March was a busy time for our club! On March 2, Robert Stuart spoke about International Projects and featured our current International Water Project in Nepal. Many of us participated in the District Spring Learning session on March 7. On March 9, we combined a presentation by Sharon Brown from Kumler Ministries with a service project in partnership with them to make layettes as part of our District Grant Project. On March 14, the Springfield Rotary float (lead image) made it's debut in the St. Patrick's Day Parade. On March 16, Adrian Dater spoke about his life as a hockey journalist and the demise of print journalism for our second luncheon meeting. On March 23, John Stremsterfer gave a presentation on Community Foundation activities. We had service projects throughout the month, and on March 30 we relaxed at our social night at Saputo's. Join us at Maldaners on April 6 when Linda Johnson of WORDUP will speak about our partnership for our District Literacy Grant to provide books to encourage early reading.
During March, our Club’s was visible in the community, active in impacting our local and global communities, and engaged in learning about our community.
The following message highlights five things that mattered in defining our March Rotary experience.
1. We visibly demonstrated Rotary pride and impact in one of the largest community events in decades through our All-Club float.
Springfield Rotary was strongly represented in this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade via an All-Club float, with participation across all the Springfield Rotary clubs, Youth Exchange, RYLA, and Interact (lead image). This presence showcased the full spectrum of Rotary in action. From students to seasoned Rotarians, our presence reflected strong fellowship and Service Above Self.
This year’s parade was the largest in 42 years, featuring 122 entries and nearly 24,000 spectators, giving Rotary an exceptional platform for visibility and community connection.
A special thank you goes to our Float Committee—Roger Randolph (Chair) (image to left), Rod Buffington and Barry Tobias (first image below) and Vicki Megginson (second image below in the blue sandwich board)—and all who helped design, build, and support our float.
Together, we didn’t just participate, we helped lead a visible celebration of Rotary’s spirit and impact in our community.
2. We are investing Rotary resources into supporting families and strengthening early childhood development.
Through a District 6460 Club Grant partnership with Kumler Outreach Ministries, our Club is helping assemble and distribute baby layettes for low-income families in Springfield. After hearing from Executive Director Sharon Brown (image above), members immediately assembled the first five layettes (image on left and first image below), launching a hands-on effort that will continue through May 2026. Each package provides essential newborn items (second image image below) and helps ease financial strain for families while supporting a healthy start for infants.
Additionally, through a District 6460 Literacy Grant, our Club helped secure 270 board books for children ages 0–3. Working with WORDUP of Central Illinois and Founder Linda Johnson (image to left), these books (image below) will be distributed through the Parents as Teachers program to encourage early reading, language development, and stronger parent-child engagement.
Together, these grant projects demonstrate how Rotary and our Club’s community-driven service assist others in building stronger futures.
3. We acknowledged action on World Water Day.
In March, Rotary’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Month, we recognized World Water Day by highlighting the life-changing impact of clean water through our global grant project in Nepal (image to left). Through this grant, our Club is helping a remote village in Nepal of 350 residents gain reliable access to safe water through a gravity-flow system, storage tanks, and in-home distribution. The project also includes sanitation training to ensure long-term sustainability.
It is a real-life example that Rotary doesn’t just raise awareness, we take action to create lasting change.
4. We showed up to meet community needs through service.
March was filled with hands-on impact and meaningful connection. Members donated snacks to support the Youth Exchange Fun Weekend and their Homeless Service Project (first image below), while others rolled up their sleeves at the Iles Community Garden (2nd image below), preparing beds and planting fresh produce to help combat food insecurity. We also supported local youth by volunteering at The Outlet, assisting with the sorting, folding, and shelving of new donated clothing (third image below) for the young male participants in their their impactful community programs.
Additionally, thanks to Bill Smith and Bill Sturm, we launched a sold-out March Madness fundraiser (first image below). The proceeds support Rotary’s PolioPlus campaign. We also continue raising money for literacy initiatives in our district’s communities through ticket sales for Rotary’s 2026 Family Day at the Ball Park—Cardinals vs. Cubs—at Busch Stadium on May 30th (2nd image below).
Taken together, these efforts highlight how our Club continues to make a difference by being engaged and meeting real needs throughout our community.
