Rotary Club Of Grand Rapids

11.1.18 - Club 77 @ BBB of West Mich - RSVP by Oct. 26th
2018-11-01 16:00 - 17:30 (America/Detroit) | Better Business Bureau, 3330 Claystone St SE, Grand Rapids, 49546, United States
Club 77 in the PM, a time for networking and socializing, while getting to know more about Rotary and our Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Members.
Please feel free to invite your significant other, friends, co-workers and prospective members for a fun evening enjoying food, beverages and friendship.

11.8.18 - Peter Varga
2018-11-08 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Peter Varga is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Emeritus of the Interurban Transit Partnership, known as The Rapid, an urban transit system with an operating budget of $43.9 million and an annual capital program that is currently $49.8 million.
Peter currently serves on the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Board and served as its past Chair in 2013-2014. He served for 11 years on the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce and was its Chair for two years in 2008 and 2009. He is also is a member of the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids Corporate Board. In addition, Peter served for six years as a Commissioner for City of Grand Rapids Mobile GR/Grand Rapids Parking Commission and has served on the Board of Directors of the Michigan Public Transit Association and was its president five times. Peter was appointed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm to the Transportation Funding Task Force in 2008.
Peter was born in the highlands of Ethiopia and moved to New York City when he was thirteen years old. He graduated from New York University in 1970 with a B.A. in History and Anthropology, and with an M.A. in Political Science from NYU in 1972. He also completed Masters’ level post graduate studies in Public Administration at the University of California in Los Angeles (UCLA).
Peter’s early transportation experience was as a New York City cab driver while attending New York University. He has worked in transit in several capacities since 1980 at Santa Cruz Metro, Santa Cruz, California, Muskegon Area Transit System, Muskegon, Michigan, and has served since 1997 as the CEO of The Rapid in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He lives in the Grand Rapids area in Michigan with his wife Susan. He has four adult daughters named Cecilia, Allison, Caitlin and Rica. He is the proud grandfather of Elizabeth, Leo, Cohen, Miles, Finn, Emma, Aria and Charlie.

11.15.18 - Brian Robertson
2018-11-15 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Born on the west coast of Ireland and after speeding five years at college in Dublin I immigrated to Canada in 1964.
I began working in the tire business in 1965 and worked for two major tire corporations until I purchased my own business in Sault Ste Marie in 1983. Over the next thirty years along with my business partner we evolved into eight major locations across Northern Ontario. Specialising in mining tires, particularly underground mines, we became one of Canada’s largest independent commercial dealers. The business was sold in 2012 and I am currently co-owner of a Micro-Brewery.
Married to Leona for over forty-six years we have two children.
I joined Rotary in 1985 and immediately became involved in Student Exchange. During the next nine years I served as YEO and along with Leona served on the District Committee. I was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship by the club in 1989 for my work with Youth Exchange
As a member of a very active community minded club I served on many different committees and became president in 1993. The Rotary Club of Sault Ste Marie generates between six hundred and seven hundred thousand dollars annually to support the club mandate of “Disabled Youth”.
I now look forward to becoming involved in the District and learning from other clubs the many diverse projects that enhance Rotary

11.22.18 - Thanksgiving Day - No Luncheon
2018-11-22 12:00 - 13:15 | MI

11.29.18 - Dr. Joseph Stowell III
2018-11-29 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
An internationally recognized conference speaker, Joe has written numerous devotionals for Our Daily Bread and several books including The Trouble with Jesus, Simply Jesus and You, and Redefining Leadership: Character-Driven Habits of Effective Leaders.
Joe has a distinguished career in higher education and church leadership. He served as senior pastor of Southgate Baptist Church (Southgate OH, 1970-76), Bible Baptist Church (Kokomo IN, 1976-81), and Highland Park Baptist Church (Southfield MI, 1981-87). From
1987-2005, he served as President of Moody Bible Institute, with oversight over the Undergraduate and Graduate Schools, Moody Publishers, and the Moody Broadcasting Network. Following his time at MBI, he served as a teaching pastor at a church in suburban
Chicago prior to assuming the presidency at Cornerstone in early 2008.
Joe has also served on several boards including the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Wheaton College. He is a graduate of Cedarville University and Dallas Theological Seminary and was honored with a doctor of divinity degree from The Master’s College in
1987 and from Huntington University in 2011. He and his wife Martie are the parents of three adult children and ten grandchildren.

