Ice Cream Social at the Livonia Senior Center

September 18, 2024

Club members Victoria Haltom, Susan Paluchniak and Bob Carris volunteered their time serving up delicious ice cream at the Livonia Senior Center this past week.

Member Spotlight Featuring Dawn Magretta and Claude Kendrick

September 18, 2024

Claude Kendrick reported on the upcoming Kids Coalition Against Hunger meal packing event. At least 4,000 dollars in donations are needed to meet the event’s goal of number of meals to be packed and volunteers are still needed to do the packing. Individuals can volunteer or a pre-formed teams consisting of 13 people can volunteer. In any case bodies are needed to pack meals that day.

Tammy Bonifield reported that Touch-A-Truck took in gross revenue of $8,500. Claude reported that the Touch-A-Truck review meeting took place and all improvement suggestions were addressed. Bob Carris shared that next year’s Touch-A-Truck date is August 23, 2025.

The remainder of the meeting was spotlighting members Dawn Magretta and Claude Kendrick.

Dawn Magretta shared that she was inspired to become a member, 6 years ago, of the Livonia AM Rotary because she felt that this particular club’s members had special qualities. Her initial intuition was proven right when member’s reached out to her and provided support during difficult times. Dawn went on to talk about how supportive the

club has been by providing scholarships to Schoolcraft College students that has changed their lives. She discussed how other community colleges are funded in Michigan compared to other states.

Dawn ended by sharing that she is pursuing her Doctorate in Community College Leadership with Kansas State.

Past President Claude Kendrick (2023-24) shared snippets of his childhood growing up in Florida and how two neighbors, taking Claude and his brother to church, changed his life ​and helped him develop healthy behaviors. Both his parents were hard workers and they moved often due to his Father’s work. Claude outlined his business management career and success in improving Kentucky Fried Chicken, K-Mart, and Walmart’s business operations. Claude came to become a Rotarian when he met Pat while working for Sears and when he became in charge of allocating available money from Walmart and established beneficial ways to give back to the community. Becoming a Rotarian was a great fit for Claude since he has always been involved in volunteering and finding ways to contribute to his community. He briefly mentioned his wife’s 18 month program at Hannan House that helps women get their life together after coming out of the State system.



The meeting ended at 8:34 am.



Victoria Haltom

Visit Our Club in Person

We meet at the

Livonia Senior Center Complex

15218 Farmington Road

Livonia, MI 48154

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

All Are Welcome!

Phone Access Option (929)436-2866

Meeting ID: 924 328 2286

Password: 4waytest

Methodist Children’s Home Staff vs Residence Soccer Game and Victory Dinner

September 08, 2024

The Methodist Children's Home - Staff vs Residents soccer game was a huge success. Club member Dave Burton led a group of volunteers who joined forces with the MCHS staff to challenge the student team.

The score went back and forth until the students ultimately prevailed. Numerous club members were on hand to serve up a delicious Victory Dinner to the students, staff, and volunteers.

Special thanks to Tammy Bonifield who oversaw the meal prep, and Dave Burton who put the program together and coached the students for weeks leading up to the big game!

Livonia Westland Chamber of Commerce - Dan West CEO

September 11, 2024

President Dave Stechholz opened our meeting with a moment of silence in remembrance of 9/11 followed by the singing of O Canada to get us ready for the District Governor's visit on 9/25. Victoria Haltom gave a meditative reading on our purpose of life.

Rick Popa mentioned that The Moving Wall will be in Hamburg Twp on Merrill Rd. in Bennett Park on September 12th - 15th.

Thanks were given to all those who helped with the Corn Roast on Sunday. Also, happening at the same time was the Plymouth Rotary Chicken Dinner. 

Members have been busy collecting funds for the Spaghetti Dinner place mat sponsorship and for the KCAH meal packing event.

Tammy Bonifield said that she will bring the Lions Club eye glass box for used eye glasses to the meeting through September. Check your drawers for glasses and bring them to the meeting.



Erin Dobbins talked about the District Governor's Golf Outing at Lakes of Taylor on Monday, September 30th. They still need golfers.

The District Governor's official visit will be September 25th. Please arrive before 7:25.

Kurt Whitmore from Dearborn Heights Rotary talked about their golf outing on Sunday, September 22nd at Inkster Valley Golf Course.

Our speaker for today was Dan West, President and CEO of Livonia -Westland Chamber of Commerce. The Westland Chamber merged last year with the Livonia Chamber. They had an ageing building and had trouble finding a president for their Chamber. Westland wanted to keep their employees, keep some of their events and keep a physical precedence in Westland. They were able to do that with the merger. The Livonia-Westland Chamber now has 1200 members making it the 6th largest in the state. Business and Civic groups are what lead to change.

Development updates: 

The old K-Mart location on 7 Mile Rd has been approved for 102 town homes and a Meijer Fresh store. The old Jackson Center on Newburgh has been transformed into an early childhood center. The Brose lighting store on 7 and Newburgh will become a Learning Tree. The corner of Eight Mile and Newburgh will have a Sheetz gas station replacing a closed Rite Aid store. 

Auto Dealers along Plymouth Rd. have also seen a change. Penske Automotive Group bought Bill Brown Ford and Burton Manor. They plan to use the land at Burton Manor for car storage since they have been leasing land to store their cars on.

LaFontaine has just completed a major redo of their dealership. A new project will be coming on 7 Mile and Victor Parkway. There have been many discussions for this area in the past. A concept to build 100 town homes on a 61/2 acre site has been approved.



Hiring and restaurants have slowed. This seems to be the case just before a national election at the same time there are a lot of grand openings occurring in Livonia and Westland.

Susan Paluchniak

Livonia's Good Old-Fashion Neighborhood Corn Roast

September 08, 2024

What a fantastic day for a good old-fashioned corn roast! This year's event brought the Noon Club and the AM Club closer than ever, with both clubs setting up their tents side by side, fostering camaraderie and connection. The Livonia AM Rotary Club had incredible conversations with new and old neighbors, creating a welcoming atmosphere for all who attended.

Nonprofits from all over Livonia made the rounds, visiting each other and reinforcing the strong bonds within the community. Even with the event taking place in an election year and the climate highly politicized, our club stayed focused on what we do best: serving our community. We provided refreshing beverages to pair perfectly with the Lions Club's famous roasted corn, making for a delicious and memorable day.

A special shoutout to our dedicated Rotarians who made the event a success: Pastor Dave (our President), Mike Ladwig, Tammy Bonifield, Victoria Haltom, Susan Paluchniak, Eric Ladwig, Greg Greene, Sharon Pommerville, and Claude Kendrick. We were also proud to have Interactors Emily, Allison, and Shayna represent LAMR with enthusiasm and energy!

The day was filled with lively conversation, good food, and a shared commitment to making Livonia an even stronger community. Here's to many more events that bring us all together!

Claude Kendrick



Editor's Note: Love all the Rotary messaging on our group's clothing!

Club Assembly

September 04, 2024

The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Five members participated via Zoom, and seven people attended in person. Reverend David Stechholz gave an Invocation regarding the importance and lasting impact of “Kindness.”

A thank you card was received from the Drake family whose child was killed by a downed tree from the tornado that hit Livonia in June. It was reported that the rear of the house is being rebuilt. The Mother is still in a wheelchair and recuperating from her surgeries.

Reverend Dave asked us to read the District 6400 newsletter, which talks about Sylvia Whitlock from California, who brought a case to the Supreme Court in 1987, which ruled that U.S. Rotary Clubs cannot exclude women from membership on the basis of gender. Sylvia became the first female president of any Rotary Club in July 1987. She will be a speaker at the District Conference in Windsor (May 2025). It is a chance in a lifetime to meet this remarkable individual.

Volunteers are needed for the District Governor's Golf Outing on September 30, 2024, at Lakes of Taylor. The Rotary Clubs of Livonia AM and Taylor are sponsoring this outing. Please contact Bill Friske for more information.

On October 3, 2024 the Livonia AM Rotary Club is being inducted into the Livonia Hall of Fame. Bill Joyner nominated our club. The event will be held at the Rosedale Park Presbyterian Church on 9601 Hubbard at 7:00 pm. Let’s show our appreciation for this honor with a large attendance.

The Legacy Dinner to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation to sustain the eradication of Polio worldwide will be held on November 21, 2024, at Crystal Gardens in Southgate. The keynote speaker is David LaMotte, who studied International Relations, Peace, and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, through a Rotary World Peace Fellowship. As a polio survivor, says Nancy Darga, I find it reassuring that the effort to eliminate this crimpling disease from daily life is building a sustainable model through the Foundation.

The Soccer Camp Dinner for the Methodist Children's Home is scheduled for Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at 4:00 PM for the game and 5:00 PM for the dinner. Players are needed to help fill in for a shortage of staff members to play. Please call Dave Burton (248) 921-7980.

Some of the topics mentioned:

1. Make the first-year membership lower in price.
2. Establish a membership price that rises through 3 years to the final level.
3. Develop an elevator speech.
4. Ask the person you want to invite, “What interests you.”
5. Investigate what other clubs are doing.
6. Wear your Rotary pins with pride everywhere to encourage interest.
7. Talk about results and friendships.
8. Invite folks to volunteer at events, so they grow into membership.

Please check the posted schedule for sub-committee meetings. Membership, Spaghetti Dinner, Peace Initiative).

Nancy Darga

Touch A Truck Recap

August 28, 2024

The meeting began at 7:32 a.m. with President Dave Stechholz's historical remarks on the Fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D., followed by the singing of our National Anthem and O Canada. Dave also provided the Invocation.

The group was anxious to talk about the success of Touch-A-Truck and the record breaking attendance of over 10,000 people that brought in estimated donations of $8,000.00. Don’t miss Bill’s great collection of pictures from the event in the newsletter and on our website. Some issues were brought up; such as the need to provide seating in the shade for seniors and people with disabilities. In general, volunteers commented on how well everything went. There will be a debriefing meeting scheduled to discuss in detail what worked well and what can be improved for the next Touch-A-Truck. If you were not part of the planning committee but volunteered for the event and would like to share your experience or suggestions for improvements, you can put them in writing and submit them to Claude Kendrick by Email.

