achieve the goal. The deficit could have been much more, .JPG) he said, had it not been for an event at the Wagley Funeral Home recently that brought in a lot of money along with the generosity of one of our own members, he said, who donated numerous food cards. Many toys were also donated along with several hundred pounds of food. One person in particular, he said, who wished to remain anonymous went into the local Salvation Store in Adrian and handed them a card with a check in it for $20,000! The Lord, Terry said, has truly blessed their organization again this year just like He has blessed us by coming to this earth performing miracles that healed the blind and the deaf and still does that today.“We still need the help of the people though”, he said. The needs are even greater than they were before, Terry said. The Salvation Army filled 1,500 more food orders this year than last. Utilities were $21,000 more this year than last but Terry said he was confident that the Lord would see them through and not let people go without. Everybody, no matter who they are, will always be served food if they are hungry and even have groceries to take home with them, he said. Terry said he chose the Salvation Army so he could serve the Lord and cited Matthew 25 from the Bible in particular ending with “Whatsoever you do for the least of My brothers, you do it to Me”. |
Plants, Trees and Shrubs Along the Kiwanis Trail - Professor Janet Salzwedel Luke Barnett introduced today’s speaker, Dr. Janet Salzwedel, Biology Professor for the past 25 years at Adrian College, who spoke about the various plants along the Kiwanis Trail. She had spent a fair amount of time prior to today researching plants, trees and shrubs along this this “very picturesque” 7 mile long trail.“There are many micro habitats along this trail”, she said. In fact, there are over 200 different plants between Curtis and Valley roads alone! The problem was, she said, of those there are native plants (those growing here before European colonization) and also non-native (invasive) plants. Among the invasive plants along the trail include: Japanese Hedge Parsley, Garlic Mustard, Oriental Bittersweet known to have very woody stems and wind around trees and nine others. Native plants that are trees include oaks, maples and aspens. Among the invasive trees there are: the Tree of Heaven and Black Locust that are spreading very quickly due to their many seeds. In addition to theses, there are various shrubs and vines and herbs (the smallest plants) growing along the trail. Some are native while others are invasive (Autumn Olive, Honeysuckles, and Dame’s Rocket). Native also along the trail, Janet said, were ferns and horsetails, grasses and rushes right on the edge of the Kiwanis Trail. Some 45 of her students went out in groups she said this past summer to remove a number of the invasive shrubs. The City of Adrian Forrester donated some tolls they could use to clear some of the area, she said. When clearing land of invasive plants, Janet said, there is always the chance to mistaken them for native ones. The example she cited was the Tree of Heaven which looks very similar to Staghorn Sumac. Both have compound pointed leaves. When you look on the edge of each leaf, however, Sumac has serrated (very fine teeth all the way around) margins. On the Tree of Heaven (shown in photo), the teeth are more “swollen” which are actually glands, Janet said, that distinguish it from the Tree of Heaven. Important to maintaining the trail, she suggested, would be to have a number of volunteers next spring pull out as much Mustard Garlic plants as they could. Janet offered to train some leaders in being able to identify a number of invasive plants so they could instruct other who would remove them. In an effort to tag and identify trees along the Trail, Janet suggested we start with the largest and older ones first like the Sycamores and Cottonwoods. The next step would be to create a list of things that bloom in the spring, and in the summer and in the fall. |
Old National Bank - Melody Fanslau
Melody said that her bank started to use chip cards on their debit cards yet there is still a way for fraudsters to retrieve information from them. People who are most at risk are those who are on line a lot. Wiring money is also risky she said. Protection for people might be placing safeguards on their personal accounts especially when calling a bank about your personal account and would be asked for the password that was assigned to you.
Melody said there is actually a “typical” fraud season that extends from October to March each year. Common scams include: IRS scams, Advance Free scams, Telemarketing/Mystery Shopper/Work from Home scams, Identity Theft, and Lottery scams.
Things, Melody shared with us, that we can do if we are victims include: Notify your local bank, contact all three of the Credit Bureaus and place a fraud alert, contact your local law enforcement agency, contact the Social Security Administration Fraud Hotline at 800-269-0271, contact the IRS at 800-908-4490 and file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at 866-447-7559.
So, watch for these and many other scams from those wishing to access your information especially during the holiday season. Thanks, Melody, for this enlightening information. |
Launch Detroit - PDG Larry Wright
Larry began by saying that it was great to be back in Adrian after so many years and that we had a dynamic club and that “one of his favorite people” besides Mark and Mary, was Dave Maxwell who was club president in the 95-96 year when he was District Governor. "Dave and the Adrian Rotary Club came through in a big way donating money to the RI Foundation that year to reach their goal!"
Larry began his presentation of Launch Detroit by showing a brief video highlighting the various individuals who got involved in the program and started their own successful businesses in the greater Detroit area, they very city that filed for bankruptcy six years ago and they year Launch Detroit was birthed! Ideas, he said, actually came from what the Grameen Foundation was doing in Bangladesh with micro lending.
A committee was formed to discuss doing it in the US. While the money is important to prospective entrepreneurs, Larry said, even more important to them was education and training. The four legs of the Launch Detroit the committee decided were: Small Business Classes, Micro Loans (up to $2,500 at 5%) Mentoring, and Networking. Funding for Launch Detroit has come in part from organizations like Baker College, the Michigan Women’s Foundation, Presbytery of Detroit and Level One Bank.
Attending the district’s first Small Business class, Larry said, were 13 budding entrepreneurs. They have recently partnered with Wayne State University’s Mike Illitch School of Business. The program continues to grow thanks to Larry’s leadership and his committee! Larry stayed after the meeting to meet with others in attendance to discuss how our club might want to get involved or do something similar. |
Member Moment - Jesse Pizana One of our newest members, Jesse Pizana, agreed to give his member moment today. Here’s what he told us:He is 26 years old and has lived in Tecumseh all of his life. His Father owns Victory Builders and his Mother was formerly the manager of First Federal in Tecumseh and currently an accountant at Lenawee Fuels. She also worked many years at UBT. He has a sister who has five children ages 6-9 and three of them share the same birthday! Jesse had started working in property management in the Ann Arbor area just out of high school where he graduated in 2009 and then moved to Adrian because he “really missed it.” He is now at D & P Communications as a Business Solutions Consultant where he is extremely satisfied, he said, with both his boss and the company. At 13, Jesse was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and underwent chemotherapy for a few months at which time he was in remission. However, a month later it returned and this time, he said, much more aggressively. He went through more chemo as well as a bone marrow transplant and radiation. The entire time he was very involved in the Relay for Life that year with his Mother acting as chairs of the event in Tecumseh. Their goal was $25,000 but ended up raising $75,000!! Jesse is a Christian, he said, and is the Youth Pastor at his church – Ridgeway Nazarene and credits God with “the great things He has done for me!” He said that’s why he wanted to join Rotary because of the family that stood by him during his illness and he can now give back to the community where he has developed “a lot of great friendships” and is so very grateful for everything that was done for him. Once he started to improve, he said, his sister was a victim of a domestic violence situation with a person she had been seeing. Just like when he was sick, family and friends, he said, also came to her aid. Marcy and Tim Brown, he said, opened their home to him and his family when they found out that his sister’s boyfriend had broken into his parent’s house. Yet another show of support for them during tough times. These experiences, he concluded, have been heartwarming due to the compassion people show others in time of need so, for him, being a part of an organization is “heartwarming to me.” |
RI Foundation Month - Mike Olsaver
The RI Foundation is a 4-Star Charity (THE highest rating!) according to Charity Navigator, Mike said. The Foundation gives 91% of the money that it spends directly to important programs worldwide. The other 9% covers administrative fees. Mike then showed a video produced by Rotary International. Here is some of what it spoke about: The Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. During the past 100 years, the Foundation has spent $3 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects.
It went on to say: At the 1917 convention, outgoing Rotary president Arch Klumph proposed setting up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” That one idea, and an initial contribution of $26.50, set in motion a powerful force that has transformed millions of lives around the globe. There are 6 areas of focus that are causes the RI Foundation supports around the world. Through our service projects, peace fellowships, and scholarships, our members are taking action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources.
Further it said: Rotary also expands access to quality care, so mothers and children everywhere can have the same opportunities for a healthy future. An estimated 5.9 million children under the age of five die each year because of malnutrition, inadequate health care, and poor sanitation — all of which can be prevented.
Each year, Mike said, the RI Foundations takes in about $100M and in return distributes $105M for humanitarian and educational programs (6 areas of focus – Promote Peace, Fighting Disease, Providing Clean Water, Saving Mothers & Children, Education and Growing Local Economies) around the world. The additional $5M is interest generated from investments on the monies raised.
Rotary has Peace Institutes around the world, Mike said, where scholars learn about such things as conflict resolution so that we as a world can resolve our issues peacefully rather than through conflict. The second video clip Mike showed dealt with clean water. Here is some of what it addressed: Rotary doesn’t just build wells and walk away. Rotary members also integrate water, sanitation, and hygiene into education projects. When children learn about disease transmission and practice good hygiene, they miss less school. And they can take those lessons home to their families, expanding our impact.
Mike said that our club’s goal each year through the “Every Rotarian Every Year” program is $6,000. We have actually raised more than that over the past several years thanks to the generosity of our members. Mike said that if we want to participate in the District’s Matching Grant Program, we have to meet that goal. Among some of the programs our club has participated in through RI with grant money include: Donation to Ghana, the 3rd Day Farm Project, renovations of the Pathways & Interconnections facility. Mike concluded by telling members that they can go online to set up automatic deductions to RI directly. Should you want to know how to do this you can contact Mike or Yours Truly for written instructions. Thanks, Mike for all you do for the RI Foundation and our club. |
District Governor's VisitA  ssistant Governor, Marilyn Kremer, introduced our speaker today, District Governor, Rick Caron. Rick is chair of the Mathematics & Statistics Department at the University of Windsor. He has won a number of prestigious awards for his teaching and research and is listed in Who’s Who in Canada in 1997.Rick spoke about what Rotary is and does and telling the audience that he bet that we each wear our Rotary pins everywhere we go which encourages people to ask us what that pin was we were wearing. He said he was curious as to what our individual response has been to the question: “What exactly is Rotary?” When we simply respond with “It’s a service organization”, how do we explain that? It’s a difficult question to answer, Rick said, because of all the things that Rotary does. He mentioned the recent hurricane relief efforts. The clubs throughout the district, he said, contributed over $32,000 to that effort and what was amazing was that none of the clubs had even budgeted for that this year but they all knew it was the right thing to do! Rick said he wrote a letter to the district governor in the Houston area and got a letter back saying, “Wow. Thank you. What an amazing district you have”. Rick also mentioned how happy he was to have been able to join the five clubs in the county for their World Polio Day lunch in Tecumseh last week. All of the photos that were taken around the district, he said, will be combined and shown at his District Conference next May at Mackinac Island. Rick said he attended the International Assembly with RI President John Germ and spoke about the $1.2B raised by RI when Rick said “My heart just sunk. That’s a lot of money!” Then he said John continued and announced that Rotarians will continue to give $50 million a year for each of the next three years. But Rick knew, he said, that since Rotarians overachieve, they will give more and in a shorter period of time because that’s just who we are! “We’ve always done our part.” Then, to top it all off, he said, an organization like Rotary is able to get someone like Bill Gates to attend the International Convention and because he knows Rotary well, reaffirmed his commitment to Rotary by giving a match of 2 to 1 toward the effort to eradicate polio in the world! So, another $450M is on the table, he said. Representatives from numerous governments from all around the world attended the convention and announced what they would also be giving to the cause! “We will eradicate polio!” “Always wear your Rotary pin”, Rick said. Everyone I know knows that I’m a Rotarian. That’s how you build a network which are really powerful things. Rick told a story about a Youth Exchange student who had difficulty getting on a flight to her new home for the next year in a foreign country because she didn’t have the proper papers with her at the time but the pilot of that plane happened to be a Rotarian and told her he would make sure he got what she needed on his next flight and would make sure she got where she was going. “That’s the power of Rotary”, Rick said. “Be sure and share Rotary membership and opportunities with others”. Rotary educates, he said, while pointing to our own Junior Rotarians in the audience today through the club’s scholarship program. Rotary, he said, was THE NUMBER 1 provider of scholarships in the world! Yet scholarships are only a fraction of what Rotary does in communities and around the world. We help eliminate malaria and polio, but more importantly, Rick said, Rotary builds partnerships and networks that get things done. “We are people of action who want to make a difference in the world.” These things, he said, are the true definition of WHAT ROTARY DOES. When we say this to someone it leads to an opportunity to tell others HOW we take action and are able to have a casual conversation with people. Rick said that he tries to get to people’s heart first. RI, he said, has a four star rating in Cherry Navigator, and that’s why the Gate’s Foundation partners with us – “because they know our money goes to a good place.” We are important leaders in this community as Rotarians. Rick used his interest in everything Star Trek to provide an analogy between those on the starship Enterprise and Rotarians. He said they were a diverse group of people all equally respected and contributing in a good way which is why Rick likes Star Trek. They all also did “Boldly Go”. He read a quote from a Star Trek movie: “We stagnate if we have no ambition, no desire to be more than what we are.” He concluded by sharing an important story about his daughter and her efforts to help build a learning center in Tanzania. Rick initially told her she was wasting her time but when he started to reflect on his own theme this year of “Boldly Go”, he soon came to realize that when he, himself, decided to help, get involved and change from becoming optimistic instead of pessimistic, the project could, indeed, become a reality and it did! When he changed his mind about what could be done, he saw the “possible” instead of the “impossible”. Thanks Rick for your special visit and very meaningful presentation. We wish you the very best in your important role as our District Governor! |
Neighbors of Hope - Steve Palmer & Kathy Williams
Steve took the podium to tell audience members that planning for a facility began some 18 months ago. The Tecumseh Planning Commission is dealing with its “use” so it is compatible with “transitional housing” in that area that also offers counseling and housing for clients.
This facility, Steve said, was a hybrid. Steve said he was confident that they would be approved in two weeks by the Tecumseh City Council since they are concerned that once ProMedica vacates their current facilities to build a new one on M52, they won’t have to worry about what they do with vacant buildings. It’s a win-win situation. Neighbors of Hope will then submit their site plan to the Planning Commission.
There are approximately 300 homeless women and children in Lenawee County, he said and the new facility will hold 38. The organization has been working with homeless males for the past 12 years so this will be a new endeavor for us, he said. The Good Neighbor Campaign was launched last May to assist with the costs of a facility. To date, 92% of their goal has been reached and they hope to achieve their goal by Thanksgiving.
Steve said he envisions clients who come to the shelter to stay no more than 6 months after which time their needs will be assessed during that period and determine if it is a relationship or educational issue, financial or otherwise. The goal is to get each of them to a position of self-reliance, Steve said. |
One Lenawee Rod Pender said that it was honor to introduce one of his best friends and today’s speaker, Joe Williams from Old National Bank, who spoke to us today about the efforts of One Lenawee. One Lenawee, Joe said was simply a group of concerned citizens who want to make Lenawee a great place to live and work. The group was formed in 2009 with a goal of forming a county-wide vision in terms of where do we want to go and what do we want to be five years from now? A Steering Committee was formed and the mission began.A couple of community meetings were held at the beginning of this past year at SHU. Experts were called in to give us suggestions about what counties our size should be doing. The next step was to hold separate community forums consisting of civic leaders, profit and non-profit organizations and students that were facilitated by a representative from MSU. During those meetings participants were asked what they felt the strengths as well as the weaknesses of this county were and what we needed to do improve. Meetings were also held separately with 200 college seniors and with high school-aged students in the county who were asked the same questions. “How do we retain our young people?” Joe said, was the big question. He went on to say that those with a 4-year degree and higher in Lenawee County fared below the state average and also below the national average. On the other hand, the county’s high school graduation rate was better than the state and national average as well. That tells us that these kids are going away to college but not coming back to the county. So, Joe added, “if you look at successful communities in the state and country, the higher educated people are, the more thriving it becomes.” From all the information collected during all of these meetings, the data resulted in the formulation of seven priority areas. Those areas are: Placemaking – Arts/Culture & Natural Resources; Community/Collaboration; Workforce Development; Promotion/Marketing; Lifestyle Choices; Infrastructure; Entrepreneurships. These groups continue to meet and have been tasked with setting 3-5 goals (while keeping them simple) they would like to see implemented within the next 1-3 years by next month which will be followed by determining the strategic initiatives to accomplish them. There is still time for anyone interested to join one of the seven areas and make suggestions and provide input. You may call Joe Williams if interested at Old National Bank. |
Mission Sports Performance - Eric DriverE
He also mentioned the importance of sleeping well. In the area of nutrition, Eric recommends that we eat the right kinds of food our body’s need 80% of the time and that the other 20% we eat whatever we want.
Their adult and youth memberships offer individuals the comfort of paying a flat monthly rate for their training program. There are no membership commitments either. The adult performance training group, he said, consists of 2-4 day programs where individuals get to choose their days and times. If you're trying to lose weight, gain strength, cut fat, reduce pain, increase mobility, or prepare for a triathlon or sporting event, we can help, he said. |
Lenawee Cares - Jim Hartley & Sue Hammersmith
Jim said it all started about 2 years ago when the leadership of the UW determined that they were not operating as efficiently as they needed to be at a time when current overhead could not be justified. So, the UW approached the Lenawee Community Foundation (LCF) and met with Sue and her board and suggested the two agencies form an alliance which the memberships of both groups agreed to.
The second campaign as a new organization has already begun and they were able to reduce operating costs by $100,000! They distributed a flyer at the meeting showing the various organizations they gave money to last year along with a complete list of Pillar Club members. These donors give minimum gifts of $1,000 annually. The money raised through annual Lenawee Cares campaigns, Jim confirmed, stays in Lenawee County. Ten percent of all donations goes into an endowment. As a result, in excess of $800,000 has been distributed since the Kellogg Foundation gift of $1M was placed in reserve some 15-20 years ago and allowed to grow!! The needs in this community are huge, Jim said, particularly when it comes to kids who need basic food and clothing.
Sue told the audience that some 18 community volunteers are involved each year in deciding to whom the money goes and those recommendations are approved by the LCF’s board. They prided themselves, once the decisions were made, on being able to get the money out as quickly as possible, she said.
Another program of Lenawee Cares is their Imagination Library through which 1,500 books per month (about $45,000/year) are distributed to pre-school program who are registered. The cost per child is approximately $30 per year. Another program is their Lenawee Youth Council who have sold Christmas Trees and Onions in the past. Members of this organization engage kids in volunteering in the community and make college visits. Snack Packs is yet another program Sue spoke about. Some 300 packs are delivered to children every week at Madison and Adrian schools for K through 8th grade with the help of the Adrian Morning Rotary Club, she said.
Lenawee Cares also serves as the fiduciary for the Lenawee County Access Network which is a program engaging kids to consider what they might want to do after high school. Sue closed by thanking people who had faith in what the UW and the LCM wanted to do. Consequently it is a much stronger organization serving the needs of this community. Thank you Sue and Jim. |
Lenawee Y Update - Jason Trame. Interim Director Jason Trame, the interim director of the Lenawee YMCA, was invited to speak today and tell us about the different programs offered at the organization as well as the proposed merger with the Toledo Y and the partnership with ProMedica. Jason is on loan from the West Branch Y in Toledo. He is married and has 2 children and is a Rotarian himself!The Y nationally, he said, arrived at three areas of focus for local Ys a couple of years ago and they are: Youth Development, Healthy Living and Social Responsibility. Relative to Youth Development, he said it’s important that kids do well and succeed in school. In Michigan and Ohio, graduation rates are at 68% for kids living in lower income communities compared to the overall rate of about 80% and only about 65% of children entering kindergarten are ready to do so. "We currently have 135 children in our local pre-school and after school education program", Jason said. In the area of Healthy Living, Ys are thought of as a “gym and a swim” or a “hoop and a dip” but they are much more than that. Physical Fitness, Swim and Aquatic Safety programs are available. Diabetes Prevention is also an important program. Chronic disease, of course, lowers the quality of life among individuals and accounts for a staggering 85% of all health care costs today! Some 190 people  participate in the current Diabetes Prevention Program here in Adrian, he said.In the area of Social Responsibility, it’s all about “community” and bringing people together through family events for example, Jason said. It also includes making Youth Development and Healthy Living available and affordable to everyone in this community. One of the things, he said, that allows us to do this is to go to an income-based fee system and membership structure. In the past, members could come in and secure a membership and ask for direct financial assistance if necessary, Jason said. So, the new income-based pricing model that has been implemented simplifies the process with a simple proof of income statement that generates a specific price for people to join! Jason then provided details of the proposed partnership with the Toledo Y and said that the real benefit of that would be to help the Lenawee Y be even stronger by utilizing Toledo’s resources/staff and sharing in its efficiencies. The other exciting thing that is on the horizon, he said, is the partnership with ProMedica and the building of a brand new state-of-the-art facility on M52 “which will allow our organization to be much stronger and to serve more individuals, families and seniors! We currently serve people well now but will be able to serve them even better at this new facility.” He assured audience members that once the Y moves to its new location, there will not be a vacant building still sitting on Maumee Street adding to Adrian’s blight situation. Jason closed by sharing a specific story that he experienced firsthand that served as a true example of what the Y does and the impact it has on people’s lives. It was a story about the gymnastics team at the Toledo Y that his daughter was part of and about one young girl from the opposing team (Sandusky) who was to perform at the very end after several rotations. As she prepared to perform, the Toledo coach instructed everyone on his team to root for this gal and that they did. Not only was this a mark of true sportsmanship, Jason said, but a teaching moment for everyone that in gymnastics and life as well, their successes and achievements are determined by them and not soured because someone else achieved success and may have even replaced them on the podium! |
ASO Conductor - Bruce Kiesling
Pines of Rome - The season opens with a tour de force program. After the smashing success of his "Rhapsody in Blue," Gershwin went “all out” with his Concerto in F, which quickly became one of the best known concertos of the 20th century. Jeffrey Biegel joins us to bring down the house with his performance.
Tchaikovsky - Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff: great pianist, great orchestrators, and great melodists. What better pair to combine for a smashing program.
Winter Wonderland - We swing into the holiday season with a combination of your favorite Christmas music—and give a good portion of it a little spike in the eggnog. Some favorites from last year return and, once again, we highlight some of Adrian and Lenawee County's brightest talents. From soloists to choirs and swing bands to orchestra, this family-friendly concert truly has something for everyone!
Movies, Music, Sports - “The thrill of victory....the agony of defeat.” This year's film-inspired concert celebrates the best in sports competition, both in the sports world and in the movie world.
