Onward October
Sunrise Rotary of Petoskey started a new month with just 33 club members in attendance. The streak of meetings with 37 has ended, although I suspect Kathy Motschall just didn't want to count everyone each week and just said we had 37! We welcomed two guests from the Noon Club, Andrea Coronado and Reg Smith, and our speakers Megan King and Greenlee Jones.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Poor Matt had to perform double duty today as both greeter and club president. But he launched the meeting right on time without a hitch. Jim Shirilla led the pledge and Garrett Muir flawlessly guided us through the 4-Way Test. Well. Oiled. Machine. It's time to sell, sell, sell that Hunter's Stew. The pickup date for orders is Tue. Oct. 27, 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. Two-pound containers are $20 each. Heck, buy five and we'll throw in a sixth for free! You can't be that. Proceeds support the Manna Food Project and Sunrise Rotary's Venison for Manna Project. This is Habitat for Humanity Week. Chuck Drake says there are shifts all this week to help build storage sheds for their next big project in Indian River. Thanks to those club members who are volunteering. Take pictures! Randy's lobster encounter in Maine got everyone hankering for lobster! Mark Mercer is looking into a raffle fund-raiser for our club to win a dozen, live lobsters. His quick math says we have the potential to make $7,000. He's going to look into the proper timing. It's now time to nominate your favorite non-profit organization for the Annual Coach Pollion Charity Championship. Thirty-Two charities will compete for four $2,500 prizes. The voting kicks off Nov. 10th right after the Bracket Reveal Show. To nominate your favorite charity, reach out to Carlin Smith or Val Meyerson. Let's count a makeup for Jim McLain who visited the Noon Club last week! HAPPY BUCKS And now brothers and sisters, open up those wallets and share the joy in your hearts with Joe's cash bag! Randy Evans was first in line. His oldest grandchild is going to college! They were accepted into Oregon State. Go Beavers! It's Dave Rynbrandt's wife's birthday today. That's worth a buck. Happy Birthday Beth! It was good to see Mike Thibideau back with us today, and even better to see him open up his wallet! His daughter recently got married, so he didn't have much to give! All three of his children are now married. Steve Shuman is back from an Elk Hunt out west and is thankful for everyone's safety, including the elk! But there isn't much better than being up in the mountains taking in the spectacular views with your son and grandson. Reg Smith reminded us that raffle ticket sales are continuing with the Noon Club's Great Grocery Giveaway. Win groceries each week for a year. The chance to win is just $25 per ticket. And Carlin Smith, no relation to Reg Smith, told us about the new initiative of the Pellston Education Foundation, the Hornet Academy. He described it as a mash up of Leadership Little Traverse and the Rotary STRIVE program to help Pellston students be better prepared for life after high school. There is an informational meeting on Wed. Oct. 7th and there will be many volunteer opportunities. PROGRAM--Human Trafficking We were honored today to have two representatives from the Women's Resource Center of Northern Michigan as our speakers. Megan King, the Outreach and Advocacy Program Director and Greenlee Jones, the Violence Prevent Coordinator came to share information about Human Trafficking: Myths, Realities and Resources in Northern Michigan. Human Trafficking is the use of threats, coercion or deception to recruit, transfer, or receive persons for sexual exploitation or for forced labor or services. The first myth they busted was to let us know that just because they use the word “trafficking," it doesn't mean that people are being kidnapped and moved around. In fact human trafficking can happen in their own homes and the traffickers are often intimate partners, family members, friends, business acquaintances or a boss. The victims are often people from vulnerable populations who may not have stable housing, or lack transportation, or perhaps they've experienced trauma or suffer from an addiction. They said discrimination and inequity also make victims vulnerable, particularly people of color, immigrants, or those within the LGBTQ community. It's very difficult to quantify the magnitude of trafficking because most go unreported. Victims are afraid to come forward. The human trafficking hotline in Michigan received 764 calls that led to 340 cases supporting 585 survivors. Thinking that trafficking is only an urban problem is another myth. Both Megan and Greenlee say it can and does occur in rural areas, but it might look a little different. And because people know many people, victims are embarrassed or afraid to ask for help. Or they're isolated and can't ask for help. They said a victim can be pulled in because they have no money, or no place to live, or no transportation, and they think the trafficker is helping them, until they're not. Why don't the victims just leave? They may not recognize or understand that they are victims, or they depend on the traffickers for physical needs like money and shelter, or they may face threats of violence against them or their families if they try to leave. What can we do to help? Megan and Greenlee emphasized the need to continue to do what we can to build caring communities with strong social safety nets. They also encourage us to share what we learned today, share hotline information, pay attention to people around us, and advocate for policies to address homelessness, family violence, poverty, and discrimination. The local Women's Resource Center 24/7 number is 231-347-0082 or 800-275-1995. Or you can call or text the VOICES hotline in Michigan at 855-864-2374. Thanks Megan and Greenlee for sharing such valuable information. Have a great week everyone! Respectfully submitted, Carlin Smith | 
