President Nick Heriford called the meeting to order in the Michigan Room of Lansing Community College and led all assembled in the 4-way test. Todd Gute provided a reflection on the history of prayer – including one by General Patton and singing of God Bless America followed. Raeanne Mardigian facilitated the introduction of visiting Rotarians and guests with the big blue box microphone. The health of the club is well, but Dave O’Leary is still at Red Cedar  Lodge if anyone would like to visit him. Kurt Guter shared an update on our International Grant supporting ambulances in the Ukraine. There is a local grants committee meeting today; join Kim Garland after the meeting for that conversation. Umakanth gave insight on the total eclipse coming on April 8th – click here to learn more about TOTALITY and what it means for all of us. It is real. It is NOT fair to all concerned – the path of totality spans a narrow track from Texas to Maine. It is beneficial to all – an emotional, spiritual, and magical experience not to be missed; snag your pals and take a road trip to fully immerse yourself in this event. It may build goodwill and better friendships. Partial visibility will be possible from all 48 contiguous U.S. states. www.Symbiosis.com/Rotary will also have detailed info for Rotarians about the eclipse. Susan Angel gave an update on Membership Committee activity; (reminder, we’re ALL part of membership recruitment and retention.) BHAG – Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal of 250 members by June. Bring guests, be welcoming. “Each one reach one”; see Cathy for postcards and business cards to share with prospective members. Website updates, a move to digital guest check-in, and other efforts are underway. Watch for a big promo campaign for Rotary awareness – part of a new show called Discover Greater Lansing! YOU must take it to the next level and help people feel invited to belong. January birthdays are at 100% participation: singing ensued. 😊 Matthew McGaughey, serving as chair of the month and day, introduced Barb Thumudo, assistant facility director at the Michigan State Capital, to talk about “A Decade of Restoration and Construction at the Capitol”. Barb’s love affair with the Capitol began 20 years ago, on a field trip with her child. She began volunteering, giving tours as a docent for 10 years. She lauded the  architecture of the beautiful building, and highlighted the full restoration done in 1989-1992, a $58M project. Changes to the facility over the decades impacted the space dramatically; Barb’s role also changed when she became the events coordinator/assistant facility director which really means ‘other duties as assigned’. Exterior and interior work in 2014-2016 snowballed into the next major phase of infrastructure upgrades (heating, cooling, electric) and a geothermal field in place of a former legislative parking lot. The masterplan still held an underground project which ultimately became Heritage Hall; a modern facility that complements the building’s history. This is where school tours now enter; ample restrooms, event space, exhibit space, and more added up to a $40M enhancement that will serve our Capitol well into the future. Today, the dome is getting some love – it’s 160 feet from the floor requiring 10,000 pieces of scaffolding to be constructed. Overall cleaning, UV film added to windows to protect artwork, upgraded mechanical (fire suppression) and other decorative restoration work is underway to remedy the effects of time. A conservator is coming in to retouch dome paintings as needed; the angels were originally canvas pieces glued into the surface of the dome. FYI: most surfaces are painted to look like Tennessee marble. The floor is Vermont limestone. This project should complete in April. Visit. Take pride in our Capitol. Reach for the stars. A robust Q&A ensued. Those wishing to take a tour can contact Barb. FYI: The 3rd Tuesday of every May, 10,000 annuals are planted by about 25 people over four hours. Color-coded straws are involved in an intricate planting pattern that’s down to a gardening science. Who wants to help? President Heriford thanked Barb Thumudo for her time and noted that in place of a speaker’s gift, we’ll donate to a local organization through our Lansing Rotary Foundation (which has, through the history of the club, given more than $2.5M to local organizations and projects). REMINDER: See you next week, Feb. 9th, when Kristen Millerov, Executive Director of EVE (End Violent Encounters), joins us. Respectfully submitted by Michelle Reynaert, michelle.reynaert@sparrow.org |
Kaitlin Reinke, J.D., is a federal securities attorney serving as in-house counsel for Nationwide Financial where she advises Nationwide Financial’s broker-dealer on compliance with SEC and FINRA securities regulations. Prior to Nationwide Financial, Kaitlin held several attorney roles at Jackson National Life Insurance Company where she advised their limited purpose broker-dealer on federal security matters.