Forever Families

May 24, 2023

Last week we were honored to have two speakers from the same organization, Forever Families. The speakers were Jennifer Mahon and Rhiannon Pniewski. 

Their primary mission is to help homeless children find their forever homes. If a forever home is not found, then they look for a foster family for the youngster.

Forever Families began 25 years ago as an international adoption agency. They subsequently added domestic adoptions to their portfolio. Reuniting the children with their birth parents is always the first goal. But, if that is not possible, they look for adoptive parents. If none are a good fit for the child, they work to place the child in a foster home.

They also have added a mental health service. Forever Families has 35 employees, and most are trained social workers. Currently, they are working with 120 youngsters in foster care.

Their goal is to be driven by what is best for the children. I could feel the passion Jen and Rhiannon have for making the children’s lives joyous, happy, and healthy.

The ladies also mentioned they are always looking for loving foster parents, with the key word being loving.

Mike Ladwig

Meet The Governor Bus Ride

June 27, 2023

The Rotary Club of Plymouth is sponsoring a bus to Meet the Governor on June 27th in Amherstburg. They have chartered a big bus to take many Rotarians to watch their club member Russ Jones be installed as District Governor. Our club members are invited to join them on this international junket!

DEPART/RETURN: Plymouth Cultural Center, 525 Farmer Street, Plymouth

TIME: Bus will depart promptly at 4:00 P.M.

COST: $40/passenger if there are more than 50 riders. $50/passenger if there are fewer than 50 riders Pay by cash before boarding the bus.

SNACKS: Snacks provided. Bring your beverage.

PASSPORT: Remember to bring your passport or you will not be able to board the bus.

RSVP: Penny Joy, 734-306-8432 OR pennyjoy663@gmai l.com

"We always have a bunch of fun on this bus ride! It's so much easier than driving individually."

This is NOT a fundraiser for the Plymouth Club! They are only charging the cost of the bus/driver, gas premium, and tip. 

Phone Access Option (929)436-2866

Meeting ID: 924 328 2286

Password: 4waytest

Every Wednesday, 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM.

All Are Welcome!

Livonia Civic Chorus Presents "Matinee"

May 21, 2023

Club members Victoria Haltom and Dave Stechholz (with son Andrew) performed in the Livonia Civic Chorus presentation of "Matinee" this past weekend. The reviews are in (on social media that is). By all accounts, the concert was a big success!

Living & Learning Enrichment Center Field Trip

May 17, 2023

GO BIG

There is a saying” Go big or go home”. Rachelle Vartanian, founder of Living and Learning Enrichment Center must have changed that saying to Go big and get a big home. And she did. That was where the club went on our first outing in 2023. The new home of the Living and Learning Enrichment Center at the old Don Massy estate on 8 Mile and Griswold in Northville. 

DREAMS

Many of us have dreams. Most of us forget the dreams when we open our eyes in the morning as we plan our busy days. Some dreams we ponder but dismiss them as being too audacious or frivolous to pursue. There is a rare breed of people who take their dreams as a calling or a quest and in their pursuit of those dreams they lose the words impossible, can’t, or won’t, and with an equal measure of inspiration and perspiration they begin to see their dreams form.

Rachelle Vartanian had the dream of creating a place where hundreds of autistic people, young and old, could meet, socialize, learn, and be creative in a fellowship of like-minded people where every day the menu included equal measures of love and kindness.

THE TOUR

We assembled in the main house of the old Don Massey estate. We heard the history of the house about its past owners and Rachelle spoke about all the events, classes, and social activities that are now ongoing with the Living and Learning Enrichment Center. Rachelle then led us on a tour of the house. We saw the lovely and ornate wall treatments, spacious sleeping quarters, and well-appointed rooms.

Next, we went on a tour of the grounds. It was like entering an enchanted playground. There were the alpacas, that were brought in for their gentleness around humans, and their wool which is gathered, shipped out to a business in Frankenmuth that turns the Alpaca wool into highly valued socks which are then sold to the public. The multi-acre grounds also include bunnies, a small miniature golf course, a lavender farm, a honey farm, and a veggie garden. There is a paved walkway opened to the public that circles the entire grounds. I personally want to return and walk the grounds more slowly because I am sure there was much that I missed.

CONCLUSION

As we ended our tour of this extraordinary facility, we received the best, last. As we were preparing to leave, we noticed the buses with autistic folks pulling up and we saw and felt a pure joy and a sense of belonging in their eyes and in their spirit. It was like they were returning home and the Living and Learning Enrichment Center was their home.

Mike Ladwig

Most Ministries Humanitarian Mission Trip to Mexico

April 22 - April 29, 2023

My sincerest thanks to our Livonia A.M. Rotary Club in serving and partnering in a Mexico mission trip. We partnered with MOST Ministries out of Ann Arbor, a “MOST” mission team from Christ our King Lutheran Church in Saline, and YLM (Ysleta Lutheran Mission) in El Paso, Texas. We also partnered with the Zaragoza El Paso Rotary Club (who provided the key contacts, three translators, and volunteers alongside of the mission team), and the Club Rotario

Cuidad Juarez. The Juarez Rotary made up the $3,000 added costs on the project, which totaled $13,000 for the re-roofing and added foam to end the Winter storm water leakages. (The $13,000 did not include the mission team’s transportation and other costs, just the newly-redone roof [above], foam, removal of the old materials, etc.).