Unfortunately, the Children's Methodist Home soccer game and picnic was cancelled due to severe weather in the area on August 27. Please note that the event has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 11 with the game at 4:00 pm and dinner at 5:00 pm. Please resign up for this event so we know who is coming.

Today’s speaker, Paul Shepich, Retired Superintendent of Clarenceville Schools was unable to make it. Pres. Dave used the extra time to discuss up-coming club events: Corn Roast, Road Clean-up, District Governor’s visit and Golf Outing, and to focus on the Spaghetti Dinner placemats fundraiser. This year there will be 3 placemats to offer more opportunities for groups and individuals to support this worthy cause at $150.00 per spot. Rotary members need to reach out and contact businesses and individuals to fill all the available spots on the placemats. Co-Chair Deanna Gaffney will be passing out Spaghetti Dinner flyers at the State Fair this weekend. Co-Chair Tammy Bonifield is in charge of food and is working on better signage for advertising the event at the church. One thousand Spaghetti Dinner flyers were given out at Touch-A-Truck and will be given out at the Corn Roast. There are no hard tickets for the dinner, purchase of tickets is done using a QR code. Rotary members are still expected to bring desserts. Now all we need is an accordion player to set the mood!

Victoria Haltom

Clarenceville Cooler Project

August 22, 2024

Claude Kendrick was joined recently by club members Sharon Pommerville, Susan Paluchniak and Rev. David Stechholz, along with Veronica Cruz (Breaking Barriers) to assemble shelving for the Clarenceville HS cooler project.  

Touch A Truck: A Community Triumph in Livonia

August 24, 2024

This past Saturday, the Livonia AM Rotary Club and the Churchill High School Interact Club teamed up to deliver an unforgettable experience for families in our community. The "Touch a Truck" event was more than just a display of vehicles—it was a testament to the power of collaboration, community spirit, and shared joy.

The event was nothing short of spectacular. Families were treated to a remarkable lineup that included food trucks offering delicious treats, helicopters that soared above us, and cutting-edge robotics displays that fascinated both young and old. The Boy Scouts were there in full force, alongside electric vehicles, horses, Jeeps, a police dog, fire trucks, and a variety of emergency vehicles, each manned by dedicated teams ready to engage with curious minds. Among the many attractions, the school bus stood out as a clear favorite. It might seem simple, but the joy it brought to children was unmatched.

Adding to the excitement were five breathtaking flyovers by a B-25 Bomber, a spectacle that left everyone in awe. Every child who attended went home with a free Hot Wheels car, a small but thrilling memento of the day. The smiles on the faces of kids and parents alike were the true measure of the event's success.

This day wouldn’t have been possible without our incredible volunteers. From corporate partners who brought their trucks and stayed to help kids climb in and out, to those who collected generous donations, managed safety, assisted with parking, and more—their dedication was the backbone of this event.

Volunteers also played crucial roles in setup, cleanup, and capturing the day’s memories through photography. They shuttled guests from off-site parking, administered first aid, and ensured that volunteers stayed refreshed with coffee, doughnuts, homemade cookies, pop, water, and brownies.

We also had the privilege of hosting various non-profit organizations, each committed to causes like fighting cancer, addressing mental stress, promoting eye health, and supporting higher education. Their presence highlighted the broader mission of our event—fostering a strong, supportive community for the children and families of Livonia and surrounding areas.

None of this would have been possible without our sponsors, who came through in a big way. Their support underscored the importance of family time, which was at the heart of this event.

Touch a Truck was more than just an event; it celebrated what we can achieve when a community comes together. To everyone who volunteered, participated, and supported this initiative—thank you. You’ve shown that when we work together, we can create something truly special. Good Job! Touch a Truck committee!

Claude Kendrick

Touch A Truck Organizing Committee

Fellow Livonia A.M. Rotary, Churchill High School Interactors, and other Friends and Volunteers:

Bravo! Maxima bravo!  Touch-a-Truck 2024 is in the books, with a record of over 10,000 in attendance. Most importantly, you touched the lives of many children, families, other volunteers, "truck" participants, police and fire and vendor folks, and more. Many, many thanks. I hope some of you didn't get too sunburnt.  

Numerous pictures will soon be posted, including on our Rotary website. From the early morning - just after 7:30 a.m. - till the last helicopter took off around 3:00 PM, a grand day. The Lord God blessed us with very good weather and great cooperation. You are to be thanked and commended.  Emily, Allison, Shana, and Rachel, please convey our praise for your Interact Club on an outstanding fund-raiser, community project; your tremendous organization, to great detail and flexibility to adapt to make Touch-a-Truck run even more smoothly is to be commended. Look for more pictures and details (on our website), in Musings, and hopefully on a few websites.

Rotary service,

Rev. Dave Stechholz

Hello! I would like to say thank you to all who helped at and attended our event this weekend! We are so beyond grateful for each and every one of you. We had a great turnout, set a new attendance record, welcomed new vehicles, and had so much fun! 

Allison, Lauren, Shana, Gretje, Rachel, and I will be graduating and heading off to college this spring. We are all honored to have spent the past two years planning and coordinating Touch-A-Truck.

We are so proud of how far we have come, growing and improving the event, and we will be sure to leave you in good hands with the rest of this year’s planning committee: Oviya, Reyhan, Nithin, and Angel. 

Once again, thank you so much for all you do.

Sincerely,

Emily Davis 

Livonia 75th Anniversary - Jim McConnell

August 21, 2024

Dave Burton mentioned the Staff vs. Residents Soccer Game and BBQ Victory Dinner on Tuesday, 8/27, at the Methodist Children's Home on 6 Mile Rd in Redford. All members are invited. The game starts at 4:00, and dinner is at 5:00. Dave asked if the club could have some of the soccer balls to give to the kids.

Churchill HS Interact students; Emily Davis, Allison Pritula, and Shana Talmon gave an overview of Touch A Truck. More trucks have been added this year. Hospitality tent is new this year as a place for Rotary members to take a break from working. The Robotics team from Farmington will be in attendance along with a maze which will be towards the West entrance. All morning shift volunteers need to be in place by 8:00 AM, this means you need to be checked in and in your spot by 8:00 AM. T-shirts were passed out to volunteers at the meeting.

Jim McConnell, our speaker, was happy to announce that the Livonia Historical Society is now a 501C3 organization as of a couple of weeks ago. The handout he gave us included information on the society. When Livonia was developed, it was developed into 36 sections, each 6 miles by 6 miles.

In 1881 Dennison Palmer purchased the south east corner of section one followed a few months later by William Woodridge, who purchased the adjoining quarter section. This was in the Newburgh Church area. Woodridge later became Governor of Michigan and a US Senator.

On May 23, 2025, the City of Livonia will celebrate its 75th anniversary

The historical society was started in 1956 with 10 members. In 1962 the City purchased the area called Quaker Acres which is where the old K-Mart stood. The Society has gone up and down in membership but now is doing well with the latest membership of 87. There will be another cemetery walk, this time at Union Cemetery on 6 Mile.

Bentley HS ground breaking was 1945 and the final graduation class was in June1985. The school was demolished in 1999 with the City purchasing the land for the Rec Center which opened in 2003.

A marker from the State has been in the works and will be installed on September 15 at 2:00 at the Rec Center.

Susan Paluchniak

School Night at the Tigers 2024 at Comerica Park

August 16, 2024

Club member and Schoolcraft College Foundation Chair Dawn Magretta organized a night out to watch the Detroit Tigers. This was an opportunity to enjoy an evening out with our club and the Schoolcraft College community.

Dawn was joined by fellow club members Sharon Pommerville, Mike Ladwig, Dave Stechholz (with Janet and Andrew), Claude Kendrick (with Jeanine, Syndi, and Jordan), and Bill Friske (and Rose).

Rotary Youth Exchange - PDG Roberto Sanchez

August 14, 2024

President Dave Stechholz opened the meeting at 7:32 a.m. Mike Ladwig gave the Invocation.

President Dave reminded members that August is “Membership and New Club Development Month.” He also called attention to an article in the current Rotary Magazine written by Richard Kyle, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name.” The article discusses increasing membership in Rotary.

Bob Carris reported that there will be 78 trucks at “Touch a Truck” and that $7,200 has been collected from sponsorships. Thanks to the work of Bob Carris, we also have access to additional parking for overflow at a local hotel. Volunteers for the event are to show up at 8:00 am.

A report was given that the vandalized signs at the library's outdoor book trail have been replaced. This project was sponsored by the LAMR Club, and everyone was happy that the city repaired the little park despite currently developing a new master plan for the Library grounds.

President Dave reminded the club that District Governor Nick Krayacich will attend our meeting on September 25, 2024, and we may want to offer him a golf outing after the meeting.

Matt Collins, the past District Governor of the Livonia Lions Club, attended the meeting and discussed the KCAH Meal Packing Event in October. The Lions Club made a $1,000 donation to support the event. He acknowledged the great partnership between our Rotary Club and the Lions Club and looked forward to continued joint projects. He also pointed out that the Lions Club will be doing vision tests at the Touch a Truck event.

PDG Roberto Sanchez, Past District Governor and Member of Rotary Club of Dearborn, was the special guest speaker at the meeting. He talked about the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. He retired as the CFO of Spiro Tex Technologies and currently serves on the District 6400 Finance Committee. He and his wife have sponsored 27 exchange students. He pointed out that the “District” regularly hosted 30 students yearly. Currently, there are only three. He complimented LAMR in upporting an outgoing student, Maria.

He shared that his children were involved in the Youth Exchange Program. He is expecting a visit from a former student from France who will stay for three weeks, whom he sponsored 50 years ago. Some of these students become like family.

The program operates as follows: A family that hosts a student does so for three months. The sponsoring club gives the student a monthly stipend. Students are 15 to 18 years old. Roberto felt that any student involved in the Youth Exchange Program is impacted in a way that widens their appreciation and acceptance of different cultures. He felt that if more students participated, we would grow closer to “World Peace.”

Nancy Darga

Club Assembly

August 07, 2024

President Dave Stechholz opened the Club Assembly meeting. It began with singing from the Rotary songbook Alouette, America the Beautiful, and ended with Happy Birthday to Bob Carris and Bill Friske.

