Our club had a busy November. On November 3, District Governor Bill Knake provided a lively overview of District goals and activities to our Club. Nine of our members participated in the District Conference at UIS on November 8, and Bob Stuart opened the meeting with an overview of his Journey in Rotary. At our November 10 Membership Assembly, Bonnie Styles discussed the New Member Orientation Committee's new mentoring process for engaging new members. On November 17, Amy Voils passionately described the important programs and services of M.E.R,C,Y Communities. At this meeting, Bob Stuart gave a rousing toast to the contributions of the RI Foundation and our Club Foundation in honor of Rotary Foundation Month. On November 24, we had a relaxing social night at Engrained Brewing Company in Springfield (lead image). Read about all these activities and more in this Newsletter.
As we come to the close of November—Rotary Foundation Month—I want to thank each of you for a truly remarkable and energizing month of service, fellowship, learning, and celebration. Our Club continues to demonstrate what it means to Unite for Good, and November offered countless examples of Rotary at its best.
An Engaging District Conference at UIS
Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors from across District 6460 gathered at the 2025 District Conference at the University of Illinois, Springfield (UIS). It was a day filled with inspiring speakers, shared ideas, meaningful conversations, and concrete examples of Rotary impact.
Our Club was proud to hear Bob Stuart share his powerful Rotary journey (image below), including his firsthand experiences with polio immunization, tsunami recovery, and post-Katrina rebuilding efforts.
Among the many highlights of the conference:
Rod Buffington and Brian Barstead provided an energizing update on Rotary Day at the Ballpark—complete with a singalong of Take Me Out to the Ballgame (first image above).
A touching memorial honored Rotarians across the District, including our own Steve Schwark.
District 6060 Governor Ralph Zuke shared the story of his rickshaw ride to the Rotary International Convention in Calgary to raise awareness and funds for ending polio—then offered rides to attendees for polio donations (second image above).
District 6429’s Ciara Stahly inspired attendees with stories of her life-changing Youth Exchange experiences.
Exchange students from around the world, including our exchange student Eva, opened the conference with a vibrant flag ceremony (first image below) and supported Purple Pinkies for Polio.
Conference attendees assembled student kits for Midwest Missions, helping children worldwide learn and thrive. (second image below)
Breakout sessions showcased impactful club projects—pollinator gardens, peace poles, winter coat drives, domestic violence awareness, and Rotaract collaborations.
It was a day that truly reaffirmed why we are Rotarians.
Club Meetings, Speakers & Milestones
With full Board support, I announced a 2026 schedule change designed to strengthen engagement, accessibility, and flexibility for current and prospective members.
In 2026, four of our Monday evening meetings at Maldaner’s will shift to one-hour lunch meetings, held from 11:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Maldaner’s. The restaurant fully supports this change and will continue providing a buffet-style meal.
Lunch Meetings (replacing evening meetings):
Monday, January 26
Monday, February 23
Monday, March 23
Monday, April 27
This adjustment preserves our tradition of meeting at Maldaner’s on Mondays for roughly 75% of the year, while offering an alternate meeting time to enhance member recruitment and participation.
Our November Club meetings also included a special visit from District 6460 Governor Bill Knake (image below), who shared stories from around the District and highlighted the significance of our Club’s contributions. His visit also reminded us to mark our calendars for Rotary Family Day at the Ballpark 2026.
At that same meeting, we celebrated several club milestones:
Miranda Smith received her Rotary badge (image below).
Early plans for our All Club Holiday Party took shape.
Our Paul Harris Giving Circles were previewed.
During November we also welcomed Amy Voils, Executive Director of MERCY Communities, who shared how MERCY provides housing, stability, and support for families experiencing homelessness—along with opportunities for hands-on service.
Heather Morganson and Sara Womack from the Rutledge Youth Foundation (image below) joined us to continue our tradition of supporting the Angel Tree Program, distributing angels for members to sponsor. Bonnie Styles led a Club Assembly focused on our new membership orientation process—an important step in ensuring every new member is welcomed and engaged. See the Calendar in this Newsletter for deadlines for delivering your angel tree gifts to the Rutledge Youth Foundation.
I was honored to represent our Club at Lights, Camera, Goodwill at UIS (image below), where Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries recognized us for our support of their youth services.
