Rotary International District Governor, Jon Catlin
New Beginnings of Lemonade
July 1 – Happy Canada Day, July 4th Happy Independence Day, July 12 Happy Birthday to our very own rock star and Chief Administrative Officer, Kathy Hegedus and also Rotary International First Lady Susanne Knaack.
July 1st in the Rotary Year is a new year, a new start, and therefore a new beginning. Welcome to 2020-2021 Rotary Year where Rotary Opens Opportunities. I love the theme, it has personal meaning to me. As Rotary International President Holger Knaack stated “Everything we do opens another opportunity for someone, somewhere.” Through the many kind interactions, invitations, and friendships I am humbled to be the District Governor for this year.
RI President Knaack, has stated for this year he would love to see clubs take on three initiatives:
Sometime this year to have a Strategic Meeting and determine what you would like your Club to look like in 3-5 years and then plan on how to get to that point.
Engagement of Members- Instead of always looking at adding members to meet numbers, look at the current members and how do we engage them more with the Club. Also, anytime you add a new member make sure that they are a good fit for the Club and will be an engaged member!
End Polio – We are so close (imagine my hand up with my thumb and pointer finger just a few millimeters away from each other). We have made a promise to the world and we must fulfill our promise of a Polio free world for the children of the world.
I agree with President Knaack and believe that he has Rotary’s short term and long term best interest at heart. We all need to look inwardly at the Club level from time to time and make sure we have a vision and purpose that we can get behind. We all want Club members that volunteer readily for the meetings, activities and projects and I believe that everyone would agree that getting rid of Polio would be a wonderful, historic opportunity for mankind!
This year in Rotary we are still reeling from the effect of COVID-19 in our daily lives. We have been given a bunch of lemons over the last four or five months. Our world has been turned upside down, we have been given a new normal, although we don’t know where that will end up yet. Rotarians have risen to the challenge. Or as my mom and dad taught me, have made lemonade out of lemons. I have been impressed in my few Governor visits so far of the people that while still practicing social distancing have been able to do projects in their communities, fundraising is still happening and Club meetings are slowly starting to return to in person meeting. Whether it is at a park, a pavilion, or back to the place where your Club normally meets, it was wonderful to see Rotarians sharing fellowship again. Not all Clubs are doing that yet, some are still in Zoom meetings and that is fine also! Everyone needs to feel comfortable in moving forward. I truly believe that for this Rotary year and behind most Clubs will have an in-person component as well as a virtual component. We have been able to remain engaged with our members that were snowbirds, that were housebound, that did not feel comfortable going outside.
I hope that all of you are able to spend time outside this summer enjoying the sunshine, the flowers, the beautiful nature and fresh water that surrounds us in a safe manner. This is a time for us to recharge our batteries and enjoy where we choose to live and volunteer to make a better place in the world. As for me I am going to go have a glass of lemonade. J
We will be starting a new series this Rotary year featuring Rotarians from around our district. Meet our district Rotarians will feature one "outstanding" Rotarian from each of our clubs. Please be sure to click read moreto read their full story!
Mark is a very caring individual. Through his profession as a Funeral Director, he is afforded the opportunity to do God’s work with a loving heart. He blesses grieving community members with his genuine, gentle and kind nature. These character traits make Mark the perfect Rotarian.
Young people look up to Mark. He provides guidance, humor and enough rope to learn and grow. Mark continually teaches all of us what it means to have faith in God’s path. Mark has been a guiding light, a shoulder to cry on and a beacon of hope to many people in our club and community.
Club Secretary Lindsey Malpass-Skop shared, “As a new Rotarian, Mark was one of several members who has always gone out of his way to make me feel welcome and a valued member of the club. He is willing to share his knowledge, history of the club and ensure that everyone feels welcome at meetings and events.”
Lois grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After graduating from Ann Arbor Pioneer High School, she attended Eastern Michigan University (EMU) and the University of Washington. While attending the University of Washington, she participated in a local church’s World Deputation Program which sent her to Mendenhall, Mississippi to lead a summer-long vacation Bible school for children living in an area called “the quarters”. At the end of the summer it was clear to her that whatever work she decided to do, she wanted it to be focused on helping people.
After graduating from EMU, and a brief time working at a hospice in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Lois was a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Germany and Kazakhstan. Then she served with Christian Reformed World Missions in Hungary for fourteen years as a biology, geography, and math teacher. She returned to the US in 2006 and almost immediately became a Rotarian, finding kindred spirits that embraced her ideals embodied in the four-way test and service above self moto.
Andy Boatright is the General Manager of Zeeland Board of Public Works and one of the newest members of the Zeeland Rotary Club. The following is an interview from the first of a series of member spotlights:
Where did you grow up? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Do you have any fun facts or a story about your childhood that you would like to share?