Fauré Requiem - We celebrate the repentant Lenten season with a return performance to one of our favorite venues, the Holy Rosary Chapel at SHU. We are joined by choirs to celebrate the beautifully impressionistic Requiem by Fauré. Written to “comfort the living,” this hauntingly beautiful piece sets a variety of movements of the requiem mass with a very beautiful, and a very French touch.
Firebird - Celebrate spring with a variety of dance music! From ballet to the hoedown and the charleston, this concert combines some of the best dance music from the mid-20th century. Billy the Kid's legendary story is illustrated through a simple and homespun yet powerful retelling about one of America's first anti-heroes.
Country Roads - The music of the late John Denver is like an old friend, outlasting trends and standing the test of time. Join acclaimed performer Jim Curry for this tribute to one of the most beloved singer/songwriters ever to grace the stage whose popular music had the heartfelt message of caring for the earth and caring for each other.
Be sure and visit their site for dates and more info! |
Lenawee Bike Tour - Final Preparations
Some great sponsors, Chip said, have made this event possible. What began as a 2-day event has been narrowed down to one since so few bikers registered for the Sunday event at Heritage Park. We are still very pleased with the 50-60 registrants who will be participating in Saturday’s event. Early registration will begin tomorrow afternoon from 6-9pm in front of the Adrian Armory. Registration on Saturday morning will begin at 6:30am with those bikers participating in the 60 and 100 mile event taking off first about 8am.
A packet will be given to all bikers and consist of a tour number, wrist band coordinating with the route they signed up for, coupons for free drinks and food and a goodie bag that various sponsors contributed to. Several stations manned by the Boy Scouts of America thanks to Jacob Maxson will be placed along the routes where bikers can stop for water, apples and nutrition bars. A group of young boys from Maurice Spear will be at MIS to handout various items to bikers entering the grounds.
The event on Saturday, Chip said should be wrapped up by 2pm. He predicted beautiful weather, sunny and in the 80's! He thanked everyone who has volunteered and worked on the committee. A special thanks to Chip and Ted Keating for all of their work on the event as a ton of work has gone into making it hugely successful its very first year! |
Perfect Participation/Sinner of the Year Award PresentationsKevin Keller presented both the Perfect Participation and Sinner of the Year Awards today. Beginning with the Perfect Participation program, the following members were recognized: 1 Year – Marti, Moore, Mike and Susan Tobey, Greg and Marje Simay 2 Years – Williams, Nelson, Lewis 6 Years – Pender 7 Years – Mercer 8 Years – Mary Murray 9 Years – Herrera 13 Years – Chase, Smith 14 Years – Hokenson 15 Years – Sack 16 Years – Gage, P. Clark 21 Years – Keller 22 Years – Mark Murray  .JPG) |
Pathways & Interconnections Presentation President Nate introduced our two speakers today, Kay Ross form Community Mental Health (CMH) and Jennifer Durell from Interconnections. Our club along with the Adrian Morning Club have been working to restore the exterior the building on West Maumee Street from which these two agencies will help people with addiction and mental health issues. Our clubs applied jointly for and were successfully awarded a district grant to help offset work our clubs have been and will continue to do there.Kay Ross, a Customer Service Specialist at CMH and a 29 year veteran, says that substance abuse today is increasing at an epidemic rate! In Lenawee County throughout 2016 alone, there were 16 deaths reported due to overdoses. Thus far in 2017, she said, we have surpassed that number! Attributing to the growth of ODs, she said, were pain killers which is a stepping stone to harder drugs like heroin and others. Another drug introduced of late into society, she said, that is even stronger but deadlier was carfentanil, an elephant tranquilizer. It is so deadly, she said, that if a first responder happened to run to the aid of someone overdosing and they were to come into contact with the powder on the user’s body without protection, it would kill them! That’s how strong this new drug on the scene is! This growing illegal drug situation initiated the creation of the new Pathways Engagement Center which will be connected to Interconnections and hopefully opening by the end of September. People addicted to drugs or alcohol, she said, can go there and meet with a Per Recovery Coach. Once opened, the facility will initially be in operation from Friday night about 5-6pm through to Monday morning at 9am. In the future they will provide services during the week in the evenings when other agencies typically are closed. From there they would like to be a 24/7 agency within one year. People can walk in off the street and counselors can visit with them and discuss a recovery plan if appropriate. They can take a shower at the facility and get a meal but will not be able to stay overnight. Assessments can be done and referrals will be made for detox programs or any number of professionally-staffed in-patient locations. Kay said that 95% of people with a drug or alcohol addiction also have a mental illness (behavioral disorder) and that’s where Interconnections comes in, she said. Next door to where Pathways will be and separated by only a wall will be the agency called Interconnections who have served this community for over 25 years and specialize in dealing with mental health and substance abuse issues. Jen Durell, Executive Director of Interconnections spoke next. She said that they provide support groups, recovery coaches, and peer support – people who have been through similar situations and are trained professionally to handle these types of cases. Our own Greg Adams was a person mentioned who also serves with Nate on the CMH board and for his involvement with the Interconnections organization. Thanks ladies for enlightening us as to the help that you are making available tom people in need. |
Boy Scouts of America - Jacob Maxson
He shared several stories with us as well. One was about a youngster whose name is Grant Lewis who was 11 years old when he started in scouts. He had Asperger’s Disease and was very shy and found it difficult to communicate with others. He is now 19 and will receive his Eagle Scout Award in a month. He also has a full time job. Scouting, you might say, changed his life!
Jacob told the audience that he was proud to announce that a Venture Scouting group was up and running at the Hope Center here in Adrian. It has 53 members so far and involve kids of all ages.
The final story Jacob shared dated back to when he was the village director in Kalamazoo and in charge of a 3-day event with scouts from Pack 337 from Marshall. There were 20 people in all – 10 kids and 10 adults. Unfortunately, it rained at the location all three days. In the meantime, 6 kids along with 6 adults left without staying the entire time. However, on the last day as one of the first graders was leaving, he was crying, Jacob said, not because it had rained the entire time but because he was leaving and didn’t want the event to come to an end! Jacob said he broke down when the youngster left reflecting on the impact scouting does, indeed, have on people’s lives!
Jacob concluded his presentation by mentioning their fundraising effort. The council, he said, pays approximately $207 per scout to complete a year in the program. Donations, therefore, were very important to being able to continue to offer a program of this nature. He thanked those who had already supported his cause and encouraged others to do the same. He mentioned that he did have a formal request into our club for support. Thanks Jacob for a great presentation. Great to have you a part of our club! |
River Raisin Cleanup - Todd Brown & Jason Lawrence Mark Murray, chair of the Annual River Raisin Cleanup, introduced today’s guests – Todd Brown, director of the city’s Parks & DPW Departments and fellow employee Jason Lawrence.Todd thanked our club for the assistance we have given to this project over the last 25 years. He said that the city currently owns 5 separate parks amounting to 800 acres of land (half of it needing to be mowed periodically) throughout the city which are maintained by only 5 fulltime people! They include Riverside, Comstock, Trestle, Island, and Heritage parks. Heritage is outside the city limits. All but Heritage Park are adjacent to the Raisin River where routine cleanup is required. The Kiwanis Trail, on the other hand, is a “beast of its own”, Todd said and is considered a part of Adrian’s “park” system. It is 7 and a half miles long! An AmeriCorp team, in partnership with city crews, is in town once again and have been for the past month to help clean up the river. Jason, who is finishing his second year as a city employee, also commended the club for our work on the river as well. "The program just seems to get bigger each year", he added. He has been encouraged of late, he said, by the number of people who call the city offices to rent the soccer, softball and baseball fields not just for their regular games but for tournaments, too. The Dirt Bag Tournament itself, he said, attracted between 500 and 600 people a day when teams were playing. "This is great because it brings people who don’t live here into our city". Todd concluded the presentation by returning to the podium to share with us what is planned for the future including the 5 capital improvement projects currently scheduled to take place yet this year and some that are part of the city's 5-year plan. This year, Todd said, Trestle Park’s railroad tie retaining walls will be removed and replaced with stamped concrete. He said that plans are also in the works to develop a Dog Park in the vicinity of Riverside Avenue and Bent Oak in the city once a $25,000 grant is approved. The lagoon, Todd said, that was formerly used by the Water Department has been filled in and will be used as a park grounds. Policies also need to be formulated and fencing issues need to be worked out first, however. |
Membership Presentation - Mary Murray, Rod Pender & John B. In recognition of Membership Month as declared by Rotary International it was only fitting that we spoke on this subject today. Mary Murray kicked things off by speaking to a formal PowerPoint program about this important subject. Mary sits on the District’s Membership Committee while Rod Pender and John B. are this year’s co-chairs of the club’s membership committee this year.Growing our membership, Mary said, only helps us to have that much greater impact on what Rotary does worldwide! It is in keeping with the RI theme for this year – Rotary – Making a Difference! Mary asked the audience why they joined Rotary. There were many responses and it all boils down to “fellowship” and “serving the community”. Rod said that years ago, if a member worked for an employer, their dues were generally paid for and were told to get involved. Today, with the growing number of small business owners and self-employed people, it’s a bit more difficult since members are paying their own dues and when they attend meetings it takes them away from their jobs. John B. said that if you take the 49221 zip code area, there are approximately 1,200 businesses in that geographic location. Half are businesses that have 1-4 employees. It’s a tough segment to grow inside of Rotary, he said, because of the reasons Rod mentioned. He said that as he and Rod set out to increase club membership, they will be looking at “mission”, “strategy”, “operations”, and “tactics”. They know what the role of Rotary is, now they need to devise a strategy to impact membership locally and then come the tactics to further identify what needs to be done. Rod Hokenson shared with us that he was inspired to join Rotary in southern Indiana because he’d heard about the polio effort internationally, had a passion for the issue and, more importantly was asked to join! Mark Murray shared that he was attending a Kiwanis meeting in Hawaii and felt it to be not the type of environment he liked, went to a Rotary meeting and found it to be much more energetic, welcoming, enjoyable and fun! Helen Bendes said she joined because members were very friendly and you don’t always find that when you move to another community. The other reason Helen said she joined was that when we say we’re going to do something we do it! Mary said that a new member doesn’t have to be someone you work with necessarily. It could be someone from your church, even a family member and cited the Tobey’s and Simay’s. Think outside the box, she said. We have to increase our membership so we can expand the good work we’re doing in this community and globally. Mary then posed the question: “Why do you think people leave Rotary?” Very simply – oftentimes there’s nothing to do, the meeting quality is poor or the club is no fun were among the most reasons cited. Retention is key to any club, she said. “In order to compete with other service clubs we have to be just as involved as they are”. Members have to be happy, meet new people, and have their needs met. It’s also important to work on retention. Mike Tobey suggested that we devote a meeting solely to discussing membership. The next Club Assembly, Kathye said, was October 5th. Both Rod and John offered suggestions on how we should approach prospective members. Mary promoted the New Prospect Brochure that will be updated shortly and finished with doing our part as we “Join leaders, exchange ideas and take action” – That’s what this organization is all about! |
The Sam Beauford Woodshop – Luke Barnett Our own member, Luke, talked to us about the workshop he runs at the Adrian Center for the Arts property north of town but will soon be relocating to Merrick Street. He said that the organization was a 501(c)3 charity and that they received their charity status on April 23rd, 2017. Their “Mission Statement” reads: “We teach personal development through art education with an emphasis on woodworking. We teach and train marketable skills to the workforce. We are a collective of members that are governed by a set of bylaws and a board.” Luke said that anyone interested in reviewing the organizations by-laws can go to: www.sambeaufordwoodshop.com/bylawsHe said that the woodshop is made up of a group of volunteers that share a common goal and promote a culture of sharing knowledge. Many generous contributions from sponsors provide them with much needed tools supplies to help sustain them through the year. They are an accredited woodworking education center who partners with the WCA to offer skill based woodworking classes. They also offer project-based artistic and creative personal development. They also provide tools and resources to community members who wouldn’t otherwise have access to industrial grade machinery, Luke added. Their focus is building a fellowship and culture of sharing knowledge. They own their own industrial equipment valued at $40,000 dollars as of July 25th. Their goal is to be self-sustaining. They are an accredited learning facility with a dynamic teaching staff, 2 Certified Woodworking Instructors, TV personality instructor, and a female woodworking Instructor. The organization taught their first woodworking certification class recently. They also taught their first Work Force Rehabilitation class to people with disabilities. Thus far they have over 500 students. The organization’s goals through 2018, Luke said, include: Build their overall capacity, new board appointments, purchase more new equipment, implement their WCA 16 week certification course, continue offering art classes, expand their workforce rehabilitation classes, include people with addiction issues, increase their membership and encourage more community involvement. They hope to have the new facility on Merrick Street operational by June 2018. They hope to receive Perkins  Funding for Technical Career Training and achieve ZERO Financing. Luke said they will achieve these goals simply through sweat equity, community support, strong leadership and fundraising. The photo to the right shows the original building circa the 1880's flanked by railroad tracks which have since become part of the Kiwanis Trail.He said that they needed to raise $100,000 and will consist of these six phases: Phase 1 - Blight Removal, Mow Lawn, Landscaping,, Remove graffiti, Removed Boarded Windows, Repair broken windows, remove boarded doors, repair and replace doors. - $10,000. Phase 2 - Weather proof and seal the building, install security system, tear off and dispose of old roof, dispose of trash and debris inside building, repair roofing structure, install new sheeting and decking, new roof on large and small building, gutters, repair/replace fascia and soffit - $18,000. Phase 3 - Interior Infrastructure, plumbing, electrical, network capability, bathroom repair/ADA certified, BLEACH EVERYWHERE, scrub and power wash - $16000. Phase 4 - Interior surfaces, industrial coating, repair woodwork, prime and paint interior and exterior, epoxy floor coating, move woodshop in - $15,000. Phase 5 - Windows & doors, replace all windows, make doors, remove filler siding, make entrances grand - $15,000. Phase 6 - Masonry repair, landscaping, apartment remodel - $25,000. Great presentation, Luke. We all wish you the very best! |
History of Banking in Michigan - Don Jeffrey Sr. President Nate introduced his longtime friend and fellow banker, Don Jeffery, Sr. who spent 54 years in and around Michigan banking, 42 of them as a correspondent banker with NBD. Don is a person who knows all the banks, all the bankers, all the deals done and undone. He is the author of Don't Throw the Empty Bottles in the Trash: A History of Michigan Banking.Don began his presentation by saying that in 1928 there were 782 banks in Michigan. Today there are on 94! In the 1920s, banking failures had dotted the rural landscape of the country as the new wave of industry and commerce constricted the traditional lifeblood of agriculture. 1929 saw the great stock crash, and 1930 brought with it a new tariff and onerous tightening from the Federal Reserve. In 1925 there were 617 banks alone that failed in the United States. In 1930 that number was 1,350 and by 1931 it was 2,293. With each failure came an obliteration of many people's life savings, and fear began to spread through the country that an unstoppable cascade would soon materialize. He mentioned that the FDIC was created through legislation in 1934 and that the largest bank today is JP Morgan Chase with $2.4 trillion in assets. Should you wish a copy of Don’s book signed, you may contact him at: 13296 Wesley, Southgate, MI 48195 – 734-284-0979. |
President Nate's Vision for 2017-18.JPG) President Nate kicked off his second meeting of the new Rotary year by sharing with members what the new RI and District 6400 themes are and how they tie into everything he envisions we will be doing in our club thus coming year.Nate spoke first about possible new members that will be joining and achieving our goal this year. The new RI president is Ian Riseley from Australia and his theme for the year is: ROTARY MAIKING A DIFFERENCE. RI’s causes, Nate said, include promoting peace, fighting disease (namely polio with Polio Awareness Day on October 24th), developing clean water/hygiene/sanitation (the River Raising Cleanup meets such needs), saving mothers and children (possible Neighbors of Hope collaboration), supporting education (we participate in Fluency Friends), growing local economies, and increasing membership and diversity. Among Ian’s other charges to all clubs this year is the planting of one tree for every Rotarian around the world (1.2 million)! Membership increase and retention will be a huge undertaking for our club this year, Nate said. He encouraged each of us to look around and identify what professions/trades are not represented and contact people to join this great club. We started the 2016-17 year with 56 full time members, we recruited 10 more, but ended the year at around 53. Nate is planning to host a New Member Day sometime in August so he would like us to be thinking about a new prospect we can invite. “Every Thursday, however, should be a new member day”, Nate said! John B. and Rod Pender have agreed to chair the club’s Membership Committee. Nate then gave members copies of this year’s Presidential Citation criteria and said that accomplishing them should not be a big deal since we have a good start on most of them already. Of all the areas listed, Nate said, we need to accomplish only 4 in each category. Nate said we really need to track the hours members put in by going to Rotary.org and record them. Members who have not yet visited that site can go there and easily set up their own profiles and begin to record the time they spend doing the work of Rotary. All of this information, of course, goes up to RI in Evanston, IL so they can track what Rotarians are doing all around the world.  Nate announced that Rick Caron is our new District Governor. He is from Windsor and a really fun guy with a lot of energy. He will be paying a visit to our club on Thursday, November 2. The Board will meet with him in the morning that day and he will attend our meeting to make his formal presentation. His theme is: BOLDLY GO.The new Passport Program, Nate said, was a bit different than last year’s in that of the 4 visits required this year will not require us to go to Canada but two of them need to be joint projects with another club and the other two would simply be visits to two other clubs involving four members. Chip Moore graciously accepted to chair the Passport Program this year and said that anyone wishing to go with him to visit another club in the area to promote our Lenawee Bike Tour should contact him. Nate announced that Barry Reinink has agreed to chair the Youth Services committee and has been busy establishing a new Rotaract Club at Siena Heights. We will continue our involvement in the district’s RYLA event, Nate said. Assisting with the issue of opioid addiction will also be a focus of ours this coming year. We have applied for a joint district grant with the Morning Club and hope once it’s approved we will have $6,000 to help fund work planned for the Interconnections facility on West Maumee Street, Nate said. Nate called on Mike Olsaver, chair of the RI Foundation who reported on the successful drive we had last year raising about $3,000 more than our goal of $5,600. Automatic deduction is available. Nate concluded his presentation by reminding members of the huge project we have planned this fall – September 16 & 17 - the Lenawee Bike Tour and emphasized that we need everyone to participate. Chairman Chip reported that so far some $18,000 has been raised for the event!! The next meeting of the committee will be next week, Tuesday July 18th at Chip’s house at 6:30pm. Great start to an already great year, Mr. President!! |
Adrian Armory - Mark & Mary Murray Our own Mark & Mary Murray spoke to members today about the Adrian Armory which they purchased some time ago. Some members were quick to recall times they’d used or visited the facility in the past. It was built in 1924 and was originally used for military preparations and training.The building, Mark said, is 22,000 square feet, consists of 3 floors on the front of the building and two on the back and a full theater that seats 600 people. Some 300 people could also dine comfortably in that space. It has meeting and training rooms, large gymnasium and a full cafeteria. It has a concrete and steel bunker. The auditorium feature was unique, Mark said, as no other armories had this kind of a theater and stage setup. All over the Midwest, these facilities were originally a partnership between the states and the Federal Government to train their local militias in the event of war, Mark said. From 1940 to 2010 the building was used as a public venue and was rented out. One weekend a month and twice in the summer for two weeks it was used for those serving in the National Guard. From the 50’s on, this was the only armory in Michigan that made any money by engaging with the community and renting it out to interested parties. “It was the premier event center in the greater Lenawee County area for many decades.” The armory underwent many upgrades over the years yet still needs a very significant overhaul, Mark said. One of the main issues will be handicap accessibility and air conditioning. The Murray’s have hosted four open houses and welcome any input and ideas from the community as to what they would like to see it used for. White boards, he said, were scattered throughout the building sin the event anyone might have an idea to offer. Much due diligence has already been done, Mark said. The next open house is July 7 from 5-7pm. A chorale group has also been invited to perform that evening. The Murray’s have visited every armory within a hundred mile radius and interviewed all individuals who have remodeled and upgraded those armories looking for info about what they should be doing with this one. They found that some have been turned into housing units and breweries among other uses. People who live near them and do business out of their homes would be prime candidates for renting space in these buildings. Mark and Mary have contacted the Lenawee Visitors Bureau for info about possible needs in the community and found that the area was really short on event venue space. Mark said that the Adrian Armory is actually a multi-purpose event center from the day it was built and he and Mary envision it coming back and serving this purpose once again. Some office space is already up and running and ready to rent out, he said. Mark mentioned the local Adrian Area Investment Accelerator group who would make it possible to obtain aggregate local capital from this area to undertake projects of this kind as opposed to having to attract outsiders to invest in the work needed to be done. One of the focuses of this group, Mark said, will be to return capital to the investors at a rate of 3% per year. Thus far $350,000 has been set aside for the renovations planned in Phase 1 of the project which will include refinishing the wood floors and glazing of all the windows. All original woodwork will be kept, Mark said. Mark concluded by saying that he needs people to start talking this up in the community. Consider holding your event there if you’re planning one no matter the requirements. They will make it work for you. Mark asked anyone who might have old pictures to share them with him. Any artifacts you may have associated with the Armory would be appreciated. Maybe you know someone who has these items – please ask. Imagine having a Rotary logo somewhere on the building, Mark said! Give this some thought, members! Thanks folks for a great presentation! |