Service in Motion
The John Montgomery Rotary Citrus Drive was active all month long. Thank you to everyone who has been promoting sales and will deliver oranges and grapefruit and volunteer in the warehouse in December. This important fundraiser fuels our Club’s community grants and supports the Central Illinois Foodbank, helping us support local needs year after year. Special thanks to Marty Michelson for Chairing the Citrus Committee and to Bill Smith (image below) for managing the citrus sale and warehouse and keeping us updated on the process. See the article in this Newsletter on volunteer opportunities in the warehouse during the first week in December.
Celebrating Rotary’s Global Connections
We celebrated our inbound Youth Exchange Student Eva's birthday, complete with a cake (image to left) and the club singing Happy Birthday (first image below). We also heard stories about her dinner at Flavor of India and a lively performance of Mamma Mia! at PORTA High School, which were hosted by our very own Brandy Zanger (see story in this Newsletter). At our meeting, Eva also answered a series of questions proposed by Brandy that enabled us to get to know her better. On another occasion, Brandy and I enjoyed watching Eva perform beautifully with the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra at the Autumn Orchestra Festival at Southeast High School in Springfield (second image below).
We also continued our tradition of international fellowship with Bob Stuart’s Absolut vodka toast to our friends in the Rotary Club of Växjö, Sweden at the beginning of the month (image below). Later in the month, Bob offered another international toast with Australian wine that was a celebration of Eva's birthday, the Rotary International Foundation, PolioPlus, and a distinguished Rotarian.
Fellowship & Fun
Rotary fellowship was alive and well in November. Our social night at Engrained Brewing Company (lead image and image below) brought a great turnout and even better conversation. Connecting with each other beyond weekly meetings continues to strengthen our Club’s bonds and our ability to serve.
Looking Ahead
As we head into December and its Rotary International theme of Disease Prevention and Treatment, I want to express my gratitude to all you for your time, your passion, your generosity, and your willingness to serve. November reminded us that we are a community of people dedicated to making positive change, near and far.
When we meet at Maldaner's, please submit your reservations for dinner! Click on the link embedded below and enter the date, your name, dine in/carry out and number of meals being consumed in the restaurant and/or carried out prior to each meeting. Preferably, everyone will fill out the form by noon on the Friday before the upcoming meeting. We have given staff at Maldaner's access to the view, so it will help them with planning. As always, we will direct him to have a few additional servings available for members who forget or last minute guests.
The same link will work for the entire Rotary year and will be shared within each Newsletter, so do not delete the Newsletter until you have submitted your dinner information. Please remember that the three most recent Newsletters can also be accessed from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org) so you can also access the link for reservations from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org).
Our Club was excited to welcome Dr. Steve Schwark as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois on October 20. Steve was sponsored by Naomi Lynn, who shared his academic background and friendship.
A University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate and Harvard Ph.D in Political Science, Steve recently retired after 36 years at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS), where he focused on policy and the Cold War, especially Russia, though his interests had expanded to the Middle East.
Steve was also a dedicated volunteer at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, where fellow Rotarian Bill Sturm encouraged him to explore Rotary. After learning more from Naomi, he decided to join and we’re so glad he did and wish we could have enjoyed his company longer.
A proud Badger, Packers, Red Sox, and Celtics fan, Steve bought both intellect and warmth to our Club. As noted in the President's comments in this newsletter, Steve passed away shortly after becoming a member of our club. Please join us in remembering and honoring this wonderful man.
A Memorial Service for Stephen Schwark has been scheduled for December 8, 2025 at Cherry Hills Church, 2125 Woodside Rd., Springfield, IL. Steve's family will receive friends from 10:00-11:00 a.m. The memorial ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Jeffrey Nelson officiating
The University of Illinois Springfield announced the recipients of 2025 scholarships at the Scholarship Luncheon on November 5, 2025. Bonnie Styles attend this reception for the Rotary Club of Springfield. The recipient of the Club's Francis Wenzel Scholarship was unfortunately unable to attend the luncheon, but the Club received information on this year's recipient.
UIS selected La'Ron Leftridge as the recipient of the $2000 Francis Wenzel Scholarship. La'Ron is a computer science major, and he is planning to pursue education as a second major. He is adept in programming and web development. He plans to graduate in 2028. His career goal is to teach computer science and to also teach English as a second language oversees. He has long dreamed of going abroad and is especially interested in living and teaching in Japan.
La'Ron was raised by his mom in Bloomington and Springfield. He has lived in Springfield for the past 10 years. He graduated from Southeast High School in 2024. He has two older sisters and two younger brothers. He recently started competing in e-sports and by the end of his freshman year, he was asked to coordinate the program.
We wish La'Ron the best as he pursues his studies at UIS.