Read More

Starfish Family Services

May 12, 2023

Our speaker this past week was Jean Overman. This was Jean's second time speaking to our group. The first time she discussed Starfish Family Services, a support program providing high quality early childhood education and support for families in Inkster and surrounding areas. At our meeting Jean (a fellow Rotarian from Dearborn) gave us insight into Operation Refuge, Mothers Pantry, Camp Inspire STEM programs and LIT.

Camp Inspire and STEM is passionate about creating life changing experiences to girls in 5th -12th grade and increasing STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) awareness especially in forensic science and coding.

Professionals from Apple, Google, and Schoolcraft College present programs to expose the girls to opportunities available to them, igniting possibilities for their future. The girls participate in Kids on Campus, get involved in 6 week career programs, and are made aware of scholarships. Mentors are a main part of Camp Inspire's program. The leaders work with parents and students to accept that education is important and a way out of poverty.

The LIT (leaders in training) program is mainly for boys 14 -24. The boys get exposed to different types of Trades that they might be interested in such as Construction. Jean told us that for many students, they had never held a hammer before entering the program. The idea is to get the students learning a trade while getting paid for their effort. 

Counseling is a major part of Operation Inspire, helping the kids deal with the closing of schools due to COVID and the lack of a community school since the Inkster school dissolved. There are five different school buses taking kids to various surrounding districts.

Mothers pantry is also part of Operation Refuge. The pantry operates like a grocery store, letting the client enter the store to select only the food that they want and need. 

Susan Paluchniak

COG Award Winner!

May 06, 2023

The Council of Governors (COG) Award is presented to that individual who demonstrates outstanding service in one of the avenues of service in Rotary and shows a continued commitment of service to their Rotary Club. Just as the "COG" represents an integral working part of the Rotary Logo Wheel, the individual represents a vital moving part of the Rotary Wheel of Service.

This prestigious award was presented to our club president, Tammy Bonifield at the District Conference in Windsor this past weekend. Congratulations, Tammy!

District Conference

May 05, 2023

This past weekend the Livonia AM Rotary Club had a strong presence at the District Conference at Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino. This was a joint conference between Districts 6340 and 6400. Club members Tammy Bonifield, Bob Carris, Sharon Pommerville, Claude Kendrick, and Bill Friske attended.

We were inspired and amazed at what other clubs are doing to impact Rotary’s 7 areas of focus around the world. On Saturday, we heard from our Rotary International President, Jennifer Jones. She spoke of her experiences with Polio eradication efforts and her interactions with Rotarians from around the world. On Sunday, we heard from Mitch Albom who discussed his long work running the orphanage in Haiti since the category 7 earthquake in 2010. For the last few years, he has traveled to the orphanage every month to help start a school there and get medical care. 



There were many other impactful relevant speakers and projects, too many to mention. Many ideas were shared, notes were taken, and inspirational thoughts were spoken. Networking was happening at every break, event, and meal to engage Rotarians to collaborate and share. 

Our Club was awarded the Richard Hedke Award for Outstanding Club Administration. 

Bob Carris and Sharon Pommerville were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. The Paul Harris recognition is awarded to Rotarians who contribute $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund or PolioPlus.

Tammy Bonifield was awarded the prestigious Council of Governors (COG) Award. Next year the District conference will be in Grand Rapids hosted by the Amway Grand Hotel.

Bob Carris and Claude Kendrick

Club Assembly

May 03, 2023

Last week we held our Club Assembly. We had an informative discussion pertaining to our yearly club dues. We were informed by President Tammy that our per-member fees to Rotary International and the District will be increased this year. We reviewed where our annual dues are spent (Rotary International dues, District 6400 dues, PETS fees, Foundation contributions, Weekly donuts and coffee, and Zoom equipment costs). It was determined that a dues increase is needed. We heard a recommendation from John Clay for a 9% increase that received approval from all members after a lively discussion.

Next, we heard the Giving Committee Report from Larry Stephens. The following grant requests were approved:

• Kids Coalition Against Hunger
• Livonia Symphony Orchestra
• Bottoms Up Diapers Bank
• SPN Survivors

The following requests were paused pending scheduled presentations to our club:

• Autism Alliance of Michigan
• Miracle League of Plymouth



Mike Ladwig

District Grant Committee

May 02, 2023

The Livonia AM District Grant Committee met via Zoom. Here are the recap and action items:

John Clay, Claude Kendrick, Bob Carris, and Erin Dobbins attended the Zoom meeting. Several ideas were discussed including:

• Funding to purchase supplies for the school pantry - Community Grant 
• Funding to purchase equipment needed for the Clarenceville Tech Center - Community Grant

• Working with Ann Arbor Rotary and other clubs to sending aid to the Ukraine - Collaborative Grant
• Starting a transition program for the Methodist Foster Home for Boys - Community Grant
• Starting an Interact Club in the Methodist Home - Community Grant
• Building a water tower in Dr. Stanley's village in Cameroon - Global Grant

Action Items:

• Bob to follow up with Global Grant and needs from the Livonia School pantry
• Claude to follow up with Clarenceville tech center
• John to follow up with Ann Arbor Rotary

The committee also talked about DACdb and a Fireside Chat for newer members.

Erin Dobbins

Earth Day Clean Up

April 22, 2023

Club member Erin Dobbins participated in the District 6380 clean-up for Earth Day at West Bloomfield High School.

Erin joined other Rotarians from that district when they volunteered at an Earth Day project replacing the wood chips and mulch on an interactive nature path behind West Bloomfield High School.

District Assembly

April 29, 2023

Rotary District 6400 Assembly was held at the Plymouth Cultural Center this past Saturday. Representing Livonia AM Rotary were Bob Carris, Bill Friske, Sharon Pommerville, President Tammy, Mike Ladwig, along with new members Victoria Haltom and Erin Dobbins.

