President Susan called our meeting to order with her favorite activity – a resounding ring of the club bell. As usual, we began by reciting the 4 Way Test.
Bilky Joda-Miller gave a reflection, reminding us that while it is easy to focus on what is broken, our world is not only defined by problems. We should focus on kindness and caring. Our world is shaped by a myriad of small consistent acts of caring, kindness, compassion and empathy.
Hari Kern accompanied us on the piano as we joined in our National Anthem.
President Susan presented a red badge to our newest member, Aaron Malcolm, an insurance agent in Grand Ledge. Aaron followed that up by introducing his first guest, Chuck Bye. Chuck is Aaron’s boss and, as a Rotarian himself since 1999, encouraged Aaron to join our club.
George Siegle introduced his guest, Sanjai Bhonsle, who is a member of the Broad College of Business Alumni Advisory Board. There were also several visitors from Riverwalk Theater.
Our special music was provided by 5 vocalists and one pianist. All are involved in the upcoming Riverwalk production of Come From Away. For those not familiar, the musical is about the experiences of the residents of Gander Newfoundland when nearly 6600 passengers were stranded there in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. The group performed the opening number, “Welcome to the Rock”, which was very upbeat and enjoyable. This song is normally performed by a group of 11, so everyone was pulling double duty! The show opens this weekend and runs through October 25th.
President Susan let us know that Rebecca Bahar-Cook had some comp tickets for the weekend hockey games available. She also reminded us of the volunteer opportunities around the Big Red Ball in November. If you know of any volunteer opportunities in the area, please let Susan know.
George Siegle announced the results of the September birthday collection. Among the September Birthtarians is Irv Nichols who turned 102. His favorite quote is from John F Kennedy - “…ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.” George shared other favorite quotes, but it all flew by too fast for me to record. September Birthtarians (I have always wanted to call them that and my table was 100% in favor of adopting the term) contributed $1031 with 71% participation. A hearty rendition of Happy Birthday followed which gave me yet another opportunity to use the term “Birthtarians”.
Bilky, our Chair of the Month and the DEI Committee, began by introducing all of the members of the DEI committee. I would list them here, but I’m sure I missed one and I don’t want to leave anyone out! She shared a portion of Dr. LaVonte Heard’s impressive resume and concluded by saying that when she heard him sing during a previous speaking engagement it gave her goosebumps. She was hoping that he would sing something for us too.
I turned my attention to Dr. Heard, who did not immediately rise from his chair. Quietly he began to sing and I immediately recognized “This Little Light of Mine”. As he made his way through the piece the intensity gradually increased until he reached a finish that could only be described as amazing. Yes – goosebumps!
Dr. Heard began by complimenting us on our 110 year tradition of service above self. His next words made it clear that he had come not just to tell us how great we were, but because there is more work to do. We need to make sure that opportunities endure and are available to everyone. Lansing has never had a shortage of excellence, and he is proud that he is a product of Lansing. His relationship with Lansing Rotary began when he was a student at Sexton and was selected to participate in our student lunch program. Virginia Allen, a former member of our club, became his mentor and took him to a performance of the Lansing Symphony Orchestra. This experience expanded his world and showed him what was possible. Twenty years later he returned to sing with the LSO.
Dr. Heard is a kid fanatic. He took a job with the Lansing School District as a music teacher but saw that too many students with talent have only limited access to opportunities to cultivate it. That led him to start Transcendence Vocal Arts Institute, which grew into Transcendence Performing Arts Centers, Inc. He started with only $100 and some faith. His wife was very supportive and prayed for him and his vision. He devoted himself to pursuing excellence and cultivating possibility for his kids.
He has now stepped away from the organization, leaving it in the hands of staff members. The organization needs more dependable resources.
Dr. Heard stressed that equity is not a question of lowering standards but is instead providing opportunities for all to prove that they can meet the standards. The greatest return is when a child understands his/her gifts.
During the Q&A that followed, Irv Nichols thanked Virginia for taking an interest in a young LaVonte Heard. (I hope that friends of Virginia will pass that thanks along.)
Katie Krick commented on Dr. Heard’s obvious spirituality. The organization began with more faith than finance in the Heard’s living room and two students. There are now 300 students and over 10,000 have participated over the years.
Hari Kern wondered what had inspired that young man who accompanied Virginia to the LSO performance. Dr. Heard recalled that he couldn’t believe he was actually there and was impressed with the grandeur of the Wharton Center. The tuning of the orchestra seemed like a concert to him and he was impressed by the respect that the orchestra showed to the conductor and how the conductor returned it by shaking hands with the concert master. Virginia’s mentorship was even more impactful than the single visit to the Wharton. Both Virginia and Ken Beachler kept in touch with him as he entered college and beyond.
Todd Gute wondered about a recent success story and the organization’s biggest challenge. TPAC conducted a free summer program. The program included breakfast and lunch, games, singing, and dancing. The program concluded with a production of Annie at Everett High School which played to a full house. Dr. Heard, who was not directly involved in the program, was moved by the community support and the excellent behavior of the crowd.
As for challenges, he spoke of a grant that was awarded and then revoked after the work was done and money was spent. The funds were not forthcoming because of the community served by the program. TPAC does not have enduring support, and he is afraid that this season could be its last. He himself never took a salary. He is trusting God and the community to continue to support this important program into the future.
President Susan thanked Dr. Heard for speaking to us and announced that Chris Swope will be next week’s speaker, with Sue Hanson filling in for President Susan.
A final announcement just before the bell – Cathy’s birthday was Saturday October 10th. Of course, that called for another round of Happy Birthday!
And then the bell rang for adjournment.
Email for Linda Lynch: linda.j.lynch@gmail.com
Chris Swope was first elected as Lansing's 36th in 2005 City Clerk and took office on January 1, 2006; he Lansing's second longest serving City Clerk, behind Bertha Ray who served from 1923 to 1949. He is among the first openly gay elected city officials in the State of Michigan and has been serving the citizens of Lansing City ever since. Prior to serving the citizens of Lansing, Chris had a long and distinguished history of public service having served as an Ingham County Commissioner, and worked in the Michigan House of Representatives and Michigan Senate.
DowntownLansing Inc is having its annual Big Red Ball on Saturday, November 21, and they are looking for volunteers to help with the event. DLI’s mission is to “strengthen and nurture the culture, health, and sustainability of our downtown district.” Shifts on November 21 include event setup 2:30-5:30 pm, various shifts during the event from 5:30-10:00 pm, and event tear down and cleanup from 9:30-11:30 pm. More information can be found here: 