Membership Director Harry Mitchell will facilitate the discussions for our October 24 Club Assembly on Membership. His article below provides background on the process we will follow. On October 24, we are commemorating World Polio Day. Our October 21 Off-site Social Night at the MaryFlor Bar and Grill was a great success. At our October 7 meeting, Scott Dahl, Director of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, spoke about tourism in Springfield. The stories below and Upcoming Programs and Events provide for more information on all of these topics.
Please attend our October 24 meeting at Maldaners Upstairs to participate in this important Club Assembly. Increasing our membership is our highest priority. Membership Chair Harry Mitchell (lead image) will guide us through a number of activities designed to target ways that we can all work to acquire new members. The article by Harry in this Newsletter outlines the process we will follow.
October 24 Commemoration of World Polio Day
We have been commemorating World Polio Day over the past week through posts on our Club's Facebook and Instagram pages, a ClubRunner email to all members, and submission of Letters to the Editors of the Illinois Times and State Journal-Register. President Elect and Public Relations Committee Member John Webb has prepared these materials to draw attention to World Polio Day and provide information on the local history of polio in Sangamon county, Rotary International's efforts on the worldwide eradication of polio, and the continuing threat of polio in the World. Rotary International continues to play an instrumental role in polio vaccination programs across the world and in promoting the need to continue this fight. We have shared some of these posts and articles in this Newsletter.
October 21 Social Night Featured Dinner at the MaryFlor Restaurant!
We had a great time at this Downtown Springfield venue as indicated by all the smiles (image below)! See article by John Webb (below).
October 14 Club Meeting Featured Scott Dahl
Scott Dahl (image below), Director of the Springfield Convention and Visitors Bureau, presented a lively discussion of Springfield tourism at our October 14 Club meeting. The article in this Newsletter provides some of the highlights. I was proud to present him with our Rotary mug and invited him to consider membership in our club (image below).
Rotary District Conference and Foundation Dinner on October 12
The Rotary District 6460 Conference convened at the UIS Student Union on Saturday, October 12. Bob Stuart, Bill Smith, Rod Buffington, Barry Tobias, Bonnie Styles, Bill Kempiners, Jim Applegate, and John Webb represented our club at the meeting. The conference was followed by the Rotary Foundation Dinner in the evening. Bob Stuart, Bill Smith, Barry Tobias, and Bonnie Styles attended the dinner, and our club was recognized as one of the top five clubs in the District for overall donations to the the Rotary International Foundation. The theme of this years District Conference was The Magic of Friendship. The articles below provide highlights from the District Conference and describes the citations for our club that were presented at the Foundation Dinner.
Club Holiday Party will be held on December 17!
It official! Our annual Holiday Party has been scheduled for Tuesday, December 17. We will hold our event at the Christ the King Parrish Hall in Springfield. A delicious meal will again be provided by Chef Randy Williams. The Williamsville Madrigals will provide our musical entertainment. Mark your calendar now, and don't miss this wonderful chance to celebrate the holidays. Stay tuned for more details.
When we meet at Maldaner's, please submit your reservations for dinner! Click on the link embedded below and enter the date, your name, dine in/carry out and number of meals being consumed in the restaurant and/or carried out prior to each meeting. Preferably, everyone will fill out the form by noon on the Friday before the upcoming meeting. We have given Jesse at Maldaner's access to the view, so it will help him with planning. As always, we will direct him to have a few additional servings available for members who forget or last minute guests.
The same link will work for the entire Rotary year and will be shared within each Newsletter, so do not delete the Newsletter until you have submitted your dinner information. Please remember that the three most recent Newsletters can also be accessed from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org) so you can also access the link for reservations from the Website Home Page (www.spirotary.org).
At a recent monthly meeting, the Club Board agreed that membership is the most critical issue facing our club. Therefore, a Club Assembly has been scheduled for Monday, October 28 when the only item on the agenda will be membership. I will be putting on my Membership Chair hat (image to left) and serve as facilitator that evening. Everyone present will be provided with the opportunity to participate and share their opinions and ideas. Please make every effort to attend this especially important meeting.
The majority of the time at the assembly will be spent with everyone providing input as to this important topic. Please note that, given how broad this topic is, we will devote at least one additional meeting in November or December to this topic. The exact date has not been determined but will be announced well in advance.
