President Mack Beers called the meeting to order with a moment of silence for past Club member, Past President of Rotary Charities and Honorary Member Leon Michaels.
Sharron Zimmerman offered her thoughts of reflection for the Club.
Steve Wade gave an update on the recent Christmas Basket program. This was a record year of need and generosity. 63 Families were referred (267 Individuals). We were able to adopt 52 directly with assists to the remaining families. Between Club Member donations and Rotary Charities, there was $12,000 to facilitate holiday giving – the most ever, with additional assists from Toys for Tots, Northern Angler and El Norte; including 110 Winter coats from Habitat for Humanity. Special thanks aslo to Dan Rickard and Dale Chilcote for their commitment and efforts.
Good Works committee grants were announced by Ben Whiting. There were 7 Grants ranging from $500-2000 each given during this cycle.
President Mack gave a review of current club finances, reviewing Where the money comes from, where the money goes and what’s changed. Excellent overview. For more information contact the Rotary Office or President Mack.
THAT WAS THE YEAR THAT WAS…
Ron Jolly WTCM-AM News/Talk 580 Celebrity and morning talk show host was introduced by Steve Wade. Asked to review 2020 as he has done for the Club at previous New Year meetings, Jolly rattled off an array of varied moments of note over this most difficult and messy year, pandemic aside. Or as Jolly intoned to Wade, “2020…It Sucked! End of presentation.” Oh and “…I hate zoom,” as he struggled to get all the technology working…but he did, eventually.
Jolly began by sharing that it was “an honor for him to review and reflect on 2020” last year…this year felt “more like punishment!”
There were three major themes according to Jolly: The Pandemic, The Election and The Fallout following George Floyd’s death. But the year began with the Impeachment of the President
Locally, some schools were shut down due to the regular, old-fashioned flu! COVID-19 not even a glimmer on our collective horizons yet. By the end of January, COVID was starting to make itself known. What followed we have all spent the remainder of the year struggling with.
Kobe Bryant died as did George Perles of MSU coaching fame. Lake Michigan rose high enough to create shoreline flooding throughout the region, including partial flooding of Fish Town. Horizon Books originally announced closing before changing that position later in the year. Bardon’s was put up for sale. And pot sales rose. That was all just January…
In February, Pete Buttigieg won the Iowa Caucus, as even more contenders began dropping out of the race. President Trump was acquitted by the Senate. Stocks plummeted dropping some 1200 points. Kirk Douglas left us. And the Corona Virus was still not an issue in this country, though the world was beginning to take note.
March came but the madness that comes with NCAA Basketball was cancelled as was Baseball Spring Training along with the NHL put on hold. Cancellations galore from around the country and locally. And so it began…
By the end of March, the Governor had invoked emergency powers and what followed were closures and restrictions as the people of Michigan began the process of fighting COVID-19, and the State legislature became embroiled in an ongoing battle with the Governor.
Joe Biden won South Carolina clinching his front-runner status as the Democratic candidate. The Corona virus was finally deemed a pandemic and the President suspended international travel. Colleges went to online learning. The Olympics were cancelled. Over the next few months, basically, everything was cancelled as COVID took over our lives, and we all became conversant with Zoom.
By the summer, issues of systemic racism in our institutions were growing on the heels of police shootings in areas of color within a number of our cities. Rioting ensued across the country.
Trump lost the election but continued to cry fraud despite evidence to the contrary.
Vaccines were approved and by the end of the year mobilization via Operation Warp Speed began distribution.
And Rotarian #1 Jim Beckett passed away…need we say more.
