One amendment to the previous January 23, Rotary bulletin: For clarification, Jeff Furest announced in the meeting that he was able to negotiate and save $3,000 to $4,000 with the florist for the Party of the Century. That will not be the total cost as noted in the prior bulletin.

 

 

President Karan selected Robert Lee to give the Pledge. Mary Ann Hosey led fellow Rotarians in "The Four-Way Test."

 

Tom Davies did the invocation and blessed Robert Lee, on his birthday. Our lunch menu included an offering of almondine chicken and sauce, broasted potatoes, green beans, a warm and cheesy soup, green salad and rolls. Dessert included Neapolitan ice cream.

 

 

 

 

 

President Karan first announced two available tickets for the Sleeping Beauty Ballet. After some awkward quiet pause, Sarah Lee said she was available to attend the ballet.

 

Jeff Furest and Steve Krankota did a presentation on the Party of the Century weblink and very user-friendly means of getting signed up paying for the event. Steve went through the procedures on how to invite friends to the Party of the Century via Facebook.

 

Users need to get to the Rotary Club of Mount Clemens Facebook page. Once on the page, click "Events.” The link will show "June 5 - Party of the Century - 100th Year Celebration.” Next to the "Share" tab there will be a list of options. Click on "Invite Friends.” Any friends on Facebook can then be sent an event invitation. Getting to the ticket purchase options and event details is very easy. Either visit the https://mcrgala.com/ website or click on "get tickets" on the Facebook event page. The live auction link is: https://mcrgala.com/auction Jeff complimented the firm who prepared the bulletin and web-based material.

 

All members agreed the brochures and website material is very professional and classy. Jeff also reminded Rotarians that Decade Sponsors now get two event tickets as part of the $1,800 price. All options can be purchased online.

 

All Rotarians need to get the word out! Eric Pierson was jokingly told that it will be an easy process to invite friends, since he only had one (we all know he has many more than that).

 

GUESTS & VISITORS

 

Guests & visitors included:
Karen Ebben – Speaker, Girls Scouts of America
Angelica Dudek – Speaker, Girls Scouts of America
Mike Krzesicki – Guest of Scott Chabot

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Patty Kaufman announced Rotarians with birthdays for the week.

Member birthdays included: Steve Krankota and Robert Lee (announced last week by Sarah Lee as well).

 

No other anniversaries or anniversaries for the week.

FLOWERS

 

Patty Kaufman gave out flowers. Patty bought two for the Girl Scouts of America guest speakers; Gary Felts to Bill Patterson and Tom Davies for help in setting up; Valerie Miller to Stephanie Mirabile for doing a great job as secretary; Ken Steele to Jeff Furest for doing a great job on getting the Party of the Century coordinated.

 

 

 

 

Ken Steele stayed in control of the music selection this week. At first he wanted to start with #44 – Rotary, My Rotary. Gary started with a different tune and Ken had second thoughts of starting with this song. After some hubbub, everyone reset and Ken started with #57 – This Is My County, accompanied by Bill Patterson's spoons. Then …  all Rotarians got to participate in on verse of #44 – Rotary, My Rotary.

 

 

Mary Ann Hosey announced that on January 6 her granddaughter, Violet, was born.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeff Furest updated the Rotarians of the April social event at the Jack Daniels Experience in Tennessee. The event is being covered by donors. A total of $750 per person will cover travel and other expenses for the trip. A total of five participants are signed up to date.

 

 

Sam D'Angelo, who apologized for his absence, delegated the recognition duties to Steve Krankota. The theme of the recognition this week was YMCA trivia. Steve went to each table can gave multiple choice quiz on YMCA history.

 

Table 1 – What year and place was the YMCA founded? They answered correctly – London in 1844. No fine.

Table 2 – What two sports were invented at YMCA? They answered correctly – Basketball and Volleyball. No fine.

Table 3 – How many countries have the YMCA organization? Jeff Furest provided the best rationale and the table was correct. – 119 countries. No fine.

Table 4 – What company was started with one of its members was living at the YMCA? They answered correctly – Hallmark. No fine.

Last Question – Which famous person was not involved in the YMCA? Bill Patterson was correct – Tim Allen was not a YMCA member. No fine.

 

Ken Steele was fined $5 by Steve Krankota for the mishap for the music.

 

 

 

 

Karen Ebben & Angelica Dudek, "Importance of Girl Leadership"

 

In March 1912, Juliette Gordon Low brought the first group of 18 girls together in Savannah, Georgia, where she wanted them to explore new possibilities and the wonders of the world around them. Most importantly, she wanted them to do it together. Girl Scouts of America has grown to include nearly two million girl members and more than 50 million Girl Scout alums — united across the decades by a spirit of lifelong friendship and shared adventure and the desire to do big things to make the world a better place.

 

Our guest speakers were leaders of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan (GSSEM). The speakers started out noting that Girl Scouts of every age can learn about science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to help them see how they can actually improve the world. A total of 36 STEM badges are available for Girl Scouts.

 

They explained what makes the GSSEM unique is that their staff leads the troops in lieu of the parents. The Girl Engagement Initiative (GEI) was started as a way to meet the demand for Girl Scouting in schools where recruiting volunteers to serve as troop leaders proved challenging. The in-school and after-school Girl Scout troops are run by GSSEM staff members who work closely with school leaders to develop a Girl Scouting experience that meets the needs of the school and girl participants.

One interesting statistic shared with Rotarians was that 90% of all female astronauts, 55% of the House of Representatives and 75% of the Senate were girl scouts. The leadership component of the Girl Scouts membership is one of its biggest core principles. Much of the presentation was centered on how the GEI helps girls and young women be future leaders.

 

The speakers went on to note several levels and ranks.

Bronze Level – Fourth or fifth graders, registered Girl Scout Junior and completed a Junior Journey.

 

Silver level - Sixth, seventh, or eighth graders, registered Girl Scout Cadette and completed a Cadette Journey.

 

Girl Scout Gold is the highest rank available. This honor is given to Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors whose Gold Award projects demonstrated extraordinary leadership, had a measurable and sustainable impact, and addressed a local challenge related to a national and/or global issue. This requires a minimum 80 hours of community service with a notable civic activity accomplished.

 

Linda Weng from Novi was selected for the Girl Scout Gold Award from the GSSEM for her work with Novi High School's Girls Who Code club to establish an outreach program at the district's upper elementary school and in its summer care program. She led a team of high school coders who taught younger students how to make their own video games with a block coding program. She surveyed students after the coding program and found that many of them were interested in pursuing computer science.

 

Other local girl scouts have received awards on working on a veteran's shelter and renovating a portion of a shelter for veterans to visit their children. Another scout developed a program at McLaren to assist special needs children be ready for an expected long stay at the hospital.

 

The greatest benefits of Girl Scout leadership were noted as follows:
80% - Developing a strong sense of self
62% - Taking on risks and challenges
57% - Intending to contribute to society in meaningful ways.

 

How to help the local GSSEM:
Volunteer as a mentor or leader
Host a badge workshop
Host a presentation
Arrange a corporate partnership

Donate to GSSEM events
Support by sponsorship of GSSEM activities

 

 

 

Happy Birthday!
1/25    Steve Krankota