Rotary Club of Sycamore, Illinois
We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 11:45 a.m.
St. Mary's Parish Activity Center
312 Waterman Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
United States of America
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President
Becky Springer
President Elect
Matt Nelson
Treasurer
Michele Jurkovic
Secretary
Patrick Shafer
Rotary Foundation
Matt Nelson
Sergeant at Arms
Paulette Renault
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Sycamore Rotary News
Sycamore Rotary and Tales from the Past
Posted by Paul Callighan on Sep 09, 2026
Long-time Sycamore Rotarians and attorney partners Jim Stoddard and Jim Buck gave highlights of the Sycamore Club with many of them coming from their personal archives.  Old copies of the club’s once-annual yearbook were circulated with Jim Stoddard saying many of these items came out of storage as he prepared to move to a new house.  They noted that the club’s charter was granted in 1944 and was formally presented at a fancy dinner at the Fargo Hotel on June 20th.  The first club president was Earl Wetzel of Wetzel Brothers Jewelers.  Other highlights over the years included the inaugural launch of the End Polio Now campaign in 1985.  Today only Pakistan and Afghanistan are considered areas where there is an active polio virus.  Several years later, the male-only membership rule for Rotary was lifted and women, previously relegated to a sub-membership category, could become full members.  Sycamore Rotary’s first woman president was Mary Fasbender, an employee of Sycamore schools.
 
There were several special events in the club’s history that Stoddard and Buck recalled.  One was a rural recognition day to recognize the impact of farm-related business.  Buck noted that broadcast legend Orion Samuelson from WGN was a featured speaker at one such meeting.  Member Larry Berke was remembered as the organizer of special trips featuring dinner and a stage show in Chicago.  Member Paul Michel was remembered as creator of the long-running “Hula-for-Luta” numbered draw-down fundraiser.  And in the spirit of early club protocol, both Buck and Stoddard offered songs for members to join in on as a tribute to meetings from the past.             
The Far-Reaching Impact of the Rotary Foundation
Posted by Paul Callighan on Sep 02, 2026
Club member Jim Stoddard shared background on the Rotary Foundation and recent grant- making at the District level during this week’s meeting.  Stoddard is a member of the District Foundation Committee.
 
Donations to the Rotary Foundation are set up for both operational support and ongoing return to Districts for their grant making purposes.  Donations to the Annual Fund are held for three years with income going to Foundation Operations.  After this, monies are split between the World Fund for global grants and programs and District Designated Funds for local grant-making. There are several forms of recognition for Foundation donations.  Sustaining members give $100 or more a year, Paul Harris Fellows are recognized for giving a cumulative $1,000 to the Foundation, Paul Harris Society members give $1,000 or more annually, and Every Rotarian Every Year Club recognition goes to clubs reaching $100 per capita giving plus all dues paying members give at least $25 to the Annual Fund.
 
Stoddard went through a list of recent grants at the District level to show the impact of Foundation donated funds that come back for local distribution.  A grant of $12,000 was given to a project in Brazil for minimally invasive Thoracic Surgery as an extension of an earlier disease prevention and treatment initiative from last year.  A $10,000 grant will go to Baja, Mexico for dog collars to combat Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.  A mental health services and education grant of $10,000 will go to a project in Kosovo.  A $10,000 grant will go for a water system expansion in Guatemala.   A $5,000 grant for Epilepsy awareness will go for a project in Zambia.
 
For those interested in hearing more about the District Foundation activities, Stoddard said the annual Foundation dinner will be held November 5th in Rock Falls.
Keicher Gives Overview of Challenges Faced by State Government
 
Posted by Paul Callighan on Aug 26, 2026
A legislative update was given to Sycamore Rotarians at this week’s meeting by club member and State Representative Jeff Keicher.  Keicher raised concerns about state legislation that creates or increases taxes and fees and cited several specific examples.
 
Saying “transit news in not good,” Keicher said a new transit agency structure in the state was specifically designed to overcome hundreds of millions of dollars in Chicago transit budget deficits.  An outcome is increased toll road charges.  Keicher explained that the new 20-member Northern Illinois Transit Agency will oversee the CTA, PACE, and METRA services.  He noted the agency board automatically favors Chicago because five members represent the City, five are from Cook County, five are appointed by the Governor, and only five come from the remaining five counties in the new Agency’s footprint.  Keicher said the Agency’s taxing and fee authority is the reason he will oppose METRA bringing commuter rail to DeKalb noting the City’s bus service to METRA’s nearest stop in Elburn is meeting this service need.
 
