Mike Armstrong (lead image), Central Illinois Citizens' Climate Lobby, will speak about Climate Change and Cultivating Climate Solutions at our September 30 Club Meeting in Maldaners Upstairs. Dave Joens, Chairman of the Illinois Flag Commission, will be our speaker for our October 7 Club Meeting at Maldaners. See Upcoming Programs and Events for more information on both of these presentations.
At our September 16 club meeting, Maggie Owen, Financial Programs Manager in the Office of the Illinois Treasurer, provided a excellent review of the rich Financial Resources for Teens and Adults that are made available through the Treasurer's Office. See John Webb's article below for a summary of her presentation and these resources. I was happy to present her with a Rotary mug and offer our support for getting the word out about these resources to schools in Springfield and surrounding areas.
Women of Rotary Brunch on September 22
At my initiative, our first "Women of Rotary" brunch/luncheon for women in Springfield Rotary Clubs was held on Sunday, September 22 at Finley's Tap in Springfield. Nine women, including members from all six of the Rotary Clubs in Springfield (image below) attended and contributed to great conversations about a wide range of topics. We had a lively discussion of the need to offer international exchange and funding opportunities to young people taking a gap year between high school and college and for college students beyond what's available now through the Peace Fellows and the William J. Menghini Scholarship, and more along the lines of what was offered in the past through the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarships. We also discussed declining applications for exchange opportunities for both high school and college students related to continuing impacts from the pandemic and political turmoil. The brunch allowed us to get to know each other better and learn what was going on in our various clubs.
September 23 Off-Site Social Night at the Springfield Carriage House
We had good attendance and great food for our Off-Site Social Night on September 23. The Springfield Carriage House Restaurant (724 E. Edwards St.) opened up on Monday night, when they are normally closed, just for our group. We assembled in the downstairs dining room and had the opportunity to learn about the ongoing renovations for this historic location from the new owner and the decorator. John Webb's article below provides more information on this successful event.
September 30 Club Meeting Features a Speaker and the Citrus Campaign Launch
Join us at Maldaners Upstairs for our September 30 club meeting. Mike Armstrong (lead image), Central Illinois Citizens' Climate Lobby, will speak about the causes and impacts of climate warming and the Climate Lobby's grassroot efforts to cultivate climate solutions and get congress to enact climate laws that will slow current detrimental trends in climate. During the same meeting, our Citrus Warehouse Czar, Bill Smith, will launch our 2024 John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Campaign and tell us about the former member of our Rotary Club that the campaign is named for.
Learn About the Illinois State Flag at our October 7 Club Meeting
At our October 7 club meeting in Maldaners Upstairs, Dave Joens, Chairman of the Illinois State Flag Commission and Director of the Illinois State Archives, will discuss the History of the Illinois State Flag.
October 7 Club Member Book Drive for Little Libraries
At our September 16 meeting, I announced that we will have a Book Drive for Club Members. We are asking club members to bring in gently used and new books to be stocked in our Little Libraries. Please bring these books to our October 7 club meeting. The image below shows our Little Library at Ridgely Elementary School. The article below by Allie Montney and John Web gives the locations of our Little Libraries. See the story below on the Book Drive for more information on the kinds of books we are seeking for our Little Libraries.
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 $55 including lunch, and the registration fee for the Foundation Dinner is $80 including the dinner. The registration deadline for the Foundation dinner is September 29. See District Governor Dan O'Brien's article below for your personal invitation and access to direct links for registration.
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).
At our September 9, club meeting our Immediate Past President Travis Magulias presented Jim Theis with a Service of Above Self plaque (image to left) for his outstanding services as Club Treasurer during the 2023-2024 Rotary Year. Travis recognized Jim for this achievement at the our Installation Picnic on June 24, but Jim was unable to attend that meeting. We congratulate Jim for his systematic work as our club's treasurer and are happy that he was re-elected as Treasurer for the 2024-2025 Rotary Year.
This invitation was emailed to members in District 6460 on September 11. It includes working registration links for the invitation you received to the Rotary District 6460 Fall Conference on September 10.
I am excited to invite you to the Rotary District 6460 Fall Conference. Please join me at the Student Union at the University of Illinois, Springfield on Saturday, October 12th. The conference will begin at 9:30 and end at 4:00. This year’s Rotary theme is “The Magic of Rotary.” The theme was chosen by our president, Stephanie Urchick, to highlight Rotary’s power to save lives. We will celebrate the Magic of Rotary with award-winning entertainer, motivational speaker and sleight of hand artist Mitch Williams who will amaze, amuse and inspire you! This Canton Rotarian is an accomplished artist and authority on peak performance and human potential.
