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» Winter Beach Blast
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 This year’s National City Roar on the River is scheduled for July 24-26 in Trenton. National City on board as 2009 ‘Roar’ title partner
District fund-raiser to aid Polio Eradication Posted March 27 Club to sponsor charity poker tournament We have scheduled the last weekend of May (Thursday, May 26, through Sunday, May 31) to be the beneficiary organization at Diamond Poker’s location at Indian Lanes in Wyandotte. We need help from members both as volunteers during this four-day event and to help talk it up and promote it throughout the community. The more people we can get to attend, the more revenue it will generate, so attendance by players is critical as well, and the more we can do to promote this event ourselves, the better. Photo Galleries — Our Club In Action Follow these links to view photos from a few of our recent events: Rotary Birthday Celebration, Feb. 23 Additional photo galleries of previous events also are available on the District 6400 Web site, courtesy of our district Webmaster Jim Karolyi, and the many, many photos provided by Bill Jasman.
TRENTON ROTARY’S ‘WINTER BEACH BLAST’OFFERS A WINTER ESCAPE CLOSE TO HOME Posted January 19, 2009 It may be the heart of winter in the heart of a recession, but Trenton Rotary is determined to give area residents a great opportunity to defy the doldrums with its “Winter Beach Blast” Saturday, Jan. 31, at Crystal Gardens in Southgate. The one-night beach-themed party, which begins at 6 p.m., is expected to warm spirits with a mid-winter “getaway” that not only features great food and entertainment, but is also affordable and close to home. “The Beach Blast is one of those special events that combines an evening of good fun with raising money for good causes,” said Joe Hoshaw, Trenton Rotary president. “The great thing is that you don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great time — and help support some important charitable organizations in the process.” Trenton Rotary held its first Winter Beach Blast last winter, replacing its previous long-running winter fund-raiser, the Cash Classic. “We were looking for something with a little broader appeal that didn’t have an intimidating price tag,” Hoshaw said. “The club was really pleased with the results. The Cash Classic was struggling to draw 200 people, while the first Winter Beach Blast attracted 550.” Along with lower-priced tickets, the approach for the new event included a barbecue-style menu and premium open bar, lively and competitive beach games for prizes, Hawaiian and Tahitian entertainment, music by T.J. Monte, and an assortment of auctions and prize drawings. “It’s definitely a pretty full night; no one’s likely to be bored,” Hoshaw said. Trenton Rotary supports as many as 50 different charities or events each year with its donations. Proceeds from last year’s event aided a number of causes, including providing $2,000 to help seed ChristNet’s new daytime homeless shelter, as well as support to the Trenton Food Pantry. A full list of the organizations that Trenton Rotary has provided assistance to in recent years is available on the club’s Web site at www.trentonrotary.net. Tickets for the evening are $35 in advance, and $40 at the door. There is also a “group” ticket rate. Companies or organizations that purchase a minimum of 10 tickets can obtain their tickets for $30 each. “There’s an opportunity here for companies that cancelled or scaled back their holiday parties to have a little post-holiday celebration for a relatively low cost,” Hoshaw said. “This event can accommodate those types of gatherings and seat large groups together. We had one organization last year that brought nearly 40 people in lieu of having an office holiday party. In this economy that’s definitely an idea that has some merit.” Tickets can be obtained by contacting Kyle Stack at (734) 493-3817. The Winter Beach Blast also will feature silent and live auctions throughout the evening, as well as a variety of prize drawings. The list of auction items will range from themed gift baskets to sports memorabilia to tropical vacations, plus a few unique surprise offerings. Condos in Florida and Mexico are among the live auction offerings. Additional auction items are still being sought. Anyone interested in donating to the silent or live auctions can contact Alice Prusak at (734) 285-2210. The beach theme will be prevalent in the room décor at the banquet hall, and ticket purchasers are being encouraged to dress in Hawaiian or other beach attire. Prizes will be awarded for the best beach attire. The Winter Beach Blast also is offering a variety of sponsorship options to businesses and individuals interested in supporting the event. The sponsorship levels were created with the beach theme in mind as well. They include the Big Kahuna ($1,000), Land Shark ($500), Parrot Head ($250) and Lifeguard ($125). Full details of the sponsorship levels are available at www.winterbeachblast.org, or by contacting Hoshaw at (734) 676-0504.
