March 11, 2024 (Mar. 11, 2025)

ATTENDANCE

Today, a relatively small group with only 34 Rotarians was in attendance, including our speakers Diane Haig and Karen O'Nail.

INVOCATION

Jerry Carvey gave today's invocation.

FIFTEENTH HANDSHAKE

This week's greeter, Linda Eastman, declared Annette Werner the 15th person to shake her hand. For not scooting around the greeter, Annette was fine-free this week.

ROTARIAN OF THE WEEK

After keeping the award on his living room table, David Archbold passed the trophy on to Marty McClure for his devoted service to Rochester Rotary since 1985!

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Although they weren't present, we sang Happy Birthday to Bob Potere and Don Hobley. Gentlemen, you can send your Happy Birthday $5 to the Club via US Mail if you want!
Rotary annversaries were celebrated by Cyndee Andrews 25 years, Tom Asmus 15 years, Don Hobley 5 years, and Chance Smeznik 2 years.

HAPPY BUCKS

John Modetz was happy to be back at Rotary after a three-month recovery from spinal surgery. During his recovery, he wasted lots of time watching questionable TV shows like Hazel. Still, he did accomplish some business when he expanded his funeral home business by purchasing the Fred Wood Funeral Home in Livonia. This was the funeral home where he started his career when he was 15. This new acquisition brings his business up to six funeral homes!
Tom Neveau was happy to be back from a long vacation in Florida where he did no sunbathing. Vince Mattina was even happier since he now does not have to fill in as club treasurer for Tom!
Since there was no stampede to the microphone with more happy bucks, Tami Salibury gave it up for today's beautiful weather.

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS

Female Rotarians are invited to join District Governor Sharna Hatcher on Sunday, March 23, to celebrate Women's Leadership on International Women's Day at the Detroit Institute of Arts in Detroit from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Registration is limited to 50 participants. Christine Hage has registered and is happy to drive if any ladies want to join her.
We received a lovely thank-you note from Oakland County Habitat for Humanity for the $2,500 grant awarded to them by Rochester Rotary Charities. The check will be officially presented next week when Dutton Farms receives its grant.
A Club Board meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, March 19, at 5 p.m. at the Rochester Hills Public Library.

SONG LEADER

Jerry Carvey, fully embracing the St. Patrick's Day spirit in a green ensemble and leprechaun hat, led us in a spirited rendition of Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That's an Irish Lullaby) and Peg O' My Heart. With full voice and plenty of enthusiasm, Jerry delivered an unforgettable performance.

SHERIFF'S REPORT

Sheriff David Blair asked everyone to lay down a $5 bill in memory of Dr. Peter Duhamel, a long-time, dedicated leader and member of Rochester Rotary.

David tipped his hat to Jerry Carvey for serenading us with some top-tier Irish drinking tunes—truly a performance worthy of a pint (or three). If you haven't yet set your leprechaun trap, don't fret! There's still time, and you can snag some expert tips here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaCAjPAwcgw.
Meanwhile, David couldn't help but wonder—what kind of teenager decides a funeral home is the place to be at 15? Well, apparently, John Modetz did, and look where that led him!
Fines were swiftly handed down to Rotarians who got ambitious with spring cleaning only to abandon the mission, dabbled in yard work, jumped the gun by sporting shorts, or dared to grumble about our beloved seasonal potholes.
Those blissfully unaware of tariffs—beyond wishing they'd only hike prices on things they don't buy anyway—were slapped with a $2 tariff of their own.
And finally, anyone who couldn't confidently locate Kazakhstan on a map, confirm its landlocked status, or still thinks Borat is an actual Kazakh diplomat—yep, you guessed it—fined!

Sheriff David raised $185 for our scholarship funds today!

SPEAKER

Karen O'Nail (left) and Diane Haig (Paul's wife) were today's speakers on the training and services of Pawsitive Changes Therapy Dogs

Diane Haig has dedicated her career to community service, contributing to organizations such as Crittenton Hospital, Oakland University, Kingsbury School, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, and the Michigan Humane Society. She now brings her passion to Pawsitive Changes Therapy Dogs.

With a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Computer Science from Oakland University, Diane is the Chief Knowledge Officer at Applied Manufacturing Technologies in Orion, overseeing HR and IT operations.

Diane is deeply committed to her work with Pawsitive Changes Therapy Dogs, founded in 2020. She and her dog, Ruby, have undergone extensive training to bring comfort and joy to others. She explains the distinction between service dogs, which assist individuals with specific tasks, have legal protections under the ADA, and are granted public access, and therapy dogs, which do not have the same legal rights.

Therapy dogs provide comfort and emotional support. They must have good temperaments, receive basic obedience training, and are not protected by federal laws like the ADA. These dogs can be of any breed, must be at least one year old, and complete at least 10 hours of specialized training twice a year. Many "career-changed" Leader Dogs now serve as therapy dogs. Handlers and their dogs volunteer at least twice a month, committing to 20 service hours annually.

Training covers essential skills such as managing public interactions, ensuring handlers remain aware of their dogs' surroundings, and making every encounter positive. When off duty, therapy dogs live as regular family pets. On duty, they wear special vests and are trained to remain calm in crowds and noisy environments.

These therapy teams serve various institutions, including public libraries, schools, hospitals, hospice centers, veterans' programs, Children's Village, camps, special events, and emergency response situations. They will be on duty at the Rochester Rotary Beer and Wine Tasting on April 30 at Bordine, where they will be featured in their "kissing booth." For more information, visit www.pawsitivechanges.org.