The normal ding to start us off was improvised by President Marlene.
Our Rotarians' guests were introduced by Sid Van Slyke, he's not sure if Visiting Rotarians could even find us.
We were very happy to finally introduce the wonderful and truly adventurous Lil Anderson as our newest Rotarian. Welcome to the Club, Lil! They are the Director of Crystalaire Adventures, please give them a warm welcome.
Carla Weaver stunned in her red velvet look while leading Happy Bucks. It's also time for Sara Hardy Humanitarian nominations, links to the city website are below.
Our soulful Kingsley Trio along with Noe from France, Olivia from Argentina, and Saki from Japan all sang a beautiful Irish lullaby, Irish Eyes are Smiling.
Do you know why Gala tickets cost $103 dollars this year?? It's the 103rd Annual Fundraiser our Club is putting on! The committee is still looking for more prizes for the auctions, maybe a stay in a cottage or some artwork that doesn't fit your home. Let Kathy Bussell know if you have any ideas.
Wheels of Hope went out to the PETS conference to share the process and learn even more strategies, curated by highly motivated Rotarians. WOH is looking to start up a Zoom meet space so Clubs can tune it and give their support.
John Hall also attended the PETS conference along with 400 other attendees. The resources available to all of us are truly a wealth of knowledge: Club Runner, our Club's Page, and mostly MyRotary, specifically the Learning & Reference tab.
President Marlene is looking for 3 Rotarians to help sponsor and mentor a chapter of Interact at Greenspire Highschool. Let's give the gift of service above self to students in our community.
Our program speaker was introduced by Sakura Takano. Ashley Halladay-Schmandt, the Director of the Northwest Michigan Coalition to end Homelessness, has been improving the homelessness number in our community through a systems change process. United together with 18 other organizations, they are able to guide and get people experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. Since poverty is a problem we don't have a solution for, the goal is to make homelessness a rare, brief, and singular occurrence. Already they are seeing the number of people leaving homelessness to be greater than people becoming homeless. Over the next 5 years, the focus will be to get the chronically homeless people who likely have disabilities into housing. The organization really needs landlords to work with them in this current housing market. They also have resource videos and teaching materials made by students to help teachers communicate more effectively when talking about housing situations.
Featured Item - GOREC's Greilick and Spring Lake Property Acquisition
The City Commission has scheduled a Public Hearing for the acquisition of the southern 300 acres of the Greilick property and the 258-acre Spring Lake property for 7:00 p.m. Monday, March 20th.
Members are encouraged to attend to voice their support for the acquisition, especially if you are a City Resident.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, please consider dropping a letter at:
City of Traverse City Commission
400 Boardman Avenue
Traverse City, MI 49684
The letter can be short and sweet and include something along the lines of:
"I'm writing to support the City's effort to acquire the Spring Lake Property and the Southern 300 acres of Rotary's Greilick property as additions to the Brown Bridge Quiet Area."
Social and Volunteer Opportunities
The Traverse City Humanitarian Commission is accepting nominations for the 2023 Sara Hardy Humanitarian Award. The deadline to submit nominations is APRIL 6, 2023. You are welcome to email or mail your nomination to the Traverse City Human Rights Commission at citypers@traversecitymi.gov OR 400 Boardman Avenue, Traverse City, Michigan 49684. For more information, please visit the City of Traverse City website.
The Mighty Rotary Chorus will be back for the Rotary Gala. "Shindigs in May... 18th's the day... so bring your cash and make your way... to the opera house for the Rotary Gala... come do Good Works! Sign Up Today!"
Contact Connor Miller to join the Chorus. They really need more Female Alto-singers but all ranges are welcome!
Wheels of Hope is looking for 3 members to join their working board to continue the amazing work and support for polio-stricken individuals in Northern Nigeria. Grab some coffee with Al Bonney if you're interested in getting involved, let him know Here.
If you want to see the difference we're making firsthand, the World Community Service Committee is planning a service learning trip to Safe Passage in the fall (last week of September or first week of October). Talk with any WCS member for details or email Lorraine Beers at lorrainembeers@gmail.com, Tom Petzold at petzoldtm@goacentek.net, or Linda Racine at linbracine@gmail.com.
All proceeds support the many good works of the Rotary Club of Traverse City