5. We were informed, inspired, and connected through outstanding speakers.
Bob Stuart (first image below) highlighted Rotary’s global impact with an update on our Nepal water project (2nd image below), bringing sustainable, life-changing access to clean water. See the story n this newsletter for more information on this project.
Adrian Dater (image below) shared insights from his 38-year journalism career, offering a candid look at the challenges facing local media and the importance of community storytelling.
John Stremsterfer (image below) closed the month by showcasing how the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln is “connecting people who care with causes that matter,” highlighting key local initiatives and the value of community-driven impact.
Each of these programs demonstrates the importance of thinking bigger, staying informed, and remaining engaged. These actions keep our Club relevant and impactful in our community and throughout the world.
Conclusion
In March, through visible service, continued generosity, and engaged learning, we strengthened our momentum in uniting for good.
As we turn to April, which will feature Rotary International's Environmental Month, let's not slow down. Let's remain determined to make a real difference in our community near and far through Service Above Self.
info@spirotary.org changed the Webex meeting information for Rotary Year 2025-2026.
When it's time, join the Webex meeting here.
Club meetings scheduled for Maldaners Upstairs generally occur on Mondays from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM, (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada)
5:30 PM | (UTC-05:00) Central Time (US & Canada) | and last for 1 hr. 30 mins. These meetings are accessible online by using the link provide below. We will be scheduling some noon meetings at Maldaners and some off-site, evening social hours during 2026. Check the website Home Page (spirotary.org) , Facebook, and Upcoming Programs and Events in the Monthly Newsletter for locations and times of club meetings.
When we meet at Maldaner's, please submit your reservations for dinner! Click on the link embedded below and enter the date, your name, dine in/carry out and number of meals being consumed in the restaurant and/or carried out prior to each meeting. Preferably, everyone will fill out the form by noon on the Friday before the upcoming meeting. We have given staff at Maldaner's access to the view, so it will help them with planning. As always, we will direct him to have a few additional servings available for members who forget or last minute guests.
The same link will work for the entire Rotary year and will be shared within each Newsletter, so do not delete the Newsletter until you have submitted your dinner information. Please remember that the three most recent Newsletters can also be accessed from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org) so you can also access the link for reservations from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org).
Bob Stuart (image to left), our Club's International Director and former Rotary International Director, was the featured speaker for our March 2 Club meeting. He provided an inspiring and timely update on our global grant project in Nepal during Rotary International's World Water Month. Our Club is helping create a gravity-flow water system that will bring sustainable, clean water access to a village in need—changing lives for generations to come.
This International Project is underway in Nepal. Located between China and India, Nepal is one of the poorest countries in world with a GDP per capita of $470. Nepal is dominated by the Himalaya Mountains, and many communities struggle with getting potable water. This problem was aggravated by the 7.8 Earthquake in 2015, which killed over 9,000 individuals, destroyed thousands of homes and schools, and devastated infrastructure.
For our ongoing International Project, we are working with a village in Nepal (image below). The village includes 350 individuals and 50 houses and is located on a mountain. Their closest source of potable water is a river at the bottom of the mountain, 1.5 miles, downhill from the village. For our international project, the project team is building a 500 liter storage tank at the water source and an a 50,000 liter storage tank in the village to provide a continuous flow of water from the water source to the village. The water piping system from the river to the village is being buried to prevent damage from mudslides and forest fires. The gravity flow system from the storage tank in the village will provide potable water to every house. Tap making in the homes is underway. The water system will have regulating valves and meters for safe and affordable water use. The project will also provide community-based water and sanitation training, and will generate a report to The Rotary Foundation and donors.
Ken Gilmore and other President-Elects from Rotary District 6460 attended President-Elect training as a part of Rotary District 6460 Spring Learning on March 6 at the UIS Student Center. On March 7, all Rotarians in the District were invited to participate in Spring Learning Sessions on a wide variety of topics, including membership attraction, membership retention, fundraising strategies, club administration and finance, artificial intelligence for club leaders, the Rotary District Foundation, Rotary Scholarships, partnering for international projects and other programs, RYLA and Interact, Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Action Groups, and How To Tell Your Story. A separate Master Class track was available for those interested in becoming Rotary Leaders.
