Join us on September 26 to celebrate Tom O'Brien's 50 year membership in the Rotary Club of Springfield. Tom and Dee (image above) met at one of our Rotary Club meetings and are shown here at our 2021 Installation Picnic. See Upcoming Programs and Events below for more details.
This past week on Monday, September 19, the guest speaker at our weekly Rotary gathering was Georgia Winson of the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI). She was introduced by our own Bruce Strom who is the current President of WACCI. Thanks to Christine Banks for sharing the image she took of Georgia and Bruce at our Club meeting (image on left). Georgia updated the Club about recent WACCI presentations, indicating that their September 13 program on the war in Ukraine and Russian-Ukrainian Relations presented by Dr. Robert Goeckel was the first in-person event their organization has conducted since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. WACCI typically offers (for $20) a dinner before the presentation by their distinguished guest speaker, although the presentation itself is open to the public at no charge. More than 100 people from the Springfield community attended their most recent event.
Chicken Dinner Fundraiser
The 2nd Annual Chicken Dinner Fundraiser was held this past weekend, September 17-18, at Casey’s Pub in Springfield and early indications are that the event was a success. All five Springfield Rotary Clubs participated in this joint fundraiser with all profits being donated to Rotary’s Polio Plus initiative. See story below for more information.
September 26 Program and Club Meeting
This Monday, September 26, we will be honoring Tom O’Brien (lead image) on his 50th anniversary as a member of the Rotary Club of Springfield. Tom is a third generation Rotarian, along with his father and grandfather. See Upcoming Programs and Events for more details.
We will also have a 50/50 raffle as well as Brag a Bucks, an opportunity for Club members to update everyone on significant events or achievements involving family, friends or colleagues.
October 3 Program and Citrus Sale Kick-off
Our Monday, October 3 meeting will be the Kick-Off for the Club’s annual Citrus Sales campaign. Also on October 3, our guest speaker will be Springfield Chamber of Commerce President Mike Murphy. See Upcoming Programs and Events for more information.
Our September 26 club meeting will be hybrid with the opportunity to dine in person at Maldaners Upstairs or dine at home by ordering a meal to pick up behind Maldaners. In either case, make a reservation!
All meals include the main course, sides, salad, and dessert. Take out meals are well packaged, and are hand delivered by Maldaner's staff, sometimes by Chef Michael Higgins!
Please make reservations for dining in or take out so we can estimate our food needs and so Maldaners knows you are coming. The deadline for reserving dinner for the September 26 meeting is Monday, September 26 at noon. Meals are $15 each. Please use the following link to make your reservations for the meal for dining in or pickup by clicking:
For curbside takeout, please place your meal tickets or cash in an envelope with your name and “for Sheila Mack” on the outside of the envelope and give it to the Maldaners staff member that gives you your food. They will get the envelopes to Sheila Mack. Curbside pickup is between 4:45 and 5:15 p.m. To pick up food, turn into the alley behind the building and pick up the food at the back door. It's easy to pick up your food an the food is delicious!
September 26 -- Honoring Tom O'Brien for 50 years of Service to Rotary
Tom O'Brien (lead image and image on left) has followed in the footsteps of his Father and Grandfather who have all been long time Rotarians. We'll honor Tom for 50 years this evening and recognize other long term Rotarians in the club while stressing the importance of Rotary membership in our community.
Tom joined our Rotary Club in 1972 and served as Club Secretary, Chair of the Rose Sale Fundraiser for five years, and edited the monthly club newsletter for the 1987-1988 Rotary year. His father was also a 50 year member of our club. His Grandfather in West Virginia introduced him to Rotary. Tom met his spouse Dee at a Rotary Club of Springfield meeting when she worked at St. John’s College. Tom worked on the management teams for the Illinois Commerce Commission and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.
October 3 -- Mike Murphy: What's Happening at the Chamber
Since December 2021, Mike has served as President & CEO of The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the second largest chamber in Illinois with approximately 1,300 members. Mike will update us on issues, initiatives,, and challenges for the Chamber and Springfield businesses.
Mike served as State Representative for the 99th District in the Illinois General Assembly from 2019-2021. He was elected in November of 2018 and re-elected in November of 2020. Mike spent most of his career in the restaurant business working for several different operations. He ended his restaurant career as the owner/operator of Charlie Parker’s Diner. Mike sold Charlie Parker’s to his assistant manager in 2017.
