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Author of "The Sparks"
Feb 17, 2016
Kyle Prue is the 19-year-old Award Winning Author of The Sparks: Book One of the Feud Trilogy. Kyle is also an Actor and Stand Up Comedian. Kyle is on a national book tour visiting middle and high schools students to inspire teens to read, write, and follow their dreams. Kyle’s assemblies are a huge hit with teens and he has been swamped with schools requests. The Sparks has won state and national awards for Best Book for Young Adults in Florida and the national award for Best Fiction for Young Adults from the Florida Author’s and Publishers Association. The Sparks was the runner up for Best Young Adult Fiction at the Florida Book Festival and won Honorable Mentions at the New England Book Festival, Midwest Book Festival, Southern California Book Festival, and the International London Book Festival. Kyle also won a prestigious International Moonbeam award for Best Young Author. |
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State of the Economy
Feb 24, 2016
Bob Bleyaert, who has retired from The Bank of Northern Michigan, was our speaker today and spoke about the economic forecast for 2016. He went back and forth about his predictions for last year versus the predictions for the upcoming year. Currently the state of the dollar is strong which is hurting our imports. He had predicted that unemployment would go down last year which it has. He states that currently the labor market is not that strong. He predicted that oil was too cheap last year and that the prices would rise and admits that he was incorrect about that. He predicted that the feds would raise the interest rates in June and was incorrect on that as well. The Stock market was essentially flat last year. His current predictions is that during the current weakening currency rates in many countries, that the feds will probably not raise the interest rates further. His current predictions are, during the current weakening currency rates in many countries, the feds will probably not raise the interest rates further. The oil prices continue to decline which is confusing as, the stock market goes down while, personal spending and corporate profits are up. He predicts that there will be continued weak growth because of the current conditions. |
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NW Michigan Habitat for Humanity
Mar 02, 2016
Lani Laporte spoke about Habitat for Humanity where she has been the Executive Director of the organization for the past 3 years. The organization began in Georgia and started the organization in 1969 and incorporated in 1976. They form partnerships with givers and receivers and the recipients of the loans have to work on the home that they will be occupying and they also have a small mortgage that they have to work to pay back. They have built one million homes since their inception in 1976. It is a non-profit, Christian organization. The group in Petoskey is celebrating 25 years and they have built 35 houses during this period of time. There are 3 homes being built currently and The Rotary Club of Petoskey is going to be participating in the construction of a home in Alanson, currently being built. We are helping out May 14th 9:00 a.m. - Noon. 7880 Lantern Lane at Pine and Milton in Alanson. There are 39 families which currently need housing and the organization is looking to expand so that they can continue to meet needs in the community. |
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Traverse City Beach Bums
Mar 09, 2016
The Traverse City Beach Bums are a professional baseball team based in Traverse City, Michigan. The Beach Bums are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 2006 season to the present, the Beach Bums have played their home games at Wuerfel Park. |
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FEET Transportation Survey and Transit Options
Mar 30, 2016
Feet (Friends Enhancing Emmet Transportation) Cynthia Donahay and Martha Lancaster co-presented on the latest results on the efforts of developing public transportation in Emmet County. There has never been an attempt to recreate the wheel with this group and the group has met for over ten years to research the needs of the community and come up with the plan that has been presented to the county commissioners who will be deciding this Friday on the course of action to take. The plan is to have Straits Regional Ride roll the Friendship Center buses and operation in to their busing system and provide more service in to Emmet County. For further information you can visit their webpage and Facebook page: |
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Leadership Little Traverse
Apr 06, 2016
