3.3.22 - Club 77 @ IKUS/Indian Trails Camp
2022-03-03 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | Indian Trails Camp, 0-1859 Lake Michigan Drive, Grand Rapids, MI, 49534, United States
Please invite your spouse, significant other, friends, co-workers and prospective members, for an evening of fun, fellowship and networking with appetizers and beverages.
RSVPs for you and your guest are due by 12:00pm on Monday, Feb. 28th.

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Indian Trails Camp and IKUS Life Enrichment Services
Indian Trails Camp was founded in 1952 by the Kent County Cerebal Palsey Parents Club. These parents wanted a traditional camp experience accessible for children with physical and intellectual disabilities. Two teachers from Eastern Orthopedic School joined the club, along with medical professionals from Mary Free Bed. Tom Muller was president of the Club. Some financial aid was provided by the State of Michigan and Grand Rapids Board of Education.
In 1953 the first camp was held at Yankee Springs, and Wayne Muller was one of the camp counselors (and ITC Board President in 1971!). The second year camp was held at St. Mary’s Lake, and camp continued to grow. This success led the founders to search for a permanent camp home, and further organization. Grand Rapids Rotarian Fritz Meuller Jr contacted the Rotary Club regarding support, and that year the Club donated the money designated for their Christmas Party, to the camp.
Through the efforts of the GR Rotary, the City of Grand Rapids agreed to lease a parcel of land in Aman Park as the permanent home of camp. Indian Trails Camp became a reality, and the 1955 camp season was held in Aman Park (there was only one building at the park that year). Progress continued, and in 1956 ITC became a non-profit corporation. John Bertsch was the first president of the Indian Trails Camp Board of Directors.
Later, after receiving the gift of a pool, the GR Rotary conducted an $80,000 fund drive and built eight sleeping cabins. Next $115,000 was raised for renovations of the Ojibway Lodge, pool enclosure and a pontoon boat. The GR Rotary conducted another fund drive in 1980 chaired by Donald Porter. $130,000 was raised to build a sewage system, maintenance building, laundry, bathing facilities, and an outdoor chapel/ampitheater. As the kids aged Indian Trails began serving both children and adults, now 75% of campers are adults. Indian Trails continues to be the only fully accessible camp in Michigan, and one of a handful in the U.S.
Now fast forward about 30 years…
Indian Trails Camp recognized the need for year ‘round respite beyond the summer months, when campers came for a fun weekend and caregivers got much needed rest. Around 2010 we identified other service and program needs in west Michigan to further support the individuals we serve. Eventually these services grew to include: individual Community Living Support, group Community Living Support, Skill Building, and Supported Employment. Like camp, the majority of individuals that participate in these programs and services are adults.
Once these services became established, the Indian Trails Camp name didn’t accurately describe everything we had to offer. Camp leadership decided to create a “parent” brand to encompass the entire compliment of programming. IKUS Life Enrichment Services was born, using the word IKUS from the Indian Trails Camp song.
Scott Blakeney joined Indian Trails Camp/IKUS Life Enrichment Services as their Executive Director in October of 2018. Prior to ITC/IKUS he worked for the State of Michigan for 15 years, and spent 10 years in the for-profit world before being employed at the State. Scott joined the Rotary Club of Grand Rapids in 2019, and is excited to continue the longstanding tradition of serving people in west Michigan.

3.10.22 - Louis Albertini
2022-03-10 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Louis leads content at Firstbase, an NYC-based, global software platform that helps founders launch, manage, and scale their businesses. Previously, he served as Head of Marketing at Farel, a YC-backed software company for regional airlines with offices in San Francisco, Turkey, and Kazakhstan.
Louis served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Kazakhstan and then spent 5 years living and working in Kazakhstan across consulting, international trade, and higher education. Louis gained extensive insights in Central Asia through publishing trade publications at the American Chamber of Commerce in Kazakhstan, consulting projects with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, advising startups with the Astana Hub, and conducting denuclearization research at the DPRK Strategic Research Center at KIMEP University.
Louis graduated from the University of Michigan where he was a resident of the Global Scholars Program. Louis was highly active in the Rotaract Club of UofM, serving as its President and International Service Chair.
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In honor of International Women’s Day (recognized globally on March 8th) we encourage you to wear the color purple to our March 10th luncheon. While in Rotary the color purple is traditionally known for our Polio vaccination campaign, it also one of the original colors of the suffragette and women’s rights movement and symbolizes “justice, dignity, and visionary thinking”.

