I am sharing my comments on our club's accomplishments during the 2023-2024 Rotary Year that I presented for our June 24 club meeting. I have provided a little more detail than I had time to present at the meeting: 

 

Deep thanks to the club in general and a lot of individuals for giving me a lot of grace and a ton of support during a difficult personal year. Every one of you is appreciated for the kind words and words of support you provided. This club and my position as President gave me something to focus on outside of the turmoil in my personal life and although I would have liked to have been more aggressive as a leader and agent of change, I promised you guys, I wouldn’t crash the boat and I think we accomplished that goal.

 

We added some new members and lost some this year. We still have a great core of people, and I’m confident we will continue to find ways to do more as we go forward.

With all that being said, here is a quick reminder of the year we had.

 

 

 

District Governor Neal Miller - Rotary and Rotary District 6460 Plans

 

Dr. Jim Applegate – Social Justice Sewing Academy (see story below in this Newsletter)

        

Dr. Jim Applegate, Rotarian - Climate Extremes: Antarctica and the Amazon (image below)

 

Rod Buffington, Rotarian - Art and My 50 Years in Rotary

 

PS, Rotary Exchange Student - My Background and Introduction to Springfield (image below)

 

 

 

David Fowler, Club Member - Computer Banc New Developments 

 

       

 

Gwendolyn Harrison, Director Lincoln Library - Springfield Lincoln Library Programs and Services

 

Shymeka Kerr-Gregory & Cherena Douglass - Juneteenth Celebration  (image below)

 

    

Dave Fuchs, Public Works Director - Springfield Department of Public Works Services and Programs   

     

Lynette Strode, Program Manager - Illinois Assistive Technology Program (IATP) 

             

Derek Harms, Springfield Park District - Springfield Park District Recreational Opportunities & Rotary Park Update     

          

Gordon Davis - Whimsy Tea Company   

 

Pamela Frazier and Robert Frazier - Clean Slate Advocates: Soap to Hope Challenge

        

Eric Dolbeare - Zambian Corn Project Update   

  

Shelia Walk, Springfield Area Arts Council - Programs & Services of the Springfield Area Arts Council       

 

Laura Davis, Helping Hands, & John James, The Outlet, - Helping Hands of Springfield & The Outlet Programs & Interactions with Rotary (image below)

 

   

           

Carmen Correa, Rotary Exchange Student - My Experiences in Germany as a Rotary Foreign Exchange Student 

 

Kevin Seals, Hanson Professional Services - The Springfield Rail Improvement Project

 

Scott Richardson, Executive Director Legacy Theatre - Legacy Theatre: Past, Present and Future

 

Dr. Sameer Vohra, IDPH Director - Polio’s status and recent developments in Illinois and elsewhere and their significance (image below)

 

      

Mark MacDonald, Rotary Exchange Student - My Experiences in France as a Rotary Foreign Exchange Student   

 

Steve Ettinger, Illinois Conservation Foundation - Conservation, education and outdoor heritage programs

         

State Representative Mike Coffey - The BOS Center and Its Community Impacts     

 

         

 

Out strategy to include off-site social nights proved to be very enjoyable and successful. We explored numerous Springfield-area restaurants and businesses, including:

 

Papa Frank’s

Finleys Tap 

Home Plate

Casa Real

Nesty's Burger Joint (image below)

Obed and Isaac’s

The Creek

Motor Heads

Agricultural Center at LLC

Scheel’s Training Center

 

 

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast – We sponsored tables and students and again participated in this annual community event (image below).

 

 

Citrus Campaign – Following some hiccups, we came through strong by selling lots of citrus. The proceeds from the sale supported our community grants and other needs. We also donated oranges to Ridgely School (image on right), and with the help of our clients, donated three pallets of  oranges to the Central Illinois Foodbank (image below).

 

 

 

Flag Service – We continued to serve over 500 clients (image below), including some new subscribers.

 

 

Community Grants – We distributed $36,600 in grants this year (12-15 grants awarded; image below shows some of the awardees).

 

 

Club Assembly – We addressed needed changes regarding dues to keep our club strong and active.

 

New Members – We brought in two great new members, including Ally Montney, who is coordinating the stocking of our little libraries and the Ridgely School Micro-pantry (first image below), and Creighton Burrell, who is shown below at our off-site social event at Casa Real (second image below).

 

 

Peacebuilders Committee and Accomplishments –  With the leadership of Jim Applegate, the club secured a large grant for a partnership and project with the Social Justice Sewing Academy and The Outlet (image below), and as will be officially announced at our July 8 club meeting, we were recognized by Rotary International as a Peace Builder Club.

 

 

Preparation of International Grant Proposal – Dave Fowler is currently working on a substantial “reverse” international grant, which would support expansion and technology training at the Computer Banc, which, if funded, will be another big win for our club.

 

We should really be proud of what we have and what we continue to accomplish. Our club positively impacts our local geography and many lives within the community. We do really good things. I’m proud of all of you for what we are able to accomplish.

 

Thank you again for all of your support this past year. Let’s make sure we do the same for Megan as she takes the reins for 2024-2025.

At our June 24 club meeting, outgoing President Travis Magoulias recognized a few of the many outstanding club members for their service during the 2023-2024 Rotary Year.  He presented a Service Above Self Award to John Webb (image to left) for his extraordinary service as our Club Services Director. He brought in an exemplary line-up of speakers for our club meetings, most of which are listed in the article above in this Newsletter. He also presented a Service Above Self Award to Secretary Marty Michelson for all of his work as Secretary and for his continuing efforts with the Flag Service Project (image below). Travis also presented a Service of Self Award to Treasurer Jim Theis for his outstanding work work as Treasurer, but Jim was unable to attend the meeting.

