Please join us on August 19 to hear Robbin Nickleson (lead image) speak about the value of planting native plants in your gardens and yards. For more information see Upcoming Programs and Events.
August 19 Club Meeting will feature Robbin Nickelson
I hope you will join us at our August 19 Club meeting. Robbin Nickelson, an independent garden center broker, will speak about the benefits of planting native plants in landscapes, gardens, and yards. For more information on Robbin and her work with garden centers, local businesses and more, check out her bio in the Upcoming Programs and Events section in this Newsletter.
August 12 Club Meeting Featured Jennifer Butcher
We thoroughly enjoyed the August 12 presentation by Jennifer Butcher, the Principal of Ridgely Elementary School. She spoke about numerous improvements in student performance at the school in the years following the Covid Pandemic and the benefits that community partnerships bring to the school, including the grants, the MicroPanty, and the Little Library provided by our Club. We have fostered a great relationship over the years with Ridgely, which is our adopted school, and it's clear that this relationship will continued under Jennifer's leadership. I was honored to present her with a Rotary mug. For more information on her program, see the article by John Webb in this Newsletter.
John Webb to Serve as President-Elect
At our July 22, club meeting, I announced that John Webb has agreed to serve as President-Elect. Please join me in thanking John for agreeing to take on this leadership role. He will continue to also serve as our excellent Club Services Director.
2024 District Club Grant Proposal Submitted!
As I reported at our August 12 club and board meetings, James Applegate, Chair of our Peace Builder Committee, prepared our Club's District Club Grant Proposal, and it has been submitted by our Club. If funded, the project will help with the Social Justice Quilt Academy project with the Outlet by providing support for hosting social events and listening sessions in conjunction with the quilt exhibition. We will also provide match for the project.
Rotary District Conference and Foundation Dinner on October 12
The Rotary District 6460 Conference will be held at UIS Student Union on Saturday, October 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will be followed by the Rotary Foundation Dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. The theme of this years District Conference is The Magic of Friendship. Don't miss this opportunity to hear some great speakers, learn about excellent projects and programs, celebrate the successes of Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary Clubs, and make some great new friends. Please register for these events on the District Website. The registration fee for the District Conference is $50 including lunch, and the registration fee for the Foundation Dinner is $80 including the dinner.
Club Holiday Party will be held on December 17!
It official! Our annual Holiday Party has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 17. We will hold our event at the Christ the King Parrish Hall in Springfield. A delicious meal will again be provided by Chef Randy Williams. The Williamsville Madrigals will provide our musical entertainment. Mark your calendar now, and don't miss this wonderful chance to celebrate the holidays. Stay tuned for more details.
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 Jesse at Maldaner's access to the view, so it will help him 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).
Ridgely Elementary School is our Club's adopted school, and, over the years, we have cultivated a strong, working relationship with the school. Our Club built and installed its MicroPantry and Little Library with support from Rotary District Grants. We have also supported numerous projects at Ridgely with District Club and Literacy grants that we secured.
We enjoyed learning more about developments at the school on Monday, August 12 when Jennifer Butcher, Principal of Ridgely Elementary School, spoke to us.
Principal Butcher thanked us for our continued support of their programs through our grants and our volunteer efforts to keep its MicroPantry and Little Library stocked.
She also informed us that its student body continues to experience academic success and personal growth. She attributed this progress to Ridgely’s dedicated teaching staff, engaged parents, and growing number community partnerships.
Ridgely student performance progressed despite the continued need to overcome learning consequences that materialized during the COVID pandemic and attendance struggles due to homelessness.
Our Club enjoyed learning the following from Principal Butcher:
Rotary’s grants, the MicroPantry, and the Little Library have helped the school address basic food needs of its students and supplement its literacy efforts, respectively.
Ridgely moved from a Targeted to a Commendable Designation (notable difference is there are no underperforming student groups).
One of Ridgely’s targeted school groups demonstrated growth on the math portion of the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR).
Chronic Absenteeism at Ridgely dropped significantly between 2021-2022 and 2023-2024.
Focusing on climate/culture in the school led to significant improvements in student life skills and competencies and notable decreases in office discipline referrals (ODRs).
Harry Mitchell, Membership Chair, with assistance of President Megan Reynolds, officially inducted Connie Locher-Bussard into membership in the Rotary Club of Springfield at our August 12, 2024 club meeting (image on left). Connie has regularly been attending our meetings. Harry reviewed the responsibilities for Rotary members, and Megan presented Connie with her membership badge and pin. She received a hearty round of applause from club members.
