President Dawn rang the bell at 12:30 pm and we sang one of our favorite patriotic songs “America the Beautiful” accompanied by Jody Tull at the piano. Ramon Harris led our inspiration. He began with “in a time when most conversations happen through screens and comments, Rotary still does something wonderfully old-fashioned. We all sit down together and we look at one another. Rotary reminds us that real progress still happens locally, when people decide that cooperation is more productive than cynicism, and that service is stronger than noise. And that quiet confidence, the belief that we can do something meaningful together, is not just admirable, it’s absolutely necessary”.
Don Duquette led us in singing “Let’s do it (let’s fall in love) in honor of Valentine’s Day. Announcements in addition to Birthdays and Anniversaries are Sam Kottamasu is recovering from coronary bypass surgery, Kelly Doonan-Reed is recovering from a concussion, and Carolyn Hiatt will be back soon from her knee replacement surgery.
In honor of Valentine’s Day Dawn pointed out that on the tables were blank “Candy Grams” and told everyone to take one and fill it out to tell someone here that you care about them, tell them something nice, and give them a piece of candy from the center of the table.
The Board meets next week and will be discussing GPO distributions, policy updates and committees based on some of the audits you helped us fill out. There was also a Foundation Trustees meeting for the Ann Arbor Rotary Foundation to discuss the Foundation’s investment strategy and spending policies. This is done quarterly and it is also on the Foundation website. Members of the Foundation committee are Norman Herbert, Bill McPherson, Dawn Johnson, Roy More, Mark Ouiment, Mark Foster, Kate VanHorn, Joyce Hunter and Todd Kephart. New members are Ben Bolin and Fernando Leon. Those who are rotating off the committee are Bob Mull, Dave Keosaian, and Brian Schrag. A big thank you to all who do this very important work so our club can invest our money in a responsible and productive way.
Jody Tull announced the third annual Ann Arbor Yoga retreat. Last year there were 70 participants and this year there will be capacity for 100 people to sign up. Note that 100% of the money raised goes to our youth programing. Sam Kottamasu has been a fearless and incredible fundraiser and this year the event has received a donation of $100,000 for the program.
Winners of the EAG quiz received candy kisses for their participation.
Max Wisgerhof introduced Lindsay Calka, Managing Director and Publisher of Groundcover News. Lindsay earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in social work from the University of Michigan. She cares about each vendor and our community because she knows them both well.
Lindsay moved to Ann Arbor in 2017 to attend U of M. Within the first couple of weeks of moving here she bought her first copy of Groundcover News. Within a year she was volunteering as an office volunteer, then layout designer and less than a year later she became director. Lindsay explained that Groundcover News exists to 1) provide economic opportunities for self-determined individuals impacted by poverty, 2) produce a street newspaper that gives a platform to underrepresented voices in Washtenaw County, and 3) promote an action to build a just, caring and inclusive society.
One of the common misconceptions about Groundcover is that it is only for the homeless. Anyone who is experiencing homelessness or needs extra income or a more informal job can walk into the Groundcover office and get trained that day. During that process, they are introduced to What is a street paper? What is Groundcover? They go through the Groundcover codes of conduct, what are the rules, what is expected of a vendor and learn one-on-one sales training. Groundcover provides low-barrier employment by removing the barriers that make it harder to access formal employment. They don’t require ID, a social security number or a mailing or permanent address. The only uniform required is the Groundcover badge.
Once a vendor is trained and receives their temporary badge they leave the Groundcover office with ten free papers. The badge lets customers know the vendor is legitimate. Within the ID there is a permit from the City of Ann Arbor that requires all vendors with a charitable solicitation to have. Vendors are individual entrepreneurs and they purchase every paper following the first ten free issues for 50 cents and sell them for $2. When you buy a paper, you are not donating to a cause, you are just paying the person who’s working to get you that paper. This concept is connected to the idea of economic autonomy, in the belief that people know what they need, and if they have the money, they can help meet their own needs. The other way people can work for Groundcover is to write for the paper. There is a freelance writing program or individuals can sell advertising and receive a commission.
Vendors purchase each copy of regular editions of Groundcover News at the office for 50 cents. This money goes towards production costs. Vendors work selling papers on the street for $2, keeping all income and tips from each sale. Vendors are the primary contributors to the newspaper they sell.
The third prong in promoting an action that contributes towards a better world is that in a world where everything is going online, Groundcover will be in print, always, because the action of buying the paper and selling it is just as important as what’s inside and who’s selling it. It’s the chance to get to know someone you wouldn’t know otherwise. To understand someone that you have no opportunity to speak with. After all, a healthy democracy, a rich civic life, understanding what are the impacts of these the policies and decisions that people in power are making is important to all of us.
