ACT-NOW

ACT NOW LOGO

Advisory Community Team-Neighbors on Watch
“Neighbors with Police…Caring Together for Our Community”

 

MISSION STATEMENT

We, the Advisory Community Team-Neighbors on Watch (ACT-NOW) are committed to benefit the people of Gerrish Township by promoting the preservation, appreciation and improvement of the physical, social and aesthetic qualities of all Gerrish Township neighborhoods, through benevolent actions.

 

 

 

 

 

ACT-NOW Links
History of ACT-NOWExecutive Board MinutesCommunity Meeting Minutes
Monthly Treasurer’s Reports | Fiscal Year Report |
 

 

(2023-2024)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – Carlos Jean-Francois

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – Sharon Zacny

GAP #2 – Ralph Rowland

GAP #3 – Stanley Baysdell

Police Officer Representative – Lt. Eric Muszynski

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

Community Member Mary Link

(2022-2023)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – Carlos Jean-Francois

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – Sharon Zacny

GAP #2 – Ralph Rowland

GAP #3 – Stanley Baysdell

Police Officer Representative – Lt. Eric Muszynski

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

Community Member Mary Link

 

(2021-2022)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – VACANT

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – Sharon Zacny

GAP #2 – Ralph Rowland

GAP #3 – Stanley Baysdell

GAP Officer Representative – Lt. Eric Muszynski

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

Community Member Mary Link

 

ACT NOW Board Members Retire

At the monthly ACT NOW Executive Board Meeting held on October 2, 2020, two recently resigning board members were recognized for their past service as volunteers on the ACT NOW board.

John Klein (left in photo) served as the GAP #1 Representative for 13 years from 2007-2020 and Kelly Kirkpatrick (right in photo) served as the GAP #2 Representative for 4 years from 2016-2020.

Both of these men where dedicated to supporting the mission of the organization and were involved in many of the fundraising activities and community events that were sponsored by ACT NOW.

Chair John Ellis (center in photo) along with the ACT NOW Board appreciates their dedication and service and will miss them and wish them nothing but the best in their future endeavors!

The replacements for these two positions were filled by Sharon Zacny and Ralph Rowland.

(2020-2021)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – John Ellis Jr.

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – Sharon Zacny

GAP #2 – Ralph Rowland

GAP #3 – Stanley Baysdell

GAP Officer Representative – Eric Muszynski

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

Community Member Mary Link

 

ACT NOW 2019 COMMUNITY AWARDS

 

Citizen of the Year 2019 – Barry McGinnis

Chief Hill presented community awards to Barry McGinnis (Citizen of the Year Award) and Sgt. Norm LaBonte and Officer James Scroggin (Life Saving Awards) at the ACT NOW Annual Meeting & Picnic on July 15, 2019.

All of these men were involved in a rescue mission that took place on the frigid waters of Higgins Lake on May 28, 2019.  Their swift action resulted in the safe rescue of two individuals in kayaks that had capsized and they were treading water in 60-80 feet at a temperature of approximately 49 degrees.  Neither were wearing life jackets and when Sgt. LaBonte reached them on Mr. McGinnis’ PWC, they were very cold and exhaused.

Mr. McGinnis offered up his boat and Personal Water Craft immediately when he became aware of the situation and assisted Officer Scroggin with retrieving one of the kayaks (the other had sunk) while Sgt. LaBonte rushed both individuals to shore where Gerrish Twp. Fire/EMS personnel and ambulances were waiting.  Both individuals were treated on scene and released to the care of their very thankful family. 

(2019-2020)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – John Ellis Jr.

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – John Klein

GAP #2 – Kelly Kirkpatrick

GAP #3 – Stanley Baysdell

GAP Officer Representative – Eric Muszynski

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

 

2018 ACT NOW Community Award

 

ACT NOW Immediate Past Chair Mary Link accepts her Community Service Award from Chief Brian Hill at the 19th Annual ACT NOW Meeting & Picnic that was held on July 16, 2018.  Mary served 11 years as the Chair on the ACT NOW Executive Board and has stepped down due to personal reasons.  We would like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to Mary for her dedication to ACT NOW, the community and for her service to “Others.”  Mary will still volunteer with ACT NOW and support all the the community programs and projects that they sponsor when she can.  In the photo below, Mary proudly hands over the Chair position to newly elected ACT NOW Chair John Ellis.  Pictured with John is his son John Ellis Jr. who was elected as the new Membership Chair and Chief Brian Hill.

 

(2018-2019)

Executive Board Members

Chair – John Ellis

Co-Chair – Mike Briggs

Secretary – Julie Hill

Treasurer – Bob Barber

Membership Chair – John Ellis Jr.