Attracting and retaining members is vital to the future success of our club and all of our programs. Please do your best to be there on October 28. Thank you.
This article contains information that will support our discussions at the October 28 Club Assembly on attracting new members. I will serve as facilitator for this discussion.
Here is the agenda for the evening:
Why this is an important topic. (5 minutes)
Where are we now?
Small groups will discuss
The overall club strengths (5 minutes)
The overall club weaknesses (5 minutes)
Groups report to entire club (10 minutes)
How do we attract a consistent flow of new members?
Small groups will identify 5 to 7 ideas or concepts. Try not to worry about how we will do it. Identify what we can do.
Groups report to entire club (10 minutes)
Establish priorities and who will follow up (15 minutes)
Wrap up (5 minutes)
I will serve as facilitator, and I hope everyone has an opportunity to participate.
I know we all understand that our member count has been shrinking. Here are some facts that give this some perspective.
Total Members (all numbers exclude honorary members)
54 in July 2020 (end of Rotary Year 2019 / 2020) (without Chatham)
42 in July 2024 (end of Rotary Year 2023 / 2024)
Since July 1, 2019 (Without Chatham)
46 joined (an average of 9 per year)
28 terminated (an average of 5.5 per year)
17 remain (plus 1 honorary)
Why haven’t we grown?
Total members who left: 49
Reasons recorded are mixed with many having none identified.
A caution for the future – here is our current membership age distribution
(does not include 2 honorary members)
29 and under: 2 members (4.5%)
30-39: 3 members (6.8%)
40-49: 1 member (2.3%)
50-59: 3 members (6.8%)
60-69: 4 members (9.1%)
70 and over: 24 members (54.5%)
Unreported: 5 members (11.4%)
Total: 42 members ( 95.5%)
Average Age: 67
If we take a hard look at this, we are a 100 year old club with a large number of vintage members. I think we all understand the risk of having this age distribution.
Our challenge is clear. On Monday, October 28, we will work together to begin the process of planning our response.
Though wild polio is only endemic in two countries, polio is highly infectious and spreads rapidly. The disease, which afflicts mainly children, is transmitted via contaminated water and food supplies, and can cause paralysis. Five to 10 percent of cases of paralytic polio are fatal. As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere are at risk. Only the global eradication of polio will ensure that no child ever again suffers its devastating effects.
WHERE WE ARE TODAY
Since Rotary and our partners formed the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988, incidents of wild polio cases has decreased by 99.9 percent.
An estimated 20 million cases of paralysis have been averted through the global effort to eradicate polio.
Rotary and our partners have reduced the number of wild polio cases from 350,000 in 1988 to 12 in 2023.
Only two countries remain endemic: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In August 2020, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) African region was certified wild polio-free after Nigeria, the last polio-endemic country in the African region, passed four consecutive years without any trace of wild poliovirus.
Out of the three strains of wild poliovirus, only type 1 continues to circulate. Type 3 was certified as eradicated in October 2019, and type 2 in September 2015.
ROTARY’S ROLE
Rotary International began immunizing children against polio in 1979, and in 1985, Rotary launched its polio eradication program, PolioPlus. In 1988, the World Health Assembly (the governing body of the WHO) resolved to end polio. Toward that goal, Rotary helped assemble partnerships with WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that established the GPEI. The Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance later joined.
Rotary’s primary role in the GPEI is fundraising, advocacy, raising awareness, and volunteer mobilization. Rotary members raise funds; secure support from governments, nongovernmental organizations, corporations, and the public; immunize children; and promote awareness in their communities.
Rotary has helped immunize 3 billion children against polio, contributed more than $2.7 billion to global polio eradication efforts, and helped secure more than $10 billion from donor governments.
HOW WE WILL ERADICATE POLIO
The GPEI is working to interrupt transmission of the wild poliovirus through:
Routine immunization coverage of more than 80 percent of children in their first year of life. This requires at least three doses of the oral polio vaccine (OPV) as part of national immunization schedules.
Surveillance (identification and prompt reporting) by health workers of every case of acute flaccid paralysis (sudden weakness that may be caused by the poliovirus), as well as surveillance of sewage water in the environment for poliovirus that has not yet caused infections.