3.17.22 - Katie Appold & Bill McKendry
2022-03-17 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Katie Appold, Executive Director
Katie’s professional experience includes over fifteen years of marketing and leadership in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors.
She has earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration from Grand Valley State University and later completed a Master’s of Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Leadership.
Under Katie’s leadership, nonprofit organizations have developed new programs related to free healthcare, affordable and accessible housing and literacy programs for K-12 students. In her first Executive Director role, Katie increased the annual revenue of the organization she led by 300% and received the top grant prize in the nation for affordable housing through the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis.
As a volunteer, Katie co-chaired the fundraising cabinet for Imagination Station 2.0, an accessible play-space in Grand Haven, MI. The campaign exceeded the goal by 30% and recruited over 1,000 volunteers for a “community build” of the play-space which took place over one week in 2018.
Bill McKendry, Founding Member / Board President
A veteran marketer, speaker, and messaging expert for nonprofit causes, Bill is the founder and chairman of Do More Good as well as the founder and chief creative officer of HAVEN | a creative hub.
Recognized in 1999 when he headed Hanon McKendry as the top professional nationally doing cause marketing work by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) and inducted into AAF’s Hall of Achievement, Bill has cultivated a reputation as an expert in key success principles for nonprofit marketing and communications.

3.24.22 - Rosalyn Bliss
2022-03-24 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Mayor Rosalynn Bliss became the City of Grand Rapids’ first female Mayor when she took office on January 1, 2016. She was re-elected for a second term in November 2019. She previously served as a Second Ward City Commissioner for 10 years.
Mayor Bliss also is serving as the Frederik Meijer Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Grand Valley’s Frederik Meijer Honors College, where she teaches a junior seminar. She earned bachelor’s degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of South Alabama and a master’s in social work from Michigan State University.
Mayor Bliss is an active member of the community. She is Past President of the Michigan Municipal League and currently serves on the boards of the Downtown Development Authority, Experience Grand Rapids, Convention Arena Authority, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks, Grand Rapids Promise Zone Authority, National League of Cities Council on Youth, Education, and Families, Urban Core Mayors, The Economic Club of Grand Rapids and the Interurban Transit Partnership.
Mayor Bliss has been recognized and honored locally as well as statewide for her commitment, dedication and work in the field of child abuse and neglect and for her leadership in the community. Recognitions include:

Sault Area High School Distinguished Alumnus Award
National Forum for Black Public Administrators Leadership Excellence Award
US Conference of Mayors Small Business Advocate Award
Dispute Resolution Center of West Michigan Peacemaker Award
WMCAT’s Award for Innovation
Kathryn Timmer Literacy Award
Crain’s 100 Most Influential Women
Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 50 Most Influential Women in West Michigan
Five-time recipient of Grand Rapids Business Journal’s 40 Under Forty distinction
West Michigan Public Relations Society of America’s Communicator of the Year Award
ATHENA Young Professional Award
Tim Pope Memorial Award for Outstanding Young Governmental Leader
Christine Nelson Professional Award for Service to Children
Michigan Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Special Recognition Award

As Mayor, she is committed to supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs, working to create a cleaner, healthier and safer community and has a commitment to addressing disparities in our community to make sure that Grand Rapids is a great place for everyone.