Community Members At Large:

GAP #1 – John Klein

GAP #2 – Kelly Kirkpatrick

GAP #3 – Currently Vacant

GAP Officer Representative – Shannon Fick

Advisory Board Members (Non-Voting):

CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

GTPD Chief Brian Hill

ACT NOW Citizen of the Year (2017)

JOHN ELLIS

 

John is a very active member of the Gerrish Township CERT team and has served on the ACT NOW Executive Board as a GAP #3 Representative since November of 2015.  John was an integral part of the CERT TRAILER Project and is always a willing participant in CERT events, call outs and ACT NOW community events.

 

(2017-2018) 

Executive Board Members

Chair-Mary Link

Co-Chair-Carmine Polisei

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chair-Mike Briggs

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Kelly Kirkpatrick

Gap#3-John Ellis

Gap Officer Representative-Officer Shannon Fick

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT NOW Board Member Al Schultz was recognized for his 17 years of consecutive service on July 18, 2016.  He has resigned his position and was presented a community service award plaque at the ACT NOW 17th Annual Meeting & Picnic.  Thank you Al for your many years of dedication and service to ACT NOW and your community.  You will be missed!

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Chief Brian Hill, Al Schultz and ACT NOW Chair Mary Link

ACT NOW Citizen of the Year (2016)

Carmine Polisei

IMG_20160718_192344

 Chief Brian Hill, Carmine Polisei and ACT NOW Chair Mary Link

(2016-2017)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Carmine Polisei

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Kelly Kirkpatrick

Gap#3-John Ellis

Gap Officer Representative-Officer Shannon Fick

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT NOW Community Meeting 3-21-2016

“WILDFIRE SAFETY”

Randy Hartman (Fire Fighter Officer) from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was the guest speaker at the ACT NOW Community Meeting held on March 21st at the Gerrish Township Hall.  This was a very informative meeting for the citizens in attendance as Randy discussed how the DNR Fire Services Division works, what areas they serve, what standard and specialized equipment they have available and how the DNR shares resources with other bordering areas including Wisconsin, Minnesota, Ontario and Manitoba Canada.  He also shared how their Incident Management Team (ICS) works for fire suppression, including attack plans and the purpose, planning and guidelines used for prescribed burns.

The second portion of the presentation was focused on “Wildfire Safety” and how we can protect our property from wildfires.  Due to the increase in building in rural and wooded areas (Wild Land/Urban Interface), the DNR provides community education and awareness on how to be “Fire Wise” so that if a wild fire were to occur near your home or business you would be able to assist the DNR and fire departments in the spreading of the fire onto your properties.

The Michigan DNR recognizes the Firewise Communities program through the NFPA as a tool to use in assisting residents in home protection against wild fires.  For more information on this program to to www.firewise.org.

(2015-2016)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Carmine Polisei

Gap#3-John Ellis

Gap Officer Representative-Officer Shannon Fick

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2014-2015

JOHN KLEIN

KLEIN Citizen of the Year

John Klein, Chief Brian Hill and ACT NOW Chair Mary Link

(2014-2015)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Officer Shannon Fick

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2013-2014

SHARON ZACNY

2014 Citizen of the Year ZACNY(1)

Chief Brian Hill, Sharon Zacny and ACT NOW Chair Mary Link

(2013-2014)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Pam Williams

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2012-2013

DAVE BLAZEJEWSKI

Citizen of the Year 2013 NewsletterACT NOW Chair Mary Link, Dave Blazejewski, CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny and Chief Brian Hill

 

(2012-2013)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Pam Williams

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2011-2012

BOB EDWARDS (Photo Not Available)

(2011-2012)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Danny Bates

Community Members at Large

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Pam Williams

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Sharon Zacny

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2010-2011

SHARON ZACNY (Photo Not Available)

(2010-2011)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Sharon Zacny

Community Members at Large-

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Pam Williams

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Don Granzine

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2009-2010

ROBERT BARBER

 

(2009-2010)

Executive Board Members

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co-Chairperson-Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Sharon Zacny

Community Members at Large-

Gap#1-John Klein

Gap#2-Ginny Trombley

Gap#3-Stan Baysdell

Gap Officer Representative-Jonah Schutte

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Don Granzine

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year 2008-2009

STAN BAYSDELL

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San Baysdell, ACT-NOW Citizen of the Year, Mary Link ACT-NOW Chairperson and Gerrish Township Police Chief Brian Hill

(2008-2009)

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

Chairperson-Mary Link

Co Chairperson- Al Schultz

Secretary-Julie Hill

Treasurer-Bob Barber

Membership Chairperson-Laurice Tanner

Community Members At large

GAP #1- John Klein

GAP # 2- Ginny Trombley

GAP # 3- Stan Baysdell

GAP Police Officer Representative-Officer Jonah Schutte

Advisory Board Member-CERT Coordinator Don Granzine

Advisory Board Member-Chief Brian Hill

ACT-NOW Co-Citizens of the Year 2007-2008

Co Citizens of the year Julie Hill and Laurel Smith Tudor with Chief Hill and ACT-NOW Chairperson Mary Link

Co Citizens of the year Julie Hill and Laurel Smith Tudor with Chief Hill and ACT-NOW Chairperson Mary Link