Harbor Country Rotary News: 4/22/2024
Happy Earth Day!
I had a late notice of a clean up day in Sawyer for Monday (today) at noon for EARTH DAY. If you’re able, you can meet others in Sawyer at the Lion’s Den parking lot across from the Sawyer Truck stop on Sawyer Road at I-94 exit 12.
Save the date! June 26th.
Mark your calendars for the Harbor Country Rotary Club annual meeting that will be held at the New Buffalo Yacht Club on Wednesday evening, June 26th. Spouses and guests are welcome. Details to follow…
read more
Happy Earth Day!
I had a late notice of a clean up day in Sawyer for Monday (today) at noon for EARTH DAY. If you’re able, you can meet others in Sawyer at the Lion’s Den parking lot across from the Sawyer Truck stop on Sawyer Road at I-94 exit 12.
- Thanks to Rita Watson and Linda Martinez for great breakfast this week.
- Hearty Congratulations to our newest Paul Harris Fellow: Laura Jolly and self congratulations to Mark Montgomery.
- We welcomed guests, our speaker Zach Hackett of the Vickers Theatre, Tim Lee, District Governor Nominee from Sturgis Rotary, Mark Baltes, and Donna, guest of Leslie Wood
- Colleen Newquist announced that club members donated $1385 to the Harbor Country Rotary Foundation in honor of Frank Schmidt’s 90th Birthday. Congratulations and Happy Birthday Frank!
- Darlene Heemstra is collecting Harbor Country items for the District Basket Auction at the District Conference. If you have items, please contact Darlene!
- From George Gormley: April Feeding America Food truck distributed food to :
- Steve Diller will be presiding on Friday, April 26th , for a club day and Lyn Romero will be presenting the Breakfast Committee’s recommendations to the club. An email was sent to all members.
- Village Forest Project has been delivering and planting trees last week and this week.
- Steve and Hilary Lagattuta are planting seeds with the gradeschoolers all this week. Thanks for all this work with the kids!
Save the date! June 26th.
Mark your calendars for the Harbor Country Rotary Club annual meeting that will be held at the New Buffalo Yacht Club on Wednesday evening, June 26th. Spouses and guests are welcome. Details to follow…
read more
Club Events this week
Wednesday, April 17th MIGHTY ACORNS 12:20-2:30 at Robinson Woods
HC Rotary Mobile Food Truck is on THURSDAY, APRIL 18th. It is at Harbert Community Church.
- Volunteer Setup Time 3:00pm - Distribution starts: 3:30pm
Friday, April 19th After the meeting US HWY 12 clean up contact Larry Shawver
Friday, April 19th MIGHTY ACORNS 1:45-3:00 at New Buffalo Elementary Nature Nook
Wednesday, April 17th MIGHTY ACORNS 12:20-2:30 at Robinson Woods
HC Rotary Mobile Food Truck is on THURSDAY, APRIL 18th. It is at Harbert Community Church.
- Volunteer Setup Time 3:00pm - Distribution starts: 3:30pm
Friday, April 19th After the meeting US HWY 12 clean up contact Larry Shawver
Friday, April 19th MIGHTY ACORNS 1:45-3:00 at New Buffalo Elementary Nature Nook
Virtual Dream Career Event
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Back by popular demand is another Virtual Dream Career Event sponsored by the Rotary Student Program, an initiative that connects high school students with professionals in dream careers.
Our first event was Professions. Our next event, on Wednesday, April 24, 4-5pm EST will be focused on the Skilled Trades. Please share the attached "Virtual Dream Career Event: Skilled Trades" flier with your local high schools. As a requirement of the event, we will ask you to host students at your Rotary Clubs to share their experience and receive a "Certificate of Completion." Limit of first 45 students.
For questions, contact Rotary Student Program Chair, Jackie Huie, [email protected]
read more
River Valley's Interact Club Share Night at Culver's (Stevensville) Monday March 25th from 5-8 PM.
Please note: Red Arrow is now open at 1-94, see photo for detour info.
Interact clubs bring together young people to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.
Tuesday M arch 19th is Rotary Game Night at the New Buffalo Yacht Club
6-9 PM
500 W Water St New Buffalo, MI 269-469-9808
Big fun, with your Rotary Friends, all guests welcome!!!
The potluck is desserts and finger sandwiches.
See you there.
International Women’s Day Connections With Rotary
International Women’s Day
March 8, 2024
Connections With Rotary
By Bonnie Pollack-Rotary Club of Harbor Country Michigan
Rotary International focuses on seven key areas to maximize impact and encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs. Each of the seven areas of focus touch women’s lives.
Women are not simply the recipients of Rotary’s international and local efforts, they are leading the way as they embrace Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”
International Women’s Day
March 8, 2024
Connections With Rotary
By Bonnie Pollack-Rotary Club of Harbor Country Michigan
Rotary International focuses on seven key areas to maximize impact and encompass some of the world’s most critical and widespread humanitarian needs. Each of the seven areas of focus touch women’s lives.
- Peace and Conflict Resolution-The Rotary Club of Cubao Metro, Philippines worked to raise awareness of abuse of women and children, developed a program that works to empower girls and secured a global grant to renovate a community shelter for abused girls.
- Disease Prevention and Treatment-Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia fights malaria by making improvements in training and supporting community health workers, increasing awareness and improving surveillance and management.
- Water and Sanitation-The Rotary Club of Uden, The Netherlands worked on water and sanitation projects in Bangladesh, then founded a clinic for mothers and children and a cervical and breast cancer treatment center.
- Maternal and Child Health-The Rotary Foundation’s 2022 Programs of Scale grant supported an effort to save the lives of mothers and newborns in Nigeria. The $2million grant combined with other funding has enabled the program to expand health education for families as well as access to quality clinical care.
- Basic Education and Literacy-The Rotary Club of Kiambu, Kenya has touched the lives of almost 300,000 girls in Kenya and other parts of East Africa by providing hygiene products to keep them healthy and in school. The program has reached girls in more than 500 schools and trained over 10,000 teachers in mentoring female students.
- Economic and Community Development-The Rotary Club of Guiomard, Brazil is involved with Sewing the Future, a project that offers professional training to young women in the criminal justice system and helps them find works upon release.
- Protecting the Environment-The Rotary Club of Harbor Country has been a leader in environmental projects with nature trails maintenance, Ten Trails Project working with Chikaming Open Lands, the Pollinator Project and the Reforestation Project.
Women are not simply the recipients of Rotary’s international and local efforts, they are leading the way as they embrace Rotary’s motto, “Service Above Self.”
March 5th 2024 Rotary Mobile Food Truck - Harbert Community Church
What an amazing turn out we had yesterday for the Mobile Food Truck Pantry! (SEE BELOW - we had our biggest Harbor Country distribution ever)
From Georgiana Gormley
TOTALS for 3/5/24 Harbert Country Mobile Food Truck Pantry:
Households 148
What an amazing turn out we had yesterday for the Mobile Food Truck Pantry! (SEE BELOW - we had our biggest Harbor Country distribution ever)
From Georgiana Gormley
PARKING: The morning rain created a large puddle on the eastside of the parking lot so we lost space for 2 lanes of traffic.