Targeted mop-up campaigns where the poliovirus is known or thought to be present.
CHALLENGES WITH COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic complicated global vaccination programs, and in March 2020, the GPEI announced a four-month pause on polio immunization activities, while also announcing that the extensive polio infrastructure Rotary helped build would be used to support preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. Building on decades of experience stopping polio outbreaks, Rotary and our partners have played a critical role in protecting communities from this global pandemic, just as we did with Ebola, yellow fever, and Avian flu. This truly represents the “Plus” in PolioPlus.
VARIANT POLIOVIRUS (CVDPV)
The world has made incredible progress toward polio eradication, but the last steps to ending this disease are the most difficult, particularly with continuing outbreaks of variant poliovirus, also known as circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV). Variant poliovirus can occur if the weakened strain of the poliovirus contained in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) circulates among under-immunized populations for a long time. If not enough children are immunized against polio, the weakened virus can pass between individuals and over time genetically revert to a form that can cause paralysis. To better address the evolving risk of variant poliovirus, the GPEI has deployed a new tool — novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) — which has a substantially lower risk of causing variant poliovirus.
WHERE WE ARE HEADED
With full commitment and sufficient financial resources, we have an extraordinary opportunity to end polio for good. Although progress against polio is being made, there is still significant work to be done to achieve eradication. Polio-endemic and polio-threatened countries require the support of Rotary and the global community to ensure that political commitment and quality programs are in place so that every child is vaccinated, particularly those in the most marginalized communities.
Until polio is eradicated, all countries must remain vigilant. As long as the poliovirus continues to circulate, the risk of the disease’s global spread remains high.
HOW ROTARY'S CONTRIBUTIONS ARE SPENT
Rotary is committed to raising $50 million per year for polio eradication. Through our partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication will be matched 2-to-1 (up to $50 million per year). Rotary funds operational and technical needs, vaccines, surveillance activities, social mobilization, research, and stipends for millions of volunteers who conduct National Immunization Days (NIDs) by going house-to-house to vaccinate children.
HOW CAN YOU HELP
Rotary members can take action and raise awareness by hosting fundraisers and events — including virtual activities — on World Polio Day and year-round. They can alsodonate, encourage others to join our cause, start a conversation on social media, and write their government representatives to encourage them to support polio eradication.
ROTARY'S LEGACY
Polio, once eradicated, will generate substantial humanitarian and financial dividends due to the elimination of polio treatment and rehabilitation costs. Modeling shows that eradicating polio will generate an additional US$14 billion in expected cumulative cost savings by 2050, when compared with the cost countries will incur for controlling the virus indefinitely.
Investing in polio now may cumulatively save an estimated US$33.1 billion by 2100. Economists have estimated these savings from the polio eradication effort using the cost of current objectives against the cost of maintaining the control of polio without eradication.
FIND OUT MORE
Learn more about our polio eradication efforts at endpolio.org.
Send questions about fundraising to PolioPlus Senior Engagement Specialist Clare Monroe.
Send questions about messaging and talking points to PolioPlus Communications Team Lead Sara Tetzloff or PolioPlus Digital Communications Strategist Tasha Sargent.
Direct general questions about Rotary’s polio eradication efforts to PolioPlus@rotary.org.
Comment from the Newsletter Editor: This letter was sent to the editors of the Illinois Times and State-Journal Register.
Dear Editor:
World Polio Day is recognized each year on October 24. This day brings awareness to this disease by celebrating the significant progress towards its eradication, as well as the efforts to maintain a spotlight on the effects it can bring to children under the age of five.
While polio is one of the most feared diseases in the world, it is also a preventable disease through a safe and effective vaccine. Worldwide vaccination has brought a global decrease of 99.9% in cases since 1988 leaving only Afghanistan and Pakistan remaining as endemic areas on our globe.
The priority continues to educate people of each new generation regarding the effects of this disease on children under the age of five years old because this is an active disease in some parts of our world. The threat still remains because this disease can be imported from other countries with variants cropping up in under-vaccinated populations resulting in new outbreaks. This disease has the power to bring lifelong disability to the infected along with a small risk of paralysis.