12.6.18 - Club 77 @ Sytsma Wealth Strategies - RSVP by Nov. 29th
2018-12-06 16:00 - 17:30 | Sytsma Wealth Strategies, 922 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506, United States

12.13.18 - Baird Hawkins
2018-12-13 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Baird is the founder of Interfuse Capital LLC, a private investment company that identifies and funds opportunistic and distressed commercial real estate throughout the U.S. Baird also acts as a consultant to CRE investors, developers, and family offices.
Interfuse Capital LLC is a leader in alternative investment strategies, capital raises, private equity and structured capital for commercial real estate investment.
Locally in association with Guy Bazzani, Baird has focused on neighborhood re-development projects to reposition older commercial buildings with new investment. This urban revitalization strategy enables investors to improve returns while building sustainable communities.
In this capacity, he co-developed the Kingsley Building project in Eastown. He also secured historic building status for the Kingsley Building (originally the Grand Rapids Storage & Van Co.) with its addition to the National Register of Historic Places.
Education

B.Ph. – Thomas Jefferson College at Grand Valley State Colleges
Licensed Michigan Real Estate Agent
Licensed Michigan General Contractor

Current Leadership Positions

Festival of the Arts Board of Directors

Select Honors and Awards

NBA – John H. Logie Award

12.20.18 - Christmas Luncheon
2018-12-20 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
A luncheon to just set back, relax and enjoy the holiday music & special entertainment.
Our Rotary Band features; Kevin Paul, Inge Whittemore, Tom Bylenga & Ken Estelle.

12.27.18 - Christmas Observance - No Luncheon
2018-12-27 11:30 - 13:15 | MI

1.3.19 - New Year's observance - No luncheon
2019-01-03 12:00 - 13:15 | MI

1.10.19 - President's Holiday Open House
2019-01-10 17:00 - 19:00 | Dubeyville, 7777 Hunters Way Court SE, Ada, MI, 49301, United States
Join us for after work networking and socializing, with appetizers and drinks.
Please bring your spouses, significant other, friends, co-workers, clients and anyone interested in learning more about Rotary and our Club to this fun event.
We will have a brief program and words from our event host.
RSVP by Friday, January 4th to the Rotary office at rotary@grrotary.org

1.24.19 - Jennifer Owens
2019-01-24 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Lakeshore Advantage President Jennifer Owens delivers direct business attraction, expansion and retention services while providing overall leadership to the organization.
Since joining the organization in 2013, she has helped various major business expansion and attraction projects. She has more than 15 years of leadership experience in business retention, expansion and attraction working at various state and local
economic development positions throughout Michigan.
Prior to joining the Lakeshore Advantage team, Jennifer held the positions of vice president at Southwest Michigan First and principal of Consultant Connect, an organization that cultivates relationships between economic developers and location consultants. At Southwest Michigan First, Jennifer led the firm’s new business attraction efforts. In addition, Jennifer held key positions at Ann Arbor SPARK and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Her accomplishments also led her to various awards and recognition, such as being named an Athena Award Finalist (2017), Grand Rapids Business Journal Newsmaker of the Year Finalist (2015 & 2016), Corp Magazine Most Valuable Professional (2017) and Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan (2018).
In her free time, Jennifer and her husband Mike enjoy spending time with their three action-packed and athletic sons.

