Bay City Noon Rotary Club
The New Rotary Breezes, Issue #5, 7-30-19
Greetings and salutations fellow Rotarians!!
Here are the highlights from our July 30th, 2019 Rotary Club meeting.
Upcoming Rotary Events
We have a Rotary social picnic coming up on August 28th. The picnic will be held in conjunction with morning Rotary and will begin at 6PM in the Wenonah Park Pavilion.
Hot dogs, pop, and water will be provided, but everyone who attends is asked to bring a dish to pass.
There will also be music starting at 7PM by Magic Bus, a band which promises to bring us back to the Woodstock era. In addition there will be games for people of all ages such as Cornhole, Ladder Ball, Croquet, and more behind the pavilion.
Thank you to Rob Clark, Angela Street, and Mike Bacigalupo for organizing this fun, family friendly event!
Also in August, volunteers are needed to help serve food and aid in other activities at the Odram Cycling Event/Picnic on August 10th at Bay City State Park. The event runs from 2-4PM. More information coming soon. If you would like to help please contact Chanda Swartz.
5-Minute Rotarian
Our new Rotary secretary Shelly Thurston gave us some insight into who she is.
Shelly lives in Carrollton Township with her husband Dan and their two daughters Lauren and Emma. She also serves on the board of Carrollton Township.
Shelly works for the city of Bay City as a marketing manager for the office of Economic Development.
She says she "loves being a part of Rotary."
Festival of Trees Celebration
According to Carrie, "The Junior League is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers."
The Junior League of the Great Lakes Bay Region is celebrating their 85th anniversary. It was founded in 1934 under the name 'Junior League of Saginaw'. They changed their name four years ago to represent the idea that they were expanding outside of Saginaw County.
The Junior League "trains members for effective participation in the community and is dedicated to the belief that volunteer service is an essential part of responsible citizenship."
Over the years The Junior League has donated graciously to the organizations in Saginaw:
•Premature nursery given to Saginaw General Hospital (now Covenant) in 1940
•Donated $50,000 to help create the Saginaw Community Foundation in 1984
•Donated $40,000 to start the CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Program in Saginaw
More widely known for their Annual Festival of Trees Celebration throughout the Great Lakes Bay Region, the Junior League spends a better portion of the year organizing and preparing for this magnificent holiday event.
Each year dozens of trees are donated and decorated by local businesses and organizations to be raffled off. Thousands of people from all across Mid-Michigan attend the annual event, and purchase raffle tickets in hopes of winning one of the gorgeous trees on display.
The proceeds from the event are dispersed to other non-profit organizations in the GLBR in the form of community grants. Last year approximately $30,500 worth of grants were given out.
For the past several years the event has been held at Apple Mountain Resort, but there's a change in venue this year to accommodate the increasing number of visitors it attracts each year and to provide room for more trees.
This year the Festival of Trees will be held at the Great Hall in Midland from November 22nd-25th. Be sure to mark the date in your calendars!
