June 2022 Highlights

June 2022 Highlights![]() |
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. |
Welcome 2022The 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 youngThis 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 2021The 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 introducedAt 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![]() |
The Barbeque is backMembers 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.
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We're back!![]() |
Comstock Park Rotary Meeting, May 20, 2021The 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.
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Happy New Year!![]() |
Giving Tuesday - Request for DonationsWith 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.
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Rotary once again meets at Wahlfield ParkOn 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.)
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Beautification ProjectIn 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. ![]() ![]() |
COVID-19 ResponseOur Rotary Club is responding to the impact of the global COVID-19 crisis. Until further notice, our club will meet the first and third Thursday of the month at 12:15 PM at the Alpine Township Community Center using the guidelines set by our State Governor. We are closely monitoring updates and recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure the safest and most appropriate actions are taken by and for our members and the communities they serve. |
A World under Siege“The global effort against COVID-19 depends on actions taken in every country. As people of action, this is our time to connect with each other to offer immediate help to people in need.” – Mark Daniel Maloney, Rotary International President, 2019-2020. So many catastrophic events happen every year but most do not affect our local community, or even our continent. This year we are face a different kind of disaster, one that affects the entire world, including the State of Michigan, our own community and our own family and neighbors. Many activities have been delayed or postponed, including our Rotary barbeques. Gatherings of groups are not allowed at this time, although we continue to meet together through modern media. Our community has its own needs. Food banks are running short. At this time, face masks are not available to many whose jobs makes it necessary to meet the public. To assist in addressing the needs of our local community, the Comstock Park Rotary generously contributed $4,000 to our local food bank, "Feeding America". This great organization is able to turn $4,000 into 40,00 meals. We are very happy that we could assist in meeting their needs. In addition, the Comstock Park Rotary Club was able to acquire 2,700 face masks at a very good price. As of today, 2,000 of these have already been distributed to facilities in our community to help alleviate the current shortage. All this is resulting in a drain of our resources, especially if future barbeques at Dwight Lydell Park (our main source of revenue) are in jeopardy, but we feel this is the best way we can help our current situation.
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Welcoming 2020![]() ![]() |
Getting into that Christmas Spirit 2019It was a busy Thursday for Rotary members. Almost all members participated in the Salvation Army 's Red Kettle campaign. This photo depicts Gerald Hopkins, Rotarian and superintendent of Kenowa Hills Schools. Earlier during the day, Rotarians enjoyed participating in our Annual Meeting which, of course coincided with our Christmas meeting. Beautiful holiday music was provided by Aaron and Rosalie Baxter. |
Merry Christmas !
Busy Holiday Season for Comstock Park Rotary members. Comstock Park Rotarians will be busy this holiday season supporting other organizations spread holiday cheer across the community. On Friday December 13, club members will be busy receiving and sorting packages for Santa Girls. Anticipated delivery time at the Alpine Township Hall is 10:00 AM. On Saturday, December 14, club members and family and friends will be delivering Santa Girls presents to needy families in the Comstock Park, Walker communities. Designated members should pick up their assigned deliveries no later than 9:30 at the Alpine Township Hall. Participating in reading with students at Pine Island School begins on December 17 at 10:00 am. On Thursday December 19, our club members will ring bells all day at the Alpine Ave Walmart on behalf of the Salvation Army On Thursday, January 16, in the afternoon, members of our club will assist in preparing food for Feeding America. In February, we plan to assist the Hand to Hand program at Belmont Community Church in preparing food baskets for students at Pine Island and Stoney Creek Schools who may otherwise not get healthy meals on weekends. Anyone interested in assisting in some of these projects or in becoming a Comstock Park Rotarian, please e-mail answers@cprotary.com. Merry Christmas to all! |
Clean Water![]() On Thursday, December 5th, the guest speaker at our weekly meeting was Mark De Haan, a civil engineer with the engineering firm Prein & Newhof. Mark was there as a representative of the American Water Works Association, an international non-profit, scientific and educational association founded to improve water quality and supply across the globe. In partnership with other non-profits, one of their missions is to build a well, provide clean water, and provide sanitary education to a community in Ecuador. While the cost of this project would exceed $100,000, Mark De Haan was hoping to partner with Rotary organizations in order to raise 18,600 to pay for pumps. |
Hand2Hand and Comstock Park Schools![]() Today the Comstock Park Rotary also approved a project to restore the outdoor garden at Zinzer school. This fall our members cleaned up the garden, and hope to restore it and stock it with Michigan plants this coming spring.
