The Rotary of Macomb meets Tuesdays at noon at the First Presbyterian Church.
September 9, 2025 The 11th meeting of the Rotary year commenced with President Seth Minter formally ringing the Rotary bell.
The invocation was delivered by Todd Rodeffer, followed by Nick Knowles leading the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Nick Knowles reported an attendance of 32 members, including one joining remotely via Zoom, representing 63.5% of the club.
Five guests were present: Wayne Laramie, a prospective member; Rashmi Sharma from WIU; Junior Rotarians for September, Henry Brookman and Ella Hare; and Rotary Exchange Student from Finland, Thea Granheim, bringing total attendance to 37.
Happy Money was contributed by six Rotarians celebrating special occasions this week. Prospective member Wayne Laramie participated in the 50/50 drawing but did not secure the $158 prize, as he drew the Ace of Hearts rather than the winning 7 of Clubs.
President Seth proceeded with several announcements.
A Raffle Ticket sales event is scheduled at Hy-Vee on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.
The upcoming meeting on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, will be held as a Fifth Tuesday Social at Park Place, during which the $20,000 Raffle prize winner will be selected.
Additionally, the Rotary District 6460 Foundation Dinner for the Central area will take place in Macomb on Saturday, October 4, 2025, where the club will be recognized for its exceptional contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
In acknowledgment of milestones, President Seth presented Rotarians celebrating birthdays, wedding anniversaries, or membership anniversaries for the month of September. The club recognized six birthdays, three wedding anniversaries, and three membership anniversaries, with “Happy Birthday” sung for those celebrating during the month.
Emily Gillett introduced our speaker Dr. Rashmi Sharma, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Western Illinois University (WIU) in the College of Education. She earned her master’s degree in international affairs with a concentration in communication and development in 2012, followed by a doctorate in educational studies with a focus on education administration in 2016.
Dr. Sharma currently teaches doctoral students in WIU’s Educational Justice, Equality, and Inclusion program.
During her presentation, Dr. Sharma engaged the club with an insightful discussion on Artificial Intelligence (AI), covering its applications, ethical considerations, the importance of crafting specific prompts, and the responsible use of these advanced tools.
She traced the evolution of AI from its inception to current technologies such as Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, also demonstrating how AI can be used to create riddles and videos. Dr. Sharma emphasized the necessity of using AI ethically and responsibly, particularly within educational settings, and highlighted the importance of verifying information sources to prevent the misrepresentation of AI-generated content.
She concluded by exploring the future of AI and its potential impact on society and education. Club members expressed great interest in her presentation and participated in a question-and-answer session. The club extended its appreciation to Dr. Sharma for her informative and engaging presentation.
Last on the agenda was an Early Bird Ticket drawing and an update on the sale of tickets. The name drawn for the free Raffle ticket was Kelly Lucas and Ryan VanDolah announced that 239 tickets have been sold so far.
The club recited the “Four Way Test”, which was followed by ringing the Rotary bell and encouraging everyone to make Rotary Part Of Their Life – and to “Unite For Good”.
Interested in speaking at Rotary or becoming a member, contact Tom Stites at tastites902@ gmail.com.
