by Ingrid Nova | Nov 28, 2017 | Uncategorized
The East Lansing Rotary Club proudly donated $900 to the Haven House Shelter for their 2017 Thanksgiving program. Photo, from left to right: EL Rotarian Bill Webb, Tom Antaya (Tom’s Food Centers) and EL Rotarian Joe Osypczuk present the annual Thanksgiving Dinner project check to EL Rotarian Nathan Triplett, who was representing the Haven House Shelter at the Rotary Club of East Lansing luncheon on November 27th.Thank you to all who donated! 
by Ingrid Nova | Sep 19, 2017 | Uncategorized
East Lansing Rotary Club President Ody Norkin at the recent Peace Quest 2017 event at MSU. 
by Ingrid Nova | Aug 2, 2017 | Uncategorized
East Lansing Rotarian Gian Luca Gamberini receives his Paul Harris Fellow from Club President Ody Norkin. Congratulations, Luca!
From Rotary.org:
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.
The first Paul Harris Fellows include 1937-38 RI Director Allison G. Brush and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions made in 1957.
Early Paul Harris Fellows received a certificate of recognition. In 1969, the Foundation unveiled the first Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the RI Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Japanese metal artist Fiju Tsuda created the piece under the direction of then-past Foundation Trustee Kyozo Yuasa. Today, Paul Harris Fellows receive a certificate and pin. They are also eligible to purchase a Paul Harris Fellow medallion.
Rotarians have a tradition of supporting the Foundation by honoring others. Ida LeTulle Taylor became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1978 when her husband, then-District Governor Vann Taylor, made a donation in her name in honor of their 34th wedding anniversary. The gift also made her the 25,000th Paul Harris Fellow.
At the International Assembly in 1979, then-RI President-elect James Bomar challenged each Rotary club to make one non-Rotarian a Paul Harris Fellow. The Rotary Club of Pikesville, Maryland, USA, responded by making a donation in the name of Mother Teresa in 1980. The entertainer Pearl Bailey also became a Paul Harris Fellow through a joint effort of the Rotary clubs in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Many other notable figures have been named as Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Jonas Salk.
The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the one million mark in 2006.
by Ingrid Nova | Aug 2, 2017 | Uncategorized
The East Lansing Rotary club recently heard from Rachel Lubahn, Executive Director of First Tee of Mid-Michigan, as she spoke at the Rotary club meeting on July 31. President elect Cathy Zell was there to welcome her as she gave a wonderful presentation!
First Tee is an international youth development organization introducing the game of golf and its inherent values to young people. Through after school and in school programs, we help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf. And it’s making a difference!
The First Tee of Mid-Michigan is the culmination of a community effort to create a first class learning environment for Mid-Michigan youths. Through this organization, young people have the opportunity to learn important life skills, interact with positive mentors, and be exposed to the great game of golf.
Thanks to the charitable efforts of Kris Nicholoff, Greg Eaton, Tom Jamieson and Chuck Clark (among others), working through The First Tee of Michigan, the Sycamore Golf Learning Center was built. This building serves as the nerve center of our operation during the golf season, and is located at 1526 East Mt. Hope, Lansing, Michigan. The Learning Center has a large area for instruction of our participants, a meeting room and a small office.
After the Learning Center was finished, all it needed was kids! Jeff Green and J.V. Anderton energized the drive for the Mid-Michigan region to have its own Chapter as a part of The First Tee, with the first participants taking their initial swings in the 2008 season.
Children ages 7-17 can join The First Tee of Mid-Michigan for a $50 fee (scholarships are available). The activity fee allows members to utilize the golf courses, Learning Center, and enters them into The First Tee Like Skills Program.
The Learning Center is affiliated with the City of Lansing’s Sycamore Driving Range. The Driving Range also has a putting green, a short-game chipping area and two practice holes.
