Stories

• Bill Norwood
• Kathy Quatman
• Petra Erlewein
• Stephen Grabowski
• Orazio Miro
• Dean Jalovec

A good time was to be had at the Itasca Chamber Dueling Pianos Event attended by some members of our club. 

Congratulations to Donna Bartoli, Kitty Wiener, and Rosanna DeFrenza for continuting to grow their Paul Harris status. 

The Elk Grove Rotary Club welcomed it's newest Paul Harris Members this week!!  Pictured is Paula Sheffield, Ed Ruszkowski and Felicia Nelson.

Elk Grove Rotary Club welcomed David Maska, Site Director, for the PADS site located at Christus Victor Church.  David has been a PADS volunteer for over 7 years.  PADS has provided shelter and food for over 900 adults and 14 children over the last year alone. PADS has been in service since 1982 and has 15 local sites.  For information on becoming a PADS volunteer, call Christus Victor Church. The Elk Grove Rotary Club is proud to support this organization. 

Join us for the 2014 Elk Grove Rotary Scholarship Golf Outing

Elk Grove Rotary Club Scholarships provide thousands of dollars in financial support to worthy local resident students attending a college, university or vocational school upon high school completion.  100% of proceeds from this outing go directly to fund these scholarships!  Join us for an incredible day of golf, games, raffles & more!  Sponsorship opportunities are still available.  For complete details, visit the downloads section on the right side of this site to download your reservation form and complete event details.

Event Information

Thursday, Oct 2, 2014

Fox Run Golf Links

12:00 Noon Registration/Lunch

1:00 PM Shotgun Start

5:30 PM Cash Bar

6:00 PM Dinner

Mead Junior High School began their official first day of school on Wednesday August 27^th.  Elk Grove Rotary presented staff with a cake to get the year started on a sweet track.  The Club welcomed the teachers and administrative staff back and thanked them for all they do for our community kids!  Mostly, for the school's involvement or Interact and Mead Food Pantry.  

Pictured is Leigh Ferstein and Lily Smith, Mead Vice Principal.

As Lawrence Temfwe spoke to the Elk Grove Rotary Club about our club’s partnership in providing clean water to people in Mapolo Zambia, he wanted to “dance in gratitude.” 

Because of our partnership people will not be forced to depend on wells that are not deep enough to provide clean water. Over 800 children have access to this bore hole pictured here, and can drink clean water, be healthy and spend time in school. Martha Temfwe also shared how through Jubilee Center for only $35 a month children can be sponsored to enable them to get an education. Through our club, Lawrence has been able to form a partnership with the local Rotary club in Zambia, this could just be the beginning!  Thanks to the International Committee and all the supporting Rotarians that make great things like this happen.

Pictured Cheri Dial, Rotary President, and Club Member, Dale Markay, who spoke to our club, in the Know Your Rotarian segment.  Dale has always been a hard worker.  He has had many jobs in his early years such as life guard, bus boy, food handler and security guard.  All before settling in his current career of commercial real estate.  His company is located in Elk Grove.  His education includes Political Science, History, and Law.  Dale lives in Glen Ellyn with his 2 daughters and his wife and college sweetheart.  He has been a Rotarian for over 5 years serving for several years as the International Project Chair.  

Pictured above is Tuki Sathaye, Itasca Library Director, and Paula Sheffield, who serves on the Vocational Committee and the Itasca Chamber Board. Through Paula's and Tuki's business synergies, the Itasca Library generously donated hundreds of books that were given out to Elk Grove school children on Literacy Day.  The Elk Grove Rotary Club made a donation to Itasca Library in recognition of their support.  Members of the Elk Grove Rotary Club organize and participate in a variety of activities each year on Literacy Day, including donating new and used books to children and schools, reading to preschool children, and acting out short literacy-themed skits for local schools.   

Rotary Fest is the largest fundraiser for the Elk Grove Rotary Club.  All of the community support for local and/or international projects, scholarships, and Mead Food Pantry (to name only a few) would not be possible without it.  The 5 day event is supported by our generous sponsors, giving volunteers, Club Rotarians, and many others. A wonderful evening was shared with dinner and our Club's gratitude to all that make the Fest a success.    

The Elk Grove Rotary Club conducts community service a few times a year by donating volunteer time in support the Kenneth Young Center Resale Shop.  For over 20 years now, the KYC Resale Shop has donated 100% of all proceeds (after taxes) back to assist members in our community.   KYC is a not-for-profit organization providing mental health and senior services locally.  The KYC Resale shop accepts donations every day of the week and is located at 1150 S. Roselle Rd, Schaumburg.  Volunteer opportunities are available as well. 

Steve Pickett, originally from Indiana, has been an Elk Grove resident since 1986.  He is married and has 2 children.  He has been a club member since 2007.  Some of his contributions in the club include Rotary Fest Food Vendor Chair and Vocational Chair.  The Vocational Committee is responsible for the process of awarding thousands of dollars to local resident high school senors attending college or vocational schools the following fall. The committee is also responsible for Literacy Day in which Rotarians actually read story books to young age school children in the community and then donate books to the school.  Among many interesting personal facts about Steve is the fact that his older brother, Rod, is also an Elk Grove Club member.    