An Invocation titled "Hope" was given by Greg Greene. See Greg's text HERE.

President Dave provided a detailed printed agenda for today’s meeting and was pleased that 17 members were in attendance.

Under Major Goals, ongoing projects and ideas for future projects were reviewed. Emphasis was placed on Membership Development and how to engage the younger generation. Further discussion about how to grow the club’s membership needs to happen outside regular club meetings.

Under Additional Goals, President Dave reiterated the idea of forming a committee to help celebrate Livonia’s 75th Anniversary and for all Rotary members to be present for the District Governor’s official visit, followed by a Board meeting on September 28th.

Committee reports were given by Tammy Bonifield (Treasurer's Report) and Bill Friske (Giving Committee).

Tammy explained how money is allocated for the Giving Committee's Legacy Grants on a yearly basis. She also alerted members that invoices for payment of club dues were sent out. Included in that invoice is a breakdown of how member’s dues are allocated. Total annual dues are $350. $82 dollars of those dues goes directly to the Livonia AM Rotary Club and generally covers coffee and donut expenses.

Nancy Darga requested that Tammy provide a breakdown of operating expenses.

Ideas for how to cover operating expenses will be discussed at the next Club Assembly meeting.

Claude Kendrick brought up the idea of fundraising to cover the giving of yearly Legacy Grants, and that payment of dues could be divided into quarters to make if more affordable for new members.

Bill Friske reported on two grant applications. Club members voted to accept the committee's recommended outcome and grant $1,000 for sewing machines for Africa. The Committee denied the Japanese Alternative School's grant request.

Erin Dobbins reported on the upcoming District Governor’s Golf Outing on September 30th. Our club is the title sponsor and also co-hosting this event. There is a need for volunteers. This event is a great way to build membership. The goal is to recruit 144 golfers, and the fundraising goal is to raise $25,000. If a Rotary member only wants to attend the dinner, the cost is $60.00, and dinner will be served once all golfers have completed the course. Erin also mentioned the Peace Pole Initiative and is hoping to collaborate on this project with the Livonia Noon Club and the Garden City Club.

Additional reports included Bob Carris (Touch a Truck). Touch a Truck still needs an overflow parking area.

The Cooler Project is waiting for shelves to be delivered and installed.

Donations are being sought for the KCAH Meal Packing Project on October 12th.

There will be an opportunity to reach new member candidates at Livonia's Good Old-Fashion Neighborhood Corn Roast on Sunday, September 8th.

Victoria Haltom

Member Spotlight - Featuring Sharon Pommerville

July 31, 2024

Our last meeting started with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an Invocation by Victoria Haltom. Victoria shared an insightful list of ways "one can acknowledge blessings." See her text HERE. It was followed by the usual Happy Bucks, quite a few, for the wonderful club picnic on Tuesday evening. Some members had happy bucks for vacations they just came back from or vacations coming up. 

Upcoming events: Next week, there is a Club Assembly, and the Tigers game is on August 16th. Claude has two tickets available.

Touch a Truck, on August 24th, has 67 trucks already.

The Cooler project is doing well. Last week, the cooler was assembled, and electrical work was done. We will build shelves on Friday at 10:00 AM at the school. It will most likely take an hour. This is a $30,000 project that the club found sponsors for. Well done, members!

Bravo to the Interact Club for getting sponsors to send $6,000 to ShelterBox. 

Today's Member Spotlight featured Sharon Pommerville, a founding member of our club and the first female member admitted to District 6400. Clarenceville Rotary holds our club's charter.

Sharon was born in Detroit. Her Mother was a homemaker, and her father was in the Air Force. She has two brothers and studied vocal music in school. At a young age, she sang as a soloist at Redford Methodist Church and the Redford Presbyterian Church. She spent one year in College and then came home and worked at a local beauty shop at 5 Mile and Beech Daly. 

Sharon got married and moved to Farmington, where she led a Girl Scout troop. They moved to Livonia when her husband started a business building homes. Sharon worked in the office of their business. One of their homes, a ranch style home, is near Clarenceville H.S. 

Sharon is very proud that her second daughter has a nontraditional job for women: she is a conductor on a train in Missouri, a position that she has held since she was 16 years old. (She is currently 45.) The train goes out for 12 hours, then rests for 8 hours and then turns around and goes back 12 hours. 

Sharon has held various jobs along the way. A bonus of working these jobs is meeting different people.

Sharon started working at the Masonic Theater as a head usher in 2010 and also at the Fox from 2019 to 2024. She has been working at Ford Field since 2011.

Susan Paluchniak

Club Picnic at Rotary Park

July 30, 2024

Our club turned out in large numbers for a terrific club picnic at Rotary Park this past Tuesday. We enjoyed good food, great friends, and a few games of cornhole. Best of all, there were no speeches!

"Pat Zucal did a great job setting up the tables, starting the charcoal, plus cooking great hamburgers and brats." - Susan Paluchniak 

We were joined by some of our friends from the Livonia Noon Club and the Churchill HS Interact Club.

Thank you to everyone who brought food and desserts (and adult beverages) to share.

Soccer Goals for MCHS

July 29, 2024

Club members Nancy Darga (with grandsons Emmett and Winston Wrobel), David Stechholz, Mike Ladwig, and Claude Kendrick, led by David Burton, met up today to build two new soccer goals donated to the Methodist Children's Home Society.

Creating Habitats for Pollinators

July 24, 2024

Opening: The President, Reverend David Stechholz, opened the meeting, reporting on his vacation to see his son and visiting the Red River Valley. He sang a song of the same name. There were four Zoomers and ten in-person members participating in the meeting.

After the pledge of allegiance, Reverend David, led an invocation and asked that civility prevail in this year’s presidential election.

During Happy Bucks, David Burton shared some words of wisdom. “Do not let yesterday use up today. What you do today makes up all your tomorrows."

Successful Grant Applications! Thanks were given to the Grant Committee for securing several grants.

1. The District Community Matching Grant was awarded to LAMR for $2,500 to purchase children's car seats for the AAA Pregnancy Center in Livonia.

2. The Make Miracles Happen Collaborative Grant Program from the Rotary Foundation awarded $10,000 towards the FOSA Ghana Incubator. This grant was matched by four clubs at $2,000 each and the remaining $2,000 was donated by Kim Sparrow, the champion of the project.

Bob Carris reported that he found a former Rotary Club Member, Richard Nkosu, who agreed to take the “Ultrasound Machine” the club purchased to Cameroon.

This was great news because after Dr. Stanley died, there was concern that we did not have the means to get the machine to the clinic that needed it.

Methodist Children's Home Soccer Update: Dave Burton reported that two new soccer goals were purchased by a sponsor he secured for the Children’s Methodist Home in Redford. He requested that members help him assemble the nets on Monday, July 29, 2024, at 4:00 pm. Bring simple tools like pliers, hammer etc. He will be starting the soccer classes beginning in August 2024 with the end-of-season hotdog and hamburger "Victory BBQ" on August 25th at 5:00 pm.

The Civic Library Storybook Project to repair vandalized signs was put on hold at the City's request. The city is developing a new Master Plan for the library's exterior and wants to delay investing in the current layout.

Special Speaker, David Hammond, Creating Habitats for Pollinators

presented on the progress of his group American Meadows who are dedicated to creating habitat for pollinators. He explained how pollinators are declining and they are vital to propagation of food crops and flowers. He pointed out that Monarch Butterflies have declined by 85%.

They are a non-profit organization. They sell wildflower mixes and advocate for reduction of lawns. He showed examples of plots they created in public parks in Canton and other cities. It costs about $3,000 per acre to secure the seed and establish a flower bed. These meadows have become a special places in the parks in that the flowers captivate visitors wedding and prom pictures. David hopes to introduce this concept of meadows into everyday features such as front lawns, roadsides and open lots. americanmeadows.com

Nancy Darga

Churchill HS Interact Club Earns Gold ShelterBox Hero Recognition

July 23, 2024

Thank You, Churchill Interact Club, for being a Gold ShelterBox HERO club.

A ShelterBox HERO is a Rotary Club that has committed to making an impact in worldwide disaster response by giving $1,000, $3,000, or $5,000 within the Rotary year.

HERO Clubs enable ShelterBox to have the resources and time to be ready when disaster strikes by allowing ShelterBox to purchase and pre-position aid in or near countries where we respond often, resulting in a more efficient and timely response.

There are three HERO levels: Bronze ($1,000); Silver ($3,000); and Gold ($5,000).

Adopt-A-Road Clean-Up Day

July 20, 2024

Our Club held its second road cleanup event on Saturday.

Through the Wayne County Adopt-A-Road program, LAMR recently “adopted” Five Mile Road from Farmington to Merriman.

The adoption responsibility involves three cleanup events per year. Litter is picked up and bagged on both sides of the street and in the median strip.

Time to Teach Trainer

July 17, 2024

The meeting was opened by former President Claude Kendrick until President-Elect Nancy Darga, arrived and took charge. Invocation was delivered by Bob Carris. 

Nancy shared that she spent a week in Washington, D.C., and experienced a renewed sense of appreciation for our nation and its ability to overcome significant challenges, both historically and in the present. She likened the 

foundation and purpose of our nation, “to serve the needs of its people,” to the foundation and purpose of our mighty Livonia AM Rotary—to serve wherever there is a need.  

Nancy reviewed how the Livonia AM Rotary is serving its community by the number of activities that are on the calendar for the rest of July through September. Bob is particularly excited that he has been able to secure three helicopters for the Touch a Truck event on August 24. This year, we will have the Army’s Black Hawk helicopter and two other helicopters, plus Claude mentioned that there will be 4 Silverado electric trucks present to provide shuttle service from the parking lot and be on display. 

Check out the Upcoming Events part of the newsletter for dates, times and to register for events you are able to participate in. 

Nancy is particularly looking forward to the Livonia AM Rotary picnic on July 30, where members will have time to socialize and become more bonded as Rotary club mates. 

