SCHOOL GROUPS welcome to attend 2018 State of the City

The Rotary Club of Taylor, City of Taylor and Wayne County Community College District's Downriver Campus will present the 2018 State of the City with Mayor Rick Sollars on February 15. Admission is free and the program begins at noon.

School groups are welcome to attend – especially high school or middle school groups. Call (888) 640-5454 to reserve space.

This year's SOC will be held for the first time in the beautiful Heinz Prechter Educational & Performing Arts Center on the WCCCD campus, 21000 Northline Road.

The annual program benefits charities each year, and this year is no different. Proceeds will be distributed to the Taylor Goodfellows, which restarted late last year, and the 23rd District Court's Goodwill Gardens program at Heritage Park.

The Goodfellows annual mission is to make sure every child has a Christmas. After the Taylor Goodfellows disbanded several years ago, it was rekindled in 2017 and had a successful holiday season. The Goodwill Gardens program is a community effort, created by Judge Geno Salomone and the district court, and actively grows produce in "community" fashion and donates it to the Downriver Fish & Loaves Food Pantry, which serves communities across the Downriver region, including Taylor.

Past recipients of the SOC's charity focus have included such organizations as Taylor School Robotics, Taylor Schools Foundation for Educational Excellence, Fish & Loaves and Penrickton Center for Blind Children.

Prior to Mayor Sollars' keynote speech, the Rotary Club of Taylor will award a Paul Harris Fellowship Award to a pair of to-be-announced honorees. Last year, Greg Bzura of the Junior League World Series and Thom Ouellette of the Taylor Farmer's Market were the deserving award winners of one of Rotary's most prestigious honors. Past award winners included Randy and Elaine Fritz of Fritz Enterprises and Huron Valley Steel; Sam Simone of Atlas Oil; Joy Squire of Taylor Dance; and the late artist Leo Kuschel.

This will be Mayor Sollars' fifth address. His administration and the Rotary Club of Taylor have reinvigorated the state of the city program, returning it to its annual format and adding the charitable arm and the Paul Harris Fellowships to the program.

The Rotary is also inviting 501(c)3 clubs and organizations to offer displays in the concourse area or adjacent rooms. Interested clubs and organizations can call (888) 640-5454 for more information or fill out this application and email it to kdorton@ci.taylor.mi.us.