Club President, Cheri Dial, welcomes Melissa Karner (pictured above), Event and Grant Manager, for Fellowship Housing, located in Hoffman Estates, IL.  For 20 years, Fellowship Housing has demonstrated love, support and assistance to over 600 single moms and their children through a 2 year transitional housing program that focuses on accountability and a path to independence upon program completion.  After the 2 year program, moms have increased income, better credit scores, and decreased debt. The Elk Grove Rotary Club is one source of support for this organization.

The Elk Grove Rotary Club welcomes our first member of the Rotary year, John Bourke, Account Executive with US Corrugated.  Pictured is Cheri Dial, Club President, John Bourke, and Ed Ruszkowski, sponsoring member and John's father in law.  Now that's keeping Rotary in the family.  

Welcome our new Club President, Cheri Dial as she leads our first meeting of the new Rotary year!

Janina shows off her fancy new Chicago Black Hawks jacket.  The club presented the jacket to Janina as a token of our appreciation for the past year.  Janina is the Rotary clubs Exchange student from Finland.  Janina has spent the last year here learning about the American Culture.  Janina has seen alot of the area including downtown Chicago, Brookfield Zoo, Cubs Game, Hawks Games, Medevil Times, Disney on Ice, and the Chicago Sky Basketball game just to name a few.  The club was fortunate to have Janina for the past year and we were proud to have her represent The Elk Grove Rotary Club at all of the Rotary Exchange Student programs.

New Elk Grove Rotary President Cheri Dial thanks the outgoing President Rosanna DeFrenza for her incredible service to the club with the traditional Gold Gavel.  This will be Cheri's second time leading the incredible Elk Grove Rotary Club.

President Rosanna DeFrenza presents Steve Pickett with the Rotarian of the year award during the Installation dinner held at The Avalon Banquet hall in Elk Grove Village.  This has been an incredible year and all of the Rotarians did an exceptional job but Steve stood out among the club.  Steve spent endless hours as the Vocational chair overseeing the scholarships and literacy projects.  Steve also organized the Golf outing as well as the Food Vendors for the RotaryFest.  Steve truly exemplifies what it is to be a Rotarian.

Janina having a good time at the Installation dinner held at Avalon Banquets in Elk Grove Village.  Fun was had by all.

The Elk Grove Rotary Club contributed some funding as well as some time to help make one of the Elk Grove Fire Stations look a little nicer.  Some of the Fireman along with some Friends of Rotary are pictured above with the beautiful flower bed which was created and cared for by Elk Grove Rotarians and the Friends of Rotary.

Elk Grove Rotary club is please to announce that the club has had one of its best Festivals ever.  Good weather is the biggest reason for the high attendance at this years fest.  Warm days and cool evenings were perfect for enjoying great food and drinks while listening to the incredible entertainment.  The patrons also had lots of fun at the carnival where several new rides were included at this years fest.  A big thank you to every one who supported the festival.

Elk Grove Rotary Clubs Rotaryfest 2014 has concluded as well as the Raffle.  Pictured above is Brian Marston holding the Chicago BlackHawks Hockey stick which was donated to us from the Blackhawks organization.  The stick was signed by the entire team.

The Winner is..............  Sharon Kaczmarek.

Congratulations to Sharon and a big thank you to her as well as everyone else who supported our Raffle and Fest.

President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks Chad Froeschle after his presentation to the Elk Grove Rotary Club.  Chad has been teaching for 20 years and the last 13 have been at Elk Grove High School.  Chad spoke to the club about the new program starting called the Elk Grove High School's Business Incubator.  The program is based off the extremely successful program that has been done for the last two years at Barrington High School.  The incubator program looks for mentors and coach's in the community to help give real business experience in the classroom.

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks Tom Cimino after his presentation to the Rotary Club.  Tom is a Solutions Architect with Verizon.  Tom spoke to the club about the ever changing world of technology in particular about going green and paperless.

Elk Grove Rotary club hosted a dinner at Black Steer Char house in honor of the scholarship winners.  Pictured above in the back row from left to right is Gina Cirrincionne, DeAnna Duffy, Mary Francis Blonde, Elk Grove Rotarian Steve Pickett, Jerrson Pachar,and Robert Wozniak.  Front Row from left to right David Atkin, Marki Kaim and Kyle Brown.  Steve Pickett is the Vocational Chair for the Elk Grove Rotary Club and organized the evening for the students and their families for what was a special evening for all that were in attendance.  The club ended up handing out $15,000 in scholarships to the high school senior that are graduating and continuing their education.  Two other recipients that were unable to attend the event were Megan Frintner and Marisha Achanzar.

Workers begin drilling the new well as local residents watch with anticipation of what will be clean drinking water for the town of Mapolo.  The Elk Grove Rotary club has approved funding and work has begun on the Zambia Water Well Project.  Women and children will walk miles in areas of Zambia to get clean drinking water.  The addition of the well is a life changer to those in the nearby area.

Members of The Mead interact and Mead Staff are pictured above with some of the Elk Grove Rotarians.  The Mead interact showed the club a wonderful presentation about all of the incredible things the Interact has accomplished this year.  The club also had the opportunity to meet some of the new Interact Board members for next year.