Local Basic Needs project gives boost to Scouts’ ‘Can Do effort The shelves of the Trenton Food Pantry are restocked to levels that haven’t been seen in quite some time (if ever) thanks to the huge success of the recent Operation Can Do citywide collection drive. Rotarians, Interactors, and well as some of their friends and family members, produced about 50 additional volunteers to help the Boy Scouts with canvassing the city and the massive sorting and stacking effort that followed at the Food Pantry. Despite the sore muscles, project chair Bill Jasman was all smiles at the project’s conclusion. Thanks to all who helped make this effort successful!! This was a great way to fill a “Local Basic Need,” one of our key new projects for the current year. Bill said Rotary and Interact support, both with manpower and promotional efforts, resulted in about a 45 percent overall increase in the amount of food collected. Even though the Food Pantry is well-stocked for now, let’s keep this organization in our thoughts going into the winter months, because there is certain to be a high demand. When the opportunity arises, put in a good word for the Food Pantry and the critical need it fills when you are talking with your friends and neighbors. Thanks again, Bill, for going above and beyond and getting us so well organized in a minimal timeframe. $5,000 Community Chest Grand Prize drawing nears We’re getting into the final weeks for the Community Chest Raffle, so at this point we’re in the critical phase for getting those remaining tickets sold. See Rick Williams for additional tickets. Once sold, turn ticket stubs and money in to John Allen. The final grand prize drawing for $5,000 (plus second- and third-place drawings) will be held at the end of our meeting on Nov. 24. Reserve tickets for Wild Game Lunch now! Don’t forget to get those ticket requests in for the Wild Game Luncheon, which is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the Grosse Ile Golf & Country Club. Seating is limited, so don’t miss out! The committee is still looking for businesses interested in sponsoring at one of two different sponsor levels: $350 for a Shumate sponsor and $200 for a Castignola sponsor. The Shumate sponsorship comes with four tickets. The sponsorship flier available here on the Trenton Rotary Web site in downloadable format. Please refer any potential new sponsor leads to Chris Stathakis. The committee this year also is pre-selling raffle tickets that give ticket buyers an opportunity to win a Benelli shotgun valued at $1,500. Tickets are $25 each or 4 for $75. See Jim Mans for raffle tickets.
funds for children in Indonesia Posted October 21, 2008 A charity car wash sponsored by the Trenton High School Interact Club Oct. 11 raised $520 that be donated to fund cleft palate repair surgeries on needy children in Indonesia. The Interact Club is one of the school’s most active organizations, participating in several fund-raisers and community service activities throughout the year. “The students did a great job,” said Bruce Jocks, Interact chair for Trenton Rotary Club, which sponsors the student-led organization. “The proceeds from their efforts will provide enough money to change the lives of 11 children.” Jocks said more than 35 club members, led by club president and high school senior Ryan Thompson and teacher advisor Chad Clements, helped out during the event, which was designated as the club’s “international service” project for the current year. “It was a lot of work but a lot of fun as well,” Jocks said. “Everyone really had a great time.” The club’s next event is its pancake breakfast fund-raiser on Sunday, Nov. 16. That will be followed up by the eighth-annual, 24-Hour “Jingle Drive” to be held Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 13-14, in the parking lot of Martenson Funeral Home on West Road in Trenton. The “Jingle Drive” is the club’s “community service” project, which collects used clothing to donate to St. Vincent DePaul, non-perishable food items for the Trenton Food Pantry, new toys for Toys for Tots, and monetary donations for ChristNet, a consortium of Downriver churches providing warming shelters.
