Petoskey Rotary Noon Club NEWSLETTER

April 29, 2020

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Petoskey via the world wide web! Liz Ahrens, our President officiated the meeting. If you did not get the chance to attend, you can watch it from this: Recording of Meeting

Pledge/Anthem:  My Country tis of Thee led by Howard Richards

4-Way Test:  John Emley

Invocation:  Jane Millar in honor of BJ Shawn:

TABLE HOPPING

Written by BJ Shawn

I would like to be a bit less global today, in giving thanks…………if I might!

When I became a member of the Rotary Club of Petoskey, my mentor, Moon Seagren, a warm and welcoming soul, sat with me for 4 to 6 weeks, and then bounced me out of a very secure cocoon.

She said that a principle of Rotary was to connect with all the members of the group, and I was on my own. I was to remember to rotate, or as I used to call it in high school…..table hop!

Table hopping was WAY out of my comfort zone, not knowing anyone, really…the dentist sounded good!

Now, I have to say that it has been truly a rewarding experience, and I thank Moon and you for making me feel this way!

I have met and been welcomed by so many of you. I have exchanged ideas, laughed and cried with a mayor, a funeral director, school superintendents, creative, visionary, art-center directors, a beautiful marketing maven, a remarkable leader who replicates a Vogue magazine ad every week, a school board president, past law students of my Dad’s, a volunteer fireman, a dedicated protector of our waters and a tireless advocate for global early education.

During the last 8 years of table hopping, I have been inspired by a dedicated business counselor, educated by an expert in substance abuse, secured a fabulous space for my business through a supportive landlord and enjoyed exchanges with a true advocate of the geriatric set.

I’ve had the opportunity to share empathy with those of you dealing with elderly parents, been assisted in educating my staff with the assistance of a supportive public safety officer, retained an attentive company to hydrate my staff, and had a chance recently to share ideas with a wife of a member in regard to an event for HER charitable organization… and I’ve had a blast doing so.

I have received your support in my business and have been truly impressed watching your families grow up soooo beautifully.

I have joined forces with some of you to fight for causes that we truly believe in, even though we don’t agree on everything!

I have bonded with some of you and your wives and husbands in a deep and fun-filled friendship ………..And I have been truly inspired by the heroic life and death struggles of some of you, your wives and your children.

I am honored to be part of this Rotary club. I thank you for taking me out of my comfort zone to mingle and be welcomed, educated and inspired.

Table hopping was the LAST thing I ever saw myself doing years ago, but it has turned into one of my favorite things to do.

Not only do I get to be charitable with you,…you have allowed me to get to know you.

I give thanks to all of you and… to Table Hopping!!

Singing/Song:  We sang Happy Birthday for our birthday celebrant played by and led by Howard Richards and then we sang “Smile”

Calendar Winners:  Read by Bob Metzger

Calendar Winners April 29, 2020

    
 
 
 
 
Prize
Cal#
Calendar Winner
City
Sold By
$50
463  
Kent Warner
Petoskey
Petoskey
$50
2714     
Shelly Holbrook
Boyne Falls
Grayling
$50
1735  
Karen Cole
Petoskey
Petoskey
$50
2135  
David D. Moyer
Petoskey
P. Sunrise
$50
2898  
Jeanne Ascione
Traverse City
Kalkaska
$50
1928   
Laurie Cellner
Ann Arbor
P. Sunrise
$50
1786  
Colleen Porowski
Gaylord
Petoskey

Visiting Rotarians:  Thank you for joining us today:  Sally Crowley, Petoskey Sunrise Rotary; Patricia Wimmer, Rochester, MN Rotary

Guests:  Becky Philipp-Kranig – PM (No more free meals Becky); Greg Irwin, Speaker

Life Events: 

Rotary Care List:  None this week 

Birthdays:

David Finley

Anniversaries:  None

Announcements:

STRIVE:  Mentors, please nominate your student for an Attitude Award! Nominations are due this week. Please email them ASAP to Georgia Abbott. 

