Fundraising

Fundraising

The Fundraising committee is responsible for both running the club’s existing fundraiser events, and for developing and evaluating new proposals. The two major existing fundraising activities are the Italian Dinner, held each year during football season, and the annual dinner which has been held at Black Star Farm in early November to honor each year’s winner(s) of the Owen Bailey award for service.

The Italian Dinner is held in the cafeteria of Suttons Bay High School on a Friday evening before a home football game. It is a cafeteria style spaghetti dinner which the club offers to the community at a low price. We typically serve over 300 dinners and net about $3,000 per year. Because the club requires each member to buy $80 worth of tickets (to either resell or donate), it is guaranteed to make money. It is also a good time to show our faces and to display our projects to the community. We generally need most of the club members to participate in purchasing, serving and cleanup for the actual dinner. Club members that participate enjoy the opportunity to work together at the event.

The Owen Bahle award for service was initiated 9 years ago by Scott Craig, and has been a successful dinner program ever since. It is an opportunity to honor both members of the Rotary, as well as nonmembers in the community, for their exemplary service to Leelanau County. The first award was given to Owen Bahle and subsequent awards were named “The Owen Bahle Award for Service.” We have, in alternate years, given the award to Rotarians and non-Rotarians. The award recipients are nominated by the Fundraising Committee, and approved by the Rotary Board. The actual dinner has been hosted by Black Star Farms in its dining room that comfortable seats up to 140 people. We have typically sold 120 tickets at $50 per person, and, after expenses have netted approximately $3,000 for the event. Again, like the Italian dinner, the event has a mixed purpose of raising money for Rotary youth programs and bringing the club together for a celebration.

The club’s board has recently voted to support the Blessings in a Backpack program that has been initiated by Leelanau Christian Neighbors during the past year.

The Fundraising Committee is always seeking new ideas and members, both to help conceive and manage fundraisers as well as to work at the actual events. Please let Mike Fleishman know if you would like to help.