We would love to hear from you! For more details about our facility and programs, please contact Rachel Lubahn at (517) 977-1722 or by email at rlubahn@thefirstteemidmichigan.org.
www.thefirstteemidmichigan.org https://www.facebook.com/FirstTeeMidMich/
All are welcome to attend the East Lansing Rotary Club Meeting. Meals are $18 for visiting Rotarians and Guests.
by Ingrid Nova | Jul 17, 2017 | Uncategorized
District Governor Teresa Brandell shares a Rotary theme banner with East Lansing Rotary Club President Ody Norkin during her visit to the Club on Monday, July 17. The new Rotary theme for 2017-2018 is “Making a Difference!”
Rotary International President Ian H.S. Riseley feels that protecting the environment and curbing climate change are essential to Rotary’s goal of sustainable service. Riseley, a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia, unveiled the 2017-18 presidential theme, Rotary: Making a Difference, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s International Assembly in San Diego, California, USA.
Environmental degradation and global climate change are serious threats to everyone, Riseley said. “They are having a disproportionate impact on those who are most vulnerable, those to whom Rotary has the greatest responsibility. Yet environmental issues rarely register on the Rotary agenda,” he said.
“The time is long past when environmental sustainability can be dismissed as not Rotary’s concern. It is, and must be, everyone’s concern,” he said. Riseley has challenged every Rotary club to make a difference by planting a tree for each of its members between the start of the Rotary year on 1 July and Earth Day on 22 April 2018. Trees remove carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the air, which slows global warming.
“It is my hope that the result of that effort will be far greater than the environmental benefit that those 1.2 million new trees will bring,” Riseley said. “I believe the greater result will be a Rotary that recognizes our responsibility not only to the people on our planet, but to the planet itself.”
Securing Rotary’s future. In his address to the 2017-18 class of District Governors, Riseley also urged clubs to improve their gender balance and lower the average age of their members. Noting that 103 of the 539 incoming governors are women, Riseley said they are the type of women we need in Rotary, “leaders who will help Rotary connect with, and represent, and better serve, all of the members of all our communities.”
Riseley also believes it is imperative that clubs find ways to attract and engage younger members. Today only 5 percent of reported members are under 40, and a majority of members are over 60, Riseley told the audience. “Consider what Rotary stands to look like 10 or 20 years from now if we don’t get very serious, very soon, about bringing in younger members,” Riseley said. Clubs will make a difference this year through their own decisions, said Riseley, but it will take teamwork on a global scale to move Rotary forward and secure its future. “We know that we can do more together than we could ever hope to do alone,” he told incoming governors. “I ask you to keep that spirit of teamwork and cooperation always in your minds and to take it back with you to your districts.”
by Ingrid Nova | Jul 11, 2017 | Uncategorized
East Lansing Rotarian William “Bill” Webb (photo, on right) receives his Paul Harris Fellow +1 from Club President Ody Norkin at the July 10 meeting. Congrats Bill!
From Rotary.org:
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.
The first Paul Harris Fellows include 1937-38 RI Director Allison G. Brush and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions made in 1957.
Early Paul Harris Fellows received a certificate of recognition. In 1969, the Foundation unveiled the first Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the RI Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Japanese metal artist Fiju Tsuda created the piece under the direction of then-past Foundation Trustee Kyozo Yuasa. Today, Paul Harris Fellows receive a certificate and pin. They are also eligible to purchase a Paul Harris Fellow medallion.
Rotarians have a tradition of supporting the Foundation by honoring others. Ida LeTulle Taylor became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1978 when her husband, then-District Governor Vann Taylor, made a donation in her name in honor of their 34th wedding anniversary. The gift also made her the 25,000th Paul Harris Fellow.
At the International Assembly in 1979, then-RI President-elect James Bomar challenged each Rotary club to make one non-Rotarian a Paul Harris Fellow. The Rotary Club of Pikesville, Maryland, USA, responded by making a donation in the name of Mother Teresa in 1980. The entertainer Pearl Bailey also became a Paul Harris Fellow through a joint effort of the Rotary clubs in Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Many other notable figures have been named as Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Jonas Salk.
The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the one million mark in 2006.