We had good representation from our club on March 7. It was a great opportunity to meet, interact with, and learn from Rotarians throughout the District. Rod Buffington and Brian Barstead (from Springfield Sunrise) promoted the 2026 Family Day at the Ball Park at the event and of course led the whole group in singing "Take Me out to the Ball Game" (image below). Family Day at the Ball Park is on May 30, 2026. District Rotarians were encouraged to continue selling tickets to this game. Tickets may be purchased on the District 6460 website. Proceeds from this event support the District Literacy Grants.
Bonnie Styles, District Scholarship Chair (image below), gave the presentation on the District Scholarships at Rotary Spring Learning on March 7. Some of the key information on these scholarships is included below. We encourage you to share this information with college students who meet the qualifications.
The Rotary District 6460 Foundation is offering five scholarships for the 2026–2027 academic year, including four $3,000 District Scholarships and one $18,000 William J. Menghini International Scholarship for a full academic year of study abroad.
Applications are due by May 31, 2026 (midnight).
District Scholarships ($3,000):
Applicants must live in, attend school in, or have graduated from a school in District 6460; have completed at least 24 credit hours at a college, university, or vocational school; and be pursuing a degree related to Rotary’s Seven Areas of Focus. The scholarship can be used at any college, university or vocational school in the United States.
Menghini International Scholarship ($18,000):
Applicants must have completed 48 credit hours, study for a full academic year in a country where they have not previously lived or studied, begin classes within 20 months, serve as Rotary ambassadors of goodwill, and must also have lived in, attended school in, or graduated from a school or in the District.
Students apply online for these scholarships on the District 6460 Website using the links provided below:
During March, we proudly recognized Kay Powell as a Paul Harris Fellow through our Director’s Giving Circle. This Circle—one of five within our Club—brings together Rotarians who each contribute $200 annually to The Rotary Foundation, combining their gifts to honor individuals with a $1,000 Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Membership Chair Harry Mitchell and President John Webb and presented her with a Paul Harris Fellow Certificaate, Medallion, and pin. This recognition is a meaningful tribute to Kay’s service to others.
During March, we also recognized two Paul Harris Fellows, Barry Tobias and Bill Kempiners, for their increased giving levels to The Rotary Foundation. Harry Mitchell and President-Elect Ken Gilmore presented each member with a a new Paul Harris Fellow pin studded with 4 sapphires, representing each member's donation of $5,000 to The Rotary Foundation.
We again recognized our newest member and President Nominee for the 2027-2028 Rotary Year, Ashley Dillingham. President John Webb presented her with our Club Flag to share with her former Rotary Club in Effingham, IL—a wonderful symbol of Rotary unity and connection across communities. She will serve as President-Elect during Ken Gilmore's upcoming Presidency (2026-2027).
We love our Rotary toasts. At our March 2, meeting President John Webb made a toast to celebrate Rotary, fellowship, and the good that we do together. He also toasted our speaker and club member Robert Stuart for all of his contributions to Rotary. John then had fun altering the serious images recording this event with a little AI creative flair. Can you identify the individuals captured in the AI graphic images? The photographs are provided for reference. Clearly AI takes a few liberties.
For our March 9, Club meeting, President John Webb challenged all of us to wear green in recognition of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Celebration. He provided us with chocolate shamrock lollipops to add to the fun. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Vicki Megginson's birthday with a lollipop toast (images below).
We always have fun at our off-site social night meetings. Our club meeting at Saputo's on March 30 was no exception. The conversations, jokes, and food were all good. It was a relaxing way to end our busy month.
Thanks to an initiative put forward by Membership Chair Harry Mitchell, visitors to Maldaners Restaurant will be greeted by a new Rotary Sign at the building entrance. The old sign looked like it was produced in the early twentieth century! The new sign includes QR code links to more information on our Rotary Club. Text and vibrant color images convey that our Rotary Club meets in Maldaners and is an active service organization that they should join.
Please remember that we are including some noon meetings at Maldaners and social night meetings at locations other than Maldaners. Please pay attention to the meeting schedule listed in the Newsletter, on our website home page (www.spirotary.org), and on our Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages for the dates and locations of the meetings.