Fluency Friends 2106-17 Kathy Sielsky, Reading Specialist and Deb Risner – principal (just retired) of Michener Elementary School were on hand to recap the success of this year’s Fluency Friends Program at the school. Kathy mentioned to the audience how grateful she and Deb were for our help and that of the Adrian Morning Club members who volunteered in reading with and helping to build relationships with the children. A total of 32 elementary students participated in the program this year, she said. Volunteers were able to provide 152 additional hours of reading practice to the kids!Some 92% of the students at Michener Elementary fall into the “at risk” category, Kathy said. This program is particularly significant because it allows volunteers to provide positive role models for them to follow. Reading at home, Kathy emphasized, was not something these youngsters typically do so our time with them is huge! 60% of the students achieved their projected reading goals as established by the NWEA.  A reception was held on May 25th in their school library for all of the students and volunteers who participated. During the reception, as a result of the $1.000 contribution we made to this program, each of the children were able to choose five books they wanted to take home with them and keep. Kathy said that she was extremely pleased that every member who volunteered this past year signed up to return again next year! She encouraged anyone who has not yet done this, to see Mary Murray to sign up to help next school year. She concluded her portion of the presentation by presenting a Maple Pride Award certificate to our club, compliments of the Michener’s Pride Patrol, for our involvement in this very important program. Shown above are Deb Risner on the left and Kathy Sielsky on the right. Deb Risner then spoke and said that Michener Elementary is, indeed, a very special place since everything they do is so needed and very appreciated. The parents of these children have to work so hard to provide for their families and really don’t have the time to do other things, she said, and that’s why the relationship our members have with them are so important! “You folks value school and know how important it is for kids to have an education and these kids don’t get that kind of encouragement at home because their parents didn’t have those kinds of experiences themselves.” She concluded by saying: “This is a very special club”, she said, holding back tears. Mary Murray said that this program was very close to her heart as a former educator. “No one lives by the motto ‘Service Above Self’ more than Deb Risner”, Mary said. No matter what time you are at Michener, Deb was always in the hallway it seemed greeting the kids, parents and volunteers, Mary said! “The tone she set at the school was incredible. She has touched the lives of every student and has done so much for our community. On behalf of everyone here”, she said, “I just want to thank you for everything you’ve done and wish you nothing but the best in your retirement.” A special shout out goes to Mary Murray for helping out with this program each of the past three years who acts as our “go-between“ with the club and Michener Elementary, orders the books, sets up each year for the reception, and many other things! Thanks, Mary!!      |
Member Moment - Jacob Maxson A Member Moment was given today by one of our newest members, Jacob Maxson, who is the Unit Service Executive with the Boy Scouts of America, Michigan Crossroads Council - Lenape District. He said he was born in Kalamazoo, graduated from Grand Valley HS and then went on to Miami University of Ohio where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree. He worked at a camp in Kalamazoo after graduating for seven summers as a Business Manager as well as a Program Manager before joining the Boy Scouts of America.Jacob recounted that he’s been in the scout’s organization ever since the first grade and continuing all the way through to his senior year when he became an Eagle Scout! To earn your Eagle Scout designation, Jacob said, you have to be a Boy Scout. Jacob said that only 3% of all scouts ever achieve the status of Eagle! In our club we are proud to have both Greg DuMars who became an Eagle Scout at 14 and Chip Moore. Through scouting there are some 126 Merit Badges a scout can receive which include Citizenship, Personal Management, Environmental Sciences, First Aid, Lifesaving, just to name a few. Having been with the Boy Scouts for 9 months as a professional, Jacob said he is responsible for basically three things: raising money, finding new members and finding volunteers to help further the programs of the organization. In terms of statewide membership, he said, the total number of scouts has reached 16,000. Nationwide, however, the organization is nowhere near the heyday of the ’60s and ‘70s, he added. The geographic areas he is responsible for are Hillsdale and Lenawee Counties within which are 28 different Boy Scout Troops and Cub Scout Packs. By the end of last year, Jacob said that there were 685 registered members. The organizations is looking at adding about 5 more units to the area – 3 of which will be Cub Scout Packs in Lenawee County and 2 more Boy Scout Troops at the Maurice Spear Campus – one for the boys and one for the girls. One of the Cub Scout Packs will be started at Madison Elementary School and our club will be its sponsor, Jacob said. The school had a unit there up until the end of last year but the pack folded due to lack of volunteers. It should again, however, be back up and running by November, Jacob said. In terms of eligibility, a child can begin his scouting career at an early age. The Cub Scouts is for children of kindergarten age through the 4th grade. Boy Scouts takes over and goes from 5th grade through senior year. The Boy Scout program consists of 7 ranks but kids work at their own pace. The cost to be a member, he said, falls in the $100/Year range, Jacob said, and therefore relatively inexpensive considering it is a year-long commitment compared to involvement in, say, a high school sport which is about the same price but only a 3-month commitment. Thank, Jacob, for a very interesting presentation! |
River Raisin Watershed Council - Steve May Adrian Morning Club Rotarian Dave Maxwell introduced today’s speaker, Steve May, former Lenawee County Drain Commissioner and now the Executive Director of the River Raisin Watershed Council, who shared these items with us during his very informative presentation.The Council, Steve said, works to educate the general public and students with a special emphasis on the watershed and water quality issues. The Council also monitors water quality by sampling macroinvertebrate populations at twenty sites throughout the watershed. This educational program is made possible by our strong task-force of volunteers. The watershed encompasses 735,000 acres which is roughly the size of Rhode Island. It spans 5 counties and 63 municipalities of which 75% of them contribute to the watershed accounting for about $23,000 per year in revenue. They have 6 corporate sponsors. Among the activities the watershed participates in include: the Lake Hudson Outdoor Jamboree, Adrian’s Art-A-Licious event , the Rotary River Raisin Cleanup, the Americorp team, and the Boat Wash at Wamplers Lake, just to name a few. Most recently, the River Raisin Watershed Council has been placing signs begun installing signs around Lenawee County, Steve said, as a way to raise awareness of the river. These signs were installed with the help of the Lenawee health network grant through the Connecting Lenawee Group. motorists and residents will see more signs popping up, specifically near the River Raisin crossings.  The watershed has been split up into regions, Steve said, and they are holding regional meetings periodically (Feb and again in the fall) where regional ideas and issues are discussed. They also have had an Adopt a Stream Program for the past 15 years for about 20 sites within the watershed targeted to “water quality”. A 3-year grant they received has allowed the watershed to work in the south branch to reduce phosphorous loading in conjunction with the Michigan State Water Institute, and Adrian College. It has been used to monitor runoff from farms in the area. Another new 3-year $480,000 grant to assist with the runoff issue was also awarded last year through the Erb Family Foundation (Detroit-based Erb Lumber) which funds ¾ of an employee. The RRW has been meeting (Shop Talks) with local farmers on this issue going from farm to farm looking for people to host these events and discuss ways they can become part of the solution. When the Americorp group was in Adrian last year, Steve said, they were able to clean up a 2-mile stretch of the river removing 75 tons of debris over a 6-week period! Another team will be visiting again on July 13 for 6 weeks! Should you wish to donate to the RRWC (320 Springbrook Ave., Suite 102 Adrian, MI 49221; Phone: (517) 264-4754 Email: rrwc@lenawee.mi.us) the levels are as follows: Individual: $25, Non-Profit: $50, Corporations: Supporter: $100 - $499/Partner: $500 - $1,000/Sponsor: $1,000 +, Municipality: Population based annually. Should you wish to join their Volunteer Task Force you may also contact them at the e-mail address shown above. They rely on a strong base of volunteers with a wide variety of skills and interests. Thanks, Steve for a great presentation! |
Drew Philp - A $500 House in Detroit Jim Philp introduced his son, Drew, a nationally (and internationally) known author, script editor, newspaper and magazine writer, and speaker who told us about his new book “A $500 House in Detroit”. Drew is a graduate of Adrian High School, attended the U of M and moved to Detroit his senior year. He currently writes for the Guardian newspaper.Drew began by commending us on the work that we do in our community and that it was “essential to what ails our world today”. He said that when he was attending college he found that 75% of students were leaving the state but that he was fortunate to be able to use his education here at home and so he chose Detroit because it was “the heartbeat of this region as well as the intellectual and spiritual center of the United States”. At one time Detroit had the highest rate of homeownership and African American homeownership in the country and probably the best schools. Now, however, it does not. Detroit really built the middle class, he said. Drew bought a house in Poletown, a community south of Hamtramck. There is a large auto company in his neighborhood (the Detroit/Hamtramck Assembly Plant) which, at its peak, employed about 3,700 people. The plant kicked 4,200 people out of their homes in order to make room for and build this facility which they said originally it would employ close to 10,000. “We need to be creative in this new economy”, Drew said. “What worked in Detroit years ago does not in the long term”. To do his small part to add to Detroit’s economy Drew purchased a house at a live auction for cash in Wayne County. It had no electricity, windows nor plumbing and a rather large hole in the roof. Drew, however, wanted to prove that he could restore the home. He said he was dismayed by the fact that the city was willing to give the Illitch family a $250M subsidy for a new hockey stadium but was not willing to help people who filed for bankruptcy and wanted to make their homes and neighborhoods a better place to live! Paul did eventually full repair his home which he now lives in.  Paul Wertz, a teacher, he said started a giant farm behind his school and a garden which for a time fed the students daily. He also bought crack houses, fixed them up and sold them to his friends or rented them out. There are city blocks, Drew said, that have just a few houses on them and weeds are everywhere. He truly believes there is a solution to these problems and wanted people to know about the state these Detroit neighborhoods are in so he wrote a book about it. Here are some staggering statistics Drew shared with us: 1 out of every 4 homes in Detroit has gone to tax foreclosure and water has been shut off to 80,000 – 100,000 people (1/6 of the entire city population)! “Having a new hockey stadium in the downtown does nothing to solve this problem”, Drew said. Drew brought one with him so that the club could auction it off and Chip Moore was the highest bidder! He also stayed over to take orders from members at a discounted price. Mark and Mary said they read his book and couldn’t say enough about. |
Share the Warmth Helen Henricks, co-director of Share the Warmth here in Adrian, along with Jeanette Henegan, board member, spoke to us today about the wonderful services they provide to the needy and homeless in Lenawee County. The shelter that they run has outgrown its borrowed space in the former chapel of the Salvation Army Building, citing a 30 percent increase in residents this year. The Adrian homeless shelter, Helen announced has launched a $1.4 million capital campaign to expand its services to the adult homeless population in Lenawee County by establishing a year-round emergency shelter in Adrian with handicap accessibility and shower and laundry facilities.The Share the Warmth board is convinced that our community needs a 24-hour, year-round structure offering a safe, welcoming environment with hygiene facilities for people experiencing homelessness, Helen said. A new board of directors has been formed to oversee the fundraising campaign. The members of the new board are Gregg Bodnar, Jeanette Henegan, Sara Bingham Herriman, David Munson, Sister Jeane O’Laughlin, O.P., Sister Pat Schnapp, R.S.M., and Patience Vrieze-See. The effort was given a kick-start by the Adrian Dominican Sisters who donated a building to Share the Warmth that had been bequeathed to the congregation by the late Dr. John Beaubien. Although the donated building is too small to serve as a site for the proposed shelter, proceeds from its sale will help Share the Warmth acquire a suitable site, as the development effort raises the funds needed for building renovation and initial operating costs. The Adrian Dominican Sisters have a long relationship with Share the Warmth, with a number of its members serving as volunteers at the shelter and participating in its winter sheet-laundering program including the Murray’s. The mission of the Walk for Warmth organization, Jeanette said, is to work with others for the benefit of the local homeless. Share the Warmth’s intention is to work in concert with other service agencies, not to duplicate them. They plan to partner with community services to promote self-sufficiency. Donations or requests for information about Share the Warmth can be directed to Helen Henricks at 517-203-9857 or helenhenricks@gmail.com. Share the Warmth’s mailing address is P. O. Box 726, Adrian, MI 49221 |
Member Moment - John Elchert Our own John Elchert gave his member moment and began by telling us that he was born in Tiffin, Ohio, and started his career at his hometown newspaper as their Circulation Director. He also served as their Advertising Director there for a while. He and his wife soon fell in love with the Upper Peninsula. His local paper also sold newspapers in Houghton and there was a job opening for a Publisher and he took it. He spent 9 winters there and said the average snowfall was about 275 inches per year! Snow would be on the ground from October through mid-April, John said.John said he was number six of ten kids and that he and his wife have five themselves along with six grandchildren. They moved to Warren, Pennsylvania so that their youngest daughter could take up ice skating in Jamestown, NY to further her already professional ice skating career. At 18 years old (she’s 23 now) she connected with Disney and toured with their Disney on Ice troupe for the next five years. She is now finishing college in Mankato, Minnesota where he and his family just moved from to come here. She now has a job opportunity as a skating instructor back in Minnesota. Faced with becoming empty nesters, he and his wife pondered where they would live. He got a call from a recruiter who discussed a possible position in Farmington, New Mexico which he accepted and were there for the next 5 years. Then they were off to Mankato, Minnesota for a time and then eventually here to Adrian last December. John said he still had a lot of family in Tiffin. His Father-in-Law will be 97 and is in an assisted living facility so they are able to visit him more often. John attended a Catholic High School in Tiffin and really couldn’t wait to leave the area due to a lack of opportunity and things to do. He attended the University of Toledo where he graduated with a degree in Education with aspirations to become a teacher and a coach. In the early 80’s, he said, teaching jobs were hard to find. He worked in the dorms and sports area to pay for his education. He eventually ran a 16-floor dorm on campus while starting on a Master’s Degree when he got a call from the Publisher from the Tiffin newspaper from whom he and his and his family lived across the street growing up. He was offered the job of Circulation Manager there. John told the audience that he and his family loved to read the local newspaper which became something of a ritual with them. Having been in the newspaper business for over 35 years, John admitted that he rarely has a boring day. Some 10 years ago the industry changed greatly due to the digital age we live in today. He said that the Daily Telegram today is “bucking the trend” with distribution nationwide declining an average 8-10% per year. The distribution of the Daily Telegram, on the other hand, is up a quarter of a percent compared to a year ago! This is a very strong newspaper market he said. In terms of those accessing their website from between just this past March through April of this year, they found there were 188,344 unique visitors to the Daily Telegram’s site alone to get news and information. Metropolitan newspapers are having a difficult time. However, community newspapers like his are very strong. They are particularly pleased with the amount of commercial print the paper does, he said. About 13,000 newspapers are printed here every day. This takes only 45 minutes, John said. They print other papers for other communities as well which keep the presses running for two and sometimes three full shifts! John said that the Daily Telegram employs about 70 people. The Monroe News is their sister publication and was purchased about two years ago. That printing will be brought here to Adrian, John said, which is now being done by a third party so they can keep the business in house. The Daily Telegram is owned by Gatehouse Media – the second largest newspaper company in the country. They have a digital side – Propel Media – that develops websites and other digital marketing programs. The Daily Telegram can meet anyone’s digital marketing needs. John concluded by saying that “we are so much more than just a newspaper”! |
Member Moment - A.J. Luckett Our own A.J. Luckett was today’s program and presented a Member Moment. He took a new job here in Adrian on January 2 of this year with Clift Buick, GMC. A.J. said that he still has a home in Chicago and still commutes back and forth. He is a Catholic and belongs to a 14.000 member church and he shared a hilarious story about his experience this past Easter Sunday!He was born in Twentynine Palms, California and spent 2 years there. His father was a captain in the Marine Corp. They then moved to Nashville where his father joined a family-owned printing business that, at that time, was responsible for printing about every major magazine throughout the country. When he was in the sixth grade his family moved to Effingham, Illinois. He was a 3-sport Division I athlete and played baseball, football and track in high school there he said. A.J. attended Xavier University and played baseball his freshman year. He returned home to go to Eastern Illinois University his second year as he had a girlfriend there. The football coach at EIU recognized his ability and asked him if he would be interested in playing football for them. Once he was able to bench press 300 pounds, the coach said, A.J. should look him up and then they could talk seriously about him joining the team. A.J. said he could actually lift over 325 pounds! He played tight end for EIU. Mike Shanahan was a fellow player who later went on to coach pro ball at Denver and with Dick Childress who later became head coach for the Minnesota Vikings. His team’s quarterback went on to play for the New Orleans Saints. The university produced many great athletes, A.J. said including Tony Romo. His best sport, however, was track and field where he was a javelin thrower. He was eventually ranked 23rd in the world! He threw in the actual event where the world record was broken in 1984 at the Coliseum in Los Angeles. There were 170 throwers at this event, he said, and some athletes were even from Germany as well as Russia. The best throw he ever had prior to this event was 253 feet. His first throw during the competition went 286 feet! He was leading at the end of the first round. ESPN then interviews A.J. he said. While this is happening, other athletes are throwing – at distance over 300 feet, he said. An athlete from the US did break the world record shattering the previous record of 311 by 16 feet (327)! A.J. said he met his wife in high school who also attended Eastern Illinois University. They dated for 10 years! They were both 28 at the time. Her father owned a car dealership, he said, and that is the reason he now works in this industry. He proposed to her on a Christmas Eve. They have four children. Their daughter Emily is 26 and a graduate of the University of Illinois, who then went on to a nursing degree at a different university and is currently a nurse but now not only wants to get her masters in nursing, she wants to go on to a law degree. Their other daughter, Rachel, is a college student in Florida with a double major and a super athlete and particularly a softball all-star. Their son, Austin IV, is a junior in high school and extremely smart, he said, and loves to read. His youngest daughter, Madison, is 9 years old and in the fourth grade “going on 22-23 and runs the house", he said! The family plans to move to Adrian once their son graduates, he said. Thanks for a wonderful presentation, A.J. and welcome once again to the club!! |
Adrian Symphony Orchestra - Libby Watson.JPG) Libby Watson, Executive Director of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, graced our stage today and began by thanking our club for all we do to make this community a better place to live, for our continued support of the ASO and the opportunity she and each of the four conductor finalist candidates had to visit our club last year.Libby said that the ASO resides on the campus of Adrian College and that all proceeds generated from their concerts go toward “making art”. All ASO musicians are professional musicians yet have day jobs and come from a radius of 100 miles due to the challenge of the music played and the fact that rehearsals for each concert take place just the week prior to the concert. Orchestra members often times play for other orchestras as well throughout the year, she said. A typical concert costs approximately $20,000 to present. The ASO is supported by ticket sales, individual contributions, sponsorships, ads, and subsidies from the State of Michigan as well as the National Center for the Arts. Having a symphony in Adrian, Libby said, increases civic pride, brings our community together, and attracts people to our community. It has a huge social impact fostering cohesion, reducing poverty, etc. The search for a new conductor to replace John Thomas Dotson last year took many months, Libby said. Of the 140 candidates who submitted resumes, Bruce Kiesling from LA was chosen. He travels to Adrian the week before every concert to rehearse with the musicians. He is also serves as the  conductor of the Tulare Symphony Orchestra in California where he lives. He also teaches music at UCLA. Incidentally, our own Mike Olsaver is the ASO’s board chair and Gerry Burg is a board member as well.L  ibby couldn’t say enough about Leah Crocetto, an Adrian native who attended LCS and Siena Heights University. At 16 years of age she won the ASO’s Young Musician Contest and has performed with them nine separate times since! She now works for one of the top management agencies in the world – CAMI – based in New York City. She has sung with the Metropolitan Opera and at the Kennedy Center. She has a performance on April 28th here in Adrian with accomplished pianist Mark Markham.The ASO, Libby concluded, wants to be a leader of art education in this community and with children particularly since they have so many skills. Among the programs offered are: their “Music Moves Me” – held at local area libraries with a song leader which is free of charge; their instrument “Petting Zoo” which gives children an opportunity to explore various instruments; their “Link-Up” program in partnership with Carnegie Hall where kids actually play along with the orchestra and leave with a free workbook and their teacher with a free Teacher’s Guide! May 9th is their next opportunity. Please contact the ASO for more information. Thanks, Libby, for a wonderful presentation! |
3rd Day Farm Project - Tim Ruple Kathy Williams, a board member of Neighbors of Hope, introduced Tim Ruple the Wellness Director for the organization which includes the Men’s Mission and Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry.Tim started his presentation by thanking us for our support over the last two years. He said he appreciated what we did for the 3rd Day Farm Project and the impact it had on him personally when he joined the Neighbors of Hope after serving in the military oversees. The farm project was actually a new venture for Tim and those at the mission who had to learn farming techniques. Yet over time it smoothed out and is now a huge benefit to HOH and allows them to be more self-sufficient. The fresh produce grown will be sold at local Farmers’ Markets he said. It will also be given away at their food pantry. They will be exploring additional partnerships with farms in the area to expand what they grow. There is a link between poverty and obesity, Tim said. So, this program will encourage people to eat better. In addition to this, meal cards will be distributed to teach people how to cook along with instructional videos on their website. Tim said he still wants to promote the 3rd Day Farm Project as a community event that will attract any number of volunteers. They have a site in Blissfield in addition to the one at Bethany Assembly of God Church. He has appointed leaders at both sites who will be responsible for recruiting volunteers. The key to their success, he said, was to insure sustainability. He’ll be working to reduce the water usage at one site and provide more at the other. Tim said he’d be working on time management and organization techniques in light of fewer volunteers but with an expanded work load especially when it comes to keeping the fields free of weeds. Ideally, any field they till would not need to be tilled in the future. Volunteers would simply go in and add compost, mulch and straw to it so that it would retain water. Tim said he would like to see our club donate their time and finances as we have in the past and help grow this enterprise. As a side note, Rod reminded members that we painted the pole barn out on the Bethany property and donated enough money ($5,000) to purchase a rototiller. Tim said he would pick a date members could once again could participate in a worker-bee. Tim concluded his presentation by updating members on the proposed women’s shelter and said that they are still looking for a suitable location while exploring three facilities that would house 8, 18 and 54 people. |
Club Assembly Yours Truly along with PE Nate provided some noteworthy information (we thought anyway!) during our final Club Assembly meeting of the year. I began by listing the various website locations we use to promote what our club as well as the district and International do. If you have not visited any of these sites please do so as they have a ton of important information about Rotary.
