At our June 30, installation picnic, President Travis Magoulias passed the ceremonial gavel and a President's Pin to our incoming 2025-2026 President John Webb. We didn't meet on July 7 so members could celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend with family. On July 14, we had a special toast and a membership assembly. Our July 21 meeting was jampacked with parting celebrations for our exchange students and a powerful presentation on Safe Families for Children by Erin Shue. On July 28, we had an off-site social night at the Golden Corral restaurant and presented a plaque to the owner for his participation in our flag service project. We will not meet on August 4, but will convene at Maldaners Upstairs for a membership assembly on August 11. Read about these activities and many more in this Newsletter.
We wrapped up another successful Rotary year on June 30 with a festive indoor installation picnic at the Stone Creek Club House (lead image and images below).
With classic summer bites from Maldaners—burgers, brats, and more—we celebrated the outstanding leadership of President Travis Magoulias and his team. Thanks to their dedication, our Club raised and reinvested over $43,000 into local projects, scholarships, and grants this year! Travis presented Certificates of Excellence to all of members of his Board. We all congratulated Travis (image below) for stepping up to the Presidential plate for a second time.
District Governor Dan O'Brien, Assistant Governor Mark Hilliard, and Club President Travis Magoulias (for a few more minutes) helped with my installation as incoming Club President.
They also assisted with the installation of other officers: Ken Gilmore as President-Elect and Community Services Director (unable to attend), James Theis (Treasurer), and Marty Michelson (Secretary) (image to left). They also installed the other Board Members, including Randy Erford (Club Services Director), Harry Mitchell (Member Services Director), Travis Magoulias (Youth Services Director and Past President), Bob Stuart (International Services Director), and Bonnie Styles, Allison Montney, Loretta Meeks, and Barry Tobias (Directors at Large).
I am thankful for the warm welcome I received as our new Club President. With backing of this talented team of officers and Directors, I pledge to strengthen our outreach, boost community engagement, and continue making Rotary more inclusive and impactful.
As we look ahead to the 2025–2026 year under the banner Unite for Good, we’re energized and optimistic. If you know someone looking to make a meaningful difference, we’d love to have them join us!
June 28 Installation of new District Governor Bill Knake
Rod and Rosemary Buffington and Bonnie Styles attended this installation ceremony in Vic's Place and the Peacock Lounge in Havana. They described the event as a joyous celebration of Rotary with Past District Governors Dan O'Brien, Bill Kinerium, and Bill Knake's son and daughter, who are both Rotarians, participating in the ceremony. Thanks to Bonnie for taking these images.
July 14 Club Meeting Featured a Toast and a Membership Assembly
At our July 14 meeting, our very own Bob Stuart, led us in a toast that was as spirited as it was symbolic — using a vibrant purple Canadian gin to raise a glass to international service and Rotary’s global impact. Bob reminded us that whether you’re toasting in Springfield, at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, or halfway around the world, our shared commitment to Service Above Self connects us all.
Here’s to strong partnerships, bold flavors, and a better world. During this same meeting, Bill Smith talked about his experiences at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary, which he attended with his wife Sharon.
During the same evening, Membership Chair Harry Mitchell spoke about a new model for a Rotary club that is based more on doing service than having formal club meetings (image below).
July 21 Club Meeting Featured our Exchange Students and Safe Families for Children
This amazing meeting celebrated our Rotary Exchange students as well as included a featured speaker. For details on this meeting, see the separate story in this Newsletter.
July 28 Social Night at the Golden Corral
Our Rotary crew had a fantastic evening out at the Golden Corral! We shared a great meal, enjoyed warm conversation, and spent time with some of the best people around.
A special highlight of the night was recognizing Chris Hruby, owner of the Golden Corral, for generously sponsoring our Rotary Flag Service Project.
We also sang Happy Anniversary to Tom and Dee O’Brien for their 30th wedding anniversary.
