January was a time of reflection and planning for the future. This Newsletter covers both topics. In January, Chris Richmond updated us on the accomplishments of the Pillsbury Project, we had a productive Club Assembly on accomplishments and needs, and members sponsored a table and participated in Frontier International's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast (lead image). We will not meet on February 2, but join us on February 9 for a presentation on the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. On Feb. 16 we will have a lunch meeting at Maldaners Upstairs and have re-scheduled Larry Golden to speak about the Illinois Innocence project, and on February 23 we will have our annual Foundation Night with the recognition of Paul Harris Fellows by our Giving Circles and the presentation of our Community Paul Harris Fellow. Details are provided in this Newsletter.
As we close out January, I’m proud to reflect on a month that embodied Rotary International’s theme of Vocational Service Month. Our Club demonstrated through learning, fellowship, and service how Rotarians put their professional skills and passions to work for the greater good of our community.
January notably marked an important milestone for our Club as we scheduled our first-ever lunchtime meeting. While weather conditions ultimately forced us to cancel the January 26th meeting due to a snow emergency and dangerously cold temperatures, the enthusiasm surrounding this new meeting option reaffirmed our goal of making Rotary accessible to more people with busy schedules. We are pleased to announce that we have re-scheduled our first monthly lunchtime meeting for February 16th, and as originally planned for the snowed-out January meeting, Larry Golden, Founder of the Illinois Innocence Project, will speak about this innovative project (image below). We will also offer lunchtime options in March, and April.
Our members were also honored to sponsor a table (lead image and image below) and join hundreds of community leaders, civic organizations, and elected officials at the Frontiers International Springfield Club’s 51st Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Martin Luther King Day. This year’s theme, “Have You Stopped Dreaming,” invited meaningful reflection on Dr. King’s enduring vision and our shared responsibility to invest in young people and families. Keynote speaker Erica Harold (image to right), Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, delivered a powerful message rooted in her personal journey, reminding us that Dr. King’s call to love, perseverance, and action remains relevant today.
At our January 12th Club Assembly, we took time to look both backward and forward—reviewing what we accomplished in 2025 (see story in this Newsletter and first image below), where we stand today, and where we are headed in 2026. The discussion highlighted membership progress and challenges (second image below), leadership needs, and exciting ideas for increased visibility in the community, including plans for an all-Club float in local parades beginning with St. Patrick’s Day.
We were also pleased to have Ashley Dillingham as a guest at our Club Assembly (image to left). Having recently moved to Springfield from Effingham, Ashley, after the Club Assembly, chose to join our Club by transferring her membership from the Effingham Noon Rotary Club. She is an experienced Rotarian having served as a club president and as an Assistant District Governor. We’re excited to welcome her as a member of our Club!
We also kicked off the new year with an informative and inspiring update from Chris Richmond (image below), President of the Pillsbury Project. Chris shared how 2025 marked a turning point for Moving Pillsbury Forward, with major progress in cleanup, environmental remediation, demolition, and neighborhood revitalization. From responsibly recycling materials and saving millions of dollars to improving safety and quality of life, the project reflects what’s possible when collaboration, stewardship, and vision come together. We’re grateful to Chris for keeping our members informed on this important community issue.
One of the most tangible examples of Rotary’s impact this month was our continued commitment to literacy through our Little Library program. I extend our heartfelt thanks to Mary Riesling for her generous donation of hardcover and paperback books (image below). After learning about the program, Mary reached out and contributed a wonderful collection featuring authors such as David Baldacci, Harlan Coben, and John Sandford. These books will help spark imagination, learning, and connection across Springfield through our Club’s Little Libraries.
As we head into February—Rotary International’s Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention Month—our Club looks forward to several meaningful engagements.
* On February 9th, we will welcome representatives of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra to our club meeting.
* On February 10th, our Club will participate in the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce’s February Coffee & Connections, hosted by Pease’s at Bunn Gourmet, one of the Chamber’s signature morning networking events.
* On February 16th, we will have our rescheduled first lunch club meeting with Larry Golden speaking about the Illinois Innocence Project.
* February 23rd marks our annual celebration of The Rotary Foundation, including recognition of Paul Harris Fellows nominated through our Giving Circles, highlighted by honoring Sonthana Thongsithavong (image below) as our Community Paul Harris Fellow.
Thank you for making January such a meaningful start to the year. I look forward to continuing this momentum together in the months ahead.
info@spirotary.org changed the Webex meeting information for Rotary Year 2025-2026.
When it's time, join the Webex meeting here.
Club meetings scheduled for Maldaners Upstairs generally occur on Mondays from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
5:30 PM | (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada) | and last for 1 hr. 30 mins. These meetings are accessible online by using the link provide below. We will be scheduling some noon meetings at Maldaners and some off-site, evening social hours during 2026. Check the website Home Page (spirotary.org) , Facebook, and Upcoming Programs and Events in the Monthly Newsletter for locations and times of club meetings.
