Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

January 31, 2024

102 Years of Service Above Self

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey. President Elect Christian 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 had a fall and will be having surgery tomorrow. We wish him the best as we recited the Pledge of Allegiance  

4-Way Test:  Joe Blachy 

Invocation:  Becky Philipp-Krainig

"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” — Epicurus

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Sharon Schappacher

Calendar Winners January 31, 2024

Visiting Rotarians:  None 

Guests:  Patrick OBrien, Maggie Steffy, Liz McKenney, Potential Member; Kali Blanchard, Brian Peters, Speaker

Life Events:

Joe Blachy reported that Roy Longworth’s blindness is progressing, please keep him in your thoughts and if you see him, make sure you introduce yourself so he knows who you are.

Please keep Andre in your thoughts as he fell last week and is having surgery on his ankle. He plans to return to his piano-playing duties next week.

Drew Smith gave an update on Stafford Smith – he is home and recovering well.

Birthdays: 

None

Anniversaries:

Bill Fedus – 47 Years

Singing/Song:  Andre Strydom was not here so we did not bother to sing out of tune songs. Everyone in a two block radius was immensely grateful.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MyRotary.Org:  Make it your new year’s resolution to register for your “My Rotary” account online to stay up to date with club information.

Rotary Foundation:  Jane Millar encouraged members to buy a ticket for the District 6290 50/50 Rotary Foundation. Several members of the club have won in the past and it is a great way to support the Rotary Foundation. Tickets are $20.00 so see Jane for purchase.

Salvation Army Bell Ringing:  We received a thank you from the Salvation Army and next year plan on scheduling two days of bell ringing since the spots filled so quickly in 2023.

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:  Brian Peters, Nehemiah Project

The Nehemiah Project is a shelter founded in 1988 to serve the homeless in Northern Michigan. In 1987, several churches and area agencies began to see an increase in the homeless population in Northwest Lower Michigan.  Representatives from area churches united to create a non-denominational ministry, to assist the homeless. In February of 1988, The Nehemiah Project opened its first shelter: Nehemiah House.   All guests were housed under one roof, with men occupying the first floor bedroom and women and families occupying the second floor bedrooms. 

In 1999 the home next to Nehemiah House became available.  A local church agreed to make the monthly mortgage payment on this home.  The Mary Margaret House opened in December of 2000 and houses women and children. In  2009, they began leasing the structure next to the Mary Margaret House for transitional housing—the Grace House.  The Grace House has three separate apartments to accommodate guests.  An additional building on their property, Hope Hall, opened in October of 2015.  Hope Hall provides an onsite daytime winter warming room, a place for guests to access a computer and internet,  and a place to hold life skills and other educational classes.  The community room at Hope Hall also provides space for Bible Studies, holiday meals, innkeeper training, and board meetings. In addition, our administrative offices are located in Hope Hall, and the basement provides much needed storage space and dry goods storage.  

Studies show homelessness is trending upwards, due to many factors including the end of stimulus support and lack of affordable housing. Northwest Michigan has the largest increase in the state with a 57% increase in homelessness in 2021-2022. The Nehemiah Project hopes to one day have one large facility that houses all their needs and allows them to increase their capacity. This past year they had an average of 21 people per night, and often had to turn people away when they were full. 

To learn more or find out how you can help: https://www.nehemiahshelters.org/

Next Week’s Program:  Project Rachel Sytsma-Reed, Great Lakes Center for the Arts- Education Director

Two-Week Notification:  Following last week’s meeting the President Elect, Christian Smith, held a podium board meeting in which he nominated Patrick OBrien to become a member of the Rotary Club of Petoskey, Jeff Wynder seconded the motion and all board members approved the membership. This is the second of a two-week notification.