Good food, great sponsors, wonderful friends, and a whole lot of Rotary spirit—what more could you ask for?
Don't go to Maldaners Upstairs on August 4 because we are not having a meeting on that night.
August 11 Club Assembly
Please join us in Maldaner's Upstairs on August 11 for a Club Assembly on Membership! Vicki Megginson will provide an update on the work of the New Member Orientation Committee.
August 9 Rotary Family Day at the Ball Park
I hope you will be joining us for our annual Rotary Family Day at the Ball Park on August 9. We are heading to Busch Stadium in St. Louis to watch the Cubs and Cards battle it out in the 6:15 p.m. in game. If you are taking the bus arranged by Rod Buffington, details for the bus are provided below. Dave Fowler is providng a bus for youth from Springfield. Please contact him directly if you are riding on that bus. Proceeds from the ticket sales for this game support the District's Literacy grant program. I hope to see you there.
Peace Quilt on Display at the Illinois Museum
The quilt with squares designed and created by Springfield youth is featured in the Juneteenth Noir V: Resilience exhibition at the Illinois State Museum from June 13 through September 2. Our Club's Peace Committee supported the creation of this quilt with funding from a Healing Racism in Illinois grant through a partnership with The Outlet and the Social Justice Sewing Academy. Twenty youth and their family members participated in this project, which was held at The Outlet. See story below for more information.
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).
FISCAL YEAR 2025-26 CHANGES TO QUARTERLY DUES and MEALS BILLED EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2025
At the July 14, 2025 Board meeting, the Board reviewed and approved the proposed Annual Budget and the suggested changes to the quarterly dues and meal billing structure for the fiscal year July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026 as follows:
Reduce the quarterly dues charge from $130.00 per quarter or $520.00 per year in fiscal year 2024-25 to $90.00 per quarter for the fiscal year 2025-26 or $360.00 per year. This change is primarily due to discontinuing the use of prior year’s meal tickets for meals served at Maldaner’s as of June 30, 2025.
As a point of refence, dues were last increased from $60.00 per quarter to $90.00 per quarter effective April 1, 2015, when membership was at seventy (70) active memberships. The current active membership on July 1, 2025 is thirty-five (35) with average meeting attendance approximating sixty-five (65.0%) for the fiscal year 2024-25 just ended.
Increase the quarterly meal charge from three (3) meals at $45.00 per quarter or $180.00 per year to four (4) meals at $60.00 per quarter or $240.00 per year. The four (4) billed meals will be recorded per quarter and the usage of these meals will be tracked using the weekly attendance roster and must be used during the quarter in which the meals are billed, or you can simply pay with cash or check for the meal at the meeting if the quarterly meals billed have been used.
Bet you thought you were done with the flag program until the September pick up, well you are wrong. Some calls have been coming from customers stating their flag is either torn, frayed or the pole is bent; funny no one has called saying how good their flag still looks. We are requesting the deployment teams drive their route and replace any flags which are torn, frayed or have a seriously bent pole. Also replace any lights which have been damaged, the lights seem to attract mowers. Our supplies are currently low and we ask that you only take five flags and one or two lights per route. When more than five flags or two lights require replacement we ask that you contact Bill Sturm at sturmdmd@hotmail.com and copy me on the email at rrandolph@cfotoday.com Bill will order the proper number of materials to be used for replacement. In your email to Bill please submit a listing of the customers needing a replacement including their account number, name and address plus the item needing replacement. I have attached a form which can be used to list those customers needing replacement items. Working as a team, independently or splitting the route with your partner is your choice. We would like to have all inspections completed by Friday August 7. Please contact me if you need me to send you your route sheet.
We thank you for your participation in this important project.
Bus Pick-up and Drop Off for August 9 Cubs-Cards Game in St. Louis
Here is the time schedule and location for riding the baseball bus to St. Louis. You must have purchased or arranged to purchase a ticket to ride on the bus. Please remember that no alcoholic beverages are allowed on the bus.