Nick Middleton, the speaker for this meeting, presented the teacher’s professional development workshop created by the Center for Teachers’ Effectiveness called “Time To Teach Educational Trainer.”Nick opened his presentation by sharing the biggest challenge that teachers face: Classroom Management.

He talked about his first days as a new teacher and how much he struggled to find control and balance in the midst of chaotic student behaviors. He cited the problem as being that teaching degree programs rarely teach classroom management skills, and so Rookie teachers are clueless as to how to handle their students’ behaviors. This leads to many first-year teachers and other teachers experiencing early burnout and quitting the teaching profession. The "Time To Teach” one-day workshop provides teachers with strategies, techniques, and the support they need to learn effective classroom management skills.

“Time to Teach” has five basic beliefs: 1) The students need to know how much you care about them before they care about how much you know. 2) Conflict is an essential part of growing up and human development. 3) Behavior can be changed 4) Good behavior must be taught because students don’t know how to behave. 5) Good discipline is well-timed.

Nick also outlined five components of the workshop, starting with teaching teachers how to regulate their own emotions and behaviors. Nick stated that the workshop has effectively eliminated 90% of low-level behaviors that obstruct the ability of teachers to teach students subject content. The key is to manage the behavior first before content can be taught.

Nick has taught for 17 years and currently teaches music at Redford Union High School and also plays the trumpet.

Victoria Haltom

Club Assembly

July 10, 2024

The meeting was opened with the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag followed by a Invocation by Bob Carris. The club then did something new, we sang "America the Beautiful'' from the Rotary songbook. (Who knew that Rotary had an official song book?) The singing was so successful that it was decided to sing once a month.

The value of having a Club Assembly once a month was discussed as the attendance is down when we have an Assembly. Those present said they wanted to keep the present format of having an Assembly once a month.

Upcoming Events: July 20 Road Clean up. Need help. Meal Packing Event October 21 from 9:00 to 11:30 at St. Edith's Church, and the Club Picnic at Rotary Park, Pavilion #3 on July 30. Reminder that all events are listed at the end of the Club's newsletter along with signup information.

Tammy Bonifield presented the Treasurer's Report and discussion held on several items. Our club dues will remain the same. If anyone has any questions they are welcome to contact Tammy.

Information came out for District 6400 Governor Nominations. Our club has two members that qualify for nomination, Erin and Tammy.

Bill Friske gave the report of the Giving Committee, which approved grants for four organizations. These groups have all presented to us before.

Our president reported that Maria, our exchange student for 2025-2026, is excited and is starting to prepare for her year.

The Clarenceville cooler project was on hold while it was decided on the location of the door handle.That decision has been made so it is being installed.

Bob Carris' new address in Canton will be emailed to club members.

Dave Burton reported on the Methodist Children's Home Society soccer camp and picnic on August 24. Dave has a new assistant coach. He might need help assembling goal posts so be on the lookout for that information.

The meeting ended with Greg Greene's Dad Jokes.

Susan Paluchniak

Welcome To Our New Rotary Year

July 08, 2024

Welcome, my dear Rotary friends, to another new Rotary year, "our year," 2024-2025. I have much to share with you in our first meeting of the new year in our Club Assembly, so I hope you can make it in person or Zooming. Hopefully, you are having a great Summer. I'll see you Wednesday morning! Think about whom you may invite to our Rotary "breakfast" meetings in the weeks ahead.  

Rotarily,  Dave Stechholz  

P.S. There is no word "Rotarily."  I invented it a few years ago, but it never caught on. It is not in the Scrabble dictionary, but don't you think it should be?

Livonia Rotary Noon Club President Addresses Livonia AM

June 26, 2024

Our meeting opened with an Invocation by Mike Ladwig. Rounds of thanks were offered to outgoing Club President Claude Kendrick for a great year of Livonia AM Rotary leadership. Claude then gave the Club a big thank you for being allowed to serve us for the year.

Update on the Cooler project: Discussions on opening the door have delayed the final installation.

The Touch a Truck committee, led by Churchill HS Interact club members, has been meeting every two weeks at the Chamber of Commerce. The event will have more vehicles than last year. 

The first speaker was Jon Wennstrom, the outgoing President of Livonia (noon) Rotary. Claude gave a talk at the Noon Club so now was Jon's turn to address our club. Both club presidents stressed unity between the clubs. Jon said their Club has started a member spotlight each month with info about club members.

Jon reported that Starfish Family Services came to speak to the members, asking for 2500 diapers. He mentioned that sometimes a project can be small-scale, but the outcome is huge. He loves our newsletter by the way. Jon suggested that the clubs share newsletters to better support each other. The noon club currently has 33 members. The reverse raffle that the club used for a major fundraiser is gone forever due to the expense of renting the room. 

Presently, the club is doing a wine pull for its fundraiser. This is held in May. It started out with just one event, but now the club has two time slots for attendance, which has worked out well.

Carrie Budzinkski was our second speaker for the morning, speaking about Niji-Iro Japanese Immersion Elementary School. This is a Livonia Magnet School located at 36611 Curtis. Carrie enrolled her son when he entered kindergarten, which was the best time to start. The school is a 50-50 split, with math and science in English and the rest in Japanese. When the students are in 6th grade, they can take Japanese classes at Wayne State for credit. Classes are presented in both English and Japanese. 

The Niji-Iro school is a family commitment. School events tend to be elaborate, with music and  Japanese costumes. Some of the students perform at other Livonia Schools.

Carrie is asking for some funding for the after-school program /summer school. Our club gave money for library books when the school started. There are currently 250 students in the school. 

Susan Paluchniak

Meet the Governor Night

June 25, 2024

Club President Dave Stechholz took an international day trip to Canada to participate in the annual Meet The Governor Night hosted by the Harrow Rotary Club.

It was the 71st Meet the Governor Night. The attendees heard from now Past District Governor Russ Jones as he reviewed his year. Then they heard from now District Governor Nick Krayacich and heard about the Magic of Rotary.

Guests witnessed the traditional passing of the Governor's pins.

President Claude Kendrick Addresses Noon Club June 24, 2024

Club President Claude Kendrick and President-Elect David Stechholz attended yesterday's Livonia Rotary Noon Club meeting. Claude was the group's guest speaker. Likewise, Jon Wennstrom, the Outgoing President of the noon club, will speak at our meeting this week. Both clubs agreed to stay in touch to better understand what events are coming up that we can mutually support.

Rotary Park Clean-up

June 22, 2024

During the tornado-like winds and heavy rains that hit Livonia a few weeks ago, Rotary Park suffered severe damage. It took an army of caring people to tackle the branch clean-up. The volunteers, led by David Stechholz, arrived on Saturday to assist with the clean-up. Including spouses or family: There were (6) volunteers from LAMR, (9) from Livonia Noon, (3) from Canton, (4) from Dearborn / Heinz Park, (1) from Plymouth, and a couple of other volunteers—about 27 total. 

Tons of work with roots, raking, picking up of sticks and branches, and leveling.

Good work by about 27 or so Rotarians and spouses or family.  Larry Stephen's missionary son from Ecuador was one of them! 

David Stechholz

Wo Ye Bra Program

June 19, 2024

Claude Kendrick opened the meeting with the “Pledge of Allegiance,” and an Invocation by Bob Carris. Thirteen members attended the meeting in person, four by Zoom, and three of the attendees were students of the Churchill High School Interact Club, Emily Davis, Allison Pritula, Co-chairs of the club, and the Treasurer, Shana Talmon. They were enthusiastically welcomed. These students also attended the annual Installation Picnic at Tammy Bonfield’s cottage in the Irish Hills and met the new District Governor, Nick Krayacich. It is heartwarming to see the Interact Club so engaged. 

Announcements: The summer schedule is very busy with many opportunities to help out, have fun, and make new friends. Please see the calendar of events posted on the web site and newsletter. 

Rotary Park Clean Up: Saturday June 22, 2024 from 9:00 to 2:00 pm at the Rotary Park, Six Mile Road in Livonia.This park is where the tornado that passed through Livonia touched down, uprooting more than 50 trees and ripping the roofs off two picnic shelters. Bring rakes, shovels and gloves. Susan Paluchniak is organizing a pizza lunch on site at noon sponsored by Schoolcraft College through our member Dawn Margaretta. This event is being organized by both the AM and Noon Livonia Rotary Clubs and several members are joining the service project from the Plymouth, Canton, Northville, and Dearborn Heights Clubs. 

Meet the Governor: June 25, 2024. For 71 years, District 6400 has held a “Meet the Governor” gathering on the last Tuesday in June. This year, the Harrow Rotary Club of Canada is hosting the event. The incoming governor is Nick Krayacich of the LaSalle Centennial Rotary Club. The event will be at the Coachwood Golf and Country Club in Amherst. Tammy Bonfield is attending and encourages anyone willing to attend to contact her. 

Special Guest: Dr. Adrienne Booth Johnson, member of the Rotary Club of Detroit and founder of the “Wo Ye Bra” program in Greater Accra, Ghana, West Africa. Reverend Johnson started her presentation by thanking the Detroit Rotary Club for their support. She pointed out that she has been going to Africa for more than 20 years. Her program has been in Ghana for 7 years. The focus of the program is to empower women economically and socially by teaching them viable skills to become financially independent. Their program has helped 325 women start businesses in those years. Some are making jewelry, purses, and other products. 

Currently the “Wo Ye Bra Project,” teaches women to fabricate reusable sanitary pads to eliminate girls from missing school or work. She purchases sewing machines through a supplier in Africa. She has a team working in Ghana to run the program and provide instructional classes. Referrals are made through churches. Ghana is a democracy with 34 million people. Fifty percent of the population are women who earn a daily wage of $2.07. Half of the women population are under 25 years old. Life expectancy in Ghana is 69 years. Lifting women out of poverty is critical for the country. Women are still sold or traded in that country. 

Dr. Johnson gave each of the three Interact students attending the meeting a colorful purse made in Ghana. She laughingly told the group that something had told her to bring three purses, and now she knew why.

If you want to support the project, you can email or call at adrienneboothjohnson@gmail.com (404) 769-3457 woyebra.org.    