- The result = We used every bit of space in the church parking lot to line up ALL the cars. It was somewhat like loaves and fishes except for parking spaces. We somehow had "JUST" enough space for the large volume of cars that came to yesterday's distribution. It was cozy but it all worked.
- Fabulous Outcome = WE GOT IT DONE. A genuine thank you to each volunteer.
A special thank you to Linda Anderson and Bob and Linda Miller who were key "new process" mentors and creative problem solvers.
Breakout of Households by Zipcode: Three Oaks 34Individuals 320, Children, 80, Seniors, 118, Vets 12
Galien 26
New Buffalo 25
Sawyer 10
Niles 10
Buchanan 8
Baroda 5
Bridgman 5
Harbert 4
Stevensville 4
Berrien Springs 4
New Troy 3
Benton Harbor 3
Sodus 2
Saint Joseph 2
Lakeside 1
Union Pier 1
South Bend 1
Opening Doors to Attainable Housing-Berrien
Thursday, March 7, 2024
6-7:30 p.m.
New Buffalo Township Library (Pokagon Room)
33 North Thompson Street
New Buffalo, MI 49117
Many communities in Michigan are facing challenges meeting their housing needs. This 90-minute program from MSU Extension, In partnership with The Pokagon Fund, will discuss a wide catalog of proven zoning and policy options that can help increase the amount and variety of housing stock in a community.
To plan for and implement solutions to these housing challenges, it is important to accurately define issues facing your community and choose actions that align to those issues. This program will discuss zoning and policy tools that can help increase the amount and variety of housing stock in a community. We will present rural, suburban, and urban housing considerations and share examples from Michigan related to zoning regulations and policies that support ‘missing middle’ housing, attainable workforce options, and more.
Additional housing programs from MSU Extension for communities and individuals will be discussed and all participants will receive a handout of useful housing resources. Light refreshments will be provided. This program is made possible by a partnership between MSU Extension and The Pokagon Fund.
This program will cover:
- Key housing terms and tends
- Zoning and other policy options for meeting a community’s housing goals
- Additional programs and housing resources
If you are interested in hosting an MSU Extension workshop in your community on a topic related to housing, please contact Tyler Augst at [email protected] or 269-657-8213.
Download Event FlyerRegistration for Participant Registration is open.
Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 4, 2024.
Register OnlineHarbor Country Harbor Country Rotary News: 2/25/2024
Harbor Country Rotary News: 2/25/2024
Meeting, Friday 2/23/2024
Thanks to Rita Watson for filling in for me last week! And to Teresa Brandell, our Speaker from District 6360. We welcomed guests Jim Maier and Mark Baltes in addition to our speaker, Joe Martin.
Don’t forget to stay in touch with Rotary members you may not have seen for a while! We are glad to see many people back from winter getaways and wish safe travels to those still out there!!
Harbor Country Rotary News: 2/25/2024
Meeting, Friday 2/23/2024
Thanks to Rita Watson for filling in for me last week! And to Teresa Brandell, our Speaker from District 6360. We welcomed guests Jim Maier and Mark Baltes in addition to our speaker, Joe Martin.
- We will be calling for officer nominations for 2024-2025 soon, so please consider serving our club as an officer or board member! You can touch base with Mark or Steve.
- We enjoyed our speaker, Joe Martin of Chikaming Township. Joe is a great addition to Harbor Country and we enjoyed hearing about his experiences in the sports marketing world and now with the Chikaming Township Parks.
- Thanks to Kayt Hartmann and Colleen Newquist for our delightful breakfast this week.
- Thanks to all who helped with Food Deliveries at Harding’s this past week! Congratulations to our Food Security Committee on the award of a grant from the Pokagan Fund.
- We are calling for our Club Heroes soon for honors at the 6360 District Conference in May. I am attaching a nomination form and have several nominations by email already.
- We will be working with our Committees and Project Champions this Friday as we prepare for the 2023-2024 Budget. If you are or have been a Committee Chair or a Project Champion, please see the attached form that we will be working with on Friday. We will need a form for each project for next year.
- Jacquie Blackwell spoke to us last fall about District 6360’s work on mental health. We have a special opportunity available for Mental Health First Aid training on Friday, March 19th. Please see more information on this training session below.
- Please see 2 attachments to this newsletter: 1. Hero Nomination form 2. Budget 2024-2025 for project champions.
Don’t forget to stay in touch with Rotary members you may not have seen for a while! We are glad to see many people back from winter getaways and wish safe travels to those still out there!!
- Blanket tying will be taking a break on March 5th and 12th, but feel free to try it on February 27th at 3 pm at the Three Oaks Library
- Friday, March 1st, Harbor Country Rotary Board Meeting after regular meeting
- Tuesday, March 5th, Mobile Food Truck at Harbert Community Church
- Saturday, March 10th Ramadan begins
- Saturday, March 10th, Daylight Savings ends, SPRING FORWARD!
- Sunday, March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day
- Monday, March 18th Birthday Books at New Buffalo Elementary: Ben Parker and Debbie Weber, please let them know if you'd like to help!
- Tuesday, March 19th, Game Night at New Buffalo Yacht Club- more info to follow
- Saturday, March 23rd, Purim
- Sunday, March 31st, Easter Sunday
- Friday, April 5th, Harbor Country Rotary Board meeting
- Monday, April 15th, Tax Day
- Friday, April 19th, Mental Health First Aid Training (registration info below)
- Friday and Saturday, May 3-4, District 6360 2024 District Conference DEADLINE FOR REGISTERING IS FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024!! If you register earlier than March 15, you will have a chance to WIN one of five $100 CASH PRIZES!
Corewell Health is offering FREE in-person, Mental Health First Aid Training
A message from
Jacquie Blackwell, Chair, District 6360 Mental Health Committee:
Corewell Health is offering FREE in-person, Mental Health First Aid Training to D6360 Rotarians on Friday, April 19th in Benton Harbor.
Details are:
Friday April 19
11am-5pm
Lunch provided
Center for Wellness
200 Main Street
Benton Harbor, MI
These trainings are typically $25 per person. Corewell Health is generously offering this certification to Rotarians with no charge – including lunch!
Please RSVP your commitment to attend to: D6360 Mental Health Committee Chair Jacquie Blackwell: [email protected]
Mental Health First Aid is like CPR for those experiencing emotional pain or crisis. The training teaches us how to recognize behavior that may suggest emotional distress, how to approach /talk to the person, and how to refer them to available resources.
Satisfactory completion of the program affords you a three-year certification.
District 6360 Mental Health Committee’s goal is to ideally have all Rotarians certified as a Mental Health First Aider following RI President Gordon McInally’s Mental Health platform.