1.31.19 - Luncheon canceled - to be rescheduled
2019-01-31 12:00 - 13:15 | Grand Rapids Reseach Center – MSU CHM, 400 Monroe Ave NW, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Norman J. Beauchamp Jr, MD, MHS, became dean of the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine in October 2016, and Michigan State University associate provost and assistant vice president for health affairs, February 2018.
Prior to MSU, Dr. Beauchamp was a professor and chairperson of the Department of Radiology at the University of Washington, a position he assumed in 2002. While there, he served as vice chairperson and chairperson of the University of Washington Faculty Senate, was president of the clinical practice of 1,600 physicians employed by the university, and was medical director of the Seattle/King County Clinic, which provided dental, vision and medical care to thousands of low-income and uninsured patients. Dr. Beauchamp also served as professor of neurological surgery and industrial and systems engineering at UW.
Dr. Beauchamp received his Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University and was selected as one of MSU’s top 25 of 10,000 undergraduate students. He received his Master of Health Science degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.
As the second College of Human Medicine graduate to become dean, Dr. Beauchamp spent his last two years of medical school in Grand Rapids and subsequently completed his surgical internship at Blodgett Hospital and Saint Mary’s Hospital.
After completing his residency in radiology, and two fellowships, neuroradiology and interventional neuroradiology, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Dr. Beauchamp joined the faculty in 1996. While at Johns Hopkins, he served as interim chairman of the department of radiology and vice chairperson for clinical operations.
As a diagnostic neuroradiologist and neurointerventional radiologist, Dr. Beauchamp focused on developing improved ways to prevent, predict, diagnose and treat patients suffering from stroke. He directed the National Institutes of Health-funded Epidemiologic Studies Image Analysis Center at Johns Hopkins and UW, which included nearly 6,000 study participants.
An influential scientist and national leader in the radiology community, Dr. Beauchamp has received numerous awards for his research and has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers. His research focuses on developing advanced MRI imaging techniques to extend the treatment window for acute ischemic stroke and to identify risk predictors for stroke and dementia.
Dr. Beauchamp is chair of the International Outreach Committee of the American Roentgen Ray Society and on the board of directors of the Society of Chairs of Academic Radiology Departments and is past president of both of those organizations. He was chairperson of the Radiology Research Alliance, the Coalition for Bioimaging Research and the American Radiology Education Committee.
Among his many honors, Dr. Beauchamp was presented the outstanding faculty teaching award in radiology at Johns Hopkins three times. In 2016, he received the University of Washington’s David B. Thorud Leadership Award and, in 2018, he received the Grand Rapids Business Journal Newsmaker of the Year award for health sciences.

2.7.19 - Club 77 - Custer Inc.
2019-02-07 16:00 - 17:30 | Custer, Inc., 217 Cesar E Chavez Ave SW Suite 200, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Join us for after work networking and socializing, with appetizers and drinks.
Please bring your spouses, significant other, friends, co-workers, clients and anyone interested in learning more about Rotary and our Club to this fun event.
We will have a brief program and words from our event host.

2.14.19 - Dave Alexander
2019-02-14 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States

2.21.19 - Rotary Days of Service Project
2019-02-21 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
We intend to write thank you cards for every staff member at Union and Ottawa High Schools.
We also intend to have the principals at both schools give a short (5 to 10 minutes) presentation and answer questions about the challenges the schools face.
In addition, while we are writing thank you cards, we will propose questions to each table in an effort to develop a discussion regarding volunteerism and service.

2.28.19 - Britany Affolter-Caine
2019-02-28 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
On May 22, 2018, University Research Corridor (URC), an alliance of Michigan State University, the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, announced the appointment of Britany Affolter Caine as executive director. Affolter-Caine oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the URC, one of the nation’s most accomplished and respected academic research clusters.
Affolter-Caine has been with the URC for nearly six years, serving as interim director since July 2017 and as program manager since August 2012. Prior to joining the URC, Affolter-Caine was director of talent enhancement for Ann Arbor SPARK, a regional economic development organization. She has also held positions at the Detroit Chamber of Commerce and the Brookings Institution. She replaces founding URC chief Jeff Mason, who is now CEO of the Michigan Economic Development Corp.
Affolter-Caine holds a doctorate in higher education policy from the University of Michigan. She also earned a master’s degree in secondary education from Wright State University and a bachelor’s degree in political science from Wittenberg University. She serves on the board of the Ann Arbor Arts Alliance and the consultative panel for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s University Center for Regional Economic Innovation.
***********************************************************************************************************************************
The URC was formed in 2007 to contribute to a more vibrant Michigan economy by leveraging the intellectual capital of its three major research universities, including their educational excellence, their world-competitive research and graduate studies and their contributions to citizens’ health and quality of life.

3.7.19 - Club 77 @ LEAD Marketing Agency - RSVP by 2.28.19
2019-03-07 16:00 - 17:30 | LEAD Marketing Agency, 2311 East Beltline SE, Grand Rapids,, MI, 49546, United States

3.14.19 - Mitch Miller
2019-03-14 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Mitch Miller currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director for Carbon Green BioEnergy, LLC and is the President of Iroquois Bio-Energy Company, LLC and Managing Partner of NUVU Fuels.
Mr. Miller has had an extensive history in the ethanol industry dating back to 1994.
Mr. Miller’s education has been in Process Plant Technology from Bismarck State College and Technical Business Management from Southwest State University in Minnesota.