I hope you will join us as we highlight the achievements of and learn from our younger members in Interact, Rotaract and Rotary clubs around the district. You won’t want to miss Cambridge Rotarian John Taylor as he discusses the friendships he made during his service in Iraq. Aunt Dot will share her moving polio journey.
If you are new to Rotary or have never been to our fall conference, please join us. It is a great opportunity to learn what the other 1800 members in our district are doing and how they are connecting in their community and with clubs around the world.
Please sign up today at the Rotary District 6460 Website. Click here to register. The cost of the ticket is $55.00 and includes parking and lunch. There is also an option to participate online for $25.
Yours in service,
Dan O’Brien
District Governor 2024-25 Rotary District 6460 (217)-313-0425
P.S. Our Rotary Foundation Dinner begins at 5:00 pm in the same room. The cost for the dinner ticket is $80. There is also an option to participate online for $25. The foundation dinner will celebrate club achievements over the past year. The deadline for signing up for the Foundation Dinner is September 29.
Our Club (and Rotarians in general) promotes and supports teaching financial literacy to children and adults in our community to help them better maintain their financial well-being.
Our Club, therefore, enjoyed learning about the plethora of free and current financial literacy resources being offered online by the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office from the Office’s Financial Program Manager, Maggie Owen. Maggie provided an excellent overview of these resources at our September 16 club meeting.
Maggie provided us with a walk through of the following available financial literacy resources and how to access them online:
(1) The Illinois Financial Wellness Hub (FinWell Hub) for adults and teenagers provides free resources organized as interactive modules that can be personalized to help Illinoisans plan for a better financial future.
Topics are organized from more basic personal finance concepts to increasingly more complex concepts.
FinWell Hub offers a fun Personal Finance Foundations Passport that allows students to earn "stamps" for each course they complete on the FinWell Hub. After finishing a course, students can download a certificate, which teachers can use to assign homework or hold students accountable.
The FinWell Hub also targets helping high school students financially prepare for college. Topics are available in different learning formats that can be adjusted for a student’s learning needs.
(2) Illinois Personal Finance Challenge (IPFC) is a statewide high school competition that provides students with the opportunity to build, apply, and demonstrate their knowledge in money management. Participants have the opportunity to qualify for the national level of the challenge.
The IPFC is a partnership between the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office and the UIC Center for Economic Education.
(3) Money Minded Illinois provides a curriculum for first through eighth grade children. The standards-based curriculum is free to any Illinois teacher or school district.
Money Minded also includes materials for Story Time for ages 3-5 years old at local libraries.
(4) Online Toolkit provides documents and resources for librarians, parents, teachers, and community organizations. The toolkit is a way to package the variety of resources available through Money Minded and FinWell Hub into one place.
Our Club commends Maggie and the Illinois State Treasurer’s Office for their efforts to enhance the financial wellbeing of children and adults throughout our state by providing these easy to access and use programs, services, and curriculum to teachers, school districts, community organizations, and the public at large.
We had a fun off-site social night at the Springfield Carriage Company Restaurant on September 23.
There was lots of conversation and laughter (first image above) over really good food and drink. Wine went well with the occasion (second image above) and the food was delicious and well presented, including the Springfield Carriage Company brand (image below)!
We also learned some of the history of this Lincoln-era building and new developments at the restaurant from the owner (Dalton Ingram) and the decorator (Karen Siddens) (image below).
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.
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
Mike will summarize the causes and projected civilizational impacts of a warming planet, as well as give his personal observations and unease about the implications for the future. He will conclude with a discussion of grassroot steps that can be taken to potentially slow the current trend toward a more dangerous and less habitable world.
Mike is a lifelong Springfield resident. He graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign, and is a certified public accountant. He has worked as an auditor and is the retired Chief Financial Officer for Turris Coal Company and the Roland Machinery Company. He has a long history of involvement with community service organizations.
October 7, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Dave Joens, Illinois Flag Commission: History of the Illinois State Flag
David Joens (image below) is the Director of the Illinois State Archives, the state agency that is responsible for the preservation of historic Illinois state and local government records. He is also the Chairman of the Illinois Flag Commission.
A fifth-generation resident of Illinois, Joens received his Bachelor’s degree from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, two Master’s degrees from the University of Illinois at Springfield, and a doctorate in Illinois history from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He is the author of three books on Illinois history and government, including “From Slave to State Legislator: John W. E. Thomas, Illinois’ First African American Lawmaker,” published by SIU Press.