Today we had Natalie Kasiborski and Sarah Ford from Leadership Little Traverse. Leadership Little Traverse has been going on for several years and provides an opportunity to develop new leaders in the community and help them to get to know their community. This years class had 16 new leaders.They get an opportunity to see many different businesses and non-profit organizations in the community. They focus on Environment; Past, Present and Future; Education; Human Services; Local Government; Creativity & Ethics; the Economy and; Where do we go from here. The last part is a personal leadership plan which involves a commitment to what each will do to become a better & involved leader in the community. |
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STRIVE Kids will share their experiences with our mentorship
Apr 20, 2016
Tim Dykstra, Jean Frentz and BJ Shawn officiated the program today and presented about the STRIVE (Students taking A Renewed Value to Education) program. There are three leaders on the STRIVE Committee; BJ Shawn, Jean Frentz and Tim Dykstra. The program is 22 years old in the Rotary Club of Petoskey. The program is available to Petoskey High Juniors and Seniors. Many of the youth have underlying familial issues that cause them to have problems in school. STRIVE provides mentors for each student that sign up for the program. The goal is to help each student raise their GPA, (grade point average). The top three are awarded a scholarship towards college. Scholarship of 1 year presented by North Central Michigan College worth $1,500. |
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Petoskey Chamber of Commerce Update
Apr 27, 2016
Carlin Smith was our speaker today and he gave us an update on the Petoskey Chamber of Commerce. There is a new initiative called Thriving Michigan and involves 7 different Chambers of Commerce in Michigan. The initiative involves Conscious Capitalism, where business is still paramount but involves doing good in the world, a Rotarian concept as well. He listed various organizations in the community who are readily seen as doing good in the community. He talked about an organization called Tom's Shoes, whose main purpose is to improve lives but, they sell shoes as well. If you go to their website it lists all of what they do for the community and the world they live in and you really have to drill down through their site to find the shoes that they sell. He also discussed a business that works to hire formerly incarcerated individuals and they sell bread. In the next few years there will be a work shortage as there are few that are moving up to take over the massive amount of employees who will be leaving the workforce. Customers, employees, owners/shareholders, suppliers, the community and the environment are all stakeholders in which conscious capitalism looks to have all achieve at the same level so that you have a thriving community. Business can work to help the human condition thrive better than government which has become so divided. Three area businesses Crooked Tree Arts Council, Manna Food Project, and Tip of the Mitt Watershed are prime examples of area non-profits who work towards a thriving community. He also discussed Tom Moran and his knowledge that area jobs who are aging out of the workforce is the trades. He knew that government was not going to solve this issue and has worked to build a trades college in Onaway which will educate and then supply workers to replace the trades positions.
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Wings Over Northern Michigan
May 04, 2016
Don Cabble and Kerry Felder were our speakers today from Wings Over Northern Michigan, in Gaylord, which is an annual even. Gaylord's "Wings Over Gaylord" air show is fast becoming one of the premiere summertime events not just in this community but all of Northern Michigan. Gaylord Regional Airport director Matt Barresi, one of the organizers of the six-year event slated for Father's Day weekend, June 18-19, said "We feel we are becoming the air show of Northern Michigan." He added that this year's event can be condensed into one short phrase — "here come the jets." The show this year will be double of last year's event and is one of only 5 air-shows in the State of Michigan. Barresi explained further the allure of the mighty jets which will be in plain view — on the ground and in the air both days of the air show. "Basically we wanted to turn toward more jet performances," Barresi said. "We have a jet fighter plane dog fight which will be exciting for the crowd. Probably the jet aircraft in the air will get everyone's attention. The noise levels and low level of flight will be exciting. The one great thing about the show is that everything is up close and personal. It's not like watching planes flying over a lake in the distance." |
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Petoskey Downtown Management
May 11, 2016
