The five Springfield Rotary Clubs came together on September 14th for a special joint meeting as we welcomed Rotary International Past President Mark Maloney as our featured speaker (image above).
Our Rotary Club served on the planning team for the the event and hosted it in Maldaners Upstairs. The image below shows Beth Bellatti (President of the Rotary World Citizens Alliance of Springfield), Former RI President Mark Mahoney, Ken Gilmore (President of our Rotary Club of Springfield), and Vicki Megginson (member of our club and the World Citizens Alliance Club, and Assistant to RI President Maloney during his visit).
Maldaners prepared the delicious buffet dinner for the event (images below).
Ashley Dillingham, President-Elect of our Club, served as the Master of Ceremonies, and all the Springfield Club Presidents participated in the ceremonies.
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The event attracted a large crowd (images below). A long time Rotarian and a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, Mark served as Rotary International President in 2019–2020 under the theme “Rotary Connects the World” (lead image). His year included leading Rotary through the COVID-19 pandemic and presiding over Rotary’s first virtual convention. He also helped establish the environment as a Rotary area of focus and has served Rotary in numerous other leadership roles.
On this extraordinary occasion, Rotarians from across Illinois (image above) and Interactors from the Springfield area (image on left) heard stories from Mark’s Rotary journey. The guests included District Governor for District 6460 Musonda Kapatmayo, Rotary District Governor Elect Nancy Waters, Rotary District Governor Nominee Jon Looney, and Past Rotary International Director and member of our club Robert Stuart (images in order below), and numerous past District Governors and other Rotary dignitaries.
The conversation highlighted how Rotary friendships can create meaningful connections that extend far beyond our local community, linking people, places and communities across the country and around the world. In doing so, new opportunities and partnerships present themselves that end up making a difference in the lives of others.
The Springfield Rotary Clubs recognized Mark and his work at the end of the night by committing to make a donation to the Rotary Foundation in his honor.
The fellowship, energy and shared commitment to service made it a memorable night for Rotary in Springfield.