The Haslett-Okemos Rotary Club is thrilled to announce its 15th annual Hero Luncheon taking place on September 12th, 2023. The luncheon is from 11:30am to 1:30pm at Marketplace on the Green in Okemos, tickets are $25.00 and can be purchased from any Haslett-Okemos Rotary Club member. Enjoy catering from Backyard Bar-B-Q while contributing to beneficial projects in Meridian Township and internationally; at 1:00pm, special guest and MSU Golf Coach Casey Lubahn will speak, something you won’t want to miss!

Please consider bringing a pair of new or gently used athletic sneakers that club members will collect during the luncheon in support of the Samaritan’s Feet charitable organization and its mission of Giving Shoes. Giving Hope. If you have questions or need help in purchasing tickets, please reach out to Tammy Lemmer at 517-648-0689.

From the earliest days of Rotary, members have referred to each other on a first-name basis. Since personal acquaintanceship and friendship are cornerstones of Rotary, it was natural that many clubs adopted the practice of setting aside formal titles in conversations among members. Individuals who normally would be addressed as Doctor, Professor, Mister, the Honorable or Sir are regularly called Joe, Bill, Charley or Jerry by other Rotarians. The characteristic Rotary club name badge fosters the first-name custom. 

In a few areas, such as Europe, club members use a more formal style in addressing fellow members. In other parts of the world, mainly in Asian countries, the practice is to assign each new Rotarian a humorous nickname which relates to some personal characteristic or which is descriptive of the member's business or profession. A member nicknamed "Oxygen" is the manufacturer of chemical gas products. "Trees" is the nickname for the Rotarian in the lumber business, "Building" is the contractor, "Paper" is the stationery or office supply retailer. Other members might carry nicknames like "Muscles," "Foghorn" or "Smiles" as commentaries on their physical features. 

The nicknames are frequently a source of good-natured fun and fellowship. But whether a Rotarian is addressed by a given first name or a nickname, the spirit of personal friendship is the initial step which opens doors to all other opportunities for service.  

The first motto of Rotary International, “He Profits Most Who Serves Best," was approved at the second Rotary Convention, held in Portland, Oregon, in August 1911. The phrase was first stated by a Chicago Rotarian, Art Sheldon, who made a speech in 1910 which included the remark, "He profits most who serves his fellows best." At about the same time, Ben Collins, president of the Rotary Club of Minneapolis, Minnesota, commented that the proper way to organize a Rotary club was through the principle his club had adopted-"Service, Not Self." These two slogans, slightly modified, were formally approved to be the official mottoes of Rotary at the 1950 Convention in Detroit- "He Profits Most Who Serves Best" and "Service Above Self." The 1989 Council on Legislation established "Service Above Self" as the principal motto of Rotary, since it best explains the philosophy of unselfish volunteer service.