Elk Grove Rotarians spent the afternoon at the 2014 Business Expo.  It was a wonderful opportunity to inform the event participants about Rotary International and the incredible Elk Grove Rotary club.  Information was passed on about membership opportunities as well as volunteer opportunities.  It was also a great time to tell everyone about our great Rotaryfest.

The Jarosch cookies were a big hit at the Business Expo.  These wonderful cookies were handed out  along with some great information about the Elk Grove Rotary Club.

Newest Rotarian Paul Kelly is welcomed to the club by President Rosanna DeFrenza and Rotarian Bill Beaupre.  Paul Kelly is the principal of Elk Grove High school and will be a great addition to the growing Elk Grove Rotary Club.

Elk Grove Rotarian Bill Marston and Bill Beaupre are interviewed by EGTV's Sue Heaton for an upcoming addition of In the Grove.  The Two Rotarians were on the show promoting the upcoming Rotaryfest which will be from June 11-15.  The segment will air multiple times in May on Channel 6.  The two talked about the large carnival, multiple food vendors, incredible live entertainment as well as the 5K run and Classic car show.  Those of you that do not get channel 6, do not worry, the show can also be watched on the EGTV website on-demand.

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza welcomes the newest member into the club at our regular lunch meeting.  Dr. Jesse Peterman is an optometrist with the Lossman Eye Care Associates. 

Teachers at Mead Junior High got Pies in the face as part of the Week long Fund raiser to End Polio.  Several teachers took pies in the face, painted heads and hair purple, sang and danced in front of the whole student body at the most recent assembly.  All was done for a good cause to raise money to help eradicate Polio around the world. 

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks Elk Grove Village Police Sergeant Matthew Fiorito for speaking at the regular Rotary lunch.  Sergeant Fiorito was extremely informative about current issues within the community and about the upcoming Rotaryfest.

Several Elk Grove Rotarians attended the Paul Harris Luncheon during the Rotary International District 6440 Conference.  The Conference was located at Oak Brook Hills Resort and was from April 11 until April 13.  The lunch was intended to celebrate and recognize individuals that have made a commitment to the Rotary Foundation.  The Foundation is key to funding the Power of Rotary to change th world with projects like ending Polio and providing clean water around the world.  Elk Grove Rotary Club has a long tradition of supporting the foundation and was previously designated as a 100% Paul Harris Club.  One interesting fact is that 50% of people join Rotary for Service and 50% of people join Rotary for Fellowship.

The Elk Grove Rotary CLub was honored to have Mayor Craig B. Johnson talk at our Lunch.  Mayor Johnson is a Honorary Paul Harris of the club and is a good friend to Rotary.  The club was happy to see the Mayor especially since the Mayor had surgery less than 2 months ago to repair his heart.  The Mayor told the club that the Village is in very good shape especially with the increase in sales tax revenues.  The Village has recently completed the bike bridge in Busse, approved a TIF district and recently passed new guidelines for rental properties. 

President Rosanna DeFrenza and and sponsoring Rotarian Bill Beaupre induct new Rotarian Bob Murphy(center) into the club at the regular lunch meeting at Black Steer Char House.  Bob Murphy is currently the Assistant Principal of Student Activities at Elk Grove High School. 

Margaret Holler with the Elk Grove Parks Foundation presents President Rosanna DeFrenza with a certificate congratulating the club for being awarded a Gold Leaf.  The Gold Leaf will be part of the wonderful tree as you enter the Elk Grove Pavilion.  The Leaf was awarded because of the fund raising from the bike-a-thon to help the Parks Foundation.

Elk Grove Rotary Club was presented a Gold Leaf from the Elk Grove Park District's Foundation.  The Gold Leaf will be proudly displayed on the tree as you enter the Elk Grove Pavilion.  The Leaf was awarded because of the clubs incredible commitment and fund raising for the Park Foundations bike-a-thon.  Several rotarians participated riding stationary bikes to raise funds to help residents in need to help fund programming.

Elk Grove Rotarian Bill Beaupre is seen dancing during the Polio Presentation at Mead Jr. High.  The picture in the back shows Psy, an incredible entertainer and supporter of the End Polio Now.  The picture of Psy was part of the "this Close" Campaign which represents the world being 99% Polio Free.  The event was held to educate the entire school about Polio as well as kicking of the Mead Interacts Polio Fund Raiser.

Almost 700 students, staff, administration, and guests are shown doing the "This Close" symbol meaning the world is 99% Polio free and we are "This Close" to eradicating Polio.  The Elk Grove Rotary club was invited to make a presentation about the history of Polio and and how Rotary is fighting to eradicate the horrible disease.  The Elk Grove Rotary Club has sponsored the Mead Interact Club which will now be doing an incredible fund raiser to help eradicate Polio.  The Rotary Club has agreed to match all dollars collected up to $1500.

President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks Rick Lochner after he spoke to the club about attitude.  Rick spoke about how improving ones attitude can lead to better success.  Rick also spoke about the importance of goal setting. 

Kevin Walter, a good friend of the club as well as an Honorary Paul Harris was kind enough to visit our club during our regular lunch at Black Steer Charhouse.  Kevin is the owner of Tasty Catering and talked to us about The Game of Business.  Kevin talked about the importance of having employees act and feel like owners so they take a vested interest in the company.  The over all effect is positive for everyone as well as the profitability of the company.  The ideas come from the book written by Jack Stack.

