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At Work for the Community

Club Road Cleanup Day

Collecting Donations at Boo Bash

Members Attend Vernon Library Volunteer Fair

2024 Holiday Meeting with Stevenson High School Choir

Stevenson Choir Attends 2024 Holiday Meeting

Links

District Governor Marlene Frisbie's Visit

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Oct 23, 2025

Our Club welcomed District 6440 Governor, Marlene Frisbie at this morning's breakfast. Rotary's emphasis is in helping clubs get stronger by Increasing Impact, making efforts to Outreach and Enhance Engagement. As personal platforms, Marlene calls for increasing awareness of the importance of Climate Change Initiatives and the Prevention of Cervical Cancer. Following her presentation, Marlene inducted two of our newest members, Chelsea Jensen and Ray Alm.

Go Green Day @ Sysmex

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Sep 13, 2025

Fabulous day today; the photos explain it all. Lincolnshire-based Sysmex America's Chelsea Jensen & Ray Alm, our club's newest members head the Green Team at Sysmex. Based in Kobe, Japan, Sysmex has a corporate philosophy that supports environmental sustainability. Our club's newest member Michael Odongo, President and Founder of AngazaCenter had his Stevenson High School student volunteers promote the repurposing of electronic devices to be shipped as tools for the organization's Digital Literacy program at rural schools in Africa. AngazaCenter.org

Rotary's 120 Years of Greatness

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Aug 14, 2025

Surprise visitors get "hooked" on Rotary! Fate brought a couple of visitors to our club's breakfast this morning. They were new to Rotary and curious about what Rotary was all about. The occasion couldn't have been better as the scheduled presentation for today was a celebration of "120 Years of Rotary and the Power of One!" Since their foundation in 1968, Sysmex has focused on in vitro diagnostics (IVD) that involve the collection and examination of blood, urine, and other samples, as its core business, and today, it supports the health of people in over 190 countries and regions worldwide. Our visitors, Raymond Alm and Chelsea Jensen are part of the "Green Team" at Lincolnshire-based Sysmex America, Inc. In May 2023, Sysmex formulated “Sysmex Eco-Vision 2033.” that aims at collaboratively creating innovative solutions that will advance the realization of a circular society by taking on the challenge of green innovation with stakeholders and utilizing Sysmex's strengths. The club shared its plans to support Angaza Center in the collection of laptops, tablets and cells to be cleaned and repurposed by volunteer high school students to be further shipped to rural schools in Africa under Angaza's Digital Literacy Program. There seem to be some synergy between Sysmex's and Angaza's activities to explore here ... Raymond and Chelsea promised to be back with the intention of accepting our invitation to join as members. Rotary is all about "Relationships!"

Uplifting Lives with a Dive

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Jul 31, 2025

August 2025 Rotary Magazine highlights D6450 Downers Grove Rotarian, Jim Elliott's 2001 vision to introduce people with limited mobility to scuba diving. Diveheart's mission is to build confidence, independence and self-esteem in the lives of children, adults and veterans with disabilities through scuba diving, scuba therapy and related activities. Diveheart's program participants are inspired to take on challenges that they may not have considered before. Using zero gravity and the adventure paradigm, participants believe that if they can scuba dive they can do anything.

As Founder & President, Jim Elliott explains, Diveheart discovered that the forgiving, weightless wonder of the water column provides the perfect gravity-free environment for those who might otherwise struggle on land. Underwater, we’re all equal. Diveheart works with individuals who have a variety of disabilities, including physical and developmental disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, amputations, traumatic brain injuries, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and more. Diveheart seeks to help its participants “Imagine the Possibilities” in their lives.

