We had the pleasure of having Thomas Okubo speak to the club on Thursday, July 24, 2025. Thomas hales from Belville Michigan and is an undergraduate at Yale University. He is the Treasurer of the Yale Rotaract club. Thomas is home for the summer and asked to speak to our club regarding is experience in Rotary and to ask for feedback/suggestions on his club's upcoming global grant.
The grant will provide medical equipment for the Simon Bolivar hospital in Cajamarca, Peru. The host club for the grant is the Rotary Club of Cajamarca. The Rotary Club of New Haven is the advising club.
Four club members stepped forward to personally support the efforts of Thomas and his club. We so enjoyed this kind, competent and articulate young man.
Right now, I'm home for the summer here in Michigan and I was hoping to visit your club to learn from how you run things, ask for feedback/suggestions on our ongoing projects, and to fundraise for an upcoming global grant we're doing.
Dutch Nie, owner of Nie Family Funeral Home, spoke to Ann Arbor North about the changes in the funeral industry over the last 25 years. He explained that the more traditional funeral services are in less demand then in the past. Many people are opting for alternative arrangements and forgoing the traditional cemetery burial. Options like cremation, teramation, aquamation, solidified parting stones, scattering, donation etc. are much more accessible and more often chosen today. Dutch also touched on the importance of pre-planning. Pre-planning can be as simple as writing down your wishes for your family to a fully pre-planned and pre-paid arrangement. Pre-planning helps to ease the burden on family. Pre-paying locks in your costs which helps families financially. Ann Arbor North offers thanks to fellow Rotarian Dutch Nie for a helpful and informative session!!
At May 22nd Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Luncheon Manish Mehta talked about his trip to Dallas Texas where he attended the Earth X Conference.
EarthX is an international nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to educating and inspiring people and organizations to take action towards a more sustainable future worldwide. They assemble and connect people all over the globe to explore sustainable solutions.
This years Conference was April 21st and April 22nd. The following is a day to day experiences wrote by Manish:
Am honored to represent sustainability professionals and speak on behalf of Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) at the EarthX Conference in Dallas this week…I will be speaking on Operation Pollinators and Plant-Rich Diets for Human and Planetary Health…will promote our 15-Day PRD Challenge launching on Earth Day. SeeESRAG Plant Rich Diet Task Force for more details and to sign up. Delighted to catch up with the EarthX top leadership on Day 1: Founder Trammell S. Crow (a Texan businessman, entrepreneur and innovative leader who is the founder of EarthX, an international nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to educating and inspiring people and organizations to take action towards a more sustainable future worldwide), CEO Rajan Singh (with whom I share common East African diaspora roots), and Rotary Experience Organizer Steve Bender. It’s going to be a fun and exciting week promoting green tech in Texas!
Sharing highlights from my Earth Day (April 22) talks on various ESRAG initiatives at the 2025 EarthX The Rotary Experience session held in Dallas on Pollinators and Plant-Rich Diets to mark the launch of the 15-Day Challenge. I owe thanks for many slide inputs provided by Rotarians Christopher Stein of National Parks Service on Pollinator Partnerships, Scott R Nelson, Dawn Angela Byford, Ambaree Majumder - Ambee and Kris CameronThe EarthX evening Gala dinner and amazing Rock Concert-style performances brought out the nostalgia with classic hits of Pink Floyd (saxophonist Scott Page) and The Doobie Brothers (guitarist Jeff Baxter)…these same rock stars who served as activists on sustainability tech panels by day transformed the Hilton Anatole Ballroom into a rock concert hall by night…what a treat!
On Day 4 of www.EarthX.org, Delighted to be interviewed by Reporter Kareena Dhillon at EarthX Conference on what I am passionate about that brought me to the 2025 EarthX Conference…look for the segment on EarthXTV.BT I Besides narrating my personal story of migration, beliefs and humanitaria ESRAG Plant Rich Diet Task ForceRich Diet Task Force’s recent launch of the 15-Day Plant-Rich Challenge, Food Waste mitigation strategies, and Operation Pollinators and gardens that Rotary clubs and community institutions can establish…From Project Drawdown, “Animal agriculture is a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions. Favoring plant-based foods reduces demand, thereby reducing land clearing, fertilizer use, and greenhouse gas emissions.”Also was pleased to see the presence of two Brahmakumari teachers and two Jain nuns from Siddhyatan Retreat in Dallas, Sadhvi Siddhali Shree and Sadhvi Anubhuti hosted by EarthX Founder Trammell Crow…Met a movie producer who scouts globally for highlighting the story of earth innovators and is now focused on documenting Jugaad ideas and holding pitch competitions in India and South-East Asia.
Kroger Community Rewards
Kroger Community Rewards
ENROLL TODAY:
Earned $10.88 from February 1, 2025 - April 30, 2025.
Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation isregistered in the Kroger Community Rewards Program. Sign up and start making money for The Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation.
***Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North Foundation Non-Profit Organization Account Number, is BD440. ***
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Meeting Day & Time: 2nd and 4th Thursday's of the month at 12:00 pm | Meeting Address: Dixboro United Methodist Church 5221 Church Road., Ann Arbor, MI|
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