Carrie Rosingana is the chief executive officer for Capital Area Michigan Works!, a workforce development agency responsible for managing multi-million dollar federal and state grant programs within the tri-county Capital region of Clinton, Eaton and Ingham Counties. She has worked in workforce development since 2007. Carrie started her career as a career coach and case manager within the Capital Area Michigan Works! system before joining the Capital Area Michigan Works! administrative team as their quality assurance officer. From there, Carrie was promoted to the chief compliance officer role and then served as the chief operating officer and equal opportunity officer for five years prior to becoming CEO in July 2020. Under Carrie’s leadership efforts, the Capital Area Michigan Works! has held a track record across programs in successfully meeting or exceeding program performance metrics and has successfully ensured that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) best practices are at the forefront of program design and implementation, resulting in multiple years of successful State level equal opportunity reviews.

 

Carrie holds a bachelor’s degree in family community service from Michigan State University as well as a variety of certifications and trainings from organizations such as the State of Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, National Career Development Association, and the National Council for Behavioral Health. Carrie serves on behalf of Capital Area Michigan Works! on numerous regional and statewide boards for organizations including the Lansing Economic Area Partnership, Capital Area Manufacturing Council, Lansing Community College Coalition for College and Career Readiness (C3R), the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium, and the Michigan Diversity Education Center.

Rotarians, the Annual Holiday Appeal is upon us! The money donated will help fund the 98th Annual Holiday Party for the special needs children of Gardner Elementary. While the anticipated donation is $100/each, no donation is too large or too small. It is hoped that the club will have 100% participation! Donations may be made by check, credit card or online. Make your donation today and help make the children’s holiday a happy one!  CLICK HERE  

 

The following members have recently elected to resign from our Club:

12:30 CALL TO ORDER: President Sue Hansen

 

12:33 INVOCATION: Julie Thomasma and Julie Pingston

 

Julie Thomasma described the huge loss our community suffered this week. The passing of Kelly Rossman-McKinney was akin to losing a giant.

 

Julie Pingston then read the following poem by Mother Teresa, found on the wall of Mother Teresa’s room at her home for children in Calcutta. This same poem was read by Kelly Rossman-McKinney at Julie Pingston’s last meeting as club president last summer. This was also Kelly’s last in-person meeting with the Lansing Rotary.

 

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.

Give the best you have and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.

                                                                    —Mother Teresa

 

12:35 PATRIOTIC SONG: Star-Spangled Banner by John Dale Smith

 

 

Melissa Nay, from the Delta Waverly Club introduced herself.

 

Kim Garland introduced Megan Shryer, a fellow employee at Delta Dental. Sharilyn Davis introduced herself. She is a member of the Cereal City Sunrise Rotary Club and will be District Governor in two years. In her professional life, she is a music therapist.

 

Camron Gnass introduced Ben Bakken, Marketing Director for Tristar Trust Bank. These two men were former basketball teammates but, based on Ben’s height, it’s no doubt which one had the better career! (These were Cam’s words.)

 

Chris Holman introduced Tara Draper

 

12:39 HEALTH OF THE CLUB: Diane Sanborn

 

While the health of the club is good overall, the death of longtime Rotarian Kelly Rossman-McKinney was again recognized, this time with a toast to her memory and a moment of silence accompanied by John Dale Smith on the keyboard.

 

Chris Holman then commented on the fact that Kelly was one of the presenters at his Rotary Roast several years ago. He called it one of the most terrifying moments of his life, given Kelly’s sharp wit. According to Chris, Kelly was a strong woman with convictions, a true leader in whose way you did not want to get. After a tour with James Blanchard’s government (serving on the sesquicentennial committee), Kelly became Chris’ ‘elevator friend’ at the Knapp Center. She wrote stories for him at the Lansing Business Monthly but, within two months, it became clear she had so much going for her that he told Kelly it was time to start her own business.

 

Chris loved Kelly for what she was. She set the groundwork for a lot of what people have accomplished ever since. While Kelly took on the real character and substance of whatever she was defending, at the bottom of it all was a truly warm heart.

 

 

November birthdays will be celebrated next week, a week early because of Thanksgiving. John Person will be in charge.

 

On December 10th, there will be no regular Rotary meeting. Instead, the club will have a social gathering from 5:30-8:30 at the Country Club of Lansing.  Please R.S.V.P. to cathy@lansingrotary.com 

 

Heidi McNaughton announced that it’s time to support the Christmas Party for the children of Gardner Elementary on December 3rd. To date, only 21 of 176 Rotarians have made a donation. Everyone is encouraged to give $100 or whatever they can. The goal, as always, is 100% participation. Let’s give these children a party to remember!!

 

 

In his preface to today’s acknowledgment of Veterans Day, Ken remarked that, “The loss of Kelly diminishes this whole club.”

 

When Kelly was a brand new member (one of the first women allowed into the club), she made her new member introduction. Having recently remarried, she stated the following: “I stand here before you pregnant and barefoot and I am proud to be your Ovarian Rotarian.”

 

Kelly was also famous for having repeatedly stated that BITCH stands for, “Boys, I’m taking charge here.”