President Gordon’s vision for quality Mental Health services around the world is equally shared by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
You might be interested in viewing this video The Importance of Mental Health First Aid Training which touches on Gordon’s exact same points to: raise awareness; erase stigma; and improve access:
Mental Health Webinar | February 2024 - YouTube
It’s exciting to know that Rotarians are on the leading edge of a Mental Health movement that is making positive impact on the way mental health care is addressed. More importantly, it’s exciting to know that ultimately, we are Creating Hope.
Thank you for helping spread the word.
A message from
Jacquie Blackwell, Chair, District 6360 Mental Health Committee:
Corewell Health is offering FREE in-person, Mental Health First Aid Training to D6360 Rotarians on Friday, April 19th in Benton Harbor.
Details are:
Friday April 19
11am-5pm
Lunch provided
Center for Wellness
200 Main Street
Benton Harbor, MI
These trainings are typically $25 per person. Corewell Health is generously offering this certification to Rotarians with no charge – including lunch!
Please RSVP your commitment to attend to: D6360 Mental Health Committee Chair Jacquie Blackwell: [email protected]
Mental Health First Aid is like CPR for those experiencing emotional pain or crisis. The training teaches us how to recognize behavior that may suggest emotional distress, how to approach /talk to the person, and how to refer them to available resources.
Satisfactory completion of the program affords you a three-year certification.
District 6360 Mental Health Committee’s goal is to ideally have all Rotarians certified as a Mental Health First Aider following RI President Gordon McInally’s Mental Health platform.
President Gordon’s vision for quality Mental Health services around the world is equally shared by the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity.
You might be interested in viewing this video The Importance of Mental Health First Aid Training which touches on Gordon’s exact same points to: raise awareness; erase stigma; and improve access:
Mental Health Webinar | February 2024 - YouTube
It’s exciting to know that Rotarians are on the leading edge of a Mental Health movement that is making positive impact on the way mental health care is addressed. More importantly, it’s exciting to know that ultimately, we are Creating Hope.
Thank you for helping spread the word.
River Valley and New Buffalo schools food distribution 2/24/24
Harbor Country Rotary delivered food to 31 families identified by both school districts on this beautiful winter morning.
Harding’s of Three Oaks purchased and packed all the food and sundry items for us. They are amazing partners for this important initiative for the community.
We had 16 volunteers who offered 20 volunteer hours for this initiative.
This couldn’t have done without the support of The Pokagan Fund and Harbor Country Rotary Foundation.
read more
Harbor Country Rotary delivered food to 31 families identified by both school districts on this beautiful winter morning.
Harding’s of Three Oaks purchased and packed all the food and sundry items for us. They are amazing partners for this important initiative for the community.
We had 16 volunteers who offered 20 volunteer hours for this initiative.
This couldn’t have done without the support of The Pokagan Fund and Harbor Country Rotary Foundation.
read more
At the Friday January 26th meeting, Josh Higgins received his blue name tag making him an official member.
Tuesday January 30th is Rotary Game Night at the New Buffalo Yacht Club!!!
6-9 PM 500 W Water St New Buffalo, MI 269-469-9808
Big fun, with your Rotary Friends, all guests welcome!!! The potluck is appetizers and desserts.
This is a sure cure for everyone with cabin fever.
Rotary Club of Harbor Country welcomes our newest member, Mark Gabryszewski, sponsored by Maria Gabryszewski at our meeting on Friday, January 12th. This picture shows Maria and Mark Gabryszewski, President Mark Montgomery and Membership chair Laura Jolly.
Frank asked members to support Waters Edge Food Bank by bringing packaged food items (peanut butter and packaged cereal are always winners).
Notice: Game night this coming Tuesday 1/16 has been canceled.
At next Friday's meeting we will hear a presentation by Michelle Heit the New Buffalo Township supervisor.
Member Mingle-Private Gallery Tour of the Lubeznik Center for the Arts. We enjoyed our gallery tour by Janet Block, Executive Director, on the current exhibition, Abstraction + Love. We appreciated Janet's description and explanation of the many fine pieces.
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Member Mingle (Guests welcome too!)
Speaker: Janet Bloch - Executive Director at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts
Topic: Join us for a private Gallery Talk of the Lubeznik's current exhibit, Abstraction + Love.
For more information, see https://www.lubeznikcenter.org/exhibitions/abstraction-love
Meet at the Lubeznik Art Center at this Friday Jan 5th 12:00PM EST/ 11:00AM CST
101 W. 2nd Street
Michigan City, IN 46360
219.874.4900
read more
Community Festival with Holiday Caroling by the Harbor Country Singers
Hot Chocolate and Cider too!!!
This Saturday, December 9th at 2PM
Harbert Community Park
13535 Red Arrow Hwy, Harbert, MI 49115
This is your chance to hear a great holiday concert by the Harbor Country Singers
This Saturday December 2nd at 4:00 PM EST
Episcopal Church of the Mediator
14280 Red Arrow Hwy, Harbert, MI
Free Admission, Food item donation requested.
The concert is free to all and appreciate you registering at our website schoolofamericanmusic.com but even if you don't register, please come.
Tonight Tuesday November 14th is Rotary Game Night at the New Buffalo Yacht Club
6-9 PM
500 W Water St New Buffalo, MI 269-469-9808
Big fun, with your Rotary Friends, all guests welcome!!!
Pot Luck Dinner
Please bring Soup, Bread or Dessert
Rotary Club of Harbor Country had 2 great events that benefited folks in our area.
Thanks to Deborah Hall Kayler for organizing a food basket delivery for 37 households on Saturday morning. Thanks to Georgiana Gormley for organizing the Feeding America delivery to Three Oaks sponsored by RCHC.
Here' a note from Deborah
I want to thank you all for stepping--up to help with deliveries on Saturday, October 21st. As Harding’s organizing and packing the boxes & bags for us, BLESS THEM!!! We have 40 families to deliver to on Saturday morning. Every family is appreciative of what we’re doing.
First of all – THANK YOU for your effort and time.
Also, a special thanks to Susan Stoneburner who coordinated the New Buffalo families & volunteers.
We also had two new Rotary members participate in the deliveries – Francis and Josh. Finally, we were also fortunate to have Joe Carr – willing to lend a hand. (I hope to bring him to Rotary to talk about the humanitarian efforts he has been on, internationally. Talk about Service Above Self – it’s impressive.
I’d like to share our numbers with you:
Number of Volunteers: 19
Number of Households delivered to: 37
Hours volunteered: 23 hours
Cost for food delivered: $3,737.37
Cost for Honey added: $277.50
This offering was appreciated by all: A couple of stories from RV families: One family in Galien had their home burned down two days before the delivery and another family in Three Oaks here oldest daughter was in a car accident earlier this month and I believe she is still in the ICU. These connections are valuable to members in our community.
Deborah
This is a note from George
THANKS for being the BEST volunteer group last Thursday. We sure were dancing in between the raindrops. It was a truly memorable pickup! A special thanks for your eagerness to help those in our community - - no matter what the weather.
We had a big turn out at Watkins Park.