October 14, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Scott Dahl, Director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau: Springfield Tourism
Scott (image on right) has served as Director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau since August 2018. Prior to leading the SCVB, he was Regional Director of Membership for the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association for sixteen years. Scott started his tourism career operating hotels for Equity Hotel Corporation in Illinois and Missouri. He has been active with the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Springfield Inc., Medals4Mettle, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and St. John’s Children’s Hospital.
Scott has lived in Springfield for 28 years with his wife, Brandi. They have two children, Nathan (20) and Kaitlyn (16). Scott enjoys time with family & friends, running and golf.
October 21, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Club Assembly on Membership
Membership Director Harry Mitchell will lead club members in a dialog about what members can do to help our membership grow.
October 28, 2024 Off-Site Social Night, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Location to be Announced
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
I volunteered for the September 14 bed-building event that I promoted as a volunteer opportunity for our Club. I found the experience to be very rewarding, and hope that we will have more opportunities to participate in such events in the future. The Springfield bed-building event was sponsored by Sleep in Heavenly Peace. It was held in the parking lot at the Illinois Educators Credit Union in Springfield (images below).
This event was part of Bunks Across America, which encourages communities nationwide to get together to build beds for children who don’t have beds to sleep in. A bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional and mental support that a child needs. Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the sponsor for this event, was formed through the passionate efforts of volunteers who believe in the mission of getting kids off the floor and into beds. This organization was the recipient of one of our 2024 community grants from the Springfield Rotary Foundation.
These bed-building events make a direct, permanent impact in the quality of life for dozens of children in our community. Volunteers do not have to have specific carpenter skills to make a significant difference for so many children.
The Springfield event was a successful build. The goal was to build 20 beds, and all 20 beds were built! I am hoping more members of our club will be able to participate in future bed-building events. It is definitely not strenuous work for volunteers and is enjoyable and rewarding..
We thank all the Flag Service volunteers, including all the enlisted significant others, friends, children, and grandchildren, who picked up flags after the commemoration of Patriots Day in September and delivered them to the warehouse. Ross Hodel's granddaughter, Audra Hodel, helped him and Randy Erford retrieve flags (image to left), and Bonnie Styles' daughter Megan Styles assisted Bonnie with flag pick on September 13.
Volunteer opportunities don't end with the retrieval of the flags after Patriots Day. In fact, work occurs throughout the year. John Loftus has a small project now that the needs the help of a few volunteers. Please let John know if you would like to help with this project or any other aspect of the Flag Service project. There will be additional opportunities including replacement of faded flags and broken lights, drilling of new poles for poles that have been damaged, etc. Please volunteer for this important and successful project. It provides the bulk of the support for community grants program.
Springfield Public Schools need Real Men Read Volunteers!
You can make a big impact for less than an hour a month!! Join the Springfield Public Schools' expanding Real Men Read program! Volunteer to read to 1st or 3rd graders and inspire young minds. It’s easy—books and discussion ideas are provided, and your schedule is flexible!
The Springfield Public Schools offered an optional informational meeting on Thursday, September 12th at the District Office (3063 Fiat Ave, Springfield, IL). Regardless of whether or not you attended this meeting, you may still volunteer by signing up using the link. Let me know if you have any trouble signing up.
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 technically closed on September 6. However, if you want to volunteer but missed this registration deadline, please contact me and I will get you registered.
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!
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 with support from a District Grant. We continue to help Little Libraries at five 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; and
5. The Outlet, 3306 South 6th Street.
We have been visiting these Little Libraries and adding additional books to their existing stock. If you are interested in helping stock books, please contact Allie Montney at onedirtymartini@gmail.com. To keep the supply of books up-to-date, the club has announced a book drive to solicit book donations from club members on October 7 (see President's Comments and article below for details) and a book drive for community members will be scheduled later.
We are asking all club members to bring in gently used and new books for our Little Libraries to our October 7 club meeting. The article by Allie Montney and John Webb in this Newsletter gives the locations of our Little Libraries and lays out the need for some newer books than our stock of previously donated books in the Computer Banc Warehouse. We are seeking books for adults of all ages, including young adults, and children from pre-K on including teenagers. Both popular non-fiction and fiction books are welcome. You may also donate books after this deadline but email Megan, Allie, or John so we can make arrangements to receive them.
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!
At our September 9 club meeting, a Food Pantry Volunteer Form was passed around. I’m glad to report we have 7 slots filled as well as some volunteers for April 2025. If you would like to pick up a shift, see the open slots below & e-mail onedirtymartini@gmail.com.