Nancy Darga

Annual Installation Dinner and Celebration at the Lake

June 15, 2024

My Dear Fellow Livonia AM Rotary Friends:

Thank you! I'm humbly honored to serve you as President of our LAMR club beginning July 1st. It was a wonderful Installation this past weekend at Tammy Bonifield's Irish Hills lake cottage. Weather, friendships, Gov. Nick, spouses, food & drink a-plenty, Tammy's honey, the pontoon ride on the lake!

Thank you, Tammy. And my thanks to Nancy Darga for being my successor as President-Elect. Bravo to Pat Zucal as Rotarian of the Year. Extremely well-deserved, Pat! And President Claude, what a year. You were tremendous. Well done, as our leader, dear friend. And with your family present! 

I'll miss all of you this Wednesday morning since Janet and I will visit our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild for four days in Las Vegas.

Rev. David Stechholz

Thank you, Rev. Dave and Rotarians. You are starting out of the gate really strong, Dave …… I love it!

Tammy, you and your family were wonderful hosts, as always, for our installation dinner. Our dinner is truly the best! It was an honor to have Dr. Nick at our installation Dinner. Already looking forward to next year. We should all think of an excuse for Tammy to host us again this season. Thanks for everything. 

I really understand how hard it is to pick “Rotarian of the Year” for our club. Pat, you were incredible this year with placemat design, coordinating all signage and printing, our Carnival, being a liaison with the other clubs and non-profits with communication, the Zoom tech team, you and Bill F., and your secret construction company, words of encouragement, I was introduced to a lot of people directly because of you and lastly taking on the fun Governor position. I was able to navigate quickly to help our club. 

I look forward to Dave, Nancy, and Erin taking us into the future. “The Magic of Rotary” begins July 1st. I want to thank everyone for helping me “Create Hope in the World.”

Yours in Rotary, Claude Kendrick

Livonia Civic Ballet

June 12, 2024

The meeting opened with a warm welcome to our newest member, Russell Bisinger, who received a hardy round of applause. Russell reported that he is two weeks away from obtaining his Masters in Project Management. Welcome to our Rotary Club, Russell!

Tammy Bonifield reminded members to check the Waze App before driving to her cottage to see what the traffic is like. She passed out maps and said she would park her car near the road with the Rotary AM flag attached. Look for the flag, as you can not see her road, which is a sharp right turn and then goes down the hill to the lake. Call if you get lost.

Pat Zucal reported that Corrine, the woman whose child died in the tornado that hit Livonia, is now in a wheelchair, and it is believed that she will be able to walk again. She needs extensive rehab and more surgeries.

Bob Carris' happy buck was for closing on his Condo in Canton. Victoria Haltom is happy that she will be attending our Installation Dinner at Tammy's cottage with her daughter. This is her first outing since her surgery.

Rotary Park suffered extensive damage after last week's storm. The Director of Parks & Recreation, Ted Davis, put out a call for help picking up small branches left after the big trees were cut up and removed. Information on this will be sent shortly via email. Dawn Magretta suggested that Schoolcraft College could bring meals for the workers. Stay tuned for information on the park cleanup.

Our club voted to purchase 10 trees to replace some of the downed trees. We will work with Ted Davis on the kind of trees needed. Pat will check where the Club can hold its picnic.

The club voted to give $500 to the Livonia First Responders Fund to help the family. We will check back with the family in 6 months to see if we can help with any current needs.

The Carnival did much better than last year! We await the final count. 

Scott Newell of the Livonia Civic Ballet Company was our speaker.

Scott thanked the Club for its recent donation to the ballet company.

In 1965, Jean Newell (Scott's Mother) opened Livonia's first ballet/dance studio. Through the years, the Ballet Company's focus has changed from performance-driven to educational. The company's roster represents six Livonia dance studios and four from neighboring cities.

Guest instructors come from nationally and regionally recognized companies to give workshops to students.The workshops include ballet, hip hop, jazz, and contemporary.

In 2023 the Livonia Civic Ballet Company joined The Friends of the Arts. They have given scholarships to dancers but have learned that they should give the scholarship money in increments to make sure the funds are used for dance. Scott reported that the only auditorium they can afford is Garden City. Livonia is very expensive.  

Susan Paluchniak

Club Assembly

June 05, 2024

President Claude Kendrick opened the meeting with his usual enormous smile, leading us into the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Invocation was given by Bob Carris, who talked about the "Blessings of Giving.” It was pointed out that the LAMR received another check in support of the “Cooler Project.” We are over our goal.

Happy Bucks was full of laughter as folks shared their personal experiences. Dave Burton challenged the group to identify who had said the famous quote, “Make a living by what you get. Make a life by what you give.” No one knew that it was from Winston Churchill. Claude shared a personal moving experience of helping a young woman move into “Hanna’s House,” a faith-based housing for women. This young woman had aged out of the foster care service and was on her own. When she entered the room set up for her at Hanna’s House, she was moved to tears, saying she had never had her own room. Claude shared that her emotional reaction made him see that he did not realize how blessed his life had been, wanting nothing growing up.

Soccer Camp: Dave Burton, as in the past, is starting up his soccer camp at the Methodist Children Home Society, a foster care facility for boys in Redford, Michigan. The camp will run every Tuesday night in August. Dave proposed that Tuesday, August 27, 2024, will be the group game with staff and the cookout sponsored by Livonia AM Rotary.

The set up will be at 5:00 pm. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved. Dave’s son, who usually helps out, is not available this year, and Dave is looking for an adult to help him with the boys; you do not need to know soccer.

New Member: Russell Bisinger, a former Rotary member of the Livonia afternoon club, was nominated for membership by Reverend Dave Stechholz. Russell has attended

the required three meetings and seems to be interested in being active in the club. The motion was seconded and unanimously approved.

The 2024 LAMR Carnival is underway at the Seven Mile site. The operation is going smoothly, as usual. We are fortunate to be able to use the Sears site once again. Nancy Darga suggested featuring pictures of the carnival. It was suggested to take night pictures showing the bright lights. Close-up pictures of kids having fun are preferred.

Golf Outings: The topic of how or should members’ participation be financially supported by the Rotary AM Club was discussed. Many non-profits have golf outings as fundraisers. Currently, members have to pay to participate. Should some of the cost be covered? It was recommended that this topic be discussed in full by the Giving Committee.

Look at the District 6400 newsletter; Claude Kendrick, our president, has included a letter of appreciation. Great job, Claude.

​

2024 Annual Installation Dinner and Celebration at the Lake. There will be an Open House, and ALL Members, Friends, and Families are encouraged to come out to the lake! Our get-together begins at 1:00 PM, the program starts at 5:00 PM, and dinner will be immediately following the program. For our newer members, the program consists primarily of thanking our outgoing President (Claude Kendrick) and the Board and swearing in our incoming President (Rev. David Stechholz) and the new Board. Hope everyone can make it.

Nancy Darga

Livonia AM Rotary Carnival Is A Wrap

May 30th - June 9th

Our annual carnival just completed its 11-day run. We had the usual mix of Michigan spring weather: hot, cool, sunny, and rainy. So, hopefully, our fundraiser crushed it. We should know the results sometime this week.

Passport to Safety

June 08, 2024

Livonia Passport to Safety Country's Largest Children's Safety Event

Club members Sharon Pommerville, Dave Stechholz, and Bill Friske, led by volunteer coordinator Susan Paluchniak, participated in Passport to Safety on Saturday.

The event looked and felt like Touch A Truck, but with an emphasis on teaching safety to children (and adults). Various stations dealt with Food Safety, Bike Safety, Cell Phone Safety, Weather Safety, K-9 Police Demonstrations, Distracted Driving, and more. A favorite station was manned by actual 911 Operators who coached the kids on how to call and speak with 911 during an emergency.

The Churchill HS Interact Club was represented by members; Rony Korab, Hayato Yamaguchi, Shana Talmon, Reyhan Khan, Nithin Ramkumar, and Kanav Sharma.

The event organizers posted a few short videos of the event. Check them out HERE.

Kids Coalition Against Hunger - Meal Packing Event

June 08, 2024

Club member Greg Greene joined several community volunteers, led by the Livonia High Nooners Lions Club, to help feed the hungry! The Kids Coalition Against Hunger provided the supplies, Madonna University graciously provided the facility, Lions Clubs International District 11A1 sponsored the event, and funding was provided by Lions Clubs throughout Wayne and Monroe Counties and many gracious donors.

The Lions Club offered special thanks to the Livonia AM Rotary Club and Northville Lions Club for their continued support and volunteers.

Member Spotlight

May 29, 2024

The meeting opened with excitement and joy on the cooler project funding and a great Career Day at Clarenceville with our two members, Rick Popa and Dave Stechholz, presenting programs for the students. Tammy Bonifield was very grateful for a new jet ski that will be in the lake for the June 15th installation at Tammy's lake cottage. Tammy provides the meat, but club members are to bring other dishes to pass at the dinner.

Member Spotlight: John Clay

John Clay grew up in Redford Township, then South Haven, and then back to this area. Went to Schoolcraft College, Western, Wayne State, and Michigan State. He graduated from Western with a Master's degree in Psychology.

John started as a prison Psychologist at Jackson Prison. From there, he was in charge of group homes in Central City Detroit. He then went on to be the Chief of Activity Therapy in Warren. There, he learned that all hospitals are not the same.

Another job took John to Livingston County where he was a Psychologist for all the group homes in the county for developmentally disabled students. About this time, he had a couple of kids and wanted to spend more time with them, so he changed jobs again. That's when he decided to work for schools because the hours and pay were better. John worked in Wayne Westland,  Dearborn, and Greenfield Village Schools. He retired from the school when his wife suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and he decided he had to take care of her. She now walks 6 miles a day! John tried various activities during retirement, such as glassblowing and welding.

John had back surgery in the fall and is still recovering, but getting stronger.

When asked by Claude what motivational technique he could share with us, he said to help people see what their strengths are and build from there.  

Member Spotlight: Nancy Darga

Nancy passed out short bio that she had from previous jobs. She was born in 1953 and contracted polio at 10 months. She was the 4th child of 5 . Her Mother is a first-generation American. Her Mother's family came to America when famine came to Italy. Since they were expert stone cutters and metalsmiths, they found jobs building tunnels in New York. Henry Ford brought them to work in his factories. Her Father's family came to the States on the second boat after the Mayflower.

