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During the COVID19 pandemic South Haven Rotary is conducting its meetings remotely with members joining via the ZOOM. Our next virtual meeting will be Tuesday, August 18 at 7 a.m. If you would like to "attend" please email us (tlrennersh@gmail.com) We will gladly provide access information.

Virtual Success

See photos from virtual fundraiser

While the COVID pandemic has kept organizations from their normal activities in recent months it hasn't deterred South Haven Rotarians from remaining active in the community as evidenced by a successful virtual fundraiser on August 9.

For nearly 50 years the Rotarians had sponsored a pancake breakfast at the South Haven Airport in conjunction with the National Blueberry Festival. That wasn't possible this year because of COVID and the absence of a traditional festival schedule. So the Rotarians decided to go it alone, safely.

The Rotarians sponsored a virtual pancake breakfast fundraiser. The event from the downtown pavilion was streamed live on Facebook with a goal of raising $9,000 in 90 minutes. The result was hundreds of donations, mostly on-line, totaling $11,000. Those who came to the pavilion to watch the production and make a donation received safely packaged Jiffy pancake mix and freshly picked blueberries from DeGrandchamp Farms of South Haven. Delicious home-cooked pancake breakfasts abounded throughout the community!

Co-chairs Rosalie Plechaty and Dan Thompson hosted the production that featured many of the organizations benefiting from Rotary contributions. The South Haven Rotarians over the past year contributed a record $51,000 to local, regional and international non-profit organizations.

Rotary Steps-up to Help Community

During these special times there are growing needs for help by many families in the South Haven area. Members of the Rotary Club of South Haven in recent months have helped answer those needs with financial contributions to We Care I.N.C. that now total $17,750.

The contributions have been made possible through donations from individual Rotarians, the club through its local fundraising initiatives, the Rotary District 6360 Foundation and Rotary International Foundation.

The most recent contribution of $3,750 has been designated for the We Care personal care pantry. Club president Dan Thompson and treasurer Bop Straits are pictured presenting the donation to Erika Morrison, executive director of We Care.

During the current COVID crisis, the member's contributions were designated for the We Care utility assistance program. The donations taken during the club's annual holiday dinner are earmarked for We Care food. The Rotarians were the leading organization in donating laundry detergent during the Diversity Coalition's MLK event.

During the Rotary year ending June 30, the club's donations to more than 40 local, regional and international non-profit organizations surpassed $51,000.

Splish Splash

Rotary of South Haven is pleased to be a major local sponsor of the new Splash Pad. Our fund raising efforts coupled with support from the Rotary Foundation and our District 6360 Foundation made for a grant totaling $17,500. We are focused on the things we can do to support our community, save lives by providing a safe alternative for children to avoid the dangers of Lake Michigan rip tides, and help make South Haven a great place to live.

Rotarian of the Year

Mark Odland is the 2020 South Haven Rotarian of the Year. Mark has served with distinction as our president the past two years. He has provided outstanding leadership for our club with a steady hand and strong goals, including securing grants for community projects, improving our public image and adding enthusiastic new members to our club. We are also grateful for the support of LaRae Odland who has been at Mark's side throughout his presidency.

Citizens of the Year

South Haven Rotary is pleased to present its 2020 Citizens of the Year Award to Joel and Heidi Gesiakowski, owners of the Taste restaurant in downtown South Haven. Joel and Heidi have dedicated themselves and their business to the community from the day they came to our town in 2012. Read more and scroll down

Educator of the Year

A South Haven teacher who took an extraordinary path to becoming an educator has been presented the 2020 Education and Service Award by the Rotary Club of South Haven. Anna DeVries, a third grade teacher at Lincoln Elementary, has been honored as an educator who exemplifies attributes that go beyond teaching. Read more and scroll down

New Scholarships

Pictured from left to right: Sierra Garber, Katherine Schooley, Victoria Loikitis, Opal Eddy.

Four new scholarships for members of the graduating class at South Haven High School have been created by the Rotary Club of South Haven and are being awarded for the first time. "Rotary has been actively involved in supporting education in our community for many years," said club president Mark Odland. "In this new scholarship program we looked beyond academic achievement in reviewing applications and considered ways in which the students have applied Rotary's "Four Way Test" to their lives." The new scholarships are in addition to another fund supported by the South Haven Rotarians. Since 2004 the club has donated nearly $200,000 to the Rotary Scholarship Fund held at Lake Michigan College and to the South Haven Schools Fund managed through the Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation. Read more and scroll down

Kenya Hospital Recognizes Rotary

The dream of South Haven Rotarian Dr. Marty Graber to open a hospital in Ngoswani,Kenya is about to become a reality.

Dr. Graber has devoted his life to helping the people of the Maasai Tribe, first with school buildings and now a community maternity and child care hospital. South Haven Rotary has been among the supporters of Dr. Graber's tireless work. The hospital's surgery suites acknowledge Rotary.