HFC music ensembles help Dearborn Rotary celebrate its 100th anniversary
The Rotary Club of Dearborn will celebrate 100 years of “Service Above Self” with a musical extravaganza on Saturday, March 18 at 5:30 p.m. at the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center, 15801 Michigan Ave. in Dearborn.
HFC and the HFC Federation of Teachers are two of the centennial celebration’s sponsors. The HFC Big Band, which was founded by the late Rick Goward (the retired HFC music instructor/administrator who was president-elect of Rotary at the time of his passing in 2022 and would have been Rotary’s centennial president for 2022-23), will perform during the strolling dinner.
“Among Rick’s many gifts and talents as the music director at HFC and founder of the HFC Big Band, he was a visionary with far-reaching goals for our club. With the community’s support, we will honor his goals,” said Rotary co-president Shannon Peterson.
An evening of music
The evening will begin with an enchanting strolling dinner in the Lincoln Ballroom at 5:30 p.m. with music provided by the Big Band and HFC vocalists under the direction of HFC music instructor G. Kevin Dewey.
After dinner, there will be a concert in the Michael A. Guido Theater, featuring the international headliner Dennis Edwards’ Temptations Review with a performance by Thornetta Davis, Detroit’s Queen of the Blues.
“We expect to fill this beautiful 1,200-seat theater – another of Rick’s goals,” said Peterson. “This has been a labor of love by our club in memory and in honor of Rick Goward.”
Funds will go to library’s auditorium
Funds raised from the centennial celebration will be used in collaboration with the City of Dearborn to renovate the auditorium in the Henry Ford Centennial Library, to meet ADA standards for accessible design and seating, and to upgrade technology.
Peterson credits the many generous sponsors and donors who have stepped up to help Rotary with this historic fundraising event. This includes the two presenting sponsors: The Donald & Mary Kosch Foundation and the physicians group/healthcare partnership called Beaumont Accountable Care Organization. To purchase a sponsorship, visit the Rotary website.
Tickets for the strolling dinner and concert are $250 each. Individual concert tickets are priced between $75 and $100. Tickets can be purchased through the Michael A. Guido Theater box office during office hours or online.
Founded in 1923, the Rotary Club of Dearborn is the city’s oldest service organization and is a proud member of Rotary International, bringing more than 1.4 million members in more than 46,000 individual clubs together to live the motto of “Service Above Self.”
For questions or more information, contact Colleen Nieman at 586-243-2783 or cfsk@aol.com.
