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Call to Order President Nick called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. and led Rotarians in the recitation of the Four-Way Test. Reflection Kim Garland delivered today’s reflection. She said that there is a lot of heavy stuff in the world being reported by the news lately. She thought about the role that Rotarians play and how we can make the world a better place, which she believes is the reason most of us belong to Rotary. Kim asked us to reflect on the profound impact we make through our philanthropic work, locally and globally, and the beauty of embracing diverse cultures from around the world. She prayed that we embrace Rotary’s guiding principle for service above self. “Recognize that our actions, however small, are the building blocks of a more peaceful tomorrow.” Let’s stand united, for in our unity lies the strength to mend what is broken and build what is just. Rotary is not just an organization but a movement – a force that transcends boundaries; a global family with shared values. Let’s channel our energies together to be the change we wish to see. It all starts with each of us – a small act of kindness, whether it’s a smile, a helping hand or a thoughtful gesture – can transcend discord and remind us of our shared humanity. Kim challenged us to extend a hand of friendship to a neighbor, friend, family member or a stranger; to spread kindness and unity throughout our daily lives; and together to continue to strive for a more peaceful tomorrow. Patriotic Song Rotarians sang the National Anthem with John Dale Smith on piano. Health of the Club President Nick thanked Todd Gute for reporting that Helen Mickens recently had hip surgery and is doing well. Nick wished Helen a quick recovery and let Rotarians know that she said hello. Hello, and a speedy recovery to you, Helen! Special Music Meg Eldred-Woolsey, director of DeWitt High School Musicals, introduced Allison Bowen and Kanin Thelen, both of whom will play the role of Laurey in Oklahoma! Nov. 2 – Nov. 5. Jacob Schorfhaar will play one of two Curlys. The three actors sang “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” and “People Will Say We’re in Love,” accompanied on piano by John Dale Smith.  Introduction of Guests & Visiting Rotarians Dan Wyant got his miles in, thanks to his mic duties today. Janet Lillie thanked Rotarians for singing the MSU Fight Song. She introduced her colleague, Erica Phillipich, Community and Engagement Administrator for Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, which has a presence in Grand Rapids, Detroit and East Lansing. Erica is a member of the famed Michigan Plumbing Phillipich family. Uma Umakanthan introduced Dr. Sun Lee, past president of the East Lansing Rotary Club and current chair of his club’s State International Service Committee. Michelle Reynaert reminded Rotarians that the Membership Committee will meet after today’s Rotary meeting. She also shared that one of the best ways to grow our membership is to bring guests to our weekly meetings. She introduced Dione Pena, Vice President of Hiring Solutions, which is a recruiting and consulting firm. Michelle Lantz introduced Sophia, an exchange student from Brazil, who speaks Portuguese (not Spanish). She also introduced Michaella Kumpke, Food Bank of Lincoln, Nebraska. Michelle and Michaella started their duties at their respective food banks as president and CEO at about the same time. ANNOUNCEMENTS President Nick reported that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce acknowledged Elderly Instruments as America’s Top Small Business Award recipient for 2023. CEO Lillian Werbin is Lansing Rotary Club member Ben Rathbun’s wife. Congratulations, Lillian! President Nick also presented a Red Badge to Brett Pacek, Business Development Officer at CASE Credit Union, sponsored by Jeff Benson; Deb Moerland of FirstLight Home Care, sponsored by Susan Angel; and Zac Clark, General Manager for the Lansing Lugnuts, and a transfer from East Lansing, sponsored by Chris Nugent. Welcome to the Lansing Rotary Club! The Hands-On Committee will host a book drive through October. The collection bin for donated books is at the entrance of the dining area. Nick donated his books – proof, he said, that “Everyone can do it.” The International Grant Application process is open through Nov. 6, 2023. The application link can be found at https://rotarycluboflansingfoundation.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/75037. The MSU Rotaract Volunteer Opportunity will be Nov. 1 from 6 p.m. to 6:50 p.m. at the MSU Broad Business College to talk about what we do in our jobs and what Rotary means to each of us. Please arrive at 5:45 p.m. More details to follow. Sandy Draggoo introduced today’s Foundation Spotlight recipient: fellow Rotarian Joe Garcia! He has been the director of Cristo Rey since 2013. He was recently awarded the directorship at St. Vincent Catholic Charities. According to Sandy, “He is a high point in our community for the good that he does.” Joe thanked everyone for their time and for the opportunity to share about the good work being done at Cristo Rey with the support of the $10,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation. Those funds will be used in the Direct Services area at Cristo Rey, which includes the Food Pantry, Community Kitchen, Bread Rack, Holding Closet and Personal Needs Pantry. In calendar year 2022, Cristo Rey had 78,000 contacts within the community; 64,256 of those contacts were acquired through the Direct Assistance area – the highest accumulation of community interactions ever achieved by Cristo Rey. In 2023, the Food Pantry experienced a 116 percent increase in need. The pantry generally serves 275 – 280 families a month, with an average family size of seven people. Today, there are about 600 families served per month. Demand for the Community Kitchen has increased by about 171 percent, with about 200 meals (breakfast and lunch). The Personal Needs Pantry provides toothpaste, toothbrushes, items for personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, linens and other home-environment necessities, which has increased by 307 percent. Joe said that Cristo Rey is appreciative of Rotary’s support and other community partners, whose generosity sees them through tough times. Cristo Rey’s Food Pantry coordinates with all other food pantries to address the community’s need. Joe thanked Rotarians and asked for our continued support. President Nick reminded Rotarians that Michelle Lantz is still looking for a DeWitt School District family to host Sophia, who is part of the Rotary Exchange Student Program. Please reach out to Michelle if you are interested in hosting Sophia as an exchange student. Chair of the Month/Chair of the Day Lisa Smith, Chair of the Month and Chair of the Day, announced that her youngest just started a job at Interlochen Center for the Arts. She and her family are visiting today to support their sports teams, which is why she’s not wearing green. Lisa asked, when we say our prayers for Michigan State to prevail against Michigan Saturday, please also include a prayer for a win for the Interlochen Fighting Blueberries.  