Diveheart’s Newest Initiative: A Deep Pool Project, aims to revolutionize therapeutic possibilities for all abilities, creating the world’s deepest warm water therapy pool. Housed in the Diveheart Education & Research Facility in the Chicago Suburbs, this hub will prioritize inclusivity, serving as a transformative space for those with physical and cognitive challenge to experience adaptive scuba therapy. Learn more: www.diveheart.org/deep-pool-project/

More than just recycling Laptops, Tablets and Cells

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Jul 24, 2025

Lincolnshire Morning Star Rotary adopts new club member Michael Odongo's Angaza Center as its "Flagship" home charity. The support of institutions, organizations, private enterprises and the general public is welcome to share in the efforts of collecting laptops, tablets and cell phones. The devices are cleaned and prepared for use by local high school student volunteers before being shipped to several countries in Africa as part of a technological literacy initiative. The program goes beyond shipping the devices; but securing needed devices is a start. See April 24 posting below for more information. https://www.angazacenter.org

The Gratitude Generation

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on May 08, 2025

GratitudeGeneration.org is a Non-Profit that started with a simple Facebook post in 2017 by mom Lisa Sanders who wrote, "I am looking to teach my daughter that giving is so much more gratifying than receiving." Sanders proposed a service event for kids to give their toys to children in need. The idea resonated, and her post was flooded with responses from other parents who felt the same way. Hundreds commented, and dozens of people attended initial meetings.

Within weeks, five Northshore women founded Gratitude Generation. Executive Director & Founder, Nicki Sutherland proudly described their successful Signature Programs that instill gratitude in young children, teens and adults through education and service. They provide community-service opportunities in the Chicago area for children, families and organizations supporting their neighbors in need while building a new generation of service-minded leaders. A popular preschool program “Caring Kiddos” prompts 3 to 5 year olds to help fill in toiletry kits that are later distributed to food pantries. All volunteers have the opportunity to sign up to help in charitable programs of their choice.

Stevenson High School Tessa Moody recognized

Posted on Apr 17, 2025

Jill Bruzzini, daughter of Lincolnshire Rotarian Nancy Bruzzini, RIP, awards the Bruzzini Annual Scholarship to Stevenson High School student Tessa Moody. Jill Bruzzini was impressed by Tessa Moody's service through volunteer experiences and work at Lamb's Farm. Jill highlighted Tessa's involvement with the Rotary Youth Club (RYC) executive board and her efforts in recruiting others to join the club. Jill also mentioned the one-year anniversary of her mother's passing and the establishment of the Nancy and Daniel Bruzzini scholarship.

Laptops, Cells, Tablets for Angaza Center

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Apr 24, 2025

Lincolnshire-based Angaza Center

provides rural secondary school students with access to digital literacy through technology resource centers, curriculum integration, and teacher & student training. Its Peer-2-

Peer program connects its member school students in rural high schools in African countries like Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, and Rwanda to name a few, with their peers in regions with higher levels of digital literacy with the goal of fostering digital skills exchange and cross-cultural collaboration. Local students from Stevenson, Vernon Hills, Lake Forest and other high schools, volunteer to clean, re-format and program donated laptops, cells and tablets, to be shipped to rural schools in African countries, where Angaza Center train teachers, mentors and educators to implement digital literacy programs in rural schools. Additionally, groups of local high school students connect with their cohorts in Africa through video conferencing sessions that assist providing real experience in the digital literacy instructional efforts. Visit www.angazacenter.org ∙ Michael Odongo, Founder ∙ contact@angazacenter.org.

Stevenson High School Holiday Choir

Posted by Marianna Zeidler on Dec 12, 2024

This morning's "Early Rising" Seniors from Stevenson High School delighted our club members and guests with their holiday caroling. The student choir cheered everyone around with the positive impact that only music and songs can create, by fostering a sense of community, boosting mood and happiness, triggering positive memories, and promoting social connection. Thank you Stevenson High School Vocal Music Director Roland Hatcher for coordinating this performance. The club was also honored and pleased to welcome guests Kayla Becker, VAPL Jennifer Ernsteen, Dale Horowitz, John Tolbert and Joe Nordstrom.