Want to Help the Community and Get More Involved? Check Out Saline's Service Clubs.

For years, Saline's service organizations have played an important role in the cohesiveness of the community. They remain a great way to give back to the community while meeting new friends and civic-minded neighbors. 

Saline resident Larry Osterling, former director of the Saline Area Chamber of Commerce, recently addressed the Saline Board of Education about Saline's service organizations. In particular, Osterling talked about the Big 3 - Saline Rotary, Saline Kiwanis and Saline Lions Club. These community groups have funded pavilions, flag projects, Scout troops, scholarships and hundreds of initiatives to improve the community over the years.  

Osterling noted that membership has dropped in the local organizations

"I went to the meeting of one of the clubs and attendance was small - maybe six. I'd really hate to lose one of them. And it could happen. It happened in Chelsea," Osterling said. "We have some neat clubs."

Osterling said these clubs are driven by people who are often leaders in their organizations, workplaces and community - people who find them to give more when they aren't working. He pointed to Superintendent Steve Laatsch, a member of the Saline Rotary Club who, along with all his district responsibilities, finds time to give back to the community through Rotary and by volunteering at events like the Holiday Parade.

"He's a really good example for our community," Osterling said.

Osterling provided the following facts about the three aforementioned service organizations.

KIWAN

IS CLUB OF SALINE
Meeting Place: Saline American Legion – 320 West Michigan Ave. - Saline
Meeting Dates: 1st & 3rd Mondays of each month
Meeting Times: 6:00 P.M. – (dinner meeting)
Contact Info: Call Mike at 734-395-1268, Phil at 734-748-7562 or Jennie at 734-748-7473 – www.kiwanisclubofsaline.com

About: KIDS NEED KIWANIS AND KIWANIS NEEDS YOU

Our Club was founded in 1957. Meetings typically run for an hour. It’s a great time for fellowship. Sometimes we have “pot luck” dinner meetings. We plan fundraisers and service projects. Main fundraisers are our Food Wagon that we take to Summerfest, the Community Fair, Octoberfest, and our big Dinner and Reverse Raffle night in the fall, “Win Big For Kids”. We also hold “Peanut Day” raising funds to assist kids in the Saline Area Social Services system. Our latest fundraiser, “The Saline Flag Program” began in 2022.

The Kiwanis motto is “Serving the children of the world”. Founded in 1915 the Kiwanis family has grown to over 500,000 in over 80 countries, doing 18 million hours of service and raising over $100 million per year. Kids are our focus. Through service projects and fundraisers we improve our community, make lifelong friend and most importantly, help children reach their full potential. The Kiwanis organization covers all ages with clubs in Elementary, Middle, and High School, Colleges, and Adult clubs like ours. In Saline we sponsor the “Builders Club” in middle school and the “Key Club” at the High School. 100% of funds we take in are distributed back into the community to help kids in many ways.

Saline Rotary built this pavilion at Henne Field.

ROTARY CLUB OF SALINE
Meeting Place: Saline American Legion – 320 West Michigan Ave., - Saline
Meeting Dates: Each Thursday of every month except the week of Thanksgiving and the week between Christmas and New Year’s
Meeting Times: Noon
Contact Info: Call Jill Durnen at 745-429-5491 or jill@hisaline.com – www.salinerotary.org

About:

A service organization dedicated to local and international service the Saline Rotary Club was chartered in 1929 and is one of this areas most established service clubs. We are part of the Rotary International. Meetings are at noon and include a luncheon format. One of the largest commitment for joining Rotary is attendance. An active club is an effective club. Each week there is a 50/50 raffle and during the meeting the President or designee will collect “Happy Dollars” Weekly meetings consist of a program presented by either a member or someone a member has asked to speak. Saline Rotarians have a large time commitment selling admission tickets at the Saline Community Fair every year. We also have an ongoing Bottle & Can Fundraiser that benefits a different project each year. Other fundraisers include “The Mullick Challenge” benefitting underprivileged children during Christmas.

Numerous projects include three $1 500 scholarships to Saline High School students every year, delivering meals to needy individuals thru “Meals on Wheels”, participation in the Washtenaw County Adopt-A-Road Program, and ringing the bell for The Salvation Army during the Christmas season. Recently our Club completed and dedicated a pavilion at Henne Field in Saline.

Lion Jim Doyle presenting Lion Larry Woods a $1,000.00 check for Washtenaw Camp Placement.

SALINE AREA LIONS CLUB
Meeting Place: Mac’s Acadian Seafood Shack – 1st level Meeting Room – Downtown Saline
Meeting Dates: 1st
& 3rd Thursdays of each month
Meeting Times: 6:30 P.M. – (dinner meeting)
Contact Info: Dick Magee at 973-420-5557, Larry Osterling at 734-646-9516 or larryosterling@gmail.com - , www.salinelions.org

About: WE SERVE

We are one of the Saline Area’s oldest service clubs. Any guest with an interest in joining is invited to attend any of our meetings. The first dinner is always on us and our meetings are always fun and productive. If you thinking of coming as our guest it’s helpful if you can call ahead. You’ve probably already seen us at all kinds of big community events where we’re having a great time scooping and selling ice cream from our Saline Lions Club trailer. Other activities we are involved in include collaborative promotion with the Saline Area Schools, participation in the nationally- recognized “Project Kidsight” sight screening program, financial support for those in need of eyeglasses and hearing aids, providing scholarships assistance for graduating seniors, funding for leader dogs for the blind, braille transcription, and support of summer camps for kids. In addition, we are part of “Lions International” ----one of the world’s largest service organizations.

Meeting attendance for our members is encouraged but never required and we are particularly accommodating to those busy individuals who maintain an active lifestyle but who also want to have a way of being involved in giving back to our community. Meeting are always a great time having an evening out dining with a fun group of fellow Saline Area Lions Club members.

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