3.31.22 - Deirdre Jimenez
2022-03-31 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Deirdre Jimenez BIFMA President + CEO
Deirdre Jimenez AIA, NCDIQ joined BIFMA, the North American Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association, in July 2020 as its first President and CEO with a mission to elevate the work BIFMA and its members contribute to the industry, expand outreach and collaboration to industry stakeholders, and create a positive impact for the advancement of the industry. In her new role she is responsible for leading BIFMA and partnering with its Board of Directors, membership, and staff by connecting and advancing the industry’s common interests through a period of disruption and growth.
Having served in corporate design and construction as well as professional service firms, the position with BIFMA provides her the opportunity to amplify the significance of the symbiotic relationship between furniture design and interior design and the intentional intersection of those creative and innovative contributors that can define a highly sophisticated and functional environment.
Deirdre is both an architect and interior designer with over 25 years of leadership experience serving in executive and ownership roles in corporate real estate and national AE design firms. Most of her career focused on the workplace environment, where she developed an understanding and appreciation of the role furnishings play in the emerging practice of workplace strategy. Deirdre is a licensed architect in several states, holds NCIDQ certification, and numerous professional industry awards.
Over her career, Deirdre has demonstrated leadership through program development, operational leadership, and business development. She has led teams across regional and national geography, successfully translating business vision and strategy into operation initiatives and building the organizational infrastructure needed to achieve them.
She earned a BS in Architecture and a BS in Interior Architecture from Lawrence Technological University and is one of 20 Distinguished Architectural Alumni from the College of Architecture and Design. She has served on the advisory committee for the LTU College of Architecture and Design and Ferris State school of Facility Management.
BIFMA is the leading non-profit furniture trade association in North America with members from around the world. Founded from the call to define uniform product standards for the industry, BIFMA has served as the voice of the commercial furniture industry since 1973 and is now the recognized source for refining, managing and developing furniture standards that embody safety, ergonomics, health, sustainability, and performance that support buyer and specifier communities in making informed furniture selection decisions.
BIFMA further supports the industry providing market data, thought leadership, and industry outreach celebrating design and innovation in recognition of the significance furnishings play in the places we learn, work, heal and live through product registries, sustainability certification, statistics reporting, government relations, industry promotion, education, networking, and trade development programs.

4.7.22 - No Luncheon Spring Break
2022-04-07 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | MI

4.14.22 - Interact lead Luncheon
2022-04-14 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Info to be provided.

4.21.22 - Rick Mattoon
2022-04-21 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Rick Mattoon is vice president and regional executive, Detroit branch, in the economic research department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. Mattoon’s primary research focuses on issues that face the Midwest regional economy. Mattoon began his career at the Chicago Fed in 1990. In 1997, he left the bank to serve as a policy advisor for economic development, energy and telecommunications to the Governor of Washington. He later served as director of policy and legislation for the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. He returned to the bank in 2001.
Mattoon’s work has appeared in the National Tax Journal, State Tax Notes, Public Choice and Society. He is the co-author of a chapter on state and local governments and the national economy in the Oxford Handbook of State and Local Government Finance.
Mattoon serves on the Board of the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council, the Advisory Committee to the Chicago Workforce Investment Council, the pension committee of the Civic Federation and is a member of the Joint Advisory Board of Economists to the Governor of Virginia. He also serves as a lecturer at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Mattoon received a B.A. from Kenyon College and an M.A. from the University of Chicago.

4.28.22 - S.T.R.I.V.E. Luncheon
2022-04-28 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States

5.5.22 - Club 77 & Membership Recruitment Event
2022-05-05 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | MI
Join us for this very interesting networking and social event!
We are being hosted by Dom Federico, who will be sharing his car collection with us.
Food and drinks will be provided as well!
You are encouraged to invite anyone interested in learning more about Rotary and our Club to this fun event.
Members from our Rotary Club Board and Membership Committee will be there to answer any questions that you or your guest may have about Rotary and to share the many benefits that being a Rotary member brings.

5.10.22 - Service Above Self Award Celebration
2022-05-10 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit) | The Cultural Center at St. Nicholas, 2250 E. Paris Ave SE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49546, United States
The 2022 Service Above Self Award Celebration will take place on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, beginning at 6:00pm

If you would like to support and honor Dave and Karen, please become a sponsor.
If you would like attend this event honoring Dave and Karen at The Cultural Center on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, beginning at 6:00pm, you can purchase tickets by clicking on: Eventbrite
A special thank you to our Event Sponsor

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Previous Frederik Meijer Service Above Self Award honorees include Marge Wilson, Jackie Taylor PhD, Shelley Irwin, Rick DeVos, John and Nancy Kennedy and the late Luis Tomatis, MD.

