Every Monday at 11:45 a.m. members of the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club gather at a local restaurant to share lunch and club business. Meetings start promptly at 12:10 p.m. with the reciting of the pledge and a prayer. Rotary members have been attending these weekly meetings locally for a century.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians help with spring clean-up at Commission on Aging gardens & walking trail (spring 2024).
The Rotary Club of Mt. Pleasant is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The year-long celebration kicked off at the club’s first meeting of its fiscal year July 1. Plans for the centennial celebration include a couple community improvement projects such as a sustainable story walk featuring a collection of 17 storyboards placed along a walking path in a local park and an interactive musical sculpture to be installed in a yet-to-be-determined spot in town.
The group’s first meeting in town was at the Park Hotel on April 27, 1925 with 24 members in attendance. As the first service club organized in Mt. Pleasant, Rotary set the stage for other groups to follow including Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists, and the Zonta Club. Meetings typically consist of a buffet lunch, networking and fellowship, announcements, club updates, and a presentation by a guest speaker.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubPassing of the gavel from 2023-24 president Kelly Hudson, to 2024-25 president Annie Sanders (June 2024)
Incoming club president, Annie Sanders, joined Rotary after being involved in the Jaycees but aging out of member eligibility after turning 40. The opportunity for networking is why she joined in 2018. Building lasting relationships is the reason she’s still involved.
“Involvement in Rotary has definitely opened more doors for more engagement in the community,” says Sanders. “Seeing the impact we have as a club locally is a point of pride. The larger impact on the nation and the world … The more you know about that, the more you want to be involved.”
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians Mike Pittsley and Mark Stuhldreher carving beef at the 61st Annual Rotary Beef Tenderloin & Turkey Dinner (Feb. 2024 at Comfort Inn).
The Club hosts several annual fundraisers including its popular Beef Dinner in February, the online/radio auction in October with more than 100 businesses and individuals donating items to be auctioned, and holiday gift boxes. These events provide the funds for the Club to bestow grants and contributions to worthwhile local people and programs, and allows participation in international exchange endeavors.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians with 2023-24 youth exchange student, Yuna, from Japan.
The Rotary Club of Mt. Pleasant is also widely known for its sponsorship of the Golden Apple Award, honoring a deserving teacher, administrator or volunteer from mid-Michigan. Each month, a Golden Apple Award winner is selected from nominations and receives recognition on WCFX radio and a variety of gifts from partnering organizations, including a $75 gift card from the Rotary Club.
Engaging in both local and international projects over the years, the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club has worked in various countries such as the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and currently, Zambia. Since 2009, they've built three water wells and sponsored a midwife certification program near Ndola.
Currently, the Club is raising $50,000 to provide fresh water and upgrade facilities at a technical high school with 3,000 students, including remodeling the bathroom block and starting a computer education program.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubGroup of Rotarians volunteering at Christmas Outreach in December 2023.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians volunteering at the Community Compassion Network.
Rotary's primary mission is to serve—locally, globally, and in workplaces. Comprising 1.4 million Rotarians across over 46,000 clubs worldwide, Rotary embodies the commitment to the principle of “Service Above Self.” These clubs welcome individuals of diverse backgrounds and are independent of political or religious affiliations.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians garden at Hopewell Ranch (Eileen Jennings, Maisha Andrychowski, & Dawn Tanner).
Eileen Jennings joined the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club in 1990, shortly after women were allowed to become members in 1989. It was a watershed moment in the history of the organization when Rotary International voted to admit women. The local club of more than 60 members is a mix of ages and professions, and women now outnumber men as members.
Jennings' involvement in Rotary has changed her life from an international aspect. Participating in the high school and college global exchange programs opened her eyes to the international work Rotary does.
Jennings shares that students the club have hosted become family, and they’ve provided opportunities to travel internationally.
“I remember shopping in town with a college exchange student from Afghanistan,” says Jennings. “He stopped me in the aisle and asked if he could call me ‘Mom.’ And I ended up standing up in another student’s wedding. They didn’t just give me family, they opened my eyes to international service.”
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubGroup of Rotarians at the Chamber Awards Banquet (March 2024). Rotarian Rich Fleming and his wife Diane were named Citizens of the Year.
Rich Fleming has been a Rotarian since 1991. He’s one of the Club’s historians, pulling together background on the Club’s 100 years in Mt. Pleasant for a presentation at the official anniversary banquet next May. His involvement in the student exchange programs led to him meeting the former president of Finland.
“In 1993, we hosted a student from Finland,” shares Fleming. “Turned out his dad was the president of Finland. We were invited to visit them in Finland and introduced to his dad. You never know where things will lead or who you will meet.”
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotarians attend The Care Games (inaugural fundraising event for The Care Store) in May 2024.
![]()
Photo Courtesy Mt. Pleasant Rotary ClubRotary Foundation Gala in Frankenmuth (November 2023).
The Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club is a dynamic, thriving organization committed to supporting our community, youth, and underserved populations locally and globally. The club is always growing and welcomes new members. A common mission shared by all Rotary Club members is: We take action. If you’re interested in getting in on the action, reach out
here.