Student Excellence Award Recipients

by | May 14, 2012 | Awards, Community Service Ongoing, Youth Initiatives

Today we were pleased to award three East Lansing High School students with our annual Student Excellence Awards.  These awards are given to students who have shown great improvement over their high school career, and who have been nominated by their advisors for the award.  Congratulations to this year’s award winners!


Pictured above: EL Rotary President Tim McCaffrey, Crystal Branch, Amar Dzomba, La’She Embry, and Rotarian Kristin Shelley.

Playground in the Park: Re-Imagined (Update)

by | May 14, 2012 | Uncategorized

Project Overview
The Rotary Club of East Lansing, in conjunction with the City of East Lansing, is in the process of finalizing the design for the new playground at East Lansing’s Patriarche Park.  Input from the community meetings held earlier this spring is being incorporated into an updated design that will: 1) make the playground more accessible to everyone, including children with physical disabilities; 2) utilize equipment that helps build physical fitness, 3) comply with the latest safety standards and 4) be built with eco-friendly materials.
Pancakes-in-the-Park 
Sunday, June 10 is the date for this year’s annual Pancakes-in-the-Park breakfast (pancakes, sausage, apples, O.J. and coffee) which will be served from 7 am to 12:30 pm at the pavilion in East Lansing’s Patriarche Park, nearby the playground.  Funds generated by the pancake breakfast are used to support the Rotary Club’s community service projects.  MSU Women’s Basketball Coach Suzy Merchant and honorary chair for the playground project will be flipping pancakes at this year’s event as the Rotary Club’s “Guest Chef.”  Playground sponsors – Meijer, MSUFCU, and Summit Community Bank – have also been invited to participate in this year’s event.
Playground Support Growing
$10,000 from the MSUFCU and $2,100 from the Community Relations Coalition (Taste of East Lansing) are the latest donations in support of the new playground at Patriarche Park.  Meijer and Summit Community Bank have also committed to being sponsors for the playground project and grant requests are currently pending with both the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund ($300,000) and the Capital Region Community Foundation ($20,000).  East Lansing Rotary Club members have donated or helped secure over $50,000 – including a $10,000 pledge from East Lansing Lodge 480 of the Freemasons – to support the playground project.
In addition, talks are underway with television celebrity and Traverse City native Carter Oosterhouse about supporting the playground project.  He’s the host of HDTV’s Carter Can home improvement show and founder of Carter’s Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating and promoting awareness of fitness and self-esteem for America’s youth. 

Taste of East Lansing Wrap-Up

by | May 7, 2012 | Community Service Ongoing, Events, Foundation and Fund Raising, Playground in the Park

(L to R: Erin Carter, MSU Community Liaison w/ City of East Lansing, EL Rotary President Tim McCaffrey and CRC’s Olivia Seifert)
The “Taste of East Lansing” sponsored by the Community Relations Coalition raised $2,100 for the playground project. Many thanks to all of the Rotarians who volunteered and worked at this first-time venture by the CRC.

Memorial Planned for Medal of Honor Recipient

by | Apr 18, 2012 | Community Service Ongoing, Foundation and Fund Raising

The East Lansing Rotary Club is spearheading a project to raise money to build a monument dedicated to one of the two Medal of Honor recipients from the tri-county (Eaton, Clinton, and Ingham Counties) area.  Second Lieutenant Sherrod E. Skinner, Jr. entered military service from East Lansing, Michigan and was killed in the Korean War.  The other midMichigan Medal of Honor winner — Francis Flaherty, a member of the US Navy killed in WW II — has a monument dedicated to him in his home town at the courthouse in Charlotte, Michigan.  The intention is to build a similar monument honoring 2nd Lieutenant Skinner‘s service to our country somewhere within the city limits of East Lansing.  Current plans call for constructing the memorial using black polished granite, similar to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.

Second Lieutenant Skinner’s citation reads as follows:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as an artillery forward observer of Battery F, in action against enemy aggressor forces on the night of 26 October 1952. When his observation post in an extremely critical and vital sector of the main line of resistance was subjected to a sudden and fanatical attack by hostile forces, supported by a devastating barrage of artillery and mortar fire which completely severed communication lines connecting the outpost with friendly firing batteries, 2d Lt. Skinner, in a determined effort to hold his position, immediately organized and directed the surviving personnel in the defense of the outpost, continuing to call down fire on the enemy by means of radio alone until his equipment became damaged beyond repair. Undaunted by
the intense hostile barrage and the rapidly-closing attackers, he twice left the protection of his bunker in order to direct accurate machinegun fire and to replenish the depleted supply of ammunition and grenades. Although painfully wounded on each occasion, he steadfastly refused medical aid until the rest of the men received treatment.

As the ground attack reached its climax, he gallantly directed the final defense until the meager supply of ammunition was exhausted and the position overrun. During the 3 hours that the outpost was occupied by the enemy, several grenades were thrown into the bunker which served as protection for 2d Lt. Skinner and his remaining comrades. Realizing that there was no chance for other than passive resistance, he directed his men to feign death even though the hostile troops entered the bunker and searched their persons. Later, when an enemy grenade was thrown between him and two other survivors, he immediately threw himself on the deadly missile in an effort to protect the others, absorbing the full force of the explosion and sacrificing his life for his comrades. By his indomitable fighting spirit, superb leadership, and great personal valor in the face of tremendous odds, 2d Lt. Skinner served to inspire his fellow marines in their heroic stand against the enemy and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

Please consider making a contribution to this effort, today.  Donations are currently being accepted and checks should be made payable to the East Lansing Rotary Foundation, which is assisting with the fund-raising effort.  The East Lansing Rotary Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) organization, which means that contributions to support this effort are tax deductible.  Donations can be mailed directly to the foundation in care of: East Lansing Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 4205, East Lansing, MI 48823.It’s expected that the memorial will cost no more than $25,000.00.

Questions about the planned memorial honoring 2nd Lt. Skinner can be addressed to Patrick Boog
(517-333-2982).  Thank you for your consideration!

Upcoming Speakers April 2012

by | Mar 29, 2012 | Speakers for the Month

East Lansing Rotary’s programs for April 2012 are as follows:
April 2 – Rotarian Walt Sorg will be making a presentation about electric vehicles.
April 9 – Pat Lindemann will present an update on projects being undertaken by the Drain Commissioner’s Office.
April 16 – Harvey Schoof, co-author of “Answering the Central Question,” will present on the science of applied neuro-axiology and “how-to principles for integrating your heart, mind and brain to unleash your inner strengths and create a truly extraordinary life.”
April 23 – East Lansing City Manager and Rotarian George Lahanas will present on East Lansing’s budget challenges.
April 30 – Molly Day, Director of Marketing and Development at Ele’s Place, will present about service provided by Ele’s Place and their impact on our community.