Rotary Foundation:  Chris Etienne noted that the Rotary Foundation recently approved 150 grants worth $3.5 million, for COVID-19 relief worldwide. Awesome! The Rotary Foundation is hosting a telethon this coming Saturday at 11:00 AM Eastern. To participate, just go to www.facebook.com/rotary.    Link

PRCCI:  Dianne Litzenburger noted that PRCCI recently approved four $2,500 grants -- to Manna Food Project, McLaren Northern Michigan Foundation, Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity and Salvation Army -- for COVID-19 relief efforts. Between these PRCCI grants, and other recent contributions from our club, we have donated $30,000 to our community to address COVID-19.

Insurance Reform:  Ashley Whitney discussed a workshop on Insurance Reform; 3:30 pm Thursday, especially if you missed her previous presentation for registration please click the following link: You must register in order to participate in this.

Member Check-In: 

To all members who could not make it we encourage you to do so next week and we also encourage all of you to continue to be safe so that we can see you in good health when we can next meet together at a regular Rotary meeting in the not too distant future.

Program:  Greg Irwin, Salvation Army and Doug Beck, Chemical Bank

NEW MEMBER INDUCTION

We began our program by inducting a new member to our club, Becky Philipp-Kranig. Becky is the daughter of longtime Rotarian, BJ Shawn.

Becky grew up in the Detroit metro area. She attended University of Wisconsin, where she met her husband, Brad. After college she and Brad moved to Colorado. Her mother BJ had just opened the Bearcub Outfitters store in downtown Petoskey, and suggested that Becky move back home to Michigan to run the store with her. Lucky for us, Becky agreed to do so!

Becky continues to own and operate Bearcub Outfitters. She also serves on the board of the Little Traverse Bay Humane Society and the Downtown Petoskey events committee. Her husband Brad is a senior project manager, currently working on the hospital expansion project. They have two sons -- 14-year-old Mitchell and 12-year-old Connor. The family loves hiking and camping together. (And they probably do so with the best gear around!!)

Welcome to Rotary, Becky -- we look forward to getting to you know in the months ahead!

UPDATE FROM SALVATION ARMY

Following our new member induction, we received a short presentation from Greg Irwin of the Salvation Army. Greg and team are working hard to support those affected by COVID-19. In partnership with J.W. Filmore's they prep and deliver 150 meals, three times a week, to three senior living complexes, homeless shelters and other shut-ins. For many it's the only hot meal they might receive that week. The Salvation Army will also run errands, pick up prescriptions, etc. for seniors as well.

Over the last three weeks Salvation Army has also provided $50,000 in financial assistance to individuals facing hardship -- to help cover rent, utilities, etc. 

UPDATE FROM CHEMICAL BANK

Next, we heard from Rotarian Doug Buck of Chemical Bank. He gave us an overview of COVID-19 federal financial aid programs, particularly the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Basically, the PPP is a federally backed loan that many businesses and nonprofits can apply for, to cover their payroll costs during the pandemic. If businesses receive a PPP loan and truly use it for payroll (i.e. they retain their employees), then the loan is forgivable. Yes, free money! Please talk with your bank for specific details and eligibility for PPP.

As you can imagine, there has been substantial interest in the PPP, with more applications than dollars available. Nationwide banks have been overwhelmed. In Michigan alone, approximately 43,000 businesses have received PPP loans valued at $10 billion. The federal government just approved more money for this program, and it is expected to run out quickly.

Doug offered some observations. He said, "Right now this is a healthcare crisis, not a financial crisis." This is not like the 2008 recession, where banks were having problems. Right now banks are well-capitalized. However, Doug has longer-term concerns about business shut downs. We could experience a financial crisis after this healthcare crisis.

Doug also noted that COVID-19 has accelerated some banking trends he'd previously been seeing -- including greater use of technology in banking, and converting to online processes for paperwork, signatures, etc.

Next Week’s Program:  Dave Finley/ Chris Parker Updates on Education & how COVID-19 has affected local education.

Parting Shots:  Georgia Abbott played John Prine’s “Angel From Montgomery” The world is a much better place with Howard Richards and Georgia Abbott in it. She sounded more like the rendition from Bonnie Rait.

Shout out to our fabulous Program Committee (Stuart Fenton, Ben Slocum, Chuck Hayes) for organizing these updates and keeping our club in-the-loop on how COVID-19 is affecting our community. Thank you!!