Lisa then introduced Dr. Jennifer Marcy, Director of Nonprofit Leadership at Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters. Dr. Marcy reported that her program launched its first cohort this fall. She teaches grant-writing and has been a professional grant writer for about 20 years. She can now lend her expertise to the next generation of nonprofit leaders. Dr. Marcy gave a brief overview of cultural competency. In today’s world, it is increasingly important to understand diverse backgrounds, different religious traditions and the broad context of where people come from. Nonprofit leaders need to know about cultural and knowledge systems, and the impacts on both the beneficiaries they work with but also within nonprofit organizations. She started her career working at international development organizations in D.C. She was recruited to MSU where she is now teaching and directing the Department of Religious Studies. Michigan has over 53,000 registered nonprofits as of December 2021, spending more than $90 billion in revenue each year. They employ just over one in 10 Michiganders. With a Census estimate of 10,034,113 people in Michigan as of July 1, 2022, that equates to more than 1,003,400 people. Dr. Marcy reported that, a couple of years ago, governors came together and conducted a statewide nonprofit census in Michigan via a survey. Nonprofits who answered the survey indicated that nonprofits tend to have one executive director – typically a white female, age 45 to 64 years old – who has served in a leadership role for no more than five years. The percentage of executive directors nearing and over retirement age reveals the potential for succession planning and leadership development efforts. It is also important to try and keep these individuals in the state after they graduate. The program creates a pipeline of culturally competent leaders for the state of Michigan. There are lots of ways to become a culturally competent leader, according to Dr. Marcy. Everyone has the ability to build awareness around inclusive skills that strengthen cultural competence. MSU has a program called CARES, which stands for Communication, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy and Sensitivity. At a minimum, leaders are asked to adopt the CARES model. Dr. Marcy discussed cultural competency, which is defined by the Department of Health and Human Services as the ability to provide services to clients that honor different cultural beliefs, interpersonal styles, attitudes, behaviors and the use of multicultural staff in policy development, administration and the provision of services. A culturally competent organization integrates knowledge about individuals and groups of people into specific standards, practices and attitudes to increase the quality of service provided and ultimately yield better outcomes by reducing disparities. This leads to a better return on investment. Leaders play a critical role in creating an environment that embraces cultural differences. Principles of cultural competence include: • Valuing diversity, equity and inclusion. • Institutionalizing cultural knowledge for effective service delivery: - Learning and using languages spoken by the community served. - The ability to engage with the people you work with. • Understanding childrearing practices and religious traditions and customs. - How do child practices differ from community to community? From culture to culture? How do they impact your programming and projects? • Actively working to combat ableism, racism, classism, ageism, sexism, homophobia and other biases and forms of discrimination. • Valuing workplace practices that encourage sensitivity and awareness of different religious cultural holidays, customs and food preferences/restrictions. • Using indicators/metrics to track progress within the workplace and communities served. Leaders who promote cultural competence: • Understand and recognize their biases – we all have them. • Assess the organization’s policies and procedures when engaging with constituents/beneficiaries. • Integrate multiple voices in the governance structure (board members, board committees, beneficiary feedback meetings). • Understand how cultural differences can be leveraged to advance solution-driven creativity, enhance the performance and well-being of staff, and provide effective solutions to the communities they serve. • Hire Black, Indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) and women into leadership positions. • Value reflection, practice, feedback, mentorship and experience. Building programs with a cultural lens: • Integration of stakeholders within the program design phase. • Hire community workers. • Allocate funding and resources for capacity development. • Monitor, evaluate and learn – focus groups, consultation, other forms of consultation; involve partners, beneficiaries and other stakeholders. Developing nonprofit leaders at MSU: • New master’s and graduate certificate programs in Nonprofit Leadership, Global Cultures and Social Enterprise Online Programs • The programs offer: - Fully online, asynchronous study. - 5-week, 2-credit courses. - No GRE required to apply. - Interactive weekly lessons. - Experienced, highly engaged faculty members. Interested in inclusive development tools? Google them. Here are some: https://inclusivegrowthscore.com/ https://www.usaid.gov/inclusivedevelopment https://usaidlearninglab.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/additional_help_for_ads _201_inclusive_development_180726_final_r.pdf President Nick indicated that there will be a survey distributed in the next couple of weeks regarding Loftus Day. The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. The email for Lolo Robison is: lrobison@cata.org |
