Club Assembly

High Energy Meeting

President Claude Kenrick opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Twelve members participated in person and five Zoomed in.

Invocation was given by Reverend Dave Stechholz by Zoom from Chicago.

Happy Bucks was handled by Tammy Bonifield.

Erin Dobbins thanked the club for publishing the flyer for the “Take Action for Peace,” a session being held on April 13, 2024, by Zoom. She pointed out that Rotary International felt the current discord across the world warranted a focused effort to foster peace.

Claude Kendrick reported about a special day his fraternity held with the Big Brothers and Sisters Organization in Detroit, whose mission is to ignite the potential in all youth through mentorship. They have supported over 47,000 youth since 1974. More than 175 kids are currently on a waitlist to participate in the programs. Claude’s fraternity held two workshops at a repurposed school in which the organization operates from, with the kids who are on the waitlist. One workshop was titled “What do you want to do”. They also played flag football with the youth. From Claude’s description of the activities, you could tell he was greatly touched by being with the kids.

President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) by Reverend Dave Stechholz. A slide show presented on the PETS training indicated there were over 450 in attendance, including Jennifer Jones, from Rotary International (RI), and representatives from 7 Rotary Districts. The Livonia AM Rotary Team sold 57 soccer balls and received a shout-out for their efforts. The Rotary International theme for 2024-2025 is “The Magic of Rotary.” They have outlined seven areas of focus: Promoting Peace, Fighting Disease, Saving Mothers and Children, Supporting Education, Growing Local Economies, Protecting the Environment, and Polio Eradication. The theme for District 6400 is “Be the One,” this coming year. It was pointed out that LAMR will mimic District 6400 and RI goals about the seven areas of focus, but also include Rotary Public Image, Youth Exchange, and the Peace Initiative.

The training ended with Jennifer Jones giving what Reverend Dave described as a knockout, home run pep-talk. The smiling pictures of Reverend Dave and other PET participants showed a high-energy experience that greatly inspired our next President on what we can achieve as a club.

It was pointed out that we need to identify the next President after Reverend Dave.

Committee Report and Votes

Fund Raising Committee reported that they are looking for a program to replace the carnival when that event is no longer available. We have benefitted greatly from it but the last few years have indicated how vulnerable it is to being discontinued. The Committee proposed a Bowling Event coupled with a silent auction. It was suggested to enlist a celebrity and the Professional Bowling Association.

The Membership Committee pointed out that we need to attract young people to the club. Victoria Haltom suggested we invite young entrepreneurs to speak at the club meetings to attract young people’s awareness. Her suggestion received support.

Mike Ladwig reported that he has 3 months of speakers lined up. The members clapped and cheered Mike for doing an amazing job enlisting speakers. In his not-so-humble manner, Mike stood up and took a regal bow in which the group clapped even louder.

Progress on the Touch A Truck Event was given by Bob Carris and Bill Friske. The TAT organizing committee held its first meeting this past Monday. There were 11 Interact students in attendance and they presented a very detailed and impressive spreadsheet. Currently, there are 40 students enrolled in the Churchill Interact Club and they have created teams to work on different facets of the event. The spreadsheet was improved since last year, containing information and comparative data from past Touch A Truck events. Bill said it was the most sophisticated spreadsheet he

had ever seen. The kids doubled down on sponsorships and inserted useful past data.

The Giving Committee met on March 18, 2024, to review and make

recommendations for grant awards. The Committee proposed the following grant awards, Kids Coalition for Hunger, $1,000, LEAP Global Missions was paused. Friends of Livonia Arts, $ 500, Divine Mercy Academy $500. Tammy Bonifield moved to approve the awards; the motion was seconded by Mike Ladwig. The motion was unanimously approved.

The Grant Committee pointed out they need to collaborate more closely with the Giving Committee because of overlap with needing match funds. Currently, the Grant Committee is applying for two grants. They are applying for a $2,000 grant from the Rotary 6400 District Community Grant to purchase car seats for AAA Pregnancy Center. This grant requires a 50/50 match of $2,000. They are also applying for a collaborative grant from the District 6400 Collaborative Grant Program to raise money for the Clarenceville Cooler Project. Our club would need to match $1,000. A motion was made by Tammy Bonfield and seconded by Bill Friske to approve the grant applications. The motion was unanimously approved. Discussion followed about exploring developing an international project with Larry Stevens, a member, and his family Camps in Ecuador.

The Adopt A Road Team formally applied to Wayne County to sponsor a section of Five Mile between Farmington and Merriman. Greg Greene felt this was an important road section in that it is part of the proposed efforts to create a downtown for Livonia. It was also pointed out that the clean-up on the road is in line with the “Environment Focus,” of the seven focus areas of Rotary International.



Happy Birthday to Bill Fried and Greg Greene.

By Nancy Darga