On December 17, thirteen Rotarians and two spouses gathered at the Ann Arbor District Library’s Pittsfield Branch to pack hygiene kits for VA patients under the direction of Don Deatrick. This is the seventh year Don has organized this effort. The group packed 201 bags with toothbrushes, combs, a puzzle book, ChapStick, greeting cards and […]

After President Joyce rang the bell, those present rose and sang the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Our inspirational message today, from Victor Stoeffler, was in tune with the season.  Victor reminded us of the spirit of giving and that the concept of giving of oneself requires some level of generosity.  He offered a quote from the short […]

On the final day of the month our club had 200 Active Members. All membership information is pulled from ClubRunner statistics. Attendance for November’s meetings was 44% (up 7% from last month). Average attendance at each meeting was 87 members and 20 guests. Our Engagement Ratio for the month was 60% (up 1% from last […]

By Leo Shedden One of the many ways that our Rotary Club helps kids succeed is our Rotary Readers and Tutors program. A few years ago I thought I would give tutoring a try, and it’s been a great experience. One that has been as rewarding for me as it has been for the students. […]

With a chilling wind scurrying us into the warm Anderson Room of the Michigan Union, President Joyce welcomed us to join pianist Jody Tull de Salis in the singing of America the Beautiful. Michelle Deatrick inspired us with the news that today is International Human Rights Day and read a moving poem by W. H. […]

President Joyce called the meeting to order at 12:30 pm, and after the patriotic song, Peg Taburtt delivered the inspiration and Shelley McMillan led us in song, accompanied by Jody Tull. Among our guests today was Mike Danielson, son of Millie Danielson. Mike thanked the club, noting that it meant a great deal to his […]

Condensed from history.com. Click here for the full link. On December 9, 1979, a commission of scientists declare smallpox has been eradicated. The disease is the only infectious disease afflicting humans that has officially been eradicated. Something similar to smallpox had ravaged humanity for thousands of years. In 1796, the English scientist Edward Jenner discovered […]

Soo K. Eaker (Sponsors: Carolyn Hiatt and Kate VanHorn) Soo Kim Eaker was born in Seoul, South Korea, and moved to the U.S. as a child. She was raised and lived most of her life in Houston, Texas. She earned a degree in MIS (Management Information Systems) and a Master’s in IT before spending six […]

The Rotaract Club at the University of Michigan started up in 2000 and officially was chartered on January 18, 2005. It gets together each fall to celebrate its chartering by welcoming new students to membership. On Tuesday evening, December 2, 21 Rotarians joined 12 Rotaractors at Knight’s On Liberty for this year’s iteration of this […]

The polio vaccine is “safe, effective, and potent.” With these words on April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr., director of the Poliomyelitis Vaccine Evaluation Center at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, announced to the world that the Salk polio vaccine was up to 90% effective in preventing paralytic polio. Dr. Francis […]