President Allison Beers called our meeting at the Hagerty Center on the NMC Satellite Campus to order.
Lee Olewinski’s Invocation was The Lord’s Prayer this week.
This Land is Your Land headlined the singing thanks to song leader Marlene Bevan
Art Hoffman introduced our visitors and guests.
Jayne Mohr presented the Outstanding Students of the Week. Both students hailed from NMC: Karen Zolen from the Culinary Institute program and Paige Hamel from Water Studies. Both offered great stories, especially Hamel who prefaced the day’s program.
President Allison Thanked our hosts NMC and also acknowledge the many Rotarians who were awarded this year’s honor as members of the class of 40 under 40 Allison Beers, Warren Call, Maggie Hardy, Andrew Kohlmann, Jody Lundquist, Katy McCain, Connor Miller, Kat Paye and Sakura Takano. Congratulations to the 2018 Honorees!
Al Bonney spoke of Rotary’s early history with Polio eradication
Katy McCain reminded everyone of the upcoming Friends of the Boardman Watershed Dinner
Music: Vern Gauthier showed us a nice 9/11 slideshow along with Alan Jackson’s “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” Gary Hogue gave the invocation. President Allison also led us in singing happy birthday to Scott Hardy! Ramona Pleva introduced our guest and one visiting Rotarian. Al Bonney gave us yet another Rotary Minute. Ramona Pleva announced that she will be the director for the 2020 Rotary Show. Jeff Hickman said the Rotary Charities board is looking for grant investigators for two upcoming grant programs. Rotary also has upcoming board elections. If you’re interested in serving on the board, you must apply by Friday. Nominations will be announced next week and voting will take place the following week. Congrats to Dale Chilcote on winning the 50/50! Mike Jackson introduced our speaker, Peter Payette.
Many people in today’s culture might question the survival of two important pieces of our democracy: journalism and classical music.
Interlochen Public Radio (IPR) is one of the organizations keeping those two things alive here in northern Michigan.
Today’s speaker, Peter Payette, has been with the station since 2000 and has been the executive director for about a year and a half.
IPR has two stations: IPR News Radio, which focuses on bringing fact-gathering journalism, and Classical IPR, which focuses on classical music. Their area covers Ludington and Manistee all the way to the Mackinac Bridge, covering Petoskey/Charlevoix areas.
IPR News Radio brings on-the-ground news stories that inform listeners about topics and issues facing the world, country, and local area.
While there are many great traditional news outlets in the region, Peter says IPR tries to find different ways to cover important local topics, bring real lives into their news stories in audio form and dig deep into the research.
For example, when the State of Michigan was considering opening up the Great Lakes to commercial fish farming, IPR staff traveled to Canada to explore existing fish farms so that listeners understand how the farms actually work and what they could mean for our area.
Peter says their listeners have high expectations about the quality of news and storytelling. They expect the same quality as National Public Radio.
IPR wants Classical IPR to be the “hub of the musical community” in northwest lower Michigan. Peter says it’s really an arts organization, not just a music station. They “insert themselves into things that are happening, musically.”
For example, listeners could hear the Baroque Choral Festival live from Corson Auditorium, or recent performances of the Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos. They even covered the Baroque on Beaver festival on Beaver Island. IPR Classical highlights Interlochen Center for the Arts musicians and events, like when Rob Dillon’s Third Coast Percussion is in town.
Peter played us a clip from their morning “Kids Commute” show which helps engage kids into classical music and, from there, IPR draws kids to more engaging events like the “kids conductors” event at Winterlochen.
Thanks for the very interesting presentation, Peter! Thanks for bringing high-quality journalism and classical music to our area.
Our program showed how NMC and the Water Studies Program continue to expand on that proposition. NMC President Tim Nelson introduced speaker Hans VanSumeran, Director of NMC’s Great Lakes Water Studies Institute. VanSumeran appeared before us nearly two years ago to introduce us to the work the Institute was undertaking at the time as he was settling into his role with the College.
Since that time VanSumeran has been very active, not only locally, building and strengthening the program, but also throughout the State of Michigan working with the other major Universities extending their reach and NMC’s.
He and the other program principals and students are working regionally, nationally and internationally from the Great Lakes to Washington D.C. with the F.B.I. as well as other alphabet soup organizations and even to the Pacific Rim on major explorations and research from the Oceans to the Yellow River in China.
The connections that VanSumeran has made allow him to leverage many aspects of the water sector, both industrial and scientific making the program here in Traverse City on of the finest freshwater study centers in the Nation and World in its breadth of resource capability. This puts the program and NMC at the forefront of and education cycle that is feeding an industry hungry for new talent.
