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An old friend was back at the piano while we enjoyed lunch as John Dale Smith made a return for today’s meeting. President Chris called the meeting to order and led the Club in reciting the 4-Way Test. President Chris introduced Bilky Joda-Miller for the Reflection which focused upon making a difference and being a difference. John Dale led Rotarians in singing the Star-Spangled Banner. We were able to welcome guests to the meeting as Pam Miklavcic introduced Cindy Hudson who is with the MSU Extension’s Sea Grant program; Teresa Kmetz introduced Jamie Rugg who is the Director of Operations at United Way and with 4H; Cathy Zell welcomed Michelle’s guest, Andrea Polverento who is a farmer in Bath, MI; and, Dan Alyward introduced the amazingingly talented soccer/basketball player Lily Alyward (and also Dan’s daughter!). The health of the club is good, especially after John Pence shared that Lisa Smith’s Company InVerve Marketing is celebrating its 25th year! Congratulations!!  President Chris welcomed John Dale Smith for special music today. He said it was nice to be back and see most of us! He turned the program over to six performers from DeWitt High School who will be performing their fall musical Mamma Mia next week. The shows on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday are sold out but there are still tickets for Friday. The show has a double cast and performed Super Trooper and Dancing Queen for us. Should be a great show! President Chris presented Jackson Kaguri with his red badge today! Welcome officially to Jackson! Announcements include: - The International Grant Application process is open from October 15-November 15. The link to the grant application is in the Rotogram and on the website.
- The 41st annul Martin Luther King Jr lunch is on January 19 at 11:00am at the Lansing Center. To purchase a ticket at the Rotary table, contact Bilky Joda-Miller.
- The Loftus Committee will meet following the Club Meeting on November 7.
- There will be a volunteer opportunity for Rotarians at the Greater Lansing Food Bank on Tuesday, November 25 from 9-11:00am.
- The Special Projects Committee is going through a revamp and needs a new Chair and additional committee members. See President Chris for further details.
 Thank you to our Chair of the Month and Chair of the Day Michelle Reynaert who provided a full month full of knowledge on Michigan’s agricultural industry. Michelle introduced today’s speaker, Quentin Tyler, PhD, the Director of MSU Extension and Senior Associate Dean for Outreach and Engagement. Dr. Tyler came to MSU eight years ago from a rural area of Kentucky and then the University of Kentucky. His dad taught him to lead with People (to serve), Process (listen) and Purpose (in everything you do) and he leads the MSU Extension efforts in the same way. Extension serves people, engages in process and has the mission/purpose to make lives better. MSU was founded as the first land grant college and also received the first federal allocation in 1912 to take the education from a university to the homes of those in rural areas not receiving education. The act passed in 1914 to start this extension model throughout the country. With this history MSU is rooted in all 83 of Michigan’s counties and represented throughout the world with over 700 employees and over 20,000 volunteers. Extension is MSU’s community outreach organization and has 4 Institutes. 1. Agriculture and Agribusiness Institute -Michigan is the second most agriculturally diverse state in the country and first with fresh water availability – agriculture contributes $104.7billion to Michigan’s economy -They work to increase agricultural success, protect the environment, ensure food safety, research new markets and methods 2. Children and Youth Development Institute -connections for ages 0-19 and working to create lifelong learners -4-H program is in all counties (4H = Head, Hands, Heart, Health) -4-H Day is a day for career exploration and there’s even a 4-H license plate in Michigan now 3. Community Food and Environment Institute -works to advance entrepreneurs, develop local food systems 4. Health and Nutrition Institute -works to build nutrition based diets on a budget, reduce the spread of foodborne illnesses MSU Extension challenges include the misinformation and fragmentation of what they do; reaching new audiences; and navigating funding challenges. 94 members have been lost through the federal funding cuts which also eliminated 40% of their youth outreach. The opportunities for MSU extension are great with their long-time trusted reputation at local levels and a foundation in evidence-based information. They also have networks and services rooted in community, campus and globally. Thanks to Dr. Tyler for the informative presentation and the work they do that affects us all. Our next event will be on Thursday, October 30 at The Irish Pub from 4:30-6:00 p.m. See you there! Email for Julie Pingston: jpingston@lansing.org |
