We will not have a meeting this Friday, September 4th, 2015 due to the Labor Day Holiday. Our next meeting will be Friday, September 11th for Loftus Day at the Lansing Center. Bring your flowers to decorate the graves.
The Celebration Committee for the 100th Anniversary Rotary Club of Lansing. Mark Hooper, Rebecca Bahar Cook, Berl Schwartz, Diane Sanborn, Tobi Lyon-Moore, Irv Nichols, Julie Pingston and Teresa Kmetz.
If you have an international project that you would like to have considered for the 2015-2016 fiscal year, then submit your proposal for funding following the outline set forth below. We are looking for a one to two page narrative that responds to the outline, plus a project budget. Your total submission should not exceed three pages. To be considered, proposals must be received no later than November 1st, 2015. Please submit your proposal via e-mail to: jdubey.wellnessdirector@gmail.com or Umakanth@GoSymbiosis.com.
Project Significance
a. What area of need will the project address (ie: food, shelter, clothing, education, health, or environmental issues)?
b. Who are the intended beneficiaries?
c. Provide a one paragraph summary of the project.
d. State any benchmarks or measurable outcomes.
Project Administration
a. Name the Lansing Rotary Club Member who will sponsor and manage the project for our Club. [This person must be willing to attend international committee meetings and be the champion for this project].
b. Name any state-side organizations or entities that are willing to assist in implementing and monitoring the project.
c. Is there a Rotary Club in the project area willing to assist in implementing the project?
d. Who are the contacts at the project site?
e. Are other Rotary Clubs in the Lansing area considering this same project?
Project Implementation
a. Will the beneficiaries take an active part in implementing the project?
b. Who will monitor the project?
c. What is the implementation time frame?
Project Budget
a. Attach the detailed budget for this Project, including the proposed funding sources (e.g. Private donations, Rotary District grants).
b. Identify which funding sources have already committed funds to this project’s proposed budget?
c. What amount are you requesting be funded by the Rotary Club of Lansing? [Please be aware that prior grant awards are in the range of $500 to $3000
d. In the event that we are unable to fund your full request, please list priority items with dollar amounts.
Project Organization/Entity
a. State the legal name of the organization/entity who would receive the funds.
b. Is this a 501(c)(3 organization, church, school, governmental unit, or Rotary Club?
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.
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.
* 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.
*On Loftus Day, there will be maps on the table showing the location of your assigned cemetery. The first year it is helpful to have an experienced group member describe where to meet in the cemetery.
*After an abbreviated meeting, your group will meet at your assigned site.
When three Rotarians come out to you (double entendre intended) and say, “Good luck writing this one up,” you know it was a good meeting. President Lisa Smith wanted Rotary to “Take a Walk on the Wild Side” (Lou Reed, 1972) and called us to order. The Rotary Faithful were thankful that finally somebody with a snowball’s chance of making it in the afterlife gave the invocation. Rev. Siragusa gave an all inclusive “We --are-- Family” invocation (Gene Hackman, The Birdcage, 1996). Mike Skory stood in for John Dale and made us “name that tune” with three notes. Beachler took it from there and we sang God Bless America, acapella.
Dave Trumpie ferried the mic to a nimiety of guests and Carmen Turner was relieved to report that health wise, the club was in the pink. Mike Abel got his Scarlet Letter (sort of like a Red Badge, but actually closer to vermillion), publicly marking him as a Rotarian. Transitioning to our next meeting, Sept 11, will be Loftus Day, when we do our part honoring fallen Rotarians. Irv Nichols eulogized Ray Kinzel and Ed Crouse did Dick Kettles. With no John Dale, we made do with Mike Skory playing a funeral dirge, I’m pretty sure it was Bob Marley’s One Love, but it could have been Over the Rainbow (Wizard of Oz, Academy Award, 1939), both are apropos. I know it’ll be after Labor Day, but if the mood strikes you and the weather is fine, wear a seersucker suit and white shoes for Loftus Day. Ned Legg would‘ve liked that.
We were reminded that Facebook training for social media challenged Rotarians will again occur before the October 2nd meeting. Learn how to post a picture of yourself, become friends with someone else’s grandma (or poke her!), tag yourself in somebody else’s wedding photos, or just stalk people who don’t want to have anything to do with you! There really is no limit! Lee Kliebert introduced us to Dr. Naresh Gunaratnam who runs the Grace Care Center Orphanage in Sri Lanka. Dr. “G” is an Ann Arbor Rotarian and our club has donated to the orphanage (we send them money, not orphans). Ms. Manners (you know who you are), brought cookies to our table. I feel so much shame for not having the social graces to think of others first.
Special music of the day was provided by Steve Forgey (Frog & the Beef Tones) and Dave Matchette (Uptown Band). They performed two numbers, both involving incredible mouth organ solos (get your mind out of the gutter, the harmonica is also called the mouth organ). “My Girl is Red Hot, Your Gal Ain’t Doodly Squat” resonated with the crowd.
Whether you’re a friend of Bill or a friend of Dorothy, a big shout out to Berl Sschwartz for his courageous selection of speakers this month. Berl labeled the speakers as “controversial” but my characterization is more akin to Sesame Street’s “These are the people in your neighborhood, in your neighborhood...” Sing it with me folks! They’re just people and they live amongst us! Today’s speaker was Trans Advocacy Coordinator Amy Hunter. Many gearheads in the audience were stunned when they realized her speech was not about transmissions but rather about transitions. Hunter heads up Michigan ACLU’s Transgender Advocacy Project www.aclumich.org/transgender-advocacy-project. Hunter asked the audience how many knew a transgender person and many hands shot up (dispelling the myth that by knowing or coming into contact with a transgender person, you could be converted to be one). Amy entered this world assigned a male gender identity and transitioned at age 44 from William to Amy. Amy identified four areas of transition: 1) social, 2) physical appearance (clothing, hair, make up), 3) legal (name change, drivers license) and 4) medical (surgical). Many transgender people lack the resources to transition as Amy has, in fact transgender individuals are 4 times more likely to live in extreme poverty than the general population. Health insurance and government programs routinely exclude health coverage and benefits for transgender associated health issues. Suicide rates in the transgender community are a staggering 41% (attempts) compared to 1.6% in genpop. Ninety percent report mistreatment at work and almost half have reported adverse job outcome (fired, not hired, denied promotion). As employers, we need to work on this. Amy indicates that sensationalized press coverage plays a role in all this as well (man pregnant with baby). You may get a feel for that in the cheap puns in this week’s rodeogram which hopefully will be a starting point for informed, not ignorant, public discussion of transgender issues. The goal of the ACLU’s Transgender Project is to engage in deliberate outreach that furthers the public’s understanding of what it means to be “transgender” and to empower voices to advocate for equality and security for the transgender community. Amy cautioned the crowd that she would answer any question, but make sure you can handle the truth! She ably fielded a number of questions and President Lisa thanked the speaker and gave her a four way test memorial coin.
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.