 

Songs of the services were then sung in lieu of special music. Three dozen Rotarians in our club are veterans. Ken was in the military for more than 35 years.

 

12:47 INTRODUCTION OF SPEAKERS: Rich Howard

 

Rich Howard (Chair of the Month) introduced Chris Holman (Chair of the Day.)

 

Chris asked to put forth a motion that Heidi McNaughton sing from now while everybody else lip syncs. There was rousing support from the audience!

 

Chris then introduced today’s guest speaker, Chris Jackson.

 

 

—Chris was born and raised in Pontiac, Michigan and attended Cranbrook on scholarship. He then went to Hope College where he played football and majored in accounting and business management. He unsuccessfully ran for City Council and State Representative in Pontiac. He lost the latter race by only 40 votes, putting into perspective the fact that not everybody is ever going to like you. That launched him on the path of entrepreneurship.

 

—Chris was then invited to take part in an Ypsilanti cannabis business through a friend of his. He has been involved in project management for the business ever since. They have three stores across Michigan and two more on the way. They also have a growing facility in REO Town. The name of his company is Sticky.

 

—As for this new professional basketball team called the Pharaohs, they are joining a league that is just going into its fifth year. Thirty different teams currently play in this league and there is room for 45.

 

—From a business perspective, Detroit is oversaturated with sports and the winters in western Michigan are too much. That is why Chris landed on Lansing as the home of the Pharaohs. He also calls it the ‘house that Magic built’. Most families who live in Lansing are working class residents who can’t afford $600-700 to afford trip to watch a Pistons game in Detroit. Tickets, travel, and food add up and kids don’t necessarily care who’s playing as long as it’s ‘professional players’. Christ then said that, “If we can put a good product on the court for folks here in Lansing, I believe the community will come behind them.“

 

—To be sure he would have a good audience, Chris reached out to Mike Price of Lansing Sports Authority, Tony Willis at LEAP, State Representative Sarah Anthony, Des Ferguson and Mayor Schor’s office. All said creating the Pharaohs was a good idea and would draw an excellent audience. He announced his idea to the community eight months ago and has been building the team ever since

 

. —The Pharaohs will play at the Don Johnson Fieldhouse at Eastern. It is expected that this will bring a sense of nostalgia back to area.

 

—But the big question: Why sports and cannabis? There is a serious lack of education when it comes to cannabis. Seventy-five percent of those who actually play basketball consume some form of cannabis—through inhaling, tincture, or topical ointment. There are clearly some medical benefits for the players and, now that cannabis is legal, how can players be told not to ingest and get in trouble for it when they do? If Chris is at the table, as a cannabis proponent and basketball team owner, he can at least help start the conversation.

 

—The first games will take place on March 5th and 6th in Canada. There is great excitement over this since there is such high level of competition in Canada. The first home games will take place on March 12th and 13th at the Don Johnson field house. There is seating for 3,500 and they hope to consistently fill the stadium with half this number right off the bat.

 

—Chris wants this team to be interwoven with the fabric of the community. The team won’t last long otherwise!

 

—Twenty-five percent of the players’ paychecks will come from community engagement. In fact, the team already has a partnership with the Lansing School District. Fifty to one hundred tickets per game will be available to LSD students to incentivize grades and attendance. It’s important to reach children where children can be reached. The Pharaohs will be a way to grab kids’ attention and help them to develop life skills. This can then serve as a gateway to learning about other fields of work. The real goal is to help foster all sorts of conversations, perspectives to help children from diverse backgrounds succeed in life.

 

—Chris chose the name, Pharaohs, because he likes mascots that are associated with royalty. This presents an opportunity to help people learn about royalty in other parts of the world besides those considered traditional. What’s especially interesting is that the earliest use of the word LANSING comes from a document written in the 5th century about a 5th century pharaoh.

 

 

— A comment was made that Lansing was recently voted 4th best small city in the United States for sports.

 

—Tickets are affordably priced at $20/adults, $5/ seniors, $5/kids. —Asked if we going to recognize any former MSU basketball players on the team, Chris said that 60% will likely be from the Lansing Region.

 

—Asked if this team has been discussed with Tom Izzo, Chris said that he is waiting for a meeting to take place. It is being arranged by Chris Holman and likely will not take place until after the college basketball season ends in March.

 

—Players are recruited through try-outs, not through a draft. The sixth tryout will take place tomorrow. The absolute minimum baseline salary is $500/month; there is no maximum. This year, one of the MVPs on another team earned $3,500/month. Corporate partners will be asked to supply part-time job opportunities to the players so that they can make ends meet.

 

—So far, a coach has been hired as have directors of marketing and communications, 5 MSU interns from MSU, coach etc., athletic trainers, massage therapists, and chiropractors. It’s important to have nice amenities for the players.

 

—Goals for this year? Championship! Or at least making it to the playoffs.

 

—There will be 14 home games. Others in the league are from Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, and Canada.

 

—Athletes will be mostly 21-31 years old. Some have not had chance to play professionally, some have played overseas and are now towards the end of their careers and ready to come home.

 

Stay well, Everyone!

 

Pam Miklavcic's email is:  pam@thedaviesproject.org