Nancy was raised Catholic and went to East Catholic High School, but when Martin Luther King was assassinated, her family transferred her to Bishop Gallagher. Nancy went to Michigan State, where she graduated as a landscape architect. She went to work in South Chicago to work for Public Housing. Nancy came back to the Detroit area where she worked as Chief of Design for Wayne County Parks. She had some interesting events working there as the first woman architect. She will share some of those memories when she is "loose of tongue."

Nancy got laid off when the county did not have funds, but that opened Nancy up to a job with Disney(where she always wanted to work). This was to work for Disney in Japan. She lived in the British Embassy and worked with an animator who had worked previously with Walt Disney. The animator shared great insights on what it was like to work for Disney.

Nancy came back to Detroit because her job became available and invited Michael Darga to the first Rogue River rescue that she had organized. He fell in the river and she fell in love. She worked for Northville City Council for 12 years. Nancy has volunteered and worked for many organizations in Northville but also finds time to participate in Livonia Rotary.  

Susan Paluchniak

Source of Universal Love

May 22, 2024

How We Touch Other Lives in What We Do 

Club President Claude Kendrick opened the meeting with the “Pledge of Allegiance.” Fourteen attended in person, three on Zoom. Special guests were Ginger B Wiechers, our presenter from Source of Universal Love (SOUL), and Russell Bisinger, a supporter. 



The invocation was done by Mike Ladwig, who gave thanks for the divinity source for universal love. Happy Bucks was collected by Sharon Pommerville, the Sargent of Arms, now that she is recuperating from her shoulder surgery. She received applause for getting “Back in the Saddle Again.” 

Announcements:

Mike Ladwig reminded members that the Female Products Drive for high school kids is coming to an end, and to please get donations to the senior center by next week.

Raffle tickets for the Westland Rotary Club Fund Raiser were offered for $20.00. The prize is a private box at the June 22, 2024, Tiger Baseball game. Claude has the tickets for those wanting one. 

Volunteers are needed at the Passport to Safety event on June 8, 2024, 10:00 – 2:00 PM. There will be 10 safety stations featured at the Livonia Police & Fire Stations at the Livonia Civic Center. Find event information HERE. Volunteer and enjoy the children learning to be safe.  Volunteer signup information is HERE.

Thank you letters were received from Janice Newsome Memorial Scholarship awardees Hannah Woods and Ava Bell. Their letters were read out loud, and their thoughtful comments meant a lot to the members. A thank you letter was also received from Shelter Box USA (A Rotary International’s Project Partner) for the club donation of $6,000 to their Shelter Box Project. As a result, the club was awarded a “Hero Award.” Our Club is now listed at ShelterBoxUSa.org/HERO.

The Livonia Symphony Orchestra also sent a heartfelt thank you letter for the club’s continued support. Victoria Haltom, Susan Paluchniak, Larry Stephens, and Claude Kendrick reported on the concert they attended and remarked on how enjoyable it was. They encouraged all to attend. 

Career Day at Clarenceville was a success. Reverend Dave participated as one of the career vendors featuring religious service. He stated that the event was well-organized and impactful for the students. 

The Livonia Noon Club Wine Pull event was attended by Claude and Reverend Dave. There was a fun-filled description of the event, the raffle tickets, and the wine that each of the members who went won.

The Livonia AM Rotary Carnival event was approved by the Livonia City Council. Applause was heard from the news. ​

The Braille Enhanced Story Walk follow-up: Sharon Pommerville reported on her follow up efforts on the vandalism of stanchions along the walk behind the library. She reminded the club that LAMR installed the braille enhanced “Story Walk,” in 2018 within the Nature Nook Area behind the library. The project was a group project with Michael Sas, an Eagle Scout and Seedling Braille Books for Children.

The project was championed by the past club president, Jeff Adams. Karen Smith, a librarian, informed Sharon that the stanchions were damaged last October, and they have not been able to post a story since then. The city is looking into installing video security cameras in the area. Prices are being solicited for their replacement. 

SOUL was the featured service organization presented at the meeting. Ginger B Wiechers, the founder explained that SOUL stands for “Source of Universal Love.”

The 501(c) (3) has operated for 20 years. They have a resource center at 23030 Mooney St., Suite A, Farmington, MI 48332. They do estate sales as part of their funding method. They are also on Amazon Wish List. They provide help to those in need with furniture, connections to rides to work, food, education, and counseling. SOUL gets referrals through several churches. They also provide help to pets of their clients.

Ginger gave an example of one of the individuals they are assisting. This young man was referred to them after his Mom was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. His father is already deceased, and the teenage boy is struggling to run the house and pay medical bills. They are supporting him both with counseling and physical assistance. Ginger pointed out that they are oftentimes helping families deal with the end of life of a loved one.

She asked us, “Do you have your life in order?" Have you documented your intentions for those you are leaving? Do you live today as if it is at the end of life?” She suggested we listen to Mathew West song “What If.” Russell Bisinger testified on how helpful the organization is to families and individuals that hit an unforeseen setback. They currently help around 1000 to 1200 families. They are always in need of toilet paper, diapers, laundry soap, small appliances. More information is available at their website sourceofuniversallove.com or call (248)957-6078.

Nancy Darga

Livonia Civic Chorus Concert

May 19, 2024

The Livonia Civic Chorus Event was very well choreographed and produced. All the songs were songs that were Hits in their own time! I could sing along to every one of them. The theme was “I write the songs”. Basically, meaning the songwriters were singers as well. Larry Stephens, Victoria Haltom, and President-Elect David Stechholz (with son Andrew and wife Janet) are all members of this finely tuned Chorus. They sang 17 songs.

The directors, Jeff and Kimberly Swan are finishing up their last year as leaders of this busy Chorus. Honorable mention to the Five musicians that played along side them. This was a real treat to attend!

Claude Kendrick

Clarenceville High School - Career Day

May 17, 2024

I represented our LAMR. It was from 12:30 to 2:30, with four half-hour sessions. Mine were smaller because youth don’t think in terms of “Professional Church Work Careers” till their college years. Nevertheless, I had nine interested young people during each of my four sessions - 1, 1, 4, and 3, all well-mannered. The four boys were a riot.

Paul Shepich mentioned in passing our LAMR’s $30,000 cooler project, which one of the senior staff called hugely “transformational” for Clarenceville. With great thanks to LAMR!!

I got a few pictures. I was in Mrs. Adam’s Science Classroom. I met a couple of the 25 or to presenters. Many careers were featured. This is a truly fine program. Bravo, Clarenceville!

Rev. David Stechholz

Awareness of Human Trafficking

May 15, 2024

Would you believe it? 22 members were in attendance, including 3 Zoomers and 19 “live,” including four guests: Rev. Chad Parmalee and Russ Bissinger (invited again by this scribe), Trey Greene (who noted his brother Greg’s absence!), and today’s speaker, Therese Maggioncaldra, who was the Program Chair of DisCon 2024 (District 6400's Annual Conference). LAMR President Claude Kendrick chaired another great LAMR Meeting, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance and Words of Inspiration on supporters by Victoria Haltom. Tammy Bonifield did the rounds for “Happy Bucks.” Tammy also presented everyone with a beautifully decorated Rotary cupcake (tasty!!) to celebrate our Livonia A.M. Rotary Club’s 36th birthday on May 17th. Thanks, Tammy! It was noted that the Club did a great job on our first “Adopt-a-Road” clean-up project on Five Mile Rd. on Saturday, May 11th, with excellent Churchill Interact participation. 

Upcoming Events: 



Passport to Safety - Saturday, June 8th, 10:00-2:00 PM; volunteers come at 9:15 AM to the Livonia Police Station, a service project to help our children, youth, & families.

LAMR Evening Picnic at Rotary Park - Wednesday, June 12th, 5:00-ish, Rotary Park, Pavilion #1. More details to follow. Many thanks to Pat Zucal for arranging this!

LAMR Annual Installation Party at Tammy Binofield's lake cottage in the Irish Hills - Saturday, June 15th, 1:00 PM or when you arrive. Bring swimsuits. Golfers, come in the morning; non-golfer spouses can hang out with Tammy. Bring a bottle and a dish to pass. An added treat: District Governor-Elect Dr. Nick Krayacich, Rotary’s first-ever “First Gentleman” and husband of PRIP Jennifer Jones, will install President-Elect Dave Stechholz and other Club officers around 5:00 PM.



Clarenceville High School Cooler Project:

President Claude announced three big checks have come in for our “Cooler Project” at Clarenceville HS. We are under $4,000 toward meeting our goal of raising $30,000. Keep making an “ask,” and thanks to all who have participated, donated, or made an “ask.” 

Awareness of Human Trafficking:

Therese Maggioncaldra, our Speaker and President-elect of the Passport-to-Safety Club, did an outstanding job presenting on a difficult subject: Human Trafficking. Therese is a gerontology social worker and is involved with our own Erin Dobbins in Rotary’s peace initiatives (one of the seven areas of focus in Rotary). Sadly, human trafficking occurs right here in SE Michigan and worldwide. People, often youth and children, who have been caught up in this trafficking have been lured into a horrible life of bondage or servitude. Human trafficking includes labor trafficking, domestic servitude, debt bondage, and, notably, sex trafficking. It is dehumanizing. “Human trafficking” is the second largest criminal enterprise, second only to drug trafficking. What makes it human trafficking?: fraud, coercion, force, and lack of consent.

Therese showed a compelling video of young people, especially those who were caught up in “human trafficking” against their will. Often, they trusted someone who drugged them or suddenly took advantage of them in a vulnerable state. We were encouraged to report to the police any instances we may see of what might be human trafficking; the police will at least investigate and, in many cases, rescue an individual who has been forced into human trafficking. This was an engaging program, so we closed without our usual Rotary Four Way Test and Greg Greene jokes.

Rev. David Stechholz

Adopt-A-Road Cleanup Day

May 11, 2024

Livonia AM Rotary Is In Road Cleanup Mode!

On April 27th, the Rotary Club of Livonia A.M. held its very first road cleanup event.