With an estimated attendance of 200 Rotarians on hand, the energy in the room was electric. After a tasty breakfast, we heard from District Governor-Elect Russ Jones, followed by current District Governor Traci Sincock.

There was a fireside chat session entitled “From 8 Track to Spotify,” a panel discussion between “honorary” Livonia AM Rotarian, Trey Greene, and Jehnya Footitt, a 20-something Rotarian. The two discussed ways that older Rotarians can communicate with the younger generation, who may be interested in becoming a Rotarian.

The attendees then participated in three 50 minute concurrent sessions, offering 13 different topics to choose from, including; Club Treasurer Training presented by our very own Tammy Bonifield.

Bringing together that many fellow Rotarians into one Assembly, it was an almost spiritual experience.

Mike Ladwig

D.O. it for Denny

April 26, 2023

Most people think that all angels have wings; white, fluffy wings, attached to their backs so they can easily fly up to the clouds. Our speaker disproved this notion for Sami McKay is truly an angel without wings. Sami is the founder of the D.O. it for Denny, a Facebook service group. Denny was her uncle who at an early age was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy. He did not let his disease deter him from following his dream of becoming an attorney. Denny defended those who were poor and dedicated his life to helping those who needed help the most. Muscular Dystrophy took his life at an early age, but his passion for service to others lives on through Sami and her group.

The D.O. it for Denny group has a monthly service project that Sami does with help from her family and a few close friends. They include, but are not limited to:

• Making blessing bags of food and seasonal items for the homeless and food insecure locally.
• Collection and distribution of backpacks and school supplies for those in need at the Kennedy School in Livonia.

• Twice yearly book drives for parentless children.
• Easter projects that match families that need help with families that want to help families in need. 
• Coordinate between helping families that need help with providing a nice Christmas for their families with people who want to help them.

I guess if I had to write a mission statement for D.O. it for Denny it would be, “All altruism, all the time,” brought to you by Livonia’s own First Citizen Award Winner, Sami McKay. She is truly a wingless angel.

We also heard from Erin Snyder, a student at Schoolcraft College and the recipient of Livonia AM Rotary’s Janice Newsome Memorial Scholarship. Erin was presented by Dawn Magretta, club member and Executive Director of Schoolcraft College's Foundation.

Erin is in the nursing program, and the scholarship allows her to cut back on her work schedule and spend more time on her studies.

Mike Ladwig

Non Profit Leadership Summit

April 26, 2023

Club members Dawn Magretta, Nancy Darga, Sharon Pommerville, Mike Ladwig, Claude Kendrick, Bill Friske, and Bob Carris, joined Livonia Lion Matt Collins attending Mayor Brosnan’s Non Profit Leadership Summit. The Mayor thanked us all for our service and told us how important we are to the community.

Several great ideas and resources were shared, such as; a website where you can post your service project to attract volunteers that are looking for a volunteer opportunity. Likewise, a website where groups in need of assistance can post their project hoping to attract help from a service club.  

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition

April 19, 2023

Club members Sharon Pommerville and Bob Carris were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows by Rotary International.

Paul Harris Fellow recognition is awarded to Rotarians who contribute $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund or PolioPlus.

Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions.

Autism Alliance of Michigan

April 19, 2023

Our speaker last week was Rebecca Drzewicki from the non-profit group Autism Alliance of Michigan. Rebecca spoke of the group’s mission; We lead efforts to expand opportunities for people touched by autism across their lifespan. Their vision statement: People with autism will lead lives that meet their greatest potential.

The Autism Alliance offers the autistic person a lifelong guide with professional help and answers for anyone touched by autism. They help those with autism to maximize educational opportunities. They also help in finding gainful employment for their autistic clients.

Rebecca mentioned the GPS program that Autism Alliance coordinates. Since many people with autism wander off when in public, the center provides a GPS system to track the movements of the autistic student. This is just one of many services the alliance provides.

Our second guest, Bill Joyner, visited to accept a BIG check from the Livonia Rotary AM group on behalf of the Livonia Historical Society to place a historical marker at the former site of the old Bentley High School. Our donation put them over the top for the funds needed to order the plaque.

Mike Ladwig

Club Meeting - Double Header

April 12, 2023

There are times even a hard-charging, motivated group like the members of our Livonia AM Rotary Club needs to get their batteries recharged. Our first speaker last week, Charlie Mahoney, had just the spark we needed to bring our motivation level up to full charge.



Charlie won the Livonia Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award for Community Service at the Leadership and Awards Celebration for 2023. If there is a worthwhile community-oriented project in Livonia, Charlie is probably involved.

Charlie spoke of her work with two of the plethora of projects she is involved in; The Livonia Community Foundation, and The Livonia Symphony Orchestra. The Livonia Community Foundation has an endowment of $2 million. The foundation looks for groups that are helping the general welfare within our town and provides financial support. The second group she spoke of was the Livonia Symphony Orchestra. Charlie mentioned the June 9th Bob Bennett Memorial Classic in support of the orchestra. She spoke with such passion about these two events that you could not help but be motivated to support these groups.

Two quotes from Charlie,1) “The first place you look for help is at the end of your wrist.” 2) “You make your life by what you give.” Thank you, Charlie! I feel I left the meeting fully charged.

Club Gift of Support to Clarenceville HS Food Pantry

April 05, 2023

Club members Sharon Pommerville, Mayor Maureen Miller Brosnan, Larry Stephens, Pat Zucal, Mike Ladwig, and Claude Kendrick were on hand to present a check to support the food pantry at Clarenceville High School. President-Elect Claude is shown presenting a BIG check to school Superintendent Paul Shepich, and Veronica Cruz with Livonia Kids and Families.