Since polio has not been eradicated fully on our planet, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reports a global resurgence of this disease over the next ten years could occur with as many as 200,000 new cases resulting each year. It is critical our attention remains focused on polio until global eradication has been achieved.
This can be achieved by maintaining high immunity against polio through vaccinating each new generation to ensure they are safe from the devastating effects. Rotary is committed to supporting stout polio surveillance to ensure polio is truly eradicated from every corner of the world.
To that end, the Rotary Club of Springfield, Illinois supports these ongoing efforts and encourages others to become involved in this goal to eliminate this paralyzing disease. Eradication can be achieved so this disease does not reemerge to put the lives of children somewhere on our planet at risk. To learn more about how you can contribute to ending polio, visit the website: endpolio.org
Polio is a preventable disease through a safe and effective vaccine. Worldwide vaccination has brought a global decrease of 99.9% in cases since 1988 leaving only Afghanistan and Pakistan remaining as endemic areas on our globe.
Polio vaccinations that led to this result began in our Club’s area - Springfield/Sangamon County - in 1955.
Based upon the Sangamon County Historical Society accounting of polio vaccinations in 1955 and 1964, first and second grade children were the top priorities when the first polio vaccinations were to be made in 1955.
• The first doses of the Salk vaccine, which was administered by injection, were given in Sangamon County in April of 1955.
Students targeted that first day attended Ridgely, Sand Hill, Butler, Arnold, Dubois, Cottage Hill, Palmer and Matheny schools in Springfield and Auburn, Divernon, Williamsville and Mechanicsburg outside the city.
• The vaccine doses were provided by the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and administered by volunteers. The shots were free.
Parents were required to sign consent forms before their children could be vaccinated.
• The first round of immunizations reached 5,015 first and second graders. 315 children who had been ill or otherwise were unable to be vaccinated that week received their shots in a “pickup” program two weeks later.
• 93% of Springfield’s youngest students and 90% of those in Sangamon County were vaccinated during this immunization process.
• The Salk vaccine required three rounds of vaccinations to provide full immunity. Sangamon County children started receiving their booster shots on October 31st. Since the new school year had already started, the booster round targeted second- and third-graders.
• It was reported that none of Sangamon County children who received the April vaccinations contracted polio.
• The injectable Salk vaccine was replaced in 1964 by the Sabin vaccine, which was administered by mouth using cubes of sugar.
• This time, 90,000 people – 60% of all Sangamon County residents, adults as well as children – received the vaccine on a single day, March 8, 1964, at 11 “feeding stations” in the public schools.
While significant progress against polio has been made, polio has not been eradicated fully on our planet. The risk of polio’s spread remains high because the virus can still be imported from other countries where it is circulating, putting communities with low vaccination rates at risk. Additionally, vaccine-derived poliovirus variants can emerge in under-vaccinated populations, leading to outbreaks. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) reports a global resurgence of this disease over the next ten years could occur with as many as 200,000 new cases resulting each year.
It is critical our attention remains focused on polio until global eradication has been achieved.
We have completed the 9th year of our flag program. We deployed 538 flags and posted a net income of $25,763 for the year. The cumulative net income for the nine years of the program is $151,231. The net income for each year of the flag program is shown below:
Thanks are due to all work to make this service project a major success. Proceeds from the flag rentals support our community grants program and Land of Lincoln Honor Flight.
Allison Montney notified us that she attended the 100+ Who Care in Springfield Charity Event at the Ace Sign Company on Thursday, October 17, 2024. Attendees that donate $100 get to nominate a non-profit organization that they would like to be a recipient of up to $10,000. Three names are then randomly drawn. The nominators for three nonprofits that are drawn then do a brief talk to those in attendance about their organization and what they do for the community. Attendees who donated then do a blind vote for the non-profit they would like to see win. Allison noted that her donation enabled her to nominate a nonprofit, and she nominated our Rotary Club. Our name was drawn, Allison discussed what we do for the community, and we finished second in the vote, thus winning $2,000 for our Club. As her membership in the 100+ Who Care attests, Allison actively serves her community. The image below shows Allison (on left) with President Megan volunteering with our Rotary club for the United Way Day of Action Spring event. She also coordinates the stocking of our club's little libraries and our Ridgely School Micropantry. We appreciate her nominating our club at this event.