Connie was invited to tell members a bit about herself (image below). She noted that she is from Dubuque, Iowa. She has a long interest in nutrition. After pursuing a dietetic Internship at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, she returned to Dubuque and went to Clarke University, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services. She also met her husband there. She currently lives in Springfield. She is a freelance, registered dietician and has worked for 90 clients. At 92, she still has two clients! She had everyone laughing about the birth of her first child, but that's another story. We are delighted to have this energetic woman in our club and look forward to spending time with her.
The Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois again recognized a Paul Harris Fellow at our Monday, August 12 meeting at Maldaners Upstairs. The presentation was moderated by Harry Mitchell, who has long-term experience serving as our Club's Rotary International Foundation Chair.
A Paul Harris Fellow is a person who has been recognized as having done something significant for others and through donations to the Rotary International Foundation by them or in their name. Paul Harris was the founder and organizer of the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905. He is also the founder of the Rotary idea and the first president of Rotary International. Paul Harris died in 1947.
Harry and the club offered congratulations to Naomi Lynn, for receiving a Paul Harris plus 4 pin. Naomi was presented with the pin for achieving enhanced levels of giving to the Rotary International Foundation as a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois President Megan Reynolds (mage below).
Paul Harris Fellows are recognized in increments of $1,000 donations. A new Paul Harris Fellow receives a certificate, a medallion, and a Paul Harris Pin.
Thereafter, Paul Harris Fellows are recognized in increments of $1,000 donations. Reaching subsequent levels of giving results in recognition with a pin that adds blue sapphires up to 5 ($6,000) and then pins with up to 3 rubies. When a donor reaches $10,000, they become a major donor with a new recognition process.
Special thanks are due to Harry Mitchell and to Vicki Megginson for living up to our long-standing club tradition of losing in the 50-50 Drawing. Vicki had two opportunities to draw the winning card, and failed both times so we are especially grateful to her. The proceeds from the drawing help support scholarships to UIS and Lincoln Land Community College students.
At her presentation on August 12, Ridgely Elementary School Principal Jennifer Butcher noted that she would love for our Rotary Club to again provide school supplies for Ridgely School. During and immediately following the pandemic, the school had supplemental funding from the District for school supplies, but those monies are no longer available. You can download the Ridgely School Supplies List for 2023-2024 by clicking the link, and you can also download it from the Website Home Page (download files section). Because school has already started, students already have backpacks so there is no need to purchase backpacks.
As mentioned at our July 22, club meeting, the United Way Fall Day of Action is actively recruiting teams and projects, and I would love for you to join my team! The image above shows our team for the Spring Day of Action!
Projects will take place on Friday, October 4th from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., and registration closes on September 6th.
My email is mreynolds@uwcil.org, but you can also leave that field blank, and I'll know you're on my team. If you volunteered at the Spring Day of Action, please notate that you already have a shirt in the form.
Can't wait to volunteer with you and make a difference in our community!
Marty Michelson and others Flag Service Committee members reported that the Golden Corral Buffet Restaurant in Springfield made special arrangements to display 30 flags. Club members installed these flags (image above and on left), and they were not removed following the fourth of July holiday. They make a beautiful display around the building and numerous diners have commented positively on the flags. This set of flags will be left in place through Veterans Day. Thanks to Barry Tobias for providing these images.
Other crews retrieved flags for our regular customers after the Fourth of July Holiday. Flags installation for the Labor Day holiday (September 2) will begin starting on August 26 and flags must be installed by dusk on August 30. Flags will removed following the commemoration of Patriots Day (September 11). See Roger Randolph's article below and his August 15 email for more information. Thanks to Ken Gilmore and Megan Styles for these images.
We are preparing for our final installation and removal of flags for 2024. I sent out an email to all participants on August 15 with the routes for installation and retrieval. Please be certain that you carefully review this email. Deployment of flags and lights for the Labor Day holiday should not begin before August 26 and you should complete installing the flags by dusk on Friday, August 30. These flags will remains in place through the September 11 for Patriots Day. Then they will be picked up and stored in the warehouse. Additional instructions will follow later.
Please remember that we are including some social night meetings at locations other than Maldaners. Please pay attention to the meeting schedule listed 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. I am in the process of scheduling speakers now and will provide more details as soon as they are available.
August 19, 2024 Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Robbin Nickelson, Independent Garden Center Broker: Think Natives. Be part of the Solution!
Robbin Nickelson has spent the last 40 years in the garden center, greenhouse, and commercial agriculture industry. She went through LLCC’s horticulture and agriculture programs and over the years, managed Good Life Nursery, Schlosser’s Country Gardens and was office manager for H.M. Buckley and Sons wholesale greenhouse, for several years. In 2000, she opened The Garden Path, in Salisbury and after 6 years, closed and worked as assistant manager for Apple Creek Sod and Landscaping.
During these garden center days, she introduced the city to “Flower’scaping” and Theme gardening. She designed and installed flower beds for multiple golf courses, including The Rail, Piper Glen and Panther Creek, and also many businesses and homeowners who wanted to color-scape.
