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ROTARY, Continued from page 3                                                                              Looking beyond September, the
                                                                                                                  future of Wayne Rotary is bright.
          with  a  book  plate  and  is  then  put                                                                   Bevard is hopeful that the club
          into circulation at the library. We’ve                                                                  will see a boost in membership in
          been doing this since 2002.”                                                                            the years to come, and VanStipdonk
             To date, the Wayne Public Library                                                                    is similarly optimistic.
          has benefitted from the addition of                                                                        Says  VanStipdonk,  “What  has
          over 900 books—just from this activ-                                                                    happened is that in the past, mem-
          ity alone. Additionally, Wayne Rotary                                                                   bers  were  primarily  professional
          makes  a  sizable  donation  to  the                                                                    people, now we’ve had a nice influx
          Wayne Public Library’s literacy pro-                                                                    of civic-minded people as well—and
          grams each year.                                                                                        more  women.”  Adds  Bevard,  “The
             And  Wayne  Rotary’s  mission  to                                                                    best  thing  about  Rotary  is  giving
          create bookworms of us all doesn’t                            Wayne Rotary Club group photo from the 1940’s.  back to the community and trying to
          end there.                         act of giving is in keeping with Ro-  community as a whole looks forward  help others through the efforts of the
             Another Wayne Rotarian, the late  tary’s motto of “Service above self”  to, and it’s the highlight of the sum-  Rotary.  And  it  makes  people  feel
          Nate Weiser, who served as the pres-  and emphasizes Rotary’s presence in  mer for many people,” says Rhaesa,  good inside–and I know that when
          ident of the Wayne Rotary in 1963,  the Wayne community.              who has been a Wayne Rotarian for  you help others, it helps you, too.”
          was also a staunch supporter of lit-  “We wanted people to visibly see  over 10 years. “We try to gradually  This profile of the Wayne Rotary
          eracy.                             us doing things so they would know  raise the level of it each year and try  is  dedicated  to  the  memory  of
             “At the age of 88, he approached  we are here,” says Bevard, a resident  to provide a quality show for the res-  David Allan Carpenter, Sr. Carpen-
          the Wayne Rotary board of directors  of Wayne since 1978.             idents.”                          ter, a husband, father, and longtime
          about  an  effort  he  saw  in  Sacra-  And, boy, have Rotary been busy.  Additionally,  Wayne  Rotary  has  Wayne  Rotarian,  recently  passed
          mento,  California,  in  which  third  Wayne Rotary’s commemorative   another musical event coming down  away at the age of 73. Carpenter’s
          graders  were  given  hardbound    events thus far include sponsoring a  the  pike:  On  Saturday,  September  many contributions include having
          copies of dictionaries by their local  “Boredom Busters” program at the  24, the club will host a fundraiser en-  served all the club offices in Wayne
          Rotary Club,” recalls VanStipdonk,  Wayne  Public  Library  in  March,  titled  “Dueling  Pianos”  at  Wayne  Rotary before moving on to serve
          80. “And Nate thought we should be  which provided approximately 100  HYPE. (Those interested in attending  District 6400 as both assistant gov-
          doing the same thing.”             local elementary-aged kids with cool  are  encouraged  to  search  “Wayne  ernor and district governor. His un-
             One  thing  led  to  another,  and  books and activity kits, partnering  Michigan  Rotary”  on  Facebook  for  yielding commitment to the Wayne
          Wayne Rotary eventually partnered  with Wayne Ripple Effect to conduct  more information.)              Rotary will not be forgotten.
          with  the  club  in  Sacramento.  The  a city-wide cleanup—the seventh an-
          Wayne Rotary’s third grade diction-  nual, in fact—in April (in coordina-
          ary program is a tradition that is still  tion with Earth Day), and hosting a
          in effect today.                   “Free  Ice  Cream  Cone  Day”  at  the
             “Before COVID, we would go into  Wayne Dairy Queen in May. And for
          the  classroom,  tell  the  kids  about  the club’s June project, Wayne Rotar-
          why they’re getting a dictionary, who  ians, painted Veterans Haven.
          we are as Rotarians, and give them a  As for this month’s activity?
          dictionary for them to use as their   It rocks—literally.
          own  personal  copy,”  says  VanStip-  After a two-year hiatus, the City
          donk, who, with his wife Lois, has  of Wayne’s annual Concerts in Goudy
          three adult sons and eight grandchil-  Park  series  returns  to  downtown
          dren. “So, you can see the thread of  Wayne’s Goudy Park Amphitheater.
          our focus over the last 20 years re-  The free series, which is held every
          ally has been toward literacy.”    Wednesday in August at 7:30 p.m.,
             But that’s far from the extent of  boasts  a  wide  variety  of  popular
          Wayne  Rotary’s  philanthropy.  And  bands, including Live Bullet Detroit,
          with this being a centennial year, the  Mainstreet Soul, and 50 Amp Fuse,
          club’s  34  members  have  really  to name a few.
          kicked it up a notch.                 And should you attend and take
             Wayne Rotary President Carol Be-  in a performance or two, you’ll have
          vard, 67, has been spearheading a  an opportunity to support Wayne Ro-
          bevy of Rotary-led efforts here in the  tary in the process. While the bands
          City  of  Wayne—one  event  each   are paid for entirely through spon-
          month, to be exact—in celebration of  sorships (and not tax dollars), the
          Rotary’s 100th anniversary. Some ac-  purchase of beer supports the Wayne
          tivities are aimed at beautifying the  Rotary.
          city, others at improving the quality  This  summer’s  concert  series
          of life for residents, but all have been  marks the thirteenth for the City of
          infused with a healthy dose of fun  Wayne,  but  Wayne  Mayor  John
          and teamwork.                      Rhaesa remembers when the annual
             Bevard,  who  served  in  the  U.S.  event was just getting off the ground.
          Navy and was the first female load-  He’s  quite  proud  of  the  series’
          master  in  squadron  VR-21  in  Bar-  growth.
          ber’s Point, Hawaii, says that each  “It's  something  that  I  think  the
          4 · August 2022 · The Wayne Dispatch
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