Katie Manthei was our speaker today and talked about Petoskey Downtown Management. She is responsible for the updated branding of Downtown Petoskey. The logo was changed to; "Light of the North." There was also a push to redo the website which now includes the ability to shop from your home at the various businesses. There is also a push to provide more in the way of activities and events. Kate shared the following new innovations she has spearheaded:
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Teacher of the Year
May 18, 2016
John Hurd was the master of ceremonies for the Rotary Teacher of the Year Presentation. Each year we recognize a teacher for having a lifelong positive effect on students. This is the 24th year our Club has recognized an outstanding Petoskey teacher. “We ask a lot of our teachers, and as a society, we tend not to give them the recognition they deserve, particularly in these times, with so much focus on standards, rankings, teacher evaluations, testing, taxes, etc., etc.” John thanked the members of the Teacher of the Year committee for their efforts. Members include Bob Metzger, Steve Brummeler and Bill and Roger Winslow. John also did a shout-out to the leadership that enables excellent schools with great teachers. Dr. John Scholten and Kent Cartwright were recognized and were asked to convey Club appreciation to the Board and staff. Rick Wiles, a former recipient and Cal Prins, the principal of Central School said a few words before the introduction of the 2016 recipient, Jennifer Greer. Jenny was born in Caro, MI. Dad was a teacher and Mom was a “professional volunteer.” She graduated from CMU, received her teaching certificate from SVSU, and also earned a Master’s in Education. She was introduced to the area when she worked as a summer counselor at Camp Daggett. Her first teaching job was in Cedarville, and after a year, her dream job came open in Petoskey. She nervously applied for it and the school decision makers wisely hired her. Jenny has now taught 1st Grade at Central Elementary for 17 years. When asked where her passion comes from, Jenny talked about wanting to make a difference, and couldn’t imagine doing anything else as meaningful. She also talked about what a great feeling it is when a student “gets it.” She’s very active professionally. The Red Cedar Writing Project and the Foundation for Teaching and Learning are just a couple of examples. Jenny is also very involved in the community. She describes herself as a “chronic volunteer” and is involved with Girls on the Run, Central School Carnival and Band Boosters. Jenny was joined today by her husband Mike, children and two grandchildren. Congratulations to an exceptional teacher and a great contributor to our community |
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International Rotary Trip
May 25, 2016
Afghanistan and Pakistan have 15 cases of polio between them. It is estimated that the world will become polio free in the year 2016. We will continue to immunize to make sure that there are no new cases. Chris made a trip to India in 2004 to immunize children. She then went to Nigeria last year to immunize children. During one of these trips there is an entire team; this time 13 while the trip to India had 114. In this trip one member was a Roteract member and the other was a friend of a Rotary member. All the rest were Rotarians. Nigeria has been polio free since July 24, 2014. Each of the countries that are active in immunizations have set up Emergency Operations Centers that have World Health Organization, Centers For Disease Control, Rotary and others have offices in the same buildings. One of the centers was the first that found the Ebola Virus. The vials of vaccine have to be kept at a certain temperature so there are massive refrigeration units in the buildings to keep the vials safe. If a strip turns black on the vials then the vaccine is no longer effective. The school that they went to had 10,000 children and ones 5 and under are vaccinated. They are orally administered presently though in the future the vaccinations will be done through injection. After immunizations the children are marked with a purple pinky. They are given two drops of the vaccine orally and the purple pinky is a sign that they have been immunized. If they go through an area and see that the pinky is not marked then they administer the vaccine. In villages they go door to door to immunize children. They utilize drumming to bring them out of their houses and there are children that stream out of the houses to see what is going on and they are immunized in the process. There are survivors of polio that exist in the area and there is a company that converts old bicycles in to wheelchairs which help a person gain dignity and mobility. One of the requirements for getting the donated chair is that they have to use it to attend school or get a job so that they can become a productive member of their community.
