The Rotary Club of Springfield and its Chatham Satellite Rotary Club selected Jane Hay and Randy Witter as 2019 Community Paul Harris Fellows. The recognition is named for the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer who started Rotary International in 1905. The Rotary Club of Springfield has a tradition of awarding Paul Harris Fellow Recognition each year to individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the community. The Clubs recognized Jane Hay because of her outstanding contributions to the Chatham community for her ongoing service to the Boards of the Chatham Area Chamber of Commerce, Chatham Area Public Library Foundation, Ball-Chatham Education Foundation, and the Village of Chatham Planning Commission, and the Chatham Jaycees. She is the Vice Chair of the Chatham Titan Fuel Board, which provides food assistance to elementary students, and the President-Elect of the Capital Area Realtors Association. Randy Witter was honored for his outstanding contributions to the Springfield community, including direction of the Cook Witter Internship Program for UIS students, chairmanship of the UIS Alumni Advisory Board, and service as a scoutmaster for the Boy Scouts of America, as well as active participation in the Optimists International Service Club and Springfield YMCA. Randy is the President of Cook-Witter, Inc. The Rotary selection committee noted that Jane and Randy’s dedication to community service demonstrates a shared purpose with Rotary.
 
To recognize the two Paul Harris Fellows, the Rotary Club of Springfield made donations of $1000 to Rotary International’s Rotary Foundation in the name of each recipient. The funds support Rotary International’s Annual Fund, the PolioPlus program to eradicate polio worldwide, and approved Foundation grants. The Clubs recognized the extraordinary achievements of these two community leaders and presented each with a Paul Harris Fellow Medallion, certificate, and pin at the annual holiday gathering and dinner on Monday, December 16 at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield. 
 
Rotarians across the country have a long tradition of supporting the Rotary Foundation by honoring others.  Many notable individuals have been named as Paul Harris Fellows, including Mother Teresa, entertainer Pearl Bailey, U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Jonas Salk. Vicki Megginson, President of the Rotary Club of Springfield, commented “We are honored to add Jane and Randy’s names to this prestigious list.” 

 

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.