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President Nick called our meeting to order and began by leading us in the recitation of the Four Way Test. Lisa Smith led us in a few moments of reflection which were followed by God Bless America accompanied by John Dale Smith. There were no updates regarding the health of the club. We had several guests in attendance and Dan Wyant made sure all could hear the introductions by handling the microphone. President Nick announced that the Hands-On Committee is coordinating a book drive this month. Please bring new or gently used books for children through young adults to any meeting in October. Julie Pingston is coordinating the drive and can answer any questions you might have. President Nick also acknowledged that a group of Rotarians helped with Fall cleanup in the downtown area last Saturday and thanked them for their efforts. This activity was organized by Jason Brunette. Nicole Noll-Williams, President and CEO of Capital Regional Airport Authority, gave her new member presentation. She is married to Keith Williams and has two adult daughters. Growing up, she was involved in sports, 4H and the Catholic Church. She is the youngest of four and her family enjoyed camping together. Her favorite pet was a goat named Princess and her family had as many as 60 Angora goats. She was intimately involved in their care and upkeep, even assisting new mothers with their deliveries. She has worked for United Express, Spartan Travel, CRAA, and Senator Gary Peters before returning to CRAA for her current position. She serves on many local and industry boards and has received many awards for her achievements. She employs three leadership strategies - Build a Village, Foster Collaboration, and Identify True North. At the conclusion of her presentation, President Nick exchanged her red badge for a blue one! Cathy Zell introduced Dr. Jonathan Ten Brink, Program Faculty Chair of the Music Program at LCC, for our special music. Jonathan shared two pieces composed by Paul Bowles using poems by Tennessee Williams. These pieces, Lonesome Man and Cabin, are the second and third pieces of a larger work, Blue Mountain Ballads. He concluded with The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha. President Nick thanked him for sharing his talents with us.  Jennifer Rostar, who has been a member for about two years, was next to share a bit about herself. She was invited to the club by Casey Jacobsen and has been attending since our virtual days. Jennifer grew up in Fowlerville, the youngest of 8. She attended LCC where she explored seemingly all possible career opportunities. Eventually, she transferred to MSU and earned a degree in Environmental Science. Her first job after graduating was with the Ingham County Drain Commission, where she worked on the Groesbeck Park Drain project. She raised her daughter as a single parent. Her daughter is a vocalist and sang at one of our meetings when she was eleven. Jennifer also focuses on her True North, which is giving back to the community with a focus on the environment. She is currently Director of Operations at Clark Tree Service, where their team has been focused on cleaning up fallen and damaged trees after our recent storms. And with that, another red badge was exchanged for blue! Doug Wiesner introduced Susan Shilton, District Director of Junior Achievement, who was with us to talk about how JA is using the $10,000 grant that was recently awarded by our Foundation. Susan shared that JA served 3000 students in 21-22, and 7498 students last year. Our grant is being used to support two important programs offered in our area – Biz Town and Finance Park. Biz Town is offered to students in grades 4 – 6. Students in this program submit a resume and are interviewed for a job within the program. At the conclusion, they travel to Grand Rapids where they run a town and businesses for a day. Businesses take out a loan in the morning, operate for a day, and repay the loan at day’s end. Finance Park is conducted for grades 8 – 12 in Waverly, Potterville and Grand Ledge districts. This program consists of 12 classes where students learn about personal finance and prepare a budget that covers a year. Those who are interested in learning more about Junior Achievement are invited to the annual Starmakers Breakfast on November 28th. This is a great opportunity to hear from students who have participated in these programs. President Nick shared that the September birthday group raised $1300 for 14 members. Participation was not quite 100%, and additional contributions are still welcome. Doug Wiesner returned to the podium to give us a quick demonstration of the Club Runner management tool that our club uses. You can sign into Club Runner from the Club’s web page to access a member directory, club documents, and review your committee membership and profile. There is also a phone app that you can install for access on the go. The member directory includes photos, email addresses and phone numbers for members. You can update the information in your profile in the web version. Note that we do not use the financial piece of Club Runner, so you can’t see any billing or payment information there. Although Doug is certainly aware, President Nick reminded us that we make a donation to our Foundation in lieu of a speaker’s gift. He also shared that next week’s meeting will be back at LCC with a program from Teresa Kmetz and Michelle Strasz from United Way of South Central Michigan. The meeting was promptly adjourned with a final ring of the Rotary bell. Linda Lynch's email is: linda.j.lynch@gmail.com |
community coalitions, the volunteer center, VITA Free tax preparation along with serving as the executive director of the Capital Area College Access Network. Ms. Strasz is a professional child advocate with expertise in community impact, grassroots mobilization, and youth and parent advocacy..png)
bring your new or gently used children to young adult age books to any Club Meeting in October. We will be distributing them to the local schools in Lansing. Thanks for your support of reading and Rotary!
Born August 22, 1947 in Lansing, Michigan son of the late John and Harriet Anthony passed away following a battle with cancer on Saturday, October 7, 2023 at age 76.