Team effort produces great Roar weekend
And the winner is… The Rotary Club of Trenton was proud to accept District 6400’s Hedke Award for 2007-2008 during ceremonies at District Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario, May 8-11. The Hedke Award is the district’s highest annual honor, going each year to the club that demonstrates the best overall performance in meeting Rotary’s high standards of community service. President Wes Mator was honored to receive the award on the club’s behalf. District Gov. Jennifer Jones also honored Past President Kyle Stack with the District’s highest individual honor, The COG Award, for her work on the Honor and Comfort Committee as well as a District Membership committee member. She is the first Trenton Rotarian to be honored. The Trenton Club was represented by a total of 14 Rotarians and their spouses at the conference. Our club also was proud to be named a recipient of a Governor’s Citation from Jennifer for having the best Web site among the club’s in the district. Congratulations Trenton Rotarians for another awesome year! CLICK HERE for photos Club gets service grant Club member and grant-writer extraordinaire Bill Jasman recently received word that Trenton Rotary has been granted a $3,000 Volunteer Service Grant from Rotary International. Bill will be traveling to Yogakarta, Central Java, Indonesia, in August. Bill will be there to work as a Rotary Volunteer, investigating projects to help with the restoration of community services, libraries and water needs in Bantul, Yogakarta, and Mt. Merapi. Bill will be Traveling from Aug. 6-16 and will be doing a photo documentary of his findings for Rotary International as well as defining projects and writing grants to help the Indonesian Rotary Clubs help themselves. Bill also will come back to talk to Rotary Clubs about partnering up with the Indonesian clubs for the common good to help build relations between our countries. Bill got interested two years ago when a young Indonesian student from Rotary's Youth Exchange Program asked him why he wasn't helping Indonesia. Danu Ranati has been helping inform Bill and prepare him for his trip. Former Indonesian Exchange Student Caroline Mursito will be helping him with translation services while he is in her city. Goin’ Coconuts The first Winter Beach Blast was an impressive success. Held Friday, Feb. 22, at Crystal Gardens in Southgate, the event attracted nearly 600 people, all of whom were feted to a one-night winter escape that featured tropical dancers, beach games, a festive outdoor-style dinner, as well as opportunities to participate in silent and live auctions and various raffles for monetary and other prizes. Rotarians from Trenton were joined by Rotary 6400 District Gov. Jennifer Jones as well as Rotarians from Dearborn, Dearborn Heights, Monroe, Southgate and Taylor, as well as PDGs Larry Wright, Jim Ives and Jack Mueller. The Winter Beach Blast organizing committee would like to thanks the event’s sponsors and numerous other supporters for helping to making it an overwhelming success. Quick link to Winter Beach Blast photo gallery Kids take center stage Trenton Rotary held its annual Turn Off The Violence program on Saturday Feb. 23. This fun-filled day of crafts and entertainment provided families with an interactive and enjoyable way to spend a Saturday. Carey Ann The Clown and Jim Carmody brought their unique entertainment shows to Trenton's Westfield Center and provided children and adults alike with their unique shows about life, magic and having fun. Co-chaired by Trenton Rotarians Randy Schoen and Dave Lahr, the event is one of the great community service activities the club provides for the residents of Trenton. Major funding for the day came from the Colina Foundation, which also helped the Trenton Exchange Club promote Maplegrove Camps as a way to escape a life surrounded by Drugs or Alcohol abuse. Quick link to Turn Off The Violence photo gallery First Community Chest Raffle a big success The Trenton Rotary Club would like to thank all the clubs and organizations that participated in this Community Chest Raffle. The raffle registered more than $32,000 in total sales. The Downriver Youth Performing Arts group (DYPAC), one of 20 organizations to participate, led all organizations, with $10,000 in total sales. All totaled, the fund-raiser netted Trenton Rotary nearly $5,000. One of the best stories we've heard was that the proceeds of the Grosse Pointe Sunrise club is going to their teen at-risk program. They thanked the Trenton Rotary for providing a low-cost, low-effort fundraiser for their club. If you have a story of how you used your proceeds, we welcome them. Send them to jasmanw@wowway.com. We invite your club to participate next year. DG Jennifer Jones visits club Jennifer Jones was guest of honor at Trenton Rotary Monday, making the trek across the border to both promote the upcoming Rotary World Peace Summit and help induct two new members to the club. New members Rick Williams and Mark Slagle became the newest members of Trenton Rotary. Not only did Williams and Slagle receive pins, but their sponsors, Laurie Stanley and Kyle Stack, both receive special pins denoting the fact that they had brought new members into the club. Jones, with assistance from Mike McCullough, gave the club an overview of the Peace