 Following my presentation was our upcoming president Nate Smith who shared his experiences at the recent President Elect Training session (PETS). Nate began by saying that it was an amazing opportunity when you can interact with four other Rotary zones and representatives from over 300 clubs from throughout Michigan, a portion of Indiana and Canada.The conference, he said, featured many fine speakers including Jennifer Jones, RI Vice President from Windsor and Ed Futa – former General Secretary of RI in Evanston. Nate reminded members of all the work Rotary does and asked us to focus on a time when our club no longer existed and what shape this community and the surrounding area and even the world would be in without people like us serving humanity. There wouldn’t be clinics on the Amazon Basin, the Croswell might not be here, etc. Nate said that he didn’t want that to happen on his watch so will want everyone to be engaged, excited, and proud of who we are as a club. His hope in the coming year would be to increase our membership in terms of numbers and diversity that reflect the community we serve and that we all take a hard look at the projects we’re doing and ask if they are making the difference we want in addition to presenting our brand in the community. Nate also wants each of us to be more intentional about and more engaged in what we do. He said he wants members doing what they’re passionate about and wants to know those who would rather be doing something else and therefore much happier serving. Nate told members that he will be personally calling on members in the future to either chair committees or to see what they would like to be involved in and hoped they would be open-minded and honest with him as to where they would like to serve. Nate also said he is encouraged by the collaboration with other Rotary clubs in our area which we have not seen in the past. We need to continue to be more intentional about doing more joint projects in the future. The RI Theme at RI this year is Making a Difference and for District 6400 under the leadership of Rick Caron in 2017-18 it is Boldly Go Forward. Spoken like a true President, Nate! Thanks. |
District Membership Chair - Jim PerriA  G Mary introduced Jim Perri, member of the Dearborn Fairlane Club and Membership Chair for the District, who spoke to members about increasing membership in our club and across the district. Incidentally, Jim’s wife, Vicky, will be president of his club on July 1.Don’t forget family members and friends when it comes to recruiting members, Jim said. "We take friendships for granted so usually don’t make the ask to join Rotary"! The same is true with spouses. “Corporate memberships” are being promoted across the district whereby the principal of the organization becomes the official club member and have, say, assistant managers or other staff who become “designees”. Companies are allowed up to 3 designees. A “Satellite” club, on the other hand, should also be considered especially here in Adrian, Jim said. With a satellite club who would meet possibly in the evening, we could offer participation at breakfast, lunch and/or dinner depending upon the member’s availability. The club could track whose coming to one or the other of these meetings with a follow up phone call to see which meeting they will be attending that week. All of these meetings could be held at the same location and all could be scheduled on the same day, Jim said. When we call, Jim suggested, we shouldn’t invite anyone to a “meeting”. Rather, invite them to an “event” because people hate to attend meetings! A Satellite club would help us test the waters. Jim said he thought it could be sponsored by both our club and the Adrian Morning Club. “We’re looking for people who have a heart for service and want to make a difference in their community and even the world”. Local members who have a passion for it participate in international programs. There is a new Membership Form currently and one of the questions on it asks is “Why did you join Rotary?” This is great information to have, Jim said. "Engagement is the key to retention". What do individual members want to see accomplished? Once we know, he said, we plug them in. Jim commended us for the New Prospect Brochure we developed. In closing, the new rules, Jim said, decided on by the Council on Legislation recently have dramatically reduced attendance requirements, Jim said. The focus now is on member participation in programs. |
Greg Simay - Post War Burbank Our own Greg Simay, Adrian Rotarian and President Nominee, presented today’s program. Greg and his wife, Marje, came to Adrian from Burbank, California to be closer to the Michigan branch of their family: a son, daughter-in-law, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. He was a charter member (1988) of the Burbank Sunrise club and was president twice, also the number of times he had missed a board meeting. For most of his 34 years with BWP, he was an assistant General Manager."Whiskey's for drinking and water's for fighting." With that quote from Mark Twain, Greg shared some "water and power" highlights about the Golden State and old hometown Burbank in particular: Farmers started settling present-day Burbank after the railroads arrived in the 1880's. Soon after, cantelope farmers with gums were fighting of city slickers from Los Angeles trying to assert their water rights. About 100 years ago, the farmers of Owens Valley were shaking their pitchforks at Los Angeles after the new Los Angeles Aqueduct carried most of their water south. California's rainy season is pretty much December through early March. Three good storms dropping snow on the Sierra Nevada range is enough for avoiding drought. But until this past winter, California had season after season when it was lucky to get one decent storm. (In ancient times, entire native populations had disappeared during droughts that lasted for decades.) The state's going to have to build more underground reservoirs; these facilities saved the state's bacon during the last drought. And now into the future, Arizona and Nevada will be using their full share of water rights to the Colorado River, with little or no surplus available to California. Sacramento will also have to get serious about maintaining its major dams like Oroville. (The state had a golden opportunity to fix the dam when the water level had been low.) Burbank became a city proper in 1911 and remained a semi-rural town of citrus groves and a hillside winery for the next twenty years. But then in the 1930's an airport (now named after Bob Hope) was built and used by famous aviators like Amelia Earhart. A sizeable chunk of the movie industry located in Burbank, staying away from Los Angeles red tape and gross receipts taxes. (The movie pioneers went west to avoid paying royalties to Edison. They were going to settle in Phoenix but a rainstorm scared them off, they headed west to California and the rest is history.) World War II and the years that followed brought tens of thousands of people to Burbank, most of them working for Lockheed (home of the P-38--and the original Skunkworks) or its many suppliers. Federal money got BWP's first two power plants built around 1940, just ahead of the war. The electric system mushroomed During Greg’s career. BWP's strategy was to replace aging stations and lines where possible and to keep the rest well-maintained. When high rises and new shopping centers came to Burbank, it was an opportunity to put many of the lines underground. Power plants in Burbank and elsewhere were burning oil until the oil embargoes of the 70’s. Then they switched to natural gas. In the 80's, Southern California utilities banded together and built several huge power plants out-of-state, including a coal-fired plant in Utah and a nuclear plant in Arizona. (In the 1930’s Burbank bought some power from Hoover Dam, and the City Council nearly got impeached for buying power that would never be used. It's about 2% of Burbank's power requirements today.) Back to water: Burbank had two big breaks that helped them manage their water needs in the decades that followed. First, the city had their own water treatment plant right in the middle of town. Reclaimed water could service nearby parks and golf courses. Second, when Lockheed pulled up stakes and moved to Georgia, they had to clean up the groundwater underneath them, which Burbank got for free for the following 10 years! Another big break: The Lockheed site got replaced with big box retail and acres of surface parking (because the soil remained contaminated below 14 feet,) which made it a magnet for customers and a sales tax casino. Proposition 13 allowed senior citizens to stay in the area as property taxes increased dramatically due a soaring housing market. It was also the heyday for redevelopment (originally for low and moderate income housing) which turned into an "arms race" with other communities of offering attractive incentives for businesses looking to relocate. Burbank largely benefited from its redevelopment efforts, but statewide abuses put redevelopment on the budget chopping block. Greg looks forward to leaning the lore of his new hometown of Adrian. Thanks for a great presentation! |
Aubree's - The New Restaurant in Town!
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Family Counseling & Children Services of Lenawee County Laura Schultz Pipis, Executive Director of Family Counseling & Children Services of Lenawee County, was our program today. Previously, she spent 18 years with the American Red Cross – many as CEO of the Monroe chapter. She is also an adjunct lecturer at EMU teaching Leadership classes. Laura is a past president of the Kiwanis Club of Monroe but her hubby is a Rotary Club member and past president as well of Monroe – a “mixed” marriage as she refers to it! Her hubby is employed at Old National Bank and a colleague of Nate Smith’s! Laura spoke to us today about the Catherine Cobb Domestic Violence Shelter in particular. Here is what she shared with us: In 1978, an organization by the name of Call Someone Concerned paved the way for the shelter which was officially started in 1979. A grant from the Stubnitz Foundation funded much needed remodeling of the facility recently. Their “Mission” – to help individuals and families make positive changes in their lives. The shelter currently sleeps 38 people. Staffing costs are offset by grant monies. However, there are many other expenses so they rely on private donations as well. It costs about $200,000 a year to run the shelter. Half of that comes from grant money.
Their 2nd Annual Everyday Hero’s Celebration fundraiser is scheduled for March 21 at the Tobias Center at Adrian College. The event honors individuals who do extraordinary things in this county. A panel made up of local community leaders review applications of those nominated and choose the winners each year. This past year some 15 people were recognized.
Statistics show that it takes an abused person 8 times before they actually break away from the source of the abuse. One in three families in Michigan are affected by domestic violence. In 2015 some 295 arrests were made that were domestic violence-related. There are over 100 domestic violence homicides in Michigan each year. Women who leave a relationship are in more danger within the first 2 weeks of leaving than at any other time in the relationship. In 2016 there were over 1,100 crisis calls made to the shelter, 115 adult residents were housed there, and 28,000+ meals were served.
For more info about items the shelter is always in need of and how you can donate directly, please visit: http://www.fccsoflenawee.org/about-us.html Registries are setup at the local Kohl’s, Elder Beerman and Wal-Mart stores.
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LISD - Student Success Network: Reading by 3rd Grade Program Ann Knisel introduced Melissa Wilson, Cradle to Career (C2C) Students Success Network Reading by 3rd Grade chair.The Cradle to Career program is a partnership pilot project that encourages youngsters to read during the summer months and build links between community resources and area schools. Only 64 other cities in the country run such a program. Ann identified the five core categories of the C2C program: Reading Readiness, Reading by 3rd Grade, High school Graduation, Secondary Enrollment and Completion, and Customized Learning.
Melissa, chair of the Reading by 3rd Grade Program, shared ideas about what the LISD thinks kids should be doing in the summer months while out of school. One idea is to provide a really memorable summer experience for kids as well as grow literacy in the home. Partners of the program include the Y.M.C.A., Family Center as well as the Boys & Girls Club who serve to enhance the LISD’s summer program. Among the specific practices, Melissa said, they would like to eventually implement are:
It is typical, Melissa said, that while the children are home they don’t have books to read. This program is designed to supply an “abundant supply of books” kids can have access to in order to increase their literacy skills. Also part of the program were reading camps for kids. They all received several free books following the camp experience they could each take home with them. All-in-all, this program, its tools and resources will go a long way to benefit the 3rd graders in this community. Incidentally, our club has supported the C2C program in the past.
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Upstart Adrian - Chris Miller Chris Miller, Adrian’s Economic Developer, again accepted our invitation to speak to the club and enlightened members about what he called a “new business plan competition” in the City of Adrian more specifically known as Upstart Adrian.The idea for it, he said, began at a DDA board meeting actually a couple of years ago while discussing business growth in the downtown and the greater Adrian area. It was entrepreneurs, Chris said, during Adrian’s beginning that these people imagined how great it would be to have a railroad in the city. From that single vision, a railroad manufacturer located in Adrian and other business sprang up from that (i.e. fence manufacturer, cabinet company, etc.).
“Businesses literally drove the life of the community back then”, he said, ”and that helped fund the city and move it forward”. “But”, he continued, “that is not the case today”. It was at that time that the “buy local” marketing movement took hold Chris said, to “once again shore up our own economy locally”. The shift now is to have as positive an impact on our own community as we can to help counter the current outside influences we have to contend with.
That focus, Chris said, resulted in forming a separate board and developing a new website (www.upstart Adrian.org) for this group and to create a prize package worth $25,000 for aspiring entrepreneurs (18 years of age or older) no matter what business they might propose. Applications are now being accepted from anyone wishing to enter the competition up to March 10th. On April 11th all those who have submitted an application will make presentations on the business they wish to start and why they deserve to be selected to win the prize. Those presentations will be made at Dominican Hall’s Reuckert Auditorium on the SHU Campus. The prize winner selected will be announced several days later. The cash prize will be given to help start their business or expand an existing business in a significant way.
The business winner will also receive professional support (i.e. legal, accounting, marketing assistance) for up to one year at no charge. The Upstart Adrian group, Chris said, was out raising money and said that the Morning Club had given them $1,000. Thus far, they have raised $21,450 from 44 donors including two of the colleges in town and all four of banks in the area, service clubs and various businesses.
Chris closed by saying that there is also a local investment group who is working to attract businesses to the city. That body, thanks to Mike Olsaver Chris said, is called the Adrian Area Investment Accelerator Group and is open to anyone wishing to join. That group’s purpose is to specifically identify for people wishing to invest here of such opportunities. Their next meeting is March 1st at 6pm in the basement of the Adrian District Library.
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R.Y.L.A. Recipient Presentation The Adrian Noon and Morning Rotary Clubs once again chose and sponsored two deserving local high school students to attend the annual 3-day Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Program in Livonia at Schoolcraft College in November of last year. Lisa Wilkie introduced the guests present and asked a number of questions about their experiences.From left to right in the photo are: Brad Sharpe, Director of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Adrian High School, RYLA students Katie Hephner and Rebekah Engle from AHS who are both in their Junior year and both part of the IB program.
Katie and Rebekah were among 95 other future leaders sponsored by 30 Rotary Clubs in Rotary District 6400. They were educated in leadership skills, doing the right thing, making a difference plus they did a lot of networking.
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Master Woodcrafter - Luke Barnette from the Adrian Center for the Arts Mark Murray introduced his friend and today’s speaker, Luke Barnette, from the Adrian Center for the Arts (an organization we have partnered with and supported in the past). Luke is a nationally-renowned master chair maker who works in one of the buildings on the center’s campus. Luke spearheaded the center's Christmas Tree Project last year. He brought with him a few pieces of his trade – chairs that he built by hand.Luke builds American-style Windsor chairs primarily which are made out of different species of wood. He does it, he said, to honor the woodworkers of old and their craft and gives him a very “authentic degree of satisfaction” building them the way he does. The two elements that are needed to build quality chairs are found right here in America, he said: natural resources and American craftsmen.
A good chair needs to meet three important criteria: comfort, durability and beauty. Windsor chairs are identified by the fact that all of the parts terminate into the seat instead of being suspended from the frame, he said. The seat is the keystone of this type of chair.
The term “Made in America” carries a lot of weight, Luke said. It is indicative of quality, innovation and craftsmanship and it was the American spirit that paved the way for so much of its quality. Among the different woods he personally uses are: hickory (typically used in axe handles because of its strength), maple, white oak, and eastern white pine. Popular joinery methods incorporated in his work is mortise and tenon construction. One of the samples of the pieces he brought with him was a Windsor chair he made by hand valued at $2,000. Thanks, Luke, for a very interesting presentation! Before Luke left, he filled out a formal application to join our club!
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The Art of Mingling - Melissa Growden Today was a special time as approximately 55 students from Adrian College, Siena Heights University and Jackson College congregated once again to hear solid principles they can all benefit from following their graduation as they go on to further schooling or enter the job market in the very near future. “The Art of Mingling” program was chaired by Mark Murray, presented by members of the Career Services office at SHU and hosted by our club with 12 members serving as volunteers playing the role of Advisors/Professionals to the fine young men and women in attendance.The primary mission of Career Services at Siena Heights University, as noted on their website, is to provide students and alumni assistance with identifying a career, developing a professional plan, evaluating and implementing career choices and creating a professional image.
Career Services staff, of which our own Barry Reinink is a part, assists students with engaging in self-assessment; obtaining occupational information; exploring employment, graduate and professional school opportunities; and professional preparation including presenting themselves effectively as candidates. Career Services is committed to providing personal attention to students needing assistance in all aspects of their career path.
Following a formal welcome by Mayor Berryman, Melissa Growden, Career Services Specialist within the Advancement Office of SHU and lead presenter for today’s program, shared very important information on “creating personal presence” and the many qualities that make for a great first impression. Role plays were presented throughout the one hour training program to emulate both the right and wrong ways to do things when it comes to making a great first impression. Each participant developed and wrote their own 30-second “elevator speech” that they will use when they meet new people.
One other item that was discussed was the importance of networking through LinkedIn particularly. A professional photographer was on hand to get head shots of anyone who wanted to post it to their individual page. Also discussed was the correct way to give your business card to another person. Our own John B. presented that portion of the program. Thanks to all 12 volunteers who help make this afternoon a success for these aspiring leaders of tomorrow!
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Children's Special Health Care Services Becky Selenko from the Lenawee County Health Department was on hand to tell us about their Children’s Health Care Services program (formerly known as the Crippled Children’s Program) in particular that assists children and some adults (21 and under) with chronic health care needs. There are about 300 families currently in the program that have been referred by medical professionals.There are more than 2,700 medical conditions that may qualify children for coverage including diabetes, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, hearing loss, cystic fibrosis and blood disorders. Any condition where a child needs to see a specialist for care (like a doctor at the University of Michigan or Toledo Hospital) may qualify.
Families of every income, as well as those with private insurance, can join. The child's medical condition, not income, determines who qualifies. Patients in need of care must be residents of Michigan to qualify. Some families may pay a fee to join based on their income. CSHCS will pay the medical bills for these persons to see specialty providers and pay for care related to their condition. This care may include surgery, medications, equipment and hospitalizations. CSHCS can also help provide, or cover, transportation costs to these appointments.
For more info about this program you are asked to call the Lenawee Health Department at (527) 264-5228.
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Club Assembly - Rhonda & Chuck |
Sister Peg Albert - President of Siena Heights University
Sister Peg has headed SHU for ten and a half years. Here is a list of things she shared with us:
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New Year's Eve 2016 - UPDATE.PNG) The club’s 4th Annual New Year’s Eve event now just 22 days away! Sponsorships are coming in as planned but that doesn’t mean that they’re all in so we need to ask everyone who has been assigned a business or individual to contact them to see if they would support this event at the same or higher level than last year. Also, with regard to auction items, a number of them have come in already which is great but we do need more. In addition to a live auction, we will have a silent one as well. Thanks to everyone who has been busy as well as successful contacting sponsors and soliciting in-kind gifts for the auctions. Keep up the great work!
Also, this event will not be successful unless we are able to attract over 100 people. So far, we have 60 so Please keep thinking of people who are looking for a super time on December 31 and invite them to the event. Radio ads will be appearing on WLEN as well as print ads in the Daily Telegram. We will be taping a Community Conversation this afternoon on WLEN that will air at 6pm on December 16th.
I passed around a list of last year's attendees and asked members to put their names next to the ones they could call and follow up with to get them to this year's event. Let’s keep chugging away so we can make this a great event. Thanks very much.
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Lenawee Community Chorus Performance What a great start to the official Christmas season by being serenaded by the Lenawee Community Chorus under the direction of David Ripper, their Artistic Conductor/Director! What beautiful blending voices accompanied by a flautist as well as a harpist.A popular medley of Christmas carols were sung and the members, themselves, even participated! They have a concert coming up at Adrian College. Please see the promo I got from their website! below
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Club Bicycle Event 2017 - Chip, Ted and Brent Chip introduced the gents who will be helping us with next year’s Bike Race next September. Here is what they shared with us:September 16 & 17 – There will be a Bike Tour on Saturday and a Mountain Bike Event on Sunday. Ted Keating, a good friend of Chip’s, also spoke to the event by saying that he was an athlete and has been thinking about something like this for about a year that we might combine with the annual Art-A-Licious event and keep money downtown.
This is a family event with a competitive event tagged on. It really isn’t a race but a “ride”, he said. There are, however, 2 components – an event which includes MIS – and a 25, 50, 75 and 100 mile ride. The 2nd day is for mountain bike enthusiasts at Heritage. Some 300 people are expected. Ads will be printed in popular bicycle magazines to promote the event.
He showed shirts that will be great fundraisers and create an income stream for the event that businesses can advertise on as event sponsors. They become calling cards for the next event. An event rider shirt will also be available that will make the club money.
League of MI Bicyclists we are partnering with as well as IMBA Michigan Biker Association who will assist us during the event. To insure its success, we will be hiring a professional promoter, Brent Wak from Fund Promotions out of Grand Rapids who has personally organized these types of events for the past 29 years.
Brent spoke about how fun this will be and its ability to attract people to our community. There will be many stops along the path each day. Road venues will be set up as well, he said. We will be working hard to solicit sponsors and it’s an event we will be able to build on. Part of the event will be to educate bicyclists on new laws. Riders will be given IDs for quick registration. Those wishing to participate will can easily pay their entry fee with a credit card. A website will be developed to promote the event.
Chip said that he’ll be looking for members to serve on various committees as it will require many volunteers to be successful. He also announced that Adrian Insurance Agency will personally be underwriting the cost of the promoter for the first two years! Many thanks, Chip!
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Goodwill Industries - CEO Keith Trost Nate Salazar introduced Keith Trost, CEO of Goodwill who has a degree from Rutgers University, spoke about the direction of the organization. Keith said that prior to joining Goodwill he was employed by the Sears organization for over 30 years and retired in 2014. He rejoined the workplace once he realized he didn’t really enjoy retirement.Keith was hired as Goodwill’s CFO and later replaced Dan Buron as CEO when he left for the Traverse City area to head up another Goodwill. Keith said that there were challenges at Goodwill as in any organizations but was excited about their new retail facility that will be opened next spring and located on US223 behind Discount Tire.
Goodwill Industries, Keith said, works with severely handicapped individuals in Lenawee and Monroe counties. Goodwill continues to expand their community inclusion programs, Keith said, while helping their clients find jobs in the community.
He also spoke about the strides the company has made in terms of their recycling dollars saying that anything that goes into a landfill costs the company money while those items they can recycle make them money! The company has been able to reduce their costs from $125k down to $25!
Keith said that Goodwill has, over the years, pursued and been quite successful with their E-Commerce business which accounts for about 3.8% of Goodwill’s business nationwide. Keith said that he recently signed a contract to provide services in Washtenaw County! Thanks for enlightening us, Keith.
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The Buoy at the Lake - Monica Mercer Monica Mercer, owner of the Buoy at Devil’s Lake told members that this is her 4th season at the boutique that was once the old post office. Sweet Annie’s that used to be on US223 formerly occupied that building and when they decided to get out of the business, Donna Baker and Monica went into business together and took over the building. Monica is an employee of Donna Baker & Associates and Brent is a partner in the firm.Monica said that she and Donna love to travel to various locations to purchase items they sell in their store. Shoes, clothes, earrings, unique children’s’ items, etc. Their season runs from approximately May 1st to end of October. In November and December their shop is open on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until New Year’s Eve! They are closed for the remainder of the winter months however.
Visitors to the store come from about every state in the union, Monica said. They are good for the business since shoppers just have to take something home to remind them of their visit to the Buoy and Devil’s Lake. Monica said that Manitou is growing. Developers are buying up homes in the area and turning them into office and retail spaces. Monica said that now is the time to visit her store and take advantage of a 10% discount!
She also spoke about the success of the Arts Festival and said the idea for it spawned at a regular village meeting where the group brainstormed what they needed to do to attract more people to the area. They were aware of the success of Adrian’s Art-A-Licious program and began thinking about how something similar to that might go over at Devil’s Lake. It was Donna Baker once again, Monica said, who was willing to take that project on as well! It then, of course became a reality which now boasts of a $30,000 budget!
Monica said that the art tent for the children that our club has supported allows them to have a great time each year at the festival. Many local artists and teachers also give of their time to make this a great experience for kids who want to learn art. One such volunteer even created a coloring book depicting local homes and cottages in the area. Monica said that about 4,000 people attended this past year.
A site called ZAPPlication, Monca said, enables individual artists to identify and apply online to multiple art shows they would be interested in attending through one central website, ZAPPlication.org. Singer Allie Louise along with the Saline Fiddlers performed at the festival last year, Monica said, and made a real hit with visitors to the event.
Monica closed by saying how very proud of her committee who work hard every year to make the festival a success.
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Traditional Chinese Medicine Yours Truly introduced our very own Max Sielsky who I had the privilege of bringing into our club over 20 years ago. Max began his presentation by saying that he has been a Traditional Homeopath for the past 12 years. He attended school in Calgary, Canada for the past 3 years to earn degrees in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Chinese medicine is based on herbs, acupuncture, and pulse diagnosis, Max said.TCM has been practiced for close to 3,000 years. Energy (Chinese term – qi) is part of every living thing and Chinese Medicine is all about excessive or deficient levels of energy in one’s body, Max said. He said he can tell a lot about a person’s health through face maps, lip maps and even by the condition of their tongue. Since Chinese medicine, Max said, is really about energy, it comes down to excess vs deficiency, hot vs cold – all different ways to read a person’s body.
There are 12 basic “meridians” in the body and about 360 different points associated with them. A meridian is a path through which the life-energy (qi) flows. The different meridians follow a specific path: from chest to hand, hand to head, head to foot, and foot to chest. Knowing this, Max said to correct a bladder issue for example, he could “needle” (.13mm) the area (section of a meridian) at specific points that are causing the problem.
Health issues, then, are the result of either an energy deficiency or blood deficiency, Max said. Issues with a person’s organs reveal corresponding health problems and the specific emotions they are experiencing. As a Traditional Homeopath, Max’s goal with each of his patients is to help reach a balance between their emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
Really interesting and informative, Max. Thanks very much for enlightening us!
