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 story “Gift of the Maji.” As Rotarians, may we all practice this approach of giving and generosity – not only at this time of year but in the full year ahead.
Downs Herold provided our musical selection today, also in honor of the season we sang “Jingle Bells,” complete with a whinny at the end!
We enjoyed the company of several guests and visitors today including Huron High school interact student leaders and their parent; friends and neighbors of members, and two visitors from A Brighter Way, a non-profit based in Ypsilanti whose focus is to provide social support and services for formerly incarcerated individuals..
Several birthdays were announced today including two on Christmas and one on New Year’s Day.
President Joyce had two announcements today. Look for upcoming announcements and information about joining a Rotary leadership program. This would be a virtual/online offering and the first meeting will be January 9, 2025 at 6pm. Later in January, we will share information about a presentation from the Rotary International President (also virtual).
Other announcements
Don Deatrick offered a hearty thank you to all the Rotarians who helped recently with the packing of hygiene kits given to veterans. He had a good turnout and the gratitude from recipients was immediate. Don went on to talk about the initiative, Hire my Vet, that in 2015, Rotary provided seed money to this employment group for veterans. Due to a variety of reasons including the current low unemployment rate in Michigan, the board of Hire MI Vet decided to dissolve and all assets are being donated to Ann Arbor Rotary Foundation. Thank you to Don for his leadership over the years to this organization; he and others have worked very hard to promote this group to help veterans gain meaningful employment. Don then presented a ‘check’ to President Hunter for $25,000.
Rob Shiff provided an update on the Send Hunger Packing event. This year we raised $18,000 and during the course of the 2 hour event, 220 volunteers (37 of our Rotary members) participated and 8500 food packets were created. These have already been distributed: to hurricane relief efforts, to overseas initiatives (So hope in Guatemala), and to the Salvation Army in Jackson MI. Thank you to Pioneer HS, and thank you to Arthur Williams whose connections help us to secure this space each year.
Dave Williams provided this month’s “Moment in Rotary History.” He spoke about the very early years of our club and what initiatives the early members worked on. It was learned that in the first few years we provided support to several youth development activities, and it is nice to know that our club still focuses on such initiatives. We think our founders would be pleased with our current roster of youth programs and how far we’ve come in eradicating polio.
A world-class concert
Rick Ingram then introduced Kent Wattleworth, the director of the Huron High School Acapella Choir. Kent has led the choir since 2017, and they’ve been engaged in many events including international. In fact, in early 2025, the choir will travel to Europe for performances. We then enjoyed 30 minutes of beautiful music and being serenaded by the amazing voices of the young women and men of the acapella choir.
Our meeting ended with reciting the 4-way test:
Of the things we think, say or do…
- Is it the truth
- Is it fair to all concerned
- Will it build goodwill and better friendships
- Is it Beneficial to all concerned