Thank you Allison! Thanks to your generous action, we receive $2,000 for our club! We are thankful for this donation and will put it too use for the good of the community.
On a smaller note, because our citrus fundraiser was highlighted in the verbal presentation on our Club, we also garnered a $60 purchase of mixed citrus from one of the 100+ Board members. John Webb, who was also at the event took the order.
There will be a press release announcing the winners and someone from the 100+ group will present the check to our Club. More information will be forthcoming.
Ken Gilmore and I attended the Compass for Kids Program Updates for Rotary Members on October 23, 2024 at their facility on South 4th Street.
They provided updates on the following three programs that serve disadvantaged, low income youth:
1. Club Compass - The original program designed to provide academic and social-emotional support to kindergarten through 5th grade students from 3 pm to 6 pm. There are currently 88 students in the program.
2. Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) - The newest program (2-years old) to prepare middle and high school Club Compass Alumni to prepare to graduate from high school and be ready for life afterwards. There are currently 25 youth in the program.
3. Camp Compass - In partnership with Public School District 186, it is a large summer program designed to prevent summer learning loss, close achievement & opportunity gaps, and provide a sense of belonging within a safe, supportive environment. The program recently received national recognition from the U.S. Department of Education as one of 13 “Engage Every Student” program champions in the nation and the only program from Illinois. This program served 924 students in 2024.
All three programs have experienced success in achieving and exceeding the stated goals.
The major takeaway from the update and the focus of the update relates to Camp Compass.
Camp Compass no longer has access to federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funds. As a result, the program needs to raise $2 million dollars by late January in order to support 750 students at 5 school sites. Without this private funding, the Camp Compass program will face further significant service cutbacks. SEE pictures below for more details.
Compass for Kids seeks Rotary help in raising awareness about the program’s needs and providing financial support where possible.
The Magic of Rotary was on display Saturday at the 2024 Rotary District 6460 Conference.
Our Club and fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors from throughout the district celebrated Rotary’s impact through inspirational stories of friendship, learning of program successes and participating in a service project for Midwest Missions.
Our Club enjoyed witnessing one of our own, Bill Kempiners (image below), receive the 2024 District 6460 Youth Service Award for his significant contributions to youth service.
Some magic speaking moments included:
• Our District Governor, Dan O’Brien, challenging us to change two people’s lives on this day.
• Magician Mitch Williams of the Canton Rotary Club dazzling us with his magic while delivering an inspirational message of hope and friendship.
• Dorthy Baldwin telling her story about overcoming polio, embracing life, and making a difference in other people’s lives.
• A moving remembrance of fellow Rotarians from our district that passed away.
• Iraq veteran John Taylor talking about the difficulty of working his way through the immigration system to bring his interpreter friend and his family to the United States in 2022 (image below on left). The interpreter was present (image below on right) and also spoke about his struggles to survive and protect his family in Iraq and the relief and happiness he and his family experienced finally being able to come to live in the United States (Kewanee, Illinois).
• Our Club’s Rod Buffington taking a moment to highlight the Rotary Day at the Ball Park fundraiser to support district literacy grants (image below), replete with leading in the singing of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” with Brian Barstead.
Conference attendees participated in a service project in the Main Room. Personal Dignity Kits (PDKs) were assembled for Midwest Missions out of Pawnee (image below), Illinois for use in humanitarian relief efforts.
The District’s Inbound Youth Exchange Students from various countries interacted extensively within the Conference. They participated in raising money to eradicate polio through Purple Pinkies for Polio (image below) in a spirited boys vs. girls competition, telling about their homelands and their experiences so far in the United States in breakout sessions and fronting a singing of “Let There Be Peace On Earth” for the closing ceremony.
The Breakout Sessions offered the opportunity to interact with other Clubs and highlighted the importance and impacts of meaningful programs offered by featured Rotary Clubs, Rotex Clubs, Rotaract Clubs and Interact Clubs. Featured programs included a Polio Plus bourbon raffle fundraiser, a human trafficking prevention program and a food pack program.
It was just a great Rotary day recognizing and celebrating friendship, community and service above self.
