We welcomed the new Madison County Coroner, Nick Novacich, who spoke about the responsibilities of the office and his personal learning curve to understand all aspects of the job.
Welcome to our club web site. I'm Mark Smith, Club President for the 2025-26 Rotary year. Our club was created on January 1, 2021 when the former Wood River and East Alton clubs merged to become the Riverbend East Rotary club. Feel free to browse our newsletters, photo albums and other content you may find of interest. The club also sponsors a Facebook page. You may link to those sites below and to the right. Our club is located on the Illinois side of the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. When you are in the area, please feel free to attend one of our meetings.
Member Birthdays:
-
Sandy ShawJuly 2
-
Allen HaleJuly 4
-
Joe SilkwoodJuly 19
-
Donna KarpanJuly 22
-
John PearsonJuly 23
-
Cory GallivanJuly 25
-
Henry StudnickiJuly 27
-
Alana YountJuly 29
Spouse/Partner Birthdays:
-
Kathy BreuklanderJuly 25
Anniversaries:
-
David AyresNancyJuly 7
-
Bill PyattBrenda PyattJuly 19
Join Date:
-
Patrick BoyleJuly 1, 197946 years
-
Patti AndersonJuly 2, 199926 years
-
John PearsonJuly 19, 200025 years
We meet In Person
Thursdays at 12:00 p.m.
JULIA'S BANQUET CENTER
101 Eastgate Shopping Center
East Alton, IL 62024
United States of America
East Alton, IL 62024
United States of America
Our Mailing address:
POB 56
East Alton,IL 62024-0056
-
Foundation Golf Tournamant
Belk Park Golf CourseJul. 19, 2025
9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. -
2025 ALTON RIVER DRAGONS
Gordon Moore ParkJul. 31, 2025 6:35 p.m.
We were joined by the Executive Director of AmareNFP, Carson Conn, who told us about the services her organization offers to clients who are recovering from substance abuse.
We heard an enthusiastic presentation from the Wood River Library Director Lindsey Herron. She shared some stats from the recently ended fiscal year and talked about the wide variety of programs that the library hosts-from toddler events to AARP sponsored tax filing.
Scouting America (formerly the Boy Scouts of America) representative Nick Schubert joined us an provided an overview of the the variety of programs offered by the organization.
We were joined by Karen Wilson, Executive Director of our local food pantry, Operation Blessing . She gave us an overview on the operation and some thoughts about the Riverbend area homeless population.
Beverly Farm Chief Development Officer Taylor Justice joined us to talk about the 137 year old institution that serves 300 developmentally disable clients from 43 states.
Madison County Historical Society volunteer Steven Hansen joined us to talk about all the great things the organization is doing to preserve our local history. Find out more by linking here http://madcohistory.org
Rusty Wheat joined us to talk about the Chain Gang program. The program's mission is to help keep our communities clean.
East Alton Ice Arena Manager Larry Thatcher joined us to talk about the 30 year history of the facility (he's been in charge since day 1). It's been a great add to the community.
Wieland Group representatives Mike Roth and Jeff Byrd talk about the almost $600M modernization and expansion of their East Alton brass facility scheduled for completion in 2028.
We viewed a Zoom presentation from Eswatini, Africa about their national health plan. Our club, in partnership with a couple of Eswatini clubs, are putting together a Rotary International proposal to fund/build a health clinic.
Retired Air Force Colonel Dave Boots was on hand to talk about his military career and explain his current position at Scott Air Force Base providing the Air Force with global logistics support.
We welcomed Lynn Engelman, President of the Wood River Heritage Council. She spoke about the historical Vaughn Hill Cemetery.
Member Paul Hoover reviews and shares and his insight on the book Good Energy by Casey Means MD.
Transformation Coach Tara Hurst joined us to talk about taking charge of our lives and becoming the best person we can be. Tara can be reached via Facebook, coachtarahurst@gmail.com and 618.823.3309.
The Alton chapter of Sleep In Heavenly Peace Co-President Dave Hardwick joined us to talk about the program that provides beds to children who have none. The chapter recently installed it's 1000th bed since its founding in 2020. For more information visit http://SHPbeds.org
Rotary District Governor Dan O'Brian was on hand to talk about all things Rotary.
Club foundation board president Joe silkwood shared information about plans to support community projects via a $15k per project donation.
Glenn Breuklander talks about the recent visit he and immediate past president Rodney Durr made to Eswatini Africa to assess a possible Rotary medical clinic project.
Club member Sherry Tite talks abut the recent makeover experience of her Airliner Bar & Grill by the Bar Rescue TV team.
Jamie Heilman, a member of the Elias, Kallal & Schaaf Funeral Home staff, was on hand to talk about prefunding funeral expenses and organizing your personal information to help minimize the stress on your family after your death.
2024 Business of the Year Werts Welding & Tank Services, owner Dwight Werts, gave us the history of the business which his father started in 1957. They now hav eight locations reaching from Billings, MT to Tampa, FL.
Jonas Cathey spoke with us about his business, Rachel & Co., a coffee shop in downtown Wood River (IL) https://www.rachelscoffeehouse.com/ and about the Wood River Business Alliance https://www.wrbusinessalliance.org/
Jessica Levan, a Soil Conservationist with NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service), was on hand to tell us about the wide range of services offered by her agency. NRCS is an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Karen Boyd, an Oncology Navigator with the Moeller Cancer Center on the campus of OSF HealthCare in Alton, joined us to talk about some of the programs that are offered by the Cancer Center and HealthCare units.
Bulletin Subscribe
President
President Elect
Treasurer
Secretary
Community Service
Club Service
Youth Service
Intrernational Service
Vocational Service
Club Foundation President
Club Foundation Treasurer
Newsletter Editor
Sergeant Arms
Immediate Past President
The first run of the new Soapbox Race car down Berkshire Hill
Mark Allison
Patti Anderson
David Ayers
Pat Boyle
Rod Croxford
Rodney Durr
Cory Gallivan
Paul Guccione
Allen Hale
Chris Herzog
Rick Hooks
Paul Hoover
Jean Kainz
Donna Karpan
Michael Kelly
Scott Levan
George Moore
Virgil Moore
Tommie Myers
Lori Palmer
John Pearson
Erin Phillips
Brad Pulaski
Bill Pyatt
Wendell Ross
Joe Silkwood
Mark Smith
Mark Speciale
Henry Studnicki
George Tyler
Mark Vaughn
Alana Yount