Location for bus taking you to and from St. Louis:
United Methodist Conference Center (also called the Illinois Great Rivers Conference Center) parking lot, 5900 South Second Street, Springfield, IL 62703
This location is south of Southwind Park on 2nd Street (North of Toronto Road).
Bus Parking and Departure Times:
1:45 P.M. Bus arrives in parking lot.
2:15 P.M. Bus departs from parking lot for trip to St. Louis
The maximum amount of time the bus will wait for a late passenger is 5 minutes. If you miss the bus you are on you own.
Catching the bus after the game for the ride back to Springfield:
When you arrive at Busch Stadium for the game, instructions will be given on the bus on where to board the bus after the game. After the game ends, proceed directly to the designated location. The bus will return to the United Methodist Conference Center parking lot in Springfield.
The start of the new school year is fast approaching! This brings the excitement of the children entering a new grade level and the anticipation of a new experience but also the anxiety of not being able to start school equipped with the necessary school supplies.
The Downtown Rotary has been an uplifting force to support students and families with a back to school supply drive for many years. The list of supplies for each grade level is provided in this printable link or can be downloaded from the Website Home Page. Please consider collecting supplies and bring them to the August 11, 2025 meeting for a group collection. We will deliver the supplies to the school that week. Over the past few years the school district was able to purchase supply kits using federal dollars due to the pandemic. This reduced the financial pressure on families. This year, no funding for supplies is provided resulting in Rotarian generosity being a true help to those in need. The first day of school is August 18 and back to school bargains are already showing up in the stores! This would also be an opportunity to invite other folks such as family members or friends to contribute so we can add their donations to the total.
July 21 was a special day for our Club as we celebrated our Rotary Youth Exchange students! Travis Magoulias, our Club's Youth Services Officer, had special cookies baked for the celebration of the Youth Exchange Students (image to right).
We bid a heartfelt farewell to Kyosuke (Kyo) Kawaski from Japan, who shared reflections on his incredible year in the U.S. before heading home later this month. Our Club also cheered on Elise Preston as she prepares to begin her own adventure in Denmark this August!
Thank you to Beth Allen, District 6460 Youth Exchange Vice Chair, for joining 300in this tribute — and to Elise’s mother, Sarah Given (first image below), and the Delcomyn family (2nd image below) for being part of the celebration. The Delcomyns were Kyo’s wonderful host family earlier this year, and we’re so grateful for their support.
Rotary Youth Exchange truly builds peace through friendship and understanding.
At our July 21st meeting, our Club was also honored to welcome Erin Shue, Chapter Director for Safe Families for Children Springfield/ Decatur. Erin gave us an insightful presentation on how Safe Families provides vital, short-term support for parents facing crisis situations — all in a way that helps keep families intact and children safe.
Erin shared how Circles of Support — small networks ideally formed of individuals within the same church — offer hospitality, compassion, and generosity to families.
The Circles of Support include the church partners, other community partners, financial partners, and the organization's leadership council.
Additional circles include host families for children; family friends who enourage and mentor parents and help with the children; family coaches who work with parents to set and acieve goals and find resources, as well as routinely visit the children with the host families; and resource friends who provide meals and other resources to the familes, family firends, and the host families. All of these individuals work together to lift up parents and host families and to provide care to children in times of need.
Safe Families steps in during moments of crisis: job loss, housing instability, domestic violence, medical emergencies, and more — providing dignified, community-based care at a fraction of the cost of foster care. Safe Families helps keep children out of the foster care system. I was honored to present Erin with a Rotary Mug in gratitude for her presentation.
As Rotary International observes Maternal and Child Health Month, Erin’s message underscores how collaborative, community-based models can transform outcomes for families right here in Springfield and around the world.