April 6, 2026 Rotary Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, Dinner, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Linda Johnson: WORDUP Central Illinois: Tools to Encourage Early Reading and Talking to Children
Linda Johnson (image below), WORDUP President, will speak about their program, which provides Board Books for children 3 years and under to parents or caregivers to encourage early reading. Linda taught for 25 years, most of that time in Springfield. Her passion for books and children inspired her to found WORDUP in 2017. Our Club partnered with her to choose and acquire age-appropriate books and work with us on distributing them as part of our District Literacy Grant. The books for our project were purchased along with a larger order for WORDUP to give us an excellent price for the books so we could get more books for our project. See President's Comments for more information on this project.
April 13, 2026, Club Meeting, Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Membership Assembly
Membership Chair, Harry Mitchell will facilitate a discussion of our progress on the membership front.
April 20, 2026, Club Meeting, Maldaners, Upstairs, Lunch Meeting, 11:50 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
Leah Wilson, Executive Director of the Kidzeum of Health and Science: Update on Kidzeum Activities
Leah (image below) is an experienced museum professional who has been directing the Kidzeum since 2018. She will discuss the programs and activities of this Springfield children's museum, including upcoming STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) after-school programs and plans for the development of a new STEAM Center in the Kidzeum.
April 27, 2026, Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, Dinner Meeting, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
You can sign up to volunteer to fill the Ridgely Micropantry by using the Signup Genius App. Just download the app and sign up for a one week or two week timeframe that works best for you or you and a friend. What a great way to make a difference. Thank you!
Ridgely Micro-Pantry: Spring and Summer Dates Added to SignUp Genius
Please consider signing up for a two-week commitment to stock the pantry or partner with a friend. The link provided takes you to the sign-up sheet located online using the SignUp Genius program. The Signup Genius link is listed below to sign up and allows you to reserve those dates and to also shows which timeframes are unfilled. The app will also send you a reminder closer to your volunteer date.
I know, I know, the weather is making it hard to "think spring" right now but lion or lamb, beautiful spring weather is coming, I promise! The beautiful spring will be worth it. So, with a warm sunny smile, I wanted to let you know the summer schedule is now posted on Sign-up Genius for the Ridgely School Micropantry.
Special thanks are due to Harry Mitchell for stocking the Micropantry in March!
Thank you to the following people for signing up for the micropantry:
March 30-April 1 Ross Hodel
April 6-9 Ashley Dillingham
April 20-May 3 Sheila Mack
After that, it is open season for volunteering by yourself, with your family or by partnering with another Rotarian. Also, if you have friends or acquaintances who would like to volunteer, please share the sign-up link and we will give them lots of praise for making a difference.
You can sign up to stock the Ridgely Micropantry using the new Sign-Up Genius online system featured in the above article by Ken Gilmore.
Please sign up. There are numerous empty slots.
I appreciate your help!
Thank you for signing up for a micropantry volunteer shift. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by the community we serve.
Members who have supported this program realize the price of food and other products stocked in the pantry have become more expensive. Under a new program, a member may be reimbursed up to $100 when a purchase is made for the food pantry. Funding for this reimbursement was made possible by donations in the amount $1,739, which were received at the Rotary Open House in December 2024 that I hosted at my home
Below are the details including the location of the pantry, and suggestions on items to collect and distribute. If you are unable to complete your shift, please reach out and we'll work on a better period of time to meet your needs. If you have suggestions for future volunteers, please let me know and we'll adapt the program along the way.
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Ridgely Elementary School
2040 North 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Main entrance to the school (look for the yellow and purple pantry by the front doors).
The image below shows the location of the pantry at the entrance to the school.
These suggestions came from people who use food pantries to help feed their families.
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter, which is difficult to get from regular food banks. 2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal, which they also get a lot of. 3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles. 4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.* 5. Oil is a luxury and needed for Rice a-Roni, which they also get a lot of. 6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Holiday gift. 7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care. 8. Sugar and flour are treats. 9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores. 10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some. 11. They rarely get fresh meat. 12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch. 13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef. 14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread. 15. Butter or margarine is nice too. 16. Eggs are a real commodity. 17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake. 18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated. 19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that. 20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.
