A glorious Indian summer day brought 62 Rotarians and guests to the Anderson Room, and 18 joined the weekly meeting via Zoom.   President Dawn Johnson rang the bell to start our meeting, and we joined her in reciting of the 4-way Test.  Pianist Jody Tull de Salis, razzle-dazzling us with her snazzy new birthday socks, accompanied the Club in America the Beautiful.  Mary Steffek Blaske inspired us by noting that “love, faith, and art remind us that we are not separate from our souls.”

President Dawn kept the musical theme going by asking the members to sing Happy Birthday to Lois Jelneck, celebrating her 97th birthday!  Other treasured Rotarians celebrating birthdays this week include Mary Avrakotos, Carolyn Hiatt, Dan Lewan, Pat Pooley, Patricia Garcia, Kristin Grant, Lauren Heinonen, Max Wisgerhof, and Rich Sheridan.  A shout-out to Terry Linden and Ebru Misirli Mansfield celebrating, respectively, 33 and 20 years as Rotarians.

President Dawn thanked today’s meeting team: Melissa Foster, Roger Fraser, Norman Herbert, Fernando Leon,  Sara Maddock, Glenna Frank Miller, Jennifer Richards,  Bonita Singal, Mary Steffek Blaske, Jody Tull de Salis, and the newsletter team.

Rotarians and friends are invited to witness Agnes Reading’s interment at Forest Lawn in Ann Arbor, Saturday, September 20, at 1:00 p.m. All are then invited to join Agnes’ celebration of life at The Graduate, at State and Huron Streets, from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.  President Dawn asked members to sign a get well card to Club Member Henry Johnson.

Announcements

• Please sign up to help with the Highway Cleanup to be held Saturday morning, Sept. 27.  What unlikely item will you find?  Lunch is included in this fun group project.
• Send Hunger Packing is Saturday morning, Nov. 8.  Join in the 4th annual event at Pioneer High School.  Again, this is a fun group project.
• Book Swap is Oct. 15.  Bring a book, take a book.

• 

  GPO – Sept. 15.  We were regaled with two Broadway Babes (aka Kathy Waugh and Susan Shipman) who encouraged us to start our auction bidding – access that QR code!  Marlena Studer doubled down on the 50/50 raffle by saying she, too, would sing a song for those purchasing GPO raffles.

International Day of Peace – Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025

Norma Sarkar came to the podium to announce the International Day of Peace aimed to build peace by ending racism.  The UN resolution asks the world to remain nonviolent and enact a 24-hour cease fire.  She says that we all can take action and highlight the day by:

• having a moment of silence and pray for peace in the world;
• praying for those who have lost their lives in wars and conflicts;
• giving charity to the people financially affected by wars, violence or other conflicts;
• boycotting and reporting websites that contain violent or harsh content;  and
• taking part in Peace Day celebrations.

Norma then invited Rotarians to join the RCAA-ARC (Anti Racism Committee) that meets monthly via zoom. Participate in identifying and supporting projects by groups whose goals relate to ARC and Peace in the community; enjoy a Book Club meets quarterly via ZOOM; support efforts for Firearm Injury Prevention; work with Interactors and Rotaractors to place Peace Poles at Pioneer, Huron and U of M; and help in giving the Robert S. Northrup Humanitarian Award.

The value of being a mentor

Dennis Powers, chair of the Rotaractor Committee, introduced Luis Orozco, a former UM Rotaractor.  Speaking from Chicago via Zoom, Orozco recognized his Rotary Club mentors, Jason Whipple and Bev Seiford.  He spoke about the personal and professional benefits he garnered by having a Rotary mentor.

You are invited to be a Rotary mentor for this academic year.  Contact Dennis Powers or Mary Steffek Blaske.

U-M Arts Initiative: Making the arts real and accessible

Rotary duo Alicia Pani and Dave Leach introduced our speakers Alison Rivett (Project Senior Manager and Adjunct Lecturer in American Culture in the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts) and Mark Clague (Professor of Music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance and Executive Director of the University of Michigan Arts Initiative.)

U-M’s Arts Initiative (UMAI) is charged with the making U-M’s core “commitment to the arts” real and accessible for everyone on campus as well as to raise the profile of the Arts at Michigan.   UMAI responsibilities include a research and development lab, a funding agency which provides funding to creatives on campus, serving as a collaborative engine to convene creatives and events, and to extend the arts to other campuses and to the state.  UMAI studies students’ Arts engagement, and in so doing learned that 75% of U-M undergraduate students self-identify as an “artist,” and that 70% say that want more arts in their lives.  One recent innovation is recognizing graduating students with commemorative tassels for students to celebrate their arts engagement at U-M.  This year 618+ recipients from 24 schools and colleges at the Ann Arbor, Dearborn & Flint campuses wore these pink (historically the color of the Arts in the pageantry of graduation robes and cowls) cords, and two thirds of the wearers were non-arts majors.

“Support the Arts: if we don’t love it, we’re going to lose it.”
—Mark Clague

There are 250+ student arts organizations on campus making a large creative ecosystem that puts on 1,000 performances annually.  The ecosystem includes the School of Music Theatre & Dance, Stamps School of Arts & Design, University Musical Society, UM Museum of Art, Helen Zell Writers Program, School of Architecture, Film/TV and Media, as well as hundreds of student-driven programs.

A pilot program starting this full ArtsRx, a Social Prescribing Program that uses Arts engagement to improve human well-being.  UMAI has learned that 64% of students say they’d be more likely to participate in the Arts if a health professional advised it.  UMAI is working to solve the hurdle that there “is no one to go with” by creating “Arts Meet Ups.”  fun and engaging cultural outings.

UMAI also provides Arts as a service to the people of Michigan through touring groups including the 2025 Symphony Band Tour which Rotarian David Leach helped to make happen.  There is also a “Culture Corps Program” in which 39 students are participating throughout Michigan.

Rivett and Clague completed their talk by asking the Club members, “Are the Arts part of YOUR own personal well-being?”

They invited each Rotarian to participate in the myriad of Arts offerings to take place during the Michigan Arts Festival, on the UM campuses between September 25 and October 26.  Look at arts.umich.edu/fest for details.