At the October 12 District Foundation Dinner (following the District Conference), District 6460 Foundation Chair Tom Stites (image above), with help from District Governor Dan O'Brien, presented citations to the District Clubs with outstanding giving to the Rotary International Foundation in 2023-2024
Our Club for received several citations for our financial support of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) of Rotary International at the Rotary Foundation Dinner at the University of Springfield Illinois. They were:
• #4 In Overall Foundation Giving by our Club, out of 53 clubs in our District.
• #3 In Average TRF Giving by members of our Club.
• # 3 in Polio Plus Giving by our Club.
Barry Tobias (image below), a past President and current Board member of our Club (on right) accepted the award from the Rotary District Governor, Dan O'Brien (on left).
Our Club members support TRF because they comprehend that partnering with TRF through our individual giving extends the beneficial reach of Rotary International and local Rotary clubs.
TRF funds our District Global Grants, District Club Grants, and Vocational Training Program Grants, and supports Polio Plus, and other Worldwide Projects. The amount available for District Grants each year is based on 50% of the amount of the District Designated Fund donations generated by District Annual Fund giving three years prior. Thus part of the donations from the District ultimately come back to the District for use for District Grants.
When Rotary Clubs identify an international project they want to support to make the world a better place, they can apply to TRF for a grant to match the funds already raised by the club(s) for that project.
Our Club has benefited from receiving a portion of our District funds almost every year for the past ten years to help with educational programs and hunger prevention programs.
Our Club members enjoy investing in improving the wellbeing of our worldwide and local communities!
Other highlights of the 2024 Rotary Foundation Dinner included recognition of Major Donors (including current members of our club Rod and Rosemary Buffington and Robert Stuart), Bequest Society Members (including current member of our club Robert Stuart), and Paul Harris Society Members (including current members of our club Janet Gooch, Robert Stuart, and Barry Tobias).
Pamela Stewart gave the keynote address (image below). She is the Rotary Zone 31 Foundation Coordinator. She has served in numerous Rotary club and district leadership roles in Louisiana, as well as in the zone leadership capacity. She received the 2022 Rotary International Service Above Self Award at the Rotary International Convention in Houston. She spoke about The Rotary Action Plan and the need to share Rotary's stories and impacts more widely. She encouraged us to include descriptions of our successful service projects on the Rotary International Service Center web page. She spoke about the need to remain vigilant about fundraising for PolioPlus. She provided an update on the appearance of polio in Gaza. The current campaign there has already vaccinated 560,000 children. She praised our District because 51% of our members donate to the TRF; while only 34% of Rotarians worldwide donate.
Tom Stites reported that the ticket sales for the club-donated raffle baskets of goods raised $1630 and announced the winners for the drawings. Pamela Stewart's name was called twice, so she had another individual selected for one of the baskets, and this time, it was our own John Webb (image below) who was selected.
Tom Stites announced that the Exchange Students raised $1000 for PolioPlus by painting purple pinkies during the District Conference. We raised monies for TRF at our District Conference. It was an inspirational conference and Foundation Dinner!
At or September 30 club meeting, we launched our annual Citrus Drive: The John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Drive. Let me explain why we honor John Montgomery (image above) in this manner. We began honoring him after we started our fishing tournament in 2010. We were looking for a name for the tournament. It became the John Montgomery Memorial Fishing Tournament. The fishing tournament was interrupted in 2020 by the pandemic and has since been halted. We decided to continue honoring John by naming our annual citrus drive after him.
So, who was John Montgomery? Born in Mason City, he overcame a difficult life to become a leading citizen of Springfield. He was a WWII Army veteran. Following his military service, John began work as a postal carrier in Mason City. He then went to work at the Springfield Clinic. He eventually became the administrator, today he would be called the CEO. He held this position for thirty-five years. When he joined the clinic in 1955 there were only 30 doctors; when he retired, there were over 100 doctors. He laid the foundation for what today is the outreach of the Springfield Clinic.