Households 92, Individuals 198, Seniors 80, Children 54, Vets 6
I also crunched some additional numbers. See below:
42% of the families had picked up at one of our prior Harbor Country Mobile Food Trucks
Here are totals by communities:
Community Total families
Three Oaks 28
New Buffalo 18
Galien 12
Niles 9
Buchanan 7
Benton Harbor 3
Berrien Springs 3
Harbert 3
Bridgman 3
Stevensville 2
Eau Claire 1
La Porte 1
Sawyer 1
Union Pier 1
As always, I appreciated each and every one of you, my Rain Dance partners,
George
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
Thank you to Bonnie Pollack and the International Committee and especially Joe Berger for the wonderful evening at the International Dinner! Thanks to all who helped with the event and those who came to enjoy the food and fellowship. Great food, lovely tables, and a great program and a beautiful evening to be together!
The International Committee is a very active and interesting group in our club and it was great to hear Kayt Hartmann and Marian Prince's update on the Nepal project and other projects! And of course, many thanks to Col. Frank Schmidt, auctioneer extraordinaire and Laura and Fred Jolly, winners of the Joe Berger dinner party!
We heard Graviel Nuel Jacobo, founder of the Centro De Protesis in the Dominican Republic, discuss the reality and challenge of limb loss and his passion and vision fo the future for Centro De Protesis, a non-profit that helps amputees. https://www.centrodeprotesis.org/
Kayt Hartman showed us a video that she created about the work of Marian Prince and her work in Kathmandu, Nepal training teachers and students on the Texas Instruments programmable calculators and learning the Python programming language.
Marian spoke about her trips and the challenges and rewards of her mission.
https://youtu.be/saIYmnb0Ywc
Gene Svebakken spoke about the work of Dr Sung Lee, who is championing a project in Bangladesh for Rotary. As an OB/Gyne, he is an expert in women’s health and is looking to expand the manufacture and distribution of sanitary pads with a Rotary Global Grant. This grant is to promote healthy mothers and children, and to improve community environment. Dhaka Rotary Club plans to provide equipment and supplies of raw materials and teach them how to make ELLA pads, patterns, business and management.
Thank you to Water’s Edge Church for providing this beautiful venue.
read more
Looking for Volunteers for Three Oaks Stroll
Dear Rotarians,
I am reaching out on behalf of the Stroll Three Oaks organizing committee. We are excited to announce the upcoming Three Oaks Autumn Stroll scheduled for Saturday, October 21st.
Our event promises a day filled with family-friendly activities, and one of the highlights will be the horse and buggy rides starting at the corner of Elm and Linden, specifically in the dentist parking lot. This location serves as a central hub for the Stroll, attracting a large number of participants who gather while awaiting their rides.
In an effort to enhance the overall experience for the children attending, we are reaching out to community partners we value, such as the Rotary Club, to seek your support in providing treats and goodies during a designated time frame from 2pm to 6pm.
We kindly request the Rotary Club's presence at the mentioned location with a table and chair(s) for the distribution of treats. This not only ensures a convenient and comfortable setup but also adds to the welcoming atmosphere for our event attendees.
Moreover, we encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity to promote the Rotary Club and share information about the wonderful contributions you make to our community. Your visibility at the Autumn Stroll will undoubtedly reinforce the positive impact the Rotary Club has on our local area.
If the Rotary Club is able to participate in this initiative, we would greatly appreciate it. Your generosity will contribute significantly to the success of the Three Oaks Autumn Stroll and the joy it brings to our community.
Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is any additional information you require. We look forward to the possibility of collaborating with the Rotary Club and creating a memorable experience for all participants.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Warm regards,
Marco Chavarry Stroll Three Oaks
773-991-4063
Harbor Country Rotary will again co-sponsor Chikaming Open Lands’ Enchanted Forest on Thursday, October 26th. Volunteers for this fun event for parking, trail guiding and pumpkin decoration are needed!
Robinson & Flynn Wood Perserves
8016 W East Rd,. Three Oaks, MI
Volunteers need to arrive around 3:15
Thank you Jacquie Blackwell for the great presentation on mental health and Rotary's mental health awareness focus.
This is a Rotary project and we need a club chair person for the mental health committee. Please contact Mark if you are interested.
The following is info on today's 3PM District Mental Health meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/
Meeting ID: 863 5651 5401
Passcode: 391797
The guest is Robert Sheehan, CEO Community Mental Health Association of Michigan.
Also, here is the link to register to hear RI President Gordon McInally on Oct 10, World Mental Health Day:
Webinar Registration - Zoom
This Thursday Gather Community Meal, New Troy
September 15th Meeting Linda Tinsley
Our speaker last Friday was Linda Tinsley, of Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan and her efforts to lead an organization to feed seniors (and their pets!) in our area. It was a very interesting presentation about the need for food security for senior citizens and her organization's remarkable work to achieve that.
https://www.snsmeals.org/
read more
Our speaker last Friday was Linda Tinsley, of Meals on Wheels of Southwest Michigan and her efforts to lead an organization to feed seniors (and their pets!) in our area. It was a very interesting presentation about the need for food security for senior citizens and her organization's remarkable work to achieve that.
https://www.snsmeals.org/
read more
Friday was Mum pick up day for the annual Rotary Club of Harbor Country Mum Sale. Thanks to all the members who got to Carver Park bright and early to unload the truck. Thanks to Maria and Leslie for putting this together.
Friday 9/8 meeting is at Carver Park in Three Oaks
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Remember! This Friday is Mum pick up day and we need your help
Harbor Country Rotary meeting this Friday at Carver Park in Three Oaks!! Corner of US 12 and Oak St. one block East of the stoplight.
The trucks will arrive at 7:00 am so please come a bit early and enjoy the fun! It looks like it will be a cool morning, perfect for us!
If you have a wagon to help with moving, that would be great help.
In case you have forgotten what you signed up for, I have attached the sign-up sheet.
If you have any questions, please contact Rita Watson at 630-660-7974.
Thanks Everyone!
Mark Montgomery
President
Harbor Country Rotary
read more
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Remember! This Friday is Mum pick up day and we need your help
Harbor Country Rotary meeting this Friday at Carver Park in Three Oaks!! Corner of US 12 and Oak St. one block East of the stoplight.
The trucks will arrive at 7:00 am so please come a bit early and enjoy the fun! It looks like it will be a cool morning, perfect for us!
If you have a wagon to help with moving, that would be great help.
In case you have forgotten what you signed up for, I have attached the sign-up sheet.
If you have any questions, please contact Rita Watson at 630-660-7974.
Thanks Everyone!
Mark Montgomery
President
Harbor Country Rotary
read more
Collecting towels and women's/children's clothing
Friday, September 1, 2023
Community in Action (CIA) is a group based in South Bend and Granger devoted to community assistance by supporting a variety of community efforts, including a Women's Shelter where abused women can escape a dangerous home situation and be safe while they figure out next steps. Meanwhile, women and sometimes with children come to the shelter in an emergency situation with only the clothes on their backs. We are looking mainly for women's clothing in all sizes and accessories in very good condition: slacks, blouses, skirts, shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, purses, jewelry, etc. They need everything.