September 15 - September 30: Ross Hodel
October 1 - 14: OPEN
October 15 - 28: Ken Gilmore
October 29 - November 11: Bill Sturm
November 12 - 25: OPEN
November 26 - December 9: OPEN
December 10 - 23: Bonnie Styles
December 24 - January 6: Vicki Megginson
January 7 - 20: OPEN
January 21 - February 3: OPEN
February 4 - February 17: Rod Buffington
February 18 - March 3: Bill Kempiners
April Dates: TBD Sheila Mack, Judith Pensoneau-Feurer, and potentially Connie Locher-Bussard
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.
The image below shows a fully stocked pantry.
The image below shows me stocking an empty micropantry on June 4. 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 and especially Ken Gilmore, our Community Services Director for the 2024-2025 Rotary Year.
Volunteer Opportunity for Real Men Read! Program
We are encouraging members of our club to volunteer for the Springfield Public Schools' Real Men Read! Program. See article by Ken Gilmore in this Newsletter.
Successful Bed Building for Sleep in Heavenly Peace
The bed-building event on September 14, sponsored by Sleep in Heavenly Peace, was successful! See article by Ken Gilmore in this Newsletter.
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.
October 7 Book Drive for Club Members
Please bring in gently used and new books to help stock our Little Libraries. For more information see the article above on Books Drives for our Little Libraries.
Stocking our Little Libraries
Allison Montney (onedirtymartini@gmail.com) and John Webb (jwebb.dr@gmail.com) are 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. To keep the books up-to-date, 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 needs 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.
See the article in this Newsletter by Allison and John for more information on stocking the little libraries.
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) and check out her article on micropantry volunteers for more information on this service project.
Flag Service Work Continues after the last Deployment
We have completed removing of flags following the commemoration of Patriots Day. The flags are now being stored in the warehouse.
The work on the flag project continues after the last deployment for the year. John Loftus currently has a small project that requires a few volunteers. Please contact John Loftus (jlloftus@aol.com) if you would like to help with this project or any aspect of our Flag Service project. It's rewarding work and raises lots of money for our community grants program!
John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Campaign
As noted by our Warehouse Czar Bill Smith, the 2023 campaign in memory of long-time Rotarian John Montgomery was successful and raised significant 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 in 2023. Marty Michelson recently announced that we will launch the 2024 John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Campaign at our September 30 club meeting. At this meeting Bill Smith will launch the campaign and provide some background on the outstanding Rotarian that the campaign is dedicated to. The citrus committee is already holding planning meetings. If you would like to volunteer for this committee, let Marty know. All members should get ready to sell healthful oranges and grapefruit and raise monies for our community grants program!
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 club members returning flags to the warehouse in September during 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.
At our September 16 club meeting, Maggie Owen, Financial Programs Manager in the Office of the Illinois Treasurer, provided a excellent review of the rich Financial Resources for Teens and Adults that are made available through the Treasurer's Office. See John Webb's article below for a summary of her presentation and these resources. I was happy to present her with a Rotary mug and offer our support for getting the word out about these resources to schools in Springfield and surrounding areas. 
We had good attendance and great food for our Off-Site Social Night on September 23. The Springfield Carriage House Restaurant (724 E. Edwards St.) opened up on Monday night, when they are normally closed, just for our group. We assembled in the downstairs dining room and had the opportunity to learn about the ongoing renovations for this historic location from the new owner and the decorator. John Webb's article below provides more information on this successful event.
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 $55 including lunch, and the registration fee for the Foundation Dinner is $80 including the dinner. The registration deadline for the Foundation dinner is September 29. See District Governor Dan O'Brien's article below for your personal invitation and access to direct links for registration.
At our September 9, club meeting our Immediate Past President Travis Magulias presented Jim Theis with a Service of Above Self plaque (image to left) for his outstanding services as Club Treasurer during the 2023-2024 Rotary Year. Travis recognized Jim for this achievement at the our Installation Picnic on June 24, but Jim was unable to attend that meeting. We congratulate Jim for his systematic work as our club's treasurer and are happy that he was re-elected as Treasurer for the 2024-2025 Rotary Year. 
Scott (image on right) has served as Director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau since August 2018. Prior to leading the SCVB, he was Regional Director of Membership for the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association for sixteen years. Scott started his tourism career operating hotels for Equity Hotel Corporation in Illinois and Missouri. He has been active with the Springfield Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Springfield Inc., Medals4Mettle, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and St. John’s Children’s Hospital. 
We thank all the Flag Service volunteers, including all the enlisted significant others, friends, children, and grandchildren, who picked up flags after the commemoration of Patriots Day in September and delivered them to the warehouse. Ross Hodel's granddaughter, Audra Hodel, helped him and Randy Erford retrieve flags (image to left), and Bonnie Styles' daughter Megan Styles assisted Bonnie with flag pick on September 13. 
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.
.png)