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Devils Lake Festival of the Arts - Monica Mercer Monica Mercer, Brent’s bride and manager of the Devils Lake Festival of the Arts, was on hand to thank our club for helping out at this year’s festival especially with the children’s art tent as well as the beer tent. She said that it has been more successful with every passing year and because of a great staff on the Arts Committee to make sure it’s a “fine arts” and not just a “crafts” event. Next year, she said, the committee will be looking for another new art event at the festival. Monica announced that she was hosting a “thank you” party for sponsors who helped this past year. She presented the club with 2 complimentary tickets for the August 27th event which will be held at the Mercer lake home at Devil’s Lake. Nashville recording artist Allie Louise, Monica said, will be on hand that afternoon. Monica closed by announcing that a band will be playing from 8pm-11:30pm and thanked us again for our support. |
Boy Scouts of America - Melissa Stricherz Kevin Marti introduced Melissa who he has known for a couple of months now and said that she and her husband, Craig, were natives of South Dakota and were looking for lake property in Michigan. Melissa assumed the position of Field Service Council Scout Executive for the Southern Shores Council in February of this past year. Southern Shores is the product of the merger between the Great Sauk Trails Council and the Southwest Michigan Council.The Boy Scouts is 105 years old and girls are also part of the organization as of about 12 years ago and are part of the “Venturing” program (ages 14-20). Melissa serves an 11-county area which are divided into 8 separate districts. Scouting, she said, “is all about the kids” and that the “Boy Scouts is the largest character-building organization in the world and all children have the same potential to succeed”. Kids learn life skills that will carry them through their lives.
Melissa said that the organization is looking for someone to take over the 2 county area of Hillsdale and Lenawee and if we know someone who might like to be considered for the opportunity to let her know. A very involved volunteer in this immediate area is Brian Bowers who serves as District Chairman who will also be providing office space for the new person.
In this area alone, she said, there are over 450 volunteers! Cub Scouts are for kids age 7-10; Boy Scouts – age 11-17. A pilot program for kindergarteners is being tested this year. Their camp in the Kalamazoo/Portage area encourages kids to have fun while they’re there and learn science and technology as well as the arts. Melissa said that in her district there are 773 boys and girls involved in the program, 18 Eagle Scouts in the 2 counties in 2015, 123 cub scouts and 227 boy scouts.
Melissa took an opportunity to thank Gleaner’s for their support by presenting Kevin Marti with a plaque at the end of her presentation.
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Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee - Carrie Hartley Carrie is the Director of Marketing for the Boys & Girls Club of Lenawee and accompanying her were active participants in the program representing three different age groups. She began by thanking our club for providing transportation the last several years to their summer programs. Transportation is expensive, Carrie said, and the contribution by our club is “the icing on the cake”. Her club, she said, has experienced a 40% increase in participation over the last year! The club is open from 3-8pm each day during the school year and from 9:30am – 5:30pm in the summer. Daily attendance is about 150-200 kids! Last year 650 different individuals attended their programs, this year that number is 800!Carrie then asked the kids who were with her speak and they mentioned what they each like to do and how long they’d been a part of the program. Among the more fun things were the club’s game room, field trips, trips to Cedar Point, the Corner Park, Adrian College, Frosty Boy, movie theaters and a Chicken Relay! The club members enjoy eating different types of food at Pizza Parties and Fiestas where Mexican food is served. A recent theme at the club was “Disney in Space” involving Disney characters, Belle, Shrek, Fiona, etc.
Carrie announced that her organization was awarded the Gold Mac Award recognizing them for an excellent marketing program. She closed by announcing the organization’s annual gala event – their Blue Jean Ball slated for September 9, 2016 at SHU’s Field House. You can order tickets or become a sponsor by visiting: www.bgclenawee.org or by calling the club at 517-266-9775.
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Lenawee United Way (LUW) and Lenawee Community Foundation (LCF) – Sue Hammersmith and Jim Hartley Yours Truly introduced AM Club members, Sue and Jim, who spoke about the merger between these two groups now working together for the greater good of this community. This alliance is the first of its kind that either Sue or Jim can remember. Sue likened it to “treading new waters but that it was exciting”. While both organizations exist to serve our local community, Sue said, we can do more together than we can separately. It is best for our Lenawee County community. It was the Lenawee United Way who reached out to neighboring UWs, state & national associations & the Lenawee Community Foundation to increase efficiency in a time of declining revenues, cost of fundraising & staff turnover.
When all of the due diligence was completed, it was felt that the LCF was the best fit. Both boards then approved moving forward. The alliance was announced at the LUW annual meeting on June 21st.
The alliance will result in:
LCF’s focus has always been on long-term endowment giving, Sue said, whose interest on their holdings allows them to provide substantial grants to worthy causes in the community. The LUW, on the other hand, focuses on annual giving but fits quite well with the “legacy-giving” focus of the LCF. A formal vote of the members of the former Lenawee United Way (any person who donated this past year) each organization will take place on July 27th at the Madison HS Performing Arts Center at 8:30am, Jim Hartley, this year’s chair of the annual campaign now called Lenawee Cares, said.
Jim commended Sue, Joe Williams and each organization’s separate boards for the work they did on this issue and making the decision to insure that all money raised was going to stay in this area! Another date, he said, to remember was September 16th – the first day of the Art-A-Licious around 4pm when Lenawee Cares will have its official Kick Off event. He encouraged us and other service clubs in the area to collect baskets of gloves, hats, mittens, etc. they can give to the needy of our community.
Jim is looking for volunteers who might want to join the Campaign Cabinet of Lenawee Cares and making a few calls to local businesses for donations. If interested you are jimh947@gmail.com. The Cabinet will meet the second Wednesday of each month.
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Fluency Friends & Club Assembly Fluency Friends Presentation Kathy Sielsky, Reading Specialist at Michener Elementary presented a recap of a very successful year partnering with our club! She thanked all members who volunteered from our club and said that this past year exceeded her expectations. Kathy said that over 160 hours of extra reading practice was provided by Rotarian volunteers and that 72% of those students made their projected growth goal on the nwea assessment! The Noon Club purchased over 500 books – each student selected 5 books to keep and read over the summer. The remainder of the books were shared with summer school students and were added to the “fluency friends library”. In each of the books was a label stating “Compliments of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club”.
Here are comments from various Rotary volunteers about their involvement in this important program this past year:
FEEDBACK FROM THE KIDS
Michener Principal, Deb Risner, was in attendance and personally thanked Kathy for her involvement as well as all Rotary volunteers.
.PNG) First Club Assembly of the New YearWhere did the time go? It seems like just yesterday that Rod Pender took to the podium to reign in his new year as Prez! Now, I guess, it’s my turn! As we begin a new year I reminded members that anyone who is recruited as a member of the cub between July 1 and October 1 of this new year, they and their sponsor will travel to Plymouth on November 11 to be officially inducted by none other thank RI President John Germ! What an opportunity. Nate commented that so far we should have at least 6 new inductees!
AG Mary Murray announced DG Sue Goldsen’s Random Act of Kindness program which fits right in with her theme this year – Follow Your Hear. What a great way to show your Rotary compassion as we Serve Humanity!
Yours Truly thn reported on the particulars of the District’s new Passport program where members around the district are encouraged to visit other clubs and view firsthand what other clubs are doing and how they run their meetings. A schedule of club meetings was handed out and a sign-up sheet will be passed around next week for those who want to attend another club’s meeting.
Nate and Kathy will be launching the New Prospect Recruiting Brochure next week and Amy Pyle will be showing what months of work on our new website have produced geared to the next generation of Rotary Club members. You won’t want to miss this meeting.
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Changeover Dinner 2016All we can say is that if you were not able to attend this year's Changeover Dinner at Rhonda and Bob's home, you missed one heck of a party! The weather was picture perfect, the crowd was awesome, the food was delicious and the location - superb! Thanks to the Gage's for hosting this memorable event! Thanks to everyone who helped set up and tear down and brought food. Thanks also to DG Sue and PDG Bruce Goldsen for attending what must have been a string of inductions for clubs around this district! Not only did they recently arrive back from the International Convention in Seoul, the Meet the Governor Night in Harrow as well as several club induction ceremonies across this district, they were at ours and that was VERY SPECIAL indeed.
I am attaching a couple of collages of our event last Thursday evening, June 30. It was a great evening with AM Club members and congrats to all who were selected and received very deserving awards that evening. (See collages for more on this). Thanks to Immediate Past President, Rod, and his board and officers for a great year. It will be one that we'll yet capitalize on this coming year. We look forward to our two newest board members each serving 3-year terms , Kevin Marti and Greg Adams who will be part of their very first board meeting next week, July 7.
Thanks to Assistant Governor, Mary Murray, who served as emcee for the evening, to Mark for securing a piano, to Nancy Herr for her accompaniment and to Mike Herr for the sound equipment. Thanks to my wife, Linda, Bob Gordon and Dave Maxwell for taking photos of the afternoon's proceedings.
We should be very proud of our accomplishments as clubs in District 6400 this past year, of DG Sue from the AM Club, of our district 6400 and the folks who are the driving force behind it, of RI in general who do so much good in this world. Be sure and visit District 6400's new website at www.rotary6400.org - it is really impressive.
At our first club meeting of the new year next week, we'll have some exciting news to present along with a presentation on the Fluency Friends Program this past school year. Remember to bring a guest to lunch and share more about what our clubs are doing to SERVE HUMANITY while FOLLOWING OUR HEARTS in our community and around the world. Here's to another great year!!!! Thanks to each and everyone in advance for your commitment and efforts in 2016-17!!
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State of the City - Shane Horn - Adrian City AdministratorT
 he top administrator of the City of Adrian, Shane Horn, spoke to audience members today. He started with the City on 1992. Prior to becoming Administrator worked in the Utilities Department for 19 years and became its Director. Shane was appointed Administrator in November of 2013. He is married to his wife, Michelle (currently employed at Gleaners), and they have a son, Brad (a former Junior Rotarian) who is a sophomore at CMU, and a daughter who is a senior at AHS.Shane began by thanking our club for its involvement in the community adding that is was very much appreciated. Some of the information he shared was: A new City budget year begins officially the end of this month. Projected revenues for the 2016-17 General Fund are $9.1 million with an equal amount in expenses. Fiscal year budget is expected to be $29.4 million. A 1.5% increase was approved to all employees; health care costs will increase by 7% (Priority Health replaced BC/BS who wanted a 36% increase over last year which was cost prohibitive); rates for sewer and water inceased 2% equating to about a$1,41 per month increase to the average user; $40,500 was appropriated for capital improvements next year (down from what started out amounting to $400,000+); a slight increase in real property values; and a reduction of 3 firefighters due to retirement and attrition (current staff at 15 fulltime). A FEMA grant several years ago did fund 3 firefighters which was not renewed.
Revenues for the City come from essentially 2 sources, Shane said, property taxes (55%) and state revenue sharing (23%) both of which have been drastically impacted the past 6 or 7 years resulting in a reduction in services. An additional 10% of revenue comes from the park system. Relative to expenses, publicity accounts for the largest chunk – account for a little over 50% of the general fund. Residential and commercial property values amount to $177.3 million. The average home price in the city is $72,000. In order to recover what the city has lost over the years, taking into account the rate of inflation, it will take the city until 2035 to get back to the revenues enjoyed in 2006-2007, Shane said.
The current charter millage levied by the city is 13.6293 mils. The Headlee Rollback was defeated in 2013 which would have increased the millage back to 15 mil level. Consequently, the city loses some $500k per year as a result. The commission approved a 1 mil levy for local street improvements and a millage for the former Adrian Public Library was levied for then new “District Library” which has a favorable impact on city finances. Staffing levels within municipal government nationwide is 16.4 employees per 1,000 population. In Michigan that average is 12.2/per 1,000. In Adrian, the figure is 5.6/per 1,000!
Projects that Shane highlighted include: Curbside spring pickup, the development of Chomp Burgers, several new Dollar General Stores have been built, Dunham’s in the Adrian Mall, grants approved to combat blight ($325k), the new proposed Aubree’s restaurant in front of the Adrian Mallthe exciting Strongback project in downtown Adrian and the new Gaslight Village.
Shane concluded his presentation by sharing with us various options the city was considering to generate additional revenue including a City Income Tax which, at this time, lacks commission support would generate approximately $4 million at which time the millage would be rolled back to 6.8 mils for city residents, Shane said. “A lot of momentum is going on” all over the city. Thanks, Shane, for a very interesting and comprehensive presentation.
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TechFab - Kathye Herrera Our own Kathye Herrera spoke to members today about the business she and her husband, Doug, own – TechFab, Inc. in Morenci. She said she was excited to talk about a topic she really enjoys and loves. It is a small fabrication business. The business was started about 25 year ago, she said, and they originally employed 5 fulltime employees but due to a major customer of theirs closing their doors, they went through a series of layoffs unfortunately. Some of them they do employ but only part time. Doug primarily does metal fabrication from either pre-engineered prints or designs he does himself. He is skilled at flame and arc welding, paints and ships his products.Doug started to learn the trade in his Father’s business when he was 14 years old and later became a Journeyman and learned the entire process. Sometime after she met and married Doug they decided to start their own business. Their goal was to “produce a top quality product with aesthetic appeal and low cost ratio”, she said. Kathye very unabashedly said that her husband was “one of THE best metal fabricators in the business but not such a good photographer”! (If you could have seen the pictures of his work on her Powerpoint presentation today, you would certainly agree).
Tech Fab’s first official job, Kathye said, was to design and fabricate a staircase for a new press box at the high school football field along with screens for the windows. An article came out in the local newspaper about the work Doug did and he was aptly named – The Man of Steel! Morenci High had a blind student at the time. The trophy cases were on the wall in the halls and the blind student had trouble bumping in to them so Doug designed and built stainless steel legs that were artistic and prevented the young man from hitting them when coming down the hall with his cane.
Other projects at Morenci High included bollards for the loading dock, cover for generator, screens to cover press box windows, baseball markers, fabricated special stainless steel covers for ticket booth at the
 football field, fabricated new stainless steel door on freezer in cafeteria and more. Doug prefers to work with stainless steel, Kathye said.Tech Fab was the main fabricator for M & S in Hudson as an outside contractor for over 15 years. The jobs ranged from simple repairs to major work that would take a month or more to complete. Among the products Doug produced were: Oil pans, Computer stands, conveyors, parabolic chutes, hoppers and many others. Yet another customer of Doug’s was the Lenawee County Jail and among those projects he did were: stainless steel kitchen repairs (designed, fabricated and installed), stainless steel grating and wall repairs to prevent separation.
At the Maurice Spear Campus Doug fabricated and installed stainless steel floor in freezers; for the City of Adrian Doug designed and build the stainless steel columns at Comstock Park and rails at the Adrian Public Library. At Adrian College Doug designed and made the Herrick Chapel Cross, the fire Pit at Docking Stadium, canopies and handrails at Peelle and Jones Halls, heat exchanger at the Arrington Ice Arena to melt ice scraped by Zamboni and many, many other projects too numerous to mention.
Among his other customers were (and some still are) Cargotainer, the City of Morenci and Legends Mfg., McMurray & Son of Maumee, Precast Concrete of Blissfield, Thomas & Son Painting, Michigan Building Specialits, Roberts Tool-Tecumseh, Morenci Laundromat, K & K Tractor Pulling, Clinton Art Center, the Sauce and Whirpool. Whirpool, Kathye said, was currently their main customer and requires Doug to travel to either Findlay, Clyde or Marion, Ohio.
Kathye showed a picture (at right) of the gentleman from their church who, she said, believed in her husban
 d years ago when they decided to start their own business. This person, knowing they were looking for a place to set up shop, offered them a facility on his property they could use rent free in exchange for any help he might need down the road. That was 23 years ago, she said, and all the rest was history! The sculpture Doug designed and made for our club at the Hospice Peace Pond was made in his memory.Kathye closed by saying: “Tech Fab is a small mom and pop business that has been in business for almost 25 years. There have been many ups and downs as in most businesses but we have persevered. Doug’s creativity, skill, honesty and hard work ethics have made the difference. I am impressed more each day with his work and am proud of all that he has accomplished”. Kathye passed around a scrapbook showing a vintage automobile (buggy) Doug and John Johnson designed and built that often appears in local parades.
It certainly goes without saying, doesn’t it, that Kathye and her hubby sure have a successful business and that Doug is one talented guy!!
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Club Assembly - Chuck & Rod Today was the very last Club Assembly during President Rod's year as President of the club. What a fitting way to wrap up the year by sharing with members the results of the recent Membership Satisfaction Survey and recapping the projects this past Rotary Year. Instead of transcribing what was presented, we would like to direct you to our current club website home page at adrianrotary.org and click on the links shown to the left under "Site Pages". The survey results were quite positive. The board will be taking a closer look at each of the entries and making adjustments/improvements accordingly throughout the coming Rotary year. Rod then covered the various projects that occurred this past year. A list of those, too, cam be accessed through the "Site Pages" link on our Internet Website.
President Rod also announced that the Board of Directors was proposing an increase in member dues as well as regular meeting meals. The dues will be increased from $100 every 6 months to $125. Meals will go from $10 to $11. Members who prepay are getting a great deal since their meals cost $7.19 every week by pre-paying the $187 every 6 months on their billing statement. The increases, which will take effect July 1, are necessary to cover the costs of free meals given to first time prospects, Junior Rotarians and speakers throughout the year.
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The Rotary Foundations – Mark Murray, Mike Olsaver and Brent Mercer The Adrian Rotary Foundation (ARF) Chair, Mark Murray, kicked things off today but first mentioned how fortunate our club was to have such wonderful members (who are fine role models too) committed to helping this community not the least of which was Nate Smith who will be this year’s recipient of the Stubnitz Award through the United Way! Since, Mark said, members get the appreciation they truly deserve, he asked everyone to shake hands with those around them! He also encouraged everyone to bring someone to Rotary and share the gold with others in this community who would love to join.Mike Olsaver, Chair of the Rotary International Foundation (RIF), spoke next and shared these facts with members: The RIF receives approximately $100M per year in contributions and spend $105M each year on educational and humanitarian projects! The money donated this year will be invested for a 3-year period and that’s where the surplus comes from, he said. “It’s a huge financial engine for doing good in the world”, Mike said. The RIF funds things like eradicating polio around the world, digging water wells in the Philippines, supplying dictionaries to elementary students, and educating scholars in peace/conflict resolution.
Our club goal, Mike mentioned, is $6,853 and if we meet it before the end of June, we qualify for grants from District 6400 to spend in this community such like Fluency Friends, 3rd Day Farm Project, and Child Advocacy Center just to name a few. Currently in the fund is $3,175 and coupled with those as part of a member’s dues ($1,150), we are only short 2,528! Mike then mentioned that we have a donor who will be giving $1,000 if we get within that of our total goal. So, that means we only need another $1,500! Note: members can donate to the RIF on line. See him for details.
Mark returned to the podium to tell members that 50 years ago, a number of members of this club founded the ARF for the intended purpose to support local projects specifically. IT is hoped, Mark said, that every member would see the need to support the RIF as well as the ARF each year. Brent Mercer, ARF’s Treasurer, then came forward to give stats on the ARF’s holdings. He said that there were actually two separate funds: a General Activity Fund which helps fund the local club and its projects and the Scholarship Fund. There are two accounts in the General Fund – an investment account with Old National Bank ($200,000+) as well as an annuity with Gleaners ($142,000). The Scholarship Fund has about $32,000 in it which pays out for a dedicated scholarship each year. Due to the ups and downs in the market this past year, Brent said we pay out just about what the ARF makes each year.
Mark then wrapped up the presentation telling the audience that 5% of the ARF’s holdings each year go to our club’s board to fund the local projects they choose to support. Mark challenged each of us to continue to be good stewards of this money and that we all have an obligation to those members 50 years ago who decide to start this foundation. One way to help us think about how this club spends this money is through considering the BHAD criteria – Big Hairy Audacious Dream projects. President Rod spoke about the 3rd Day Farm Project which helped the Neighbors of Hope in Adrian further the work they’re doing feeding the hungry in Lenawee County.
Money from the ARF bought a plow, erected a shed, etc. this year they will be able to harvest 3,000 pounds of food for their Fishes & Loaves facility in Adrian. Other examples of previously successful BHAD projects are: Hospice Peace Pond, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Croswell Opera House, Stubnitz Center, and City Ice rink and Bohn Pool. Copies of the BHAD criteria were distributed. Two possible projects are being proposed on which the board will decide in the near future which will require a program chair and others who have a passion for what is being proposed now and in the future. “It’s not really about money, it’s about using our time, talent and treasures”, Mark said. While a mechanism for on-line donations does not exist for the ARF, you can simply make a note to be sure an make a $100 contribution to the ARF like you do for the RIF. From this point forward, there will be separate buckets for both the ARF and RIF at the check-in tables for your donations. Great presentation, guys!
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Child Advocacy Center - Sue Lewis & Burke CastleberrySue started by giving some very shocking statistics: 1 in 10 children are sexually abused, in 90% of the cases the family knew and trusted the abuser and were abused before the age of 18, about 35% of victims are 13 years of age or younger, 30% of children are sexually abused by family members, nearly 40% of children are abused by older children, and all children are at risk of abuse.
Sue then spoke of the fine work planned by the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) located on Broad Street across the street from Frosty Boy. The center, Sue said, is a kid-friendly center thanks to a collaboration of the Prosecutor’s office and many other individuals and organizations in response to children who have been sexually abused here in Lenawee County as well as those who have been physically abused or witnessed violet crimes. The interview room will be able to videotape all interviews so that the defense team can show courts how serious each offense was. One way glass will separate the interview room where generally the prosecutor will be from the room where the forensic expert will be watching as the stories unfold. The two parties will be connected with ear buds so that the proper questions can be asked.
Children who have been abused will come to the CAC and interviewed one time by a trained forensic interviewer who will try and get as many details as possible as to what happened to them. Without a CAC in the past, abused children unfortunately had to tell their story over and over again and relive the trauma they’d experienced. With a CAC, it happens only once and in a non-threatening, kid-friendly environment so they can get the therapeutic intervention they need.
 Prosecuting Attorney Burke then spoke and told the audience that this community is very lucky to have a person like Sue dealing with this issue and forming a task force to deal with this problem. He went over the former process when abuses like these were reported and said that the CAC model is a far better process for the children. The old process increased the possibility of children telling different stories and not being able to tell whether or not they were even telling the truth!Sue thanked the club for their involvement particularly with the joint grant with the Adrian AM Club approved by our board just recently in the amount of $5,000. The Adrian AM Club has been very involved and have been doing remodeling work at the site already. See photo of AM Club at the site (L to R: Jean, Bob, Dave, Jim and Bill).