CIA is also supporting a homeless shelter that provides showers and clean-up areas, and they desperately need towels of different sizes and wash cloths. Used is fine, even if a little ragged.
If you have a donation, please contact Stephanie Derderian via email ([email protected]) or text (312.636.6044) to make arrangements for drop-off or pickup.
Friday, September 1, 2023
Community in Action (CIA) is a group based in South Bend and Granger devoted to community assistance by supporting a variety of community efforts, including a Women's Shelter where abused women can escape a dangerous home situation and be safe while they figure out next steps. Meanwhile, women and sometimes with children come to the shelter in an emergency situation with only the clothes on their backs. We are looking mainly for women's clothing in all sizes and accessories in very good condition: slacks, blouses, skirts, shirts, sweaters, sweatshirts, purses, jewelry, etc. They need everything.
CIA is also supporting a homeless shelter that provides showers and clean-up areas, and they desperately need towels of different sizes and wash cloths. Used is fine, even if a little ragged.
If you have a donation, please contact Stephanie Derderian via email ([email protected]) or text (312.636.6044) to make arrangements for drop-off or pickup.
Thursday, August 31, 2023
I hope everyone enjoyed our social hour last Friday. We need that once in a while!
- Laura Jolly was back and able to hand me Rotary Hats for Lyn Romero and Francis Bryan. We're glad you're here!
- George Gormley is looking to make our club 100% for Rotary District 6360 Raffle, so there's still time for your chance at great cash prizes!
- We also had a very nice letter to George from Feeding America and some statistics about how much food is distributed in our area: a Lot!! Please take a look at the attachments.
Thanks to George and Deborah Hall-Kayler and everyone for helping. It's truly one of our signature projects! - Next week our speaker will be Tim Hawkins, Education Director at River Valley Senior Center
- Rita Watson and Linda Martinez want to remind everyone to try to get on the list for serving breakfast. We had a great one from George Gormley and Mark and Maria Gabryszewski today. Each member should co-host about twice a year. If you can’t cook or go to the store, let Rita know and you can donate about $20 for your turn and for her to help you out!
Coming up:
- Friday, September 1st Regular meeting and Board meeting immediately after.
- Monday, September 4th Labor Day Holiday
- Tuesday, September 5th 1st day of school area schools
- Friday, September 8th Rotary Mums and Native Plant sale distribution, we will need a lot of people to receive the trucks of mums and to help distribute them at this fun annual event. We will have Rotary yard signs available on the website also, cost estimate $13. (Maria Gabryszewski, Leslie Wood and All of Us!)
- Thursday, September 21st Community Dinner to be held in New Troy Tom Rosenbluth, Larry Shawver, and Christina Lynch
- Sunday, September 24th Apple Cider Century Singer Lake sag station Larry Shawver
- Thursday, September 28th Premiere of Pokagan Band of Potawatomi documentary: WNIT PBS
- October- National Fire Prevention Month
- Monday, October 9th Indigenous People’s Day Holiday
- Tuesday, October 17th International Dinner
- Saturday, September 30th- Sunday, October 1st Three Oaks Oktoberfest
- November- Rotary Foundation Month
- Friday, November 10th Veteran’s Day Holiday
- Saturday, November 11th Veteran’s Day
- Thursday, November 23rd Thanksgiving Day
Mark Montgomery
President
Harbor Country Rotary Club
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Please place your order by scanning QR code or go to RotaryHC.com
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Saturday, August 12, 2023
Please support our club with beautifying your yard for fall.
www.rotaryhc.com
Our District 6360 Foundation Raffle
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Our club is again participating in the annual District 6360 Foundation’s Raffle Ticket Sale. We encourage you to consider buying a ticket or two. The cost is $25 per ticket.
We have participated in the Raffle every year and every year our club shines by selling 100% of our designated tickets. This year we are asked to sell 47 tickets.
Your odds are better than the Lotto. Deadline for purchasing tickets is September 20.
Prizes are
Grand 1st Prize = $1,000
2nd Prize = $750 (2ea) 3rd Prize = $500 (2ea) 4th Prize = $250 (4ea) 5th Prize = $100 (5ea)
Checks should be made out to:
Rotary District 6360 Foundation.
Cash and checks will be accepted at Friday Rotary Meetings purchase tickets from George Gormley
- or -
Purchasers also have a “Bill Me” option
Your amount will be added to your club member bill.
20% of the money we raise through Raffle Ticket Sales will come back to our club in the way of credits for youth programs like RYLA CAMP.
Funds also support projects sponsored in district clubs through Sandelin Grants from the District 6360 Foundation.
Tuesday, August 8, 2023
Our club is again participating in the annual District 6360 Foundation’s Raffle Ticket Sale. We encourage you to consider buying a ticket or two. The cost is $25 per ticket.
We have participated in the Raffle every year and every year our club shines by selling 100% of our designated tickets. This year we are asked to sell 47 tickets.
Your odds are better than the Lotto. Deadline for purchasing tickets is September 20.
Prizes are
Grand 1st Prize = $1,000
2nd Prize = $750 (2ea) 3rd Prize = $500 (2ea) 4th Prize = $250 (4ea) 5th Prize = $100 (5ea)
Checks should be made out to:
Rotary District 6360 Foundation.
Cash and checks will be accepted at Friday Rotary Meetings purchase tickets from George Gormley
- or -
Purchasers also have a “Bill Me” option
Your amount will be added to your club member bill.
20% of the money we raise through Raffle Ticket Sales will come back to our club in the way of credits for youth programs like RYLA CAMP.
Funds also support projects sponsored in district clubs through Sandelin Grants from the District 6360 Foundation.
Friday, August 4, 2023
The Lakeside Association's Ice Cream Social
Saturday, August 5th
5-7 PM
Lakeside Veterans Memorial Park
Harbor Country Rotary supports this event with volunteers and donations of cakes to accompany your ice cream, to support River Valley scholarships. This is a very fun and festive unique local event!
Volunteers needed for set up 11-12 on Saturday and take down at 7PM
Thursday, August 3, 2023
- Our speaker was Dr. Sung Lee, MD, who is championing a project in Bangladesh for Rotary. As an OB/Gyne, he is an expert in women’s health and is looking to expand the manufacture and distribution of sanitary pads in an area where resources are very limited. Dr. Lee is the current chairman of our District 6360 International Services Committee, and I am sure we will hear more from him as he ramps up this project.
- Our thanks to Gene Svebakken for hosting Dr. Lee and bringing him to us.
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Thursday, August 3, 2023
We also accepted a thank you plaque from the River Valley Robotics Club who had a successful year with our own Marian Prince. Marian also updated us on her upcoming very busy trip bringing 7 suitcases of material for the math education project in Nepal for which she obtained a District 6360 Rotary grant. To add to her load, we sent along Harbor Country Rotary banners, pens, and medallions. Bon Voyage Marian!
