President Courtney called our meeting to order at 12:28 on a hot Friday. She began by announcing that Duane Vernon passed away on Wednesday night, calling our attention to the information placed on our tables and calling for a moment of silence in his honor. She then led us in the Four Way Test – a fitting tribute to Duane who had over 55 years of perfect attendance at Rotary meetings.

 

Chris Swope shared a personal reflection for Pride Month. He shared his experiences and thoughts as a gay man, noting that he became the first openly gay elected official in 2000. His reflection was followed by “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” accompanied by Hari Kern.

 

Bilky Joda-Miller traveled the room with the microphone for the introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians. We had a total of nine guests, including several who have already applied for membership. We look forward to welcoming them into our club!

 

Irv Nichols attended the funeral for Clyde Carnegie and gave us a short recap of the service and his memories of Clyde. When Clyde was Pastor of Friendship Baptist Church and finances were tight, he offered to forgo his entire salary. When told that he had to take something, he agreed to work for $1 and year, and donated that dollar back to the church. Soon all staff members were working under the same arrangement. These actions saved the church’s finances.

 

Jason Brunette is looking for Rotarians that want to help with Lansing River Trail Cleanup on Saturday, June 10th at 10am. Contact Jason if you are willing to help.

 

Sue Hanson gave the May birthday report, letting us know that they had 100% participation and raised over $1000. Hari Kern provided the accompaniment as we all sang “Happy Birthday” to our May Birthday Rotarians.

 

Nicholas Horstman gave his new member presentation, beginning with a thank you to Todd Gute who is his sponsor. Nicholas grew up in Northern Indiana as a Spartan fan but attended Butler University during its years of greatest success. He was very torn during the Final Four game against MSU. He moved to Michigan in 2013 because his wife, who is from Michigan, was not willing to make anywhere else home. Although new to our club, he is not new to Rotary, having been a member of the Delta/Waverly and Williamston Sunrise clubs. He is a past president of the Williamston Club but has decided that their meetings are just too early in the morning. He is a Financial Planner with Edward Jones.

 

Terry Terry introduced Pastor Anthony Taylor for our special music. Anthony plays with a jazz group at Urban Beat every other Thursday. Providing his own accompaniment, he shared his heartfelt renditions of “Amazing Grace” and “Precious Jesus”.

 

President Courtney thanked Nicole Baumer for being our Chair of the Month and introduced John Cauley as our Chair of the Day. John shared that he has enjoyed getting to know Rawley Van Fossen and is very pleased that he is our speaker for the day. Rawley has also submitted his application for membership and will have one more meeting to attend before he can be accepted as a member.

 

Rawley began by challenging us all to consider what home means to us. The meaning of home is different for all of us, and having a home should be a basic human right.

 

Rawley came to East Lansing to attend MSU and has never left. He is currently a homeowner in the Old Oakland neighborhood. He joined the Board of CAHP in 2014 and the staff as Executive Director in 2018.

 

Capital Area Housing Partnership is focused on providing affordable housing in the Lansing area. Without organizations like CAHP, both rents and home ownership are out of reach for minimum wage earners. Programs are available to assist based on family size and income levels.

 

One of the ways that CAHP works in our community is housing development. They have brought 300 affordable single-family homes and 500 affordable rentals to our community. They also provide one-on-one guidance with certified counselors to address rental counseling, pre-purchase counseling and mortgage and tax foreclosure prevention.

 

They also provide home renovation resources and opportunities. They are famous for their bathroom on wheels that is used for a weeks long program on bathroom renovation. Homeowners can attend the complete series, or only some weeks to focus on specific skills. They also have a lendable tool library with over 300 tools available at no cost.

 

Tuesday Toolmen is a 13-year program that operates throughout mid-Michigan. This group meets every Tuesday to build ramps for homeowners who cannot afford one and need it to access their home. The program covers materials and labor.

 

This week brings the long-awaited groundbreaking on the Walter French project in south Lansing. The project is expected to last 18 months and will provide 76 rental units – 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. There will also be a childcare facility in the building with capacity for 100 children and before and after school care. Childcare openings will be available first to residents, and then to families in the surrounding neighborhood. CAHP will also locate their housing resource center in the building. Since Walter French is on the historic register, it will be restored to its original design.

 

President Courtney thanked Rawley for speaking to us and let him know that we would make a contribution in his name to our Foundation.

 

Next week, we will be back at LCC for a bevy of new member presentations. President Courtney adjourned our meeting with a final ring of the Rotary Bell.

 

Linda Lynch's email is:  linda.j.lynch@gmail.com