I grew up in Lebanon, Indiana – some may remember that this is the hometown of Rick Mount, who was the first high school athlete to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was a basketball phenom for Purdue University where he led the team to its first NCAA finals in 1969.
A fun fact about my childhood is that on my school bus ride home after my first day of kindergarten at Central Elementary School, I was apparently so exhausted from the stress of the day that I fell asleep on the bus. When my Mother realized I was not exiting the school bus with the other neighborhood children, she went into panic mode calling my Dad at work and the Town of Lebanon Police informing them, and anyone else in earshot, that I had gone missing. When Mr. Rodgers, the bus driver (not the tv personality and definitely not the minister – I learned new words on that bus, and not all from my fellow riders), returned to his home driving the school bus (yes, back in the day, they drove them home and parked them, instead of to the bus garage), while performing his end of day refuse and vomit inspection, he discovered me sound asleep in a seat in the back of the bus. He promptly contacted my Mother and then re-delivered me home, much to my her relief.
I am the youngest of three male siblings. My next oldest brother John is 5 years my senior and my oldest brother Ned Jr. is 14 years my senior.
Kathy has been the Rotary Club of Traverse City's Club Administrator for almost 6 years. She has previously worked for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, Traverse Bay Economic Development Corporation, National Cherry Festival, and was a stay at home mom who assisted in raising three amazing daughters. She is an active volunteer in her community, giving time to addiction recovery support, Rotary events, Traverse City Film Festival, and the National Cherry Festival.
Above and beyond her normal job duties, Kathy had done some research into the Rotary Disaster Relief Grants and was the person that contacted PDG Al Bonney, indicating that she thought that our district may qualify to apply for the DRG. Al contacted District Foundation Chair, Gernot Runschke and after some discussion and phone calls with RI, he received information that this is a one-time grant and that our district would qualify to use the money for Food and other Covid-19 related expenses in our district.
With this information, the Foundation Committee and Grants Committee decided that we should write and apply for this grant.
The committee agreed that the funding, if the grant was approved, should be used for Feed America, West Michigan; Feed America East Michigan and the United Way, Feed Algoma. This way all of our clubs in Michigan and Ontario will receive benefits from this grant.
The grant application was submitted at the beginning of May, but due to the lack of funding the grant approval was put on hold. Rotary just recently received new funding, our grant got approved and with this we are able to notify the recipients of the forthcoming money to insure a continuing supply of nourishing food that can be purchased for people in west/east Michigan and parts of Ontario.
The foundation Committee will make the decision on Thursday at our regular meeting, how the $25,000 will be split between the three entities.
Continue to connect with the family of Rotary by visiting the virtual House of Friendship through 31 July. Explore, ask questions, and interact with other members at this exhibit, open 24 hours a day, that features Rotary Action Groups, Rotary Fellowships, projects, and partners. Share the experience with your club, family, and friends by encouraging them to visit, too.
Don’t miss these virtual booths! Learn about each organization’s mission and the service opportunities it offers:
Ashoka, booth #325 Through Rotary International’s partnership with Ashoka, the Rotary family gains access to experts in social entrepreneurship and in making change who are equally vested in bringing support and resources to improve lives in their communities.
Habitat for Humanity International, booth #229 Rotary’s seven areas of focus align closely with the vision of Habitat for Humanity, which is to ensure that everyone has a decent place to live. By partnering with Habitat for Humanity, clubs and districts gain access to technical expertise and can offer support and resources to improve the lives of families and the conditions in their communities.
Mediators Beyond Borders International, booth #323 Rotary’s partnership with Mediators Beyond Borders International provides resources so that members can take action locally and globally to build stronger, more stable communities. The organization builds local capacities for peace and promotes mediation worldwide.
Peace Corps, booth #429 Rotary International and the Peace Corps formed a strategic partnership in 2014 to promote global development and volunteer service. Opportunities for collaboration include supporting community projects, networking, volunteer service, and community education.
ShelterBox, booth #329 ShelterBox is Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief. What started as a Rotary club’s millennium project in Cornwall, UK, has grown during the past 20 years to make a significant impact across the world. This work keeps families and communities together during times of global conflict and displacement.
Wheels of Hope, founded in 2012, is a fully owned and operated Traverse City Rotary Club organization that reports to our Club Board just like every other committee in our club. We are a 501c3, so our donors can have their contributions to build wheelchairs to be tax deductible. Otherwise we are just like every other committee in the Traverse City Rotary club. Thank you for your interest in Wheels of Hope and please reach-out with any questions!
WHEELS OF HOPE IS DOING GOOD IN A SIGNIFICANT WAY!
Exciting things are happening at Wheels of Hope in Traverse City, MI. New communication programs are reaching more people than ever before. We think you’ll find our new video clip informative and inspiring; please view it on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/jmqNlbD-qPQ.