3.21.19 - President Chelsea Dubey's Club Update
2019-03-21 12:00 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Details Pending

3.28.19 - Tim Gortsema
2019-03-28 12:00 - 13:15 | MI
A member of the Griffins’ original 1995 staff, Tim Gortsema began his career with DP Fox Sports & Entertainment as director of finance and administration before being named vice president in 1997. In February 2007 he was promoted to senior vice president of business operations, becoming just the second person to direct the Griffins’ front office, and he was named president of the franchise in June 2015.
Now in his 23rd season with the club, Gortsema oversees all business-related activities for the Griffins, including finance and administration, sales and marketing, public and community relations, arena advertising, the Griff’s IceHouse facilities in Grand Rapids, Holland and Georgetown Township, and the team’s affiliation agreement with the Detroit Red Wings. Under his watch, the Griffins have surpassed 7,900 in average attendance in each of the last five seasons, most recently finishing sixth out of 30 AHL teams during the 2017-18 campaign.
Gortsema, who in 2011 received the Griffins’ inaugural Founders “Overtime” Award for his career contributions to the organization, was honored as the 2017-18 recipient of the AHL’s James C. Hendy Memorial Award, which is given annually to the league’s outstanding executive.
He earned his bachelor’s degree from Hope College in Holland and his MBA from Western Michigan University. Prior to joining DP Fox Sports, he was a manager in the audit department at Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
A member of the Economic Club of Grand Rapids’ board of directors, Gortsema also serves on the executive team at Fellowship Reformed Church in Hudsonville.
Gortsema and his wife, Suzanne, have two daughters, Danielle and Madelyn, and one son, Justin.

4.4.19 - Spring Break - No Luncheon
2019-04-04 12:00 - 13:15 | MI

4.11.19 - Interact Luncheon & Christy Buck
2019-04-11 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Our Interact students will lead this luncheon today as part of their leadership involvement with our Club. These students join us from Catholic Central High School, City High Middle School, East Grand Rapids High School, Grand Rapids Christian School, Ottawa Hills High School, Union High School and West Catholic High School.
They will moderate the luncheon, lead the song and invocation, act as greeters and introducers of guests and have chosen Christy Buck to be their guest speaker.
Christy Buck is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan. With 33 years experience in the mental health field, Buck’s passion for transforming and saving lives through mental health education led her to develop two classroom programs, ‘Live, Laugh, Love’ for middle and high school students, and ‘be nice.’ Since 2006, she and her staff have passionately presented to over 100,000 people in West Michigan on mental health awareness, bullying and suicide prevention. Christy regularly delivers speaking engagements to community and business groups on mental health awareness. She is certified in Mental Health First Aid and has been recognized as one of the top 100 in the country.
Christy serves on the Grandville School Board and is involved with numerous community organizations and coalitions. Most recent honors include 2017 American Red Cross Hometown, 2017 Athena Finalist, 2017 Art Van Charity of Hope Award, 2018 50 Most Influential Women In West Michigan, 2019 Daughters of the American Revolution Women In History and most recently finalist for Brilliance Award Woman of the Year. Christy is married and a mother of three amazing children. She is a proud graduate of Michigan State University.

4.18.19 - Eric Foster
2019-04-18 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Eric K. Foster is the Co-founder, Chairman and Managing Director of Rende Progress Capital (RPC), an emerging Michigan Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), and the only racial equity focused not-for-profit loan fund. RPC was founded to provide loans, investments and services to Excluded Entrepreneurs who face barriers to conventional small business financing because of racial bias and inequity.
Foster is responsible for the management of RPC and relationship cultivation with investor supporters, partners and customers. He also is responsible for ensuring that the loan consideration and deployment processes are administered through the proprietary tool of Financing Approval through Racial Equity (FARE)(sm) that he created. Foster is also responsible for the RPC portfolio being managed with financial due diligence as well as authentic, open and culturally competent relationships with customers.
Foster completed his course work from the University of New Hampshire Carsey School of Public Policy and Opportunity Finance Network for his Certificate in Community Development Finance in the areas of loan approval, CDFI Capitalization, Lending Policies, CAMEL Analysis and Portfolio Management.
As a businessman and entrepreneur, he is also founder and principal of Progress Strategies+, LLC, a Project Management company providing high-impact project management for corporate, business and organization clients that also specializes in Diversity & Inclusion, Corporate Social Responsibility and Public Policy & Advocacy. Foster is a graduate of Hope College, and is certified in project management from the Northwestern University School of Professional Studies and Advanced Intercultural Management from the Mendoza College of Business at the University of Notre Dame.
Foster has worked in the public and private sectors for U.S. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, U.S. Congressman Peter Hoekstra of Michigan, former Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington, D.C., and the Corporate Diversity Counseling Group of the law firm Holland & Knight among other institutions. He has received awards for his work from the West Michigan Urban League, Progressive Women’s Alliance, Corp! Magazine