Club Assembly

April 05, 2023

At our last meeting, we conducted our monthly Club Assembly.

We began with a more secular innovation delivered by Bob Carris. President Tammy Bonifield mentioned that whoever would like to present an invocation at future meetings should relay that information to Mike Ladwig so he can put it on the weekly schedule. Mike will forward that information to Bill Friske so it can be inserted in our newsletter.

Tammy asked for a few volunteers who would be interested in learning how to assist with the setup and operation of the Zoom equipment, coffee service and meeting setup and teardowns. Kate Mackie volunteered to help with the coffee setup.

Mike spoke about the two potential new club members. Both attended the suggested minimum of three club meetings, followed by a one-on-one conversation with the membership chairperson. Both potential new members showed a keen interest in joining our club. Both applicants’ membership was enthusiastically approved by a unanimous vote. Welcome Susan Paluchniak, and

Bottoms Up Diaper Bank

March 29, 2023

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

March 22, 2023

At our last club meeting, we held a Town Hall Meeting facilitated by our club member Erin Dobbins on the subject of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. We were joined in the meeting by District Governor Traci Sincock and DG-Elect Russ Jones.

Erin opened the meeting with a handout asking each club member to describe what the term, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion means to them.

Forgotten Harvest Food Packing Event

March 25, 2023

Starfish Family Services

March 15, 2023

On rare occasions, we meet and hear from people who by their sheer presence can increase the energy in a room to such a level that many people in the room can feel it. Such was the case with our speaker last week.

That energy-altering speaker was Reverend Jean Overman, a fellow Rotarian from Dearborn, and a Board of Directors member of the non-profit group Starfish Family Services.

Jean explained Starfish’s mission is to strengthen families’ equitable opportunities through early childhood education programs.

Honoring Nancy Darga

March 09, 2023

A few of us made it to Northville’s first annual Community Awards Dinner to honor seven individuals who made a difference in their community, one of them being our very own Nancy Darga.

Nancy was recognized by the city’s dignitaries as the Volunteer of the Year at the Marquis Theatre.

4-Way-Test Soccer Ball Booth

March 10, 2023

Club members Bill Friske and Bob Carris hosted a 4-Way-Test Soccer Ball booth at the Great Lakes Rotary PETS training seminar at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Kalamazoo this past weekend. 

PETS is designed to train incoming club presidents, from more than 350 clubs. It has proven to be a terrific venue for us to promote our soccer balls. Historically, presidents-elect will purchase one or more to take back to show their clubs. Since the soccer ball has the 4-Way-Test in 16 languages, it is unique throughout the Rotary world. Our soccer ball makes a great leave behind for traveling Rotarians doing projects overseas. We donated one of our soccer balls to be auctioned off at the conference, to raise funds for Polio Plus. Believe it or not, the winning bid was $1,300. That winning bid combined with the Gates Foundation double match will mean $3,900 for Polio Plus. We also gifted 6 more soccer balls to RI President Jennifer Jones to give out during her last months as RI president!

Bob Carris

President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS)

March 09, 2023

“Create Hope in the World,” will be the theme for our 2023 -24 Rotary year.  The PETS Conference exceeded my expectations with dynamic, inspiring speakers and training that was engaging, thought-provoking and fun.  The networking possibilities were endless as everyone discussed how their club impacted their respective communities. 

I went to the vendor booths and hung out with Bob Carris and Bill Friske during my break time. 

Club Assembly

March 01, 2023

We learned that fellow Rotarian, Dr. Stanley Ngeyi, passed away last week. When a memorial service is announced, we will share that information with the club. Dr. Stanley will be missed.

Giving Committee – Larry Stephens informed us that two Grants were approved for:



• AAA Pregnancy Resource Center, for the purchase of car seats.
• VT Seva, to support visually challenged students in India.

There were two grant requests that were paused pending our request for more information or a future presentation to the club. They are Bottoms Up Diaper Bank Grosse Ile, and MOST ministries.

Interact Club's Gifts to the Community

February 28, 2023

Fire and Ice Culinary Extravaganza

February 23, 2023

Fire and Ice Culinary Extravaganza

February 23, 2023

Northville Chamber of Commerce to Honor Nancy Darga

March 09, 2023

Meet Our Newest Member - Ethan Ames

February 15, 2023

The members of Livonia AM Rotary are happy to welcome Ethan Ames to our Rotary Club family.

Ethan lives in Wyandotte and works in Livonia, as a Chiropractor. Ethan achieved the Eagle Scout designation and would be interested in being an ambassador between our club and the Scouts. Rotary offers unlimited opportunities for collaboration with other organizations, and for personal and professional growth. It is our job to help Ethan fulfill his goals of civic engagement in our community, through Rotary.

The next time you are at the club, be sure to introduce yourself to Ethan.

Club Meeting - Mayor Brosnan

February 15, 2023

We had the honor and privilege to host our Mayor, and fellow Livonia AM Rotarian, Maureen Brosnan, as our guest speaker.

Maureen spoke of her experience campaigning for the position of Mayor. While knocking on residents’ doors, there were four overriding issues that kept being requested from those she spoke to :



1. Keep Livonia safe.
2. Take care of the kids.
3. Fix the roads.
4. Make Livonia a place their kids want to live in when they grow up and start their own families.

There was a shortage of firemen and police officers when the mayor took office. That shortage has been eliminated, which should make us all safer.