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).
During the first half of the 2025-2026 Rotary year, the Rotary Club of Springfield translated commitment into action. Through service, fellowship, and leadership, our members made a meaningful impact locally, globally, and across generations.
Service & Community Impact
Supported food security through the Ridgely Elementary Micro Pantry and the donation of 162 forty-pound cartons of citrus to the Central Illinois Foodbank (images below)
Participated in United Way’s Day of Action and built 24 beds with Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Participated a week-long Springfield Rotary Blood Drive with ImpactLife
Donated school supplies and secured a District Grant for baby layettes
Literacy, Education & Youth
Awarded a literacy grant to provide board books (ages 0–3) through Word Up of Central Illinois
Continued care and restocking of Little Libraries
Supported scholarships, including the John Giavaris and Francis Wenzel Scholarships
Supported Rotary Inbound and Outbound Exchange Students (firs image below)
Celebrated youth through music, education, and leadership development
Celebrated and supported the launch of the Springfield Community Interact Club (second image below)
Global Impact, Peace & Polio
Observed World Polio Day through advocacy, media outreach, and congressional engagement registered with PolioPlus
Strengthened international fellowships
Continued leadership in peace initiatives, including:
The Peace Quilt Exhibit at the Illinois State Museum (see image at beginning of article)
Participation in dedicating Springfield’s first Peace Pole at Rotary Park (image below)
Membership & Fellowship
Welcomed four new members
Launched a New Member Orientation Committee
Hosted monthly socials (image below) and a festive All-Club Holiday Party
Honored Sonthana Thongsithavong as the 2025 Paul Harris Community Award recipient
Announced 2026 meeting schedule enhancements to increase accessibility and engagement
Learning & Civic Engagement
Weekly programs featured:
Rail Relocation Project and Springfield LINC
City planning and economic development
Illinois State Capitol preservation and modernization (see image below)
Nonprofit leadership and community building
Strong club participation at the 2025 Rotary District Conference at the University of Illinois Springfield
Foundation & Financial Strength
Participation in Giving Tuesday
Continued commitment to The Rotary Foundation
Citrus Drive and Flag Service proceeds funding community grants (two images below show flag service project and 2025 community grant recipients)
Community recognition from Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries
Looking Ahead
As we enter 2026, the Rotary Club of Springfield is well positioned with momentum, purpose, and heart. We remain committed to Service Above Self and to uniting for good—wherever there is need.
The January Community Outreach Project was at The Outlet on Friday, January 30. I had the opportunity to tour the building with Mike Phelon ahead of time and see and hear about their ambitious efforts to transform the location into an exceptional place to support youth and their families. I was shown numerous projects that Rotarians could help with including sorting of clothing, stocking closets with clean clothes, reorganizing the kitchen, culling expired foods and organizing the food pantry, and painting of hallways. Michael Phelon told me he would be extremely appreciative of the opportunity to have some of these tasks checked off their list. He offered to also give a tour for anyone interested is seeing the facility and all the extensive work that has been completed so far. It is outstanding!
On Friday, January 30 from 1:00-4:00 p.m. our first volunteer crew, consisting of me, John Loftus, Kay Powell, and Harry Mitchell (image above) worked on organizing two clothes closets in two separate rooms. We sorted garbage bags filled with clean donated clothing for youth and adults. We organized the clothes for youth in the closet in one room and clothes for adults in the closet in the other room. Our work will make it much easier for families to find clothing items needed for youth and adults.
As noted above, there is still plenty of volunteer work we can undertake at the Outlet. We plan to create more Rotary volunteer opportunities to help with improvemenst to their wonderful facilities.
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, such as we did around the holidays for the weeks of December 22, December 29 and will do for March 30. We are testing this concept. Rotarians might have trouble committing to a two-week period around holidays due to their own schedule but perhaps they could commit to a one-week timeframe. Also, typically the demand is higher around 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):
You can sign up to stock the Ridgely Micropantry 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.
Please sign up. There are numerous empty slots. The cold weather allows you stock all sorts of nutritious foods that we can't stock during the summer. Take a look at the kinds of foods that I am stocking in the pantry this winter, including fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as refrigerated items such as chicken, ground turkey, and eggs. These are treats that people don't usually see in the pantry.
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 in December 2024 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.
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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 the empty micropantry before I stocked it in January 2026. This is why you need to sign up! The pantry is almost always empty when we show up to stock it. The need for nutritious food is great in the community surrounding our micropantry. .
Feel free to contact me.
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.
