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Zoom Meeting March 5, 2021
The link for the meeting is below and will also be sent out on Thursday as a reminder.
 
WHEN DOES THE MEETING START?  Here is the schedule:
  • At 12:00 pm the Zoom room will be available for our "breakout room/virtual tables" to have a conversation with other members.  President Julie will draw us all back into the main meeting room at 12:28 pm
     
  • At 12:30 pm the meeting will be called to order
     
  • At approximately 12:55 p.m. we will introduce our speaker
     
  • Speaker will start at approximately 1:00 p.m.
     
  • Meeting concludes at 1:30 p.m.
SPEAKERS:   Eric Hemenway, Director of Archives and Records for the Little Traverse Bands of Odawa Indians, Harbor Springs, Michigan
 
TOPIC:  "Company K Sharpshooters in the Union Army, Civil War"
 
FOLLOW UP:  Please keep your microphone muted when you are listening.  Be aware of the lighting in your room, a well lit room with natural light if possible.  Please feel free to use Chat throughout the meeting.  If you have any questions for the speakers, ask them through Chat.
Biography for Stephen L. Esquith 
Stephen L. Esquith is the dean of the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities at Michigan State University. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Princeton University, where he received his Ph.D. in politics. He served as the chair of the MSU Department of Philosophy before becoming the founding dean of RCAH. Esquith received MSU's Teacher-Scholar Award in 1984 and the Honors College Distinguished Contributions to Honors Students Award for 2008-2009.
 
He has been a Fulbright Scholar in Poland and then later in Mali. He is the author of Intimacy and Spectacle (Cornell, 1994) and The Political Responsibilities of Everyday Bystanders (Pennsylvania State University Press, 2010), the editor of several edited collections on democracy and development, and the author of numerous articles, most recently on children's human rights, democratic political education, and peace building. He is currently working on several local peace building projects in Mali and similar peace education projects for refugee children in Michigan. He has taught philosophy for children in middle schools in Michigan and Mali over the past fifteen years, and has facilitated the co-creation of four children’s picture books in French, Bamanankan, and English for a peace building project in Mali. He teaches courses in RCAH on civic engagement and political theory.
Zoom Meeting Link 
Below is the meeting link and dial in phone number for our Friday Rotary Club of Lansing Meetings on Zoom.  You will find the SAME link each week in the Rotogram so you will not have to look for a new weekly link. Thank you!
 
Topic: Rotary Club of Lansing Meeting
 
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89922182374?pwd=N1A5WVV3QXpESGJRQzZ1WDBVTC9EZz09
 
Meeting ID: 899 2218 2374
Passcode: 016004
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,89922182374#,,,,,,0#,,016004# US (New York)
 
Time: Noon, Friday, February 26, 2021
 
Holiday Appeal
On February 11, 2021 the Lansing Rotary Foundation Board approved a grant of $12,533.00 to Gardner International Magnet School in support of outdoor accessible play equipment.  This gift was made possible thanks to the generosity of these Lansing Rotarians who responded to the Annual Holiday appeal:
 
