Home Page | Rotary Club of Comstock Park

Serving Our Local Community and the World

We meet In Person

Thursdays at 12:15 PM

Mill Creek Tavern

3874 W River Dr NE
Comstock Park, MI 49321
United States of America

1st and 3rd Thursday of the month at 12:15

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Venue Map

September is the month when Rotarians all around the world will focus efforts on supporting Youth and Youth Programs.

December 2022
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Comstock Park Rotary Club is made up of business, professional, and community leaders. We meet regularly to plan and implement community service activities and network with each other . Our Rotary Club provides members with an opportunity to make a contribution to the Comstock Park community and to communities around the world. People join Rotary for many reasons, including community involvement, personal development, professional networking, and camaraderie with fellow members. But perhaps the most important benefit is the satisfaction gained from making a real difference in the world.

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Merry Chrismas!

Comstock Park Rotary members will finish the year by assisting the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. According to the Salvation Army, the Red Kettle Campaign, the oldest annual charitable fundraiser of its kind in the United States, helps raise money for those who need it most in communities nationwide – providing toys for kids, coats for the homeless, food for the hungry and countless social service programs year. Rotary members will be stationed at the North Entrance of the Alpine Ave. Walmart from 10:00 AM until 7:00 PM om Thursday, December 8. With the end of the pandemic in sight, members will once again assist the Santa Claus Girls deliver Christmas presents to needy families in our community on Saturday, December 10

Our club has also set aside $1,500 to assist two families selected from families of students from Comstock Park and Kenowa Hills Public Schools, with the remained being set aside for the purchase of additional outerwear.

Our next membership meeting will be at the Mill Creek Tavern on December 15, at 12:10 PM. In addition to our noon time meetings, the club has also scheduled a late afternoon meeting on Thursday, January 26 for members and invited guests.

Our guest

Debbie Benjamin, (left) with Christina Pittman

speaker at the December 1 meeting was Christina Pitman, Team Leader for “Days for Girls” in Rockford, Michigan. The group is part of a worldwide organization that promotes vital health education as it relates to menstruation, and their members have sewn, assembled, and distributed over 1,200 health kits locally and worldwide. More Getting into that Christmas Spirit 2022| Rotary Club of Comstock Park

Getting into that Christmas Spirit 2022| Rotary Club of Comstock Park

information is available at their website www.daysforgirls.org as well as on Facebook. Our Rotary Club wishing all community members a meaningful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A time to give thanks

Last week our Rotary Club held a special meeting that was attended by District Officers. The meeting was held at the Mill Creek Tavern, Speaker for the event was Rotary District Governor Paul Heroman, who presented a highly motivational speech.

Due to the uncertainties of the operating hours at the Swan Inn, our club decided to continue meeting at the Mill Creek Tavern for the remainder of this year.

This week we met once again, and our speaker was Joseph Jones, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Partnerships with West Michigan Feeding America. He gave an exceptionally good presentation on the operation of the organization, the partnership with other food banks, and their relationship with grocery store. One interesting fact is that monetary donations are much preferred over non-perishable food donations because a one-dollar gift can provide for eight to ten meals. 1,500 mobile food pantries brought groceries directly to high-need communities. Our Rotary club has a good relationship with Feeding America. We were able to donate a considerable amount of money at the beginning of the COVID epidemic, and our members have volunteered at their facility a number of times.

Outerwear Drive Continues

Remember that the Comstock Park Rotary Winter Outerwear Drive is in full swing. The drive kicked of at the September 30 Comstock Park Varsity Football game and will continue through the month of October,

Outerwear Drive at Comstock Park High School

Coat Drive at Comstock Park School

Tonight is the night that we kick off our Families helping Families sponsored by the Comstock Park Rotary! There is no better community than at our Comstock Park Panther Stadium! Please come out and support our team and also bring a coat! We are asking for new or gently used coats in all sizes! We are also accepting cash or credit card donations. ($20 and we can buy a brand new coat!)

