Our Club’s Historical Timeline
October 24, 2011
The Rotary Club of Saugatuck-Douglas is officially incorporated as Club 84123 in Rotary District 6360. NUMBER Charter Founding Members for the start of the Club’s Membership. Arthur Frederick is elected and serves as the Club’s first president for the Rotary Year July 1, 2011 – June 30, 2012
Sometime 2012
The Saugatuck High School INTERACT Club is officially approved, with Mr. Mike Shaw as faculty administrator.SHS INTERACT begins planning immediately for fundraising and a trip to the Dominican Republic to install several gravity-fed sand filtration systems in Batey 106, a Haitian migrant camp of sugarcane harvesters near La Romana. Thus begins RCSD’s longstanding relationship with the Rotary Club of La Romana Rio Dolce.
2012-2013
Arthur Frederick serves a second term as Club President.
2013-2014
Laree Waanders is elected as the Club’s first female President. Club Membership grows to 30. RCSD inaugurates the A-Maze-ing Road Rally to raise funds for Christian Neighbors family support programs. The Club also applies for and wins its first-ever 1:1 grant award from the District 6360 Foundation to offset expenses for the Road Rally, increasing the impact of the race’s net proceeds for underserved families in our towns.
2014-2015
Club Membership stands at 33. Mark Vanderleek is elected and serves as the Club’s third president.
2015-2016
Bill Lefevere, City Manager of Douglas, is elected and serves as Club President.
2016-2017
Club Membership grows to 38. Jim Sullivan is elected and serves as the Club’s fifth president. The SHS INTERACT Club embarks on its most ambitious project to date–the funding and building of a completely equipped new schoolhouse for the children of Batey 106. RCSD applies for and wins its second District 6360 Foundation 1:1 Matching Grant of $2500 to purchase supplies and materials for the new schoolhouse.
2017-2018
In August, work on the new schoolhouse in Batey 106 is completed two weeks before Hurricane Irma hits the Dominican Republic. The INTERACT Club’s decision to raise an incremental $5000 to equip the school with a concrete roof to withstand hurricanes proves vital to the camp’s residents, all of whom took shelter in the only hurricane-resistant building in the camp. John Rotonda serves as Rotary Club President #6. Membership stabilizes at 36.
2018-2019
Lana Zarlenga serves as Club President #7.
2019-2020
Jim Sullivan again serves as Club President, this time for a two-year term approved by the Board and Membership. The Club undertakes an audacious pledge to commit $300,000 over three years to fund a new Boys & Girls Club extension in the Saugatuck Public Schools in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Holland. The grant promises to deliver a full program and staff for after-school and summer enrichment programs to the students at Douglas Elementary School. The year gets off to a strong start with the Mt. Baldhead Challenge able to raise net proceeds of $75,000 for the Boys & Girls Club. In March 2020, however, the COVID-19 global pandemic forces the Club to delay the launch of the after-school programs and immediately transition to online meetings. Despite these difficulties, Membership rebounds from 31 to 39.
2020-2021
In the second year of Jim’s term, the Club reluctantly cancels all its planned public events due to the pandemic, severely curtailing fundraising momentum. Despite this setback, the Club is successful in winning two Rotary Foundation Community Grants of $5000 each to support the local economy and the eventual launch of the Boys & Girls Club. In addition, the Club receives a $4000 emergency food aid grant from the Rotary District 6360 Foundation, which is matched to allow the donation of $8000 to cover all holiday meals in partnership with Christian Neighbors. The Mt. Baldhead planning committee, led by Ed Karasek’s creative fundraising ideas, manages to deliver $20,000 to supplement the budget for the Boys & Girls Club launch, which finally occurs on a tightly controlled basis in February 2021. A new Strategic Plan is approved focusing on Education, the Environment, and the local Economy. Membership grows to 45.