John was active with church, medical and civic groups. He joined our club in 1956. He was a Paul Harris Fellow and a past president of our club. He had 53 years of perfect attendance as a Rotarian. He was president of our club for the 1965-1966 fiscal year. Under his leadership, the club made four decisions that even today impact the way we operate, he did so by:
Sponsoring the Rotary Club of Springfield South as the second Rotary Club
Holding the club’s first community fundraiser, which was an auction
Organizing donations to local charities
Establishing the Springfield Rotary Foundation
John Montgomery was born on December 10, 1923; he died on September 13, 2009 at the age of 85. Last December was the 100-year anniversary of his birth. From humble beginnings, to community leader, that was John Montgomery!
We are proud to remember John Montgomery as a wonderful citizen and Rotarian. We keep his memory alive through the John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Drive.
The annual John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Drive is underway. Packets with information about this year’s campaign were passed out at our September 30th meeting. This year we are going to have California oranges and Florida grapefruit. We are using California oranges because of their quality versus the high maintenance aspect of Florida oranges. And as you know, we couldn’t get Florida oranges last year and already this year Florida oranges will not be available.
The cost for a large carton of California oranges is $8.00 to $10.00 higher than what we paid for a large carton of Florida oranges. Consequently, this year we have raised the price for all large citrus cartons to $60.00 except for grapefruit which will be $55.00 for a large carton. Accordingly, the price for all small citrus cartons will be $35.00 except for grapefruit small cartons which will remain at $30.00.
In selling citrus; the question remains: How do you convince a potential customer to buy a large quantity of citrus? First of all, the citrus will keep for an extended period of time, so it doesn’t have to be used in a short period. The oranges can last for five to six weeks; the grapefruit can last for ten to twelve weeks. If there is still resistance to buying the citrus, you can always present the idea of buying citrus for the foodbank. This choice provides citrus for food pantries, and the profit from the sale will be used to help other local charities.
This year’s Citrus Drive lasts for six weeks and concludes on Monday, November 11th. Don’t wait to the last minute to get started. Good luck in your efforts to sell citrus!
We had a festive off-site social night at the MaryFlor Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Springfield. We had lively conversation, some memorable margaritas, and prodigious amounts of absolutely delicious food. This locally and minority owned restaurant gave us a superb experience.
At our October 14 meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, Scott Dahl (image to left), Director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB), discussed Springfield tourism with our Club.
The SCVB is Springfield’s destination marketing organization. As a department of the City of Springfield, the SCVB markets Springfield as a unique convention, meeting and leisure destination.
Director Dahl informed us that Springfield area tourism is performing very well as an economic engine for our community, setting records in visitor-generated, new tax revenues in three consecutive years.
Director Dahl explained how the SCVB emphasizes the following five C’s for promoting Springfield and Sangamon County as an attractive travel destination and enhancing its public image as a compelling place to live and work:
1. Conventions - Attracting conventions and meetings to Springfield’s more than 30 hotels, representing 4,000 hotel rooms and 375,000 square feet of meeting space.
The SCVB is seeking to increase the Springfield’s hotel room annual occupancy rate to 60% (currently at 54%).
2. Communication - Maximizing the effectiveness of partnerships through networks and interaction. This effort utilizes partner updates, e-consumer platforms and convention alerts.
3. Collaboration - Working and with SCVB partners to maximize economic impact.
4. Compression - Selling/marketing Springfield in quadrants.
5. Creating Visitor Experiences - Establishing enjoyable visitor experiences through various means, including sidewalk welcomes, step on greetings, customized convention logos and more.
In addition to the Lincoln historic sites, Director Dahl highlighted the following sites and venues attracting visitors to and in Springfield that offer future opportunities to enhance the economic vitality of our community:
• Route 66 is Springfield’s number one tourist attraction, and it will be celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2026. Route 66’s 100th anniversary will enhance tourism in and around Springfield.
• Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Point is a sports entertainment and mixed use venue that once it is up and running in 2025 it projects to generate in excess of $25 million in direct spending for Springfield.
• Springfield Visitors Center is located on the first floor of the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office across from the Old State Capitol. The Center drew over 18,000 visitors in 2023, including visitors from all 50 states and 65 countries.
Placing the Center within the Lincoln-Herndon Law Office has increased the Center’s tourist traffic to the benefit of sites such as the Law Office itself.
Our Club commends Director Dahl and his team for their successful efforts to ensure that Springfield and the surrounding area remain a desirable business and leisure destination. Being such a destination, economically and socially benefits our community.
