The meeting was held on Tuesday, January 22nd at the Wrought Iron Grill. The event focused on our 2018 highlights, special award winners, grants, a featured speaker, business/individual sponsors, and Friends’ board members.
“The Annual Meeting allows us to recognize the efforts of our organization, those who comprise it, and businesses and individuals whose efforts help us carry out our mission,” said Nick Tereck, Friends’ Board President. “We are fortunate to have so many champions. It is important to gather together in celebration.”
The special awards were given to the following:
CARE AWARD – Keith and Diane Johnson
SHARE AWARD – Ludington Electric
ENJOY AWARD – Amy Kirkland
KEEPING THE BOAT AFLOAT AWARD – Dianne King
Because of the annual meeting’s date/time conflict with the Owosso City Council’s meeting, Amy Kirkland, who also serves as Owosso’s City Clerk, was presented with her award at the City Council meeting.
The featured speaker for the evening was Dr. Patrick Doran, Associate State Director & Director of Conservation for the Nature Conservancy in Michigan, who spoke about how the Shiawassee River connects to the Great Lakes.
“We are all rooted in place. However, our places -- like the Shiawassee -- are also part of regional and global systems, like the Great Lakes,” said Doran. “If we can maintain our connection to place while also seeing our potential contribution to the larger world, we can vastly magnify the impact of our actions.”
Tom Cook, Friends’ Past President who also serves as a Trustee with the Nature Conservancy in Michigan, continued, “We were pleased to hear from a renowned scientist that our efforts on the Shiawassee can help make Saginaw Bay and Lake Huron healthier. We all live downstream, and need to be good stewards for the people and wildlife that live downstream from us.”
Other acknowledgements that occurred at the meeting included the following list of 2018 business sponsors including Alderman’s, Inc., CLH Insurance, Downtown Owosso Farmers Market, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, Hankerd Sportswear, J & S Tire, Ludington Electric, Mancino’s Pizza, Matador Pizza, Maurer Heating and Cooling, Oster Manufacturing, The Schluckebier/Hood Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors, Shiawassee County Health Department, Vogl, Meder, & Dorcey, PLLC, Waste Management, Wrought Iron Grill, Young Buick GMC, and Young Chevrolet. A list of individual stream team site sponsors were also acknowledged, including Barb Brownlee, Gary Burk, Tom Cook & Anna Owens, Dean & Carolyn Ebert, Betsy Hull, Frank Livingston, Mike Selleck, Tom Teal & Jeannine Hopfensperger, Nick Tereck & Mike Kramer, Jim & Jillian Woodworth, and the Wrought Iron Grill.
The Friends’ Executive Director, Lorraine Austin, also gave special mention to the Friends’ 2018 board of directors including Gary Burk, Carson Colbry, Tom Cook (Past President), Mike Goergen, Betsy Hull, Joanne Kenyon (Treasurer), Frank Livingston, Karen Marumoto, Tony Newman, Lance Omer, Linda Robertson (Vice President), Nick Tereck (President), Matt Van Epps (Secretary), and Kristina Yaklin. Certificates of Appreciation were given to Kenyon, Newman, and Yaklin as outgoing board members.
New board members, Jake Adams, Jeff Deason, and Erika Tyrell, as well as board renewals, were presented to the membership for approval. Their terms will run until 2022.