Summit, which will be held in Windsor April 25-27. The event is expected to provide a high-profile stage for promoting the benefits of Rotary and especially its efforts to build world peace through understanding. Additional information on the Summit can be obtained at www.rotarypeacesummit.org, or on the District 6400 Web site, www.Rotary6400.org. Plans taking shape for annual Salvation Army fund drivePosted Nov. 28, 2007 The club’s Salvation Army Drive will be held on Dec. 7-8. Please volunteer a little time to help those in need. Sign up at Monday’s meeting or contact Leo Stevenson or Alex Baclawski to help out with the bell ringing. Two-hour shifts are available at numerous convenient locations. Also, don’t forget that your personal donations are deductible on your federal returns and eligible for a tax credit on your state returns. President Wes Mator reminded members that our club Christmas Party is also Friday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m. at Fratellos restaurant. And, as if the weekend weren’t busy enough already, the Interact “Jingle Drive” also is planned for Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 8-9. The Interact members will be accepting new or slightly used clothing, new toys or food to help out the poor. They will be working with St. Vincent de Paul, Toys for Tots and our Trenton Food Pantry. If you can’t donate, why not volunteer to help chaperone the group for the 24-hour time period? Please let Bruce Jocks know if you can help. The Jingle Drive location is in the parking lot next to Martenson’s Funeral Home, beginning Saturday afternoon and running through Sunday morning. New members encouraged to attend Fireside Chat All members are welcome to next week’s Fireside Chat, but newer members to the club will find attending this casually get-together especially helpful as an orientation on the Rotary experience. Tom Dickman has once again generously opened his home as the site of this event, set for Tuesday evening, Dec. 4. Please let Tom know if you are coming. Remember, there is NO club meeting on Dec. 10. Past presidents will be meeting that day at Sibley Gardens. The Wild Game Luncheon, which is Wednesday, Dec. 12, will count as our regular meeting for that week. Don’t forget to sell Early Bird raffle tickets to the Wild Game Luncheon, the proceeds of which benefit the Rotary Foundation.
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Our club is working hard to support the District 6400 Polio Eradication Dinner & Fund-raiser. The event is coming up at 6 p.m. Friday evening, April 17, at Crystal Gardens in Southgate. Immediate Past Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson (of the Trenton, Ontario, Rotary Club) and his wife Joan (a polio survivor) will be the special guests that evening, and WDIV Channel 4 morning meteorologist Eric Braate will be the celebrity emcee. It will be an enjoyable evening and we will get to spend time with some of our friend from many of the surrounding Rotary Clubs. Tickets are $35, though we may have a few of the club-discounted $25 tickets available. Please help us support this event. Call President Joe Hoshaw for ticket information.
The 2009 District 6400 Assembly will be held Saturday, April 18, and return for the second consecutive year to the Holiday Inn at I-75 and North Line in Southgate. District Assembly is a leadership planning event for the coming Rotary year that begins July 1. President-Elect Brad O’Connor is distributing a sign-up sheet for the event. While the program is mainly geared toward club board members and committee chairs, it is open to all members. The Assembly provides some great insight into how Rotary operates at the Club, District and International levels. Please consider attending. It runs from about 8 a.m. until about 1:30, and includes a continental breakfast and lunch.
The Trenton Rotary Club and the Executive Committee of the National City Roar on the River would like to extend sincere thanks to the hundreds of sponsors and volunteers who contributed to the success of the 58th National City Roar on the River, held recently at Elizabeth Park in Trenton. The feedback received on the quality of the racing and the new Friday and Saturday evening concert formats has been very favorable and has us looking excitedly toward the 59th 
annual installment in the summer of 2009. Congratulations also to Jose Mendana, winner of the SST 45 World Championship, and Mark Jacob, winner of the SST 120 Michigan Championship, which was run in honor of the late Kevin Ladd. Kudo’s also to the participants in the Gorno Ford Roar in the Park classic car show. The Best of Show crystal cup, weighing 25 pounds and standing 12 inches high, went to Dave Cox for his 1969 
Ford Mustang Mach I. Nearly 40 restaurants participated in this year’s Taste of the Races kickoff party on Friday evening. The new layout inside the restaurant tent was well-received due to the additional room to move around. Fifty Amp Fuse brought the riverfront to life with a high energy concert featuring a great lineup of classic rock and roll classics. Saturday’s country music concert featuring headliner Lee Brice and Monroe’s own Hunter Brucks fired up the crowd for Saturday’s awesome fireworks display, sponsored by The Chrysler Foundation. It was an explosive, exciting weekend all the way around.