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Michigan Youth in Government
Jun 01, 2016
There are two ways to learn about government. The first is to read textbooks about what others have done. The second is to take that theoretical knowledge and apply it in an actual government setting. The State YMCA Youth In Government program provides high school and middle school students with a unique opportunity to become acting state legislators, governors, lobbyists, lawyers, committee chairs. The students simulate all phases and positions of the actual state government. These students are challenged with many of the issues our real legislators must face in their elected offices. Our expanded program includes a national issues debate section (National Issues Forum) dealing only with national and international debate. |
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Principled Negotiating
Jun 08, 2016
Principled negotiation is a concept that is based on the book Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and Bill Ury. This approach to negotiation focuses on the interests of the parties and emphasizes conflict management and conflict resolution. Because the goal of principled negotiation is to find a mutually shared outcome, it is sometimes referred to as “win-win”. This represents a very different approach from the stereotypical view of a tough negotiation where one party will inevitably lose, while the other wins. (A win-win negotiation is one where the agreement cannot be improved by further discussions. There is no value left on the table and all creative options have been thoroughly explored.) If we delve into principled negotiation in more detail, we find that there are four central guidelines to the approach:
Principled negotiation is not right for all situations The principled negotiation approach is most popular among academics and mediators. It is not often used in business negotiations. It is important to bear in mind that compromise is not the same as win-win. In a compromise situation, both parties make some sacrifices to find an agreeable outcome. With win-win, both parties achieve their desired outcomes, but neither sacrifices to do so. Certain scenarios do not lend themselves to principled negotiation:
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Jun 11, 2016 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
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St. Michael's Academy
Jun 15, 2016
The mission of St. Michael Academy is to inspire students to live a Christ-centered life by providing an excellent academic and Catholic education that challenges student's minds, renews their hearts and strengthens their character. Established in 2013. For a list of teachers at St. Michaels Academy please see the following link: http://www.stmichaelrca.com/#!faculty/c1d25 They have a very rigorous educational requirement which gives them 25 credits versus 18 at the public school system. They also have a very comprehensive band program which they take with Petoskey High School and they have a solid sports program. Link to the sporting program is here: http://www.stmichaelrca.com/#!sports/kjgy0 "Classical education" is fast becoming a buzz word in educational circles, yet many are still puzzled by what makes a program distinctly classical. Some believe it merely involves the study of Ancient Greco-Roman culture, language, and literature. Others believe that a classical curriculum must be based on the study of rhetoric, grammar, and logic (called the Trivium in Ancient and Medieval times) combined with the study of arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, and music (called the Quadrivium in Ancient and Medieval times). And still others feel that utilizing the Socratic method (i.e. asking students questions rather than merely lecturing them) is the most essential element of this pedagogical approach.
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Thrive 45
Jul 13, 2016
Anyone who spends time in Northern Michigan and considers his or herself young and professional is welcome to join. Most of our members are in their 20's and 30's. There are no membership fees. Some events have participation costs that are not covered by sponsorship. The group formed as an avenue to attract top talent to our area and serve as a resource for young professionals to network and also as a social outlet. The first group meeting was expected to draw maybe 15 people. Instead, over 50 people showed up and there was a lively discussion which ensued about the direction the group should go and it has been expanding its membership and scope ever since.The Thrive 45 Facebook Page is active and a good place to keep in touch with the group. 45 degrees is the latitude halfway between the equator and North Pole - it's also the informal southern border of northern Michigan |
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Honor Flights
Jul 20, 2016
Moose Dunne served in World War II in the Merchant Marines. Many of them were just as susceptible to attacks because they were carriers of war supplies for the war efforts. Their death rate was one in four and they were just recognized as veterans of the war by President Clinton during his presidency. Moose spoke about Honor Flights, which are free to war veterans who then go to Washington, D.C. where they are recognized for their service during the war. Many veterans are dying on a daily basis because of old age. The average age of the veterans are 90 years of age and some have passed away on the flights The veterans involved are either World War II, Korean or Vietnam Veterans. They also visit Arlington Cemetery which is filled with veterans from all of the wars including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The veterans visit the World War II Monument and get to hear about the history of the monument. Moose went on his Honor Flight October 13, 2015. |
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Petoskey Public Library / Fire Truck Millage
Jul 27, 2016
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TC Retreat
Aug 03, 2016
Former Traverse City District Court Judge; Tom Gilbert, was our guest speaker today. His presentation was on recovery from addiction and shared his personal story and worked to spread the message about the stigma associated with addiction and recovery. He also showed a YouTube video called The "Anonymous People." He also shared about TC Retreat which is talked about on this Facebook Page. |
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Preventing Prescription Drug Abuse
Aug 17, 2016
Dave Schneider is the Executive Director of Northern Michigan Regional Entity which contracts with providers in 21 counties of Northern Michigan for prevention, drug detoxification and treatment services. One of the largest problems in the United States today is Prescription Drug Abuse which has now translated to Heroin abuse with the difficulty of obtaining prescription drugs. Programs have been instituted such as medication drop off sites where you can take older prescription drugs to be discarded at a safe site which will destroy them. There are also prevention programs which are contracted to provide prevention education. Another initiative is to get people to lock up their medications in a lock box so that people visiting the home cannot raid their medicine cabinets. A key point is not to flush medication in the sink or toilet. A big problem is medication's showing up in our fresh water supplies. |