During the last 16 years, she worked for Stone Seed Group/Monsanto Company that was bought out by Bayer Corporation. When hired at Stone Seed, she managed the field, lawn and garden small seed program. After several role changes and role eliminations, she left Bayer Crop Science in July of 2024 and is launching a new business called, Happy Trails Garden & Design.
She is an Independent Garden Center Retail Broker representing 3 B Natives Plant Nursery from Pleasant Plains, IL. 3 B Natives Plant Nursery has been in business over 30 years and is expanding beyond their large customers in Minnesota, St. Louis, and Chicago, to serve garden centers in Illinois. Her job is to get 3 B Native plants and seed in every independent garden center throughout Illinois.
She also offers small-scale “native’scaping” to help landowners incorporate native plants in their existing landscapes. To encourage independent garden center sales, they buy local campaigns, and to help stimulate small business, she provides lectures and programs to community organizations teaching the benefits of planting native plants and seeds grown in our Illinois region by 3 B Natives Plant Nursery at your local garden center.
August 26, 2024 Off-site Rotary Club Social Night, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location to be determined.
Monday, September 2, 2024 No Club Meeting at Maldaners
Labor Day Holiday
Monday, September 9, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Jerry Daniels, Kiwanis Club President: Kiwanis Club Service Projects and Youth Programs
Monday, September 16, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Maggie Owens, State Treasurers Office: Financial Literacy Resources for Teens and Adults
Monday, September 23, 2024 Off-site Rotary Club Social Night, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location to be determined.
September 30, 2024 Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Mike Armstrong, Central Illinois Citizens Climate Lobby: Climate Change and Cultivating Climate Solutions
October 7, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
October 14, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
October 21, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
October 28, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
November 4, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
November 11, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
November 18, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
November 25, 2024 Off-Site Rotary Club Social Night, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location to be determined.
December 2, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
December 9, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
December 16, 2024 No Rotary Club Meeting
December 17, 2024 Rotary Club Annual Holiday Party
Little Libraries are free book exchanges that aim to expand book access within our communities. The prevailing concept of “take a book, share a book” reigns.
Our Club supports this literacy initiative and has helped build up the Little Library system in our community. We continue to help Little Libraries at six locations remain stocked with books. The locations are as follows:
1. St. John’s Breadline, 430 North 5th Street;
2. Springfield Firehouse No. 5/“The First Black Firehouse,” 1310 East Adams Street (shown in the image above);
3. Ridgely Elementary School, 2040 North 8th Street;
4. Enos Elementary School, 524 West Elliott Avenue;
5. iMagicNation site, 16th and Spruce, NorthEast corner; and,
6. The Outlet, 3306 South 6th Street.
On Tuesday June 4, Allie Montney and I visited these Little Libraries and added additional books to their existing stock (image on left and below). If you are interested in helping stock books, please contact Allie Montney at onedirtymartini@gmail.com.
Here's your chance to be a pantry superhero! Join John Webb and I in stocking the Ridgely Elementary School micro pantry for two weeks. Your commitment will ensure that families and children have access to essential items when they need them most. Whether it's a can of soup, a box of cereal, or toiletries, your contribution will brighten someone's day. Reach out to Allie Montney at onedirtymartini@gmail.com or call 217-494-6901 to become a beacon of hope for those in need. Every item you place on those shelves is a small gesture that collectively makes a huge impact!
Thank you for signing up for a micro pantry volunteer shift. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by the community we serve. 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.
Time Commitment: Two consecutive weeks (1-2 restocking visits per week), The image below shows a fully stocked pantry.
The image below shows me stocking an empty micropantry on June 4. We will hopefully be developing a new schedule to cover summer. Let me know if you are interested in taking a shift.
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.
We thank all the volunteers who gave and are giving generously of their time on service projects this Rotary Year. Work on our ongoing service projects continues, and we thank all who have stepped up to help coordinate these activities.
October 4 United Way Fall Day of Action
Please sign up to volunteer for this event. President Megan Reynolds is putting together a Rotary Club Team. See Megan's Story Above for details on how to register and participate.
Stocking our Little Libraries
Allison Montney (onedirtymartini@gmail.com) and John Webb (jwebb.dr@gmail.com) have joined forces to take on the important task of coordinating the stocking of our Little Libraries. We previously built a series of Little Libraries with a support from a District Club Grant and secured a large number of books that were donated by a group in St. Louis. The books are stored in the Computer Banc warehouse. They have requested that club members bring in books to supplement the donated books stored in the Computer Banc warehouse. Contact them if you would like to donate books and/or stock Little Libraries.