4.25.19 - STRIVE Banquet featuring Dr. Ron Gorman and Jessica Austin
2019-04-25 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Today’s guest speakers are Dr. Ron Gorman, Assistant Superintendent, Pre-K-12 Instructional Support, Grand Rapids Public Schools and Jessica Austin, Health and Training Officer, Consumers Energy and former STRIVE Mentor. Please read their bios below.
What is S.T.R.I.V.E.?
STRIVE is a motivational mentoring program working with high school junior and senior students who want to improve their educational status and expand their networks.
The mission of the STRIVE Program is to mentor high school students to achieve academic success, graduate from high school and continue their education in college, university, trade, technical or career school.
In pursuit of this mission, the STRIVE program provides positive role models for students to promote self discovery, the importance of High School Graduation, development of good values, development of life skills, and individual responsibility in STRIVING for excellence in life.
STRIVE is a partnership among students trying to make a difference in their lives, parents who are willing to support and encourage their students, high school administrators, faculty and counselors, Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, & Rotary Club of Grand Rapids Charities Foundation.
Program Requirements

Attitude – Student must maintain appropriate conduct and a positive
Altruism – Students must participate in two of the three STRIVE (volunteer)
Attendance – Students need to maintain 90% attendance level (equals two excused absences).
Academics – Satisfy GPA requirements

Rewards
Upon successful completion of the STRIVE requirements, the student will be entitled to the following:

Award Certificate – presented to the student at the May awards luncheon
Summer Work Premium – At the end of summer of $1.50 per hour worked is paid to the student upon verification of employment, up to a maximum $750.
Scholarship – A scholarship of up to $3,000** can be earned and will be disbursed over 2 semesters to a college, university, trade, technical or career school of the student’s

Dr. Ronald Gorman is the Assistant Superintendent of Pre-K-12 Instructional Support. For almost two decades, he has served the Grand Rapids Public Schools as an elementary teacher, a secondary teacher, a high school assistant principal, a high school athletic director, a K-8 principal, a high school principal, and the Executive Director of Secondary Schools.
Dr. Gorman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Aquinas College, a Master of Educational Leadership degree from Michigan State University, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership degree from Western Michigan University. Dr. Gorman holds Michigan Educator Certifications in English, Reading, Elementary Education, and Pre-K-12 Administration. In addition to his educational accomplishments, Dr. Gorman proudly served eight years in the United States Army Reserves.
In support of Superintendent Weatherall Neal’s Transformation Plan, Dr. Gorman collaborates with principals, teachers, parents, and students to plan and facilitate research-based professional development opportunities that support quality instruction, school climate and culture, instructional leadership, assessment literacy, and high levels of student-achievement.

Jessica M. Austin graduated from Ottawa Hills High School in 2007. She earned her Bachelor Of Science in Occupational Safety and Health Management in 2013 from Grand Valley State University. Shortly after graduating, she started her career at Steelcase as a Safety Engineer. She joined Van Andel Research Institute as an Environmental Health and Safety Specialist in 2014. Jessica worked at VARI for three years. She was given the opportunity to lead training efforts as a Health and Safety Trainer for Consumers Energy in the fall of 2018. Additionally she is growing her entrepreneurial business: Creative Carvings, Inc.

5.2.19 - Club 77 - Grand Rapids Yacht Club
2019-05-02 17:30 - 20:30 | Grand Rapids Yacht Club, 740 Lakeside Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49506
Join us for after work networking and socializing, with food, drinks and door prizes!
Please bring your spouses, significant other, friends, co-workers, clients and anyone interested in learning more about Rotary and our Club to this fun event.
We will have a brief program and words from our event host.

5.9.19 - Hank Meijer and Gleaves Whitney
2019-05-09 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Hank Meijer is executive chairman of Meijer, Inc. in Grand Rapids. He joined the family retail business at the age of 11 as a grocery clerk.
After serving as a reporter for a Detroit-area newspaper group, he became editor and later publisher of a weekly newspaper in Plymouth, Michigan. He rejoined Meijer in 1979 as assistant advertising director.
His biography of Michigan Senator Arthur Vandenberg was recently published by the University of Chicago Press.
Hank is vice-chairman of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation. He also serves on the executive committee of the Food Marketing Institute and is a trustee of the Kettering Foundation, the National Constitution Center and The Henry Ford. He is a member of the University of Michigan’s President’s Advisory Group and the Ford School of Public Policy board of advisors.