Thursday, July 27, 2023
We are happy to welcome Francis Bryan as our newest member! Francis' sponsor is Larry Shawver. Francis has a successful home remodeling business, working in Harbor Country and the Chicago area.
http://fbryanremodeling.com/
Thursday, July 27, 2023
This past Friday, we welcomed our own President-Elect, Steve Diller, who spoke to us about the Village Forests program, which our Environmental Committee has sponsored from just a few trees planted to an ongoing program with municipal and District 6360 Grant assistance. Our area, which was once a huge forest, experiences tree loss every year and the Harbor Country Rotary Village Forests program is working to restore the urban canopies in our communities.
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Marian Prince is a member of our club and on the International Committee. With grants from Rotary Foundation and Rotary international, she trains students and teachers in Khatmandu, Nepal to use TI graphing handhelds in their STEM classes. In this photo, Marian Prince shows Allwyn Tellis one of the devices she is taking with her to Nepal.
Tuesday, July 18, 2023
Ben Parker requested a SAVE THE DATE for an upcoming event:
The Lakeside Association's Ice Cream Social
Saturday, August 5th
Harbor Country Rotary supports this event with volunteers and donations of cakes to accompany your ice cream to support River Valley scholarships. This is a very fun and festive unique local event!
More volunteer sign up info at the next meeting.
Neighbor by Neighbor Care Teams
Monday, July 17, 2023
We recently had Keri Haskin, Executive Director of Neighbor by Neighbor as a speaker. She talked about all the amazing things that her agency does in Harbor Country. Here is some information about volunteer opportunities through NbN. (from Leslie Wood)
Dear Valued Neighbor,
While we at Neighbor by Neighbor recognize that our current volunteer opportunities are important, we wanted to enrich our volunteer experience, while also meeting a significant client need through implementing more direct client support. After much thought, Neighbor by Neighbor has decided to model our new volunteer experience after a couple of other local organizations and create a Care Team.
The Care Team at Neighbor by Neighbor is designed for neighbors to help neighbors. As a part of the care team, you would be assigned a client to check in on – whether this is via text, phone call, or handwritten note. Much like people in nursing homes that never get a visitor, many of our clients do not have a strong support system and would appreciate someone reaching out to them. If you would be interested in making a difference in your local neighbors’ lives, please contact Jen Bomar at either 269-231-0648 or via email at [email protected]. Thank you all for all you do to help our Southwestern Michigan neighbors.
With Sincere Thanks and Gratitude,
Keri Haskins
Executive Director
Monday, July 17, 2023
We recently had Keri Haskin, Executive Director of Neighbor by Neighbor as a speaker. She talked about all the amazing things that her agency does in Harbor Country. Here is some information about volunteer opportunities through NbN. (from Leslie Wood)
Dear Valued Neighbor,
While we at Neighbor by Neighbor recognize that our current volunteer opportunities are important, we wanted to enrich our volunteer experience, while also meeting a significant client need through implementing more direct client support. After much thought, Neighbor by Neighbor has decided to model our new volunteer experience after a couple of other local organizations and create a Care Team.
The Care Team at Neighbor by Neighbor is designed for neighbors to help neighbors. As a part of the care team, you would be assigned a client to check in on – whether this is via text, phone call, or handwritten note. Much like people in nursing homes that never get a visitor, many of our clients do not have a strong support system and would appreciate someone reaching out to them. If you would be interested in making a difference in your local neighbors’ lives, please contact Jen Bomar at either 269-231-0648 or via email at [email protected]. Thank you all for all you do to help our Southwestern Michigan neighbors.
With Sincere Thanks and Gratitude,
Keri Haskins
Executive Director
Sunday, July 16, 2023
Welcome to Rotary Club of Harbor Country's newest member Lyn Romero. Lyn was sponsored by Coleen Newquist and Darlene Heemstra. Lyn has agreed to be secretary of our club for the coming year. Many thanks Lyn. Lyn is a recent transplant to our area after having spent most of her life in Colorado and Arizona.
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Sunday, July 16, 2023
At Friday's meeting we learned about the Roti Roti Art Center in Buchanan from Kim Pruitt the Executive Director. The Roti Roti Art Center of Buchanan is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing the arts. The Center offers a variety of classes for all ages and in many different mediums. It is home to a full pottery studio, the Fehlner Family Gallery, an art-centered library housed in the Hess Gallery, and a versatile classroom space.
Kim gave us a very interesting presentation about creativity culture and had the club do an exercise that was fun and a great way to get to know each other better. Best of luck to Kim and thanks!
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Saturday, July 8, 2023
At Friday's meeting, we welcomed our District Governor, Sharalyn Davis, and Jim Maier, Assistant District Governor, who brought us news on Rotary International President Gordon McInally's theme: Create Hope in the World, a theme so appropriate to what we do here in Harbor Country.
She spoke of the many programs that Rotary Club are doing, from district level to international. One such program is Rotarians donated $50,000 to get a dam built in Northern India in a area that has huge issues with floods and draught. The creation of this dam helped to mitigate these issues and vastly improve the lives of the people in the area. Our donations to the Rotary Foundation go a long way (effect and distance) to making life better, for the receiver and the donors too. Sharalyn talked about altruism, love in action, Rotary in action.
Sharalyn also presented Rotary's Action Plan: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change—across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
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Wednesday, July 5, 2023
Hello Harbor Country Rotary Club
Thank you so much for the very nice event to start the new year at Cafe Gulistan. Thank you Leslie for passing me the gavel.
Our meeting Friday was fun for me. I will do my best to remember to cover Happy Bucks, etc.! At least breakfast was on the agenda!
We had a successful meeting to get people on committees. Thanks to Tom Rosenbluth and Colleen Newquist. I updated Colleen's matrix to our Club page in DacDb so hopefully you will see your name on the correct committee! Our committees and projects do such good work in our area and it's great to see so many people attending our meetings.
Sharalyn Davis, our District Governor, will be our guest speaker Friday 7/7. She is such a pleasure to work with and we will look forward to learning about her Mental Health Taskforce project.
We have a one-hour Board meeting planned for Friday, I will send out an agenda to the board.
Thanks,
Mark Montgomery
Sunday, July 2, 2023
At today's meeting, Bob Schuttler received his PolioPlus certificate. Bob has committed to making annual donations to support Rotary's efforts until polio is eradicated.
https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio
Thursday, June 29, 2023
Tuesday June 27th we celebrated the installation of our new Rotary Club of Harbor Country president, Mark Montgomery and the new board of directors. We had a great dinner at Cafe Gulistan in Harbert (thank you Ibrahim). We thanked Leslie Wood for her year of service and appreciate all the accomplishments that she has fostered for the club this year. We look forward to Mark's year. Fortunately, he has a dynamic membership to manifest his plans. Photo 1 is the passing of the gavel from past club presidents to Mark. Photo 2 is Mark swearing in the new board.
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Hello Caring Rotarians!
Rotary District 6360 is forming a Mental Health task force at the urging of our incoming 2023-24 Rotary International President Gordon McInally from Scotland. He is placing special emphasis on Mental Health this year and encourages Clubs and Rotarians to be part of the solution by assessing and addressing Mental Health challenges in our own communities.
