LUDINGTON — The Rotary Club of Ludington has donated $10,000 to the Ludington Petunia Parade’s Watering Truck Capital Campaign, helping the organization move closer to its goal of purchasing a newer, more reliable watering truck.
Rotary Club President Bob Vipond presented the check July 2 to Petunia Parade board members Cathy Webster, Mary Lou Ohnsman and Sarah Genson. The funds were raised through Rotary’s EPIC Day of Service initiative, which included donations from Rotary members, community supporters, friends and family.
The Ludington Petunia Parade is seeking to raise $75,000 to purchase and maintain a replacement watering truck used to care for the thousands of petunias planted throughout the city each summer.
Volunteer Community Leader Bob Budreau has assisted the Petunia Parade with organizing the capital campaign.
“The Ludington Petunia Parade approached Bob Budreau about its need to replace its watering truck because we were basically clueless about how to conduct a capital campaign,” Webster said. “We were thrilled when the Rotary Club of Ludington approached us about partnering on the Watering Truck Capital Campaign.”
Budreau said he was confident the community would support the effort.
“I told them that when they started their campaign the community would respond and that they would receive help from places they would never anticipate,” he said.
Vipond said the partnership grew out of Rotary’s participation in EPIC Day of Service, which stands for “Everyone Participates in Communities.” The international initiative encourages Rotary clubs to complete community service projects on the same day.
This year’s EPIC Day of Service was held May 16, which coincided with the Petunia Parade’s annual planting day.
“I thought this would be a great way to elevate our service to the Ludington Petunia Parade,” Vipond said.
Ohnsman, who serves on both the Petunia Parade board and the Rotary Club, said the original idea was to recruit Rotary volunteers to assist block captains during planting. During planning discussions, Rotary member and Petunia Parade block captain Kathy Bromley suggested the club instead help raise money for the watering truck campaign.
Vipond said the club initially set a fundraising goal of $1,000 before increasing it to $5,000 at Bromley’s suggestion.
“I was unprepared for the generosity shown by our members and the community,” Vipond said.
Bromley launched the campaign with a $1,000 donation and challenge to fellow Rotarians. The Rotary Club also contributed $1,000, while additional donations included $1,000 each from Judith Cartier and longtime Rotarian Tom Lane. Budreau later donated $2,500, helping the campaign exceed its original goal and ultimately raise $10,000.
With the Rotary donation, the Watering Truck Capital Campaign has raised $35,953 toward its $75,000 goal.
The Ludington Petunia Parade is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Donations to the campaign may be made online at ludingtonpetuniaparade.com/watering-truck or by mailing a check payable to Ludington Petunia Parade, memo “Truck Campaign,” to P.O. Box 5, Ludington, MI 49431. Qualified Charitable Distributions also are accepted from eligible donors age 70½ and older.
Please Support Local News and Sports Coverage
Receive daily MCP and OCP news briefings along with email news alerts for $10 a month. Your contribution will help us to continue to provide you with free local news.
The payment can be paid monthly through PayPal: Click this link.
To sign up for an annual subscription, email editor@mediagroup31.com. In the subject line write: Subscription. Please supply your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (indicate cell phone). We will not share your information with any outside sources.
For more than one email address in a household, the cost is $15 per month per email address.
We can send you an invoice for a yearly payment of $120, which you can conveniently pay online or by check. If you are interested in this method, please email editor@mediagroup31.com and we can sign you up. You can also mail a yearly check for $120 to Media Group 31, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454 (please include your email address).
Payment must be made in advance prior to subscription activation.
We appreciate all our readers regardless of whether they choose to continue to access our service for free or with a monthly financial support.
_____
This story and original photography are copyrighted © 2026, all rights reserved by Media Group 31, LLC, PO Box 21, Scottville, MI 49454. No portion of this story or images may be reproduced in any way, including print or broadcast, without expressed written consent.
As the services of Media Group 31, LLC are news services, the information posted within the sites are archivable for public record and historical posterity. For this reason it is the policy and practice of this company to not delete postings. It is the editor’s discretion to update or edit a story when/if new information becomes available. This may be done by editing the posted story or posting a new “follow-up” story. Media Group 31, LLC or any of its agents have the right to make any changes to this policy. Refer to Use Policy for more information.
.png)