Elk Grove Rotary Club welcomed Jenna and Jake Holmqvist(pictured lower-center) to the regular lunch at Black Steer Charhouse.  Jenna and Jake are the brother and sister of Janina(pictured lower-center yellow shirt).  Jenna and Jake are having a wonderful time here and will be returning to Finland after their short visit.

President Rosanna DeFrenza presents Nanette Sowa with the clubs recent donation of $1000.  Nanette is the Superintendent of Development.  The Special Leisure Foundation is a separate entity that is used to raise funds for the NWSRA.  The Northwest Special Recreation Association takes care of a large area which include 17 Park Districts and covers a service area about the size of Milwaukee.  NWSRA helps children and adults with disabilities to explore all of their opportunities through recreation.

The Northwest Special Recreation Association awards The Elk Grove Rotary club with the Community Service Award.  Elk Grove Rotary has supported the association for many years and has contribute over $12,000 during those years and has also organized a wonderful event for the kids during Rotaryfest.

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks J. Tieri from the Illinois Secretary of State Police.  Investigator Tieri was extremely informative educating the club on Fraudulent ID's.  Several key items can be used to spot a fraudulent ID including Red and Green Backgrounds, Vertical and horizontal pictures as well as the thermal bond imaging used by the state.  It is also important to view the micro print imaging and laser graphics of the State seal.  In addition check to make certain the birthdate, driver license number and expiration coincide.

President Rosanna DeFrenza presents Sandy Sullivan with a Rotary Coffee Cup to thank her for talking to the club about her life and book.  Sandy Sullivan ia an author and motivational speaker from Wisconsin.  Sandy was born in Mauston, Wisconsin and getting a job at age 19 to work at a Sentinel Sports show in 1960 really changed her life.  SAndy talked about all the great people she including Vince Lombardi and all of the great packer players of the 60's.  She stressed to take opportunities when a door opens and to stay friend for life.  Sandy is the author of the book Green Bay Love Stories and other affairs which is a memoir from Packers glory days.

             _{June 11th - 15th}

<sub>Come enjoy live entertainment, food, beer, fireworks, carnival and much more. This annual event draws thousands of visitors each year. 
Don't miss this Elk Grove Village summertime tradition. 

Lions Park
200 Rev. Morrison Blvd.
Elk Grove Village

Click here for the 2014 RotaryFest schedule</sub>

Rotarian Bill Beaupre and his Family treated Janina to a wonderful afternoon in Chicago at the United Center with the incredible Disney On Ice show.  Pictured above are Gabby and Janina enjoying themselves with their new hats and colorful programs.  The show included many Disney favorites skating to the great Disney songs.  We got to see Mickey, Minnie, Buzz, Jessie, Goofy, Pluto, tink, and many of the incredible princesses.  Fun was had by all.

President Rosanna DeFrenza Thanks Paul Kelly(Principal) and Bob Murphy(Vice Principal student activities) from Elk Grove High School after they updated the club regarding the exciting new 5K race.  The Race will be held the Saturday of Rotaryfest which is June 14 at 11:30 am.  The race will have entertainment along the route and will end at the fest with a band playing under the big tent.  The event is being organized by the Elk Grove High school to raise funds for the school as well as funds for The Soldier Memoria Fundl.  The run is being supported by Elk Grove Village as well as the Elk Grove Rotary club.  Visit www.egrocknrun5k.com for all of the information and to sign up.  Sign up early to guarantee a Dry Fit shirt.

President Rosanna Defrenza thanks the members of the Mead Interact club which made a wonderful presentation during our regular lunch meeting.  The kids are extremely involved with the community and are committed to making the world a better place.  They talked about many of their activities including Candy Grams.  The students arranged selling candy canes for .50 and then they  would deliver them with little notes.  The event took place during the holiday season and raised about $1500.  The students then went to Target and did some shopping for local families who asked for things from the giving tree.  The students have done a wonderful job with many other events including a Halloween dance,  partnership breakfast as well performing a play for the preschoolers to promote literacy..  The Interact club also spends many hours helping to run and supply the food pantry which is located in the school.  The children have done a wonderful job but the staff at the school should also be congratulated for their  support to foster such superior ethics and character.

President Rosanna DeFrenza accepts the award from Lori Chalfie, Barbara Howard and Marjorie Orr.  Christ the Healer Award was presented to the club in gratitude of the clubs $25,000 commitment over a five year period to support Alexian Brothers School Mental Health Service Project.  We are currently in the second year of the commitment and were pleased to present Alexian Brothers with a check for $5000.  The program is designed to support student mental health at Elk Grove High School.  A specialist is able to be on site several days a week for students addressing issues like academic , grief , loss, family, and other areas of mental health for teens.

Find the application here.

Elk Grove Rotary Club has been giving out scholarships for many years and in just the last ten years have given out close to $150,000 to local seniors graduating and wanting to further their education.  Last years lunch was hosted by the club for the winners at BlackSteer Charhouse(pictured above).  The scholarships offered are a little different in that you could apply for one of three different types.  The first is for an individual attending a four year college or University.  The second is for an individual attending a two year or community college.  The Third is for an individual applying to a vocational college to pursue a career like Beautician or Auto Mechanic.  The applicant must live in Elk Grove Village, have decent grades and have been involved in some community service.  Review the application for all guidelines and qualifying criteria.  The Scholarship application  can be found to the side of this website listed under the download section.  Take time and apply today you could be one of this years winners!