You Are Loved - Delivers Gratitude Boxes

February 14, 2023

Club member Susan Landmesser was at it again, delivering happiness throughout the community on Valentine's Day, through her amazing organization, You Are Loved

(Reprinted from Facebook)

Gratitude Boxes were delivered today to The Livonia Fire Dept., Livonia Police Dept., EMS Unit, and the ER Staff at St. Mary's Hospital.

These folks do soooo much in keeping my community of Livonia safe and protected and never think of expecting a Thank You.

I love gifting them a box of homemade cookies and buttons, along with a little note of thanks. It's the least I can do to show a smidgen of appreciation and gratitude this Valentine's Day.



THANK YOU for ALL you do. Your hard work and dedication do not go unnoticed.

Club Meeting - Dual Speakers

February 08, 2023

The long arm of giving for the Livonia AM Rotary club crosses many borders, and quite a few oceans. Last week’s speakers are indicative of that.

Speaker # 1 Marty Mora, with MOST Ministries (Mission Opportunities Short Term). Their organization provides; Eyeglass clinics, medical clinics, vacation bible studies, construction projects, and water filtration.

MOST's focus is on short-term projects in 52 countries. Marty showed slides of a community center in Juarez Mexico, the one that our club member Rev. Dave Stechholz visited on a recent eyeglass mission. The community center’s roof is in desperate need of repair. Our club granted a generous donation to aid with the repair efforts.

Speaker #2 Priya Sankar, with VT Seva, a nonprofit whose mission is to support international nonprofits in over five countries. Their pillars of support are community, health, and education. Priya spoke of her local club supporting schools for the visually impaired, and schools in remote locations. They procure needed but non-funded items for the school of approximately 250 sight-challenged children. They also provide assistance for remote location schools. Our club also furnished funds to help her organization fulfill those lofty goals. Priya is the mother of our friend Harish, a Past President of the Churchill HS Interact club.

While Rotary International's reach spans the globe, the outreach is prevalent in our own community as well.

Mike Ladwig

$5,000 Touch A Truck Gift

January 30, 2023

Club members Bob Carris and Mike Ladwig were on hand to receive a very generous donation of $5,000 from the Hardies Family Trust to help underwrite the operating expenses of the annual Touch A Truck event organized by the Churchill HS Interact Club with the assistance of our club.

Club member Bill Friske (and Rose) joined club member Dawn Magretta at a special Culinary “Pop-up” Lunch at Schoolcraft College. Because of construction, the college created this event to help their Culinary students gain some experience.

The attendees enjoyed a program titled "2023 Economic Outlook" by nationally recognized economist, Dr. Cedric Howie.

Because of the many sponsors picking up much of the costs, the true winner of the game was the local charity, Livonia Kids and Families. The game, with ticket sales and monetary sponsors, raised around $14,000. It was a win-win for all involved. Even the Livonia All-Stars who, although they were outscored by the Redwings 11-7, collected memories they will cherish for the rest of their lives. And the city of Livonia hosted a wonderful event that was enjoyed by all. 

Mike Ladwig

One way people can express human kindness is through food and financial support. S.O.U.L. fills this mission with love and compassion. For additional information about S.O.U.L, call (248)318-6691 or look them up and friend them on Facebook, Source of Universal Love.

Mike Ladwig

PROGRAMS

Seedlings books help children learn spelling and punctuation in braille. For these students, Seedlings places clear labels with braille markings onto the pages of standard children’s books. This way, sighted children can read along with the unsighted child. Seedings also prints chapter-only books (no pictures) for students 12 and up. The following are a few of the programs Katelynn mentioned to aid in getting more books into the hands of young braille book readers:

• Book Angels - for young readers up to 21 years old – they can receive up to 5 free books per year.

• Adapt a Reader Program - For a donation of $100 you can adapt a reader.

60% of seedlings books are free of charge to their readers. For those Seedlings books that are bought, the average price is $10. The average price for other braille books from other providers is $100.

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

All the workers, volunteers, and donors of Seedlings Braille Books are Angels! The gifts they present go way beyond the numbers, it can only be measured in the hearts of the braille book recipients. We have yet to find a way to measure that, but trust me, it is enormous. 

Mike Ladwig

Our second speaker was Haitham Fakhouri, President of “Bold Media”, a Livonia business that aids in digital messaging for local businesses and nonprofits. Haitham spoke of the history of website development and the importance of businesses and nonprofits having an online presence. Bold Media helps its clients with “Branding”, which is advanced advertising with a dash of an explanation of what the client has to offer and why customers should choose their organization for their needs. What the Yellow Pages and ads in the Livonia Observer provided in the 20^th century, Bold Media provides in our current century. 

Mike Ladwig 

Club Assembly

January 04, 2023

This week we held our Club Assembly. The following items were discussed:

Giving Committee - Larry Stephens informed us that two grant requests were approved by the committee; 1) Livonia Public Schools Foundation, and 2) Rosedale Gardens Presbyterian Church for their Christmas blessing bags project. Two additional requests are “pending” awaiting the requesters addressing our group during a meeting; 1) Source of Universal Love (S.O.U.L.), and 2) Wheels on Meals Ypsilanti. Both groups will be addressing us in the near future.

We received a warm thank you note from St. Mary’s Community Outreach.



There was a discussion about our club becoming active in helping early teen girls from poorer nations stay in school and not drop out of school because of embarrassment from starting their menstruation cycle. This led to a discussion of the possibility of wring a grant request to purchase some sewing machines that could be sent to Ecuador so Ecuadorians could make their own sanitary menstruation for the pre-teen young ladies. 

