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the Rotary International Foundation at the May 23 meeting. Welcomed as Paul Harris Fellow were Deb Davidson, LaRae Odland and Melinda Gruber. Rotarian Bob Copping, a Paul Harris Fellow since 2002 was honored for his continued support. The honorees are pictured with President Mary Sue Lyon. South Haven Rotary has the distinction of being a 100% club for its financial support of the RI Foundation. The Paul Harris Fellow Honor Roll for South Haven now stands at 73 including 31 current members.

Rotarians Art Ayers (pictured) and Jerry Portman joined fourth and fifth graders from North Shore Elementary planting chinook fingerlings in the Black River (at SHOUT Park) on May 12. Sponsored by South Haven Steelheaders the school project was supported by South Haven Rotarians who donated the chiller used to develop the eggs into fingerlings. The students planted about 150 fingerlings into the river.

South Haven Rotary hosted its second annual informal Car Show on May 17. In addition to a variety of cars, we were treated to a demonstration by the South Haven High School Robotics team. Enjoy photos by clicking here.

South Haven Rotarians joined other community volunteers in the annual ritual of planting flowers on the Dyckman drawbridge on May 18. Rotarian Anna Rydecki is pictured placing one of the nearly 2,100 begonias in the 130 planters that line the bridge. Rotarians LaRae and Mark Odland chair this activity.

Joe Adams

Jun 06, 2023 7:00 AM

Getting to Know Your Business Neighbor: Joe Adams of Adams Design & Print

Nick Tuit

Jun 13, 2023 7:00 AM

Steve Larsen presents an update on the Kenya Project.

Club Assembly

Jun 20, 2023 7:00 AM

at Peace Lutheran

Induction Dinner and Golf Outing

Jun 27, 2023 6:00 PM

at Hawkshead

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SPOKES-- May 30, 2023

Rotary District 6360 held its annual conference this past weekend in Battle Creek. South Haven Rotary was recognized as a 100% Participation Club to the Rotary International Foundation. Our president, Mary Sue Lyon, proudly displays a banner presented to the Club. In photo below Rotarian Mark Odland joins other District leadership for a photo. Mark will be the District Governor in 2024-25. He is joined by current District Governor Kathy Gallagher, District Governor Elect (25-26) Jackie Huie, District Governor Designate (26-27) Sharalyn Davis. Our club was well represented at the conference (bottom photo).

Edwin Velarde has logged thousands of miles cycling on his

EPiC Journeys to raise awareness of Diabetes in the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. This year he is partnering with Rotary International and bringing the tour to Southwest Michigan, including South Haven. The “Windy City to Cereal City” Diabetes action ride began on May 2nd at Rotary International Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois and ended in Battle Creek, Michigan at Rotary’s District 6360 annual conference. The ride will met up with Rotary Clubs in Evanston, New Buffalo, St. Joseph / Benton Harbor, South Haven, Portage and Battle Creek. The route from South Haven to Portage took place on the Kal-Haven Trail. We began this event with a lovely dinner hosted by Rotarians LaRae and Mark Odland in their home. Through this event we learned more about the Rotary Action Group’s initiatives and actions for Diabetes awareness, prevention, treatment, management and complications.

Rotarian Steve Larsen Visits Ngoswani Hospital (May, 2023)

Lifesaving Kenya Water Project Completed

Years of visioning, planning, fundraising and designing is being rewarded with the construction on a 160,000 gallon water storage cistern for the Maternal and Child Hospital in Ngoswani, Kenya. A global grant from the Rotary International Foundation, together with grants from the South Haven Rotary Club, other Rotary Clubs in District 6360 and individual Rotarians, provided $75,000 for the project. Members of the Milimani Rotary Club of Nairobi, Kenya, joined Maasai leaders in a celebrative groundbreaking for the project designed to be a safe water resource to the hospital which serves approximately 300,000 people. Here's a photo gallery showing construction of the cistern.

Pictured, left to right: Rotarian Ross Woodhams, honoree Keri McGarr and Rotary President Mary Sue Lyon.

Recipients of Education & Service Award

Enjoy Photo Gallery from Scholarship Fundraiser

A South Haven resident dedicated to helping students achieve success as they begin their college education has been presented with the 2023 Education and Service Award for the Rotary Club of South Haven.

