Stories

Veterans Day Ceremony


THE ROTARY CLUB OF KALAMAZOO - SUNRISE and the
KALAMAZOO COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE
with support from the Kalamazoo Veterans Events Committee invite the community to the
2022 Kalamazoo County Veterans Day Ceremony
Friday, November 11, 2022 at 2:00pm
The Robert L. Cook Veterans Memorial Plaza at Rose Park
(East Michigan Avenue at King Highway)
(In the event of bad weather the event will be held on site in a tent.)
This year’s guest speaker is Zaneta Adams, Director of the Michigan Veterans
Affairs Agency.
Donald Jarzambek will receive this year’s award as the Kalamazoo County Veteran of the Year.
Honor guards are expected from the United States Marine Corps and Kalamazoo City Department of Public Safety. Music will be provided by the Kalamazoo Pipe Band, Prof. Scott Thornburg and Ms. Grace Kalafut.
Everyone is invited to come and honor our Veterans!
For additional information, please contact Ben Hackett at 269-373-5361

 

 Veterans Day Ceremony 2022-11-11 05:00:00Z 0

Community Service Week

We recently had FOUR community service projects in one week! We delivered Meals on Wheels; we cleaned up our sponsored mile of the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail; we planted flowers at our legacy project, the Robert L. Cook Veterans Memorial Plaza at Rose Park; and we replaced flags at the Riverside Cemetery on National Armed Forces Day in preparation for Memorial Day. Our small but mighty club ROCKS!  Join us!
 
 
 
 
   
 Community Service Week 2021-06-03 04:00:00Z 0

2021 Memorial Day Parade Cancelled

To ensure the health and safety of all of our participants and spectators, Kalamazoo Sunrise Rotary has made the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 Memorial Day Parade. We sincerely hope to resume the Parade in 2022 and look forward to honoring our veterans as a Community at that time.
 
 2021 Memorial Day Parade Cancelled Anne M Schmidt 2021-03-22 04:00:00Z 0

2020 Veteran of the Year is Awarded to Robert Johnson

    
 
The Kalamazoo County Veterans Events Committee and the Kalamazoo Sunrise Rotary Club is proud to announce the selection of WWII Navy Veteran Robert Johnson as our 2020 Veteran of the Year.
 
The presentation, by Kalamazoo Sunrise member and Marine Veteran Robert Hencken, was made on Veterans Day, November 11. It featured a socially distanced parade of cars, signage, balloons, and the love and congratulations of family and friends.
 
Mr Johnson joined the Navy in 1941. He worked his way up to the rank of Gunners Mate 1st class on ship PC 1198 and has always been very proud of his service to his country.
 
When he returned home from the Navy, he married and spent the next several decades working hard as a local plumber and raising 13 children. He and his lovely wife have just celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. As his children became adults, Mr Johnson decided it was time to serve his community and started many years of volunteering.
 
Mr Johnson spent over 30 years volunteering including at the Red Cross, where he not only helped with blood drives but also has donated over 20 gallons of his own blood to help save the lives of others. He has been a bell ringer with the Salvation Army; helped at his church and brought a loving smile and listening ear to residents at a few local nursing homes. He also spent many, many years volunteering is Bronson Hospital where he is well known as "the magazine man". He recently celebrated his 99th birthday and up until March of this year, when the pandemic stopped all hospital volunteering, was still pushing his magazine rack up and down the halls of Bronson Hospital.
 
Congratulations to Robert Johnson!
 
 
   
 
 
       
         
 2020 Veteran of the Year is Awarded to Robert Johnson Shari LaBrenz 2020-11-12 05:00:00Z 0

CANCELLATION OF VETERANS DAY CEREMONY

                 
 
 
 
 
 
THE ROTARY CLUB OF KALAMAZOO - SUNRISE
and the
KALAMAZOO COUNTY VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE
with support from the Kalamazoo Veterans Events Committee
announce

Cancellation of the
2020 Kalamazoo County Veterans Day Ceremony
 
Because of the rapidly rising number of COVID-19 cases and serious concerns raised by the responsible officials of Kalamazoo County government and many of our supporters and participants, we have regrettably decided to cancel the event for this year. The event was scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, 2020 at 2:00pm at the Robert L. Cook Veterans Memorial Plaza at Rose Park.
 
We value and appreciate everyone’s participation and support of our annual event and we look forward to holding the Veterans Day Ceremony in 2021.
 
The selection of a Kalamazoo County Veteran of the Year has been completed and the winner will be announced to the press and on social media no later than November 11, 2020. 
 
For additional information, please contact Robert Hencken at 269-720-2747 or Peter Green at 269-373-5361.
 CANCELLATION OF VETERANS DAY CEREMONY Bob Hencken 2020-11-04 05:00:00Z 0

2020 Veteran of the Year Nominations

 
Now through October 21, 2020 the Kalamazoo Veterans Events Committee will welcome submissions for the second annual Kalamazoo Veteran of the Year Award.
 
The award is given by the organizations that sponsor the Kalamazoo County Veterans Day Ceremony: The Rotary Club of Kalamazoo-Sunrise and the Kalamazoo County Veterans Service Office, supported by other organizations and individuals in the Kalamazoo Veterans Events Committee.
 
Many veterans call Kalamazoo County home and they continue to serve this community with honor and commitment. The committee will recognize the continued service of our veterans and show gratitude for their years in uniform.

Any person or organization wishing to nominate a veteran should include the following information in their submission:
 
1. Their name and/or nominating organization and telephone number.
2. The veteran’s name and telephone number, his or her military branch and era of service.
3. A description of why the veteran deserves this year’s top honor highlighting the veteran's involvement with veterans organizations, volunteer activities related to veterans, involvement with other volunteer organizations/charities, and service to the community.
 
