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Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M.

Be an inspiration…
A message from Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M. president

Good Morning, Plymouth!
Each year Rotary International has a theme that we individual Rotary Clubs work
within. This year's theme is: BE THE INSPIRATION. In the following pages, you will
read how the members of our small but mighty Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M. (the
morning club) have been inspired and have been an inspiration throughout this past
year.
The Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M. is part of Rotary International -- the oldest and
largest service club in the world. Started in Chicago in 1905, today there are more
than 33,000 autonomous Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and territories world-
wide. Rotary is a global network of 1.2 million active and retired business and pro-
fessional leaders, all volunteering their time and talents to serve their communities
and the world.
Among its many projects, Rotary International is responsible for spearheading,
initiating and is the driving force behind eradicating Polio from the world. In 1985, Dick Schmidt
there were more than 350,000 active polio cases worldwide. Since 1988, when Rotary first announced its intent
to eradicate polio, the number of cases has declined by more than 99.9% ...to 22 in 2017. Because of Rotary's
efforts, as of 2017 there were only three countries in the world that still had active wild poliovirus cases: Nigeria,
Pakistan and Afghanistan. Rotary and its partners are working to immunize children in those countries. Once
we have done that, we will be able declare the world Polio Free.
Closer to home, in this year's Possibilities Book you will read about our club's fund raising events like our ever-
popular Spaghetti Dinner during Fall Festival. You also will read about our support of many programs in our
local communities and about our major international project: building two Elementary Schools and teaching the
teachers in Ghana, Africa.
Over the past year we have been inspired by many guests at our Tuesday morning meetings. We've heard
about their programs, missions and activities in our local and worldwide communities. Our speakers have
included representatives of the Plymouth Canton Educational Park, the College for Creative Studies, a Zumba
instructor, the Michigan Philharmonic, Mariner's Inn Male Adult Recovery Program, New Morning School, Bank
of Ann Arbor Community Involvement Program, Plymouth United Way, the Boy Scouts of America, the IPSEP
Program at Allen School, Plymouth District Library and the Superintendent of the Plymouth-Canton School
System.
Together, we have toured the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park (P-CEP) Auto-Tech program, participated in
the “Kids Against Hunger” packaging program in 2018 (and will do so again in 2019); worked as a group in a
food distribution program for the United Way, taken a small cruise on the Rouge River with the Friends of the
Rouge, nurtured the 20 little trees that we planted at New Morning School as part of last year's Rotary Earth Day,
and visited with staff at the Allen School IPSEP program so that we could see for ourselves the benefits of the
more than $100,000 in equipment we have donated to that program over the past 22 years.
Our club meets every Tuesday from 7 a.m. until 8:15 a.m. at PARC, 650 Church Street, Plymouth, Door 16.
Please stop in some Tuesday for a hot cup of coffee, light breakfast and friendly faces. We would love to have
you attend a meeting as our guest and see what the Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M. is all about. Everyone is wel-
come!
I thank you for reading our Possibilities Book and finding out how we have been The Inspiration and been
Inspired this year. Hopefully these articles will help you see how you too have been or can become an Inspiration
in your community this year and beyond.
This book is made possible by our many sponsors who advertise in this booklet. Please support them as
they support our projects and missions throughout the year...enabling us to continue to Be The Inspiration.

Dick Schmidt
President, 2018-2019
Rotary Club of Plymouth A.M.

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