LAMR recently “adopted” Five Mile Road from Farmington to Merriman through the Wayne County, Adopt-A-Road program.

The adoption responsibility involves 3 cleanup events a year where litter is picked up and bagged.

This inaugural event, which involved 15 LAMR club members, Churchill Interact club members, and friends, was held at Nehasil Park.

Participants met for coffee, orange juice, and donuts, organized, and socialized under the club's gazebo.

Policing both sides of the street and the median strip, the group split into two teams, one on each side, and did the job in a little over an hour.

Everyone met back at the gathering point, the beautiful Larry Nehasil Memorial Park.

Thank you to the LAMR club cleanup committee, Susan Paluchniak, John Clay, Steve Alexander, and Eric Ladwig.

Next cleanup event in July - Please stay tuned.

Greg Greene

Livonia First Citizen 2024 - Holli Kerkhof

May 08, 2024

Our meeting opened with a Prayer and Pledge of Allegiance led by Bob Carris, dressed in his prince outfit and hat from his time in Cameroon.

Russell Biesinger, a guest of Reverent Dave Stechholz, was visiting our club. Welcome, Russell, we hope to see you again at our club.

President Claude Kendrick asked members who attended the District Assembly on April 27th in Windsor for feedback. Tammy Bonifield said she had a lot of people in her workshop for club treasurers. There was also a workshop that dealt with ''why people come to the club and why they stay there". It was brought up that there was a lot of material on the main Rotary.org site. Scroll to the learning center to access this information. It was discussed that each club is expected to raise $1400 this year towards the Polio Eradication effort. Our club exceeded that amount last year because of the spaghetti dinner this past Fall.

District Conference in Grand Rapids, May 3rd-5th was summarized by Tammy. She also mentioned that our Club won the Dick Hedke Award for "Membership." Tammy said that's because we care about our members. Nancy Darga summed up the event as standing on a beach with waves of information floating over your feet with groups of neighbors all over the world to help you. Dave mentioned that our club had 11 members in attendance, more than any other of the 54 District clubs.

Shirt Embroidering: Bob Carris reminded members that he will be taking shirts to be embroidered with our Club logo next week after the meeting on May 15th. Bring the shirts to our next meeting along with $13.50 for the embroidering fee. 

Adopt A Road Cleanup: This Saturday at 8:00 AM. Meet at the Senior Center. Donuts, coffee, juice, and water will be provided. Please bring your own gloves. Grabbers to assist in picking up trash will be provided.

Livonia First Citizen 2024 - Holli Kerkhof:

The speaker for our meeting was Holli Kerkhof, Livonia First Citizen 2024. Holli is quoted as saying, "It seems like one thing always leads to another. So many groups have needs, and I like to get my hands dirty and help them if I can."

Holli works at Community Choice Credit Union, which focuses on doing projects for the community that feed her need to help people and causes.

She is a member of the Livonia Rotary (Noon) Club, Livonia Lions, and the PTA. She recently took a vacation day to do a taco day at her son's school for the teachers and support staff.



Holli goes to Chamber of Commerce meetings for her job but it also connects her to other groups. Farmington Cares is another organization that she's involved with. Cares supports 8 communities surrounding Farmington that are in need of everyday necessities due to insufficient financial resources. Cares gives monthly food assistance to 700 families. These families "shop" for food by appointment. They can pick out what they want in the store and then go through a checkout line, just like a regular grocery store. This way, if kids go with parents, they don't know the food comes at no cost to parents.

Holli's giving shows other ways, too. When she bought Flower cards that gave away a free arrangement each month, she bought two cards so she could give someone a free flower arrangement just because. 

Community Choice Credit Union offers free credit counseling to help couples get into a home. The credit union also provides student backpacks and teacher boxes full of supplies. The credit Union stresses members volunteering for nonprofits. It appears that Holli has found a perfect place to work and volunteer, a place to get her hands "dirty" and help the community. 

Susan Paluchniak

District 6400 Convention 2024

May 3rd - May 5th, 2024

Rotary District 6400 Convention 2024, Amway Grand Plaza Grand Rapids, Michigan

Our Livonia A.M. Rotary Club came in big numbers and with our soccer balls. A shout-out to Tammy Bonifield, Sharon Pommerville, and Bob Carris. The LAMR trademark 4-Way-Test soccer ball Dudes!

Along with the three members mentioned above, our attendees included Susan Paluchniak, Victoria Haltom, Mike Ladwig, Dave Stechholz, Claude Kendrick (and Jeanne), Nancy Darga, and Erin Dobbins. 11 of us, more than any other of the 54 District 6400 Rotary clubs!

Friday, May 3rd, morning and afternoon was the District 6400 Conference Service Project –environmental focus – at Blandford Nature Center.

Tammy Bonifield at the morning project of removing invasive plants Dave Stechholz at the afternoon project of re-mulching of the outdoor Summer Camp “classroom”.

A way cool place to meet – the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel (two towers).

Club Presidents Claude Kendrick (Livonia A.M.) and Jon Wenstromm (Livonia Noon).

Outstanding, world-class speakers, presenters, and leaders – including PRIP Jennifer Jones, & her husband, DGE Dr. Nick Krayacich; DG Russ Jones; PRIP Ian Riseley from Australia; and many, many more!!

How many of these Past District Governors and others in the pictures do you know?

And our own Club heroes at the mic!

President Claude, toasting & chairing introductions. Erin Dobbins (with Marcia Lane, Chelsea Rotary), presenting on Peace & Conflict Resolution. Tammy Bonifield & Erin were also at the mic on Sunday morning, leading the Program of Remembrance.

Our Club’s DisCon participants

Our LAMR was a winner of the Dick Hedke Rotary “Membership" Award, (presented by DGE Nick & DG Russ).

We were very glad to represent our Livonia A.M. Rotary Club. We invite you all next year to celebrate DisCon 2025 at St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario.

David Stechholz

Livonia Prayer Breakfast

May 02, 2024

Club members Pat Zucal, Dave Burton, President Claude Kendrick, and Rev. David Stechholz joined 450+ guests and enjoyed a wonderful morning at the 50th Livonia Community Prayer Breakfast, which featured Chuck Gaidica.

Club Assembly

May 01, 2024

So Many Guests it Felt Like a Party

So many guests attended that it felt like a party instead of a meeting. Guest included Bill Joyner (Friday Musings), Charlie Mahoney (Livonia Symphony Orchestra), Nancy and Gary Reisten (invited guest from Bob Carris and Larry Stephens), Samantha Lewis and Carolyn Lewis (artists Claude Kendrick met at Friends of Livonia Art), John Larkin (Livonia Rotary noon club), John Goci (Heritage Bakery). There were 16 in person and 5 "Zoomers” in attendance. 

Invocation: Bob Carris gave our invocation, asking us to pray for our club members and friends who are struggling. 

Happy Bucks: Tammy Bonifield, who explained to our guests that we donate to the club $1.00 in celebration of something we are happy about. 

Clarenceville Cooler Project Receives Large Donation: Bill Joyner presented the Livonia AM Rotary Cooler Project with a $10,000 grant from the Hardy Family Trust for Clarenceville High School. Both Bill Joyner and Charlie Mahoney sit on the Board and were in attendance to issue the award. John Goci, from Heritage Bakery, announced that 50% of the donut proceeds sold on Monday, May 6, 2024, will go to the Clarenceville Cooler Project. This announcement received a round of applause, followed by a conversation on how to get the word out. 

Friends of Livonia Arts: Bill Joyner thanked the club for our sponsorship of the Friends of Livonia Arts event on April 25, 2024, at Mama Mia’s Restaurant. It was the first “Meet and Greet Assembly” of all of the arts groups in Livonia. The club wanted to network with these community groups. Their outreach in the community aligns on many levels, and the Livonia AM Rotary Club is proud to contribute to their efforts. 

Livonia AM Rotary nominated to Livonia Hall of Fame: Bill Joyner reported that the Livonia AM Rotary is being nominated to the Livonia Hall of Fame. All attendees, including the “Zoomers, “cheered loudly in support.

Membership Committee: Mike Ladwig welcomed all of the guests. He explained 

that the normal procedure is for potential members to attend three meetings and then ask to join. Mike thanked the members who invited guests to learn about Rotary. He stated that every month should be “Invite a Guest” month. 

Giving Committee: Bill Friske reported that the Giving Committee met on April 15, 2024, and after reviewing the applications, the following recommendations were made. 

1. All for One $1,000​
2. AAA Pregnancy $2,000
3. Livonia Symphony $2,000
4. Teacher Training Livonia School District $525

Tammy Bonifield moved for approval; Nancy Darga seconded, and the motion was unanimously approved. 

Special Thanks from the Livonia Symphony: Charlie Mahoney thanked the club for our continued support of the Livonia Symphony. It was pointed out that the LSO is a legacy group. Charlie pointed out that the continued support is vital to the success of the Symphony. 

Grant Committee Report (GC): Erin Dobbins stated that the club voted to join in a collaborative grant spearheaded by the Windsor Roseland Club to buy incubators for Ghana. The funding strategy is to raise the needed $9,000. The four collaborating clubs will donate $1,000 each, and Kim Spiro from Windsor Roseland is personally donating $1,000.  Nancy Darga asked for an update on the ultrasound machine we bought for Dr. Stanley to take to Cameroon. Bob Carris stated that he is still trying to find someone to take over the machine now that Dr. Stanley has passed away. This person must also be willing to train the users. 

Adopt-A-Road Project: Greg Greene reported that the clean-up day is scheduled for May 11, 2024, at 9:00 AM. Volunteers are to report to the Senior Center at 9:00 AM. There will be a tent set up with water and safety vests. 

Passport to Safety Event: Will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2024, from 10:00 to 2:00 PM. Our club would help direct foot traffic. Volunteers are to report at 9:15 at the police station on Five Mile and Farmington Road. This youth-aligned event has children pick up a passport book and go to different stations to get their passports stamped, featuring different safety careers. 

The Lions Meal Packing Event: This will be held at Madonna University on the same day as the Passport to Safety Event, Saturday, June 8, 2024, at 9:00 AM.

