Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

December 27, 2023

102 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Reg Smith; officiated the meeting.

If you did not get the chance to attend, you can read about it in this newsletter.

Pledge/Anthem:  Andre Strydom led us in God Bless America

4-Way Test:  Jean Frentz 

Invocation:  Neil Bidwell 

"We have been given the greatest of gifts....the gift of life.

In the coming year help us use it wisely.  May we grow in generosity,

kindness and forgiveness, hope. faith and love."  Amen.

Rabbi Evan Moffic

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Verne Osterlund and Neil Bidwell  

Calendar Winners December 27, 2023

Karen Ragland and Chris Hammond filled-in for Terry Newton. It was acknowledged that it takes two people to fill in for Terry, who has certainly earned a week off.

Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  Eric Keiser, Andre Strydom    

Life Events:  Long time Rotarian Bob Maldegan passed away in Plymouth, Michigan. He was 95 years old and leaves behind his wife Lee and his two daughters and multiple grandchildren. He was a member of our club since 1990 and an Honorary Rotarian when he left the area in 2017.

We were all glad to hear that Herb Carlson is out of the hospital and recuperating at home.

Birthdays: 

Mike Snyder

Walt Byers

Anniversaries:

Howard Richards – 13 Years

Singing/Song:  Andre Strydom led us in holiday songs Joy to the World, Santa Clause is Coming to Town, Have Yourself a Merry Little

Christmas.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Blood Drive:  Reg Smith let us know that we should ‘Save the Date’ of Tuesday, January 16, 2024 for Versiti Blood Center of Michigan Blood Drive at the Perry Hotel 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Send no money but please give us your BLOOD!

Calendar News:  Just a few more days to the end of raffle selling season. The cutoff date is 12-31-23. Please be sure to have your funds and calendar stubs in by that date. We want to be sure all of our calendar raffle participates have a chance to win the first week in January.  Please contact me asap if you have any questions or challenges that you would like to discuss.  Thank you. Karen

Save the Date:  Save the Date for Career Day at Petoskey Public High School on Wednesday, March 13. Rotarians will be called upon to represent their professions again this year.

NOTE ABOUT ANNOUNCEMENTS:  Going forward, announcements will be limited to Rotary-specific topics. If you have an announcement for personal or work projects, fundraisers, opportunities, or campaigns, you can email Terry Newton or Andrea Coronado to be shared in the newsletter and on social media. This will aid our efforts to keep meetings to one hour.

PROGRAM:  Holiday songs and updates from Northern Mediation, Women’s Resource Center.

PROGRAM:  After some festive holiday songs, the group heard updates from two Rotarian community leaders – Jane Millar and Andrea Koch. Both speakers expressed appreciation for the support their organizations have received from the Petoskey Rotary Club and PRCCI. Jane Millar reminded the group of the mission of Northern Community Mediation (NCM) – to help people meaningfully resolve conflicts in Charlevoix and Emmet counties. She described the initial goals when the Center was established in 2003: To achieve salary and benefit levels that were respectful of the work and skills of the employees; to establish a monthly volunteer day (which has been done) and to create professional office space for the work being done. The Center was originally housed in the former St. Francis Seminary. In 2022, the new Mitchell Park Drive location became available, bringing with it many advantages – physical accessibility, upgraded technology, and an improved professional look and feel. After amicable and successful negotiations, NCM was able to make a downpayment of $40,000 and obtain a loan of $175M for the remainder. Contributions from Rotary and others offset the relocation costs. A capital campaign is anticipated in the future. This purchase makes NCM the only community mediation center in the state to own its own property. Jane looks forward to continued work on improving the salaries and benefits of the workers who make NCM such a valuable resource.

Andrea Koch described the work of the Women’s Resource Center of Northern Michigan (WRCNM) – a nonprofit community-based organization that has been dedicated to serving individuals and families in Lower Northern Michigan since 1977. Like NCM, WRCNM has recently moved to a new and more welcoming building at 2225 Summit Park Drive. The new location supports the goal of consolidating services and facilitating collaboration in meeting the needs of clients. Andrea shared information about the capital campaign (Empowering Bright Futures) that will support the new location. The Center seeks to meet the needs of individuals at all levels – including a safe house, counseling services, and children’s advocacy. Andrea thanked the Rotary Club and its members for ongoing support. She encouraged us to contribute to and shop at the Gold Mine and to make client referrals to help those who can benefit from the services of WRCNM.

Next Week’s Program:  Tammy Remsberg Youth Programming with Strength & Fitness.