Mike grew up and attended school in Divernon Illinois. After high school, he joined the US Army from 1973-1976 he worked as an Air Traffic Controller. Mike served overseas in The Republic of South Korea from 1975-1976. He attended Eastern Illinois University from 1976-1979, majoring in Political Science.
Mike and Cindy have been married since 1978 and have two children, a son Bobby (wife Christina) and a daughter Megan (husband Jody Crouch). They have six grandchildren who all live in the area.
October 10 -- Social Night
President Randy will have another friendly competition ready for us. Get to know the members of our club better!
October 24 -- Chris Richmond: Moving Pillsbury Forward
Chris Richmond is the Chair of the Moving Pillsbury Forward project. They are attempting to redevelop the Mill site on the north-east side of Springfield. Chris will provide us with a history of the Pillsbury Mill, which at one time was the World's largest producer of flour. He will describe activities underway to begin site redevelopment.
Justin Rose, a member of our club, sent President Randy Erford a note about Dr. Clarice Ford Day at UIS. Most of you know that Clarice was a member of our club, and Randy wanted to share this information with club members in case they would like to participate.
Hello all!
Dr. Ford day is Thursday, September 29, 2022. There are several different opportunities to celebrate this day and give back in honor of Dr. Clarice Ford!
Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of our beloved Dr. Clarice Ford for Dr. Ford Day. Dr. Ford led with love, kindness, compassion, and fairness and prioritized diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice. We have a chance to continue memorializing those virtues in our daily lives, organizations, and campus community. In her honor, we hope you will continue to do Whatever It Takes (W.I.T) to educate, inform, and advocate for those with marginalized identities in all areas and for the next generation to come. Opportunities to volunteer/serve: We will tie ribbons around the UIS campus from 11:30am-3pm. If you are interested, please meet us at the south end of TRAC at 11:30 a.m. to receive instructions, including the event map, ribbon, and scissors.
If you are remote and want to participate in this opportunity, please do so by tying a ribbon to a tree in your local area and posting it to social media using the hashtag #WhateverItTakes #WeAreDrFord. Additionally, we will be holding reading and reverence opportunities where individuals can select a children's book, passage/poem, short story, or even vocalize their own message that exemplifies how you are casting out love and kindness and many other illustrious/esteemed characteristics embodied by Dr. Ford. We know Dr. Ford's love and passion for education, service, stewardship, and her vision to reach back to the next generation of youth through her tireless servant leadership was second to none, and we want to ensure you can celebrate and share just what that means to you.
Finally, this year’s fundraiser was created to celebrate and continue the life and legacies of Dr. Clarice and Atlas Ford. We hope to recognize their legacy of being servant leaders who believed in making lives and communities better for everyone. All proceeds are donated to the ‘Whatever It Takes’ fund. To support the fundraiser or donate, visit: https://go.uis.edu/DrFordDay2022
Hello! This fundraiser was created to celebrate and continue the life and legacies of Dr. Clarice and Atlas Ford. We hope to recognize their legacy of being servant leaders who believed in making lives and communities better for everyone. All proceeds are donated to the ‘Whatever it Takes’ fund.
Justin J. Rose, MPA ‘14
EdD Candidate at UIUC-Education Policy, Organization and Leadership
Director of Diversity & Inclusion University of Illinois Springfield One University Plaza, SLB MS 22A
Posted by Rotary Clubs of Springfield Sunrise and Springfield Westside
Please join us for a PolioPlus fundraiser on Thursday, Oct. 13, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Illini Country Club. This will be a wonderful opportunity to connect and mingle with other Rotarians, their families, and friends. All proceeds will go towards PolioPlus. Please see the invitation pasted below for full details, including ticket prices.
Sincerely, Elizabeth Murer, President, Rotary Club of Springfield - Sunrise & Nicole Pacheco, President, Rotary Club of Springfield - Westside
Thanks to those who bought and sold tickets and volunteered to work at the annual Rotary Chicken Fry Fundraiser on September 17-18! The chicken dinners were delicious and the workers, including Tony Williams (image above) and Christine Banks and Alex Tobias (image on left) were cheerful and helped make the event a success. This year's proceeds will go to PolioPlus to help eradicate polio.