Dr. Jackie Taylor
Shelley Irwin
Rick DeVos
Dr. Luis Tomatis
John and Nancy Kennedy

5.12.22 - Service Above Selfie Contest Winners
2022-05-12 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States

5.19.22 - Samuel L. Stanley, M.D.
2022-05-19 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Samuel L. Stanley Jr., M.D., was selected by the Michigan State University Board of Trustees as MSU’s 21st president, effective Aug. 1, 2019. Since his arrival at MSU, Dr. Stanley has moved decisively to ensure the university is a safe, respectful, and welcoming place for all. Student success and well-being and continuing to grow MSU’s extraordinary regional and global impact are his continuing top priorities.
Stanley has launched a comprehensive strategic planning process for the university, created a diversity, equity and inclusion planning committee and commissioned a feasibility study for a multicultural center. He appointed two expert presidential advisers who are directing the development and implementation of an action plan for the university to become a leader in preventing relationship violence and sexual misconduct.
Stanley has overseen several changes in the institution’s administration, organization, and programs to improve services, operations, and accountability. These include reorganizing oversight of the university’s three medical colleges and its clinical services into a health sciences entity. He seeks to continue to expand the university’s research portfolio, totaling $725 million in 2019 expenditures. A researcher, patent holder and former technology transfer executive, Stanley supports academic and industry collaborations to leverage both their economic impact and the potentially enormous contributions they can make to society.
Born in Seattle, Stanley earned a Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Chicago. After earning his medical degree from Harvard Medical School, he completed resident-physician training at Massachusetts General Hospital and then went to Washington University in St. Louis for a School of Medicine fellowship in infectious diseases. There, he became a professor in the departments of medicine and molecular microbiology, recognizing the collaborative nature of his research. A distinguished biomedical researcher, Stanley was one of the nation’s top recipients of support from the National Institutes of Health for his research focusing on enhanced defense against emerging infectious diseases. He is an expert in the biological mechanisms that cells employ when responding to infectious agents.
Prior to becoming MSU’s president, Stanley served as president of Stony Brook University on Long Island in New York. At Stony Brook, he focused on improving campus diversity and student success and elevated the university’s research profile by supporting a new institute for artificial intelligence. He chaired the board of Brookhaven Science Associates, which manages Brookhaven National Laboratory on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Stanley has served as chair of the National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity, which advises the U.S. government on issues related to the communication, dissemination, and performance of sensitive biological research. He was a member of the National Advisory Allergy and Infectious Diseases Council at the NIH and a member of the NIH director’s Blue Ribbon Panel on the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories. He also served as an ambassador for the Paul G. Rogers Society for Global Health Research and has received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from Konkuk University in South Korea. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of American Universities and has served on the NCAA Board of Directors and NCAA Board of Governors.

5.26.22 - No Luncheon - Memorial Day Observation
2022-05-26 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | MI

6.2.22 - Club 77
2022-06-02 16:30 - 18:00 (America/Detroit) | MI

6.9.22 - Mike Koelzer
2022-06-09 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Pharmacist Mike Koelzer is the host of The Business of Pharmacy Podcast.
In addition to hosting the podcast, Mike owns Kay Pharmacy in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
When not working, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and 10 children and improving his sight-reading at the piano.

6.16.22 - Speaker Pending
2022-06-16 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States

6.23.22 - Speaker Pending
2022-06-23 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States

6.30.22 - President's "Passing of the Tiller"
2022-06-30 12:00 - 13:15 (America/Detroit) | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Info to be provided

7.28.22 - Chief Eric Winstrom
2022-07-28 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Grand Rapids Police Chief Eric Winstrom
Eric Winstrom began his tenure on March 7, 2022. Prior to being named as the 15th Chief of Police for the Grand Rapids Police Department, he served in the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for over twenty years in various patrol, tactical, investigative, and administrative positions. At the time he left Chicago, he was an executive on the CPD Leadership Team and led the Area 5 Detective Division where he oversaw a staff of 200, including 40 homicide detectives. Geographically, Area 5 covers approximately one-fifth of the City of Chicago including the Northwest Side and O’Hare Airport. His previous assignments included teaching at the Chicago Police Academy, heading CPD’s citywide child sex crimes investigation unit, serving as a supervising attorney in the legal affairs division, assisting in the creation of the office of reform management, overseeing policy and procedure for the department, and serving as captain of the 400-person 9th District Station. He holds a BS in Administration of Justice from Rutgers University and a Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School. Chief Winstrom is a court-recognized expert on police policy, use of force, criminal investigations, and the Fourth Amendment.