There is growth and great potential here, and VanSumeran and NMC are positioning themselves for the future. It is an obvious place for investment on the part of a college that is always looking for ways to make and keep themselves viable. NMC is certainly a college that has broken the stereotype of the typical Community College repeatedly from its earliest days. The Water Studies Program gives truth to that assertion. INFO CLICK HERE: HTTP://nmc.edu/water
The boards of Rotary Charities and Rotary Camps & Services are now accepting nomination forms for the Board of Trustees. Terms will begin October 2018 and end September of 2021. Any Rotarian who has been a member of the club for five years and is currently in good standing may apply.
Key Characteristics for Rotary Charities and Rotary Camps & Services board members:
Proven leadership
Strong community connections
Nonprofit board experience
Exemplary of the Four-Way Test
Objective, with no personal agenda
Respectful of differing opinions
Collaborative
Strategic thinker
Visionary
Creative
The time commitment varies with each board, committee membership, and role. Both boards meet monthly for 1 ½ - 2 hours. There will be additional time for joint board meetings, legacy trustee meetings, and grant meetings ( Rotary Charities Board only). Plan on a monthly commitment of 5 – 15 hours.
Application forms for both boards are posted on the club website and are also available from Kathy Bussell or Stacey Foster. Applications are due back to the Rotary Office by September 14, 2018.
At the September 18th Rotary Club meeting, the Joint Nominating Committees will propose a slate of candidates for election. Additionally, nominations will be taken from the floor at that time. The election will take place at the annual meeting of Rotary Charities and Rotary Camps & Services on September 25, 2018.
·Accept and process perspective member applications through fellow Rotarians and online submissions.
·Obtain applicant approval from Membership Committee members through Clubrunner email.
·Contact perspective member and sponsor to set up a 15-20 minute meeting to meet him/her and review the recommendations and requirements of our Club. These meetings occur at 11:30 am on Tuesdays before the regular Rotary meeting but could be changed to adapt to the Chairperson.
·Inform the Club Administrator that the applicant has been approved by the Membership Committee and requires approval by the Board of Directors.
·Online applications may require the Chairperson to find a sponsor from the Club membership or the Membership Committee.
Meetings:
·Very rare. All information is communicated via email
Number of hours required per month:
4-6 hours per month
Number of members in the committee:
6
Contact Dale Chilcote for more information. Dale is willing to stay on the committee and help however needed. This is a very easy way to get more engaged in the Club without taking on a huge amount of work.
ROTARY CHARITIES AWARDS CENTENNIAL LEGACY PROJECT GRANT TO CONSTRUCT CIVIC SQUARE
TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN – In commemoration of The Rotary Club of Traverse City’s 100 years of service to our region, Rotary Charities has awarded a grant of $1 million to the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority. TCDDA will develop Rotary Square, a gathering space in the heart of downtown designed by and for the people of Traverse City. The project will transform two connected parking lots at the northeast corner of Cass and State streets into a public plaza. Well located to guard against summer heat and winter winds, Rotary Square will host social and cultural events year-round.
“The committee of Rotarians considers a civic square to be an outstanding project for the community,” says Beth Karczewski, Chair of the Centennial Grant Committee. “The development of Rotary Square will build on our already vibrant and strong downtown.”
Rotary Charities has been instrumental in the development of downtown. From the preservation of Park Place and the State Theater, to the construction of the Great Lakes Campus and Discovery Pier, Rotary has invested for decades in hallmark spaces for celebration and education. This historic investment in Rotary Square will mark Rotary’s 100th year of service to our region – and is a fitting tribute to a notable Rotarian.
Says Karczewski, “Our first Rotary Club President was J.T. Milliken, and we couldn’t imagine a better way to honor our history than to create a community asset in the old Milliken’s parking lot. We are very proud of our 100 year legacy as the Rotary Club of Traverse City.”
As business development in the downtown core continues, Rotary Square will be a people-centered space that is free and available to all. TCDDA is committed to an ongoing, community-led design process that will allow citizens to decide how their civic square will be used for generations to come. In addition to providing casual space to share lunch with friends or read a book, proposed events include an ice skating rink, Santa’s arrival and art installations.
“The Civic Square has been identified within the DDA Plan for over 25 years and with Rotary’s Charities awarding this legacy project, the civic square will be a reality,” says Jean Derenzy, Chief Executive Officer of TCDDA. “On behalf of the DDA, I am thrilled at this tremendous opportunity to preserve space for citizens to gather, debate, and embrace the importance of what makes a downtown great.”
For more Information contact: Rotary Centennial Committee Chair: Beth Karczewski (231) 499-4680 (cell) Rotary Charities Executive Director Emeritus: Marsha Smith (231) 941-4010 (office) or (231 590-8807(cell) Downtown Development CEO: Jean Derenzy (231) 922-2050 (office) 231-342-7849
