Last week we had our installation dinner and our new officers for the Rotary year 2026-2027 were installed by District Governor Elect Mariana Alfar who outlined Jason's history and accomplishments in Rotary in his five years as a Rotarian. Juliet was thanked for her leadership and dedication to Rotary that she showed as our president this past year. Thank you to the retiring board members, Miriam and Brian, for all their time and efforts to our club. Here are this next year's officers:
President Jason Davis
President Elect Hetal Wallace
President Nominee Cass Young
Secretary
Leslie Forman
Co-Treasurers
Shannon O’Connor Dan Stanczak
Directors at Large
Stephen Legge
Santosh Shanmugam Jerry Levy
Immediate Past President
Juliet Ziak
The following members were recognised:
Community Service Award - Hetal Wallace
Service Above Self Award - Denie Pomilia
International Service Award - Martha Weiss Distinguished Member Award - Rob Seitz
Dennis has requested that we have 100% participation in the golf outing. Auction prizes, golfers, sponsorships, etc. or he will be talking to his “FRIENDS “.
Our club committee of Martha, Juliet and Cass are meeting with members of the Arlington Heights Club (the lead club), and the Palatine and River Cities Clubs to plan our walk on October 24, 2026 at 10 am when Rotarians from Zones 25b & 29 will be participating in the World's Largest Polio Walk. District 6440 is encouraging us to be a part of this event with 22 other districts across 13 states and two countries. This will be a fun comunity walk at Lake Arlington to raise awareness of Rotary's End Polio Now campaign and to fundraise for it.
The Buffalo Grove Fire Department (BGFD) proudly participates in the Illinois Fire Safety Alliance’s “Be Alarmed!” program, offering free smoke detector installations to all residents of the Village of Buffalo Grove. As part of this statewide initiative, BGFD installs 10-year sealed lithium battery smoke alarms, designed to provide long‑term, tamper-resistant protection in the home. The department also installs specialized bed shaker systems for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, ensuring inclusive fire‑alert coverage through strobe lighting and mattress‑mounted vibration devices. There is no minimum or maximum number of smoke detectors per home—BGFD will install as many units as are needed to provide proper coverage and meet safety guidelines. BGFD has a strong history of large‑scale installation efforts. Since inception of the program in Buffalo Grove, we have installed over 950 detectors in the community, replacing outdated alarms and improving fire safety across the community.
Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detectors
Illinois law and Buffalo Grove code require every residence to have at least one functioning carbon monoxide detector, located within 15 feet of sleeping areas. These detectors are not supplied by BGFD and must be provided by the homeowner. However, if a resident already owns a CO detector and needs help installing it, BGFD is happy to assist with installation.
Stephen and Dan are excited to announce the dates for the next Ak’ Tenamit project: The trip will be Saturday, February 20 through Tuesday, March 2, 2027.
Buffalo Grove Rotarians (and family members) will have priority until May 31, 2026. After that, space will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.
BG Rotarians making their first trip to Ak’ Tenamit are eligible for a club subsidy of up to $1500. Please contact Stephen or Dan to reserve your spot!
For your calendar - Bowlero with the Village's Rick Kahen Commission for Residents with Disabilities - October 29, 2026 (Thursday), 6:00 - 8:00
Our club will be having a booth at the following events to raise awareness of our club and Rotary:
National Night Out - Tuesday, August 4 - Mike Rylko Community Park, (near the Spray ‘N Play) at 951 McHenry Road in Buffalo Grove from 5:00 - 8:30 pm.
Community Services and Wellness Fair -Sunday, August 23, 2026, 7:30 am to 12:30 pm, Mike Rylko Community Park, near the Buffalo Grove Farmers Market
Green Fair - Sunday, September 20 - Mike Rylko Community Park, near the farmers market, 7:30 am to noon
Martha will be doing signups for shifts for these events. Thank you for helping out!
Sign-up lists are now open for our Duck Race site sales and all Buffalo Grove Days volunteer opportunities! Please take a look and sign up for a shift, or two, or three! We need lots of hands to make this a success.
**Duck Race Site Sales (ahead of BG Days)**
Sunset Foods (Long Grove): Saturday, Aug 15 & Sunday, Aug 16
Buffalo Grove Farmers Market: Sunday, Aug 23 & Sunday, Aug 30
Every shift helps! Whether it's an hour or a whole day, we appreciate you pitching in. Thanks in advance for supporting the club and making this year's Duck Race and Buffalo Grove Days a great one!
Deenie Pomilia July 6 Tim Kirsininkas July 16 Glenn Meier July 28
July, 2026 Service Anniversaries
Dan Stanczak 1 year July 1, 2025 Joe Zimmermann 1 year July 1, 2025 Bill Balling 43 years July 1, 1983 Dan Schimmel 16 years July 8, 2010 Lisa Seitz 1 year July 10, 2025 Joan Karge 18 years July 15, 2008
July 16, 2025 Greeter: Glenn Meier Pledge: Bill Donahue 4-Way Test: Tom Kloepfer Thought of the Day: Arzu Ozcan Ricky D. Joke: Tara Kelly Member Moment: Glenn Meier Fun & Frolics: Bruce Piepenbrink
July 23, 2025 Greeter: Miriam Campbell Pledge: Vlada Nakhlis 4-Way Test: Steve Koebernick Thought of the Day: Pete Panayiotou Ricky D. Joke: Anne Kiwala Member Moment: Jing O’Brien Fun & Frolics: Sita Prakasan
July 30, 2025 Greeter: Shawn Collins Pledge: Village Corp. 4-Way Test: Stephen Legge Thought of the Day: Park Dist. Corp. Ricky D. Joke: Deb Smith Member Moment: Shannon O’Connor Fun & Frolics: Dan Schimmel
