Our meeting opened with Thoughts of Gratitude and Reflection by Sakura Takano, who recalled the impactful experience of discovering the instantly recognizable Rotary Wheel along a dusty Yucatán Peninsula road. Sakura reminded us that while our club has done great works at home, Rotary is, above all, an international service organization, the impacts of which extend to the farthest flung corners of a world in need.
Greg Luyt and Crew had the club singing along to an old familiar tune, following which Ken Osborne introduced visiting Rotarians and guests.
Ross Childs presented Fred Laughlin a Paul Harris Award for his nearly three decades of service as executive director of Northwest Michigan College’s Great Lakes Culinary Institute.
Another call went out for more volunteers during the 11:00 am - 2:00 pm shift of the Kids Free Fishing Day on Saturday, June 15 at the Hagerty Center. (Important Disclaimer: this is a fishing day for children, not free of them.)
Vaudevillian duo Sid VanSlyke and Katy McCain also informed the club that the Friends of the Boardman Committee is looking for new volunteer members. Interested individuals should inquire by delivering a signed brook trout to Kathy Bussel’s office.
In lue of our regular July 2 meeting, our club will be hosting Rotary Networking at the National Cherry Festival Beverage Tent from 5-7pm (coincidentally July 2 is also Kathy’s birthday. She has kindly requested that everyone “kinda make a big deal out of it.”)
Other exciting announcements included Rotary Charities’ winning of the Lyle DeYoung Award, club member Maureen Olson’s recent marriage, and the introduction of the Matt McDonough as The Discovery Center’s new executive director.
Additionally, our club board recently donated 500 Rotary Foundation Points. Through some alchemic process only understood in Evanston, IL, this will be transmuted into more than $155,000 in funding for new grant projects.
Jen Casey introduced our speaker for the afternoon, the effervescent, equestrian-loving Audra Jackson who manages community relations for the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF).
This increasingly popular horse-fest runs Wednesday through Sunday from July 3 to August 11. Amature hippophiles (look it up) of all ages are encouraged to attend throughout the week, leading up to the Sunday Grand Prix, which often feature Olympic-level riders.
Events also include dressage (a term from the original Franco-Dutch meaning “Fancy-lady-horse-frollicing”) which many avid equestrians are quick to point out is totally a real sport.
Audra, who relocated to the Grand Traverse Region specifically because of the festival, pointed out that equestrian sports are some of the few truly equitable sports. Competitors engage on level footing, where age and gender are not factors. (Some horses, however, come with a 7 figure price tag, narrowing the scope of equitability a bit.)
During their summer season, GLEF hosts participants from 44 states and seven countries, and as many as 1200 horses each week. To accommodate their growing numbers, the festival is investing in improving and expanding their facilities. Audra indicated GLEF hopes their space can eventually host other community events.
According to a 2017 study commissioned by GLEF, the festival’s total economic impact exceeds $124 million, making it one of our region’s most fiscally impactful events.
In honor of Audra’s presentation, our club presented GLEF with a certificate indicating we purchased half a wheelchair from Wheels of Hope to benefit Nigerian suffering from Polio-borne paralysis