At our January Club Assembly, Youth Services Director Travis Magoulias (image above) spoke about the need for more help with the Rotary Exchange Student Program. Our Club has traditionally agreed to sponsor Inbound and Outbound Foreign Exchange students. These are high school-age students who live with a host family and attend high school in the community where they reside. Most of you know that we are currently sponsoring Eve, an inbound exchange student from Taiwan. Over the past few years we have had an increasing difficult time finding host families for these students. For example, we were unable to find host families for Eve for the 2025-2026 academic year. Fortunately Rotarians Barb and Lee Malany agreed to host her for both semesters. We also need Rotarians who are willing to counsel and spend time with these students. We thank the club members who have spent time with Eve, agreed to give her rides when needed, spoken with her when she comes to our club meetings, and gone to some of her performances in the Springfield Youth Symphony, but we need more help.
If we are going to continue sponsoring inbound exchange students, then we need members who are willing to serve as host families or help recruit host families, and to spend time with these students. Please contact Travis if you are interested in helping with exchange students, think you might want to serve as our Youth Exchange Counselor, want to get more involved in Youth Services, or have thoughts on the future of these programs.
The Rotary Club of Springfield has been an active supporter of The Rotary Foundation for many years. Among our club’s traditions are the Giving Circles. Groups of five members form a Circle, and each member donates $200 to The Rotary Foundation. Each $1000 donation allows one Circle participant to name a Paul Harris Fellow. The Circles rotate who makes the designation. The new Paul Harris Fellows are recognized at our annual Foundation Night held in February.
Who do Circle members recognize? The Paul Harris Fellows might be a spouse, sibling, child, close friend, co-worker, another Rotarian, or a member of our community who the Rotarian respects. It allows each of the Circle members to recognize and thank someone in a very special way. Each person recognized is presented with a Paul Harris Fellow pin, medallion (image to left), and certificate.
Over the past twenty years our Rotary Foundation Circles have raised over $125,000 for The Rotary Foundation. And we have been able to say thank you to over 100 wonderful new Paul Harris Fellows. This year our new Fellows will be recognized at our special Foundation Night meeting on Monday, February 23, 2026.
Registration for Rotary Spring Learned is underway. This annual event held at the Student Union at the University of Illinois Springfield, is designed to equip and inspire current and future Rotary leaders. The session on Friday, March 6 is for President Elects only and offers excellent preparation for that position.
The session on March 7 is for all Rotarians and is free to those who want to attend. Sessions begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude around 3:00 p.m. There will be 20 breakout sessions with topics to cover everyone's interests. Spring Learning provides opportunities to learn, develop relationships with Rotarians beyond our club, and have fun.
Please remember that we are including some noon meetings at Maldaners and 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.
February 2, 2025 No Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs
February 9, 2026, Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Taichi Fukumura (image below) and Trevor Othmann: The Illnois Symphony Orchestra
February 16, 2026, Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, LUNCH: 11:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Larry Golden (image below), Founder of the Illinois Innocence Project: 25 Years Pursuing Justice at the Illinois Innocence Project
February 23, 2026, Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Foundation Night: Paul Harris Fellow Presentations, including the Paul Harris Community Fellow
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 image below show Bonnie Styles stocking the Ridgely School Micropantry from December 8-21. Bonnie's purchases of food were supplement by several donations of food coordinated by the Springfield Micropantry Group, which she belongs to. Each time Bonnie stocked the pantry there was nothing left except for a few cans of green beans and some cans and bags of beans. These experiences demonstrate the serious need for the micropantry in the area surrounding Ridgely School. We also 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, as well as John Loftus who stocked the pantry from December 22 through 31, and Allie Montney for stocking in January 2026. 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. Please also read the article by Allie Montney in this Newsletter on the need for more volunteers to help stock this important pantry.
Our members were also honored to sponsor a table (lead image and image below) and join hundreds of community leaders, civic organizations, and elected officials at the Frontiers International Springfield Club’s 51st Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Breakfast on Martin Luther King Day. This year’s theme, “Have You Stopped Dreaming,” invited meaningful reflection on Dr. King’s enduring vision and our shared responsibility to invest in young people and families. Keynote speaker Erica Harold (image to right), Executive Director of the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, delivered a powerful message rooted in her personal journey, reminding us that Dr. King’s call to love, perseverance, and action remains relevant today.
We were also pleased to have Ashley Dillingham as a guest at our Club Assembly (image to left). Having recently moved to Springfield from Effingham, Ashley, after the Club Assembly, chose to join our Club by transferring her membership from the Effingham Noon Rotary Club. She is an experienced Rotarian having served as a club president and as an Assistant District Governor. We’re excited to welcome her as a member of our Club!
Who do Circle members recognize? The Paul Harris Fellows might be a spouse, sibling, child, close friend, co-worker, another Rotarian, or a member of our community who the Rotarian respects. It allows each of the Circle members to recognize and thank someone in a very special way. Each person recognized is presented with a Paul Harris Fellow pin, medallion (image to left), and certificate. 