8.4.22 - Club 77 hosted by Peter Albertini
2022-08-04 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | Keller Williams GR North, 3237 Platinum NE, Grand Rapids, 49525, United States
Peter Albertini is graciously hosting his fellow Rotarians for Club 77 on Thursday, August 4, 2022 from 4:30-6:30ish at his office.
Keller Williams GR North, 3237 Platinum NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49525
Please invite prospective members, partners. guests for an evening of fun, food, beverages, and networking.
RSVP to the Rotary office by Friday, July 29th and if bringing a guest, please provide their name in the RSVP email.

8.11.22 - Allmon Forrester
2022-08-11 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Allmon Forrester – Director of Facilities, Planning, and Sustainability, John Ball Zoo
Allmon has been with the John Ball Zoo since 2000. He holds degrees in both Horticulture and Landscape Architecture.
He has over 30 years’ experience in almost every arena of site management including facilities, construction, grounds, housekeeping, sustainability, and planning.
He currently oversees the Facility Department, Building and Grounds Department, security, and owners’ representative for capital projects at the Zoo. He is currently the sitting past-president of the National Aquarium & Zoo Facilities Association.

8.18.22 - Ellen Bacca
2022-08-18 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Ellen Bacca – Chief Meteorologist, WOOD TV
Ellen has won four Regional TV Emmy awards for her work in meteorology as well as the Michigan Association of Broadcasters award for Best Broadcast. She holds two professional seals of approval. The CBM and the NWA.
Ellen is originally from West Michigan where she grew up in her home town of Portage.
She received her Bachelor’s degree in Meteorology at Valparaiso University in Indiana (home of Orville Redenbacher by the way) before accepting her first job in Montana. From there she worked as a meteorologist and environmental reporter along the coast of North Carolina before returning home.
Ellen is married to her high school sweetheart. She spends her weekends doing anything outdoors from scuba diving to flying hot air balloons with her pilot husband.

8.22.22 - Fill The Backpacks - Volunteer Opportunity
2022-08-22 16:30 - 18:30 UTC | Life EMS Ambulance, 1275 Cedar St NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Our Community Engagement Committee is pleased to provide the following volunteer opportunity for our Rotarians and friends!
August 22 – Fill the Backpacks @ Life EMS Ambulance
Contact:
Eva Martinez eva@elncgr.org
Date:
Monday, August 22nd — 4:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Details:
5 volunteers needed to stuff backpacks

8.25.22 - Speaker Clay West, Special Guests Ariel Dempsey & Yeyoung Lee
2022-08-25 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Clay West – Assistant US Attorney, US Department of Justice
Clay M. West is a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army Reserve, now serving as a Military Judge with the U.S. Army Trial Judiciary, 4th Judicial Circuit. He also is an Assistant United States Attorney with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.
Clay attended Harvard College, Cambridge University, and Yale Law School. He clerked for judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and the California Supreme Court, before working as a federal prosecutor first at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago), and then for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan (Grand Rapids).
His military career began with a direct commission to the United States Army Reserve in 2004. In 2006, he mobilized and deployed to Germany, in 2007 to Iraq, and in 2008 to Afghanistan in support of ongoing combat operations in those countries. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Combat Action Badge, the Non-Article 5 NATO Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal following those deployments. From 2008 to 2011, he mobilized as counsel to the Guantanamo Military Commission and traveled approximately 30 times to Guantanamo in support of ongoing military commission hearings.
Clay has since worked in the Army Reserve as aide-de-camp and assistant executive officer to a general officer in the Army Reserve Legal Command, and as a brigade judge advocate to a military police brigade in Michigan. In 2020, Clay M. West was selected to serve as a military judge with the U.S. Army Trial Judiciary. He has presided over trials in Texas, South Carolina, Washington State, Colorado, and Kuwait.
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Ariel Dempsey, District 6290 Global Scholar
Ariel Dempsey is a young physician from Grand Rapids, MI who earned her MD at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine.
With the support of Rotary, she is now pursuing a PhD in Science and Religion at the University of Oxford Dr Alister McGrath. While at Oxford she is also running a Trauma Healing Program for refugees with the Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholars Program. After the PhD she will return to clinical practice medical residency in Psychiatry with a fellowship in Palliative Care.
Her aspiration is to become a Palliative Care physician walking alongside those at the end of life, and an academic theologian drawing on resources of religious traditions to reflect on healthcare and better serve those who suffer.

