President Dennis called today’s meeting to order at the Lansing Country Club and the invocation was presented by Jenn Dubey which was followed by the singing of our National Anthem in honor of Senator Stabenow. Today’s meeting brought out a lot of guests including family members of Rotarians, an exchange student, potential members and a visiting Rotarian who were all introduced and welcomed to the meeting with Lisa Smith helping out with the microphone. Pat Munshaw provided the Remembrance Report and the health of the Club is great! Julie Pingston thanked Rotarians for the donations in April over 350 books to give to the Early Literacy Program at the Ingham ISD. Thanks to all Rotarians for your generous giving spirit! Wayne Sieloff announced the next special project opportunity in June at the Greater Lansing Food Bank. On Saturday, June 8 from 9-11:00 a.m., Rotarians are invited to help sort, box, label and weigh food. Please contact Wayne at wsieloff@craa.com if you would like to lend a hand. President Dennis announced the 50th Year Birthday Party for the Delta Waverly Rotary Club on Tuesday, June 25 at Woldumar Nature Center at 5:30 p.m. Lansing Rotarians are invited to help celebrate one of the Clubs founded under our Club. President Dennis also updated that you should have received a letter from our Foundation for an informational breakfast at the Country Club on May 29th at 8:00 a.m. Please rsvp to Cathy by phone or email if you are able to attend. At the meeting, you will learn more about the Foundation and the Endowment Fund. The breakfast will be only one hour long and it’s a free meal for your participation. Ken Beachler introduced Tyler James as our special music performer today. Tyler is a graduate from MSU’s Vocal Music Program and conveniently working at the Lansing Country Club as the Pool Manager. You never know where talent will be found! Tyler gave a powerful performance by singing Proud of Your Boy from Aladdin and It All Fades Away from the Bridges of Madison County. President Dennis introduced Jay Smith as our Chair of the Month and Sandy Draggoo as our Chair of the Day to introduce Senator Debbie Stabenow. Sandy shared it was very easy to introduce today’s speaker as she has been her friend for over 35 years and is someone who is so dedicated and familiar in our community. In fact, she used to host fundraisers in a red wig singing Tomorrow from the musical Annie which John Dale reminded us about and got the Senator to sing a few notes! Sandy told us that Debbie Stabenow would always take the time to “be Lansing” and support this community from all levels with airport issues and CATA issues and we are so fortunate to have her representing us in Washington, D.C. Senator Stabenow started off by bragging on all the amazing things happening in our community…from the McLaren project to the new Sparrow mobile unit and the downtown market/hotel project and of course the MSU Spartans in the Final Four. She also thanked Rotarians for making a difference in the community and recognized the efforts with Rotary Park and the local grants we distribute. The topic of Senator Stabenow’s remarks was related to the Challenges Around Healthcare today and efforts to get to a Healthier Michigan. Healthcare is personal…not political. Everyone is affected by today’s healthcare challenges. Some facts: 1) the uninsured rate dropped from 12% to 5% in Michigan over the past 10 years. 2) 97% of children in Michigan can now see a doctor. 3) there has been a 50% drop in the number of people being treated in hospitals without insurance. 4) 20 million people have gained insurance in the country. The current Administration and the US Courts are now changing the landscape for insurance. Over the last year, rates on insurance have risen 16.6% and the scope of pre-existing conditions have changed dramatically. A judge has now determined the entire Affordable Healthcare Act is unconstitutional and it will eventually be determined by the Supreme Court. There are bi-partisan efforts to continue to offer solutions for new healthcare programs and options. A children’s healthcare initiative recently received a 10-year funding extension; funding has also been extended for community health centers in which over 700,000 people in Michigan utilize annually; and, funding is being sought for mental health and opioid addiction. Currently 1 of 5 people identify with a mental health issue and about half go untreated and opioid addiction is the leading cause of death for those under 50 years. These are two issues that need to be addressed nationally. Another important issue is related to prescription drugs which is the biggest driver of healthcare costs. There are 15 lobbyists from the pharma industry for every 1 U.S. Senator. Costs for medications continue to escalate in our country. Senator Stabenow emphasized that there needs to be a focus and commitment nationally to make changes to current systems and bipartisan efforts to enact change. At the conclusion of her remarks, Senator Stabenow answered questions from Rotarians followed by a standing ovation in recognition for everything she does at the national level to represent our region. President Dennis thanked Senator Stabenow for her joining us and sharing her time and insights. He also presented her with the Rotary coin and encouraged she share it with some of her colleagues in Washington, D.C. to remember the 4-Way Test. It was announced that there will be no meeting next week due to the Memorial Day Holiday. Our next meeting will be back at the Lansing Country Club on May 31. See you then! |