It will be a gorgeous night tonight and our last home game of the season!

*** Please share!

Comstock Park Outerwear Drive

As a Rotarian in Comstock Park we are committed to community and giving back! If you would be interested in joining our amazing club please reach out to me! Kari Kippen 616-262-5124

Our kick off for our October coat and winter gear is Sept 30th at the Comstock Park Stadium - the football game!!

October 14 the Rotarians will be at Kenowa Hills football game!

We can also take monetary donations at the games or at Choice One Bank on Alpine!

First day of September

At our Rotary meeting last Thursday September 1, our guest speaker was Lily Fossel, Community Development Manager at FamilyPromise of Grand Rapids. The focus of FamilyPromise is on children and assist families go from homelessness to finding permanent housing. Many of the families who enter shelter have income but can’t make ends meet. The organization has grown to partner with over 60 congregations, dozens of businesses, and thousands of volunteers. The organization is in need of financial support, basic need donations, volunteers, and spreading the word.

Summer BBQ - Mill Creek Days

The Comstock Park Rotary was pleased to participate in the Mill Creek Days celebration in Comstock Park the weekend of August 11. The club held its second BBQ of the year in coordination with many other activities that occurred. Needless to say, they ran out of ribs and sausages, and whatever chicken remained unsold was donated to Mathews House Ministries, a faith based nonprofit working with our neighbors on the west side of Grand Rapids. The weather could not have been any better. Profits from the BBQ will be used to fund the club’s community projects. The Comstock Park Rotary wishes to thank the community for its participation.

Happy New Year!

If you are a Rotarian you would know that July 1 is the beginning of a new year for Rotary International as well as for district and local clubs. It's not just a fiscal year but it is also a time new officers get sworn in, new plans are laid out, and enthusiasm begins all over again.

In Comstock Park, new officers were sworn in by then President Greg Madura, Alpine Township Supervisor. Our new president is Diane VanEpps, manager of the Alpine branch of ChoiceOne Bank. Also beginning a new term as director is Christy Nowak, president of the Comstock Park District Schoolboard.

ot available was Jerry Hopkins, supervisor of Kenowa Hills school district and whose term of president will begin July 1 2024.

May Update

During the month of April the Comstock Park Rotary Club sponsored a fund drive in support of Ukrainian refugees and residents. The club offered special wristbands for donations, and collected over $4,300. Much praise goes to chairperson Diane VanEpps and also ChoiceOne Bank which offered their west Michigan branches to serve as collection points.

June 2022 Highlights

It has already been a busy month for the Comstock Park Rotary Club. The June BBQ was a huge success, thanks to the community, the member/volunteers, and of course the weather. This is our major fund raiser, and we hope to have our second one of this year on Thursday August 11, as part of the Mill Creek Days Celebration. (cont'd)

Welcome 2022

The Comstock Park Rotary began this year volunteering an afternoon at Feeding America, located right here in Comstock Park. Attending members weighed and packaged cheerios for distribution to needy families. The project was so well received that members plan a return visit on March 31 and several other Thursdays over the year.

Notes about October 21 Membership Meeting

Only the good die young

This weekend, we lost someone who was a friend of all of us, Brent Beuschel. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family. Brent was admired for his devotion to family, devotion to his profession and community, and for his faith in God. There is little Brent would not do for his friends and for the community. This was particularly true as a member of our Rotary Club. He was there at every project, not afraid to do what others may have wanted to stay away from. Brent has also served as president of our club, and his leadership will be missed.

The righteous man perishes, and no one lays it to heart; devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from calamity. he enters peace. (Isaiah 57:1-2

New Story October 3 2021

Comstock Park Rotary

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The next Rotary meeting is this Thursday, October 7th 12:10 PM at the Swan Inn. Our guest speaker will be Joel Bierling, proprietor of Bier Distillery, right here in Comstock Park. He is someone pursuing his dreams.

