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South Haven Rotarians answered the call at the MLK Celebration at South Haven High School on January 20. The attendees were challenged to bring laundry detergent to the event to be distributed to the personal care pantries of We Care I.N.C. Our Rotarians enthusiatically responded to the call and brought detergent totaling more than 17,000 ounces to lead all organizations who participated in the challenge. President Mark Odland displays the "trophy" awarded to Rotary in recognition of its support.

Supporting Community

South Haven Rotarians joined in the ceremonial groundbreaking on November 15 for the new splash pad to be built near the South Beach. The Splash Pad will provide a safe place for children, especially during times when it is too dangerous to venture into nearby Lake Michigan. The design of the Splash Pad highlights South Haven's tall ship Friends Goodwill. South Haven Rotary and Rotary District 6360 combined to contribute $13,500 toward the project. Mayor Scott Smith receives a ceremonial check from President Mark Odland and fellow Rotarians Kaleigh Eddy, Deb Davidson, Bill Roberts, Rhonda Wendzel and Dene Hadden.

Rotary District Honors Al Ruppert

South Haven businessman Al Ruppert was honored by the Rotary District 6360 Foundation recently (October 30) for his community stewardship as a recipient of the Golden Trowel Award. District 6360 is comprised of 66 Rotary clubs, mostly in southwest Michigan. The award is presented to non-Rotarians who have made a significant impact on their community. Ruppert was earlier this year presented the South Haven Rotary's Citizen of the Year award which led to his nomination for the District recognition. On the professional side, he is the one that built and provided the energizing force for the iconic Clementine's Restaurant and Hawks Head Golf Course in South Haven and Clementine's Too in St. Joseph. On the philanthropic side he is involved in numerous ways of generously donating his time, treasure and talent to make the community a better place to live, work and play.

Pictured from left to right: South Haven Rotarian Dan Thompson, District Governor Margie Hass, Al Ruppert, South Haven Rotary Secretary Rhonda Wendzel and South Haven Rotary President Mark Odland.

Grant Supports Historic Scott Club

The Rotary Club of South Haven has funded the installation of a fire detection system at the historic Scott Club building. The stately Queen Anne style building, constructed in 1893, is a Michigan historic site. The fire detection system facilitates the immediate notification of the fire department. This is the second installation of a state-of-the-art fire detection system in a historically important building funded by the Rotarians. The first was at the Historical Association of South Haven (formerly Hartman School) in 2017. The $5,000 award for the Scott Club project was made possible thru a matching grant from the Rotary District 6360 Foundation.

Sculpture Honors Rotarian

A new downtown sculpture, "Life's Garden", honors the memory of Rotarian and community leader Glenn Pietenpol. The sculpture is outside the Chemical Bank building, corner of Phoenix and Center. It was made possible by the Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation.

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.