May 7, 2026 Bulletin, Elk Rapids, Michigan (May 07, 2026)

President Eds' message:

ROTARY EPIC DAY OF SERVICE: MAY 16. Spruce up the Elk Rapids Cemetery. Email notices have been sent. Please participate if possible. Ok to bring friends and family.

In a personal note, my mother passed away last February. Thank you for the cards, your condolences and your thoughts and prayers.

I mention this here because events like this happen to all of us and these events key our introspection. What do I want said at my funeral? Hopefully it won’t just be that he was a sarcastic smart aleck. I’m sure that will be said, but we all want to be remembered for the positive impact we have had on other peoples lives.

Mom had her faults as we all do but Mom had a great number of positive attributes. I cant remember any of her faults, but I remember all of her positives.

It’s time to start working on the positive contributions we all can make towards others’ lives.

It’s Spring (honest) and renewed life is here. The trees are budding and the flowers are rising. Amazingly a little sunshine feels so positive. Let us all take some time to evaluate and renew out positive actions.

I will still be a sarcastic smart aleck but I’m hoping to renew my efforts toward making a positive impact on others lives.

I’m hoping you will all join me in a Spring like renewal of all of our actions. Rotary becomes a little renewed when all of the snowbirds return. I look forward to the future of our club and all of the endeavors we pursue.

April 21 morning meeting:

We had a relatively uninteresting Member Forum from Ed Boettcher. Summary : he is a person.

April 21 Board meeting

Unfortunately we lacked a quorum. The only item needing immediate board approval was a grant to the ER Middle School of $800 to support their STEM program. An email for approval was sent to the board and the grant was approved.

Discussed many upcoming issues effecting our club. Hoping to find someone to help with our fundraising this year. This isn’t a huge commitment but we need to do better this year. Our goals are very reachable.

There are many potential new members out there, our current members need to actively pursue good potential members. Invite a friend to coffee.

May 16 will be our EPIC day work project. We are working with the Township and Sheri will be spearheading this project.

April 29 social at Cellar 152. Approximately 30 people showed up. It appeared everyone had good fellowship and good food. Another good job by Sherry Steffen!

May 5 MORNING MEETING was held at Masala Magic. Thank you Anita!

We had a wonderful presentation from the Michigan youth in Government program. Joe Macaluso coordinated the presentation and he brought with him 8 former participants. The students were there to present their experiences at the 2025 Michigan Youth in government state conference and to personally thank our Rotary for its generous gift of $3,000 which helped make their trip possible.

The trip nearly became out of reach for many families, Through a combination of our Rotary grant, a student run popcorn fundraiser and $1000 in reserves, the school was able to bring the costs down to $345/student.

My major takeaway was the incredible poise these young people had in making their presentation. They all shared the positive experiences they had and their ability to work with students from other parts of our State. These young adults presented some maturity and insightfulness that we would like to see in our adult legislatures. I know these folks have learned skills that will help them positively contribute to our society in the future.

Rotary money well spent!

Youth Group in Government and Joe Macaluso; at Masala Magic

The Road cleanup Crew.

Holland Rotary Charities Announces Winners of its 2026 “Peace in Nature” Photo Contest.

2nd Place: Alaskan Range by Bob Chaphalkar, a member of the Elk Rapids Rotary. In a generous gesture, Mr. Chaphalkar donated his prize ($500) back to Holland Rotary Charities.