New members introduced

At our last membership meeting, President Greg Madura was delighted to induct three new members. They are (left to right) Debbie Benjamin, Elizabeth Wahlfield, and Ashley Mott. Welcome to the Comstock Park Rotary, where our motto is "Service Above Self"

Thank you for a successful Barbeque

We're back!

The Barbeque is back

Members of the Comstock Park Rotary members met recently and discussed making the August 12 Chicken BBQ a success. Once again the club will offer chicken, ribs, and sausage meals, although there will be a limited supply of ribs. The cost of a chicken meals will be $11.00, ribs $17.00 and sausage $9.00. Our guest of the meeting was Kyler Smith. Kyler is a graduate of Comstock Park High School and was selected in 2019 as a junior to attend the Youth Leadership Conference. Due to the pandemic, Kyler has not had the opportunity to share his experiences with the club earlier.

Kyler Smith Bernie Spruit, Dan Clark, Brent Beuschel

Club members Bernie Spruit and Brent Beuschel were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows for their financial support of Rotary International for world wide projects as the fight against Polio, and providing clean water to areas in third world countries.

Comstock Park Rotary Meeting, May 20, 2021

The Comstock Park Rotary met Thursday at 12:15 at the Swan Inn and were honored with the presence of Jonathan Kulich. Jonathan is a graduate of Comstock Park High School, and will begin his second year at Central Michigan University this fall. Jonathan is also the recipient of the Comstock Park Rotary Scholarship Program which carries over a two year period. Jonathan offered a great presentation about this past crazy freshman year and how he is looking forward to this coming semester. One of the things Jonathan enjoyed was working with the University's baseball team and keep track of team statistics. While pursuing a degree in business, Jonathan's dream job will be working as a statistician for a professional sports team. The club offered their best wishes to Jonathan, and invited him to come back next year.

Happy New Year!

Giving Tuesday - Request for Donations

With our Barbeques being canceled due to Covid 19, please consider us on Giving Tuesday. December 1 so we can continue to support our local community.

The Courtyard at Zinzer

On Saturday, October 10, members and family of the Comstock Park Rotary plan to meet at 10:00 AM at Zinzer School on Kinney Rd. in Walker to put the finishing touches on the renovated courtyard. After renovating the neglected courtyard earlier this year, over thirty different species of plants were planted in the courtyard. A pond and waterfall were installed along with other amenities. On the 10th of October, Rotarians, students and parents hope to complete the remaining task of planting prairie sedge, a ground cover that will make a nice lawn, mowed or un-mowed.

With the relaxation of meeting rules, the Comstock Park Rotary Club is once again meeting at the Swan Inn Restaurant. Recently the board decided to conduct membership meetings there the first and third Thursdays of the month.

This past Thursday we celebrated the induction of Belinda Choy. Belinda is the new Tenant Relations Manager at York Creek. We are pleased to have her as a new member. Photo below is Belinda being sworn in by Past President Cindy Witte.

Rotary once again meets at Wahlfield Park

On Thursday September 17, our Rotary Club once again met at Wahlfield Park. Guest speaker was Michaellita Fortier, Transportation Director at Comstock Park Schools. She was welcomed by many of our members who were acquainted with her. Michaellita gave an interesting presentation and shared some of the adjustments in scheduling that had to be made due to the COVERT-19 Pandemic and the shift in school hours.

The next Rotary meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 1 at 12:10 PM at Beuschel's Funeral Home. (But don't let that scare you.)

Beautification Project

In August, the Comstock Park Rotary Club met the first and third Thursday at Dwight Lydell Park and Wahlfield Park respectively. Part of the reason for that is the social distancing required at meetings, but as it turned out, the weather was simply perfect each day.

While our summer fundraising projects, (our BBQs) had to be cancelled, it does not mean we had to forego other projects, and on Saturday, August 29, some of our members partnered with staff and parents of Zinzer School to complete a project that began in August of last year.