Elk Grove Rotarians along with friends and family gathered for a wonderful evening of cheer to celebrate the Holiday season at the Westwood Tavern and Tap in Schaumburg.  The night was filled with lots of surprises including a picture slide show of all of the Rotarians in action.

Several Elk Grove Rotarians spent time on  Saturday at the Elk Grove Park District Foundations Spin-a-Thon.  The Rotarians rode stationary bikes for an hour to raise funds which will allow less advantage children the ability to participate in Park District activities.  The wonderful snowman was decorated by Rotarians and can be seen at the Park District Pavilion during the Holiday season.

Elk Grove Rotarians show appreciation to the local seniors with a wonderful holiday lunch.  Every year the club caters a holiday feast with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, corn, cranberries, rolls and a wonderful cake from Jarosch bakery.  The local high school students sing and entertain prior to the feast to get everyone into the holiday spirit.

President Rosanna DeFrenza Thanks Jeff Scanlan after his entertaining presentation to the club.  Jeff is a professional magician and master artist of impossible bottles.  Jeff has been entertaining throughout the country including Fortune 500 companies for more than 21 years.  Jeff used his magic to entertain while showing the club how to become better problem solvers.

Board members from The Mead Junior High Interact perform an adaptation of the Three Little Pigs for children from the Early Childhood Program.

Trisha Johnson stopped by for lunch and to talk about her incredible trip to Sierrra Leone and to Thank the Club for its support.  The trip was with Dr. Bulanda who is a Fulbright Scholar in Sierra Leone.  Sierra Leone is a small country in West Africa.    Sierra Leone has about 6,000,000 people and continually ranks among the lowest of the Human Development Index.  Trisha spent some time there actually teaching in the classroom of a small school called Agape.  The school is in need of repairs and supplies.  Dr. Bulanda is continuing his work there to promote literacy.

Elk Grove Rotarians Mary Ellen Larson and Bill Beaupre are picture above with Terry Walker(center).  Terry Walker is the Assistant Executive Director for the Elk Grove Township Community Daycare Center.  The Elk Grove Rotarians read to several classrooms at the daycare to promote literacy.  Each one of the children will receive the book tote pictured above four books to take home.  The children really enjoyed being read to and especially appreciate bringing home their very own books.

Elk Grove Rotarians took time out of their busy day to perform an adaptation of the Three Little Pigs for the Ridge School.  Also helping was Justin son of Rotarian Felicia Nelson.  The kids really enjoyed the Rotarians acting out the different roles.

Claire Naughton, MA is the Pavilion Fitness General Manager with the Elk Grove Park District.  The Pavilion was built in 1994 with a mission of "where your fitness goals become a reality".  The Pavilion includes a large fitness area with basketball courts, racquetball courts, dance studios and even a large carousel for all to enjoy.  Claire spoke about the importance of Wellness in the community.  The Park District is also very excited about keeping work places healthy and visiting several local business with different classes including Zumba and Kick boxing.  The Park District also offers discounts to local businesses if multiple employees join together.

It's Halloween and Renee Dorn visits the club to talk about the bullying program at some local schools.  Renee is the Challenge Program Coordinator for the Elk Grove Township Youth Services.  The club supports the program which is filtered through all the grade levels in an effort to not just end or control bullying, but attempt to identify and empower kids at a young age.  Renee Dorn(left) is pictured above with Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza.

Elk Grove Rotarian Bill Marston and his wife Kathy(above Left) brought Finland Exchange student Janina and Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza to see The Chicago Black Hawks game.  The Black Hawks took on the Minnesota Wild.  Little Trivia question:  Can you name the NHL Hockey teams that do not end in "S".  Hint, there are three and the first is the Wild.

Janina visits with Mayor Johnson during her tour of the Elk Grove Village Hall.  Janina was given a tour of the facility as well as the Police department.  The tour concluded with Janina visiting the EGTV television station where she got the opportunity to help the Mayor with a segment regarding the upcoming events of the Village.

President Rosanna DeFrenza thanks Marge Hart, coordinator of A Caring Place-Community Respite Care Program located in Christus Victor Church in Elk Grove.  Also pictured are Jane Slogar R.N., M.S. Community Health Nurse and Intern student Nicole.  This is a program that cares for seniors by playing games, reading, exercising and keeping them engaged in their everyday lives.

Elk Grove Rotarian Bill Beaupre and his family took Janina(above Right) the clubs exchange student to visit the castle of Medieval Times Dinner and Tournament.  It was a great evening which included a four course feast similar to the middle ages.  During the dinner incredible spanish horses performed as well as a Falcon flying around the arena.  After the feast the Knights started with some games then jousted and competed to determine a champion.

Sarah Oliver(Pictured above left) is a member of the Rotary Club of Wilmette Harbor and is the current District 6440 Governor 2013-2014.  Sarah is pictured above with current Rotary Club of Elk Grove's President Rosanna DeFrenza. The Governor visited with our club prior to our regular lunch and then stayed and talked with the whole club.  The Governor meets with every club in the district and stressed how the Districts main role is to support the clubs.  The Governor spoke about the importance of membership,  Foundation, Polio Eradication, support of youth groups like Interact and RYLA and reminded us about long range strategic planning.  Over all it was a very informative meeting and the Governor was pleased with our club and appreciated all of the hard work of each and everyone of the members. 