This led to a discussion of forming a grant writing committee with an emphasis on writing international grants. Once the committee is formed, Mike Ladwig will reach out to PDG Rick Caron, an expert on grant writing, to address the committee.

We will be sending up to six club members to help with the Livonia All Stars vs. Detroit Red Wings Alumni Charity Hockey Game on Jan. 29, located at the Eddie Edgar ice arena. The proceeds of which will be donated to a local Livonia charity.

For a Feb. project, we will be procuring additional info about a Tim Tebow night for a local fundraising event.



We discussed possible outside meetings for spring. Some locations are; 1) Living and Learning Enrichment Center, 2) Clarenceville Food Pantry, and 3) Roush Auto Hall of Fame.

Mike Ladwig

Club Meeting

December 14, 2022

Our last speaker for 2022 is the epitome of all that is good about Livonia. I am referring to Reverend Kellie Whitlock, senior minister at Rosedale Gardens Church.

Reverend Kellie spoke about a few of the outreach programs she has spearheaded with the goal of honoring fellow Livonians, including Livonia first responders. They began the blessing bags in 2017 with a modest goal of providing 100 bags for nursing home workers who were on duty on Christmas day. During a meeting with then-Mayor Dennis Wright and Police and Fire Department chiefs, they expanded the count to 500 bags to be delivered to the nursing home workers on duty on Christmas day.

During the second year, they took the program to St. Mary’s hospital and distributed 700 bags to hospital workers. With the generous donation of Primo Pizzas, they also hosted a 2 ½ hour pizza party.

The 2019 project focused on helping 25 Vietnam Vets in need. Also, police and fire distributed $25 cash awards to those in need of some holiday cheer.

With COVID rearing its ugly head in 2020, they altered distribution by making bins for doctors and medical staff to pass out Christmas blessings to 1,100 medical workers.

2021 brought on the “Be the I in Kind” program, with lawn signs and large banners throughout the city, reminding people to be nicer to one another. Along with this event, 3,100 bags were made for LPS employees to be distributed prior to Easter weekend.

2022 the blessing bag project will continue to grow with blessing bags handed out to employees at senior living locations. Through a generous donation of $5,000 the police and fire departments again will have the cash to pass out in the community this year.

Starting with a modest plan of providing some holiday joy to 100 people, moving on to putting the “I” in kind, to this year’s outreach, Reverend Kellie Whitlock and her merry band of Christmas elves, not only put the “I “in kind, they have become the “ME” in Merry Christmas. For that, all of Livonia thanks you.

Mike Ladwig

Storage Closet Declutter

December 09, 2022

Believe it or not, our club made its move to the Livonia Senior Center over two years ago. In that two years, we've been slowly transferring our Rotary paraphernalia from members' homes to our meeting place storage closet.

It didn't take long for the space to become overloaded and in need of a good purge and some straightening out.

Club members Tammy Bonifield, Bob Carris, and Bill Friske put in a bit of overtime on Friday to clean out and organize the closet.

This week we held our Club Assembly. The following items were discussed:

District Holiday Party

• The party was well attended with great food, lots of fun, and a wonderful venue.
• Our club received 3 awards at the party: 1) Every Rotary Every Year Club, 2) 100% Foundation Giving Club, 3) A Certificate of Support for our Contribution to End Polio Now.

Volunteer Opportunities

• See Newsletter And Website For Details And Sign-Up Links.
• Present wrapping at Methodist Children's Village at 10:00 AM Monday, December 12th. This is a drop-in activity and will last until approximately 5 PM.
• Salvation Army bell ringing Joe's produce Saturday, December 17th, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM one-hour shifts
• Celebrating Brad Bonifield Saturday, January 7^th, from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, One Under Craft Beer and Eats, Livonia.

Financial Report - Treasurer Bob Carris

• We are in a strong financial position and able to reach our goals.
• The annual carnival is our biggest fundraiser. We did well this year and early indications are that we will be able to hold the carnival in the same location at the Sears parking lot next year.
• Bill Friske has created a spreadsheet of all the grants we have given over the past six years. He highlighted grant recipients we tend to give to each year (Legacy Grant Recipients). There was a discussion on using this spreadsheet as a tool to help with budgeting. Ideas included budgeting the total amount we typically give to the Legacy Grant recipients and that will allow us to project how much we can give to new parties requesting grants.
• The membership was told to talk to Bob or Tammy if anyone wishes to go into more detail about budget issues such as reviewing receipts, etc.

Giving Committee - Chairperson Larry Stephens

• The committee reviewed 4 grant applications in the last month and made the following recommendations. 1) Roll a Hippo, 2) Living and Learning Enrichment Center, 3) St Mary’s Outreach Center, and 4) Interact Club Past President Harish‘s program working with the visually impaired in India (VT Seva). The recommendations were approved by the club membership.
• Rosedale Garden Presbyterian Church grant request is currently under review and the committee has requested more information.
• New grant requests are coming in at a steady and manageable rate

Discussion

• Sending out reminders to Legacy Grant recipients to apply for a grant if they have not done so.
• Organizations applying for Grants are a good resource to tap as future speakers at our meetings.
• Doctor Stanley has been in and out of the hospital lately. He is planning a return trip to Cameroon in 2023 and plans to deliver the ultrasound machine to the clinic at that time.
• Water Well in Cameroon. By making a significant investment, we may be able to get matching funds for this project if we choose to pursue it.
• Much discussion and energy about pursuing international projects. Our Rotary district is supportive of efforts by district clubs interested in pursuing international projects.
• Discussion on having a traveling Cookie and Eggnog Christmas Celebration (like a progressive dinner) on Thursday, Dec. 22. More information will be coming.