Submissions should be emailed to KalamazooVeteransEvents@gmail.com or submitted via the online form available at www.bit.ly/2020KalamazooVeteran.

The Kalamazoo County veteran selected will be honored at this year’s Kalamazoo Veterans Day Ceremony on Wednesday, November 11 at 2 p.m. at the Robert L. Cook Veterans Memorial Plaza at Rose Park in Kalamazoo.
 
For inquiries about the Veteran of the Year Award, please email KalamazooVeteransEvents@gmail.com or contact Robert Hencken at 269-720-2747 or legalbob@sbcglobal.net.

Please copy and distribute or forward this announcement to your contacts or anyone you think might be interested in making a nomination.
 2020 Veteran of the Year Nominations Anne Schmidt 2020-10-05 04:00:00Z 0

2019 Kalamazoo Memorial Day Parade

story thumbnail
The ROTARY CLUB OF KALAMAZOO - SUNRISE invites the community to the annual Kalamazoo County Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 27, 2019 10:00am rain or shine!
 
The parade begins in downtown Kalamazoo on Michigan Avenue, near Rose Street, and will make its way to the Rose Park Veterans Memorial where a presentation of wreaths will take place, and then continuing to the Memorial Day Ceremony at Riverside Cemetery. Parade participants this year include floats, military vehicles, marching bands, fire trucks and more.
 
Veterans of all wars since WWII will be honored.
 
The Rotary Club of Kalamazoo - Sunrise is honored this year to have Michael Wilson speak at the Riverside Cemetery Ceremony, after the conclusion of the parade.  Michael Wilson is a retired Command Sergeant Major with 27 years of military service to the Michigan Army National Guard. During his military career, he was deployed to several foreign countries, provided security for the 1996 Olympic Games, and provided support for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Most of Mr. Wilson’s military career was spent in leadership roles and in teaching leadership as a certified military instructor.
 
We hope you will join us in giving special recognition and remembrance of those who have served to preserve and protect our freedom.
 
If you would like more information and/or wish to participate in the parade, purchase a memorial brick or locate an existing brick, please use the links on the upper right of this page.
 
This parade is proudly sponsored by the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo - Sunrise, Kalamazoo County Veterans Day and Memorial Day Association.
 2019 Kalamazoo Memorial Day Parade Anne Schmidt 2019-05-21 04:00:00Z 0

Kalamazoo County Honors Its Veterans

The Rotary Club of Kalamazoo-Sunrise and the Kalamazoo County Veterans Service Office cordially invited the community to the 2018 Kalamazoo County Veterans Day Ceremony held on Sunday, November 11, 2018 at 2:00pm.  Due to the cold and snowy weather, the ceremony was held indoors at the Arcadia Ales Brewing Company.
 
This year’s program was a remembrance of the veterans of World War I which fell on the 100th Anniversary of the armistice that ended that terrible war.
 
Participants included honor guards from the United States Marine Corps, the Kalamazoo County Sheriff's office, and the Western Michigan University ROTC. The program also included music and poetry.
 
This year's guest speakers were:
 
  • Tom Deitz, former curator of the Kalamazoo Valley Museum and an expert on Kalamazoo history
  • Steve Rossio, of the Portage Public Library who presented a program about a Kalamazoo medic in WWI
  • Colonel Bryan Teff, Commander of the 110th Attack Wing, Michigan Air National Guard based in Battle Creek, and a Veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, having deployed seven times to southwest Asia. 
Music was provided by Scott Thornburg, Grace Kalafut, and the Kalamazoo Area Pipers.
 
If you would like to honor a serviceman or woman, please consider purchasing a memorial brick at Rose Park.  Additional information can be found by following the links on the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo-Sunrise's home page.
 
If you would like to locate an existing memorial brick; visit http://www.locatemybrick.com hosted by the City of Kalamazoo - Parks or
 Kalamazoo County Honors Its Veterans Anne Schmidt 2018-10-23 04:00:00Z 0
Charlie Parker Named Northside Icon Anne Schmidt 2018-08-17 04:00:00Z 0

2018 RYLA was a huge success!

Somewhere in this photo are the two RYLArians our club sent to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy held at the Battle Creek Outdoor Education Center in Dowling, Michigan on July 13-15. What'd they think? One said, "Amazing! I made tons of friends and learned of great leadership skills." And the other said, "I loved RYLA. I learned alot." Mission accomplished!
 
Read more...
2018 RYLA was a huge success! Anne Schmidt 2018-08-11 04:00:00Z 0

Rose Park Brick Locator is LIVE

story thumbnail
 
 
 
 
New Technology Active at Rose Park Veterans Memorial in the City of Kalamazoo
Kalamazoo, MI—Tuesday, August 7, 2018—The partnership that came together to solve the problem of maintaining an accurate inventory of the over 5,000 veteran memorial bricks located in the Rose Park Veterans Memorial in the City of Kalamazoo is pleased to announce new technology is available live!
Read more...
Rose Park Brick Locator is LIVE Shari LaBrenz 2018-08-08 04:00:00Z 0

Rose Park Brick Locator Project

 
 
 
Kalamazoo Sunrise Rotary is proud to announce an exciting new project in Rose Park Veterans Memorial, downtown Kalamazoo. A partnership has formed to solve the age-old problem of maintaining an accurate inventory of the over 5,000 veteran memorial bricks located in the Rose Park Veterans Memorial in the City of Kalamazoo. Partners in the project include: the Rotary Club of Kalamazoo-Sunrise, the City of Kalamazoo Parks Department and the team at Wightman.
 
 
 
 
Read more...
Rose Park Brick Locator Project 2018-05-09 04:00:00Z 0