Yeyoung Lee, District 3630 (Seoul, South Korea) District Scholar
Yeyoung Lee is a third-year (starting Fall 2022) Ph.D. student in the Department of Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics (AFRE) at Michigan State University. Her research interests focus on human capital development, food and nutrition security, the role of different pathways to heterogeneous responses by gender under climate change, and the impacts of agricultural policies on women’s empowerment. She has field experience across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. In sub-Saharan Africa, she has conducted household surveys in Uganda (Mbale District) and interviewed farmers and extension workers in Tanzania (Kilosa District). While working on agricultural extension, she was motivated to pursue her graduate studies to better understand agricultural development and promote practical research.
Prior to joining AFRE, Yeyoung worked as a research intern at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) based in Washington, DC. While there, she was involved in the Gender, Climate Change, and Nutrition (GCAN) project, an initiative implemented under the CGIAR Research Program, and collaborated with colleagues at IFPRI. Back in Seoul, Yeyoung continued to work with her colleagues on the gender-differentiated effects of heat stress on agricultural labor and the linkages between weather variability and intimate-partner violence. Yeyoung’s past field experiences and research opportunities deeply motivated her to move forward with the Ph.D. program at AFRE.
During Yeyoung’s Ph.D. program at AFRE, she has taken 11 courses (total 34 credits), including four core Economics courses (13 credits), three courses in her major field (9 credits), and other major courses. She also passed the first trial of the qualifying exam in May 2020 and has been exempted from the second qualifying exam this year based on the new grade-based policy. In terms of research, Yeyoung published three papers in peer-reviewed journals between Fall 2020 and Summer 2021, including her master’s thesis for Uganda extension service. She also continued to work with her advisor and colleagues from IFPRI to build up her research topics on gender, time use, and the safety net program in Ethiopia and virtually presented her poster at the Agricultural and Applied Economic Association (AAEA) held in Austin, Texas in August 2021. Yeyoung also presented her previous paper for Tanzania at Cultivating Equality conference in October 2021. Yeyoung continues to work on her third-year paper to fill the knowledge gap in gender, time use, and technology adoption.
For volunteer work at MSU, she played the role of a representative named Inclusive Ambassador for my cohorts in the second year and put her efforts into harmonizing with the first-year and upper-year students in grad school. For the next academic year, she started serving as First-Year Liaison in Graduate School Organization (GSO) to help incoming Master’s and Ph.D. students settle in the program in their first year. Yeyoung believes her service and cooperation also are linked with Rotary’s focus on enhancing community development, as her role is to support the student body as a leader.
Immediately after the scholarship period, Yeyoung seeks to work as Young Professionals at International Organization and conduct development projects as a Research Fellow for at least 3 years in Africa. In addition, she plans to build up the necessary capacities for African development research through mid-and long-term work experiences and live in African countries for several years to conduct practical research. Most of all, as a Rotary scholar, Yeyoung’s mid-long term goal is to teach the next generation who will contribute to future research on regional and economic development in the world.
Yeyoung’s long-term career goal is to go beyond research for the local network of Africa and play a role as a community developer who helps African and international communities thrive, especially for vulnerable groups such as women, the elderly, and children. She believes it is consistent with one of the Rotary’s goals (Economic and Community Development) that focuses on the current issues arising in low-income countries. She also trusts her Ph.D. program at MSU will empower her to achieve her goal through substantial coursework, communication with excellent faculty and colleagues, and collaboration with researchers in international development.

