Dear Fellow Rotarians,
As we come to the close of November—Rotary Foundation Month—I want to thank each of you for a truly remarkable and energizing month of service, fellowship, learning, and celebration. Our Club continues to demonstrate what it means to Unite for Good, and November offered countless examples of Rotary at its best.
An Engaging District Conference at UIS
Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors from across District 6460 gathered at the 2025 District Conference at the University of Illinois, Springfield (UIS). It was a day filled with inspiring speakers, shared ideas, meaningful conversations, and concrete examples of Rotary impact.
Our Club was proud to hear Bob Stuart share his powerful Rotary journey (image below), including his firsthand experiences with polio immunization, tsunami recovery, and post-Katrina rebuilding efforts.
Among the many highlights of the conference:
- Rod Buffington and Brian Barstead provided an energizing update on Rotary Day at the Ballpark—complete with a singalong of Take Me Out to the Ballgame (first image above).
- A touching memorial honored Rotarians across the District, including our own Steve Schwark.
- District 6060 Governor Ralph Zuke shared the story of his rickshaw ride to the Rotary International Convention in Calgary to raise awareness and funds for ending polio—then offered rides to attendees for polio donations (second image above).
- District 6429’s Ciara Stahly inspired attendees with stories of her life-changing Youth Exchange experiences.
- Exchange students from around the world, including our exchange student Eva, opened the conference with a vibrant flag ceremony (first image below) and supported Purple Pinkies for Polio.
- Conference attendees assembled student kits for Midwest Missions, helping children worldwide learn and thrive. (second image below)
- Breakout sessions showcased impactful club projects—pollinator gardens, peace poles, winter coat drives, domestic violence awareness, and Rotaract collaborations.
It was a day that truly reaffirmed why we are Rotarians.
Club Meetings, Speakers & Milestones
With full Board support, I announced a 2026 schedule change designed to strengthen engagement, accessibility, and flexibility for current and prospective members.
In 2026, four of our Monday evening meetings at Maldaner’s will shift to one-hour lunch meetings, held from 11:50 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Maldaner’s. The restaurant fully supports this change and will continue providing a buffet-style meal.
Lunch Meetings (replacing evening meetings):
- Monday, January 26
- Monday, February 23
- Monday, March 23
- Monday, April 27
This adjustment preserves our tradition of meeting at Maldaner’s on Mondays for roughly 75% of the year, while offering an alternate meeting time to enhance member recruitment and participation.
Our November Club meetings also included a special visit from District 6460 Governor Bill Knake (image below), who shared stories from around the District and highlighted the significance of our Club’s contributions. His visit also reminded us to mark our calendars for Rotary Family Day at the Ballpark 2026.
At that same meeting, we celebrated several club milestones:
- Miranda Smith received her Rotary badge (image below).
- Early plans for our All Club Holiday Party took shape.
- Our Paul Harris Giving Circles were previewed.
During November we also welcomed Amy Voils, Executive Director of MERCY Communities, who shared how MERCY provides housing, stability, and support for families experiencing homelessness—along with opportunities for hands-on service.
Heather Morganson and Sara Womack from the Rutledge Youth Foundation (image below) joined us to continue our tradition of supporting the Angel Tree Program, distributing angels for members to sponsor. Bonnie Styles led a Club Assembly focused on our new membership orientation process—an important step in ensuring every new member is welcomed and engaged. See the Calendar in this Newsletter for deadlines for delivering your angel tree gifts to the Rutledge Youth Foundation.
I was honored to represent our Club at Lights, Camera, Goodwill at UIS (image below), where Land of Lincoln Goodwill Industries recognized us for our support of their youth services.
Service in Motion
The John Montgomery Rotary Citrus Drive was active all month long. Thank you to everyone who has been promoting sales and will deliver oranges and grapefruit and volunteer in the warehouse in December. This important fundraiser fuels our Club’s community grants and supports the Central Illinois Foodbank, helping us support local needs year after year. Special thanks to Marty Michelson for Chairing the Citrus Committee and to Bill Smith (image below) for managing the citrus sale and warehouse and keeping us updated on the process. See the article in this Newsletter on volunteer opportunities in the warehouse during the first week in December.
Celebrating Rotary’s Global Connections
We celebrated our inbound Youth Exchange Student Eva's birthday, complete with a cake (image to left) and the club singing Happy Birthday (first image below). We also heard stories about her dinner at Flavor of India and a lively performance of Mamma Mia! at PORTA High School, which were hosted by our very own Brandy Zanger (see story in this Newsletter). At our meeting, Eva also answered a series of questions proposed by Brandy that enabled us to get to know her better. On another occasion, Brandy and I enjoyed watching Eva perform beautifully with the Illinois Symphony Youth Orchestra at the Autumn Orchestra Festival at Southeast High School in Springfield (second image below).
We also continued our tradition of international fellowship with Bob Stuart’s Absolut vodka toast to our friends in the Rotary Club of Växjö, Sweden at the beginning of the month (image below). Later in the month, Bob offered another international toast with Australian wine that was a celebration of Eva's birthday, the Rotary International Foundation, PolioPlus, and a distinguished Rotarian.
Fellowship & Fun
Rotary fellowship was alive and well in November. Our social night at Engrained Brewing Company (lead image and image below) brought a great turnout and even better conversation. Connecting with each other beyond weekly meetings continues to strengthen our Club’s bonds and our ability to serve.
Looking Ahead
As we head into December and its Rotary International theme of Disease Prevention and Treatment, I want to express my gratitude to all you for your time, your passion, your generosity, and your willingness to serve. November reminded us that we are a community of people dedicated to making positive change, near and far.
All the best to each of you,
John Webb, President