Compass for Kids invited our Rotary Club to participate in an informal open house at Ridgely School on Wednesday, July 16 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. for a close-up look at Camp Compass in action. Compass is the summer school offering combining academic support in the morning and enrichment activities in the afternoon for targeted children in the District 186 community. Compass is making a difference in our community.
Bonnie Styles and I took advantage of this opportunity to see Camp Compass in action at our adopted school. We were impressed by the creative engagement of youth in all the sessions that we observed. We also saw how food was bagged to send home with campers each weekend and were proud that one of our community grants was awarded to Compass for Kids to support the purchase of food for this purpose.
July was Maternal and Child Health Month for Rotary International, and our Club is putting a spotlight on a year-round project that’s making a real difference — the Ridgely Elementary School Micro Pantry.
We asked club members to bring in food for the Ridgely Micropantry to our July 14 Club meeting. Ken Gilmore and Allison Montney collected a wagon overflowing with food donations from members to help stock the pantry. Their effort is a reminder of what just one Rotary meeting — and two committed members — can do to support families facing food insecurity. Thanks to all our members who brought in food for this drive and help stock the micropantry throughout the year.
Let’s keep the momentum going and continue supporting this critical community resource.
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 two week timeframe that works best for you or you and a friend. What a great way to make a difference. Thank you!
The Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Teresa Mattsson, a retired teacher with over 30 years of service in the Springfield area, and her daughter Kayla Adomako for their incredibly generous donation to our Little Library program!
Kayla reached out after discovering our club’s literacy work online, looking for a way to get her mother’s large collection of school books into the hands of children rather than into a landfill. This past Saturday, they filled both the bed of a truck and an SUV with books — a donation that will make a meaningful impact across our community.
Already, some of those books have found new homes. One special moment occurred during a drop-off at the little library at the St. John’s Breadline when a woman asked if there were any Christian books. Among the donations was 365 Days of Prayers for Women — her smile said it all.
Our Club is proud to support the Little Libraries we help maintain at:
• St. John’s Breadline (430 N. 5th Street)
• Springfield Firehouse No. 5 “The First Black Firehouse” (1310 E. Adams Street)
• Ridgely Elementary School (2040 N. 8th Street)
Thanks to donors like Teresa and Kayla, these books continue to open big doors for readers of all ages.
On the evening of June 29, the Springfield Community Interact Club hosted their Summer Soiree at The Village Tea Room. It was a wonderful blending of Rotary youth, service, and connection!
12 students attended the Summer Soiree. They were from Springfield High School (SHS), Springfield Southeast High School (SSHS), Chatham Glenwood High School (GHS), Rochester High School (RHS), and Pleasant Plains High School (PPHS). Thanks to Jim Applegate for representing our Club at the meeting.
Interact students enjoyed a fun evening of pizza, drinks, and meaningful conversations. They shared their experiences with Rotary exchange programs and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) and had the chance to get to know each other better as a group.
Springfield Area Rotary Clubs were represented at the event and had the opportunity to share more about our clubs’ missions, projects, and values. The Four-Way Test was introduced to new participants as a guiding principle for Rotarians everywhere.
The group also brainstormed ideas for how the Interact Club can engage with our local Rotary Clubs going forward. These ideas will be prioritized in future meetings, and we’re excited to see what comes next!
A big thank you to the students, Rotary representatives, and supporters who made this event such a success!
The June 25 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes baseball game at Robin Roberts Stadium featured Rotary Night. This theme night was secured by the Springfield Sunrise Rotary Club. It was an all club event. The Rotary Wheel was present along with a promotional table staffed by several Rotarian volunteers.
Sunrise had 50 free tickets for the event, which enabled each club to get 12 free tickets (with two extra). A hardy contingent from our club withstood the hot weather and attended the game. Fortunately they provided us with free fans.
This event provided a good opportunity to have fun with our fellow Rotarians, support the local baseball team, promote Rotary, and possibly garner new members.
