“We were fortunate to receive a global grant from Rotary International to develop a group lending model in metro Detroit,” said Margaret Williamson, chair of LaunchDETROIT. “Studies show that group lending partnerships have been very successful overseas, and ours is the first to be developed in the U.S. by Rotarians.”

“The networking opportunities and experiences that Rotary offers have been especially valuable to me,” said Valle, who was accepted to attend law school in the fall and opted to start a business instead. “I loved planning my own wedding and helping others with their parties and events. Our classes helped me create an executive summary and gave me lots of details to consider.”