The image below shows a fully stocked pantry.
The image below shows the empty micropantry before I stocked it in January 2026. This is why you need to sign up! The pantry is almost always empty when we show up to stock it. The need for nutritious food is great in the community surrounding our micropantry. .
Feel free to contact me.
Micro Pantry Coordinator: Allie Montney with assistance from John Webb
Phone 217-494-6901 (for the quickest response, please text)
Things I've noticed that may be helpful: Stocking the pantry on a weekend or after 4:00PM during the weekdays means less people and easier to get a parking spot. Ask friends and family to donate unused household items for the pantry that you can collect. If purchasing bags of fresh fruit or veggies, stock them individually so that more in need can take what they need. It's going to be freezing outside soon, so consider if the items will no longer be good if frozen. ALDI grocery stores have prices that cannot be beat.
At our January Club Assembly, Youth Services Director Travis Magoulias (image above) spoke about the need for more help with the Rotary Exchange Student Program. Our Club has traditionally agreed to sponsor Inbound and Outbound Foreign Exchange students. These are high school-age students who live with a host family and attend high school in the community where they reside. Most of you know that we are currently sponsoring Eve, an inbound exchange student from Taiwan. Over the past few years we have had an increasing difficult time finding host families for these students. For example, we were unable to find host families for Eve for the 2025-2026 academic year. Fortunately Rotarians Barb and Lee Malany agreed to host her for both semesters. We also need Rotarians who are willing to counsel and spend time with these students. We thank the club members who have spent time with Eve, agreed to give her rides when needed, spoken with her when she comes to our club meetings, and gone to some of her performances in the Springfield Youth Symphony, but we need more help.
If we are going to continue sponsoring inbound exchange students, then we need members who are willing to serve as host families or help recruit host families, and to spend time with these students. Please contact Travis if you are interested in helping with exchange students, think you might want to serve as our Youth Exchange Counselor, want to get more involved in Youth Services, or have thoughts on the future of these programs.
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.
We offer special thanks to Harry Mitchell for stocking the food pantry at Ridgely School during March 2026. These images show the near empty pantry before stocking and the full pantry after stocking. Harry added that the items left in the pantry were not items that he had previously stocked. Ridgely staff and other community members sometimes add items to the pantry. Please sign up to help stock the pantry, it is vitally important in the community surrounding the school.
This year’s parade was the largest in 42 years, featuring 122 entries and nearly 24,000 spectators, giving Rotary an exceptional platform for visibility and community connection.
Through a District 6460 Club Grant partnership with Kumler Outreach Ministries, our Club is helping assemble and distribute baby layettes for low-income families in Springfield. After hearing from Executive Director Sharon Brown (image above), members immediately assembled the first five layettes (image on left and first image below), launching a hands-on effort that will continue through May 2026. Each package provides essential newborn items (second image image below) and helps ease financial strain for families while supporting a healthy start for infants.
Additionally, through a District 6460 Literacy Grant, our Club helped secure 270 board books for children ages 0–3. Working with WORDUP of Central Illinois and Founder Linda Johnson (image to left), these books (image below) will be distributed through the Parents as Teachers program to encourage early reading, language development, and stronger parent-child engagement. 
In March, Rotary’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Month, we recognized World Water Day by highlighting the life-changing impact of clean water through our global grant project in Nepal (image to left). Through this grant, our Club is helping a remote village in Nepal of 350 residents gain reliable access to safe water through a gravity-flow system, storage tanks, and in-home distribution. The project also includes sanitation training to ensure long-term sustainability.
Bob Stuart (image to left), our Club's International Director and former Rotary International Director, was the featured speaker for our March 2 Club meeting. He provided an inspiring and timely update on our global grant project in Nepal during Rotary International's World Water Month. Our Club is helping create a gravity-flow water system that will bring sustainable, clean water access to a village in need—changing lives for generations to come.
For our March 9, Club meeting, President John Webb challenged all of us to wear green in recognition of the upcoming St. Patrick's Day Celebration. He provided us with chocolate shamrock lollipops to add to the fun. We celebrated St. Patrick's Day and Vicki Megginson's birthday with a lollipop toast (images below).
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