District 6420 Governor Bobbie Burke made her governor’s visit to Sycamore Rotary on November 13th. A 30-year member of the Rochelle Club, she noted that much has changed since she helped pioneer women’s membership in Rotary. What hasn’t changed is Rotary’s emphasis on eradicating polio and Burke presented Sycamore Rotary immediate past president Ray Dembinski and Foundation Committee Chair Paul Stromberg with a special End Polio Now award for exceptional giving by the club.
Burke offered up three challenges to the club for the new Rotary year. They are:
- Think about meetings. In this day and age, traditional meeting times may not fit the schedules of up and coming professionals. There is no longer a club weekly meeting requirement, so a satellite club could meet on a less formal schedule and in a less formal setting. For retaining more senior members, Burke noted the success of Sycamore’s Oak Crest satellite club.
- Apply for a district grant. Burke noted that over $66,000 was available last year for service projects. These are portions of funds that all club members contributed to the foundation. Noting that “we do service well”, Burke encouraged creative thinking on how to tap into this resource.
- Find a way to stay connected with Rotary. Rotary International President Mark Maloney’s theme is “Rotary Connects the World” and Burke encouraged Rotarians to find ways to be actively engaged at the club, district, and international levels. She told club members to be sure to mark their calendars for the district conference scheduled for April 24 and 25, 2020, in Schaumburg.