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Rotary Club of Springfield Holiday Party -- December 16, 2019

Our December 16 meeting is a celebration of the holidays at the Crowne Plaza!

Come party with us and celebrate the holidays. Join members, guests, and Paul Harris Community Honorees for dinner, festivities, and entertainment. If you didn't already sign up, please rsvp to rotaryrod@comcast.net by midnight December 11 to participate and specify your choice of either the Gourmet Chicken or Salmon dinner and pre-pay the $35 for the whole event. Remember that we are gathering at the Crowne Plaza, starting at 5:30 for cocktails, with dinner served at 6:30 p.m.

Past District Governor Steve Hopper -- December 9, 2019

The Heart 2 Heart Program

Please join us in Maldanders Upstairs at 5:30 p.m. to learn more about the Heart 2 Heart Program and Rotary humanitarian efforts and opportunities in central Mexico, including Mexico City and surrounding rural communities. Since 2016, Past District Governor Steve Hopper has been a member of the Heart 2 Heart Advisory Committee. The Heart 2 Heart Program is a cooperative effort between Rotarians primarily in the "Heart of America" (Zones 30 and 31) and in the "Heart of Mexico" (Districts 4170 and 4140) and The Rotary Foundation to provide humanitarian service, primarily through matching grant projects. The first cooperative effort was in fall 2004, when all the 2005-06 District Governors in both U.S. zones agreed to support a water well project in a rural town in Mexico District 4170. Since that time, Rotarians have developed three signature projects: water tank systems for grade schools, the Holtz-Beacon Kidney Transplant Program, and the Vicki Blade Pacemaker Program. Visitors are welcome to join us and may enjoy a fine buffet dinner for $12.00.

Citrus Campaign Delivery Week -- December 2-7, 2019

Citrus Pick-up and Donation to the Central Illinois Foodbank

Our “fresh from the grove” oranges and grapefruit will be delivered this week. Warehouse Manager Bill Smith has announced the schedule for work in the warehouse (Underfanger Mayflower Moving and Storage Warehouse, 3601 Mayflower Boulevard, Springfield, IL) and is asking for volunteers. On December 3, Rotary volunteers will repack boxes of oranges and grapefruit to create the required number of mixed fruit boxes. Volunteers are also needed to service our customers when they pick up the fruit at the warehouse on Friday, December 6 (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) and Saturday, December 7 (8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.). And as expected, we will have a little fun while we work. Please contact Bill (smithveld@comcast.net) if you would like to schedule a time to volunteer and did not already sign up to do so. Help us finish the 2019 Citrus Campaign!

On Wednesday, December 4, the Central Illinois Foodbank will pick up almost 11,000 oranges donated by Rotary members and other customers. These oranges will provide nutritious fresh fruit for families across central Illinois. For over 30 years, the Rotary Club of Springfield has sold oranges and grapefruit with the proceeds providing a major part of the money used to support the community grants (see story below) and international projects our club has funded. The Citrus Sale provides fresh, nutritious fruit for the holidays and allows Rotarians and our customers to purchase oranges for donation to the Central Illinois Foodbank.

World Polio Day -- October 24, 2019

Recognition of World Polio Day in Illinois

Rotarians across the world recognized World Polio Day on October 24, 2019 by hosting events and programs and watching the Rotary International Online Global Update on Polio. A link to the Rotary International update is provided on our Facebook page (@RotaryClubOfSpringfieldIL), and we encourage you to watch this inspirational video. On October 1, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker issued a proclamation making October 24, 2019 World Polio Day in Illinois and encouraging all citizens to join him and Rotary International in the fight for a polio-free world. On October 24, Springfield Mayor James Langfelder issued a special proclamation (pictured above) commending the efforts to eliminate polio by Rotary International and their partners. He also commended Springfield-area Rotary clubs for their service projects in our local communities and abroad. He concluded by recognizing World Polio Day and the Rotary efforts to achieve a polio-free world. We are close to achieving this goal, but need to keep up the fight until the last remaining form of the virus (type 1) is eliminated, and there are no new cases worldwide for three consecutive years. Please keep contributing to PolioPlus.

New Satellite Club in Chatham Chartered

On July 15, we celebrated the Chartering of the Rotary Club of Springfield in Chatham!

President Vicki Megginson and District Governor Mark Roberts led the joyous celebration for the official birth of the first satellite club in District 6460. Special guests including numerous Past District Governors, family members, and other friends enjoyed the festivities including a fine dinner and a champagne toast to the new club, a ribbon cutting by the members of the satellite club, and presentation of certificates and banners to the charter members of the satellite club. Satellite Club Chair Tim Welch and Vice Chair Megan Brown proudly display their new 4-Way Test Banner in the image above. For more images of this festive event, check out the link to the photo album on our website home page.

Distribution of Community Grants

Springfield Rotary Foundation Grants and Projects

At the June 24 meeting of the Rotary Club of Springfield, Harry Mitchell, President of the Springfield Rotary Foundation (second from left in the above image of grant recipients), presented grant checks to representatives from local nonprofits for projects that promote literacy, combat hunger, and otherwise improve our community. This story is taken from his comments for the presentations. Our fund raising efforts through our Flag Service Program, Citrus Sales, and John Montgomery Memorial Fishing Tournament allowed us to support 16 grant-funded projects (described below), and to also set aside annual support for:

Scholarships to LLCC and UIS students
Funds for international service projects, and
Support for Land of Lincoln Honor Flights

The majority of our funds support local organizations that work every day to help people in our community in a variety a ways. We gathered to thank 16 of those organizations for their work in the community and present those who attended the event with their 2019 Rotary grants. The organizations, grant projects, and individuals who attended the event are listed below.