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LISD Cradle to Grave Program - Ann Knisel Dan Buron introduced Ann Knisel, Community Relations Coordinator for the LISD, who spoke to members about their Lenawee Cradle to Career – Pathways to Success program. This is a network of community leaders representing education, business, faith-based, nonprofit, philanthropic, and social sectors committed to providing every child in Lenawee County with a quality education.Ann said that this long-term partnership sets a standard for collaboration around a shared set of goals, driven by data, and accountable through regular progress reports to the community. The members of this public-private partnership, she said, have committed to time, dollars, organizational assets, and thought leadership.
The program’s vision, Ann said, is that “Everyone, every step of the way, cradle to career”. Their mission: “To ensure that everyone has pathways to reach their potential, cradle to career.” The assessment tool, she said, that was chosen this year was the Brigance. She also noted that school attendance data continues to be collected and that surprisingly enough, it was found that K-3 have the bleakest attendance record. She also noted that there were 16,500 kids attending schools throughout Lenawee County currently.
The responsibility of their Leadership Team, she said, is to establish, embrace, and advocate for the vision, mission, and strategy of Lenawee Cradle to Career Student Success Networks while promoting collaborative continuous improvement among providers around agreed-upon student outcomes that are the focus of the partnership. They advocate for funding to follow what really gets results, she said.
The expected community outcomes are:
• Students identified as “ready” for Kindergarten
• Students proficient in reading by the end of third grade
• Students graduating from high school within four years, ready for success
• Students have 12 months after high school graduation to enroll in post-secondary studies leading to a valued credential
Ann closed by thanking us for supporting this great cause.
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Junior Rotarian Day Today was a blast from the past as 7 Junior Rotarians from this past year were on hand to run today’s meeting! What an admirable job they did, too. Thanks to Gerry Burg for making all of the arrangements and coaching them through what each person did during the meeting.Joel Hill (U of T) served as President and ring leader. He was joined by Gavin Stepansky (will be attending Saginaw State University this fall), Matt Baucher (Northwood University), Hannah Lopez (U of M), James Nicholson (MSU), Matt Tombo (U of T) and Mitchell Dempsey (Central Michigan University).
They, of course, went wild with the fine session collecting as much as they possibly could while they had the chance! District 6400 Webmaster, Jim Karolyi, was on hand to video tape just about all of the meeting and took a couple of group photos just before we adjourned. It was a great time and we wish to thank everyone who was involved.
 Front Row (l to R) President Rod, Junior Rotarians Matt Baucher, Mitchell Dempsey, Hannah Lopez, Matt Tombo, Gavin Stepansky, Joel Hill and James Nicholson.
(Photo - compliments of Jim Karolyi, District Webmaster and Canton Rotary Club member.)
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APS Bond Millage – Dane Nelson, Bob Behnke and Beth Ferguson Dane Nelson introduced Superintendent, Bob Behnke, who gave audiences members specifics of the upcoming bond proposal on the ballot next Tuesday, May 3rd. There will be two proposals voters within the district will be voting on: a $29.5 million bond project to improve education, beef up the aging infrastructure, enhance safety programs and security, and update facilities. The second proposal is for $1.375M to improve Maple Stadium. Much input was solicited from the public as to the needs of the school district, Bob said. Beth Ferguson, chair of the committee, said that times were changing as exhibited in the standoff at the strip mall adjacent to Michener School several weeks ago. She recalled growing up when street were much safer and no one had to lock their doors at night.Dane recapped the improvements in store for Maple Stadium whose Father, Cliff, was Adrian High School’s first Athletic Director in the mid-50’s and who had actually sketched plans for the original Maple Stadium that was eventually built at a cost of $60,000. The very first game played on the field was in 1955. Thanks to the Kiwanis Club of Adrian, the stadium had a press box. Between 1,000 and 2,500 fans enjoy watching football there every Friday night in the Fall. Dane showed photos of the outdated restrooms and kitchen. In addition to the improvements, Dane said, will be a Team Room built with money from private donors and located at the north end of the stadium. He said that a lead gift has been pledged of $100,000.
Bob concluded the presentation by mentioning the Boys & Girls Club located in the 5-6 Building. In 2011, it served 82 kids. Now that number is between 195 and 238. The cost to an average taxpayer, they said, would be between $5 and $8 per year. The bond issue passed 10 years ago will be paid off in 2033. This issue, if passed, will be paid off by 2045. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE NEXT WEEK AT YOUR RESPECTIVE POLLING PLACES!!
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John Sullivan - Marriage Therapist Yours Truly introduced today’s speaker, John Sullivan, from the Windsor-Roseland Rotary Club who is a Marriage Therapist. He is married to his wife, Chis, and they have two sons. John said that he’s convinced that tools are available to all of us to have relationships of our dreams. We’re all in relationships. In Canada the divorce rate is 40%! The remaining 60%, he said, were in hot relationships where there is fighting or feelings between the married couple is “cold” or the passion is gone.John said he was an admirer of the works of Harville Hendricks - author of many best-selling relationship self-help books and someone who went through divorce himself. John shared a story about him and his wife who, after 15 years of marriage, separated and headed toward divorce. His wife read Hendricks’ book “Getting the Love You Want” which made a great point about most people getting rid of their spouse but taking the same problems with them in new relationships.
Four months later John and his wife were back together and are celebrating 41 years of marriage! When they got back together they attended one of Hendricks’ workshops. As a result, John has facilitated these very workshops helping couples with their marriages.
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Rotary Exchange Student - Sebastian Lopez Host father, Kevin Keller, introduced his house guest since Thanksgiving of last year – Sebastian, from Columbia and a senior at AHS. Sebastian showed a Powerpoint slide program of his home country and residence. He will remain with the Keller’s until his return this coming July.He said that he and his family live in Ibague, Columbia where the population is around 400,000 and about 3 ½ hours from the capital by automobile. He showed a photo of his country’s flag consisting of 3 colors stacked horizontally with yellow at the top signifying gold in the country, Blue next signifying water (Pacific and Caribbean), and red on the bottom denoting the blood that has been shed battling the Spaniards to secure the freedoms they now enjoy.
Columbia, Sebastian said, was very close to the Equator and his home town was almost in the middle of the country. Columbia is bordered by Panama, Venezuela and Brazil on the east. Columbia is a republic made up of 32 “states” working independently of each other. Their government is much like America in that it has an administrative, legislative and judiciary branches. Their president is Juan Manuel Santos who, Sebastian said, was not doing that good a job and was surprised when he was reelected in 2014 after serving a 4-year term.
Columbia, he said, is a country that has the most holidays. Celebrations, parties and parades are commonplace and occur every month. Some last an entire week. Dance is also very popular among residents. Soccer is a very popular sport in his country. Food, he said, was very cheap and delicious.
Sebastian concluded his presentation by saying that corruption within Columbia’s government was occurring. Over 800 governors are under investigation. And, drug trafficking was also a huge problem there.
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Club Assembly - Membership Survey Today, of course, was another Club Assembly and our focus was on what members felt about our club. I can't remember the last time we polled members so timing was appropriate. Members spent approximately 15 minutes completing the Membership Survey whose results will be tallied and shared with members at a subsequent meeting.Members answered questions in the following categories: Overall satisfaction with their membership in Rotary, projects/participation, weekly meetings, communication & responsiveness by the club, the value of their membership, club engagement, and costs.
For those who were not at today's meeting, we will be making surveys available for completion and will figure those findings into the overall tally. The purpose of the survey, of course, is to identifyb areas that our club can make the necessary improvements in an effort to make what our club does interesting and relevant ans to satisfy members' needs to put service above self!
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Croswell Opera House Capital Campaign President Rod introduced today’s speakers Jere Righter – Artistic Director of the Croswell Opera House who spoke first. Jere said that this was a particularly special year since the Croswell will be celebrating its 150th anniversary. Built back in 1866 (almost as old as our club president), the Croswell has a seating capacity of 650. Back in the 1870’s Jere said the opera house held 1,200. Why?, you ask, because the audience sat on benches not bolted to the floor! In 1890, John Philip Sousa played there. Jere passed around some enlargements of some very old photos of the downtown as well as interior of the Croswell.Speaking next was Emory Schmidt, chairman of the capital campaign as well as of their board. Emory said that he and his wife, Kris, have been part of this community since 1978 and that he never ceases to be amazed at how well people in Adrian support causes like the one the Croswell has embarked on to raise $6.2M to renovate this historic theater – “the crown jewel of the arts in southeast Michigan”, as he termed it.
He said that about 5 years ago the theater was experiencing some very lean times and close to folding actually. Thanks to the board’s strategic plan, the Croswell is now making money and continues to plan incredibly successful events throughout the year. Some 30% of the theater’s patrons live in Ohio, Emory said!
The capital campaign got its original shot in the arm, he said, when a former Adrian resident and AHS grad, then Julie Henderson, attended the Shrek production several years ago and was quite impressed. Julie married George Argyros, who was the Ambassador to Spain during the Bush administration. When representatives of the Croswell asked her for a gift in the amount of $250,000 Julie wrote a check for $1M instead which became seed money to start the campaign!
The campaign's goal is $6.2 of which $5.2 has already been pledged! Emory announced that yet another anonymous donor has come forward and offered a $250,000 matching gift! There is yet another $1M currently in the pipeline as the “stretch goal” has increased to $7.2M.
A Great Big Night celebration is planned for June 1. The Croswell hopes to be able to report that the campaign was successful in raising the entire $7.2M amount. The production that night will be “Billy Elliott”. In April the Journey Tribute Band will perform. In July the production Leap of Faith will be presented and in April – the Drowsy Chaperone.
Following their presentation, President Rod presented Jere and Emory a check for $10,000 from our club towards the capital campaign.
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Promedica Bixby Center for Autism - Alexis Eggenberger/Peggy Romano President Rod introduced today’s speaker, Alexis Eggenberger, who is currently the Manager of the Promedica Bixby Center for Autism. Alexis and her husband live in Perrysburg where she grew up. She is a licensed Social Worker and a board certified Behavioral Analyst with an expertise in treating individuals with autism. Accompanying Alexis was Peggy Romano – one of five Behavioral Technicians at the center.
 There is no medical test (like a blood test) for autism. Your pediatrician will conduct developmental screenings several times in your child’s first two years. If there’s a concern, the next step is a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation. The Centers for Disease Control and the Institute of Medicine have reported no link between vaccines and autism spectrum disorder.
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Dick Hedke Award Update - Yours TrulyToday was first Thursday of the month and therefore Club Assembly! Yours Truly updated members on the Hedke Award Application and that our club would be submitting it by April 1 of this year for consideration. In the recent past the Trenton Club has been awarded this recognition within the district (48 clubs). The visioning meeting that took place close to one year ago provided many suggestions in 5 Avenues of Service. They became goals to consider by each of our six standing committees along with the goals suggested within the Hedke Document.
 Here’s a little history: Richard C. Hedke was President of Rotary International in 1946. A Detroit Rotarian and President of that club between 1926-27, Hedke moved on to become Governor of what is now District 6400 in 1928-29. He was elected Director of Rotary International for the year 1930-31. Throughout his years in Rotary, his commitment to the Object of Rotary was nothing less than total. He brought to countless Rotary meetings an expanded view of Rotarian concepts and, by his example, led Rotary in every facet to new heights of achievement. After Hedke’s death in 1969, then-Governor Hugh Archer called for a study group to plan for a suitable memorial to keep alive the memory and vision of Dick Hedke. The group was composed of Governor Hugh, PDG Jack Maynard, Rotarians Joseph Hallissey and Tom Saunders. The study group devised what is now known as the Dick Hedke Award.
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Neighbors of Hope - Pastor Steve Palmer President Rod introduced Pastor Steve from the Lenawee County Mission which is completing its 10th year serving the homeless and impoverished men in the greater Adrian area who benefit from any number of the ministerial programs offered. This year is especially significant in that they have rebranded and they are now known as Neighbors of Hope – “a concept that relates to our relationship within our community”, Steve said.Among the Christ-centered programs offered are: meal service, radio ministry, Blessings & More store, men’s ministry, Third Day Farm, and Fishes & Loaves. Over the past 10 years, their accomplishments include: 28,900 people served, 64, 058 nights of safe shelter, 192,173 meals served, 516, 420 pounds of food distributed.
 Steve shared with the audience the organizations long-term vision: The establishment of a women’s and children’s center, being a catalyst for partnerships, and a focus on diversify funding. Our club as you know have supported the Third Day Farm Project financially as well as volunteered to help paint the pole barn on the Bethany Assembly of God property, plant flowers and vegetables. The organization has been given an additional seven and a half acres on the already 126 acre property.
Paul Slusser, board president, told members how they could assist the Neighbors of Hope ministry: volunteer to mentor those at the men’s center on Broad Street while continuing to partner with us as a club.
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R.Y.L.A. Experiences - Cayla & Jocelyn President Rod introduced Lisa Wilke who introduced the two students who attended the 2-day Rotary Youth Leadership Award. Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) is an intensive program for young people in both physical and intellectual terms. It is open to boys and girls within the age range 15 to 19 years of age. Youth enjoy participating in a team, social activities and learning the essential skills they need to survive as a leader.Speaking about their experiences while attending this event at Schoolcraft College were Cayla Coyne (next to President Rod) and Jocelyn Berry. They both said that they met many people their age (over 200 in attendance), heard guest speakers, and engaged in many group activities. They said that they both learned about their individual strengths and weaknesses, and plan to apply what they learned to their extracurricular activities in particular.
We who are Rotarians recognize that today's young people will become tomorrow's leaders and wealth generators. Preparing those future leaders is a significant task. A task supported and encouraged both by Rotary International and Rotary District 6400.  We also agree that young people need guidance as they navigate their way through a culture that promotes values that are not always positive or productive. Rotary, through programs like R.Y.L.A., can assist young people in making decisions that will have a powerful influence on their personal development. For young people to choose the best path towards constructive citizenship requires encouraging them in activities that build their confidence and self-esteem. This will provide them with the vision to identify how best to apply their own potential for leadership and ability to work as part of a team. This course is great fun, very energetic and immensely challenging. |
The Center's Corner Park - Jeff Tyson President Rod introduced Jeff Tyson, Fitness & Aquatics Operations Manager for The Center, spoke to members today about the many programs offered to parents and children in the greater Adrian and Lenawee County area.Thanks to the Merillat family, The Center became a reality in the 80’s in Adrian. The Center’s Corner Park was built and launched in 2014 as is due to undergo an expansion this spring all in keeping with its goal of providing “activities for families” under the umbrellas of Bounce, Climb, Splash and Swim.
The Center’s Corner Park consists of a 2,000 square foot, textured concrete surface splash pad along with what they have called a Gaga ball area. There is also an outdoor pool with zero entry which is four feet deep. There is also an explorer dome for kids who like to climb on ropes about 6 inches in diameter! An inflatable jumping pillow measuring 35 feet by 70 feet has also been installed.
The park will be expanded this spring and will provide activities in May as well as September in addition to toddler play activities. Slated for development will be: Super Swings, Tot Zone, and Zip & Zoom area.
Jeff said that the Center’s Corner Park will open officially for members on May 2. For those wanting to see what the park offers, they can visit the park free on May 6th during their open house. The park is great for birthday parties and they will be looking to hire employees during the summer season. Anyone willing to volunteer to help can enjoy a free membership all summer long.
Katie Young, a member of the Christian Ministry team at the Center, said that he job was actually fundraising and announced their upcoming auction on March 5th and gave an update on Ruth Merillat saying that she suffered a small stroke recently, is 95 years old, and went to Florida to spend the winter with her son and daughter-in-law. She mentioned that Paul Palpant, former Adrian Noon Rotarian, was once again handling administrative duties since their CEO Trevor Cook left late last year until such time as they find a new CEO.
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Member Moment & Club Assembly Lori Easton stepped up to the podium and told us about herself during today's Member Moment. Here's what she shared with us: She's lived in Tecumseh all of her life and graduated from high school there. She has been married to her husband for 37 years and they have two daughters both of whom are graduates of MSU and four grandchildren. Lori has 15 years of experience as an administrative assistant in the manufacturing sector and 15 years in auto sales finance. She worked for Gary Clift. She and her hubby are MSU season ticket holders. She is a dog owner, enjoys yard work, and walking. She said she particularly likes to visit the Florida beaches! They are members of Covenant Church in Tecumseh and has been employed by TLC Community Credit Union for the past 10 years and was recently promoted to Vice President. She is very creative baking specialty birthday cakes and among her creations are Barbie, GI Joe and horse-shaped cakes! By the way, Lori's father-in-law was Harold Easton, former Mayor of Tecumseh for many. many years and some of you knew him I'm sure. Totally involved in many facets of community service. Thanks, Lori, for sharing your story and we are so glad you are an active member of the Adrian Noon Rotary Club!The next part of our meeting today was devoted to completing the "Rotary Club Volunteer Hour Collection Sheet. District Governor, Wayne's goal is 640,000 total volunteer hours across the 48-club district that includes work done for Rotary and outside of it. As a club, we would like to see 13,000 volunteer hours by June 30th. Please continue to track your hours and thank you for your efforts thus far.
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The Art of Mingling - Third Annual
And, what a great program it was. President Rod gave welcoming remarks along with Mayor Jim Berryman. Rotary members were asked to sit at individual tables and provide their expert advice to the students they sat with throughout the one hour and a half program. Melissa and two students, Danielle and Catherine, presented the information and mirrored some examples. Students were given a couple of written exercises and an opportunity to “mingle” while applying what they learned.
Yours Truly wrapped up the event by mentioning how important the information that was shared and that to be effective, they needed to practice and apply those valuable principles. This is the 3rd year our club has hosted this event. Thanks to all who volunteered! |
Lenawee College Access Network - Peggy Molter President Rod introduced Peg Molter, Coordinator – Lenawee College Access Network (LCAN). The Lenawee College Access Network (LCAN) is a collaborative of nonprofits, educational institutions, businesses, governmental officials, community leaders, youth organizations, and foundations working toward increasing the postsecondary educational attainment rates in Lenawee County. This coordinating body of organizations and individuals, including youths and parents, works to ensure an aggressive and aligned strategy is in place to achieve its goals. Peg told audience members that Lenawee County is 8% below the state average, and 13% below the national average in post-secondary degrees and credential attainment. She said that the current global economy demands a highly skilled workforce with education beyond high school and that the county must insure all students pursue and complete college degrees and/or secondary credentials.
She said that the LCAN network will:
Peg said that Lenawee County students will be socially, academically, and financially prepared when they pursue it. By 2025 she said, 60% of a Lenawee County residents will have a post-secondary degree and /or beneficial credential. Peg said that the organization is always looking for volunteer mentors. For more details please contact Peg at 517-920-1849.
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3rd Annual New Yera's Eve Gala Event is Now History!Happy New Year! The Adrian Noon Rotary Club made it possible again this year for members, families and guests to ring in the new year last Thursday evening at Siena Heights University! Some 100+ individuals were on hand to celebrate the past year and ring in the new! Attendees were entertained by Alias, Mark Murray's band, the entire evening. The dance floor was not empty for a minute! The food and beverages this year were awesome as were the 15 items donated by generous businesses and individuals for the auction that evening. Among the items sold were: gift certificates to local restaurants, Croswell Opera House, ASO, Governor Croswell Tea Room, a men's tailored suit, grill smoker, vacation packages to Florida, Tennessee and South Carolina, ladies emerald as well as a diamond ring, 50" flat screen TV, glass ornament, ladies purses, professional photo session and a one-of-a-kind aluminum sculpture! A big screen was set up so attendees could see the MSU vs Florida Gator's game! Thanks to everyone who helped with the planning that began over 3 months ago and who helped the day of this great event.
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Annual Club Christmas PartyWhat a great time those in attendance had last night at our annual Christmas Party at the Lenawee Country Club! Entertainment was provided by a male vocalist who sang carols throughout the evening. Close to $300 was raised for Purity and the lucky raffle winners were Patty Clark and Kathy Sielsky both of whom walked away with a quick $60! Thanks to all who turned out either individually or with their spouses to celebrate this most joyous season.
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RCO Law - Mike Olsaver President Rod introduced our own Mike Olsaver who shared with members what he does for a living. He is an attorney with the RCO Law firm. He was born and raised in Adrian and is married to Tiffany and they have one child, a daughter, Rosemary. Mike attended MSU and received his Law Degree from DePaul University.Mike is currently chair of our RI Foundation. As the charitable arm of Rotary, we tap into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into our priorities, such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact. The club’s annual goal, Mike said, is $100 per member and therefore $6800 overall. The club is expected to achieve this goal if they want to qualify for grants at the district level.
RCO Law, Mike said, has 5 offices and employs 35 attorneys and specializing in Wealth Preservation, Business, Healthcare, Labor & Employment and Litigation. Mike’s practice is focused on estate planning, elder law, probate and trust administration and business law. Mike serves individual clients and small business owners by developing plans for their future.
 Mike went into detail on Medicaid Benefits and particularly what the qualifications are, the levels of care provided, income eligibility for single as well as married couples, asset eligibility, etc. He concluded by encouraging audience members to be proactive in planning for their futures.
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Maggard Razor Company Brad Maggard spoke to club members today. The following information is taken from the article posted in the Daily Telegram in the past. His business, Maggard Razors, is located in downtown Adrian in the first floor of the original IOOF building on Winter Street. Maggard, whose "day job" is as a network engineer at Adrian College, started restoring vintage straight razors as a hobby about 31⁄2 years ago, learning how to do the work "mainly by trial and error." A few months later he took his first customer and quickly found his interest skyrocketing.Today the razors lining the shelf in hip store are from Indiana, Maryland, Wisconsin, California, Alaska and China. Almost all date back to before 1900; the one from Maryland was made in about 1790. His clientele is largely higher-income men who "have an appreciation for artisan-made things," he says. "They're the type that smoke pipes, maybe collect knives and guns."
Some are razor collectors — including people who buy them on eBay and have the seller ship them directly to him first for work like new blades or handles — but he also gets customers who have, say, inherited their grandfather's razor and send it to him for refurbishing. He also repairs and then sells razors he's bought himself. "As soon as I get one done, it's sold," he says.
Customers come to him from all over the world, with about half his business in fact coming from overseas, especially Europe. They're drawn to him because of word of mouth about the quality of his work and the fact that his craft is extremely rare. "There are only about 10 guys in the world who do what I do.” He has also used horn, bone, acrylic and the materials G10 and Micarta in his handles.
The growth of his business has been mostly online sales. In addition to straight razors, Maggard sells traditional wet shave equipment: safety razors ranging from $20 to $300, shaving soaps from all over the world, razor blades, soap bowls, brushes, after shave, lotions, virtually everything a person needs for a close shave like no other. Maggard said the company employs eight people including himself.
