BULLETIN – January 7, 2026

By Tim Dempsey

 

President Gore rang the bell, Elliot Pinsel gave the Pledge, Rob Likus led us in prayer, and there was no song!

 

--Tom Gore traveled to Curacao and was 17 miles from the Venezuelan border. There is nothing better than the United States. 

-Bill Taranowski visited his middle daughter in Spain over Thanksgiving and Christmas. They went skiing and he did it without injuries!

 

-Birthdays: Happi Datt – January 6^th, John Blair – January 14^th.

-Anniversaries: Ellen Young and her husband celebrated 50 years of wedded bliss!

 

-We have 17 sponsors for the Fundraiser. We lost 4 and gained 2 this year. We have sold over 100 tickets so far. The website is up and running and we should promote the event to friends. The silent auction is a major part of our fundraising. Last year it accounted for $33k of the total raised. Our goal is 138 items, which is 3 per member. Each member should have items totaling at least $500. The Centre Club will collect the items. Use your imagination. We also need a bottle of wine for the wine cellar and bottles of bourbon for baskets.

 

Rich Babjak filled in for Happi Datt and gave a quiz that asked “what would Happi say” vs Alexa?

 

Today’s program was Robin O’Connor, our Community Service Chair and Steve Risley, our Charitable Giving Committee Chair.

Robin told us about many volunteering opportunities. We can volunteer at the Main Street event “Wine about Winter”. We will have 3 sites where the Club will be handling registrations. There will be 2 shifts. 12:30 to 1:30 and 1:30 to 3 pm on February 21^st. We handed out candy at Platonic Photo for Halloween. We will help with the Interact Club’s Power of the Purse. Spring highway cleanup is coming.

Steve Risley chairs the Charitable Giving Committee. This is a group of 5 Rotarians who decide the grants we award from funds raised at the fundraiser. The committee solicits applications for grants. Those applications received by the deadline are reviewed. This takes about one month. The Club has decided to award many smaller grants vs a few larger ones. The group decides who receives money and how much. Most applications come from groups suggested by Club members.

 

-Daily: $30 won by Tucker Olson who donated it to the Food Pantry.

-Progressive: $657 (35 cards). Tom Gore drew the 3 of diamonds. ROLLOVER!

 

 -Greeter and Prayer: Charles Lesser.

-Fun & Frolics: Tim Dempsey.

-Program: A J Voth, Rotary Club of St. Charles/Geneva. Village well drilling project in Eswatini.

 

We collected $270 for the Food Pantry.

 

-Steve Risley led us in the Four Way Test.

 

“Excellence is not an act, but a habit” - Aristotle