On Friday, November 14, Eva, our Rotary Inbound Exchange Student, enjoyed dinner and a show with Rotary Club Member Brandy Zanger. After a spicy and flavorful meal at Flavor of India (image below), the pair headed to Petersburg for RORTA High School’s lively presentation of Mamma Mia!
The evening was filled with thoughtful conversation. Brandy was especially impressed by Eva’s deep knowledge of Taiwan’s history and culture—from past conflicts to holiday traditions and social customs. Eva also shared her impressive language abilities: she speaks Mandarin, the Taiwanese dialect of Mandarin, and English. Eva is currently studying Korean and Japanese. She has visited Japan three times and fondly noted that the beef there is both delicious and affordable!
Brandy’s daughter, Ripley (second from left), and friends Andrea (second from right), Ashley (far right), and Sarah (far left) joined them at the show (image below), adding to the fun. Eva also had the chance to meet Brandy’s black lab, Juniper, during the outing. Although she isn’t used to big dogs, she enjoyed Juniper’s gentle company. Back at her host family’s home, Eva is happily bonding with their cat - Jaspurr. Quite the name!
It was a warm, memorable evening—another wonderful experience in Eva’s Rotary Year.
If you would like to spend some time with Eva, please let Travis Magoulias, our Club's Youth Exchange Counselor, know and he will help you make the arrangements. These types of experiences enrich her time in Illinois.
The annual John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Drive began at our October 6 club meeting. Final orders and reports were due on November 10. We are preparing for members and customers to pick up their fruit.
Selling citrus has been a fundraiser for our club since 1975. That was 50 years ago. When we started selling citrus, we looked to Florida because it was the best we could buy. That has changed dramatically due to hurricanes, droughts, a disease called greening, and commercialization of the land. The land is worth more for development than as a citrus crop. When the industry leader of citrus falters, uncertainty results in higher cost for citrus.
This year we are getting oranges from California and grapefruit from Texas or Florida. The selling price for all large 40 LB cartons is $65.00. The selling price for all smaller 20 LB cartons is $35.00. This is the third consecutive year that we have raised prices on the large cartons. There may be a point where our customers will resist paying higher prices for citrus. So far there has been limited resistance to higher prices because they are aware that our profits go to local charities.
Many of our members and customers again purchased oranges for the Central Illinois Foodbank. I want to extend special thanks to the club members who joined me in purchasing oranges for the 360 students at our adopted school, Ridgely Elementary. Every student will receive one nutritious orange. In addition to me, those members include Jim Applegate, Randy Erford, Bill Kempiners, Vicki Megginson, Joe O'Beirne, and Roger Randolph.
Just so you know, the real expense is what we pay for citrus. No one is paid to work at the warehouse or anyone else. The citrus is arriving on Monday, December 1. On Tuesday, December 2 at 2:00 pm, a crew of four or five is needed to assemble the large mixed cartons. On Friday, December 5 from 8:00 am until 5:00 pm, shifts of two hours needed to be filled to cover customers picking up their citrus. The same is true on Saturday, December 6 from 8:00 am until 1:00 pm. Both Sunrise and South Rotary Clubs will have one person from their club at the warehouse at all times on Friday and Saturday. I need to always have one person from our club at all times on Friday and Saturday. Let me know of your availability for these time slots, and I will see what seems appropriate. I will be at the warehouse throughout these time slots. Please let me know if you can help with any of these activities.
On Thursday, December 4, I will be at the warehouse from 8:00 am until 2:30 pm. If you want to pick up your citrus ahead of time, you can do so on this day. I don't need extra help on this day; if you come for your citrus on Thursday, you are the extra help.
Now you can sign up to volunteer to fill the Ridgely Micropantry by using the Signup Genius App. Just download the app and sign up for a one week or two week timeframe that works best for you or you and a friend. What a great way to make a difference. Thank you!
Ridgely Micro-Pantry: Winter and Spring Dates Added to SignUp Genius
Please consider signing up for a two-week commitment to stock the pantry or partner with a friend. The link provided takes you to the sign-up sheet located online using the SignUp Genius program. The Signup Genius link is listed below to sign up and allows you to reserve those dates and to also shows which timeframes are unfilled. The app will also send you a reminder closer to your volunteer date.
New! One Week Shifts
There are several shifts that will only be one week in length instead of two making an appearance on this list during high traffic times around the holidays for the weeks of December 22, December 29 and March 30. We are testing this concept. Rotarians might have trouble committing to a two-week period around the holidays due to their own schedule but perhaps they could commit to a one-week timeframe. Also, typically the demand is higher around the holidays so keeping the pantry stocked during that timeframe for one week is a big enough task-and greatly appreciated!
