Happy New Year!
Stories
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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. |
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.) |
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. |
Welcoming 2020 Christmas may be gone but members of the Comstock Park Rotary continue to do community service work projects. In January, club members volunteered an afternoon at our local Feeding America warehouse. Feeding America is a United States–based nonprofit organization that is a nationwide network of more than 200 food banks that feed more than 46 million people through food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, and other community-based agencies. |
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 Two of Rotary International’s global projects are the eradication of polio worldwide and providing clean water and improving sanitary conditions in third world countries. The Comstock Park Rotary Club has supported both these projects, giving annually to the Polio fund, and being involved in several clean water projects throughout the years. In addition to raising funds for water filters, in 2013 our club sent representatives and helped a team of El Salvador Rotarians install a water well for residents in a small community near Aca Jutla, El Salvador. 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 was pleased to present a $3,000 check to Leslie Poot , representing Hand2Hand and Plainfield Christian Church. Hand2Hand is a West Michigan program that is sponsored by many area churches of all denominations in partnership with local schools. The local program sponsored by Plainfield Christian Church partners with Pine Island and Stoney Creek Elementary Schools in Comstock Park by providing to provide a backpack filled with supplemental food that bridges the gap of weekend hunger. Food sent home consists of breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner items, often sent home with a recipe card included. The program nourishes more than physical needs. It provides consistency, love and demonstrates to all within a home that people do care and ultimately that God cares. Some of the food is purchased, and much of it is donate by individuals, organizations and businesses It is estimated that one out of five students goes without a nutritional meal on weekends. Food is distributed at schools and taken home in a back pack.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. |
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.  AJ Emery is the face (or perhaps many faces) behind Four Leaf Leadership, a leadership training company in Belmont. Besides being a motivational speaker, AJ is a personal coach for personal and team related problem solving. In addition engaged speaking and one on one coaching based on Human Performance Technology, AJ offers workshops and webinars on a variety of topics, and problem solving guidance. Her web page and more information can be found at https://www.fourleafleadership.com/  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 On Thursday October 24, Rotary Assistant Governor Jim White recognized the Comstock Park Rotary for its contributions to the Foundation of Rotary International. The club and members contributed $100 per member to the Foundation last year. Local Foundation Chair Diane Van Epp was on hand to explain that these contributions could be directed to help fight Polio world wide, or could also be returned to our district in the form of grants.Also recognized at the meeting was departing member Quynh Vu. |
and the winner is......................jpg) While cleaning our club's closet, we came across this sculpture of a bull, which must have been hidden for about a dozen years, Known as the "B.S. Award" nobody would confess how the award was earned. The last member to earn this award was Kent Gagnon. On Thursday, President Cindy Witke reprented the award for the last time to Kent Gagnon. It is now retired. Kent Gagnon is our club's Sergeant at Arms, and always has a story to tell. |
Newly Acquired Alpine Township Property This week's special guest at the Comstock Park Rotary Meeting was Alpine Township Planning Director Sue Becker. Sue explained how the Township had been able to acquire property on Henze Drive, west of Alpine Ave and behind Sam's Club. The property was purchased from a church, and included not only the sanctuary, but fifteen acres of property surrounding it, stretching from Sam's Club to all the way near Cordes Rd. While there are no immediate plans for the building, it is suggested that half of it will be converted to space for a new the fire station, to replace the station at Alpine Church Street. Members of the Rotary club received the opportunity to make suggestions on further future development of the property, something that will eventually be offered to all residents. |
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! Thursday’s meeting of the Comstock Park Rotary Club saw a busy agenda. Our special guest of honor was Frank Vietze, a long-time member of the Club who is now moving to New England. Frank participated in as many Rotary projects as he could, served numerous years as Treasurer (without a computer, calculator or adding machine) and was a great spokesman for Rotary International and the Paul Harris Fellowship Award. Frank took ill a few months ago and since then his wife and him decided to move east to be closer to his family. We will surely miss him.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.jpg) Thursday, July 11 was another beautiful day for the Comstock Park Rotary second summer BBQ at Dwight Lydell Park. Hundreds of supporters came out and enjoyed the weather and great food. Special guests were District 6290 Governor Dave Thomas from Cheboygan and Assistant Governor Jim White from Grand Rapids. Congratulations to our 50/50 winner Angie Lutz. The third and final BBQ for the season will be on Thursday, August 15, 2019 All profits from the event will be used for local and international projects. |
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! |
Plainfield Township Senior Center Our guest speaker Thursday was Christine Friedt, director of the Plainfield Township Senior Adult Organization. The group boasts over a thousand members, many of who are drawn from neighboring communities. The group is funded through Plainfield Township, is supported through Northview Public Schools, as well as self supported. There is a $12.00 annual fee which helps cover the cost for the monthly news letter. Christine was introduced by Plainfield Township Supervisor and Rotarian Bob Homan. |
Loaves and Fishes The speaker at Thursday's general meeting was David Kammer who with his wife Ruth talked about their involvement in the Emergency Food Pantry "Loaves and Fishes" in Belmont, Michigan. The pantry is a joint venture of Holy Spirit Episcopal Church and Assumption Roman Catholic Church. Referrals to the Food Pantry come through the North Kent Service Center located in Rockford. The pantry is stocked and funded by private donations. Mr. Kammer demonstrated a modest example of servant leadership. |
Fifth Annual Senior Prom for Senior Adults Thursday, April 18, the Comstock Park Rotary held he fifth annual "Senior Senior Prom" at the Fine Arts Center at Comstock Park High School. Over one hundred senior adults registered for this free event which was sponsored by local businesses. The program was first offered five years ago by Alpine Floral, Amore Tratoria, and Beuschel's Funeral Home, all of whom continue to be the main sponsors for the event. This year's theme was "Dance to the Bebop" and featured decorations and music from the fifties and sixties. .jpg) 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. |
Comstock Park Rotary World Famous BBQ.jpg)
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.) |
Saving lives in Ghana What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.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 Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."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. |
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This week, the Comstock Park Rotarians enjoyed hearing from Caitlyn Chua, a 2018 Comstock Park high school graduate and one of the recipients of our scholarship program. Caitlyn just completed her first year at the University of Michigan and has set her mind on graduating with a Masters Degree to become a successful architect.