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President Pat Hanes called our meeting to order with a longer intro than usual, including a shout out to Lisa Smith and the Rotarians who attended her comeback performance with husband Ed at the Urban Beat last Thursday. Past District Governor Clyde Carnegie, known for his eloquent invocations, did not disappoint this week. He included the usual, but also a reference to why we haven’t seen him in a while: for the last 5 years, he has been the full time care giver for his wife Cynthia. He wished safe passage to our guest District Governor Margie Haas during her Rotary Year. John Dale Smith played the piano for our patriotic song, which this week was the National Anthem. Lisa Smith handed the mic to a handful of guests this week, who were either past, present or future District Governors. Diane Sanborn reported that once again the health of the club is good. District Governor Marie Haas has a new tradition, which is better than the tradition of all of her predecessors. She bakes a Cheerie, Cherry, Berry Pie and auctions it off at each Rotary Club she visits. I was ready to bid ten bucks when Chris Holman shouted out an opening bid of $200.00! That prompted Michelle Renaert to change tables in hopes of getting a piece of pie. Lisa Smith countered with a bid of $220 and Jack Davis pushed it to $250! Chris Holman ultimately won with a bid of $300.00 DG Haas was stunned by the generosity and indicated the funds go to the District Foundation. Lisa Smith reminded the Club that grants that our Club makes can be matched by the District Foundation to further the impact of Rotary in our Community. Perfect attendance awards were given to Heidi McNaughton, Diane Sanborn, Mark Hooper, Curt Sonnenberg and of course Duane Vernon (57 years!). President Hanes had all Rotarians who were younger than 57 years old to drive home the point of Duane’s accomplishment. Paul Harris awards were also handed out to Rotarians and a pic was taken of those in attendance who received their pins. Note to self: when we give through Paul Harris, it goes up the Rotary chain and comes back down to us through matching grants. All we need to do is apply to the District and Evanston and we can make an even greater difference in our Community.  Special music today was intro’d by Mr. Special Music himself, Ken Beachler, who of course gave all credit to John Dale Smith. We were treated to a duet version of Here You Are and a quartet singing the River won’t Flow. Both featured outstanding harmonizing and spirited piano playing by John Dale Smith. Diane Sanborn introduced our speaker of the day, District Governor Margie Haas. Margie and Diane were roommates on a recent trip to the Dominican Republic for our District’s water project. Margie started her presentation with a refresher on Rotary’s Mission Statement:  DG Haas told us about the international convention and on how each day featured how clubs can put into practice the mission statement through leadership, integrity (day one of convention), service (day two), and diversity and fellowship (day 3). This year, Rotary International seeks to grow Rotary through projects and service; to attract a younger and more diverse membership; to be family friendly and to make way for ne, younger leadership. This coming year, we will also be celebrating 75 years of the United Nations and no surprise, Rotary has a history with the United Nations and will be joining in that celebration. Click here to learn more about Rotary’s history with the UN. Our District 6360 specific goal is a “net 2 growth” per Club. In answer to questions from the audience, one answer that stood out was that her home club in Hastings live streams their meetings, something that our Club may wish to consider.  |
For the last 5 years Vicki Hamilton-Allen has been the President & CEO of Habitat for Humanity Capital Region. Vicki serves on the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis Board Advisory Committee for Affordable Housing and she coaches girls from grades 3 to 5 for the Girls on the Run program. Vicki is the founder and CEO of Executive Ideation, a change management consulting firm, and is an adjunct instructor at the Business & Community Institute of Lansing Community College and is a fellow Lansing Rotarian. She received her B.A. degree in Political Science from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and her MBA with a concentration in Change Management from Ferris State University. Vicki grew up in Montreal, Canada and moved to England after completing university. She lived there for the next 18 years. In the UK, Vicki served as a consultant for Britain’s foremost new home builders where she acquired much of her property development knowledge. She then went on to become a Higher Executive Officer for the British Government, specifically for the Department of Education. When arriving in the USA 8 years ago, Vicki chose to work in the non-profit sector initially with the American Red Cross. With her construction experience and non-profit experience it seems that leading Habitat for Humanity was a natural next step in her career.