School Address:
Ridgely Elementary School
2040 North 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Micro Pantry Location
The Rotary Micro pantry is located on the east side of the building by the main entrance. It is a purple and yellow cabinet.
Sign-up Genius: Volunteer Link (download the app):
The Rotary Club of Springfield has agreed to host a Foreign Exchange Student for the school year 2025-2026. We are looking for one more host family to serve one semester of the school year, preferably with Springfield or Southeast High School boundaries.
We now know that the student will be a female from Taiwan. Preferably the host family will have a high-school aged student, but that is not a requirement. Single family hosts are allowed pending approval by both the student and the student's parents. Because the student is a female, I cannot serve as her Youth Exchange Counselor so we are also looking for a female Rotarian to serve in that capacity. Let me know if you are interested.
Please think of family and friends you think may be interested in hosting a Foreign Exchange student, preferable three if you can think of that many. You or they may contact me for additional information. My email is bkemp1100@hotmail.com, or phone 217-494-7467.
Finding host families has become difficult, so I would appreciate any assistance you can provide. I am attaching a list of host family requirements. Please note that COVID inoculations are no longer required.
I sincerely appreciate any assistance you can provide.
Please remember that we are including some social night meetings at locations other than Maldaners. Please pay attention to the meeting schedule listed in the Newsletter, on our website home page (www.spirotary.org), and on our Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram pages for the dates and locations of the meetings.
December 1, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Miranda Smith, President and Founder Emerald Gardens: Emerald Gardens and its Purpose and Services
Join us to learn about Emerald Gardens from Miranda Smith, the President and Co-Founder of this innovative nonprofit in Taylorville, IL. The image shows Miranda with our President John Webb at her induction as a new member of the Rotary Club of Springfield. We are looking forward to learning how her passion to help others is embodied through her nonprofit organization. Emerald Gardens has many goals that are reached through a multifaceted approach to rehabilitation of both individuals and the environment that surrounds them.
December 5, 2025: Citrus Pick-up
Underfanger Mayflower Moving and Storage Warehouse
3601 Mayflower Boulevard, Springfield, IL
8:00-5:00 p.m.
Contact Bill Smith to volunteer
December 6, 2025: Citrus Pick-up
Underfanger Mayflower Moving and Storage Warehouse
3601 Mayflower Boulevard, Springfield, IL
8:00-1:00 p.m.
Conntact Bill Smith to volunteer
December 8: 2025: Memorial Service for Club Member Stephen Schwark
Cherry Hills Church, 2125 Woodside Rd., Springfield, IL
10:00-11:00 a.m. - Family will receive friends
11:00 a.m. - Ceremony begins with Pastor Jeffrey Nelson officiating
December 8, 2025: No Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs.
December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) Rotary Springfield Clubs Holiday Party
Christ the King Parish Center
1930 Barberry Drive, Springfield, IL
5:30-7:30 p.m.
Tbe deadline for reservations and payment ($45 per person) is on December 1, 2025. The entertainment will feature a violin performance by Eva, the Rotary Club of Springfield's Inbound Exchange Student from Taiwan.
December 15-21, 2025 All Springfield Club's Community Blood Drive
Impact Life Donor Center
1999 Wabash Ave., Springfield, IL
December 10, 2025: Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Schnucks, Montvale Plaza, Springfield, IL
10:00 to Noon
All slots have been filled.
December 12, 2025: Deadline for Delivering Angel Tree Gifts
Rutledge Youth Foundation
151 Bruns Lane, Springfield, IL 62702
Drop of times are available from 4:30-6:00 p.m. on 12/2/2025, 12/4/2025, 12/9/2025, and 12/11/2025
December 13, 2025 Salvation Army Bell Ringing
Schnucks Montvale Plaza Springfield, IL
Noon to 2:00 p.m.
All slots have been filled.
December 15, 2025 Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Andrea Aggertt, Architect of the State Capitol: Update on Renovations to the State Capitol.
December 22, 2025 No Rotary Club Meeting (Holiday Season)
December 29, 2025: No Rotary Club Meeting (New Year's holiday)
You can sign up using the new Sign-Up Genius online system featured in the above article by Ken Gilmore. We are now signing up one to two individuals for each slot.
I appreciate your help!
Thank you for signing up for a micropantry volunteer shift. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by the community we serve.