Maggard’s inventory includes shaving soaps, brushes and razors from as far away as Turkey, Germany, India and Great Britain; he imports stock from 15 different countries with 1,100 items for the “traditional wet shave” available in his inventory. An old card catalog from a library now serves as a handy space for storing razor blades and glass cases hold brushes made from artificial fibers as well as premium boar’s hair. His customers range in age from 20 to 70, he said. About 85 percent are U.S. clients, with 15 percent from Italy, Spain, Germany, Norway, Brazil and Australia.
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Club Assembly - New Year's Eve Gala Event
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Allen Heldt - His Personal Success StoryKathye Allen recounted his life’s experiences growing up. He said that he was born in Toledo and that Kathye did, indeed, impact his life. He said that he’s been a business owner for the past 14 years and has been at the mall for 20 years. He is married to Tiffany who is a dental hygienist in Adrian. They have two sons, Lucas and Max. Allen serves on the Small Business Committee of the Lenawee UW. His Mother, he said, pretty much raised him and his siblings herself. Growing up he lived in many homes and apartments including his aunt’s. When she developed Bells Palsy, Allen said, that it was a turning point in his life knowing that he had to step up and be more responsible and make a break from the life style the family had lived up to that time. His Mother passed about 13 years ago. He was able to get his grades up by taking evening classes and finally graduated from Madison high school. He attended JCC for 2 years in Applied Science and then transferred to Siena. On top of all that, Allen worked 55 hours a week! Allen started out working at Enzo pizza at the Adrian Mall. He eventually negotiated to buy it from the owner eight years later, changed the name to Biggie’s Pizza and today is the new owner of both locations of Morning Fresh Bakeries. (NOTE: Allen, as you know, is a candidate for the Adrian City Commission. He has attended every meeting for the past 4 years! He knows the issues and has some great suggestions for moving forward.) |
Dispute Resolution - Marc Stanley an Anne Lauderdale Mark Murray introduced today’s speakers, Anne Lauderdale – professor-Emeritus of Social Work at SHU and a licensed trainer for the International Institute of Restorative Justice as well as for the local community-based mediator Resolution Services volunteers; Marc Stanley – a grad of both Alma College and the MSU Law School and the Director of the Southeast Dispute Resolution Services in Jackson which services Jackson, Lenawee, Hillsdale and Monroe counties.Anne started by saying that there was a need in the 1990’s to establish a dispute resolution process across the US which the court system and legislators picked up on very quickly. The Michigan Supreme Court decided to designate a location where volunteers could be trained in mediating disputes in neighborhoods, businesses, hospital triages, with landlord/tenant disputes, etc. Lenawee County, she said, is very active in the program.
Marc said that typically the courts refer people with disputes to their organization for resolution. When he started, there were 55 trained volunteers handling only 90 cases per year. Today, they are down to 20 trained mediators now handling 560 cases per year! Professional trainers become certified at a cost of $10,000 to train volunteers. There are only 12 trainers in the entire state! For a volunteer to be certified the cost is $150. Marc said that he and Anne have recently been working with Probate Judge Greg Iddings and the Anti-Bullying Task Force, Lenawee Housing Health, Community Action Agency, Goodwill and Adrian Public Schools.
Incidentally, Mark Murray is a certified volunteer himself! He encouraged everyone in the room to give thought to becoming a trained volunteer. If you would like more information, please let Mark know.
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DG Wayne Titus Official VisitT
 oday was a special one for Adrian Rotarians – District Governor Wayne, and his wife, Lisa made their official visit to our club marking his last visit within the district since taking office July 1. This was his final and 48th visit! ADG Mary really did a great job formally introducing Wayne using his name as an acronym describing his many great characteristics: W – warmhearted; A – adept; Y – youthful; N – natural leader; E – extraordinary. On hand aslo were PDG Bruce and DGE Sue Goldsen.Wayne is a current member and past president of the Canton Rotary Club and was a member and past president of the Northville Club. He is a CPA and owns his own business. Wayne and his wife Lisa (who has accompanied her husband on 44 of the last 48 club visits) have two sons – Wayne IV who is married and a Rotarian and lives in Chicago and David who just returned from Guatemala having worked on a water project there and will graduate from the university in May. Wayne first met Lisa in college and they have been married 28 years.
He commended our club for our involvement in the community and thanked us for being so active. He recounted his experience last January when he and Lisa attended Governor-Elect training in San Diego where they met the then RI President-Elect Ravi Ravindran from Sri Lanka. Ravi reminded all DGs at that meeting that 2016 was a leap year and that all Rotarians had 366 days and a leap minute to promote Rotary’s ethics, pushing for organizational improvements, providing members opportunities to network and providing the opportunity for others to see the value in being members. “This is what our succession plan is and what will help drive Rotary into the future more successfully”, Wayne said. Wayne said that Ravi challenges all Rotarians to “Be a gift to the world” and he (Wayne) is tagging on with his motto of “GO DO GOOD”.
 Wayne said that he noticed that our club has been very supportive of the RI Foundation; that “it is our foundation” since every dollar we give comes back to us in multiple ways, generally in the form of grants which goes back to the international community. In saying that, DG Wayne presented Mary Murray with her Paul Harris pin with a 5th sapphire for her continued generosity! He followed that with a story about his own experience with a water project in El Salvador estimated to cost $37,000 using solar power. He said that they actually completed that project for $8,5000 cash thanks to Rotarian contributions in the form of matching dollars to this and other international projects. Wayne then gave everyone a postcard showing an aerial view of Michigan and Canada’s Essex County and Ontario taken from the International Space Station and asked everyone to write them a message describing how we were going to be a gift to the world this year.
 He gave everyone a district bookmark listing important dates: October 15 – One Rotary Summit at Schoolcraft College in Livonia. All are invited; October 24 – World Polio Day when a documentary film, “A Shot Heard Round the World”, will be screened at the Trenton Theater showing the history of the development of the Polio vaccine. A $5 donation will be accepted. Wayne then gave details of his District Conference June 23-26, 2016 at the Radisson Suites in Kalamazoo. See highlights on the District’s website). It will be a time to (1) celebrate our clubs’ accomplishments (2) have fun and fellowship together (3) participate in a service project together and (4) learn and be inspired by the speakers. He announced that a stipend from the District will be offered first time attendees of $150. (Our club will also provide up to $150 as well). A keynote speaker at the conference, he said, would be an internationally-known storyteller and Director of the International Storytelling Center affiliated with the Smithsonian Institute. He is also a Rotary Peace Scholar and will be running a workshop at the conference. (Shown in the photo to the left is: President Rod, Lisa Titus, DG Wayne, Anthony and Erik from Adrian College's new Rotaract Club and ADG Mary).Wayne concluded his presentation with a moving story about the time he was traveling globally for the company he worked for and noticed “global companies like Enron and WorldCom collapsing around the world” at the time. At the same time his Father-in-Law had passed away. This all made him reflect on “What am I doing with my life?”, “Who was I serving?” After two years of praying and meditating, he said, he made the decision to leave corporate America and go into business for himself specifically to help families to be good stewards of their finances. And then “Rotary came into my life!” when his friend, Lori Mars, director of the Northville Chamber of Commerce, made a visit to welcome him to the business community. A few weeks later she invited him to lunch at the Northville Rotary Club yet it was a few more years before he “fully understood the fullness and internationality of Rotary”, he said.
.PNG) When Wayne started his business, another friend of his asked him to join a board for an organization that worked with poor people in El Salvador which he did. He then met another person through that association, Sr. Peggy O’Neil, from New Jersey who had visited El Salvador many times over the last 30 years. Wayne said it never occurred to him to ever tell her he was a Rotarian. But one day while he and Sister Peggy were in the country chatting she told him that she had just participated in the dedication of a Rotary Water project sponsored by a group of Indiana Rotarians just a mile from where they were sitting! It was at the time Wayne told her he was a Rotarian and she told him “When I was a Rotarian, good things happen”. THAT was THE moment, Wayne said, he truly became a Rotarian!! Wayne concluded by encouraging each one of us to take time and invite a prospect to a meeting just like Lori did with me. “Go Do Good Adrian Rotarians.”Following his presentation, ADG Mary and President Rod presented DG Wayne with a bottle of champagne, an assortment of beer, and copies of Frank & Shirley Dick's book and PDG Bill Chase's book.
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Monthly Club Assembly - October
Nate Smith and Kathy Williams reported that as the Membership Committee focuses on expanding our club’s size, they felt it important that prospects have access to our social media sites. That means that our Facebook page and websites must be up and running. Patty Clark volunteered to take over and populate our Facebook page previously handled by former member Brittney Hoxsey who resigned from the club and moved out of town recently. Nate also commented on the Rotaract Club which is underway at Adrian College. It currently has some 50+ members and the papers are expected to be signed in the near future. Congrats to Nate for taking this important project on. Bill Gross, Co-chair of the Public Relations Committee reported that his committee would be working closely with Membership to get the word out about Rotary. He has been working on a program whereby the official form to request funds from our club can be completed on line and automatically sent to members of the Appropriations Committee for consideration. Rob Young from the Daily Telegram will be meeting with him and other club representatives to discuss a proposal for promoting our club in the newspaper. Kevin Keller reported on the Youth Services Committee and addressed R.Y.L.A. and scholarships. Mark Murray told members that plans for a Rotaract Club at Siena Heights is underway and that Barry Reinink has had discussions with them recently. Mark Murray, chair of the Club/Community Service Committee reported on the success of the River Raisin Cleanup, the upcoming Christmas Tree & Wreath Sale, Salvation Army Bell Ringing event, and New Year’s Eve Gala and that all projects were on schedule. Vera Alvarez and Patty Clark mentioned that the International Service Committee is discussing possible fund raising events to assist the club in expanding its international reach and suggested that members of the AC Rotaract, once in place, could assist with volunteer efforts. Ban Buron, chair of Vocational Services was void of committee members but did say that projects were underway and that he would have much more to report in the near future. Thanks to each chair and everyone in attendance today who contributed to this worthwhile discussion! |
Fluency Friends - Tiffany Olsaver and Kathy Sielsky Hubby Mike introduced his wife, Tiffany who is a Special Education teacher and Kathy Sielsky who is the Reading Specialist at Michener Elementary School as they kick off yet another year there of Fluency Friends – a project headed up again this year by past prez, Mary Murray.Tiffany stepped forward first and gave a recap of last year’s successful program. She said that when the program was first launched there were two only volunteers but thanks to our club, the program was a huge success last year. Most all of Michener’s students with the exception of just a few families live below the poverty line. Many of the students come from homes whose parents don’t speak English fluently nor do they speak the language fluently. Many of Michener’s students start school without knowing the alphabet nor numbers.
Tiffany proudly reported that last year there were 21 Rotary volunteers who served 51 of Michener’s students from kindergarten through 4th grade. Those volunteers contributed 172 hours of classroom reading. Students, she said, take a standardized computerized test in the Fall, Winter and Spring and each year they are expected to make a year’s worth of growth regardless of where they start. An astonishing 78% of the students that the Rotary volunteers worked with last year, Tiffany said, made that growth or more!!
In addition to that assistance, Tiffany said that she and staff noticed the relationships developing between the children and the Rotarians. The children, she said, would ask when the volunteers were coming! Tiffany acknowledged the gift the club gave them in the form of books paid for by a grant we’d received and said that each child at the end of the program were able to take two books home at the close of the program. The others are now part of Michener’s Fluency Friends library and “our children really need them”, she said.
Kathy then spoke to the audience and mentioned how happy she was that many of last year’s volunteers were returning this year! She explained the Fluency Friends process to those who might want to get involved for the first time this year. It requires only one half hour of a volunteer’s time each week during the school year. Volunteers meet with the same child each week which is so important in developing the right kind of relationship, get to know their reading ability, and let them read to you each week. Anyone who has more time they could give are encouraged to do so.
Kathy asked new and returning volunteers to mark their calendars for the Fluency Friends Open House on Tuesday, October 20th at 6pm at Michener to go over sign-in procedures, instructions on helping students with their reading skills, etc. New volunteers, she said, will receive individual training. A new classroom at Michener has been designated as a FF reading room where volunteers will go to each time to read with their respective student. Fluency Friends will official start the week of October 26th. She said that volunteers can tell her what days/times are best for each volunteer. They are very flexible. She said that volunteers can even request the same student they had last year but that it wasn’t necessary.
Dane Nelson said that as long as he’s been a member of this club, Fluency Friends is THE best program he’s ever been involved in.
In closing, Kathy said that unfortunately, the mobility rate among students is 55% which means that 55% of Michener’s students are not there two years in a row.
Thanks to Tiffany and Kathy for another opportunity for Adrian Noon Rotarians to impact other peoples’ lives!
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Family Farm & Home - John Isaly President Rod introduced today’s speaker, John Islay, a native of Marion, Ohio, married with two young children, a graduate from OSU, served in the Military Police, and is employed as store manager for the last year at the new Family Farm & Home (FFH) store in the plaza on South Main street formerly occupied by Country Market. His family, he said was not related to the Blissfield Isley’s since they originated from England and his family is from the German side of the Swiss Alps plus they spell their name with an “e” and he with an “a”.John said that FFH is a Michigan-based company with their corporate office in Muskegon, Michigan. Up to 60% of their vendors are established in this state. The company was founded in 2002 one year prior to Quality Farm & Fleet north of town who had merged with Central Tractor in 1999 went out of business because, John said, these two companies never meshed. Tractor Supply then bought not the company but the real estate – 160 parcels to be exact. FFH’s current president happened to be a VP with this other company. He took his own money in 2002 and started Family Farm & Home. Incidentally, John spent 18 years with Tractor Supply and towards the end, he said, “it wasn’t fun anymore”.
The first FFH building was in Coldwater. They now have 40 stores in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana and are growing at a rate of 8-10 new stores per year. Two of those stores are slated for development in Michigan. FFH is a niche retailer – that is, they tailor what they sell to those who live in rural areas, John said. The store in Adrian is a 20,000 square foot building. They currently employ 17 people and sales continue to grow.
FFH, he said, carries a wide variety of products in one location unlike their competitors. On display at their stores are hardware, nuts and bolts, paint, brand named products, generators (Ford and Westinghouse), pressure washers, automotive parts and equipment, Reese hitches, batteries, appliances, Ag-related products, animal feed and bedding, pet supplies and food, clothing, footwear, etc. FFH has an alignment, he said, with Tru Value which supply the entire right side of their store. FFH also has a lawn and garden and seasonal department complete with Husqvarna tractors and chainsaws. Snapper is another brand name sold there. Unique items include such things as Gorilla Tape, Anti-Monkey Butt Powder, Chicken Coop Lip Balm, etc. All great stocking stuffers for your families at Christmas, Rod said!
John said that his ancestors owned Islay Dairy located in central Ohio. In 1942 his family created the Klondike bar! The organization generally supports kids that are active in FFA and 4-H. This past year at the Lenawee County Fair, John said, FFH bought four animals, supplied all the feed for the rabbit farms, and donated a fan to the sheep barn. FFH, in partner with the Fair Board sponsored the grand champion showmanship belt buckle.
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Associated Charities of Lenawee - Delight Creech
She thanked members for volunteering each year to help pack food boxes. The agency just gave away over 460 back packs to school children. Each child also received two outfits of clothing as well. She encouraged members to think of Associated Charities when they go to clean out their closets this fall and anything they wished to discard should first go to them! If it is a furniture item that someone was looking to trash, she said they would be happy to send a truck over to pick it up for them so they could give it away to someone in need. The agency’s Keep Lenawee Warm program, she said, was fast approaching. When it kicks off in October, it will not be limited to just low income individuals but rather anyone needing a winter coat. Thanks to WLEN, collections will be at First Federal, Dave Knapp Motors and WLEN Radio. Coats collected this month will be cleaned by Adrian Dry Cleaners free of charge so they are ready to go! Collections include blankets as well, Delight said. Delight said that on an average day some 50 families shop at their store. The week before last,however, there were a record number of families in a one day period – 112! Thanks to recent remodeling, the store now displays clothing on racks and other ammenities. The agency is seeing a growing number of senior citizens at their store as well as families who are working multiple part-time jobs at minimum wage and little if any benefits, she said. Current needs include all kinds of children’s clothing and toys, suits for men, non-perishable food items and appliances. They do not take any upholstered furniture but items like tables that are stackable. The agency’s Christmas program in December (food baskets and toys) happens to be their largest, she said. Many of the donations in the Toys-for-Tots bins around the city end up at Associated Charities and parents are able to go in and choose what they want and receive a food basket as well. Delight concluded her presentation saying that the agency is always in need of volunteers for morning or afternoon hours. Please call her directly if you can help a couple of hours. |
Club Assembly.PNG) Today marked the second Club Assembly of the new year. President Rod asked members to break into their respective committees to discuss what they had going on currently, programs they might be planning and what they planned to do in the future. Rod also asked committees to discuss how, what they do, can get prospective new members to join the club as well as discussion around what changes/enhancements they would like to see for the upcoming New Year’s Eve Gala Event. Following the 20-minute get together, a spokesperson for each group presented highlights of what they discussed:Club Service: Mark informed members of the River Raisin Cleanup (details above). Brent Mercer reported that the committee is still looking for someone to provide food at Art-A-Licious in our booth since the original vendor backed out. A sign-up sheet was passed around. Still in need of volunteers.
Christmas Tree & Wreath Sale Project are fast approaching. The New Year’s Eve Gala Event is also in the planning stages. Mark developed a “Leadership Sign-Up Sheet” for members who want to take on a lead role (Ticket sales, sponsor recruitment, marketing, food/beverage, decorations, auction items, clean-up, etc.) Each member will be asked to sell two tickets and get one sponsor. There are two separate flyers: one for tickets and one for sponsors. A sponsor can give anywhere from $100 to $2,500 (Platinum Level – comes with 4 complimentary tickets; Gold sponsor – 2 tickets). To get a sponsor simply think of someone you may have bought a large ticket item from and ask for a sponsorship in return. It’s that simple. A pre-direct mail effort will be going out soon.
Vocational Service: Dan reported that DG Wayne moved the Vocational Service Lunches to January and that sites are being selected. One of the committee's plans is to invite various business representatives to speak which is a nice opportunity to tell them about Rotary. That includes Rotary members themselves who represent businesses they work for!
Membership: The committee suggested that each one of us should simply think of just one person they could invite top lunch who would be a prospective member – just one. Who couldn’t do that? Something else they considered was compiling a list of former members who dropped their membership and call to see if they like to rejoin. Secretary Allen reminded the group that some years ago the club did host a luncheon (Past Rotarian Day) for former members and we might want to do that again.
International Service: Mike said that the committee was focused on the St. Clair School for Girls in Kenya where Purity is from and said that since they were in need clothing for students, uniforms and more sewing machines, the committee would come up with a fund raising project to subsidize that. This would be announced at the New Year’s Eve Event and anyone who contributes $6 that evening would be told that the money would go toward paying for shoes for students in Kenya.
Youth Services: Kevin piggybacked on Mary’s information about Fluency Friends as well as the Rotaract Club which is being started at Adrian College. Barry informed us that real progress is being made on starting the program at SHU as well!
Patty offered a possible fund raining project might be to solicit a top name motivational speaker to the area that tickets could be sold to that would include a pre-event social and a gathering after.
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Rotary World Peace Conference 2016 - Dr. Bill Chase Former club member, president and District Governor and now a member of the Sunup Rotary Club in Palm Springs, California, Bill Chase (shown at right below with President Rod) took to the podium today and spoke to members about the Rotary World Peace Conference 2016 he chairs that is scheduled for January 15-16, 2016 in Ontario, California.Bill mentioned that the peace conference planning began a little less than 2 years ago. It was initially meant to be a conference for Southern California Rotarians primarily. However, as then incoming R.I. President Ravi Ravindran was planning his year to incorporate his 5 Presidential Conferences, one of which was to be focused on peace, he received word that Bill’s District 5330 was already way ahead of the game in planning theirs. Once Ravi found out, he called Bill’s incoming District Governor, Rudy Westervelt, to ask if he could piggyback onto ours. So the rest is history. Of the 5 Presidential Conferences scheduled for this Rotary year, Bill’s conference is the only one that will be held in the Western Hemisphere, and is focused solely on PEACE.
There will be 104 break-out session speakers, experts in their own fields, from bullying, to sexual harassment in the workplace, to human trafficking, to issues regarding religion, and illiteracy, to name just a few. Keynote speakers will include global peacekeepers, names that will familiar to all. There will even be a House of Friendship where NGOs as well as for-profit vendors will have the opportunity to display their programs and wares.
 The Early Bird registration fee is $249 until October 1, after which time the fee jumps to $299. Lunch is included for both days. There is a discounted fee for Rotaractors and other college-enrolled students. The peace conference IS OPEN TO ROTARIANS AS WELL AS NON-ROTARIANS. Everyone will benefit! You may register on-line and also reserve your rooms at: www.peaceconference2016.org. Also scheduled are both a pre and post bus tour around Hollywood, the cost of which is yet to be determined.
There will be 2 formal dinners, one Friday evening and one Saturday evening. These will be limited attendance functions. You may register for one or both of these dinners, at $100 each, on-line too. Bill mentioned that there is a Saturday evening concert open to all paid registrants featuring a world renowned 14-piece Russian Violin Ensemble.
The convention can only hold 3,800 people so register early!! Bill hopes to see as many of you there as can make it. Thanks for sharing your great work with us, Bill. Best wishes for a very successful conference!
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Ann's by Design - Ann Hughes Speaking to members today was Ann Hughes, certainly no stranger to the downtown and its newest entrepreneur. Ann was formerly the director of the Lenawee Chamber for 18 years before spinning off and opening the Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce where she served as President and CEO for 12 years. Her career history includes Alumni Director for SHU and long-time employee at the Bookstore in downtown Adrian in the 60’s where she met her husband, Phil. They have been married 49 years and have two sons.
Ann’s business is only 3 and a half months old and is called Ann’s by Design located at 118 W. Maumee Street. Not one to just retire and do nothing, Ann said that her new business was an “idea” just one year ago! The idea, she said, was originally to open a craft/consignment shop. She ran into Don Taylor one day who asked her: “Would you be interested in downtown space for a store?” to which she replied “Yes!”
Don showed her a building that suited every one of her needs, she said. Albeit it one that he personally owned! It provided her classroom space, retail showroom and work space. In spite of the fact no market research was conducted before opening her store, Ann said that she knew there were people who wanted a store of the type she’d opened.
As her brochure states: The business grew out of the owner’s love of handiwork: knitting, crochet, wool applique, and embroidery. Those arts, when added to a passion for quilting resulted in the opening of the needle arts store in Downtown Adrian. The environment is welcoming and time spent is filled with relaxing conversation, the enjoyment of seeing and touching soft yarns and quality fabrics and getting your creativity and project ideas flowing.
