Joan LaBelle, the Executive Director at Disabled Resource Services joined our club this summer. She is from Flint, Michigan, where water is the main news.Joan says, “My mom is from Montreal, born and raised and my aunts, uncles and cousins from the French-Canadian side are all still there or near there. My dad is from upstate New York and when he came to Michigan his brothers and sister almost all followed him. When my mom married my dad, they knew each other 3 months, she did not know English and learned it quickly moving to the states.
I have 3 older brothers and an older sister with many nieces and nephews. All of my siblings except one brother (he lives in Tennesse,) still live in Michigan.
I have 2 four legged kids… a German Shepherd named Chewy (short for Chewbacca) and a cat name Gizelle.
I love to cook, write (I have been working on a book for decades lol), read (mostly fiction, but history as well), going to the casino, traveling (don’t mind going alone, less expensive with someone (especially a cruise). I am also involved in a few dog rescues (animals are a big interest—all kinds).”
Joan joined Rotary because “I knew when I first sat down at a Rotary meeting in Kansas that I wanted to join wherever I landed. The comradery, the love of people and country, the commitment to the community… all of that really drew me. I am a morning person and even though there were several meetings to decide from, I knew the morning would be the best fit for me.”
Joan has often joked that it is her goal to live in every state of the union… however, she said, “I have made it to 12 so far—with no desire to make it to 13!”