Rotarians interested in being part of our District effort are invited to connect with Ingrid Nova, District Administrator, @ [email protected], or Sharalyn Davis, District Governor '23-24, @ [email protected]. You will be included in an upcoming Zoom meeting to begin the exploration!
Also, please encourage Rotarians in your clubs who may have interest and/or skills to join us!
Rotarians are uniquely positioned with our core values of service, leadership development, and social connections/relationships driving everything we do!
Thank you for all you do to promote hope and peace in the world through Rotary!!
Sharalyn Davis 
District Governor '2023-24
Union City Rotary
616-719-7286
Friday, June 23, 2023
At today's meeting, Steve Diller made a presentation for the Environment Committee about a proposed AEP New Buffalo-Bridgman Transmission Line Project
Steve reported that AEP has proposed adding 85'metal towers from Bridgman down Red Arrow Hwy to Lakeside, east on East Rd to Three Oaks Rd and then south all the way through Three Oaks to Route 12 and then back west along Rt 12 to New Buffalo, going south into New Buffalo. Steve made the club aware that this proposal includes a 66' right of way which would allow AEP to trim/remove vegetation and trees all along this path. This is significant.
Link here
AEP will be holding a “Public Open House” on Wednesday, June 28th from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm at Weko Beach House in Bridgman (5301 Lake St, Bridgman, MI 49106). This open house will feature stations where community members can ask specific questions to project team members about different aspects of the project.
AEP has also updated their website with new maps of the route and additional information, which you can view here.
The Chikaming Township Board discussed the project in a meeting yesterday evening (6/8/23). The township has organized a citizens committee to engage AEP on the issues. For more information on joining this committee, please visit this link. link here
Friday, June 23, 2023
Our meeting on June 23rd was attended by 36 people. Our group just feels like it grows every week! Breakfast was made by Dan and Laura. Guests included Rick Murphy from Feeding America, Madeline Romero, daughter of Lyn, Francis Bryan and the ever-charming Valentino! (Deborah and Alan's dog).
We announced that several grants have been awarded to our Club. They include:
$3000 Nepal Stem Project
$ 750 Personal Supplies for River Valley Schools
$2500 Urban Forest (Sandelin grant from the Rotary Foundation)
These grants will be matched by our Club.
We had special guests, Rick Murphy from Feeding America and Dan Petersen from the Pokagon Foundation. Georgia Gromley, who coordinates Feeding America with our club introduced Rick Murphy who described the mechanics of the program and the challenges of providing food in the face of fewer corporate food donations. Our club has been purchasing protein in order provide more nutrition to the program's clients. Feeding America provided 14 million pounds of food to Southwest Michigan in 2021 and they are experienced a 20% reduction in 2022 due to declining availability, while there has been a 20% increase in clients. We expressed our gratitude to Dan Petersen, executive director of the Pokagon Foundation for their generous assistance to provide nutrition to those in our area facing food insecurity.
We had a special treat this morning. Kay played a video from Ukraine that Ellie Mullins sent us. We donated $1000 to Ukraine to support residents and their animals with food and supplies. Seeing the faces of those people as they gathered to receive the food was so moving! It was so amazing to see the impact that our little Club is having on people's lives as far away as Ukraine. We are truly an International organization!
Thursday, June 22, 2023
Bonnie Pollack reported on a thank you from Liz Allen on the Club's donation to the WASH project in memory of Terry Allen from the Lakeshore Club. The WASH project is a long-standing Rotary Project. WASH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene and is an on-going program around the world. Terry's Lakeshore Club focused on water in Guatamala and educated our Club to get involved. Several years ago, Darlene made a trip to Guatamala to help with the project. Terry was also instrumental in getting our club started as an offshoot of the Lakeshore Club. We were able to learn who were the Charter members of HCRC who started our Club just 11 short years ago. Look how far we've come!!!!
Thursday, June 22, 2023
This week we had a presentations about projects the different committees in the club are doing. Our committees became less defined during Covid, and we want to make sure all members are on a committee. Today the committees that presented were the Environment, Literacy, and Diversity, Equality and Inclusion.
Steve Diller, the Club’s president elect, spoke about the Environment Committee projects. The Village Forest program has planted 70 trees in Three Oaks this year and Operation Pollination. Larry Shawver spoke about the Hoadley Nature Trail and asked for volunteers to assist in maintenance on Tuesdays 2-4 and Saturdays 7-9. Contact Larry for more info.
Tom Rosenbluth spoke about the Literacy Committee’s programs for New Buffalo and River Valley schools. Rotary volunteers had tutored students in both districts in reading and math. Rotary has given 1000 books from the Bookmobile and book vending machines to students. This is a great collaboration with the schools and enhances appreciation of what Rotary does. Tom also spoke on the Diversity, Equality and Inclusion programs that we are working on.
Thursday, June 22, 2023
The food delivery organized by Deborah Hall-Kayler and Susan Stoneburner last week was a huge success. Hardings packed the baskets. Food was delivered to 29 families from the River Valley and New Buffalo School Districts. Thanks to many members who took part in making deliveries. Darlene won the prize by delivering to 6 families. With the school year over, these families will benefit from more food and supplies to start off the summer. We have a whole new way of organizing food deliveries and it means supporting a local business, involving lots of club members in delivering and continuing to make sure our families in the community get needed food. Thank you to Deborah, Susan and Darlene who took on the organization to make it happen.
A program by Allwyn Tellis
Monday, June 19, 2023
Club members have an exciting opportunity from Kay Hartmann in the International Committee. Kay and Dan have generously offered their house for a program by Allwyn Tellis. Allwyn is a friend of Kay's and we are excited to present this program. Limited to 20 people, so please RSVP as soon as possible.
Date: Friday June 30
Time: 7:30 pm eastern
Place: 3627 Powhatan Trail Michiana Shores IN 46360
[Kay Hartmann + Dan Coffey’s home]
My friend Allwyn Tellis is visiting us from June 28-July 3. Allwyn grew up in Goa, India, and has been a professor at universities in Qatar for many years. Because our international committee has plans for a project in India, we thought it would be a good idea to ask him to talk about his experiences growing up in India, as well as what he thinks about the current state of political and economic affairs there. India is a huge country with many different factions and cultures within it, and Allwyn is very knowledgeable about world history and culture.
Please join us if you are interested. We have space for about 20 people.
Thank you,
Kay Hartmann
[email protected]
Monday, June 19, 2023
Club members have an exciting opportunity from Kay Hartmann in the International Committee. Kay and Dan have generously offered their house for a program by Allwyn Tellis. Allwyn is a friend of Kay's and we are excited to present this program. Limited to 20 people, so please RSVP as soon as possible.
Date: Friday June 30
Time: 7:30 pm eastern
Place: 3627 Powhatan Trail Michiana Shores IN 46360
[Kay Hartmann + Dan Coffey’s home]
My friend Allwyn Tellis is visiting us from June 28-July 3. Allwyn grew up in Goa, India, and has been a professor at universities in Qatar for many years. Because our international committee has plans for a project in India, we thought it would be a good idea to ask him to talk about his experiences growing up in India, as well as what he thinks about the current state of political and economic affairs there. India is a huge country with many different factions and cultures within it, and Allwyn is very knowledgeable about world history and culture.