Elk Grove Rotarian Cheri Dial brought Finland exchange student Janina to wonderful Wrigley field.  It was a beautiful September day to watch the Chicago Cubs take on the Atlanta Braves.

More than 600 runners participated in the 5th annual Itasca Oktoberfast 5K on October 5, 2013..  The run is organized by the Itasca Runners club and the proceeds help support people in need by providing food, mentoring, financial assistance and emergency assistance.  The event is a USATF certified course with awards for top men and women in their age groups.  There is also a post race party with raffle, beer and brats.

Elk Grove Rotarian Dawn Cunninghams husband Jim help to organize a food drive on Saturday, September 28, 2013.  People were asked to bring food to help stock the Mead food pantry.  The people were treated to several bands playing at the T'Wood Restaurant in Wood Dale including Rob Post Band.  The Elk Grove Rotary Club is a sponsor of the Mead Food Pantry and has been active working with the students of the Junior High.  The Food Pantry has been extremely successful and has helped many families. 

Elk Grove Rotarian Paula Sheffield and her family spent the afternoon at the Brookfield Zoo with the clubs  Exchange student Janina.  It was an absolutely beautiful afternoon to see all of the incredible animals.  There were also many Dinosaurs on display including Triceratops and Shantungosaurus.

Elk Grove Rotarian Jeff Martin along with Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza present Waleed Ajlouni(center) with the Blackhawks stick signed by the members of the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship.  There were also many other raffle items given away during the lunch.

The Bob Nicholas Golf outing was held at Bloomingdale Golf Course on an absolutely beautiful day.  Many golfers teed off at 8:00 am for a great day of golf and a delicious lunch was served immediately following the round.  Elk Grove Rotarian Jeff Martin and his committee should be commended for a perfect day.

The first annual Bob Nicholas Golf outing was held on September 26, 2013.  The Elk Grove Rotary club held the golf outing to raise money for upcoming scholarships which will be given out to local high school students graduating in the spring.  There are three type of scholarships available,  a four year college, two year college or a vocational college and the amounts awarded vary.  Students are encouraged to apply starting the in January.  All information can be found at www.elkgroverotary.com

Elk Grove Rotarians Rod Pickett and Cheri Dial were at the ELk Grove High School football game along with other rotarians to raise money and awareness for End Polio Now.  The End polio now campaign was organized by Rotary International to eradicate Polio in the world.  Polio cases have rapidly declined since 1985 and the world is 99% polio free.  Polio is a crippling and in some cases potentially fatal infectious disease.  A child can be protected from the virus with a vaccine that cost as little as $0.60.

The Club traveled to Arlington Park for their regular lunch meeting.  It was an absolutely beautiful day that started with a buffet lunch.  The lunch was served in the International Room and include a carving station with Turkey and Ham.  There were also a number of salads, cheeses, breads and some incredible sweet potato hash.  A fun time was had by all.

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Elk Grove Rotarian Frank Griseta organized a wonderful evening for Janina to attend the Chicago Sky Basketball game.  Janina is the clubs exchange student from Finland and she was able to meet the team and be on the court during the pre game warm ups.  The Chicago Sky is the womens WNBA pro basketball team which plays at the Allstate Arena.  The game was extrememly exciting and the Sky won the game.  Pictured above is Janina(back-left) with several Rotarians and family which attended the game.

The Elk Grove Village Rotary club visited the Elk Grove Fire house.  Fire Chief Richard Mikel talked to the club about his incredible department.  The fire department is here to serve this exceptional community and they are constantly striving to be beyond business friendly.  The village has about 33,000 residents and covers about 10 square miles.  It is also home to the largest business park in North America with 3800 businesses.  The department has about 100 employees and will go out on over 5000 incidents per year.  The village carries an ISO class 2 which is very good and the class 2 helps local homes and businesses lower their insurance costs.  The department is fortunate to have a large amount of equipment to help with Fire Suppression, Hazardous MAterials, Water Rescue as well as Technical Rescue.

President Rosanna DeFrenza presents Mitchell Bruski and LaKesha Lockett with a Rotarian cook book after the informative talk about Kenneth Young Center.  Mitchell is the CEO and talked about the new housing development located in Mount Prospect.  The building has just recently opened and already has a long waiting list for individuals to live.  The facility allows individuals with disabilities to live an independent life.  Lakesha is the Coordinator of Communications and she talked about the many volunteer opportunities at the Kenneth Young Center.  More information about all of the great programs offered can be seen at www.kennethyoung.org

President Rosanna DeFrenza welcomes the newest member of the Elk Grove Rotary Club, Mary Ellen Larson.  Mary Ellen is a long time resident of Elk Grove and has worked at Alexian Brothers for several years.  Mary Ellen is currently the Manager of Public Relations and Special Events for Alexian Brothers Hospital Network.

Dan Patlak, Commissioner of the office of the Cook County Board of Review visited the club for lunch.  The county is moving towards digital files and may soon be available on line.  Since Dan has moved into office he has focused on education, especially assessment, appeals, seminars and professional IRS training for current staff.

