President Mark rang the opening bell about ten minutes late due to UM’s internet issues. After Tom Strode played a patriotic song, Arthur Williams read a Hiam Ginott quote about the power of teachers. Anna Byberg invited us to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries.
A very enthusiastic Lori Walters thanked all the people who have pitched in for the many tasks necessary for success in the Golf and Pickleball Outing. She promised the long awaited auction catalog, which was sent electronically within minutes of the announcement and is available here. She encouraged SHOPPING soon and often. Bidding will not be open until the afternoon of the outing and if you cannot attend, you can ask a friend to be your proxy bidder. Take a look at the raffles; a spa basket, a variety of eight bottles of wine, baked goods once a month for a year produced by our own Rotary members, soup once a month for the three cold months, and a bottle of sixteen year old Longmorn Speyside single malt scotch, and of course, a 50-50 chance. Tickets are $10.00 and there will be six lucky winners. You could also use this QR code to access the catal0g:
Don Deatrick announced the Service Above Self scholarships the club awards to high school students attending Washtenaw Community College. Six students were chosen from the 26 who applied for the $1500.00 scholarship. These are in addition to the awards to STRIVE students and underscore the club’s commitment to student successs.
Notes from the Program
Rev. Shannon Polk, President and CEO of the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, was introduced by Anna Byberg. 
Shannon began her presentation with an overview of the economic and demographic situation in Washtenaw County. The working poor make up 31% of county citizenship; it is the eighth most segregated county in the US; life expectancy is 10 – 20 years less east of US 23 than west of US 23; and 53% of elders are rent insecure. Although there is a wealth of human service organizations in this county, there is a lack of connectedness among them.
In 2022 the Community Foundation adopted a new strategic plan that will pursue four key areas: promoting healthy and fulfilling aging, increase graduation rates, advance economic empowerment through systematic solutions, and increase racial equity. The Foundation has $204 million in assets under management and is able to distribute more than $9 million a year into the community. Average return on assets hovers around 7%, enhanced by alternative investments, an unusual strategy for community foundations. The goal is to be able to distribute $10 million a year. Only 15% of the Foundation assets are in donor advised funds, which is unusually low for community foundations. This frees the foundation to fund projects to address the needs they deem most important.
Ed. Note: Dr Polk asked that the following statement be shared with our members:
Please accept this sincere note of thanks to the Ann Arbor Rotary Foundation for its gift of $20,000 for the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor Scholarship Fund. Although I missed the opportunity to thank you in person for this key contribution, I applaud the gift and the club’s continued commitment to serving Washtenaw County students by providing sustainable funding and resources to them in their pursuit of degree attainment. As you are aware, your contribution is leveraged by other funds within the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation’s Community Scholarship Program to support both the in-the-classroom and outside-the classroom needs of our scholars, which has resulted in student completion and graduation rates that are double the national benchmark. In this way, your support is a perfect example of how working collaboratively on shared goals makes a difference in the lives of people in Washtenaw County. We hope that you will continue to partner with us to build the economic and educational success of area youth and, while I regret not having thanked the group in person during my remarks, we want you to know how much your support means to us.
President Mark closed the meeting with us reciting the Four Way Test.
