April 6, 2025

Hello NMRC!

The ice has melted on South Lake Leelanau! It’s time to get ready to row!

Please read on for important information about upcoming events. We cannot wait to catch up with everyone and get on the water!

 

Winter Board Retreat Update

In early February, the board met for an all day session. Thank you to members who shared their thoughts and suggestions for this year. The biggest take away is to keep improving and keep what worked! The club ended the fiscal year in a good financial position for the upcoming season. The priorities set for the club include fixing, maintaining and improving our current fleet and equipment, growing our fleet of small boats (singles and doubles), and continuing to develop a beginner/novice program through mentor captains.

We do not have an update yet on returning to Glen Lake this season. Thank you to Cam Lanphier for working to try to make this happen!

 

Membership Meeting/Potluck

Save the date! We will gather on Friday April 25 at Leelanau River Studio, 307 S Main St, Leland, MI, 6pm. The board looks forward to answering any questions you have regarding the upcoming season.

FYI - before the gathering we will be sharing the plan for our 2025 program along with membership costs for 2025-2026. There will be a window for discounted early bird sign ups and our membership will largely be unchanged with some additional flexibility added in.

Please bring a light dish to pass. Mindy will send a Sign up Genius shortly. Please watch for that and let us know what you can bring. NMRC will provide beverages. We can’t wait to see you in this lovely space on the Leland River in Leland.

 

Rigging and Park Clean Up

ALL HANDS ON DECK!

We will be doing a light spring clean up at Solon Township Park and rigging boats on May 10 and 17, 10 am to 3 pm. Please put one or both of these dates on your calendar. We need bodies to move boats and this is a great time to find out what everyone has been up to this winter. Sooner we get these boats rigged and ready, sooner we get on the water.

(Thank you to Elizabeth Roth for adding to her newsletter duties by taking on our Equipment Manager role!)

Bring your personally labeled rigging tools and a rake, tarp or other essential spring yard cleaning tools!

 

Winter Training Update

Winter training has been extended for spring while we have interest. Drop ins are welcome!

A consistent group of members have been keeping fit this winter with our offerings at Sleeping Bear Fitness in Maple City. We have grown our NMRC fleet of ERGS to 7! Our dedicated group of volunteers, Diane Hamilton, Lindy Kellogg, and Daniel Schillinger, who run each session to make sure attendees get the most out of their time! Consider signing up for a work out with us on iCrew!

New Merch in the Works

We have been working on a new LOCAL source for NMRC merchandise and will share the link and announce a three week window for orders shortly. A second purchasing window will open later in the season. Thank you to Kallie Cracker for managing this project! We are very excited to have some new high quality merch to start the season with.

 

Volunteer Opportunities

NMRC is interested in expanding our community presence. We have joined the Lake Leelanau Lake Association and there may be ways to participate in the LLLA for our members, but we definitely support the work they do!

We ask members to look for and lead other opportunities to raise awareness of NMRC throughout the county. Examples of such opportunities include:

  • Join the Event Committee and proposed “Loop de Leelanau" rowing event. Help us develop a fun event that benefits our rowing community and links us into the Loop.

  • Attend a meeting of the Leelanau Wellness Collective to see if our programs are a good fit for the LWC.

  • Be a host at an NMRC Information Booth at the Glen Lake and Lake Leelanau Farmers Markets

  • Join the NMRC Fundraising Committee to brainstorm fundraising opportunities in addition to the Cedar Polka Fest and the Sleeping Bear Marathon.

  • Join the Sponsorships Committee and help us build our community sponsorship program. No one likes to ask for money, but everyone likes having high quality equipment!

You can see that the sky is the limit on opportunities to help NMRC grow deeper into the community; there is tremendous value for the club every time you give a little of your off the water time to helping the club’s outreach. Your NMRC Board members can’t add much more to their plates right now and need the membership to help us grow and develop.

Please let Mindy know if you have ideas and if you can take the lead on any of the above. We need more leaders!!! Email mindy@northernmichiganrowing.club

 

Important Upcoming Dates

April 25 - Membership Meeting/Potluck - 6pm Leelanau River Studio, 307 S Main St, Leland

May 10 - Rigging at Solon Township Park, 10 am to 3 pm

May 17 - Rigging at Solon Township Park, 10 am to 3 pm

May 19 - Tentative start of season. Weather and water temperature dependent

 

Donations Always Welcome!

We are a volunteer, member run 501c3 and depend on donations to sustain our club. Membership fees go toward overhead costs and staff (coaches/coxswains). All else is supported by the generous donations of our community.

NMRC is now registered to receive donations via Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) from Fidelity Charitable. So if you have investments with Fidelity, it is easier and more secure to make donations to NMRC!

Click the button to make a donation today!