President Dawn called the meeting to order and after our patriotic song, members cited the 4-way test.

Our inspirational message this week was delivered by Ben Bolen.  As we acknowledge Veterans this week, we should reflect on what it means ‘to serve’.  Through his own military experience, the meaning of service also meant risk, as he took an oath of Serve to Protect.  In the civilian realm, the example of Rotary’s recent Send Hunger Packing event also demonstrates the willingness to serve and to restore.  Leadership begins with service and in his case, the uniform may have changed, but the mission remains the same.

Joanne Pierson led us in singing ‘Put a Little Love in Your Heart’ for our musical selection today.

Two birthdays were announced along with 5 members who are celebrating anniversaries of Club membership of 15 years or more.  We welcomed a couple of guests today including a Rotaract student and a Rotary Exchange student from Japan!  Thank you’s also went out to all of the members who are helping with today’s meeting.

Announcements

The Send Hunger Packing event on Nov 8th was a huge success and we’ll hear more about it in a future presentation.  However, in short, we raised $20,000 that went towards packing nearly 60,000 meals with 250 volunteers participating!

Please keep Ingrid Sheldon in your thoughts as her husband, Cliff, passed away recently. There will be a celebration of life on Nov. 15.  

We all will receive an email about the annual Community Service Assessment (CSA), please look for that and note the deadline to submit.

Marlena Struder introduced us to a Rotary Exchange student who is being hosted by member Mary A. and her husband.  The student, Kataro, introduced himself and let us know of some of his interests, which include, basketball and his goal of becoming very fluent in English.  He then participated in a Rotary flag exchange with President Dawn.

Michael Field provided highlight information about District 6380 Grants.  There were 9 grants made in total, and to fund these our club supplied $35,500 and the District provided $14,577.  The funds come from Every Rotarian/Every Year donations that are part of our annual CSA (see above), so please consider this as you submit your end-of-year donations.

Larry Gray presented information about the Service Above Self scholarships which are awarded to Washtenaw Community College students.  Six students who demonstrate service above self received scholarships this year for a total value of $13,500.  We watched videos that two students made of their thanks and appreciation.

A musical tribute to our veterans

In honor of Veterans Day/Week, our program today was A Tribute to Veterans.  This musical tribute, hosted by Don Deitrich, provided some background information of each military branch’s fight song and then videos and live performances of the songs.

Navy 

• “Anchors Aweigh.” Performed by Rick Ingram. Music by Charles A. Zimmermann, lyrics by Alfred Hart Miles (1906).
• “Yellow Submarine.” Performed by Kristin Giant. Written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon (1966)

Air Force 

• “Wild Blue Yonder.” Performed by Joe Diederich. Written by Robert MacArthur Crawford (1939)
• “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” Performed by Curt Waugh. Written by John Denver (1966) .

Coast Guard 

• “Semper Paratus.” Performed by Kathy Waugh. Written by Captain Francis Saltus Van Boskerck (1927) .

Marines 

• “Marines Hymn.” Performed by Steve Pierce. Written by Jacques Offenbach (1867).
• “This Land is Your Land.” Performed by Kathy Waugh and Susan Shipman. Written by Woody Guthrie (1940).

Army 

• “The Caissons Going Rolling Along.” Performed by Deanna Relyea. Written by Brigadier General Edmund Luis “Snitz” Gruber (1908).

U.S. Armed Forces 

• “America The Beautiful.” Performed by all at the meeting. Music by Samuel A. Ward, lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates (1893).

A special thank you to our live accompanists Jody Tull (piano) and Curt Waugh (guitar).