Please join us if you are interested. We have space for about 20 people.
Thank you,
Kay Hartmann
[email protected]
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Debbie Schmidt the director of "Bridge the Gap", the Water's Edge Church food pantry, gave an interesting presentation of their outdoor food pantry, offering 24/7 foodstuffs and helpful items. Food insecurity is present in our community and having this facility is a valuable opportunity for many. Debbie mentioned items that are beneficial to their patrons and where food items can be donated (hint: at any one of our Rotary meetings).
Thursday, June 15, 2023
Our speaker for the meeting on June 9th was Keri Haskins, executive director of Neighbor by Neighbor. Many of our members are involved with NbN and it was exciting to hear how far they have come since their inception in 2018. Keri is an amazing addition to the staff. She invited our members to attend their Founders Brunch on June 17. For more information, go to their website, neighborbyneighbor.org.
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Thursday, June 15, 2023
Darlene Heemstra reported on the close of Birthday Books for the year at New Buffalo. Over 60 students who have summer birthdays came for a treat and then got their birthday gift from the Rotary sponsored book vending machines.
Friday, June 2, 2023
Brian Allen reported this morning that the manager of Hardings in Three Oaks, Lisa Gulick, had a house fire this week and everything was destroyed. They lost everything, including their pets. There is a Go Fund Me set up. If you want to donate, here is the link to make a donation. If the link does not open, you can go to Go Fund Me and type in Lisa Gulick. Of course, this is optional but we wanted people in the club to know.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-
Hardings in Three Oaks has been very very generous in their support of Rotary Club of Harbor Country's food programs. We could not have achieved much of what we have done without them.
Thursday, June 1, 2023
Darlene Heemstra presented the Clarence Heemstra Memorial Scholarships from the Rotary Club of Harbor Country, $500 each, to Elizabeth (Ellie) Lumley and Macey Springer at River Valley Awards Night.
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Thursday, June 1, 2023
Abby Schilling gave us a great presentation about her family's farm, the Mick Klug farm. As other farms in the area are failing, the Mick Klug Farm is an example of multigenerations working together to bring new and innovative initiatives to their work. The key is creating markets for their foods through CSA's, direct sales to restaurants, farmer's markets and now they have a farm stand store in downtown New Buffalo. https://mickklugfarm.com/
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Thursday, June 1, 2023
Rotary members have volunteered as tutors at River Valley schools.
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Thursday, June 1, 2023
Last October, volunteers from Harbor Country Rotary joined COL staff in planting a pollinator garden just off the parking lot at Chris Thompson Memorial Preserve. Now, seven months later, we're seeing some action! We're happy to report that plants are beginning to pop up all over the plot. We would like to extend a huge thank you to Harbor Country Rotary for funding this project. We are so excited to continue watching it progress, and we're willing to bet the pollinators are too.
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Friday, May 26, 2023
At today's meeting, Frank Schmidt received his PolioPlus certificate. Frank has committed to making annual donations to support Rotary's efforts until polio is eradicated.
https://www.rotary.org/en/our-causes/ending-polio
Friday, May 26, 2023
Finishing the tenth year of Blessings in a Backpack. The Rotary Club of Harbor Country strongly supports the idea that students in our area have enough food.
"Blessings in a Backpack started with just two schools in 2005 and now serves 88,900 students in over 1,000 program locations spread throughout the United States."
Tuesday, May 23, 2023
We enjoyed a great presentation from Janet Bloch from the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City. Many of our members were not familiar with this delightful museum so close to us. Janet informed us that the museum is committed to supporting minority artists. They are also trying to make the museum more welcoming to new attendees. Some events to support the museum are their yearly gala and memberships. They also have classes for children and adults, with scholarships available. On August 19-20. they will host the 41st Annual Lubeznik Arts Festival. If you want to find out more information about Lubeznik, check out their website at www.lubeznikcenter.org.
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Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Dear Rotary,
As the year is in the final stretch, one can't help but look back at all the AMAZING experiences you have provided for our students this year!Thank you so much for the support and love you have for our students.
- Science Olympiad! Every single 5th grader was able to attend
- An entire set of Bat Boy books for One Book Two Schools
- The music assembly with Guy - who the kids absolutely LOVED
- Reading with students
- Tutoring students
- Attending events outside of the school day
- All the things that you do behind the scenes!
Sherrie Bender
5th Grade
Three Oaks Campus
River Valley Elementary
This acknowledgment from Ms. Bender reflects the work of many of the people in our Club.
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Shewanda Pettigrew, a dynamic speaker from the Cora Lamping Center, a domestic violence shelter and crisis consulting center spoke to the Rotary this week. They are part of The Avenue Family Network.
https://www.theavenue.ngo/
Shewanda describes herself as a "passionate advocate for survivors of domestic and sexual violence and their families." We learned about the kinds of social services that are available from this organization that provides significant benefits to families in Berrien County.
24 Hour Crisis Hotline
Domestic Violence 269-925-9500,
Sexual Assualt 855-779-6495
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023
By
Rita Watson getting her Rotary Hero award at our District Conference meeting. Do you want to know why Rita is a hero? At our table at dinner, she talked to someone on dialysis and arranged to send a blanket to him! Our Club is proud to have her as a member!
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Rita, Linda and Leslie delivering blankets to Ronald McDonald House in South Bend. Club members and community members have been busy!
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Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Our club funded the 'World of Music' author Guy Louis Sferlazza, from Detroit, to come to River Valley elementary schools to present a reading of the book along with the music associated with it.
We're invited (you should have clearance to be with students) to the presentations:
Three Oaks Elementary assembly will be at 8:45 - 9:45am.
Chikaming Elementary assembly will be at 12:30 - 1:30pm.
https://guylouis.com/
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Saturday, May 6, 2023
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We are glad to welcome our newest member, Stephanie Derderian, to our club. A realtor in Chicago, Stephanie moved to Harbor Country just over a year ago. She is enjoying the new friends she is meeting here and is happy to join us in continued service to this community.
Saturday, May 6, 2023
By
We were pleased to host an event supporting Edwin Velarde who is bicycling from Rotary headquarters in Evanston, Illinois to Battle Creek for our District Conference. He established the EPIC JOURNEY AGAINST DIABETES cross country event to raise awareness about this disease. Edwin was diagnosed with diabetes when he was 29 years old and has learned to manage the disease with healthy food and exercise. Edwin spoke of his journey and helped us understand the nature of the disease. He inspired us all to take a closer look at our diet and exercise choices.
Rotary's statement on racism
Friday, July 10, 2020
Friday, July 10, 2020
Our name reflects the service area we have been supporting since our formative year (2011) and since being chartered in March 2012.
We provide "service above self" to the area from Browntown Road on the north to Indiana state line on the south and Dayton Lake Road on the east to Lake Michigan on the west - that's Harbor Country and then some!