Ann mentioned that a Yarn Tasting will be a standard event at her store where patrons review an array of yarns while enjoying wine! Ann said that it’s a joy to go to work every day. Ann said she plans to continue to be involved in the community and looking for projects to benefit other organizations like ProMedica and specifically with the children that they treat. She will be involved in the up-coming Art-A-Licious weekend in September as well. Ann said that she will continue to be involved in her trade association so that she can keep learning. She has visited other quilt shops to see what they do.
She said that she has a person who keeps up the businesses website, social media pages, etc. The store will go online October 4. She has a person who does her accounting as well. She said that her business is now part of the Row-by-Row with some 145 other stores across the country. Patrons simply visit a participating store during the summer and ask for a free pattern for a row in a quilt. At no cost. People from as far away as Alaska, Ann said, have visited her store.
Thanks for sharing your story with us, Ann, and the club wishes you continued success in your new venture!
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Lenawee Now - Jim VanDoren and Tim Robinson On hand to address the audience today were Jim VanDoren, Executive Director, and our own Tim Robinson, Director of Operations for Lenawee Now (formerly known as the Lenawee Economic Development Corporation). As noted on their website: Lenawee Now is a non-profit organization dedicated to economic and business expansion throughout Lenawee County. By attracting new businesses, helping to grow established businesses, and supporting entrepreneurial endeavors in Lenawee, Lenawee Now is creating an economically viable and vibrant region. In addition to business attraction, retention and start-up activities, Lenawee Now provides critical services to support business growth including access to funding sources and talent enhancement. Lenawee Now is formerly known as the Lenawee Economic Development Corporation.They began with a promotional video developed to show prospective business investors, companies and dignitaries. The video mentioned that the organization is part of the Greater Ann Arbor Regional (Lenawee and 5 surrounding counties), the Detroit Regional Chamber, and the Regional Growth Partnership of Ohio. Jim switched to a PowerPoint presentation showing that the single largest employer in Lenawee County is the MEA followed by ProMedica. According to the 2010 census, he said, the total county population was 99,892. Unemployment ranges from 4.3% to 5.3% thanks to many companies in Lenawee County remaining strong and moving ahead.
The LEDC, Jim said, reorganized three and a half years ago and joined forces with all of their economic development partners and they decided their focus would be on Business Development solely of which Entrepreneurial development will be a major part and a key part of their success in the future, Tim said. Among their public/private partnerships, 50% of their funding comes from public entities while the other half comes from private individuals. Among their major investors are: Lenawee County government, Adrian College, Brazeway, Wacker, Gleaner, DTE Energy, etc.
Tim then shared the organization’s successes in 2014: Total investments made - $164M; number of expansions – 5; 49 new jobs through newly created companies in Lenawee County (1,975 new jobs within new and existing companies in Lenawee County); total business attractions – 2; startups – 2. In 2015 thus far: Total investments made - $135M; number of expansions – 2; 833 new jobs through newly created companies in Lenawee County (new jobs within new and existing companies in Lenawee County have yet to be determined); total business attractions – 4; startups – 2! For every dollar invested in 2014, Jim pointed out, $370 was returned! Not a bad Return on Investment!
Among the new investments in 2014 – for a third year in a row, Tim said, Wacker invested $20M! Lily Ann Cabinets purchased the former Merillat manufacturing facility on West Beecher and is now using the space in both buildings (300,000+ square feet) and employee 33 people. Tabani who now owns the Adrian Mall will be part of the grand opening of the new Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant adjacent to Hobby Lobby. Tim pointed out that 47,8% of residents live and also work in Lenawee County which means that the balance or 52.2% (17,007 people) drive out of this county to go to work! A little over 9,000 people are employed in Lenawee County but live outside its borders while 11.7% of residents travel more than 50 miles to go to work!
 Among Lenawee Now’s economic development tools, Jim mentioned, are: Revolving Loan Funds- County & LEDC, MILE- Michigan Invests Locally Exemption, Government Ombudsman services, Marketing & PR assistance, Entrepreneur programs- Adrian Tecumseh Smartzone, Property Tax changes and abatements, Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, OPRA- Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Act, CRD- Commercial Redevelopment District and the Land Bank Authority. Jim mentioned that their new RedTire program was a suggestion of Mark Murray’s. It is a program that finds new business owners for companies that don’t have a succession plan so they don’t leave Lenawee County.Jim and Tim concluded their presentation by announcing the new Pure Lenawee booklet which was branded in conjunction with Pure Michigan and covers quality of life in Lenawee County to support economic development “place making”. The booklet won the coveted MEDA Marketing Award in 2014. The organization also received the IEDC Economic Development Award in 2014 for their manufacturing and career study, booklet and partnership with educational leaders.
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Club AssemblyToday was the very first Club Assembly meeting for the new year. Members from the six club committees met individually for 15 minutes to discuss their plans for the coming year utilizing ideas from the Hedke Award requirements and the suggestions made during the Visioning meeting last March. Following the individual table discussions, spokespersons from each group spoke briefly recapping the highlights of their discussion. Here are the folks who reported out:
Vera Alvarez – Chair of International Service: The group focused on what new club project could be created or identify another Rotary club we might want to done in cooperation. One such project would involve the St. Clair Girls School in Kenya where Purity came to us from. The school is in need of fabric, shoes, and solar light panels. They also need help developing fish farms there.
Kevin Keller – Chair of Youth Services: The committee is currently looking for liaisons from our club to connect with a representative at both Adrian College and Siena Heights University to assist our members Megan V. and Barry R. in the establishment of Rotaract Clubs at both institutions. Also, Fluency Friends will be a project we will be involved in again this year and Mary Murray has agreed to head this up this year! The Junior Rotarian program will again start up as the new school year begins at Adrian High. Also, it is the committee’s intention to continue to select and award deserving high school students with scholarships again this year. Kevin concluded his presentation by announcing that he and Lisa Wilkie have agreed to be host families for 2 separate exchange students this year. This year’s Exchange Club program is being spearheaded by the Adrian Am Club.
Mary Murray (Sitting in for Chair Dan Buron) – Chair of Vocational Service: The month for Vocational Lunches has been moved from October to January. The date selected was January 14, 2016. Thus far Gleaner’s and ServiceMaster have agreed to be host sites. We are in need of four more. Another suggestion made was to possibly select a local organization our club could recognize for their involvement in community activities which exhibits high ethical standards and adheres to our 4-Way Test principles. Recipients chosen would send representatives to a regular club meeting to accept an award they thought it appropriate to present them.
Mark Murray – Chair of Community Development/Club Activities: Looking forward to the River Raisin Cleanup; Tree/Wreath Sales will happen again this year; planning for this year’s New Year’s Eve Gala Event will soon be underway. Last year the club raised close to $18,000. To insure yet another successful event, we’ll need everyone’s help to get sponsors and sell tickets.
Kathy Williams – Co-Chair of Membership (Standing in for Nate Smith – Chair): This committee will coordinate with the PR Committee to grow membership in this club by making sure the relevant social sites as well as our own website are current and up-to-date and being used to their fullest extents so that we will be able to attract prospective members. New members would also be directed to those sites to educate themselves about the club and the different projects. The committee will also be focusing on satisfying as many line items per the Hedke Award as possible so that we can submit a formal application this year and qualify for the award. The committee will also be developing a post card that can be handed to prospects you might want to invite to lunch with details on when and where we meet, our purpose and objectives, mission and vision, etc. The committee will also strive to market the club through print and radio advertising to increase membership.
Rob Young – Chair of Public Relations: Another representative from the Telegram, Rob said, will be joining Rotary to be a conduit between the club and newspaper to help Rob who has a very busy schedule. The club needs to be relevant on Google and Bing. There is a digital agency at the Telegram that can help our cub with that. A trade agreement will be drawn up between the Telegram and the club so that it is done legally.
President Rod wrapped things up by reminding members that these meetings will occur every month. He encouraged committees to meet on a regular basis. Thanks to all who participated today so we can take our club to the next level.
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The Arts at Adrian High School - Julie Dolan and Lisa Wilkie Julie Dolan, the outgoing Fine Arts Director (past 10 years) at Adrian High School was introduced by our own Lisa Wilkie, Director of the Adrian Schools Educational Foundation. Lisa said that Julie has really expanded the Arts curriculum while she’s been at AHS. It was through funding by the Foundation that Julie’s position came to be a reality. The Foundation will soon be celebrating its 30th anniversary, Lisa said. All money from the Foundation goes toward classroom grants as well as other projects in the district. The successful bond issue back in 2005, she said, resulted in the development of the Performing Arts Center at AHS. The Foundation boasts of a $1.2M endowment the interest of which goes annually to the Arts programs. It subsequently funded the position of Fine Arts Director, namely Julie’s.Julie gave much credit to the focus group that she herself was a part of back when it was formed in 2005 who had a clear vision as well as passion about what they wanted to do with performing and visual Arts at AHS. Julie quoted a woman from the Lincoln Center for the Arts in New York City who said the “we have to teach children enough to notice what there is to be noticed”, which Julie said, has become her own philosophy. An offshoot of this then, Julie said, carries into programs like the upcoming Art-A-Licious, First Fridays and other downtown events where all of the Arts can be enjoyed. This “touching of our community”, Julie said, has been very important in her focus of late for Adrian Schools as well as the rest of the community.
Julie then spoke about the efforts of the Croswell Opera House and the many stars that have come from it in the past some of whom have made it to the Broadway stage as well as those who decided not to pursue careers on stage but are now lawyers, business owners, etc. who, by their involvement at the Croswell, have learned such things as communicating effectively in front of any size audience.
Julie spoke about her partnership with the local colleges and university which are able to attract gifted students. New this year, Julie said, will be a dance class at AHS. Tanya Smith who owns a dance studio downtown will be teaching dance at AHS. A grant through the Stubnitz Foundation has been approved and will go to purchase dance bars. Also offered will be a guitar class. Grant money will also be used to purchase a number of guitars. A S.T.E.A.M Program (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) will also be started, she said, to give kids the “full arts experience.” Julie announced the upcoming Fine Arts Frenzy at Adrian Schools. They partner with the Boys & Girls Club (all kids from there attend this event for free). It is a full week of art-engaged activities that run from 10am until noon for kids in grades 4 through 9. Busses pick all kids up from the Boys & Girls Club and head for AHS. At the completion of the program there will be a luncheon at noon on Friday, August 21st and all are invited. Registration forms can be picked up at Lisa’s office at AHS for kids interested in participating.
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Hidden Lake Gardens - Paul Pfeiffer Paul Pfeifer, Managing Director of Hidden Lake Gardens, shared with the audience the history and various exhibits on display at the 755 acre complex in Tipton (Irish Hills region) since the property was purchased in 1926 by philanthropist Harry Fee and now currently owned by Michigan State University.Paul has been at the Gardens, he said, since September of 2014 and prior to that he was the manager of the Draime Estate Gardens on the campus of Kent State University. He is married to his wife, Vickie, and they have three grown children and live in Dundee. Paul is relatively new to this area since he is a native of Indiana but once they sell their home in Ohio, they have plans to move into Lenawee County.
He calls the Gardens a “wonderful gem”. Many people, he said, have very fond memories of and have had many personal encounters at Hidden Lake Gardens from having been engaged or married there, were or are still bicyclers and cross country skiers.
Paul gave a brief chronology of the Gardens and its exhibits and rich history over the past 90 years:
Harry Fee’s original intent back in 1926, Paul said, was to start a farm but the topography of the land and composition of the soil was not conducive for that so he started a nursery instead. He further developed and designed the property as time went by.
Paul shared with us the Garden’s 5-pronged Mission Statement:
HLG, he said, will be celebrating its 70th anniversary this year since the donation of HLG to MSU but they have decided to wait for their 75th to commemorate it with any kind of a major celebration. Sam Rye pointed out to the audience that when he served as Mayor, he suggested using the Fee Estate funds Harry’s wife, Harriet, left to the City of Adrian (corpus in 2005 totaled $20M!) to purchase the Fee home which sits directly across from Fee Park on S. Main Street but he could not get the rest of the Commission to go along with him unfortunately.
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LISD Japanese Middle School Exchange.PNG) Cindy Kojima, Japanese Program Coordinator for the LISD, spoke to members about their middle school exchange program. She began with a bit of history about the program: 1993 – Adrian Sister City, Moryiama, sent a group of junior high school students to Adrian; 1995 – we sent or first delegation to Japan. To date, over 300 American and Japanese students and chaperones have participated in these exchanges. Cindy read brief summaries from the alumns of these trips:“I am a very progressive and worldly person now thanks in no small part to my experience with this program."
“There were experiences that taught me to have confidence in myself that made an impact on how I handled experiences in the future.”
“I have kept a seventeen year relationship with my exchange sister. We have visited each other several times since. The exchange created a very wonderful friendship and I am part of her daughter’s life.”
Cindy concluded by thanking members for our continued support. She then introduced the Case brothers, Jeff (2012 - in the center of the photo in orange) and Nick (2015) who each got up and spoke about their experiences when they went to Japan through the exchange program.
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Our own Luke B. took to the podium, having been asked at the last minute (Thanks, Luke!) to update members on this flagship program. He began, though, announcing that the Woodworking Festival scheduled for May 2 and 3 has been cancelled due to the virus issue.
Thanks to everyone who participated today as several committee chairs met with their respective committees and discussed their specific responsibilities as well as other programs we should be involved in. Committees that met were: Community Service, Membership and International.
Here is the script of Bill's presentation: My name is Bill Morrison with the Plymouth Rotary Club and I am here today to share with you my observances of, and involvement in, entertainment involving the Adrian Rotary Club at District Conferences. The Adrian Club events I will show today are all more than 30 years old, and it’s possible you more senior men may have participated in them. I say men because Rotary hadn’t yet realized the value ladies could bring to the clubs. I joined the Plymouth Rotary club in 1979 when Adrian and Plymouth had only one club each and we were in District 640 which didn’t become district 6400 until 12 years later. Both the clubs had around 125 members and were among the more active and respected clubs in the district. My first District Conference was Governor Frank Sladen’s conference, held in Kalamazoo in 1980. It was so much fun that Barb and I attended 25 more. In my short time in Rotary I had heard a lot about what a great club Adrian was and about your famous bi-annual variety show, which I never had the pleasure of attending. I pictured Adrian, like Plymouth, as a very distinguished group of service oriented men and I was elated to find out that the conference was going to present one of the skits from your show that year.
their part of the show because two of the key players couldn’t make it. .png)
While “Member Moments” are generally presented by the club’s newest members, longtime member, Rod Hokenson, was invited actually to do our program today….. He and his wife, Helen, will be leaving the area and the club to begin a new season in their lives,"back to a college dorm” lifestyle (actually The Fountains at Kalamazoo near oldest son, oldest granddaughter and families). Rod is originally from North Dakota, a farm kid during the Depression and Dustbowl, the youngest of 10 children! He said he actually had two lives here in Adrian: the first, 1972-89, as Pastor of Christ Redeemer ELCA church on Maumee -- he admitted trying to cut it short here after 6-8 years, thinking he had done most of what he could. But "the Lord,kept pulling on my coattails” and seemed to want him to stay put. So he did, . Then he really got involved in community activities. Rod said he’s really loved Adrian..JPG)
Rod said he joined Rotary because he has a passion for international involvement and to raise the awareness that the US is not the only country in the world. Rod lived in Germany, traveled to India, and “hit another continent in between”. One recent focus was on developing solar power in Africa. Another passion of his, he said, was RI’s GSE program – Group Study Exchange. He shared with the audience an experience he had with Chip Moore who took a group of visitors in the two-engine King Air at the Adrian airport, going over Cedar Point and Detroit and the group “loved it”. As a private pilot he also took a group from India on an overflight of Lenawee County, apparently their first time in a small 
plane.
Our own Anne Sherman introduced today’s speaker and colleague, Sharon Van Tuyle, Director of Bereavement Services at Hospice of Lenawee. She announced that the organization’s Annual Run, Walk & Eat was scheduled for June 25th and that their annual Dinner, Denim & Dancing event was scheduled for April 14th.
President Nate introduced his colleague from Old National Bank, Melody Fanslau – Tecumseh Banking Center Manager, who spoke to us today about “fraud” and “financial exploitation”. The most prominent example of fraud today, however she said was “phishing” – people trying to access other’s computers for information and steal your identity. The cost of fraud to creditors and consumers is a staggering $36.5B per year, Melody said!
Mary Murray introduced her dear friend and our speaker today, Larry Wright (shown here with President Nate), Past District Governor, member of the Taylor Rotary Club and the founding member of the very successful Launch Detroit Campaign. He is the owner of Wright’s Landscape Services in Brownstown, Michigan, He and his wife, Sarah, have been extremely active in their club and district levels. About one year ago, Mary said, Larry was one of six people in the world who was recognized in New York by the United Nations for Launch Detroit!
In recognition of Rotary Foundation Month, our own Mike Olsaver, past president and veteran committee chair of the club’s RI Foundation, spoke to us about the monies raised and its goals. This foundation, of course, is separate from the Adrian Foundation which is chaired by Mark Murray, Mike pointed out.
Kathy Williams, a board member of Neighbors of Hope (formerly the Lenawee County Mission), introduced Pastor Steve Palmer who updated us on their new effort for a homeless shelter to house women and children. ProMedica, she announced, was turning over to them their Herrick Manor Nursing Home facility in Tecumseh. 
ric Driver, owner/operator of Mission Sports Performance in Adrian out by MJR Theaters
Jim Hartley and Sue Hammersmith who are both members of the Adrian Morning Rotary Club spoke to us today. Specifically, Jim was chair of the Lenawee Cares campaign last year but still on the board and Sue is their Executive Director. They spoke to us today about the campaign in addition to giving us a history lesson on how the Lenawee United Way (UW) joined forces with the Lenawee Education Foundation.
Our own Mike Olsaver who is also the chair of the ASO Board introduced the conductor of the Adrian Symphony Orchestra, Bruce Kiesling, who reminded members he was at our club during the selection process as well as when he was hired to be its conductor! Bruce went over the schedule for the 2017-18 season. The following is taken from the ASO website:
Chairperson Chip Moore said that we were coming to the finish line for the first ever Lenawee Bike Tour as he stood in front of one of 4 banners that will be displayed at Saturday’s Tour which will kick off at 8am at St. John’s Lutheran Church at the corner of M52 and Valley Road near the Kiwanis Trail..PNG)
Our own Jacob Maxson brought members up to speed on the inner workings of the Boy Scouts in Hillsdale and Lenawee counties. He began by citing a number of interesting stats: Between the two counties there are 491 registered scouts of which 244 are cub scouts, 191 are boy scouts and the remaining 56 are Venture scouts. There are 28 different scouting units across the two counties. 
Stuart Kail, a partner in the new Aubree’s in Adrian, spoke to members about the new restaurant – “ a gathering place in Adrian”, he said. It’s not a sports bar nor just a pizzeria. They welcome customers who have large parties to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries. They have burgers and salads as well as a buffet ($8.99@) and a private room seating 40 for dining for larger groups who want privacy. The restaurant employs some 85 people. Their motto is: EVERY EXPERIENCE MATTERS.
Mark Murray introduced today’s speaker, Sister Peg – President of Siena Height University, who began her presentation by saying how humbled she was by his introduction of her and the fact that was speaking before a group that does so much in this community.
Mark Murray, Chair of the Adrian Rotary Foundation, polled members about their knowledge of the ARF. Here’s what we learned: There is a difference between the ARF and the RI Foundation. Contributions to the ARF stay local and support activities of our club while donations to the RIF go to fund projects worldwide yet some money does come back to District 6400 and then back to our club. 
Steve May, Executive Director of the River Raisin Watershed Council, shared these interesting facts with us: The entire watershed is approximately 1,072 square miles - roughly the size of the state of Rhode Island. The River Raisin is approximately 150 miles long. As of 2010, the watershed was home to 178,577 people.
Well, the meeting we’d all been waiting for – the official visit by our own District Governor, Sue Goldsen, went way too fast! And what a day it was. Governor Sue arrived early to meet with the board and then gave her quite emotional and heart-felt presentation to members at the regular meeting that followed. AG Mary did the honors so aptly of introducing Sue by telling the audience that her theme this year suits her perfectly – pursue your passions and lead with your heart – because that’s just what Sue does. Today, by the way, was the Goldsen’s wedding anniversary!
John Drews who serves on the Public Relations Committee for the Yankee Air Museum spoke to members today about the facility at Willow Run Airport. John is a 41 year veteran in the insurance industry who is married with two children and lives in Adrian.
Our own Sue Lewis, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties, updated members on her agency and the many programs it offers. Formerly Catholic Social Services of Lenawee County, the agency’s name was changed in 2003 to Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties to reflect their connection to a much larger network of Catholic Charities in the diocese, the state, and the country.
Kevin Marti and Frank Dick took time today to share their unique experiences visiting the WWII Memorial in Washington, D.C.as part of the Honor Flight on Flag Day which honors the brave men and women of our military who served during that time! Kevin took the podium first and said that prior to taking the trip, he participated in over 3 hours of training in Findlay to prepare to be Frank’s “Guardian” during the trip.
President Rod introduced Melissa Growden, Director of Career Services at Siena Heights University, instructed members who agreed to volunteer at the Art of Mingling presentation immediately following today’s regular meeting on their specific roles as students from Jackson College, SHU and Adrian College arrived. Some 60+ students were in attendance along with 10 club members.
Today was yet another Club Assembly and President Rod asked members in attendance to give some thought to how they would be able to assist with the upcoming New Year’s Eve Event. A questionnaire was given to each member to complete and turn in at the conclusion of today’s meeting. Yours Truly reported on the status of sponsorships for the event and asked members for suggestions for additional sponsors at which time a half dozen were identified and assigned. President Rod concluded the session encouraging everyone to step up to the plate in the short time we had left before the actual event. In the event this project does not bring in the revenues expected compared to the work involved, Rod said, it may come down to this being the last year for it. It has been a huge fundraiser in the past but requires an enormous amount of work. So PLEASE HELP OUT AS MUCH AS YOU CAN.
Herrera introduced our speaker, Allen Heldt, who she has known since he was a boy when she worked at the Christian Charities. .PNG)
As is customary the first meeting each month, a Club Assembly was held today and respective committee chairs were given approximately 20 minutes to discuss with their groups the suggestions offered at the Visioning session this past March in addition to the requirements of the Hedke Award specific to their committee. Following the brief session, each chair summarized what was discussed.
President Rod introduced today’s speaker, Delight Creech, Executive Director of the Associated Charities of Lenawee County. The agency has been operating for the past 103 years, she said, and is the only non-profit in the county that gives away everything free (clothing, healthcare items, furniture and appliances) to low income families thanks to donations from the public! The agency does not receive any state or federal funding, Delight said. 