SPOKES VOL.LXXII NO.31 February 18, 2020
Our greeters this morning were Ross Woodhams and Steve Larsen.
President Odland welcomed us all, and we opened with the “Pledge of Allegiance”, followed by Art Ayers’ invocation.
Guests:
Guest Speaker Deb Howe, from SCORE. Deb has attended our meetings previously, as the guest of Steve Larsen.
Mary Sue Lyon, President of the South Haven Theatre Series. Mary Sue is also a previous attendee, as the guest of Bob Copping.
Jane Copping (Bob Copping)
Announcements:
+President Odland mentioned that, for the first time in a number of weeks, we don’t have a Spotlight Presentation or a New Member Orientation. That being the case, we have time to spend finishing our breakfast with good conversation among our tablemates.
+ ABO (After Business Ours)-at Whiteford Wealth Management, Thursday, February 20th, from 5-7pm.
+ Thursday Night Supper at the First Congregational Church, also on February 20th. Please plan to arrive @ 5:30pm.
+ President Odland received a message from Treasurer Bob Straits, indicating that the temperature, where he resides in Florida, was 89 degrees yesterday. Hurtful, Bob, hurtful!
+ President Odland commended Sue Duvall and Bob Boerma for their work in revamping our song selections. There will be a blend of new and old and, to alleviate any concerns, any songs which did NOT make the “cut” have been saved to make sure any of Dottie’s accompaniments are not “lost”. There will be 22 new song programs...
+ There will be a meeting of the Educational Fundraiser committee following our meeting today.
+ President Odland also was very appreciative of the “new-look” SPOKES which now, thanks to Tom Renner, includes photos.
MUSIC:
Jim Davis led the Rotary Chorus this morning, but little did Jim know what he was “in for” following our first selection, “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now”.
Bob Boerma was our song leader last week, but SPOKES readers might recall that two weeks ago, when Jim was our song leader, the wrong song sheets had been distributed to our tables.
That being said, after our first song this morning, things went “haywire”...Our bluetooth/phone-controlled song selection next took us to “My Country ‘tis of Thee”, then back to “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now”, before settling in to our second song, “In the Good Old Summertime”, and finishing with “Sing a Song to Rotary”. WHEW!!! Suddenly, “Music” is the most challenging aspect of our agenda!
I didn’t hear our Sergeant-at-Arms, Stuart Comiskey, ask for the usual “honest and reliable” person to draw the first winning ticket; he simply headed straight to Deb Howe. Kaleigh Eddy had the winner, but selected the “10” card, so our next winner, Steve Larsen, secured the not so elusive $2 prize.
FINES:
Rhonda Wendzel mentioned that today was John Harding’s birthday. We certainly miss you, John...
Nick Tuit saluted his grandson Steve...OOPS! Make that Sam, who is 21 years old.
Kaleigh Eddy indicated that she was glad that we have snow.
With the song selection fiasco fresh in our minds, two of our members each donated a dollar which was to be donated to the tech improvement fund! Sorry, I didn’t write down their names.
Larry Witkopp welcomed new coach Mel Tucker to the Spartans.
Ted Weber was happy for the beautiful day.
Steve Larsen was happy not to be on a cruise ship.
PROGRAM: Deb Howe will be providing an update on SCORE (Economic Development)
Scott Smith, Program Chair, provided an introduction of Deb, which included her attending Hope College, and receiving an Executive MBA in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.
She has been actively involved with the SW Michigan Innovation Center, has served as chair of the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and when she’s not spending time with her family, she’s thrilled to be able to give back through her work with SCORE.
Many used to know the acronym SCORE as the “Senior Core of Retired Executives”. Today, it is just identified as SCORE, as many volunteers are actively running their own businesses and are not necessarily retired.
SCORE is a national organization which has been in existence for 57 years; 38 years in SW Michigan. There are 365 chapters in the United States.
It is the nation’s largest network of volunteer, expert, business mentors and has assisted more than 11 million small business owners since 1964.
SCORE is a 501(c)(3) organization and is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Thanks to the generous support of the SBA and the selfless contributions of their more than 10,000 dedicated volunteers, they are able to deliver most of their offerings at no cost.
SCORE provides a wide range of services to established and beginning business owners, including:
+MENTORING- Entrepreneurs can access free, confidential business mentoring in person at 300 local chapters, or remotely, via email, phone, or video.
+WEBINARS and COURSES on DEMAND- SCORE regularly offers free online workshops on topics ranging from start-up strategies to marketing and finance.
Their MISSION: “To foster vibrant small business communities through mentoring and education.”
Their VISION: “We aim to give every person the support they need to thrive as a small business owner.”
Their VALUES:
+Clients Matter
+Small Business Matters
+Giving Back Matters
+Volunteers Matter
+Experience Matters
+Relationships Matter
+Diversity Matters
+Lifelong Learning Matters
One unidentified client stated: ”If it weren’t for SCORE, we would have been like bumper cars in a carnival”.
SCORE maintains offices in South Haven at the City Hall, in Kalamazoo, and at the Cornerstone Alliance in Benton Harbor.
Deb joined SCORE Kalamazoo/SW Michigan in 2016 as a mentor, eager to put her business acumen to work, and THAT she has DONE with a great deal of success!
Deb addressed some questions from club members and was thanked by President Odland, as well as our membership and guests, for a tremendous presentation. Scott Smith presented Deb with our Rotary pen with thanks...
Next Week’s Greeters: Jeremy Burleson and Art Ayers
Next Week’s Program: Ricky Coats will provide an update from the Albemarle Corporation.
We concluded the meeting with the Four-Way Test.