The Anderson Room buzzed with the happy, engaged conversation of the more than 70 Rotarians, along with 19 Rotarians seen chatting over zoom. Director Dawn Johnson, multitasking in-person duties, also gave our zoomers a reminder of zoom etiquette just before President Mark rang the bell to start our meeting.
Tom Strode, pianist extraordinaire looking quite dapper in his red bow tie, played our National Anthem. Eli Savit gave an inspirational welcome focusing on the sometimes unseen effects of positive community building and how people from our past often reconnect in our present.
Marlena Studer shared that being a Rotarian today is a direct result of her experience of being a 17-year-old exchange student to Sweden. She invited the Club to help her reinvigorate the Rotary Youth Exchange, and invited everyone to enjoy singing along with her a speakeasy/gin joint jazzy version of Blue Skies.
President Mark welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked all the people who helped make today’s meeting happen:
* Meeting Coordinator: Meghan Butler
* Zoom Support: Sara Maddock & Leo Shedden
* Tech Support: U of M Union Rep
* Set up: Shirlee Kipp
*Mic runner: Bob Buchanan and Dallas Dort
* Greeter: Carolyn Hiatt
* Attendance: John Sepp
* Reporter: Mary Steffek Blaske
*Photographer: Fred Beutler
Richard Ingram came to the podium to announce the week’s birthdays, starting off with wife Susan Froelich. Other happy birthdays announced were for Susan Smith and Eli Savit. Rotary anniversaries include 15 years: Heidi Vitso, Todd Kephart; 10 years: Arthur Di Blassio, Dick March, Mary Jean Raab, Mary Avrakotos, Dawn Johnson and Dave Shotwell; 5 years: Kati Bauer, Karen Wasco, Carolina Typaldos and Lauren Heinonen; one year: Sue Shink and Edwin Portugal.
Past President Joanne Pierson came to the podium to share the news with club members that Shari Faulhaber was offered and has accepted the job to be our club’s new executive administrator. She begins work with us on April 1. We will be able to meet her in person on April 5. When asked why she was interested in working with us, Shari responded that she likes being united with organizations who are in service to other organizations. A thanks to Barbara Eichmuller, Mark Foster, Mark Ouimet, Norm Herbert, Dawn Johnson, Kathy Waugh, and an ovation to Joanne, for their work in the hiring process.
Distinguished Service Award Presentation
Norma Sarkar came to the podium to present Rosemarie Rowney with the prestigious Distinguished Service Award. Rosemarie’s career is as a key public health administrator and community health nurse. She served a million Oakland County residents as a “disease detective,” solving the critical health mysteries of hepatitis and legionnaire’s disease in the county. She has served on many State and National leadership organizations and continues to be active with the Haiti Nurses Program. In 2013 Rosemarie joined Rotary and has been part of the Humanitarian trip to Guatemala, and the Global Grant in Bangladesh. In 2017 she was a co-convener of the successful World Peace Conference here in Ann Arbor. She is a super supporter of the End Polio Now campaign – lighting up Rackham with the “End Polio Now” message, raffling Pauli Bear, promoting Jonas Bear, and even coming to lead the club with purple hair. She served as our club’s president in 2019-20 and transitioned us back to the Union with a gala dinner where John Hewko, General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation, was the guest speaker. Her leadership skills were exactly what was needed at the time of Covid, for she mobilized the creation of our zoom meetings, enabling our club to survive. (President Mark affirmed that she led our club forward with zoom meetings that continued to connect us – even while we were not able to meet in person. He reminded us that many clubs folded when they were not able to meet in person.) There was a happy and heart-felt standing ovation for Rosemarie.
Mark Foster invited club members to come to the Monday, March 27 meet and greet for NATO Ambassador, Julianne Smith, at 6 p.m. at Ann Arbor Spark (330 E. Liberty). Please preregister.
Susan Froelich came to the podium to announce that Bill McPherson has been nominated to be our new treasurer. Our Club will be voting on his nomination next week. Carlos Valderrama, our previously elected Treasurer, resigned from our Club for health reasons.)
Update on Our Work to Support Education and Health in Rural Sierra Leone
Mary Avrakotos took the podium to talk about “Rotarians Making a Difference: An Update on Our Work to Support Education and Health in Rural Sierra Leone.”
In February, our club member Mary Avrakotos and Ypsilanti Rotarian and former Ypsi mayor Cheryl Farmer, traveled to Sierra Leone as guest of Paramount Chief Charles Caulker of the Bumper Chiefdom in Sierra Leone. This trip was an opportunity to see the impact of two Global Grants sponsored by our Club that has resulted in 1) the planting of 60 acres of orchards that will benefit education and 2) a benevolent fund at the hospital.
Mary shared her thrill in seeing how these Rotarian projects have made a difference in the lives of the people in Freetown, Sierra Leone, a county of eight million people on the western side of Africa. The Freetown Rotary Club has provided project oversight. The Freetown Rotarians were warm hosts, and expressed great appreciation for their Michigan guests by creating many opportunities for music and dancing as well as seeing the grant sites.
Ann Arbor Rotary’s involvement here has included:
* 2016 District Grant (Ann Arbor Club’s portion $2,500) for copier and color printer for the Center for Community Empowerment Transformation (CCET).
* 2017-18 Global Grant (Ann Arbor: $10,000) for 15 acres of orchards and peanut plants to grow in the shade of those trees, and rice for immediate food. The proceeds of the orchard fruit sales to go to children’s education.
* 2019-20 Global Grant ($10,000) for 45 more acres of orchards, some of whose revenues are dedicated to the local hospital’s benevolent fund.
* 2022 District Grant for stop-gap funding for orchards as they reach fruition age. Funding earmarked for 13 teachers to receive certification.
The CCET is looking to have $12-13K revenue stream by 2026 from the 60 acres of orchards; by 2027-28 a revenue stream of $40-50K; and by 2032 a revenue stream of $60K.
Mary interviewed a grateful principal who thanked Rotary for the grant which allowed her to continue her job and for giving her the confidence and sense of optimism about the future of the school.
Mary reported the positive ripple effect of the improved economy because of the Rotary grants: optimism and the burgeoning cottage industries being developed.
Ashish Sarkar added that Rotarians can be proud of the multiplier effect of our philanthropic gifts to Rotary for projects like these because, for instance, our club’s grant of $10,000 became $142,000 thanks to other clubs and Rotary International.
President Mark closed the meeting with a question from coaching legend Al McGuire: “The only mystery in life is why kamikaze pilots wore helmets.”
Respectfully submitted
Scoop Steffek Blaske