9.1.22 - No Luncheon - Labor Day Celebration
2022-09-01 | MI
No Luncheon – Labor Day Celebration

9.8.22 - Cathy Holbrook
2022-09-08 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | St. Cecilia Music Center, 24 Ransom Ave NE, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
Cathy Holdbrook, Executive Director, St. Cecilia Music Center
Topic: “St. Cecilia Music Center History and Future”
Cathy Holbrook has held a leadership role in non-profit arts organizations for 30 years. She has been the executive and artistic director at St. Cecilia Music Center since 2006. Prior to her position at St. Cecilia, Cathy was the executive director of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra for 11 years in California. She has also held public relations and development positions at the Los Angles Philharmonic and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angles, CA and the La Jolla Chamber Music Society in San Diego, CA. Cathy was personal assistant to world-renowned pianist, composer, and conductor André Previn.
Since her time with St. Cecilia Music Center, she has facilitated a rebrand of the Center with a new name and image. She manages the administrative staff and works with the board of directors to maintain a successful and fiscally responsible organization.
Cathy envisioned and initiated a jazz series, folk series, and chamber music series all of which brings world-renowned musicians to Grand Rapids for performances in the superb Royce Auditorium. In 2012 Cathy forged a partnership between St. Cecilia Music Center and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York, the most prestigious chamber music organization in the country, to co-present concerts at St. Cecilia. She was instrumental in bringing music to ArtPrize in 2011 by engaging musicians to exhibit musical entries at St. Cecilia Music Center and initiating independently organized prize money specifically for musical ArtPrize entries.
Seven years ago Cathy created a new partnership with the syndicated radio show Acoustic Café and its host Rob Reinhart. The collaboration brings touring folk musicians and bands to St. Cecilia Music Center for performances. The series also gives St. Cecilia and Grand Rapids national exposure through taped interviews that air on the nationally syndicated radio show – heard on over 150 stations throughout the country.
During Cathy’s tenure at St. Cecilia Music Center, the number of concerts presented in the Chamber, Jazz, and Folk series has increased six times over. The artists presented are of the highest caliber, all Grammy-award winning and in-demand performers. The budget of St. Cecilia Music Center has increased in revenue by 50% with a significant increase in ticket sales and development revenue.
In 2015/16 Cathy orchestrated a $5.5 million capital campaign that allowed St. Cecilia Music Center to complete a $2.5 million renovation on the then 129-year-old building that SCMC calls home at 24 Ransom Ave. That same campaign doubled the size of the endowment for SCMC.
Cathy is skilled in creating strategies for organizational evolution. Her strengths lie in building a strong team within her organization, finding innovative programs to reach a wide variety of community members, and building important relationships with many different constituencies who are stakeholders in the mission of the organization.

9.15.22 - "Know Me Better"
2022-09-15 12:00 - 13:15 UTC | University Club of Grand Rapids, 111 Lyon St NW Suite 1025, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503, United States
The “Know Me Better” luncheon is a fantastic opportunity for Rotarians to connect by sharing their personal story of why they chose Rotary and are committed to serving. #serviceaboveself

9.16.22 - Habitat for Humanity - Volunteer Opportunity
2022-09-16 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | MI
Our Community Engagement Committee is pleased to provide the following volunteer opportunity for our Rotarians and friends!
September 16 – @ Habitat for Humanity of Kent County
Contact:
Stacey Woods SWoods@WolvGroup.com or Jim Rademaker rademakj@gvsu.edu
Date:
Friday, September 16th — 8 am- 5 pm
Details:
10 – 12 volunteers needed

9.17.22 - Fall River Clean Up - Volunteer Opportunity
2022-09-17 08:00 - 17:00 UTC | MI
Our Community Engagement Committee is pleased to provide the following volunteer opportunity for our Rotarians and friends!
September 17th – River Clean Up (meet at the “Rotary Spot”)
Contact:
Alex Wilson alexandra.wilson@ucomgr.org or Nick Farr nick@nickfarr.org
Date:
Friday, September 17th — 8 am – 5 pm
Details:
15 – 20 + volunteers needed
