Rotary Informer

Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

November 22, 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:  Howard Richards led us in My Country tis of Thee

4-Way Test:  Rocky Karr     

Invocation:  Neil Bidwell

We give thanks for the blessings bestowed on our lives.  We have been provided with more than we could ever have imagined.  We have been surrounded by people who care for us and look out for us.  We have been given family and friends who bless us every day with kind words and actions.  We are, indeed, a blessed and grateful people.

Calendar Winners:  Read off by Drew Smith

Calendar Winners November 22, 2023

Visiting Rotarians:  Jock Rader, Sunset Rotary  

Guests:  Andi Symonds, Prospective Member; Cindy Okerlund, Speaker

Melonie Schulz

Life Events: 

Birthdays: 

Liz Ahrens

Joe Blachy

Anniversaries:

None

Singing/Song:  Howard Richards led us in Smile

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fletch's 2024 'Share a Christmas':  Any family that resides in Emmett or Charlevoix county and needs help this Holiday season are invited to stop in and sign up for Fletch's Share a Christmas at one of the three locations listed below. Sign up locations: 

Fletch’s GMC Buick & Audi Petoskey 805 Charlevoix Ave Petoskey, MI 49770 

Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency 2240 Mitchell Park Dr Unit A Petoskey, MI 49779 

Hear Michigan Center 173 M-66 Family Fare Plaza Charlevoix, MI 49720

For more information go to this link: https://linqapp.com/james_skop 

HANWASH Update:  Join us for an evening discussion and updates on HANWASH! November 27, 2023 at 7:00 pm.  Link for signup

Mental Health Unit in Cheboygan:  Justin A. Borra Behavioral Health Center has cared for 20 patients since opening in September. Earlier this month, the Center achieved the final step to being fully operational by receiving designation from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Calendar News:  Members need to contact Karen Ragland to arrange pick up of calendars. 734-320-0424 or karenmragland@comcast.net.

Also, very IMPORTANT: Calendar Caution:  Members please NO NOT cover up ticket number when applying labels.  It makes it impossible to assign your calendar buyers to a specific number.

Reminder! Calendar sales are due soon. Please submit stubs and funds to Karen Ragland. If you do not submit before the end of the year, you will be invoiced for the cost.

Salvation Army Bell-Ringing:  Only two spots left for Salvation Army bell ringing on December 15 outside the Katydid. Sign up soon!

Giving Tuesday:  Giving Tuesday is on November 28. Consider making a gift to the Rotary Foundation. Set up your MyRotary account for easy gifting!

Toys for Tots:  Dave Thomas made a request for Toys for Tots donations to make the holidays happy for families in need. There is a special need for cash (can be used to purchase toys at a discount, and gifts for teens.

Fundraising:  NEW! We are looking to add new fundraising efforts to our calendar. We are considering an “Instant Wine Cellar” event spring 2024. First, we need to form an exploratory committee. If you are interested in joining the committee, please see Karen Ragland. 

Madrigal Singers:  The Madrigals will be joining us on December 20 for our holiday meeting. Please consider sponsoring a student madrigal for lunch for $20. Stay tuned for more information on how you can help. 

Induction:  Megan DeWindt was inducted into the club as a transfer from Sunrise Rotary with a standing ovation.

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: 

Pedaling with a Purpose

Cindy Okerlund

In 2022, 367 4th grade students and 84 volunteers participated in Pedaling with a Purpose.

In 2016 the Top of Michigan Trails Council launched Pedaling with a Purpose. This program is designed to get kids outside. Combining science, geography, history, and most importantly, health, students spend the day reading maps, taking nature walks, discovering local history, and learning the life cycle of fish, as well as basic bicycle mechanics and etiquette to ride in a group.

Although the day is filled with fun and learning, the focus is on health. The health challenges facing our youth today are staggering.

Childhood obesity has more than quadrupled in the last 40 years. The percentage of children aged 10-17 in the U.S. who are obese has risen from 7% in 1980 to 32% in 2016.

Type 2 Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in the US and it isn’t just adults any more. The number of adolescences with this condition has skyrocketed over the last 20 years prompting experts to call it an epidemic.

There is also a growing concern over the effects of sedentary lifestyles on young people. Rapid increase in juvenile obesity is now being linked to spending more time in front of a screen and less time engaging in physical activities.

And sadly, these three health challenges that have faced our youth over the last few decades have only multiplied the last year and half due to setbacks we have experienced because of COVID-19. 

Never before have children been so plugged in and so out of touch with the natural world.  The Pedaling with a Purpose program provides Emmet County kids an opportunity to be outside, exercising and experiencing first-hand the beautiful area in which they live.  The goal?  Get them turned on to biking… a form of cardiovascular exercise that they can carry with them throughout their lives.

They are seeking some “young at heart” volunteers to partner with them on the program. If interested, reach out to Cindy at the Trails Council at (231) 348-8280.

Next Week’s Program:  Jania Taylor Magic Show 

Two-Week Notification:  Andi Symonds was voted into the Rotary Club of Petoskey at the November 14 Board Meeting. This is the second of her two-week notification.

Special Announcements: 

Come join us for our fourth annual Rotary Holiday Party with optional Secret Santa.

We are expanding our holiday party to invite everyone in Rotary and family members to join us for a night of fellowship and celebration regardless if you participate in the secret Santa portion.  Reg wants to “do it up big” this year! It really is a fun night and I would encourage everyone to attend. 

Registration deadline to participate in secret Santa present exchange:  November 26^th

Registration deadline to attend party:  December 4^th

Date:  12/11/23

Time:  6-8pm

Location:  Perry Hotel Reycraft room

Cost:  $10 per person to attend.  Spouses, significant others & family are welcome.  Rotary account will be billed by Jim Wibby.

Cash Bar & appetizers provided. 

Entertainment by Lejet

If you register to buy a present, you will receive an email on 11/27 with instructions to draw your name. Once drawn, you have a couple weeks to purchase a present for your giftee, wrap the present with three clues to your identity, and drop the present off at the Perry Hotel. On December 11^th, attend the party, open your present and try to guess who gave it to you! We have learned some very interesting things about our fellow Rotarians at this event, it’s a night of lots of fun and laughter.  

If you have any questions, please email or call Ashley DeCarteret for more details – ashley@harborbrenn.com or 231-838-0313 cell.

Sign up link. 

Hunters…Please consider helping those less fortunate by donating as little as 1 lb. of venison from your harvest.  Donate an entire deer and we pay the processing!

The Manna Food Project provides food to over 35 local food pantries and programs, from Mackinaw City to Mancelona.

Coordinated by the Petoskey Sunrise Rotary Club, since the program’s inception, generous hunters have donated over 10 tons of venison!  THANK YOU!

All donations must come through a licencsd processor.