Smiles and Laughter Cut Through Fog and Rain at the Livonia Rotary AM Meeting
Despite the fog and rain, a large contingent of members attended the January 24, 2024 meeting both by Zoom and in person. Many of them wearing Detroit Lions Football gear as they savor the Teams’ victory over Tamps Bay Buccaneers, on January 21, 2024. This victory places Detroit in striking distance to the Super Bowl game. The current President, Claude Kendrick, wearing a Lions knit cap, and looking quite sporty, thanked Tammy Bonifield on behalf of the club for hosting a Lions game viewing party and taco bar.
Invocation: Larry Stephens asked God to give us wisdom. He asked for peace in the world. Prayers were extended to Rick Poppa and his son Nick who is struggling with MS. Reverend David Stechholz was sent intentions for his speedy recovery from back surgery.
Happy Bucks: Bob Carris reported that due to the efforts of Mayor Brosnan and her assistant Dave Varga, Sears will let us use the parking lot again for the annual carnival. Everyone cheered hearing the happy news.
Erin Dobbs reported that she is happy she will be attending a Rotary Peace Conference at the Richard Nixon Conference Center north of Los Angeles.
Mike Ladwig was happy that his son, Eric Ladwig, also a Rotary member, will be skating at the Livonia All-Star Hockey Game vs the Red Wing Alumni on Sunday, January 28th. Volunteers are needed at the Livonia Ice Rink from 10 to 2:30.
Correspondence: Claude reported that the club received a thank you letter from the “Restore the Horse,” for the donation from the Churchill Interact Club's, Touch a Truck fundraising event. The funds will go to the Wayne County Mounted Unit who participate in the event with their horses. A thank you letter was also received from M.O.S.T. Ministries, for their grant to provide optometric services to a poor region in Mexico.
Tammy encouraged members to sign up for the District Assembly 4/7/2024 at St. Clair College Windsor and District Conference 5/3/2024 in Grand Rapids. Registration is through the DACdb website.
Special Speaker: Karoline Kennville, the Director of Laugh and Learn Therapy for Autistic Kids, gave a presentation of their program to help children with developmental disabilities. She pointed out that the ratio for autistic kids used to be 1 in 36 and now has climbed to 1 in 6. Studies are trying to ascertain why the increase. Their program is private and they currently have two centers, one in Grand Blanc and one in Brighton. Their program offers learning through “Applied Behavioral Analysis.” They stress play as a learning experience and want to offer more outdoor play experiences. They are in need of outdoor play equipment and gently used toys and bikes for their clients. They have applied for a grant.
Nancy Darga
Post Meeting Thank You Note: Thank you for giving me the chance to speak today! Here is a picture of some of our staff with the ball. This is a new addition to our play area. Great for teaching rolling the ball back and forth for social and working on gross motor skills!
Karoline Kennville
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