The image of the Little Library at Ridgely School (to the left) clearly shows that this little library needed to be regularly stocked. Thanks to Allison and John for coordinating this project and ensuring that it is well stocked. Let them know if you would like to help.
We also need to help keep our newest Little Library at the old Firehouse well stocked with books (image below)! We thank Kathryn Harris for her work and promotion for this Little Library, which is right across the street from her home! If you would like to help stock this little library and any of the others we have installed in Springfield, please contact Allison and John.
Stocking of the Ridgely School Micropantry
We previously installed a Micropantry at Ridgely Elementary School (our adopted school) with support from a District Grant. At our October 23, 2023 meeting, Allison Montney volunteered to coordinate the stocking of this micropantry with food, cleaning, and toiletry items. She maintains a schedule of volunteers to stock the pantry for a two week period, and John Webb has also volunteered to help with this project. If you would like to volunteer to stock this important and regularly used pantry, please let Allison know (onedirtymartini@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Flag Service
Please consider volunteering for the Flag Service project in 2024. We have one more installation this year before Labor Day (September 2) with take down and storage of the flags in the ware house following Patriots Day (September 11). This year's activities are summarized below.
Flag Installation for the 2024 Memorial Day Holiday
Flags were installed for the Memorial Day Holiday (May 27, 2024) starting on May 20 and were completed by May 24.
Flag Removal, Storage, and Final Deployment
Flags were removed following the July 4 Holiday (starting on July 8) and are being stored in the warehouse until our final deployment in late August before Labor Day (September 2) and will remain in place until after Patriots Day (September 11). Then the flags will be removed and stored in the warehouse for the winter.
Please contact John Loftus (jlloftus@aol.com) if you would like to help with any aspect of our Flag Service project. It's rewarding and raises lots of money for our community grants program!
Citrus Campaign
As noted by our Warehouse Czar Bill Smith, the 2023 campaign was successful and raised monies for our community grants program. We thank all the Rotarians who ordered and sold citrus, and all those who worked on the planning of the campaign and in the warehouse.
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. Travis Magoulias has added the 2023-2024 Rotary Year to the form. You will be able to enter your hours now 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 shows Barry Tobias installing the conduit for a flag in May for a new customer for the 2024 Rotary Flag Service Project.
The images on the left and below show John Webb volunteering at the Animal Protective League's Donuts and Dogs Fundraiser. Service has its rewards, sometimes including a donut.
We thoroughly enjoyed the August 12 presentation by Jennifer Butcher, the Principal of Ridgely Elementary School. She spoke about numerous improvements in student performance at the school in the years following the Covid Pandemic and the benefits that community partnerships bring to the school, including the grants, the MicroPanty, and the Little Library provided by our Club. We have fostered a great relationship over the years with Ridgely, which is our adopted school, and it's clear that this relationship will continued under Jennifer's leadership. I was honored to present her with a Rotary mug. For more information on her program, see the article by John Webb in this Newsletter. 
The Rotary District 6460 Conference will be held at UIS Student Union on Saturday, October 12 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It will be followed by the Rotary Foundation Dinner from 5:00 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. The theme of this years District Conference is The Magic of Friendship. Don't miss this opportunity to hear some great speakers, learn about excellent projects and programs, celebrate the successes of Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary Clubs, and make some great new friends. Please register for these events on the District Website. The registration fee for the District Conference is $50 including lunch, and the registration fee for the Foundation Dinner is $80 including the dinner.
Ridgely Elementary School is our Club's adopted school, and, over the years, we have cultivated a strong, working relationship with the school. Our Club built and installed its MicroPantry and Little Library with support from Rotary District Grants. We have also supported numerous projects at Ridgely with District Club and Literacy grants that we secured.
Harry Mitchell, Membership Chair, with assistance of President Megan Reynolds, officially inducted Connie Locher-Bussard into membership in the Rotary Club of Springfield at our August 12, 2024 club meeting (image on left). Connie has regularly been attending our meetings. Harry reviewed the responsibilities for Rotary members, and Megan presented Connie with her membership badge and pin. She received a hearty round of applause from club members.
Marty Michelson and others Flag Service Committee members reported that the Golden Corral Buffet Restaurant in Springfield made special arrangements to display 30 flags. Club members installed these flags (image above and on left), and they were not removed following the fourth of July holiday. They make a beautiful display around the building and numerous diners have commented positively on the flags. This set of flags will be left in place through Veterans Day. Thanks to Barry Tobias for providing these images.
On Tuesday June 4, Allie Montney and I visited these Little Libraries and added additional books to their existing stock (image on left and below). If you are interested in helping stock books, please contact Allie Montney at 
The images on the left and below show John Webb volunteering at the Animal Protective League's Donuts and Dogs Fundraiser. Service has its rewards, sometimes including a donut.
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