Join us Monday for lunch at the Westfield Center 11/18 at noon and meet Ann Rudisill from Downriver for Veterans to find out all the great initiatives she has going to help our Downriver Veterans. Downriver for Veterans

 

"The Ramblings of the Mad Hatter" 

 

 

Hello Trenton Rotarians!

Mother Nature played a cruel joke on us this week, dumping five or six inches of snow and giving us brutally cold temperatures, but we survived to have another great week. It started with Penny Joy of "Days for Girls" telling us about how this organization helps girls in underprivileged areas maintain their health so as to be able to remain in school, which goes a long way to keeping them out of human trafficking. It's absolutely incredible the things we take for granted that are a huge issue for people in other areas. Due to the weather, the 6:01 Group meeting, which was scheduled for Monday evening in Detroit, was cancelled. We'll look forward to hearing from them when they next get together.

We've also begun our Christmas preparations. Larry Kearney is doing an outstanding job filling the Salvation Army Bell Ringing Schedule. There are still some openings available, but they are filling up fast! Contact Larry to take a turn at helping this worthy cause. Paulette Dillingham is doing a nice job helping the Salvation Army as well. She has picked up some Christmas donation tags from the Salvation Army that Rotarians are working to fill. She is also organizing our volunteers for the Christmas store where the Salvation Army helps distribute these items. Thank you Larry and Paulette for helping to show why we are the reigning "Christmas Partner of the Year" for the Salvation Army. Also, the invitations have gone out for the Christmas Party. It will be held on December 13th at Sportsmen's Den in Riverview. Please R.S.V.P. your intentions so we can make proper preparations.

This week we supported the Trenton Educational Foundation at their Signature Event. Besides our sponsorship, several members were there to help this organization continue their efforts in helping Trenton Public Schools. The T.E.F. also honored Dr. James Eberhardt and posthumously honored Mr. Dennis Hamilton as the newest inductees to the T.E.F. Wall of Fame. Congratulations to Dr. Eberhardt, and the family of Mr. Hamilton for this wonderful recognition.

I have to give a HUGE shout-out to Jean Wloszek. Thank you, Jean, for your efforts in this weekend's Be The Match bone marrow drive. You went above and beyond in making the event a success. Although we didn't have as many people register as we would have liked, we will still possibly affect somebody's life through our efforts. And we edged out Livonia in the number of registrations we collected! So it's a win-win for everyone! During the course of the event, we met a woman and her ten year old son. Her son was a two-time transplant recipient and was able to overcome his acute myeloid leukemia.  To show you how overwhelming this disease can be to a family, she had never even thought about donating to this registry, even though her son was a recipient. But she saw Jean's balloons on the sign on West Road and knew what she had to do.

I would be lax if I didn't thank all the Rotarians, family and friends who helped out with this event. "Thank you!" to Bill Jasman, Kyle Stack, Rick and Judy Williams, Ray Yee, Kim Ariganello, Wes Mator, Kathy Kane, Jackie Hatty, Debbie Jackson, Linda Bradley, Renee McKay and the members of the Livonia Rotary Club, who, along with Jackie, spearheaded the efforts in Livonia. I would also like to thank Mark Angellotti and Expert Heating & Cooling, Rose Angela Gronda and the bank formerly known as Monroe Bank and Trust (First Merchants Bank, for those who don't know), Noel and Debbie Jackson and JSP Dentistry, Jean Wloszek and The Guidance Center, Bill Jasman and DTE Energy and Jackie Hatty and Fun Services for donating items for the goody bags. It was a great group effort on a project that will truly connect the world. Congratulations on a job well done!

Join us at this week's meeting, where we will meet Ann Rudisill of Downriver for Veterans. She is going to tell us how her group helps support those from the military who gave up so much to protect our freedom.

Have a great week! Continue to connect the world by doing the right thing. Trenton Rotarians are living examples of the motto "Service Above Self."

Yours In Rotary,

Matt Hatty
President, The Rotary Club of Trenton, Michigan