Background on Peace Builder Club recognition and Committee: Jim Applegate, Chair of our Club's Peace Builder Committee (second from right in image below), spoke about our Peace Builders Committee and the Social Justice Sewing Academy at our July 8 Club Meeting. At that meeting, District Governor Dan O'Brien (second from left) and past District Governor, Bill Durall (far right), presented then President Megan Reynolds and Jim Applegate with a Rotary International Certificate recognizing our Club as a Rotary International Peace Builder Club (image below). We are very proud to be recognized for our peace-building efforts.
Our Club's Peace Builders Committee secured grants from the Healing Racism in Illinois Program (https://fieldfoundation.org/healingillinois) and the Rotary Literacy Grant program to create a partnership with the Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) (www.sjsacademy.org) and The Outlet (www.theoutletillinois.org) supporting a Social Justice Sewing Academy (SJSA) for young men and boys (as well as some of their parents, grandparents, and young girls) served by The Outlet. The Outlet largely serves youth in families without present fathers.
For three nights about 20-25 participants (a) talked about what it means to be a young male in Springfield and America (b) worked with SJSA staff and experienced quilters to translate the ideas and emotions sparked by those discussions into visual images imprinted onto quilt squares and (c) created artist statements expressing what their squares meant to them (images above and on left provided by The Outlet). Each of the young men were given a copy of the book “Stitching Stolen Lives” authored by one of our SJSA partners (image below provided by The Outlet) and a picture of themselves with their square.
The insights and high level of engagement of participants was amazing to hear and see. One retired veteran teacher/quilter called it “one of the most meaningful things I have ever done.” Everyone involved from SJSA organizers to Outlet staff, to Rotary and quilter volunteers came away in awe of the young men’s work as well as energized and motivated to make sure their message was heard far and wide to spark change.
These squares have been transformed into a beautiful full-sized quilt by SJSA. With support from a second Club Grant from Rotary District 6460, the Peace Builders Committee is organizing community events where the quilt will be displayed, and recordings of the young men talking about their work will be presented to leaders and citizens across Springfield. The goal of these events is to spark community conversations about what Springfield needs to do to address the issues raised by these young men and their quilt and build greater peace in our community.
The quilt is on display in the Juneteenth Noir V: Resilience exhibition at the Illinois State Museum from June 13-Septembers 2. The Peace Committee was thrilled that the two young curators for the Noir V: Resilience exhibition, Austin Wells and Elijah Miller (image below), requested to include the quilt in their exhibition (second image below). Jim Applegate, Bonnie Styles, and Rod and Rosemary Buffington were honored to attend the Noir V: Resilience opening reception at the Illinois State Museum on June 13. The exhibition is open to the public during regular Illinois State Museum hours, and we encourage all our members to check it out and see the quilt. An article by Karen Witter on this project and the exhibition of the quilt was published in the June 12, 2025 issue of the Illinois Times.
The beautiful quilt created through this partnernship will also be loaned for displays at national quilting expositions and museums along with the estimated 45 other community quilts created to date by SJSA to give voice to those who are often not heard by their communities and country.
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.
August 4, 2025: No Rotary Club Meeting
August 11, 2005: Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership: Harry Mitchell Update, Vicki Megginson progress report from New Member Orientation Committee
August 18, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker (to be announced)
August 25, 2025: Off-Site Social Night
Location to be announced
September 1, 2025: No Rotary (Labor Day)
September 8, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
September 15, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
September 22, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
September 29, 2025: Off-Site Social Night
Location to be announced
October 6, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
October 13, 2025: No Rotary Club Meeting (Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day)
October 20, 2025 Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
October 27, 2025: Off-Site Social Night
Location to be announced
November 3, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
November 10, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
November 17, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
November 24, 2025: Off-Site Social Night
Location to be announced
December 1, 2025: Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
December 9, 2025 (Tuesday) Rotary Holiday Party
Location to be announced
December 15, 2025 Rotary Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Speaker to be announced
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 two individuals for each slot.
