President Nick opened the Club Assembly by thanking the board of directors for their service this year and reviewed the club goals that had been achieved during the past year.
The club met or surpassed its goals for the number of social events, service projects and Rotarians participating in service projects. The club also surpassed goals for member contributions to the Rotary Club of Flint Charitable Foundation, The Flint Rotary Charitable Foundation Endowment Fund of CFGF and the Rotary International Charitable Foundation.
President-Elect Domonique Clemons continued the club assembly program by outlining the 26-27 Key Priorities: membership growth, committee re-activation, mission focus, and deeper connections. He emphasized bringing in new members and focusing on the ‘why’ of Rotary. The club will maintain the same meeting structure with some adjustments for meetings that fall on holiday weeks. A complete calendar is available on the Club website.
President-Elect Domonique reviewed the committee structure: Club Administration, Service, Membership and Communications; urging all Rotarians to join a committee if they have not already done so. A gap that needs support immediately is chair of Club Administration as Dawn Hibbard steps in as President-Elect for the 26-
27 Rotary year. Dawn has also been serving as the social event coordinator and a club member is needed to fill that role of arranging for Thirsty Thursday locations and communicating with the club.
President-Elect Domonique also announced the ambitious goal set by the District Governor Elect, Lorna Gunning Fratschko, to unite all the District 6330 clubs to raise $1 million for Polio Plus to further Rotary International’s goal to eradicate polio. It’s being named the Coco Challenge – Create Lasting Impact.
President Nick closed Club Assembly by remembering dear friends and fellow Rotarians that passed away in the past year. We remember the service of Don Rockwell, Fred Heinz, Reg Lancaster, and Hank Fracalossi.
President Nick, Stossi Caswell, Josh Caswell, Merv Webb, and Jan Cox
Project Search Provides Job Opportunities
by Ann Marie Van Duyne
Project Search is a national program designed to address the employment gap for individuals with disabilities, where fewer than 30% are employed nationwide.
Jan Cox, Project Search Program Administrator and Josh Caswell, Project Search Instructor both from the Genesee Intermediate School District shared their passion for this unique and inspirational program.
Entering its fourth year in Genesee County, Project Search is funded and operated by the GISD for students ages18-26 with moderate cognitive impairments and autism spectrum disorder.
The Project SEARCH model is a one-year school-to-work program that takes place entirely at a business partner location. The GISD business partner is the Genesee County Parks with externship sites at Formar Nature Preserve, Crossroads Village, and Keep Genesee County Beautiful.
The program combines classroom instruction with three unpaid externships where the students can learn event set-up, maintenance, or customer service depending on the work assignment. The instructors provide tiered support to the students starting out with almost full-time onsite support and gradually reducing their time with the students so they gain full independence in their roles. The third of the three externships is focused on transitioning to outside employment. They have multiple community business partners that assist the program by conducting mock interviews with the students.
The ultimate goal is to graduate from the program to become successful members of the community and to earn a job that matches their interests and the skills they have developed.
Jan and Josh shared their pride in the success of the GISD Project SEARCH program which has a 76% employment rate for their students and a 90% job retention rate. They are also proud that the GISD program has helped launch Project SEARCH programs at two local Meijer stores.
Juneteenth- This Friday
June 19 is Juneteenth- the celebration of freedom marking the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in states that had rebelled finally learned that they had been declared free. (Enslaved people in Kentucky and Delaware that had not rebelled were not recognized as free until December of that year, after the ratification of the 13th Amendment.)
Juneteenth has been celebrated in many African American communities as early as 1866, and it was recognized as a federal holiday starting in 2021. It is an important reminder that to be truly free as a country, we have to all be free.
Flint is celebrating Juneteenth throughout the month. (A listing of events is available here.) The traditional Juneteenth celebration at Max Brandon Park will be held from 12-5 pm this Friday, with a parade commencing at 5 pm going from the part to Downtown Flint. Sloan/Longway is hosting events on the Flint Cultural Center lawn on Saturday, June 20 from 11 am to 4 pm.
Next Up: June 26 at noon at the Food Bank. Join us for the Presidential Roast
We can't promise another pie in the face, but there are sure to be shenanigans. Please join us to give a heartfelt and jovial send-off to President Nick!
Paul Harris Fellows Honored
The Club recognized three Paul Harris Fellows. A Paul Harris Fellow (named for Rotary's founder) is recognized after contributing $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation (either at once or over time). A "+1" or "+ several" is earned for additional contributions totaling $1,000.
Those being recognized were Ellen Brothers, Howard Downing (PHF+2), and Kyle McCree (PHF+3).
The Rotary Foundation's mission is to help Rotary members to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty. Contributions
Ellen Brothers, Howard Downing, and Kyle McCree
from Rotarians help fund work throughout the globe. This includes projects such as polio vaccination, helping farmers whose livestock have been lost due to natural disaster, and providing water filters to ensure access to clean drinking water.
Its's Time to Renew your Rotary Membership
Last week, Club Bookkeeper Amy van der Putte emailed a copy of the 2026-27 Rotary Membership Renewal form. Please fill it out and return it to her as soon as you are able-- you can either fill it out on the computer and email it to her, or complete a hard copy. If you need help, please contact Amy.
The membership form is also available to download from our Club website here:
District 7 clubs will once again be staffing the water station and intersections along our section of the Crim Festival of Races on Saturday, August 22. We are getting an early start on recruitment-- please sign up to volunteer! It starts with a fabulous breakfast at Mike Chaffee's at 6 am and you will be done before noon. It's a great way to be part of one of Flint's premiere events as you enjoy some Rotarian fellowship.