Susan Breier recieves her Paul Harris plus 5 pin from Foundation chair Cheri Dial and Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza. 

Elk Grove Rotarians pictured above with Gabby and Austin helped with the packing of 25 boxes during the Packages4Patriots August packing.  The organization meets the third tuesday of each month to pack and mail supplies to troops around the world.  Boxes are filled with magazines, soups, beef jerky, tic tacs, hygiene products and lots of candy.  The troops receive the boxes and are extremely grateful for the little bit of home sent in the box.  Troops often take the time to send back thank you letters about the boxes.  More information about the wonderful organization can be found at packages4patriots.com

Elk Grove Rotary Club welcomes Exchange student Janina Holmqvist(pictured center with Blue Blazer) and host parent Mark McConnell(pictured directly behind Janina) to the clubs regular lunch.

Janina Holmqvist visits Elk Grove Rotary Club and shares alot of information about herself, her family and the country she is form Finland.  Janina is from the town of Nokia Finland which is known for industry especially the Nokia phone. The population of Nokia is just over 32,000 people.  Janina has two brothers and a sister.  She plays the number one position , point guard on her basketball team and loves movies and shopping.  Her current high school in Finland has about 400 students.  Janina speaks English as well as Finis, Swedish,and Russian.  Janina had some very interesting facts about Finland including biggest coffee drinking country, known for incredible chocolates, Hockey, tourism, home of Santa Clause and the place where Angry Birds was created.

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza and Elk Grove Rotary Vocational Chair Steve Pickett were at Ohare International Airport to welcome Janina Holmqvist.  Janina is an exchange student from Finland which is being sponsored by the Elk Grove Rotary Club.  Janina will be staying at a host family in Schaumburg while attending school for the next year.

Pictured above is Lisa Ballantine with Alyssa Urban and Natalie Burrous.  The Elk Grove Rotary CLub donated $10,010 to the Filter Pure Project which allowed us to donate 186 filters with delivery and training.  Alyssa and Natalie worked with Rustic Pathways and was able to raise funds to donate an additional 150 filters.  The total project donated over 300 filters to work camps in Juan Dolio Dominican Republic. The Filters are a specially designed clay pot that takes dirty contaminated water and makes it drinkable. 

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna DeFrenza and Rotarian Kitty Weiner on the podium with the winners of the Rotary Club of Elk Grove Village Masters Cat. 1/2/3 race at The Tour Of Elk Grove.  The Tour of Elk Grove is a wonderful week end filled with exceptional bike racing, music, food and fun.  The event started on Friday with Three Rotarians(President Rosanna DeFrenza, Cheri Dial, and Bill Beaupre) taking part in the Charity Time Trial which helped to raise money for the Soldier Memorial Fund. Kitty Weiner is the Community Service Chair for the Elk Grove Rotary Club and was responsible for organizing The clubs involvement with the race.  The club got great visibility during the event especially with the announcements during the event about what our club has accomplished locally and internationally.  Kitty also did an incredible job organizing and scheduling volunteers for the refreshment tent during the event which got really crowded for the two concerts on Friday and Saturday night. 

President Rosanna Defrenza, Rotarian Kitty Weiner and Bill Marsten watch as the riders come in to finish the Rotary Race.

Riders pass the Elk Grove Rotary Club banner as they complete a lap during the Rotary Club of Elk Grove Village Masters 35+ category 1/2/3.

Rotarian Bill Beaupre is pictured on the big Screen during the Rotary Club of Elk Grove Village Master 35+ Cat 1/2/3 Race.  The big screens are used to help view the riders during the race out on the course.  The race is streamed live locally on EGTV channel 6 for the local viewers.  There will be a one hour production of the Tour of Elk Grove races that will be replayed  nationally.

Elk Grove Rotary President Rosanna Defrenza officially starts the race along with Rotarian Kitty Weiner.  The race was named after the club and was one of the many races that took place during the week end at The Tour Of Elk Grove.  The race featured riders 35 and older in categories 1,2,3. 

Kerry Butz presented the club with a certificate for the ongoing support for the Relay for Life and the American Cancer Society.

Kerry Butz is the Income Development Representative with the American Cancer Society located in Arlington Heights.  Kerry is presenting President Rosanna DeFrenza with a certificate acknowledging the support The Elk Grove Rotary Club has shown this year as well as previous years.  The Club makes a monetary donation as well as contributing and serving pizza and pasta for the Relay for Life at mid night.  The American Cancer Society does so much with the funds to help empower people to fight back against cancer.  Funds are used for research, Look good feel good program with make up and wigs, first haircuts, and support for recovery just to name a few. 

Elk Grove Rotary club hosted a wonderful dinner to say Thank You to all of its volunteers and sponsors that helped at this years Rotary Fest.  The event included a delicious dinner at Belvedere Banquets.  The volunteers and sponsors are critical to making the fest a success.  The funds from the fest are used to fund the clubs charitable activities.

Rotarians Arun Goyal, Cheri Dial and Dale Markay congratulate Juan Garcia after a wonderful presentation about his goal of teaching English at a school in Mexico.  Juan was born and raised in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico and came to the states in 1984.  Juan's goal is to return to Leon to teach kids English.