 
Tim AdmasTodd GuteKristina Reitler
Dick AmmonsKurt GuterJames Reutter
Catheline AndrewsCarmen Hall Michelle Reynaert
Susan AngelVicki Hamilton-AllenMichael Rhodes
Rick AnthonyPatrick HanesSteve Robinson
Dan AylwardSue Hansen Lolo Robison
Rebecca Bahar-CookKurt HanusKelly Rossman-McKinney
Laurie BaumerNick HerifordRocco Rucinski
Nicole BaumerDonald HinesJacob Sabins
Ken BeachlerJoel Hoffman Diane Sanborn
Jeff BensonRobert Hoffman Rich Schaberg
Lynn BrenckleChris Holman Kevin V.B. Schumacher
Darwin BrewsterMark HooperRick Schuon
Andy BroganRon HorowitzRon Seely
Steve CalverleyCasey Jacobsen Ralph Shaheen
Mark CampbellHari Kern John Shaski
Ed CastellaniTeresa KmetzSara Shepard
Anne CauleyMark KraushaarEdward Sherry
John H. Cauley, Jr.Erik Larson George Siegle
Michael CavanaughBarb LezotteDean Sienko
Don ColizziJanet LillieJay Smith
John CollinsPaul Linnell John Dale Smith
Jeff Connell Nancy LittleLisa Smith 
Jeff Crippen Linda Lynch Curt Sonnenberg
Ed Culberson Jennifer MarshCraig Spencer
Paula Cunningham Meghan Martin Dawn Springer
Melanie DartRobert McKeeCraig Stiles
Kellie DeanHeidi McNaughton Jordan Sutton 
James DexterHelen MickensChris Swope
Sandy Draggoo Pam MiklavcicJulie Thomasma
Jenn Dubey Courtney Millbrook Dave Tratt
Scott DuimstraSue MillsDave Trumpie
Kelli Ellsworth-EtchisonTobi MooreSam Tucker
Nancy EydePat MunshawUmakanthan
Dennis Fliehman Irv Nichols Joseph Wald
Ron FlinnGeorge Nugent Eugene Wanger
Craig GaleckaDavid O'LearyMelody Warzecha
Sarah GarciaTyler ParsonsScott Watkins
Orlando Gillespie John PenceBarb Whitney
George GoodellJohn Person Doug Wiesner
Jeremy GoughJim PhillipsTrey Williams 
Glenn GrangerBrian Philson Kathy Zell 
Jerry GrangerJulie Pingston  
John Grettenberger, Jr. Paul Rathbun 
These generous members represent 73% of our club membership.
January Birthdays
Congratulations to our January Birthday Club members and our January Birthday chair Vicki Hamilton-Allen! Our January Birthday members had 100% participation and raised $690 for the Lansing Rotary Foundation. They have set the bar at 100% for the next 11 months of Birthdays! Thank you to our January birthday donors:
 
Nancy EydeJanet Lillie
Vicki Hamilton-AllenRachelle Neal 
Gabrielle HaskinsRich Schaberg
Christopher Holman Berl Schwartz
Editarian Report for February 19, 2021
President Julie Pingston sounded the bell at 12:31 p.m., bringing Rotarians to order.
 
In honor of today’s diversity, equity and inclusion theme, Joel Hoffman delivered an invocation called “A Prayer For the World” by Rabbi Harold A. Kushner. Joel purposefully avoiding alienating approximately 30 percent of the nation’s population or non-Christian religions. The prayer was a call to action to let go of old grudges and hatreds; to allow healing and new beginnings where we shed labels and judgments associated with our accents, gender and skin color.
 
The patriotic song featured John Dale Smith and America the Beautiful on piano.
 
Visiting Rotarians and guests were welcomed and recognized, including:
 
  •  Nathan Triplett, District Governor;
  •  Bill McMillan, who is recently retired and newly moved from Frankfurt, with an interest in Rotary Clubs in the Lansing area;
  •  Hunter Sullivan, Assistant Director, Capital City Market, submitted his application for membership;
  •  Krista Stevens, Executive Branch Director, Bethany Christian Services;
  •  Scott Watkins introduced his guest, Jamey Fitzpatrick, President & CEO, Michigan Virtual and resident of Grand Ledge, who spends his time building 12-foot tall snowmen;
  •  Katie Krick’s guest was Silas Olsen, Business Development representative from Dewpoint, an IT and business-solutions company. He graduated from MSU as an Evans Scholar and majored in economics with a minor in entrepreneurship. His hobbies include collecting vinyl records;
  •  Marcy Rzepka, Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce, and guest of Rotarian Susan Angel. She is interested in joining Rotary;
  •  Kelli Ellsworth-Etchison, Chief Marketing and Diversity Officer, LAFCU, introduced her guests, members of LAFCU’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee: Chris Wood, Emily Jannereth and Jeremy Sampson.
  •  Lisa O’Connor, President & CEO, Publicom, was also Kelli’s guest.
Diane Sanborn had nothing to report regarding the health of the club, which, in her words, is excellent.
 