Rotary District Governor Nominee, Mike Martin from District 6490, David Fowler, Foundation President from Rotary Club of Springfield, Il., in partnership with Midwest Mission from Pawnee, Illinois, delivered 28,266 pounds of hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes, on August 16th to Pikeville, Kentucky where it was unloaded by the Pike County Emergency Management Team.
The twenty-four pallets of donated Goop hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes were donated by Ameren Corporation of Illinois/Missouri to the nonprofit, Computer Banc in Springfield, Illinois which facilitated the donation receipt, transportation, and storage for the effort. The Midwest Mission also donated half a semi-trailer of requested buckets, mops, and other needed tools for the rescue effort.
In response to the recent devastating flooding in Eastern Kentucky, the Pikeville Rotary Club, under the leadership of District Rotary Foundation Chair, PDG Rakesh Sachdeva, answered the call to serve. Both Illinois Rotary clubs donated funds to assist in the delivery expenses of the products to Kentucky. Our club donated $500 to cover part of the cost of the Midwest Mission semi-expenses.
Rotary officials, including Pikeville Rotary President Kay Hammond, Karen Roberts-Prater, Shelly Justice Fouts, and Novella Froman pose for a photo (image below) with Pike Emergency Management Director Nee Jackson and former Emergency Management Director Doug Tackett, as well as a volunteer driver from Illinois who brought a truckload of supplies to help Eastern Kentucky flood victims.
Our Ridgely micro pantry (image above) and little library (image on left) have officially made their way back outside the building for the community to use once again! Thanks to Vicki Megginson for the image above of the well-stocked micro pantry after she added nutritious food during her August shift. Please feel free to drop off any food/toiletries/cleaning supplies as you see fit. With school back in session, families need these things now more than ever! As a reminder, here are the Rotarians who signed up for a slot in August and September- August A- Bill Sturm, August B- Vicki Megginson, September A- Christine Banks, September B- Harry Mitchell. I encourage everyone to look at this list of Community Gardens and fill the pantry with local fresh fruits and vegetables whenever you're able- https://www.growspringfield.org/gardendirectory. You can see from the image on left, also provided by Vicki Megginson, the Little Library needs more books.
Ridgely School Supply Drive
We will once again be collecting school supplies for the wonderful teachers and staff at Ridgely Elementary. The school districts have once again received a grant that will cover all basic supplies. Most needed items this year include Wet Ones wipes, dry erase markers, Kleenex (image on right), all size Ziplock bags, and gift cards so the teachers can supplement what they need! Please bring these items with you to our next meeting, or coordinate pick up with Megan at 217-801-6452.
Rotary Service Volunteer Corp
We would like to start an email list that will get sent to members of the community who may not have the time or monetary capability to become Rotarians but would like to help those who need it most, and we need your help collecting names and organizations who may be interested in receiving those emails! We will utilize Sign Up Genius to fill slots, and we encourage all ages to join this unique volunteer opportunity. I am working on getting a flyer together, but in the mean time, please send over any leads you have to Megan at mnorman@familiadental.com.
Professional Clothing Drive at All in One Laundry
Anytime between now and the end of September, please bring your professional clothing in to club meetings to donate to the Springfield Chamber of Commerce's Professional Clothing Drive. Most needed items include blazers, blouses, slacks, button ups, suits, dress shirts, etc. They will be gathering that clothing, pressing and cleaning, and distributing everything to the community on October 12. Look for more information to come on possible volunteer opportunities at this event.
Stacy Kelly Invites us to Walk to End Alzheimers on October 1
I keep meaning to reach out - Rotary has an Alzheimer's/Dementia Action Group, and is a "Gold National Team" across the country for our Walk to End Alzheimer's events. This year, our Walk Manager is allowing any Rotary Club that registers a local team and raises money for a specific Walk have a table during the event. I didn't know if the Club might be interested in having a table. If you are interested, please let me know, and I will connect the Walk Manager with one or all of you. This year's Greater Springfield Walk is on Saturday, October 1 at Erin's Pavilion. Registration is at 8:30, Opening Ceremonies at 9:30 and the Walk begins at 10. The event is typically over by noon.