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.
October 28, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs
Club Assembly on Membership
Membership Director Harry Mitchell (image on left) will lead club members in a series of activities about what members can do to help our membership grow. This is the first part of a two part series. The second part will be scheduled later and consider how to keep members engaged.
November 4, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
William D. Engelnrecht, Author: An American Banker in Paris - Nelson Dean Jay
November 11, 2024 Club Meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, 5:30-6:45 p.m.
Erica Smith, Executive Director of Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach: HSMO Medical Supply and Distribution Services
Erica will speak about the supply and distributions services they provide to hospitals and clinics around the world, including distributions in the Ukraine.
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
Bill Sturm needs a few volunteers to help repair flags with bent poles or torn flags. Please consider volunteering to assist with this important project. Contact Bill Sturm via email at SturmDMD@hotmail.com. Please help us keep the flags in good shape like the one Roger Randolph is holding in the image above.
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.
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.
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: Thank you, 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: Harry Mitchell
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!
October 7 Book Drive for Club Members
Thanks to all the members who brought in books for our Little Libraries. See President's Comments in this Newsletter.
October 4 United Way Fall Day of Action
Thanks to all who participated in this service project. We received a thank you note from the United Way (image below).
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.
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. Bill Sturm needs at least two volunteers to assist with repairs for flags with bent poles and torn flags. Please contact him at SturmDMD@hotmaill.com to volunteer. John Loftus also 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
We launched the 2024 John Montgomery Memorial Citrus Drive at our September 30 club meeting. At this meeting Bill Smith launched the campaign and provided background on the outstanding Rotarian that the campaign is dedicated to (see Bill's articles in this Newsletter). The citrus committee is already holding planning meetings. If you would like to volunteer for this committee, let Marty know. All members should be selling healthful oranges and grapefruit to 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.
These images show Rodd Hodel and his granddaughter Audra Hodel on the final 2024 flag pickup in September, 2024 (image on left) and clothing sorting for Safe Families for Children for the United Way Fall Day of Action on October 4, 2024 (image below).
We have been commemorating World Polio Day over the past week through posts on our Club's Facebook and Instagram pages, a ClubRunner email to all members, and submission of Letters to the Editors of the Illinois Times and State Journal-Register. President Elect and Public Relations Committee Member John Webb has prepared these materials to draw attention to World Polio Day and provide information on the local history of polio in Sangamon county, Rotary International's efforts on the worldwide eradication of polio, and the continuing threat of polio in the World. Rotary International continues to play an instrumental role in polio vaccination programs across the world and in promoting the need to continue this fight. We have shared some of these posts and articles in this Newsletter. 
The Rotary District 6460 Conference convened at the UIS Student Union on Saturday, October 12. Bob Stuart, Bill Smith, Rod Buffington, Barry Tobias, Bonnie Styles, Bill Kempiners, Jim Applegate, and John Webb represented our club at the meeting. The conference was followed by the Rotary Foundation Dinner in the evening. Bob Stuart, Bill Smith, Barry Tobias, and Bonnie Styles attended the dinner, and our club was recognized as one of the top five clubs in the District for overall donations to the the Rotary International Foundation. The theme of this years District Conference was The Magic of Friendship. The articles below provide highlights from the District Conference and describes the citations for our club that were presented at the Foundation Dinner. 
We had a festive off-site social night at the MaryFlor Mexican Restaurant in Downtown Springfield. We had lively conversation, some memorable margaritas, and prodigious amounts of absolutely delicious food. This locally and minority owned restaurant gave us a superb experience.
At our October 14 meeting at Maldaners Upstairs, Scott Dahl (image to left), Director of the Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau (SCVB), discussed Springfield tourism with our Club.
Membership Director Harry Mitchell (image on left) will lead club members in a series of activities about what members can do to help our membership grow. This is the first part of a two part series. The second part will be scheduled later and consider how to keep members engaged.
These images show Rodd Hodel and his granddaughter Audra Hodel on the final 2024 flag pickup in September, 2024 (image on left) and clothing sorting for Safe Families for Children for the United Way Fall Day of Action on October 4, 2024 (image below).
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