President Julie shared that, in lieu of special music in the last couple of weeks, dance and poetry have been featured. She played a video of Kelli Ellsworth-Etchison reciting a powerful poem she’d recorded called “I Have a Right to Breathe.” I HAVE A RIGHT TO BREATHE - YouTube
 
Kelli then introduced today’s panelists, including Dr. Tonya Bailey, a sought-after conference speaker, workshop presenter and personal development coach and trainer. She has been a corporate consultant and executive educational advisor for over 20 years. She is also the Diversity Equity Officer for Lansing Community College. She is married and has eight children.
 
Jimmy Greene is the CEO and President of Associated Builders and Contractors of Michigan. He is the first Black CEO in ABC’s 60-year history. Jimmy is responsible for public policy and urban affairs for ABC members. Prior to this role, he served as CEO and President of Associated Builders and Contractors’ Greater Michigan Chapter and the Greater Michigan Construction Academy Company. He is very passionate about youth and a desire to give them the tools they need to own their own businesses and control their own destiny.
 
Jon Horford launched and owns multiple small businesses. He is a former college and professional basketball player. He has dedicated thousands of volunteer hours coaching and mentoring young athletes. He co-chairs Grand Ledge United, serves on the Governor’s Black Leadership Advisory Subcommittee on Health, and is on the Ingham County Parks and Recreation Committee.
 
Kelli said, while we commit words to paper about who we are, for most of us, that information represents a micro perspective of our whole selves. She encouraged an open mind and an open heart for the panel discussion. She also said, “We need our white allies. We need you. Don’t look at your privilege as a negative. Don’t look at your power and influence as a negative. Embrace it, because we need it to help change things.”
 
She also reminded us that none of us were the original constructionists of our Constitution, slavery or racism, yet we have all played a role in the beast that it still is today “by either not addressing policies and practices that need to be changed; not speaking from our own truths; not wanting to participate in dialog; not calling out that friend, co-worker or family member when they make an off-color joke or comment we’ve kept it alive.”
 
She also said that there are many who want the conversation to go away. “They’re done talking about it, they don’t believe racism exists or whatever their reason is for not engaging.”
 
She explained that her name, Kelli, was given to her by her mother It is her true name, but her maiden name, Ellsworth, is not her true name. Rather, it is a constant and painful reminder of the brutality that came with it. She does not know her name, her heritage or her kin. She also does not have the option to walk away from the impact of racism; to say that she doesn’t want to talk about it or deal with it; to wish it away. Every time she writes or sees her name, she is reminded that “there is history in this country that thought so little of us. So our moment is right now. We all owe it to humanity to work together, to deconstruct what’s been constructed, and to let the rain wash it away. I’m ready. Bring on the sun.”
 
Kelli invited everyone to walk away from today’s discussion as a change agent, though she recognizes not everyone will go along. She hoped that the panel she assembled would give us words of wisdom and, possibly, some practical application.
 
Dr. Tonya Bailey, Jimmy Greene and Jon Horford also spoke from their hearts to share with attendees their experiences and perspectives.
 
It was a heavy but enlightening, moving and welcome discussion that prompted deep introspection and self-examination.
 
Lolo Robison's email is:  LRobison@cata.org 
Speakers
Mar 05, 2021
"Company K Sharpshooters in the Union Army, Civil War"
Mar 12, 2021
"A Woman's Place is Under the Dome"
Mar 19, 2021
How I-496 Construction Impacted Lansing's Black Community
Mar 26, 2021
"Genealogical Research"
View entire list
Rotary Club of Lansing
P. O. Box 13156
Lansing, MI   48901-3156
Meeting Responsibilities
February Birthday Chair
Sheehan, Justin
 
Remembrance
Sanborn, Diane
 
Editarian
Reynaert, Michelle
 
Chair of the Month
Umakanthan, Uma
 
Chair of the Day
Lillie, Janet
 
Invocator
Lynch, Linda