On February 3, 2026, we celebrated Foundation Night — one of the most meaningful evenings of our Rotary year. Moderated by our Club’s Rotary International Foundation Chair, Harry Mitchell (on left in image above) and assisted in presentations by District Foundation Chair Tom Stites (on right in image), and Club President John Webb (2nd from left in image), the evening honored the impact of The Rotary Foundation and the generosity of our members and our community.
We were proud to name Sonthana Thongsithavong as our 2026 Community Paul Harris Fellow (second from right in image above and image below). As USTA Community Development Coordinator and Founder of the Central Illinois Tennis Association (CITA), Sonthana has used tennis as a platform for youth development and life success — truly exemplifying Service Above Self.
During the evening, we also recognized Rotarians in our club for their Paul Harris Fellow giving milestones based upon increments of $1,000 donations to The Rotary Foundation. In addition, our Club's Paul Harris Fellow Giving Circles had each previously contributed $1000 to The Rotary Foundation to allow each Circle to recognize a new Paul Harris Fellow of their choosing at the event. It was a heart-warming evening.