Gleaves Whitney became the first full-time director of Grand Valley State University’s Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies in 2003. During his tenure, he has been the architect of hundreds of public programs, including numerous national conferences covered by C-SPAN and various internationally webcast debates — one watched on YouTube by nearly two million people in some 30 nations on all six inhabited continents. He has overseen the tremendous growth of the Hauenstein Center’s website, which has been visited more than 30 million times. He’s also premiered a popular web column called Ask Gleaves — the first presidential Q & A column in the nation — and created a leadership academy for students and young professionals committed to public service.
Under his direction, the Hauenstein Center’s Peter C. Cook Leadership Academy has emerged as a preeminent center of leadership excellence in the Midwest. Cook Leadership Fellows have been face-to-face with four U.S. presidents, three first ladies, two vice presidents, four secretaries of state, six state governors, numerous business and nonprofit executives, multiple Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, the world’s most decorated academic, a Grammy Award winner, and a national championship basketball coach.
“Gleaves Whitney is a real treasure for those of us who do presidential studies and work in the field of presidential history,” said award-winning biographer H. W. Brands. “He’s also one of the most effective entrepreneurs in the business of higher education. You can tell this by the growth of the Hauenstein Center over the years that he’s been the director.”
Philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum has called the Hauenstein Center’s Common Ground Initiative “an amazing experiment in civic and liberal education.”

5.16.19 - Service Above Selfie Contest Winners
2019-05-16 12:00 - 13:15 | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Please join us for a special presentation from three of our four Service Above Selfie Contest Winners!
Henna Crowns of Courage, Arts in Motion, and Ele’s Place.
The Service Above Selfie Contest was created to boost Community Service through recognizing volunteers and the non-profit organizations that they are passionate about. It is also a fun way to put extra money behind those efforts. There are four winning prizes and amounts: Most Liked – $500, 3rd Prize – $1,000, 2nd Prize – $2,000 and First Prize – $5,000.
The contest was simple to enter:

Volunteer at your favorite non-profit
Snap a selfie of your group in action
Post your photo with the hastag #serviceselfie19 to Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Mark you photo as public
Tell Your friends!

The winners of the 2019 Service Above Selfie are listed below:

5.23.19 - No Luncheon - Memorial Day
2019-05-23 12:00 - 13:15 | MI
Taken from all about history…..
Memorial Day Meaning
Memorial Day Meaning – The History
Each May, the United States celebrates a day called Memorial Day. Does Memorial Day have meaning? What is the history of Memorial Day?
Memorial Day was first widely observed in May 1868. The celebration commemorated the sacrifices of the Civil War and the proclamation was made by General John A Logan. Following the proclamation, participants decorated graves of more than 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers.
In years since World War 1, the day has become a celebration of honor for those who died in all America’s wars, as well as those who are Veterans and current members of the US military.
In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday. The United States celebrates this holiday the last Monday of May.
Memorial Day Meaning – Reagan’s Speech
President Ronald Reagan is credited with reviving the practice of honoring Memorial Day and its meaning. One of his famous speeches was given at Arlington National Cemetery on Memorial Day in 1986.
“Today is the day we put aside to remember fallen heroes and to pray that no heroes will ever have to die for us again. It’s a day of thanks for the valor of others, a day to remember the splendor of America and those of her children who rest in this cemetery and others. It’s a day to be with the family and remember.
“I was thinking this morning that across the country children and their parents will be going to the town parade and the young ones will sit on the sidewalks and wave their flags as the band goes by. Later, maybe, they’ll have a cookout or a day at the beach. And that’s good, because today is a day to be with the family and to remember.
“Arlington, this place of so many memories, is a fitting place for some remembering. So many wonderful men and women rest here, men and women who led colorful, vivid, and passionate lives. There are the greats of the military: Bull Halsey and the Admirals Leahy, father and son; Black Jack Pershing; and the GI’s general, Omar Bradley. Great men all, military men. But there are others here known for other things.
“Here in Arlington rests a sharecropper’s son who became a hero to a lonely people. Joe Louis came from nowhere, but he knew how to fight. And he galvanized a nation in the days after Pearl Harbor when he put on the uniform of his country and said, ‘I know we’ll win because we’re on God’s side.’ Audie Murphy is here, Audie Murphy of the wild, wild courage. For what else would you call it when a man bounds to the top of a disabled tank, stops an enemy advance, saves lives, and rallies his men, and all of it single-handedly. When he radioed for artillery support and was asked how close the enemy was to his position, he said, ‘Wait a minute and I’ll let you speak to them.’ [Laughter]
“Michael Smith is here, and Dick Scobee, both of the space shuttle Challenger. Their courage wasn’t wild, but thoughtful, the mature and measured courage of career professionals who took prudent risks for great reward—in their case, to advance the sum total of knowledge in the world. They’re only the latest to rest here; they join other great explorers with names like Grissom and Chaffee.
“Oliver Wendell Holmes is here, the great jurist and fighter for the right. A poet searching for an image of true majesty could not rest until he seized on ‘Holmes dissenting in a sordid age.’ Young Holmes served in the Civil War. He might have been thinking of the crosses and stars of Arlington when he wrote: ‘At the grave of a hero we end, not with sorrow at the inevitable loss, but with the contagion of his courage; and with a kind of desperate joy we go back to the fight.’
“All of these men were different, but they shared this in common: They loved America very much. There was nothing they wouldn’t do for her. And they loved with the sureness of the young. It’s hard not to think of the young in a place like this, for it’s the young who do the fighting and dying when a peace fails and a war begins. Not far from here is the statue of the three servicemen—the three fighting boys of Vietnam. It, too, has majesty and more. Perhaps you’ve seen it—three rough boys walking together, looking ahead with a steady gaze. There’s something wounded about them, a kind of resigned toughness. But there’s an unexpected tenderness, too. At first you don’t really notice, but then you see it. The three are touching each other, as if they’re supporting each other, helping each other on.
“I know that many veterans of Vietnam will gather today, some of them perhaps by the wall. And they’re still helping each other on. They were quite a group, the boys of Vietnam—boys who fought a terrible and vicious war without enough support from home, boys who were dodging bullets while we debated the efficacy of the battle. It was often our poor who fought in that war; it was the unpampered boys of the working class who picked up the rifles and went on the march. They learned not to rely on us; they learned to rely on each other. And they were special in another way: They chose to be faithful. They chose to reject the fashionable skepticism of their time. They chose to believe and answer the call of duty. They had the wild, wild courage of youth. They seized certainty from the heart of an ambivalent age; they stood for something.
“And we owe them something, those boys. We owe them first a promise: That just as they did not forget their missing comrades, neither, ever, will we. And there are other promises. We must always remember that peace is a fragile thing that needs constant vigilance. We owe them a promise to look at the world with a steady gaze and, perhaps, a resigned toughness, knowing that we have adversaries in the world and challenges and the only way to meet them and maintain the peace is by staying strong.
“That, of course, is the lesson of this century, a lesson learned in the Sudetenland, in Poland, in Hungary, in Czechoslovakia, in Cambodia. If we really care about peace, we must stay strong. If we really care about peace, we must, through our strength, demonstrate our unwillingness to accept an ending of the peace. We must be strong enough to create peace where it does not exist and strong enough to protect it where it does. That’s the lesson of this century and, I think, of this day. And that’s all I wanted to say. The rest of my contribution is to leave this great place to its peace, a peace it has earned.
“Thank all of you, and God bless you, and have a day full of memories.”
Memorial Day Meaning – A Day of Honor
Does Memorial Day have meaning to you? Many communities around the United States have memorial day events at cemeteries where veterans and spiritual leaders speak. Other cities and towns host parades to honor the military. However, in many cities around the country, these events have been forgotten.
It is important for Americans to take time to remember the sacrifices that bought their freedom. Here are some ideas on how to celebrate this important American holiday:

Send a note of thanks to Veterans you know.
If you know someone who has lost a loved one in battle, offer to help with a household project or help meet a special need they have.
Visit a local cemetery and place flags or flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers.
Fly the American flag at half-staff until noon.
Participate in the National Moment of Remembrance at 3:00 pm. Pause and think upon the meaning of Memorial Day.

6.6.19 - Club 77 @ JW Marriott's JDEK
2019-06-06 16:00 - 17:30 | JW Marriott, 235 Louis St NW, MI, 49503, United States