 

Travis also presented Certificates of Excellence to International Service Director Bob Stuart (image to left) and Membership Director Harry Mitchell image below) for their leadership and guidance in all things Rotary.

 

 

He presented Certificates of Excellence to Barry Tobias (image on right) for all his assistance as Sergeant of Arms and for providing his expertise on on technology issues, as well as moral support, and to Bonnie Styles for her work as Public Relations Chair and for all her efforts with the Club Newsletter (image below). Travis also presented a Certificate of Excellence to Youth Service Director Bill Kempiners for his outstanding work with youth education, particularly for his work with the Rotary Exchange Students. Unfortunately Bill was unable to attend the meeting.
 

 

Rod Buffington presented Travis with a print of his original quilt painting of the Rotary International President's Theme for the 2023-2024 Year (image below), and everyone applauded Travis for his outstanding accomplishments as Club President.

 

Our Installation "Picnic" was held indoors at the Stone Creek Club House in Springfield (images below) because of the weather. The casual atmosphere was perfect, and the food, catered by Maldeners, was delicious.  

 

 

A team of Rotary dignitaries (image below) assisted with the installation of our new Club President, Megan Reynolds at our June 24 club meeting. The group included Bob Stuart (club member, former Rotary International Director, and Past District Governor), Dan O'Brien (member of the Rotary Club of Carlinville and new District Governor for Rotary District 6460), Harry Mitchell (club member and former Assistant Governor for our area), and Travis Magoulias (our outgoing Club President). Each spoke about the responsibilities of the club president. 

 

After describing the responsibilities of the Club President, Bob Stuart asked Megan if she would pledge to fulfill the duties of the President to the best of her abilities, to the lead the club following the highest principles of Rotary, and to conduct the business of the club following the constitution and bylaws of Rotary International and the club. She enthusiastically pledged "I do" to each (image on right).

 

Bob asked Travis to present Megan with the President's badge and gavel (image below), which Travis did with great glee.

 

Bob then asked Jim Theis, Treasurer (not present) and Marty Michelson, Secretary to take the pledge of office. Marty pledged to full fill the duties of his position, follow the constitution and bylaws of RI and the club, and exemplify the highest principles of Rotary (image to left). The other officers are the President Elect (not yet named). Travis will also continue to serve on the Board as Past President

 

The other elected Board members were asked to stand:

 

Club Service: John Webb

Community Service: Ken Gilmore (not present)

International Service: Bob Stuart

Youth Service: Travis Magoulias

Membership Service: Harry Mitchell

Directors at Large: Loretta Meeks (not present), Ross Hodel, Bonnie Styles, and Barry Tobias

 

 

Board members present also pledged to to do their duties to the best of their abilities following the constitution and bylaws and to exemplify the highest principles of Rotary.

 

Bob Stuart concluded that all the Officers and Directors were now installed. Everyone applauded.

 

Megan presented Travis with the Past Presidents Badge (lead image and image below).

 

Megan concluded the session by praising our club and conveying some of her plans for the future. These comments are provided in the President's Comments Section of this Newsletter.

 

It was a joyous event. We are starting off the new Rotary Year off with a bang! 

It is time for baseball fans to participate in our annual "Rotary Family Day at the Ball Park."  Thank you for purchasing tickets! The 2024 game is on on July 13 at 1:15 P.M. at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

 

If you don't already have your tickets, you can purchase tickets using the traditional order form, which you may print out and mail to me with a check for payment by clicking ORDER FORM or for your convenience, place your order online and then pay via debit or credit card, Paypal or check by clicking ONLINE ORDER. If you don't have tickets yet, I suggest that you email me at rotaryrod@comcast.net to let me know that you would like to buy tickets.

  

Nearly $600,000 has been raised over the 20 years of the program for Literacy Project within our schools and communities.

  

The Rotary club of Rotary District 6460 thanks you for all the past games you attended, and we look forward to seeing you at Busch Stadium on July 13. Be sure to share this information with your friends and family so we can fill the stadium and raise more money to fund literacy projects in West Central Illinois. 

 

Thank you for participating in this important fundraiser. The proceeds support District Literacy grants.

  

Rod Buffington

Coordinator - "Rotary Family Day at the Ball Park"

 

Please remember that we are trying our new schedule with 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. 

 

 

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)

e-mail  OneDirtyMartini@gmail.com

 

            

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 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.

 

 

We previously installed a Micropantry at Ridgely Elementary School (our adopted school) with support from a District Grant. At our October 23 meeting, Allison Montney volunteered to coordinate the stocking of this micropantry with food, cleaning, and toiletry items. She will be re-establishing the system for volunteers to sign up 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. More information is provided in Allie's article in this Newsletter. 

 

 

 

Please consider volunteering for the Flag Service project in 2024. We thank the volunteers who helped with charging the solar lights for the Memorial day installation and those who have already volunteered to take on responsibilities for this project.  

 

Flags were installed for the Memorial Day Holiday (May 27, 2024) starting on May 20 and were completed by May 24. 

 

Flags will be removed following the July 4 Holiday (starting on July 8) and will be 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!  

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Keep up with the club communications by checking the website at www.spirotary.org, Facebook and LinkedIn. Be sure to "like" or "follow" us!