Elk Grove Rotary Club Foundation chair Cheri Dial presents Robert Naumann with his Paul Harris fellow pin, certificate and medallion.  Robert is the newest Paul Harris fellow for the Elk Grove Rotary club.  The club was acknowledged several years back as being a 100% Paul Harris Club. 

Past President Shirlanne Lemm receives the traditional gavel from President Rosanna DeFrenza.  The gavel was presented to Shirlanne for her dedication and leadership to the club for the past year.

The Elk Grove Rotary Club spent some time Thursday helping out at The Kenneth Young Resale Shop located at Wise and Roselle Rd. in Schaumburg.  Several Rotarians with Family and friends helped to organize the shop as part of the clubs community service.

Dave Simmons with Friends of Cycling in Elk Grove visited the club with some information about the new club which was formed in October 2011.  Dave is the President of the club and spends his time talking to groups about smart cycling as well as the health advantages to cycling.  The club's goal is to promote, support and improve cycling in Elk Grove.  For more information check out their web site www.egvbikes.org

Outgoing President Shirlanne Lemm welcomes incoming President Rosanna DeFrenza during the installation dinner at Ram Restaurant on June 27, 2013.  Part of the Elk Grove Rotary Tradition is to hand over the Paul Harris portrait to the new President.  The new President will now be able to display the portrait in their own home for the next year.  President Defrenza spoke briefly about her goals and vision for the upcoming year. 

President Shirlanne Lemm presents Bill Beaupre with The Rotarian of the Year award during the President Installation dinner on June 27, 2013.  Bill Beaupre has been a Rotarian for 13 years and has been active on the board for many of those years.  Bill served as the club's sergeant at arms for the past year and helped with the club activities and was active with community service projects.  Bill also acted as the editor for the news letter and helped keep the website up to date.

President Shirlanne Lemm discusses the highlights of the past year in Rotary at the President Installation dinner on June 27, 2013.  Several Rotarians and guests celebrated at the Ram restaurant in Schaumburg.  Shirlanne was extremely proud of the club and its accomplishments over the past year.  The club continued to be extremely active in all avenues of service including Literacy, international projects as well as many local projects here in the community.

Elk Grove Rotarians finished up another successful Rotaryfest.  The fest started a little slow with the cancelation of Wednesday due to weather concerns.  However the fest opened up with the band Sugar High on Thursday and the Fest did not stop Rocking until the band Arra played on Sunday.  Many people came out to enjoy the rides, music, food and fun.  Sunday night concluded with an incredible Fire works display.  The above picture was created by Emil Schiavo.

Sunday was a great day for entertainment.  The day started with Serendipity followed by the band In Session and then concluded with ARRA. 

The raffle was concluded on Sunday night with Rotarian Cheri Dial announcing the winners for the two raffles.  The first raffle was for a Hockey stick which was signed by the players of the Chicago Black Hawks and the second raffle was a 50/50 split the pot raffle.

Debbi Dennison returned to the Elk Grove Rotary Club with some great news.  The documentary about The Elk Grove Rotary Club won The Award of Achievement at the 2013 WCM and ACM Best of the Midwest Video Festival.  The documentary was created by Debbi and EGTV Channel 6 and is still airing on EGTV  and can be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom of the web site page.  The documentary shows what Elk Grove Rotary club does in the community and around the world to make a difference in so many lives. 

The Chicago Blackhawks have presented the Rotary Club Of Elk Grove Village with a Signed Hockey Stick, signed by the Entire Team !

The Stick is being raffled as part of the 2013 Rotaryfest. Tickets are on sale for $5.00/Ticket - 6 tickets for $25.00.

The framed stick will be raffled in support of charities supported by The Elk Grove Village Rotary. The raffle is in Memoriam of Bob Nicholas. The Drawing will take place on Fathers Day at the Fest Grounds.

If Interested in purchasing tickets, send an e-mail to Cheri Dial @ c_dial@sbcglobal.net or Call 847-593-9661. Ask for Ms. Smarty Pants.

The Elk Grove Rotary club welcomed the Scholarship winners for 2013.  David Cortese, Lukas Dybicz, Angelica Ford, Taylor Marquardt, Patricia Murray, Jacqueline Noto, Allyson Rajewski, Madeline Vanko, and Kaley Wandorf.   The scholarship winners and members of their family joined the club for a wonderful lunch at the Black Steer Charhouse.  This year the scholarship committee, chaired by Rotarian Steve Pickett, gave out a total of $12000 in scholarships.  The students had to complete an application with an essay and were interviewed by a board of Rotarians.  Several applications were received and reviewed but only 9 applicants were chosen to receive scholarships.

President Shirlanne Lemm with the help of Frank Ramljak and Leigh Ferstein help induct the newest Elk Grove Rotarian Felicia Nelson at a recent Rotary Lunch.  Felicia received her New Rotarian kit as well as her Rotary Pin.  Felicia will be classified as Insurance.

The posters have been printed and delivered by Fantasy Amusement Company it must be time for another Rotaryfest.  This years Fest will be from June 12 thru June 16.  It will once again have a large carnival, lots of great food and some incredible live entertainment.  The bands include 7th Heaven, Sugar High, The Modern Day Romeos, CoverGurl, Kashmir: The Led Zepplin Show, Flyte, Your Villain My Hero, The Lounge Puppets, Serendipity, In Session, and ARRA.