That last statement was no typo. Paul was asked to recite “The Four-Way Test” and started with “I pledge allegiance to the flag . . .” The error was quickly caught but set the tone for a disastrous Four-Way Test; fortunately, Tom Davies asked for forgiveness in his prayer that followed, so all was good and it was time to eat.

A great lunch was enjoyed by all and I am stuffed as a result. Chicken Marsala, those great roasted red potatoes, a good garden salad that seemed to be dressed about right and the, well, you guessed it, green beans.

Val let us know that Julie Miller has stepped down from the board and has left a vacancy in the board for one of the at-large position. I do not recall how much time was left in her term, but I think it was a year. Anyone interested in this position should let Val know quick as she would like to fill this position soon. She has asked that interested people contact her by Tuesday, May 11.

Guests were announced by Sarah Lee. The first was Brockton Krankota who was introduced by his host and father, Steve Krankota. Anne Marie Ottoy, our speaker from ARC Services, was a guest of the club.

 

 

 

 

Ryan Murphy handled flower duty.

Don Carnaghi received one for his and Laura’s 40th anniversary.

Tom Davies received one for his and Jan’s 50th anniversary.

Sarah Lee received one for her 21st club anniversary.

And the rest went up for sale. Jeff bought one for Steve Krankota for being such a great father, Mary Bednar bought one for our speaker Ann Marie for changing her original plans of speaking next month to fill a sudden vacancy today. Val then bought one for Mary for reaching out to Mary Ann to make it happen.

 

 

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It is at this point where I would normally mention music and the songs we sang, but due to the pandemic this is still not happening. After hearing us sing “we are glad to see you at Rotary” earlier to our guests I realized maybe the lack of some things due to covid isn’t really a bad thing.

 

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No goodwill or sunshine reports, but there were a couple of announcements:

 

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Recognition was done by Julie Huttenlocher who had the pleasure of following me as I handled last month, I mean who couldn’t look good following that, right?

She immediately got Jeff Furest for the subtle advertising weaved in and out of the aforementioned announcement. After Jeff, she went after his dad, Bill Furest, and sold him a photo of himself in which she remarked, he looked like a movie star.

 
She next asked Ken Steele who the first female president of the Mount Clemens Rotary Club was, Ken did not know and quickly fell on the sword offering $4.99. This rookie mistake was quickly revealed when Julie let him know she had only intended on fining him $1. Thanks Ken. You da man! The question was then thrown to Dr. Ryan Murphy who correctly answered Mary Ann Hosey who happened to be sitting across from him.

 

Stephanie Mirabile was fined for missing the President’s Ball because she would be in Dubai.  She also delivered some good news in that there would be 78 in attendance for the President’s Ball. This is great under all circumstances; nevertheless, all non-ballers were fined $1.

Speaking of presidential inaugurations, Julie recounted some of the pomp and circumstance that surrounds this annual tradition, one of which is the pinning of the new president by the last president. Our Past President Karan is, of course, the pinner to Val, the pinnee. The problem with arrangement is the lack of a pin. It appears that somewhere along this pandemic Karan has lost the sacred pin. Thus, a new one has been ordered and Karan has contributed $4.99 to the cause.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, Paul Woodring was recognized; not for the poor leadership on “The Four-Way Test,” but because his grandson is getting married. And for this, his table contributed $1 each.

 

 

 

 

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Our speaker, introduced by Val Miller, was Anne Marie Ottoy with ARC services. Anne Marie was inspired by the idea of improving the lives of disabled citizens having raised her son Zachary, who has a rare genetic disorder that was not diagnosed or even noticed until he was a few years old.

She presented with detailed plan for an inclusive playground that would be built very near to the library of which Larry Neal’s presentation last week was based.

 

 
An inclusive playground should not be confused with an accessible playground. The latter is specifically designed with ramps and such to accommodate wheelchairs. It was never really explained exactly what the difference between that and a regular playground was, but I surmise from the presentation that there is more emphasis on tactile surfaces and bright colors that boldly display edges and such for safety. There are also some quiet areas where kids can decompress. This will be a beautiful playground and comes with a hefty price tag. They are looking for donations to make this happen.