Keri McGarr, the Campus Support Specialist and Coordinator for Lake Michigan College’s South Haven campus, received the award during the Rotary Club’s annual scholarship fundraiser dinner on April 29^th.

The award recognizes a South Haven resident in the education field who exemplifies the attributes of quality teaching, mentoring and community involvement. The South Haven Rotary contributes a $500 grant to the South Haven Public Schools Foundation in honor of the Educator of the Year recipient.

“Keri is a phenomenal teacher outside the traditional classroom setting,” wrote Jeremey Burleson, Associate Dean, Regional Campuses and Select Academic Programs for Lake Michigan College. “She has an ability to recognize the needs and opportunities facing students and helps them navigate their way around obstacles and into the academic program and classes they will need in order to succeed.

Keri has recognized how the disruptions in college programs and students’ lives due to the COVID pandemic have created additional needs to help new and returning students successfully complete the admissions and registration processes, find additional sources of financial aid, connect with community organizations for childcare, transportation or other needs, find tutors, and ensure they have the technology, equipment and internet access to function in an on-line or virtual learning environment. In addition to their academic needs, Keri and the team at LMC’s South Haven campus have implemented a food pantry for students with temporary nutrition needs and host a monthly “food day” to bring students, staff and faculty together to help rebuild the collegial atmosphere that was diminished during the COVID restrictions.

In addition to all that she does to help the students, Keri is often the face of LMC to the community working with stakeholders community organizations guiding and teaching them about facility ideas, possibilities for classroom use, and the availability of the community conference rooms. Keri goes above and beyond to make sure the groups using the LMC facility do not encounter access, technology or facility issues and is always there, before and after events, to support the organization hosting the event.

As her Associate Dean, Jeremy Burleson, noted “…Keri goes far beyond her job description to help people become LMC students and then to connect them to the support resources they need to complete their education. When it comes to teaching the community about the South Haven campus of Lake Michigan College, Keri McGarr is the ‘go-to’ person.

When asked, what gives you joy in your role?, Keri was quick to answer “Helping the students succeed, to reach their goals. Many are taking these classes to get their first jobs or to receive a promotion and increase in salary in their existing jobs. We are helping these students overcome obstacles to make big improvements in their lives.”

Keri has been at LMC for 14 years. She and her husband Terry are native Michiganders, moving to South Haven in 1991 from Florence, South Carolina. Keri is a graduate of Kalamazoo Valley Community College with an AAS in Information technology. They have two married children Carly (Ricardo) Cervantes and Michael (Ashley) McGarr. Keri is an active member of the First Congregational Church and volunteers regularly to help maintain the gardens at the church. She has also served as a volunteer on the Christian Education Board and the Memorial Committee Board at the church.

South Haven Rotarians and kindergarten students from the Maple Grove school celebrated Arbor Day on Friday, April 28 by planting a white oak tree in historic Stanley Johnston Park. This has been a South Haven tradition for five years and celebrates the legacy of Rotary International Founder Paul Harris who more than a hundred years ago spearheaded initiatives to plant Peace Trees worldwide. City Arborist Aaron Priebe organized the effort, which in addition to planting a white oak tree, provided outdoor educational projects for Ms. Chalupa’s kindergarten class. Mayor Scott Smith and fellow Rotarian and Deputy City Manager, Griffin Graham were on hand to help lift the tree into place. Enjoy Photo Gallery

In a very short time, Angelica Gallegos-Dickerson has made herself an indispensable part of our Club. We are honored to name her our "Club Hero" for 2023. She will be honored at our upcoming District Conference.

Angelica has worked many hours the past year, both before and during meetings. She has taken on the task of ensuring that all our technology works as intended. She sets up the Zoom meeting connection, ensuring that it works for our members unable to attend live meetings. She has maintained the platform, making it feel normal as members travel, and includes them in the presentation material. She has dealt with a vast variety of electronic material that presenters bring her, and made it appear on our monitors. While some presenters are kind enough to supply the information beforehand, many times she is scrambling at 6:53 a.m. (prior to the 7 AM meeting time) to interpret a variety of software, and translates it to speak to our laptop.

She is in the room early and often last to depart. She also delivers the morning donuts and sets up banners. All in all, a great effort to make meetings flow smoothly. In addition, Angelica has taken over the role of all communication with the program chairs, the newspaper for Community Calendar and sending out the weekly reminders of the
meetings.

She is indeed South Haven Rotary's Club Hero!!