There will be a Local Grants Committee Meeting immediately following Rotary on Friday, May 2nd in the President's Dining Room. 

Thank you!

 

 

On Saturday, June 7, 2025 from 10 - 3 p.m. in front of Potter Park Zoo at the Lansing River Trail. Help us protect local wildlife and keep our rivers clean by joining River Cleanup Day. If interested, please contact Jason Brunette jason.brunette@martincommercial.com 

The following member has recently elected to resign from our club.

Past President Courtney Millbrook called the April 11, 2025, meeting to order and welcomed Rotarians and guests. She led us in the recitation of the Four-Way Test of things that Rotarians think, say and do.

 

Pam Miklavcic delivered the reflection, but first promised to keep it shorter than last week’s. She said that in 10 years, she’d never been called upon to give a reflection, and today’s is her second in a row. She updated everyone about the pediatric cancer clinic, which she announced last week was closing. She has since learned that it will reopen, transitioning operations from Michigan State to UofM.

 

Pam’s reflection was about the disability community. To truly thrive as a society, she said we must consciously and consistently weave in the experiences and perspectives of all Americans. Inclusion isn't simply about physical accessibility but about actively dismantling the subtle and overt barriers that prevent full participation. Inclusion is about designing communities, with the understanding that diversity and ability are valuable parts of the human experience. Inclusion is not about charity, but about fundamental fairness —actively seeking to understand and accommodate diverse needs, challenging our own assumptions and biases, which enrich our collective experience to build a stronger or vibrant American tapestry. The threads are there, she said, and it is our responsibility to weave them in. Thank you, Pam, for reminding Rotarians of the necessity of inclusion and all that it entails.

 

Rotarians sang “America The Beautiful,” led by Hari Kern on piano.

 

Mark Seabury took on mic duties today, helping with the introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians. Ben Rathbun wished everyone a happy Friday. He kicked things off by quipping that he’d heard from his table mates that Chris Holman was the best “inviter.” He then postured, “I have two guests today, how many do you have?” To which, Chris responded, “I have two in my trunk.” Oh, Chris. We just can’t take you anywhere, can we?

 

Ben then introduced his guests: Kate Powers, chief development officer at the Michigan League for Public Policy; and Nick LaPratt, who recently returned to Michigan and, like Ben, works in the insurance industry. Ben hopes both will join our club — so do we!

 

Chris Lewis, our assistant governor, introduced himself. He is also our district governor nominee, and will return in that role in 2027-2028.

 

Chris Holman reminded everyone that tonight is the Empty Plate fundraiser for the Greater Lansing Food Bank, headed by Michelle Lantz. It’s at the Kellog Center. He introduced his guest, Patrick Brennan, who he’s known since before Patrick was born. His father is Judge Tom Brennan who, according to Chris, “a few of you know better than you want.” Patrick’s grandfather was Tom Brennan Sr., who started Cooley Law School. The reason Chris brought Patrick to today’s meeting is because Patrick is looking for a new career. Patrick has a law degree, which Chris said is mandatory in the Brennan family, but he has also been in the seminary and held a dozen other jobs that gave him a real, well-rounded perspective of what’s needed in our community. Anyone looking for his resume, reach out to Chris.

 

There were no updates for Health of the Club, which is just as it should be.

 

Courtney introduced today’s special music guest, Nessia Brooks, who she described as a dedicated and versatile musician. She is a third-year student at Michigan State, pursuing her bachelor’s in piano performance and a minor in cognitive science. She studies classical and jazz piano, and classical and contemporary styles. Last summer, NessiA attended Orford Music Academy (Academie Orford Musique) in Quebec. This year, she was awarded the Marie S. Black endowed scholarship at MSU. She also works outside the classroom and music outreach programs that bring music to those living nursing homes and care facilities. She's from East Lansing and is a Lansing Christian graduate. Nessia played Haydn Sonata No. 23 in F Major (composed by Franz Joseph Haydn) “without the repeats to keep it under 24 minutes.” It was lovely.

 

Announcements included:

 

Chair of the Day and Chair of the Month, Kurt Guter introduced today’s guest speakers from ASPPIRE of Mid-Michigan, Executive Director Maria Peak and Employment Specialist Jennie Brandenburg. Kurt and his wife, Pete, invested in the organization to help get them started and, as Maria put it, it’s been a rich journey with a lot of growth over the course of a short amount of time. ASPPIRE is a nonprofit, founded in 2008 by Bob Steinkamp and one of his coworkers. Bob was an educator. He observed that some of his students graduated and moved into their parents' basements and were not leading rich, full lives. ASPPIRE started with a group of five individuals who met at Lansing Community College. Today, there are about 115 individuals. ASPPIRE is a three-legged stool. The question is, how do you get adults with disabilities into the community, developing relationships, practicing skills and having richer and fuller lives? Kurt Guter pressured the ASPPIRE team to look at employment opportunities for their participants. They hired Jennie, who focused on employment services. ASPPIRE also does community outreach. Maria and her staff are always looking at what's in the community that can enrich their participants’ lives. “Is there some sort of activity that they can do together?” they ask. “Is there some sort of support out there that could benefit their participants?” This, she said, is social coaching — helping participants improve their social skills. Those participants might say, “I'm still living at home, and my mom is driving me crazy. How do how do I grow up? How do I advocate for myself?” Or, “I have a co-worker at work who is bullying me. How do I process that?” ASPPIRE works closely with Michigan State University and regularly goes to the Planetarium or the gardens as a group. They also partner with the South Lansing Community Development Association and work in their gardens. ASPPIRE has its own garden in SLCDA’s hoop house, and they garden all year long. They harvest food, which is donated to local food banks. There’s a bowling group comprising about 30 bowlers. They work on social skills each week. ASPPIRE also engages other businesses and entities to provide professional training. They train job coaches throughout the state. These individuals help support people with disabilities on the job. They’re finding that, as participants get older and their parents age, they are understandably concerned about who will advocate for their child and support them when they are no longer here. Many of ASPPIRE’s participants don't qualify for community mental health services or other resources, so families worry. They secured a grant from the local community foundation, and hired their first case manager.

 

Jennie Brandenburg discussed the services offered by ASPPIRE. Participants’ skills are assessed. They learn skills and determine where they can improve. ASPPIRE helps with job placement, cold-calling potential and suitable employers, conducting site visits and advocating for their clients. ASPPIRE also assists with interview skill-training, resume- and cover-letter writing, finding job leads and applying for jobs. They also provide job coaching at no cost to employers, who may need help with training as issues emerge.

 

ASPPIRE looks for employers that will allow participants to job shadow or gain work experience. Employers are key to their success. Retail, health care and hospitality services are some industries where clients have experienced success. ASPPIRE has successfully facilitated 131 job placements and conducted 200 job-shadowing placements in vastly different fields. Rotarians were so inspired by ASPPIRE’s work, many stuck around after the meeting to connect further with Maria and Jennie.

 

Courtney reminded everyone that there is no regular meeting Friday, April 18, in observance of Good Friday. Thursday, April 24, is the social gathering at the Irish Pub.

 

Our next regular meeting at LCC will be May 2.

 

Email for Lolo Robison:  lrobison@cata.org