President Joyce Hunter rang the opening bell on the last meeting of her presidency. Nancy Harrison’s Inspiration recalled the wonderful things about Rotary and acknowledged President Joyce’s work in furthering Rotary’s goal and vision.
We sang The Star Spangled Banner. Ingrid Sheldon led us in “Sing. Rotarians.’ President Joyce read birthdays and anniversaries and thanked the people who make the meetings run smoothly. She especially called out Dan Romanchik for his work on the weekly newsletter.
Downs Herald recounted the history of the Ambassadorial Scholarship program, which ran from 1948 before being phased out for Global Grant Scholarships. He was candid about how much work it is to host six to eight adult scholars for a period of years, and invited anyone interested to join him in looking into restarting the program. (Read the full text of his remarks here.)
Wendy Zielen gave a talk about her hugely rewarding experience with a recent visitor from Uganda. She asked the visitor what most impressed her about America, and the lady said, “choice.” They laughed together about all the choices of ketchup in the grocery store, and then retreated to private thoughts about the choices we make freely every day. Wendy encouraged us to think about the ways our choices of what to do with our time and energy can impact people far away with very few resources, or choices.
Marsha Chamberlin invited us to tog up in red, white and blue and follow the new Rotary float in the July 4 parade. Roger Fraser and Dan Romanchik and Marsha have built a float and we need marchers to help publicize our club at the annual Jaycees parade. Children are especially invited. The march is on downtown streets, just a mile. Information about rally point and time will be circulated later.
Roy More that Broadway Comes to Barton to Help Kids Succeed. This premier performance by students from the UM School of Music and Dance will be the entertainment for our upcoming Golf and Pickleball Outing on September 15. After the sports afternoon there will be an auction and dinner. This performance is underwritten by Mark Ouimet and Bob Buckler – many thanks to them! – and other sponsors are sought. This fun-filled evening will start with golf and pickleball, an auction, cocktails and dinner. Donations to the auction for ‘things to do, not to dust’, like tickets or gatherings, are sought. Reduced prices for the Early Bird Special are not the reason to sign up – this will be a sellout. so don’t wait. September 15, 2025.
Notes from the Program
President Joyce provided retrospective on her presidential year. She began it before inauguration with an announcement of a dues increase and then organized listening sessions. Some of the discussions lead to the Leadership Program, increased emphasis on member retention, and heightening our image by collaborating with other 501(3)c organizations. The Leadership Program was well attended and the participants provided meaningful feedback, including the suggestions that new members be strongly encouraged to attend future sessions.
Another topic of the listening sessions was examining alternating meeting sites and biweekly meetings. Support for a teacher at Mott Hospital for sick children was discussed. Dave Keren’s Book Club was a popular topic. An immediate result of the sessions is Collyer Smith’s founding of a community based Rotaract focused on Mental health.
President Joyce concluded her remarks by thanking the club for choosing her to be president, saying it was one of the honors of her life. She then led us in reciting the Four Way Test.
