Hello Rotarians,

What an amazing week we had, starting with the Downriver Prayer Breakfast! Our own Kathy Kane opened the event, followed by Rob Bovitz leading us in song. Andy Dirks gave a motivating and inspirational message.

Thank you to the following Rotarians for attending: Kathy Kane, Rob Bovitz, Jean Wloszek, Ronnie Ruelle, Debbie Dingell, Mary Parrino, Bob & Kathy Paulbeck, Ed & Debbie Nykiel, Tom Dickman, Larry Kearney, Ray Yee, and Rose Angela & Scott Gronda.

The day continued with Rotarians ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. A HUGE thank you to Larry Kearney for organizing and scheduling all of the bell ringers.

That evening, many Rotarians attended our annual Christmas Party. A special and heartfelt thank you to Val Dzagulones for creating the beautiful decorations and coordinating with the caterer. Although Val couldn’t be there in person, she was certainly with us in spirit. Val—the room looked amazing. You are the BEST!

It truly took a village to make this party such a success, and many thanks are owed:

Thank you to:

• Jean Wloszek, Kim Mott, and Gloria Jabro – room setup

• Bill Jasman and Vicky Brown – beer and soft drinks

• Ray Yee – music, Christmas carol song sheets, and packing the cereal for the food pantry

• Barb and Bob Haveman – tabulating the Ugly Sweater Contest results

• Debbie & Ed Nykiel – delivering leftover food to the fire department

• Everyone who brought cereal, made desserts, or helped with cleanup

Because of your generosity, we collected 77 boxes of cereal and 4 jars of peanut butter. What a fantastic way to end the week!

Marvelous Monday

Our last well-deserved award went to Ed Neubecker. Ed has been a member for just a year and jumped right in, assisting on several committees. He donated a fishing trip at last year’s fundraiser and collected bottles for the Cooler of Cheer. He’s back this year donating another fishing trip, and he and his wife Dawn are helping on our Spring Break fundraiser.

Ed, thank you for all you do—you are truly making a difference.

This Week

• Speaker: Deana Blevins will be discussing the fundraiser for Trenton High School’s rowing team and why it is important.

• Spring Break Committee Meeting: Tuesday at 6:00 PM at my house.

• Board Meeting: Thursday at 7:00 AM at Mom’s.

• Blood Drive: Monday at Sacred Heart on Grosse Ile.

My surgery is next Friday, December 12th. I will not be at the meeting, but I am hoping to attend via Zoom.

YIR,

Ronnie