Arnold Weinfeld is Director of Urban Policy Initiatives for Michigan State University Outreach and Engagement. In this capacity he serves as a connector and boundary spanner, working with offices such as the center for Community and Economic Development as well as other MSU faculty, community partners and agencies to develop university-community partnerships focused on urban and systems change. He participates in and leads community-engaged research and evaluation projects working to promote community based participatory research models of practice.
Prior to joining UOE, Arnold served as CEO of Prima Civitas, a community and economic development non-profit organization. He also worked for the Michigan Municipal League where as Director of Strategic initiatives he was responsible for the planning and development of new programs and outreach strategies to support place-based policy initiative and programming for local officials across the state. He helped establish the MML Center for 21st Century Communities and was a founding co-chair of the Michigan Sense of Place of Council, a public-private statewide collaborative of trade groups working to improve the quality of life of Michigan's citizens by promoting the creation of vibrant communities, and in so doing, make Michigan competitive in the new global economy.
Arnold began his career with the Michigan House of Representatives where he worked as a legislative aide, policy and analyst and policy director. he has served his own community as an elected member of the Waverly Community Schools Board of Education and is currently on the Delta Township Planning Commission. He is also on the board of Statewide organizations such as the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association, Michigan Rural Council and Creative Many Michigan. Arnold holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University's College of Social Science Multi-Disciplinary Programs.
Loftus Day is a tradition unique to our Lansing Rotary Club. Every year at a September meeting, a Rotarian who has passed away during the year is honored. After an abbreviated meeting, if they so choose Rotarians visit and lay flowers at assigned grave sites of deceased Lansing Rotarians.
It’s a tradition that began in 1924 when club member Frank Loftus brought a bouquet of fresh garden flowers to the regular meeting of the club. Afterwards, he took the flowers to the grave of Charles W. Nichols, a past Rotary president who had recently died. The custom grew in an informal manner and when Loftus died four years later, the official Frank Loftus Day Memorial Service was held- a cherished Lansing Rotary Club tradition that each September honors deceased club members who are buried in the Lansing area.
It’s a time to remember, pay respect, and reflect on the many dedicated people who contributed not just to our club, but to the causes they’ve helped to support throughout our history, ranging from local charities to Rotary’s international outreach. This year, Loftus Day will be Friday, September 9th.
How Do I Participate?
A few weeks before Loftus Day, you will be sent the names of the members who are in your group, who the leader of the group is, and the assigned gravesites. The sites will all be in the same general area in the same cemetery. Your group and cemetery remains the same every year. At the end of the Rotogram, beneath "DOWNLOAD FILES" is the Loftus Day Committee Chairs for 2016. This will give you the names of the Chairs and each Rotarian in the committee with the gravesites. If you have any questions, contact cathy@lansingrotary.com
* Contact your group leader about the group’s plans for visiting the sites. Some visit the sites sometime during the week preceding the meeting. Most will visit the sites after the meeting on Loftus Day.
* Some members bring flowers from their gardens and some order flowers which will be on a table for you to pick up at the meeting. Smith Floral 484-5327 and Rick Anthony (Rick Anthony Flowers) 484-5387. Containers for the flowers will also be on the table for you to take.
*After an abbreviated meeting, your group will meet at your assigned site.
It felt like we were at the Holiday Inn on the outskirts of town as lounge lizard John Dale Smith gave us his best rendition of Billy Joel’s “Don’t Go Changin.” While the piano sounds trailed off, Rotarians worldwide were once again stunned as President Jack Davis went for Olympic gold and started the meeting on time for a record 4th week in a row. Veteran Rotary observers were heard to say they’re stunned by the young President’s timely performance to date, recalling his ill fated late starts during the Mexico City, Melbourne and Helsinki games. Helen Mickens carried the invocation torch today and consistent with the speaker of the day’s topic, pointed out the importance of fair housing opportunities.