John Clay

Deck The Rec. Contest

November 30, 2022

Club member and founder of You Are Loved, Susan Landmesser, is participating in the Livonia "Deck the Rec" competition. Susan is looking forward to handing over all the hats and gloves to 3 local charities after the event is over.

Hosted by Governor Traci Sincock, all were treated to a great dinner, and contests including a live auction. As noted in the picture, our club won the "Every Rotarian Every Year" award. EREY is awarded to those clubs whose members donated a minimum of $100 each to the Rotary Foundation, during the previous year. A great time was had by all.

Bob Carris

Jim spoke of four major initiatives the commission engaged in during 2022:

• Green Infrastructure - Renovation, replacement, and solarizing of the Livonia housing stock.

• Tree Ordinance - Since trees play a major role in removing pollution in our air, they are working on a plan to sustain and increase the number of trees we have in our community.

• Recycling - Jim informed us of the City's successful trash recycling program. He also mentioned how to recycle rainwater by using rain barrels.

• EV Charging Stations - There are plans underway to increase the number of Electric Car charging stations in the city. Many EV auto owners are installing electric car charging stations in their garages.

We all applaud the many efforts of Jim and the members of The Livonia Greenleaf Commission. They are showing us how to live in a greener and cleaner city. 

Mike Ladwig

Today the church, the Komarock Church of Christ, has an outreach program to help local street kids to leave drugs and return to school. Their motto is “If you save the life of one person, you can change the world.”

Larry also graced us with stunning pictures of the Kenya landscape, the large animal preserves in the country, and some really, lovely pictures of local Kenyan birds.

Larry left us with the message to travel while we can, and step outside our comfort zone. The message I received from Larry’s presentation is prosperity is not measured with dollar signs, but with your legacy of helping others. I guess that is the Rotary Way.

Mike Ladwig

Gift to Livonia Civic Chorus

November 15, 2022

Livonia Civic Chorus Vice President Jennifer Perry received a $2,000 check from our club. 

Club member, and Livonia Civic Chorus member, Rev. Dr. David Stechholz is shown here making the check presentation. 

Livonia AM Rotary is supportive of both the LCC and Livonia Symphony Orchestra, both with separate upcoming concerts in December. 

Club Meeting

November 09, 2022

We began our meeting with our own Rev. Dave Stechholz providing a heartwarming message for President Tammy Bonifield and her family on the transition of her husband Brad, a great man, and a true friend of Rotary. He is loved, and he will be missed.

To increase the amount of water that can be transported, enter the Roll A Hippo. A device made from plastic that can roll up to 24 gallons of water, as opposed to the usual maximum of 5 gallons of water on their heads. They just fill the rolling hippo and push it back to their destination. This drastically reduces the number of trips needed to provide water and does not strain the neck and back muscles of the women who do the heavy water transporting.



Our speaker on the subject was Luke Vorstermans, founder of the Roll A Hippo Foundation, and a member of the Rotary Club of Gibsons, British Columbia. Luke spoke about his club’s work providing Roll A Hippos to people in rural areas of South Africa. The Gibsons Rotary Club solicits funding for the Roll A Hippos and partners with the Hillcrest Durban South Africa Rotary Club. The Hillcrest Durban club purchases and distributes the Hippos locally for approximately $150 per unit. They also throw in some seeds and hand-held farming equipment. Pretty simple solution to a pain in the neck (literally) problem.

Below is a link to the material that Luke used during his presentation. Creating awareness is a big part of Luke's challenge!

https://1000survivalgardens.com/rotaryreportNov2022.pdf

Mike Ladwig



The kitchen crew arrived early Wednesday morning to make the spaghetti sauce and chop the lettuce and onions for the salad. Hungry diners began arriving early, and they kept coming. The line of diners moved smoothly and everyone I spoke with commented that the food was excellent. There was a true sense of community as Livonia residents came to support a worthy cause. Although the official head count of the participants is not available at this time, many experienced spaghetti dinner volunteers said that the counts looked to be well up from last year’s event. All in all, this year’s Spaghetti Dinner Community Fundraiser was a win-win for everyone involved. We raised some money to help fund the End Polio cause, and a good time was had by our diners and volunteers.

Mike Ladwig

Club Meeting

September 28, 2022

Our guest speaker this past week was Jim Baringhaus,  Chairman of Livonia's 

Greenleaf Commission on Sustainability

The Greenleaf Commission is a Livonia government agency. Their charge is to promote and educate the Livonia community on environmental issues. Jim has been on the Greenleaf Commission since 2017.

Jim explained a few of the projects the Commission has been involved with. One was the 2019 simple recycling plan for Livonia waste. They have done community outreach at many city events. On earth day they organized a tree planting in Livonia. They introduced recycling at city events with special receptacles for recyclables. On Oct. 1st they held an Electronic Vehicle (EV)bevent at Schoolcraft college where they explained how electronic vehicles operate, and they had some EV cars on hand for attendees to be driven in.

Jim’s presentation to our club was cut short, so we have rescheduled him to return on November 30th. I am anxious to hear the rest of his presentation. We only have one earth, so we can’t afford to muck it up and make it uninhabitable. But there is time to make it sustainable. There is no plan B.

Mike Ladwig

Club Meeting

September 21, 2022

Our guest speaker this past week was Matt Carr, President of Storch Magnetics, a Livonia-based maker of magnets of various shapes, sizes, and applications. Some of the magnets they fabricate are used in conveyor systems during the manufacturing of metal products. 