June 10-23 Ross Hodel (Thanks, Ross!)
June 24-July 7 John Webb (Thanks, John)
July 8-July 21 (Thanks, Allie and Vicki)
July 22- August 4 Harry Mitchell and Allie Montney
August 5- August 18 OPEN
August 19-September 1 OPEN
September 2-September 15 OPEN
September 16-September 29 OPEN
September 30-October 12 OPEN
October 13-October 26 OPEN
October 27-November 9 Allie Montney and one open slot
November 10-November 23 OPEN
November 24-December 7 Vicki Megginson and one open slot
December 8- December 21 OPEN
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 our President John Webb stocking the Little Library and the Micropantry at Ridgely School. I would love to show an image of you here too!
They also assisted with the installation of other officers: Ken Gilmore as President-Elect and Community Services Director (unable to attend), James Theis (Treasurer), and Marty Michelson (Secretary) (image to left). They also installed the other Board Members, including Randy Erford (Club Services Director), Harry Mitchell (Member Services Director), Travis Magoulias (Youth Services Director and Past President), Bob Stuart (International Services Director), and Bonnie Styles, Allison Montney, Loretta Meeks, and Barry Tobias (Directors at Large).
Rod and Rosemary Buffington and Bonnie Styles attended this installation ceremony in Vic's Place and the Peacock Lounge in Havana. They described the event as a joyous celebration of Rotary with Past District Governors Dan O'Brien, Bill Kinerium, and Bill Knake's son and daughter, who are both Rotarians, participating in the ceremony. Thanks to Bonnie for taking these images.
At our July 14 meeting, our very own Bob Stuart, led us in a toast that was as spirited as it was symbolic — using a vibrant purple Canadian gin to raise a glass to international service and Rotary’s global impact. Bob reminded us that whether you’re toasting in Springfield, at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, or halfway around the world, our shared commitment to Service Above Self connects us all.
The quilt with squares designed and created by Springfield youth is featured in the Juneteenth Noir V: Resilience exhibition at the Illinois State Museum from June 13 through September 2. Our Club's Peace Committee supported the creation of this quilt with funding from a Healing Racism in Illinois grant through a partnership with The Outlet and the Social Justice Sewing Academy. Twenty youth and their family members participated in this project, which was held at The Outlet. See story below for more information.
July 21 was a special day for our Club as we celebrated our Rotary Youth Exchange students! Travis Magoulias, our Club's Youth Services Officer, had special cookies baked for the celebration of the Youth Exchange Students (image to right). 
Compass for Kids invited our Rotary Club to participate in an informal open house at Ridgely School on Wednesday, July 16 from 10:00-11:00 a.m. for a close-up look at Camp Compass in action. Compass is the summer school offering combining academic support in the morning and enrichment activities in the afternoon for targeted children in the District 186 community. Compass is making a difference in our community.
Kayla reached out after discovering our club’s literacy work online, looking for a way to get her mother’s large collection of school books into the hands of children rather than into a landfill. This past Saturday, they filled both the bed of a truck and an SUV with books — a donation that will make a meaningful impact across our community.
The June 25 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes baseball game at Robin Roberts Stadium featured Rotary Night. This theme night was secured by the Springfield Sunrise Rotary Club. It was an all club event. The Rotary Wheel was present along with a promotional table staffed by several Rotarian volunteers.
For three nights about 20-25 participants (a) talked about what it means to be a young male in Springfield and America (b) worked with SJSA staff and experienced quilters to translate the ideas and emotions sparked by those discussions into visual images imprinted onto quilt squares and (c) created artist statements expressing what their squares meant to them (images above and on left provided by The Outlet). Each of the young men were given a copy of the book “Stitching Stolen Lives” authored by one of our SJSA partners (image below provided by The Outlet) and a picture of themselves with their square.