We sang God Bless America, and John Dale Smith threw in a couple of extra flourishes to go along with the alto voice that was somewhere near the cookie table. Don’t forget to put a buck in the tip jar. Lisa Smith made sure all visiting guests and Rotarians were introduced and Sue Mills told us that all was right with the Rotary world. It’s too late for you to do anything about it now, but we were also invited to attend Saturday’s FRIB open house on MSU’s campus. For those of you who don’t know, FRIB is Tony “Ironman” Stark’s billion dollar basement that is being built right here in East Lansing. After you visit it, you’ll know what I mean.
Irv Nichols did a great job honoring fallen Rotarian Curt Liechty. Curt joined the living in 1941 and left us in April of 2016. His parents, chicken and egg farmers, no doubt influenced Curt greatly as he eventually became an OB-Gyn, presumably to figure out which came first, the chicken or the egg (badumpbump). We were treated to a short thank you video from this year’s golf outing beneficiary, Child & Family Services. They’ve got our Lansing history beat by 5 years (105 year old organization). The proceeds from the golf outing will help them purchase a much needed van which is used for delivering services to Lansing’s homeless youth (400+). Don’t forget my golf outing hilarious tee placard sign challenge: sponsor a tee, make your sign funnier than mine, and I will pay for your sponsorship next year. Let’s make golf funny again! So far, no takers: gutless wonders, all of you.
Umakanth, who like Ali and Madonna only needs one name for immediate recognition, presented on the International Committee’s sponsorship of Rural Science Centers. The goal of Uma’s project is to make science centers as ubiquitous as libraries. Through the program, Uma will direct Lansing area students in creating simple science projects using readily available materials that will be used to introduce STEM concepts to students in Cameroon and India. The project is designed to progress into a knowledge based and goodwill format where ideas are exchanged, requiring few if any dollars.
Today’s special music was Kelly Stuible and she participates in the Renegade Theatre Festival www.renegadetheatrefestival.org. Kelly sang one of those satirical songs about invisible teenage angst, Lost in the Brass. Accompanied by John Dale Smith on the piano, Kelly brought laughs and smiles to our Friday gathering.
Jeff Detloff introduced our speaker of the day, Sandy Pearson. Sandy heads up Michigan’s Habitat for Humanity, or as I like to call it, Bob Vila for the 99%. Habitat has a global mission, operates in 70 countries and has been in existence since 1976. The roots for Habitat came earlier than that, some say with Christianity itself, others with the civil rights movement of the 1960's. In the same fashion as Motown filled a financing void for black businesses, Habitat sought to provide mortgage financing for disadvantaged borrowers seeking home ownership. The quality of one’s housing correlates greatly with health, financial wellness and family stability. Habitat consistently ranks in the top 10 homebuilders in the U.S. You can be “Habitized” by shopping at a re-store, donating building materials, giving money, being a volunteer or in a multitude of other ways. For more information check them out at www.habitatmichigan.org or www.habitat.org. President Jack thanked the speaker, rang the bell and we were off to enjoy yet another beautiful Michigan summer day.
Loftus Day is a tradition unique to our Lansing Rotary Club. Every year at a September meeting, a Rotarian who has passed away during the year is honored. After an abbreviated meeting, if they so choose Rotarians visit and lay flowers at assigned grave sites of deceased Lansing Rotarians..bmp)
Sign up now for the 16th annual Lansing Rotary Foundation Golf Outing!
Jeff Detloff introduced our speaker of the day, Sandy Pearson. Sandy heads up Michigan’s Habitat for Humanity, or as I like to call it, Bob Vila for the 99%. Habitat has a global mission, operates in 70 countries and has been in existence since 1976. The roots for Habitat came earlier than that, some say with Christianity itself, others with the civil rights movement of the 1960's. In the same fashion as Motown filled a financing void for black businesses, Habitat sought to provide mortgage financing for disadvantaged borrowers seeking home ownership. The quality of one’s housing correlates greatly with health, financial wellness and family stability. Habitat consistently ranks in the top 10 homebuilders in the U.S. You can be “Habitized” by shopping at a re-store, donating building materials, giving money, being a volunteer or in a multitude of other ways. For more information check them out at www.habitatmichigan.org or www.habitat.org. President Jack thanked the speaker, rang the bell and we were off to enjoy yet another beautiful Michigan summer day.