Here's the portion of our website that describes how the Rotary teams register locally - it also shows all of the current Rotary teams:
We also need volunteers to help the day of the event - set up, during the event, tear down. If you aren't wanting a table, but have members that would still want to help out, here is a link to the Springfield Walk website where volunteers can sign up (scroll down and click "volunteer"):
We are repeating a list of suggestions of foods and other items to stock in the Ridgely Food Pantry. 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.
* At our November 29 club meeting, Ross Hodel reported that he followed this advice and stocked numerous can openers in the Ridgely Pantry. He noted that they were quickly snapped up.
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 Membership Application in a new window. You can also download a 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 illinoisdelta@hotmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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 Flag Service Project hours, Central IL Foodbank hours, chicken fundraiser hours (image below), and any other volunteer hours that you have not reported.
This past week on Monday, September 19, the guest speaker at our weekly Rotary gathering was Georgia Winson of the World Affairs Council of Central Illinois (WACCI). She was introduced by our own Bruce Strom who is the current President of WACCI. Thanks to Christine Banks for sharing the image she took of Georgia and Bruce at our Club meeting (image on left). Georgia updated the Club about recent WACCI presentations, indicating that their September 13 program on the war in Ukraine and Russian-Ukrainian Relations presented by Dr. Robert Goeckel was the first in-person event their organization has conducted since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic. WACCI typically offers (for $20) a dinner before the presentation by their distinguished guest speaker, although the presentation itself is open to the public at no charge. More than 100 people from the Springfield community attended their most recent event. 
For curbside takeout, please place your meal tickets or cash in an envelope with your name and “for Sheila Mack” on the outside of the envelope and give it to the Maldaners staff member that gives you your food. They will get the envelopes to Sheila Mack. Curbside pickup is between 4:45 and 5:15 p.m. To pick up food, turn into the alley behind the building and pick up the food at the back door. It's easy to pick up your food an the food is delicious!
Since December 2021, Mike has served as President & CEO of The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, the second largest chamber in Illinois with approximately 1,300 members. Mike will update us on issues, initiatives,, and challenges for the Chamber and Springfield businesses.
Thanks to those who bought and sold tickets and volunteered to work at the annual Rotary Chicken Fry Fundraiser on September 17-18! The chicken dinners were delicious and the workers, including Tony Williams (image above) and Christine Banks and Alex Tobias (image on left) were cheerful and helped make the event a success. This year's proceeds will go to PolioPlus to help eradicate polio.
Rotary District Governor Nominee, Mike Martin from District 6490, David Fowler, Foundation President from Rotary Club of Springfield, Il., in partnership with Midwest Mission from Pawnee, Illinois, delivered 28,266 pounds of hand sanitizer and sanitizer wipes, on August 16th to Pikeville, Kentucky where it was unloaded by the Pike County Emergency Management Team.
Our Ridgely micro pantry (image above) and little library (image on left) have officially made their way back outside the building for the community to use once again! Thanks to Vicki Megginson for the image above of the well-stocked micro pantry after she added nutritious food during her August shift. Please feel free to drop off any food/toiletries/cleaning supplies as you see fit. With school back in session, families need these things now more than ever! As a reminder, here are the Rotarians who signed up for a slot in August and September- August A- Bill Sturm, August B- Vicki Megginson, September A- Christine Banks, September B- Harry Mitchell. I encourage everyone to look at this list of Community Gardens and fill the pantry with local fresh fruits and vegetables whenever you're able- 
We will once again be collecting school supplies for the wonderful teachers and staff at Ridgely Elementary. The school districts have once again received a grant that will cover all basic supplies. Most needed items this year include Wet Ones wipes, dry erase markers, Kleenex (image on right), all size Ziplock bags, and gift cards so the teachers can supplement what they need! Please bring these items with you to our next meeting, or coordinate pick up with Megan at 217-801-6452.
Anytime between now and the end of September, please bring your professional clothing in to club meetings to donate to the Springfield Chamber of Commerce's Professional Clothing Drive. Most needed items include blazers, blouses, slacks, button ups, suits, dress shirts, etc. They will be gathering that clothing, pressing and cleaning, and distributing everything to the community on October 12. Look for more information to come on possible volunteer opportunities at this event. 
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