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Proud to be a RotarianMost of us were too young to remember but sixty years ago, polio was one of the most feared diseases in the U.S. By the 1950s, polio had become one of the most communicable diseases among children in the United States. In 1950 alone, nearly 60,000 children were infected with the virus, thousands were paralyzed, and more than 3,000 died. Hospitals set up special units with iron lung machines to keep polio victims alive. Polio is so contagious that direct contact with an infected person can cause the disease. In 1955 the US began widespread vaccinations and by 1979 the virus was eliminated across the country. Wild polio virus cases have decreased by over 99% since 1988, from an estimated 350 000 cases in more than 125 endemic countries then, to 33 reported cases in 2018. But until Polio is 100% eradicated, the risk of another epidemic remains. ![]() |
Special GuestsMembers of the Comstock Park Rotary were pleased to welcome two special guests who were referred to Rotary by the Walker Chamber of Commerce and who selected to visit our club. Both took advantage of telling our members a little bit about themselves. ![]() ![]() Angela Schalow is a Principal Agent for Farmer's Insurance. Her business, Schalow Agency is located in Walker, Michigan. The vast majority of its promotional budget is utilized by sponsoring programs with local schools, law enforcement, and the city of Walker. Angela is happy to be a part of the community and hopes to have a significant, positive impact on those around us. Her agency hosts free classes on topics such as: estate planning, budgeting, and resume writing. Her web page is https://agents.farmers.com/mi/walker/angela-schalow. |
Comstock Park Rotary Receives Recognition![]() Also recognized at the meeting was departing member Quynh Vu.
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and the winner is.....................![]() ![]() |
Newly Acquired Alpine Township Property![]() |
Month of AugustAugust was a busy but rewarding month for Comstock Park Rotarians. Early in the month members participated in cleaning up an outdoor garden at Zinzer Elementary School. The garden was overgrown and needed some tender loving care before the students came back from summer vacation. Read more ![]() ![]() Before Clean Up After Clean Up A few weeks later, almost the entire membership participated in the third and most successful barbeque of the season. Everyone has been so grateful for the beautiful weather we had all year. ![]() ![]() |
Thank you, Frank Vietze!![]() Speaking of the Paul Harris Fellowship, long time member Tom Bereza was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow. The recognition goes to members who have contributed and/or had money contributed in their name in an amount of $1,000 or more to the International Rotary Foundation. The Rotary Foundation transforms our gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. More information can be found here . ![]() Welcomed at our meeting was our latest new member Julie Zermeno, the branch manager at PNC Bank. Julie takes the place of Scott who is no longer with the bank. Kenowa Hills School Superintendent Gerald Hopkins offered a new project the club could be involved in. It involves clean up of some school; property. This sounds like a summer Saturday morning project. Members were also reminded that our next and last BBQ of the season will be Thursday, August 15. If you are interested in membership, please contact the membership chairperson Alex Arends |
Camp CP with a DeputyIt was reported that our July BBQ was a financial success and everyone was thanked for participating. We were pleased to have two special guests at our meeting, Raechel McQueen owner of Dairy De-Lite on West River Road, and Andrew Stachowiak, owner of Seasons Change Services. Both guests passed along their desire to be active in our community. A special report was presented by Alpine Township Community Policing Deputy Jose Douglas. The Kent County Sheriff's Department recently completed a summer program in Comstock Park that was attended by about forty-five 5th and 6th graders.
"Camp CP with a Deputy" brought youth and the Sheriff's Department closer together. Throughout the week, activities included show-and-tell demonstrations from the department’s Dive Team and Tactical Team, both of which showed off their equipment. The emergency medical, motorcycle and marine division visited and, deputies took campers to Craig’s Cruisers. Most appreciated were demonstrations by the Canine Unit and the Sheriff's Posse.
Thanks to donations from the Rotary Club, Community Policing of Michigan and area businesses, each camper received a T-shirt, water bottle and midday meals. Deputy Julie Brown, Comstock Park High School school resource officer, said they organized the camp in hopes of forging a bond with campers at an early age. This marked the first time the department hosted one for elementary school children, she said. “We want them to see us as normal folks and we’re able to see them as normal kids,” she said. “Sometimes, we only see the naughty kids.” |
Summer Days![]() ![]() |
2018 Comstock Park Student Scholarship Recipient
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Visited by 2018 Grant Recipient![]() Dropping in at our meeting today was Megan Titus a graduate from Kenowa Hills High School and who just completed her first year of College at Grand Valley College. Megan was one of the 2018 Comstock Park Rotary Grant recipients Megan talked a bit about college life and how she is excelling in all her classes. She was accompanied by Jerry Hopkins, Kenowa Hills Public Schools Superintendent. Thank you Megan!
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Plainfield Township Senior Center![]() |
Loaves and Fishes![]() |
Fifth Annual Senior Prom for Senior Adults![]() ![]() Center pieces were so festive. A red car with flowers. And ice cream soda glasses with carnations and a cherry or strawberry on top with a straw. Just perfect for this event, and arranged by Alpine Floral and Gift Shop. The food dishes provided by Amore Trattoria Italiana Restaurant were delicious and left no one hungry. In keeping with the theme, members of the Beuschel family took photos with a Polaroid Camera. Prizes were given for best dressed, and for winner of the cake walk. In addition, there were door prizes donated by local merchants. A disc jockey provided music from the fifties and sixties, Best of all, there were so many smiling faces. This has turned into a great community event.
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Comstock Park Rotary World Famous BBQ![]() How do the Comstock Park Rotary Club projects get funded? Our main source of revenue comes from the sale of barbecued chicken, ribs,or sausage that we offer our community three times a year at Dwight Lydell Park on West River Road. The dates in 2019 are Thursdays, June 6, July 11, and August 15. More information with this year's prices will be forthcoming. Have a meal in the park or take it home. Times of the events are from 11:30 AM until 6:00 PM. (Unless sold out before 6:00 PM.)
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Saving lives in Ghana![]() A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga. |
India celebrates three years without polio![]() The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio. |