WELCOME to the newsletter of the Rotary Club of Livonia AM. Our club meets weekly to socialize, discuss the needs of our community and the world around us, and take action to address those needs. Please consider visiting our club or joining us on a service project.

All Are Welcome!

Meeting Notice and Club News

Coming Up This Week

Club President Nancy Darga invites you to a Hybrid Zoom meeting scheduled for Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 7:30 AM.

This week, our speaker will be Kristin Houchins, Director of Communication, City of Livonia, Invocation by Rev. David Stechholz.

Kristin Houchins is currently the

Director of Communications for the City of Livonia, a position she has held since May 2017. She is recognized for her extensive experience in strategic communications, community engagement, and event management.

Churchill Interact Club Shares Its Success

April 22, 2026

The Churchill High School Interact Club visited the Livonia Mayor’s Office to present donation checks from their 2025 Touch a Truck proceeds. Beneficiaries included:

Livonia Robotics Team
Rebuild Rotary Park
Livonia Save Our Youth
Shelter Box
VT Seva
Livonia Fire Department
Livonia Police Department
Mounted Police – Wayne County

Since launching the Touch a Truck program in 2017, the Churchill Interact Club has consistently used the event to give back—demonstrating year after year how youth-led service can create meaningful, lasting impact in the community and beyond.

More Photos

Member News

Club Meeting Featuring Dave Zarek, President of the Livonia Lions Club

April 22, 2026

Environmental Month and Earth Day Reflection

It’s “Environmental Month,” and today is Earth Day.

Meeting Adventures & Fellowship

Today was an adventure. The Livonia Senior Wellness Center was closed when we arrived (without any communication to us), and after trying Sam’s (also closed), 14 of us enjoyed a breakfast at George’s Senate on Haggerty Road. No Pledge of Allegiance, but Dave Stechholz had a prayer of thanks to God for many things, including a great Rotary District 6400 Assembly last Saturday and Monday’s Churchill High School Interact Club honoring the graduating seniors with their stoles. We also asked the Lord for good weather for this Saturday’s Five Mile Road Clean-up service project. No Zoom.

Club Leadership and Guests

President Nancy Darga did her best to communicate while we snarfed down our nice breakfasts. She introduced guests Jackie Grahams (Livonia Rotary Noon Club) and Dave Zarek, President of the Livonia Lions Club, who had many good things to say. We celebrated our Lions & Rotary partnerships, including at the annual Livonia Corn Roast.*

District Assembly Highlights

It should be noted that at the District Assembly at the Plymouth Cultural Center our club had the most attendees of any Rotary club: 11! We had a super breakfast and learned a lot, especially in the three break-out sessions. These sessions included how to use AI effectively in Rotary clubs, enhancing the Rotary experience and membership through focusing on opportunities and networking, and flexibility (we got good at that today!). We can discuss what we learned and enjoyed more at our next Club Assembly.

At the District Assembly, the keynote speaker was the super-energetic Renée Dancy of the Detroit Rotary Club, motivating us on the theme “YOU Are A Difference Maker” and stating that we can create impact because we are connected. She even had us flapping our wings with the “butterfly effect.” (We have incriminating pictures of LAMRers flapping!).

From Dave Stechholz

*If you have never been to the local Lions Park – it’s long and thin but very interesting – in far SW Livonia off Joy Road on Stonehouse Ave., it’s worth a pleasant walk in the woods.

Road Cleanup

April 25, 2026

Our business is ‘picking up.’

On a gray, not-so-warm morning, this past Saturday, our club performed the first of three scheduled road cleanup events of the year.

After signing the log‑in sheet, volunteers were treated to a moralistic—and very humorous—story from Greg Greene about biodegrading materials and why litter pickup matters more than most people realize. With that inspiration, eight volunteers headed out on foot from the parking lot of Sam’s Restaurant, armed with bags, grabbers, and (in true Bill‑style) a camping harpoon.

The team covered Five Mile Road from Farmington to Merriman and back, collecting and bagging litter along the way.

Upcoming Club Meetings

04/29/2026 - Kristin Houchins, Director of Communication, City of Livonia, Invocation by Rev. David Stechholz.

05/06/2026 - Club Assembly, Invocation by Bob Carris.

05/13/2026 - Laura Mack, Director, Face Addiction Now (FAN), Invocation by Greg Greene.

05/20/2026 - Brian Yopp, Motor Cities Heritage Area, Invocation by Mike Ladwig.

05/27/2026 - Jack Smiley, Sibley Gardens, Invocation by Victoria Haltom.

Join Us

VISIT OUR CLUB IN PERSON

We meet at the

Livonia Recreation Center

32001 Five Mile Road

Livonia, MI 48154

Every Wednesday, 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM

ALL are Welcome!

Visitors and friends are welcome to sign on and participate with our meeting on ZOOM.

Please introduce yourself to the
group when recognized at the
start of the meeting.

Upcoming Events

05/01/2026 - District Conference at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Registration Details HERE.

05/15/2026, The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), Three-Day Camp Experience, at Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI, Registration Details HERE.

06/26/2026 - Livonia Spree Wine Tasting Event, Eddie Edgar Arena, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Details HERE.

06/30/2026 - Meet The Governor, Harrow, Ontario, 5:00 to 7:00 PM, Details to Follow.

11/12/2026 - District 6400 Foundation Dinner, Crystal Gardens, Southgate, 5:30 to 9:00 PM.

Upcoming Committee Meetings

06/15/2026 - Giving Committee Meeting via Zoom, 6:00 PM.

09/21/2026 - Giving Committee Meeting via Zoom, 6:00 PM.

12/21/2026 - Giving Committee Meeting via Zoom, 6:00 PM.

03/15/2027 - Giving Committee Meeting via Zoom, 6:00 PM.