Storch created the SuperMag, the world's first self-cleaning permanent magnet engineered specifically to work in front of vehicles. The truck-mounted SuperMag picks up metal debris from roadways and airport runways, eliminating tire blow-outs, and saving costly down time for crews and their equipment.

Storch Magnetics was recently honored with the Livonia Greenleaf Commission Award for another of their inventions, the AIROTRUST. One of the concerns with returning to an indoor work environment during the pandemic was that almost everyone in the workplace was sharing the same, poorly filtered air. 

Matt and his crew designed and built the AIROTRUST, a magnetic filter housing paired with a high-quality filter that snaps directly onto the ceiling tile grid, over a return or supply vent, to create an extra layer of air filtration. The AIROTRUST unit allows staff to return to work with the added peace of mind that comes with clean, safe air.

Mike Ladwig

District Governor's Golf Outing

September 18, 2022

Club members Claude Kendrick, Greg Greene, and Bill Friske (and Rose) participated in the District Governor's Golf Outing in Kingsville, Ontario.

Golfers from all over our district enjoyed perfect weather, an amazing golf course, a terrific dinner back at the clubhouse, and of course camaraderie with fellow Rotarians and friends.



Proceeds from this event support International projects through Grants from the district.

Rotary Day of Service

September 17, 2022

Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) Bunk Bed Delivery

On this beautiful Saturday, volunteers met at Stor-N-Lock Self Storage in Westland, where several beds frames, mattresses, sheets and pillows were assembled on Sept. 10th, and readied to deliver to families that need them today.

The purpose of the mission was to bring prescription eyeglasses to Mexico and distribute them to financially insecure residents of Juarez. They had 608 pairs of glasses to distribute. The missionaries tested the eyeglass customers by having them look through 3 different prescription strengths of glasses to see which one improved their vision the most. Once the prescription was determined, they would match it with one of the pairs they brought from Michigan.

Another item discussed was a community building in Juarez which is very important to the residents. The building is in need of attention, especially mold removal.

Our AM Rotary group discussed pursuing a global grant with our Texas Rotary friends to work on refurbishing the community room. And to think it all started with Father Dave and his “Rotary“ bag.

More Photos                          Mike Ladwig

PLANNING

The seeds for this year’s Touch A Truck were planted at the end of last year’s event. A little tweaking here, a little more forward planning there. Club members Bob Carris, Bill Friske, and Claude Kendrick along with Churchill HS Interact President and Event Chair, Ivanna Brigido Torres, and a host of Interact students began meeting in early summer to begin laying out the plans for vehicle placement on the grounds, promotion, and all the little details that need to be addressed to make our event a successful one.

WHAT IS TOUCH A TRUCK

Some might say Touch A Truck is a place where kids and adults alike can sit in vehicles that they may not ever get the opportunity to sit in; Race cars, helicopters, fire engines, huge excavation trucks, to name a few. We had over 50 vehicles to choose from. But I think the genius of Touch A Truck is that it ignites a spark in the young attendee's sense of wonder, awe, and imagination. They are not just sitting in a rescue vehicle; they imagine they are on a run to save someone’s life. That little girl sitting in a race car, when she shuts her eyes to go to sleep that night, she can imagine being in a stock car race. After many deft and challenging driving moves, she sees herself being applauded for winning the race. Those boys and girls leave Touch A Truck with their craving for wonder and awe fulfilled and their imagination opened. And if you think it was only the children who were taken in by the sense of wonder you would be mistaken. I saw Bob Carris’s inner child come to the surface when the first helicopter landed.

A FEW QUOTES

As I was bidding a few people a thank you for attending, one adult, Linda Fischer said “This was awesome!” After thanking a little girl for attending she told me, “This was the best day of my life!” With that being said, and all the smiling faces I noticed, to all of the over 100 Interact, Rotary AM , Local celebrities, and Amazon employees manning the hot wheel and coloring book tent, I say to you all, “Mission Accomplished!”

-Mike Ladwig

Club Assembly

June 01, 2022

We held our monthly Club Assembly at this meeting.

1. Tammy Bonifield presented a Treasurer’s Report, and we continue to maintain a robust financial position. She also informed the assembly that the board voted to adjust our yearly dues structure. We will no longer pay $5 per in-person fee to attend meetings and to cover the cost of refreshments and coffee. We will increase our dues to all dues-paying members. This increase will also help defer the cost of the Zoom meeting option. We also want to inform members that if the club pays for a member to attend an outside event, and the member does not attend, nor inform a club member of their absence prior to the event, the club will bill the absent member for the cost of the entry fee.

2. Larry Stephens informed us that the Giving Committee did not have any grant requests last month, so no grants were funded. Bob Carris mentioned that the funding for the ultra-sound machine is almost complete, just awaiting an answer to our District Governor’s Golf Outing grant request for matching funds. 

3. Although Pat Zucal was unable to attend our club assembly, he informed the Board of Directors that our Rotary Carnival at the Livonia Sears parking lot is good to go with a start date of July 14, 2022.

4. Bob Carris spoke of the Touch A Truck organizing committee meeting recently held between members of our AM Rotary Club and the Interact students from Churchill High School. The Interact members have stepped up to chair all of the various sub-committees, such as; Truck Coordinator, Parking Coordinator, Volunteer Coordinator, Sponsors, Grounds, Marketing, Etc. An item still to be determined is the amount to request as a suggested donation for parking.

 5. Mike Ladwig informed the group that we will not be offering club support for the Special Olympics coming to Detroit this summer. However, if we receive any information on volunteer opportunities for this event, we will post that information in future newsletters.

-MIke Ladwig