Livonia AM Rotary's Annual Installation Gathering: Will be held on June 1, 2024, at Tammy Bonifield's cottage, 180 E. Shore Drive, Onsted, MI. The gathering starts at noon, with the program at 3:00 pm. Bring a dish. 

Touch a Truck August 24, 2024: There were 8,200 participants in 2023. A need for additional parking is prompting a look at the feasibility of providing off-site parking with shuttle service. Bob Carris will report back with their findings. 

LAMR's Community Meal Packing: October 12, 2024, at St. Edith's Church in Livonia. Mike Ladwig is the fund-raising chair of the event, and the Livonia AM Rotary Club is the organizing club. The goal is to pack 50,000 meals. ​

Happy Birthday, Victoria Haltom! 

Nancy Darga

You Gotta Have Art Party

April 25, 2024

The "You Gotta Have Art Party" sponsorship was a way for the Livonia AM Rotary Club to connect to the art community. The Jaycees, LSO, Friends of Livonia Arts (FOLA), three elected officials, and, of course, the organizer, Friday Musings, Bill Joyner, were present as well. We networked with actors, painters, puppeteers, musicians, and sculptors.

I was asked to present (FOLA) with a check. Of course, I invited everyone in the room to our Wednesday morning meetings at 7:30 a.m.

I want to thank the following Rotarians for their support and attendance: Nancy Darga, Erin Dobbins, Mike Ladwig, Steve Alexander, and Sharon Pommerville.

Claude Kendrick

The Rotary Foundation

April 24, 2024

The Sheriff is Back in Town

Much to the delight of the club members, Sharon Pommerville, Sargeant of

Arms attended the meeting in person after a long convalescence period from surgery to repair a broken shoulder from a fall this past winter. Folks were so happy that everyone donated a “Happy Buck” to celebrate Sharon's attendance.

The Invocation was from Larry Stephens.

Bring a Friend: Russell Parmalee, a former member of the Livonia (Noon) Club, was welcomed to the meeting. He was invited by both Rev. Dave Stechholz and Erin Dobbins. Carnival Update: Susan Paluchniak reported that the Livonia City Council will be voting on approving the carnival at its next meeting.

Livonia AM Rotary Road Clean Up is scheduled for May 11, 2024, along Five Mile Road. Greg Greene will give details on where to meet, the time, and to pass out equipment.

The Rotary Club of Canton is sponsoring a special dinner at On the Border, 21091 Haggerty Road, on May 9, 2024. The price is $20.00. Members of the club were encouraged to attend to support the Canton Club.

In support of the Arts, the Livonia AM Rotary Club donated $500 to Bill Joyner’s “You Gotta Have Art Party,” a meet-up for Livonia artists. All artists are invited to attend: painters, writers, dancers, performers, photographers, and graphic artists. Steve Alexander, Nancy Darga, Sharon Pommerville, and Mike Ladwig will attend. Claude Kendrick, President of the Club, will present a giant check at the event on Thursday, April 25, 2024, from 6 to 8 at Mama Mia’s Livonia.

The “Special Speaker” was Rick Caron, the Past District Governor 6400 and a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor (1918). Rick started his presentation by explaining that,

“The Success of The Rotary Foundation is the Foundation of Rotary’s Success.”

Rotary is comprised of three parts: Individual Clubs, Rotary International,

and the Rotary Foundation. All three components work together to make lasting change.



The Rotary Foundation uses gifts for service projects. In the past 100 years, it has funded more than 4 billion in life-changing, sustainable projects.

To be eligible for The Rotary Foundation Grants, a club needs to raise $100 per capita for the annual fund. Rick gave us an example of a project his club did in Ghana. The village has been suffering from waterborne diseases because people use water from the same source they bathe in and dump in. His club drilled a well, set up a pump, and taught the locals how to maintain it, repair it, and keep spare parts on hand. The water sanitation global grant in 2019 built over 200 wells and reached 25,000 people.

Rick encouraged the club to take donations to the Foundation seriously because it means much to the world.

Nancy Darga

Kids Coalition Against Hunger

April 17, 2024

A Fantastic Regular Rotary Meeting

LAMR President Claude Kendrick chaired a great, action-packed LAMR Meeting, beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance and Invocation by Mike Ladwig. Tammy Bonifield presided over a big haul of “Happy Bucks.” 15 LAMR Rotarians and 3 guests (Mitsy Morris, Livonia Democratic Club; Patrick McNally, Clarenceville Engagement Coordinator; and Matt Collins, Livonia Lions & Past Livonia District Governor) were present “live,” and 3 “also alive Zoomers.” A crowd of 21, total! It’s still “Bring A Friend to Rotary” Month. Announcements: Greg Greene noted that Saturday, May 11th, 9-11 is our “Adopt-a-Road” project on Five Mile; park at the Senior Center. Dave Burton affirmed that Thursday, May 2nd is National Day of Prayer, with the 50th Anniversary Year Livonia Prayer Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. at St. Mary’s Cultural Center on Merriman, north of Six Mile Road, and with a member and his son doing the Scripture readings. 

Clarenceville High School

Our first and briefer speaker was Patrick McNally. Patrick introduced himself and mentioned two events coming up at Clarenceville High School: Friday, May 17th, Career Opportunities Day presentations for career awareness, and May 29th, an end-of-the-year event. Rotarians are welcome to these. To volunteer or find out more information, you may contact Patrick at Patrick.McNally@Clarencevilleschools.org. He also noted that as Engagement Coordinator for community outreach and under his watch, absenteeism at Clarenceville has had a 20% improvement this past year. Our LAMR is also looking into the possibility of starting an Interact Club at Clarenceville.

 Matt Collins and Kids Coalition Against Hunger

Our old friend and distinguished partner in Livonia community service, Matt Collins, thanked our Livonia A.M. Rotary Club for outstanding collaborative service in our city and world. Matt is “Lions-through-and-through,” having served many years as Livonia Lions Club President and recently as the Lions District Governor for their district. Matt mentioned the upcoming Kids Coalition Against Hunger (KCAH) meal-packing events, to which we can or are joining in:

Saturday, June 8th (Lions-sponsored), noting that we also, as the LAMR club, are doing Passport-to-Safety on the same date, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the LPD and Livonia Fire Dept. parking lots. Maybe some can do both!

Saturday, October 12th (LAMR-sponsored) KCAH meal packing event at St. Edith’s RCC gym, 9:00-11:30 a.m. Matt noted that in the decade-plus of our KCAH meal-packing events in Livonia, we are approaching the half-million meals mark!

Matt mentioned projects we have also done together (Lions and Rotary) in addition to KCAH, including Sleep-in-Heavenly-Peace (bed building for children) and during COVID the candy and flower distributions at St. Mary-Mercy Hospital (now Trinity Health) for nurses and other health workers. The Lions have been known for their service in providing eyeglasses, sending eyeglasses (including sunglasses) to MOST Ministries (in Ann Arbor) and Seedlings Braille Books for Children (in Livonia). Matt noted that the Lions would be doing diabetic-retinopathy screening at the Livonia Spree, and volunteer screeners would be needed. Lion Matt especially spoke about Diabetic Retinopathy, an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people who have diabetes and a completely preventable disease. Livonia Lion Daniel Rathbun has gotten a grant to study this disease. Matt suggested that vision screening could be done at the Touch-A-Truck (pending Interact Club approval). They have an ambulance and trailer to take D-R screening on the road. What a project! In short, Matt applauded our efforts to work together to help build a better Livonia.

We closed with the Rotary Four Way Test, but no Greg Greene jokes.

- Dave Stechholz

P.S. Tickets to the Livonia Civic Chorus “I Write the Songs” Spring Concert on Sunday, May 19th 3:00 p.m. at Stevenson High School Auditorium are available from Larry Stephen, Victoria Haltom, or Dave Stechholz. ($15 per adult).

Rotary's First First Gentleman: Nick Krayacich

Nick Krayacich, spouse of 2022-23 RI President Jennifer Jones, sat for an interview about his experience as Rotary's first first gentleman. Nick shared some of his memorable stories on a recent Rotary Magazine podcast episode. Listen to Nick's story and many others at on.rotary.org/podcas

All For One

April 10, 2024

We had two guests at our meeting this morning, one by Zoom, Brian Morgan, and the other, in person, Tristen Bonifield.  Welcome!

The speaker for today was Ishmail Terry with All for One located in Detroit. Their mission is to empower individuals and communities to reach their full potential as productive, caring citizens.

Our work stems from the growing need to empower those trapped in the cycle of poverty by providing educational tools, mentors, and community-building projects we inspire and present pathways out of poverty.

The non-profit started in High Schools in poverty areas with mentors working with kids, molding them into students. They teach the kids financial skills and knowledge of banks. If you don't have a checking account, getting paid for your work is difficult. The mentors also present

financial programs for the students. 

The program takes place in High Schools, using mentors and school staff during their prep periods. They currently offer a $2,000 scholarship if a student goes into education.

Another aspect of the program is improving the areas surrounding the schools and in the community. All for One has worked on developing parks/playgrounds in those areas using the Kaboom playground group. They want the students to have good recreational facilities. 

They have recently made improvements to two city parks in Detroit including the Ida W Jones Park with the help of area students and volunteers. Other programs are expanding such as Urban Farms. 

The group has received many awards such as Brightest Star and has been recognized by PBS and United Way.

Ishmail's main focus was to ask our club to donate money to reach the goal of getting 850 new bikes for low income students in Redford, Detroit Cody Rouge, and Dickinson Educational area. These bikes will be given out on June 7th.

Susan Paluchniak

Club Donation for RYLA Weekend

April 03, 2024

Livonia AM Rotary is sending (5) student to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).

RYLA is an intensive training program that brings together our youth, ages 14-18, to further develop character, leadership skills and to learn about Rotary. 

RYLA 2024 will be on April 19-21, 2024 at beautiful Camp Copneconic in Fenton, MI. This program will focus on building the foundation for young leaders, and giving them the tools to find their own leadership ability and the confidence to go out and make positive change happen in their communities.

Club member Eric Ladwig has graciously donated (14) boxes of essential "snacks" for the students. The club has thrown in (9) cases of water.