Keicher went through several health care related actions pointing out what he said were measures that will increase costs to taxpayers and those with insurance.  He said a new tax on insurance policies is expected to generate $160-$180 million a year but only $25 million is earmarked for health care funding.  Keicher said the balance goes into the state general revenue fund with no guarantee it will help health care.  He said he was the only dissenting vote in the Illinois House on this issue while Senator Dave Syverson from the local area was the only dissenting vote in the Illinois Senate.  In another example, he noted passage of legislation to subsidize certain breath inhaler costs by placing a cap on out-of-pocket payments but with no financial “means” test in place.  This means it applies to all applicable prescriptions and puts cost recovery on insurance benefit providers who then recover the cost from policyholders.
 
Issues related to rising energy prices were also addressed by Keicher.  He noted that generation costs set by the multi-state PJM Transmission system are the primary driver for these increased costs and are beyond state control.  A combination of increasing power demand with multi-state and federal policies that limit or remove existing generation facilities from the power grid are causing an imbalance that negatively impacts price according to Keicher.  He said making it easier to build carbon-free generation in Illinois, including nuclear power plants, is a way to help improve pricing markets.  Keicher said big power users, such as data centers, are going to be built somewhere, so it is not in the state’s best interest to prevent their construction based solely on the potential for higher electricity prices.
 
When asked about the possibility of legislation to retain the Chicago Bears in Illinois, Keicher said he is not directly involved in any negotiations, but thinks there is still a chance some type an agreement will be worked out.   
President Springer Kicks Off Planning for the New Rotary Year
Posted by Paul Callighan on Aug 19, 2026
This week’s Rotary meeting was a club assembly focused on planning.  President Becky Springer led everyone in an opening session on membership.  She said this year’s Membership Committee will be made up of all club Rotarians to make boosting attendance a top priority.  Initial ideas included ways to reduce dues or create flexible membership options, equip members with details on of Rotary scholarships and grants, have handouts to give people, promote the power of the personal invitation to bring potential members to a meeting, heighten visibility of fellowship and service project events, and leveraging the Pumpkinfest Pancake Breakfast as a recruiting opportunity.
 
Springer also set aside time for other club committees to hold initial meetings to map out goals for the year.  Those committees are Fellowship, Foundations, New Generations, Public Image, Scholarships, and Service.
 
Look for more information on Committee organizations and activities coming from President Springer via ClubRunner emails.
New Head Coach Getting Sycamore Spartans Ready for Action
Posted by Paul Callighan on Aug 12, 2026
Rob Stover is in his first year as Varsity Football Coach, but has eleven seasons as Assistant Coach with the Spartans to help him craft a team that is ready for on the field execution as well as focused on scholastic and community success.  Stover spoke about being devoted, relentless, and connected as a team during this week’s Rotary meeting.  He was joined by three of his five team captains who echoed the same thoughts when giving personal remarks.  Those present were Caden Ralph, Will Rosenow, and Adam Carrick.  Unable to attend were Peter Gehrig and Ben Anderson.  There will be a new quarterback this season with junior Madden Larsen taking on those duties.  Their season starts August 21 with the traditional rivalry game against DeKalb.
 
Stover noted the restructuring of rules for the number of games required to be played to qualify for IHSA playoffs finds the Spartans traveling about four hours south to the St. Louis area for a game against the Triads of Troy, Illinois this year.  Stover says the Triads are a similar sized school to Sycamore and were picked after closer schools opted not to risk losing to a historically strong Spartan team.
 
Stover says he is thrilled to be in Sycamore.  He said that the quaint downtown and families with long-term ties to the area made this just the kind of place he and his wife were looking for to raise their family.
Bringing Impact to the VFW Foundation
Posted by Paul Callighan on Jul 22, 2026
Air Force Veteran Sean Kingsbury (son of past Sycamore Rotary President and current Sergeant at Arms Paulette Renault) updated Rotarians on his work with the VFW Foundation during this week’s meeting.  Kingsbury got involved with the VFW starting in 2007 after returning from Iraq.  He noted that the VFW has been providing support for soldiers since 1899, but thought it was lacking interest from more recent veterans.  Using skills learned from earning an MBA through the GI Bill and marketing experience from his job at State Farm Insurance, Kingsbury said he embarked on a plan to add financial support and relevant events to the VFW Foundation.
 
Kingsbury explained that he wanted to use team building and physical fitness as ways to attract younger veterans to the organization.  He said his plans to reshape the organization’s image of “drinking beer and throwing darts” has started to come to fruition.  One catalyst was a $3 million grant from the Eli Lilly Company.  Another has been a tactical team skill building competition named “Seven Devils” organized for October in odd-numbered years which allows more recent veterans to use their physical fitness skills as a way to bond with fellow members.
 
For his exemplary volunteerism and organizational skills, Kingsbury was made an honorary Foundation board member.  After serving just one year in this honorary role, he was asked to fill a newly-vacated full board seat. His board member colleagues then immediately elected him to be the organization's next Board Chair.  Sean helps guide the organization in its support of veterans, service members, and their families.