Members who have supported this program realize the price of food and other products stocked in the pantry have become more expensive. Under a new program, a member may be reimbursed up to $100 when a purchase is made for the food pantry. Funding for this reimbursement was made possible by donations in the amount $1,739, which were received at the Rotary Open House last December that I hosted at my home
Below are the details including the location of the pantry, and suggestions on items to collect and distribute. If you are unable to complete your shift, please reach out and we'll work on a better period of time to meet your needs. If you have suggestions for future volunteers, please let me know and we'll adapt the program along the way.
.
Ridgely Elementary School
2040 North 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Main entrance to the school (look for the yellow and purple pantry by the front doors).
The image below shows the location of the pantry at the entrance to the school.
These suggestions came from people who use food pantries to help feed their families.
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter, which is difficult to get from regular food banks. 2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal, which they also get a lot of. 3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles. 4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.* 5. Oil is a luxury and needed for Rice a-Roni, which they also get a lot of. 6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Holiday gift. 7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care. 8. Sugar and flour are treats. 9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores. 10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some. 11. They rarely get fresh meat. 12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch. 13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef. 14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread. 15. Butter or margarine is nice too. 16. Eggs are a real commodity. 17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake. 18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated. 19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that. 20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.
The image below shows a fully stocked pantry.
The image below shows me stocking an empty micropantry on June 4.
Micro Pantry Coordinator: Allie Montney with assistance from John Webb
Phone 217-494-6901 (for the quickest response, please text)
Things I've noticed that may be helpful: Stocking the pantry on a weekend or after 4:00PM during the weekdays means less people and easier to get a parking spot. Ask friends and family to donate unused household items for the pantry that you can collect. If purchasing bags of fresh fruit or veggies, stock them individually so that more in need can take what they need. It's going to be freezing outside soon, so consider if the items will no longer be good if frozen. ALDI grocery stores have prices that cannot be beat.
Do you know or are you someone who has a passion to give back to your community? The Rotarians in this image are helping pack essential items for the Illinois Police Department to give to homeless individuals in our community. As a Rotarian, you adhere to the principles of the 4-way Test., which are:
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
If you find value in these ideals and want to be part of a great organization, right click on the attached link to open our online Membership Applicationin a new window. You can also click on this link to download an electronic copy of the Membership Application from our Club's website Home Page (www.spirotary.org) in the Download Files section. You can send the completed application to the Membership Committee at hmitchell11@comcast.net. We look forward to hearing from you!
Please remember to report your service hours and related contributions. You will be able to enter your hours and correctly assign them to the correct Rotary Calendar year. Just follow this link:
Please email images of service activities to Bonnie Styles at bonstyles@yahoo.com. It's easy to take pictures if you have a smartphone, but even an old style camera works just fine. Send me an email (bonstyles@yahoo.com) to let me know when you will be volunteering for a service project, and I will come out and take some images.
Be sure to turn in your hours for any volunteering that you do on behalf of Rotary.
The images below show the empty Ridgely School Micropantry that Vicki Megginson discovered when she arrived for her shift to stock the pantry in late November 2025 and the loaded pantry after she generously stocked it with food and supplies. She noted that people were taking items out of the pantry as she was stocking it. Vicki's experience demonstrates the serious need for the micropantry in the area surrounding Ridgely School. We thank Vicki Megginson and Allie Montney for stocking the Ridgely School Micropantry from November 24-December 7, and Brandy Zanger for also stocking food from a food drive at her workplace. If you haven't signed up for a shift, you can sign up using the link in the article by Community Services Director Ken Gilmore in this Newsletter.
We celebrated our inbound Youth Exchange Student Eva's birthday, complete with a cake (image to left) and the club singing Happy Birthday (first image below). We also heard stories about her dinner at Flavor of India and a lively performance of Mamma Mia! at PORTA High School, which were hosted by our very own Brandy Zanger (see story in this Newsletter). At our meeting, Eva also answered a series of questions proposed by Brandy that enabled us to get to know her better. On another occasion, Brandy and I enjoyed watching Eva perform beautifully with the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra at the Autumn Orchestra Festival at Southeast High School in Springfield (second image below).
Join us to learn about Emerald Gardens from Miranda Smith, the President and Co-Founder of this innovative nonprofit in Taylorville, IL. The image shows Miranda with our President John Webb at her induction as a new member of the Rotary Club of Springfield. We are looking forward to learning how her passion to help others is embodied through her nonprofit organization. Emerald Gardens has many goals that are reached through a multifaceted approach to rehabilitation of both individuals and the environment that surrounds them.
