Rotarian Becky Springer comes “oh-so-close” to winning the big pot in the weekly charitable raffle but draws the Ace of Clubs, not the Ace of Spades. Springer gets half of the ticket sales for the day, good for $182, and the suspense builds for a big winner to be chosen soon with only 3 cards left.
Executive Director of the Sycamore Public Library, Kim Halsey, updates Sycamore Rotarians on the latest happenings at the library. The city’s first library opened in 1892 and has gone through multiple building and renovation projects over the years.
The Executive Director of the Sycamore Public Library, Kim Halsey, gave a history of how their services have grown from humble beginnings to the community hub of today and their plans for the future during this week’s Rotary meeting. Halsey explained that the idea for a public library came about with the 1875 formation of the Sycamore Chautauqua Circle. By 1891 the City Council approved a tax and appointed a library board. The city’s first official library opened in July of 1892 on the second floor of the Hoyt and Rogers Store (now PJ’s Tavern). Famed library donor Andrew Carnegie granted the city $10,000 in 1902 for a new building. Land was donated by local resident Frederick Townsend and the new structure (still part of today’s library campus) opened its doors in November 1905. The library has gone through multiple renovations and upgrades, most notably the building expansion of 1995 that increased the library building from 6,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet. Another renovation to maximize efficient and updated use of space is now being planned, including consultation with a professional company on how best to preserve the historical aspects of the 1905 Carnegie building. Once plans are finalized a capital fundraising drive will be undertaken.
Halsey said that despite shutdowns from the Covid pandemic and significant technology changes, the library is offering services at record levels. She said that in fiscal year 2022 they had 6,309 card holders, recorded 72,349 in-person visits, issued 146,360 materials, and got 1,056 hours of volunteer help. The library also supported its senior services outreach and Literacy Lane, an outdoor trail joint venture with the Park District and County Forest Preserve. Volunteer support comes from students, adults, and “Friends of the Sycamore Library” which assists with advocacy and fundraising. Full details of services and ways to get involved with the library are on their website at www.sycamorelibrary.org.
Below please find my Double Good Popcorn email that others can use as a template or starting point. As Jonelle (Bailey) noted members should use their own assigned "store number" to allow them to capture orders under their name...and not under my name.
Finally, if members use this technique in the next couple of weeks, then I recommend that they email out a reminder to their friends/family around Feb 1st...a couple of days before our sale goes live on Feb 3rd. I plan to do just that to "goose" the response.
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Hello Family and Friends:
The above photos show some of my Rotary friends and I in action last year...can you help us with our 2023 kick off event? Please...
My Sycamore Rotary Club introduced this delicious popcorn fundraiser last year and sold gross nearly $3,000…which netted our Club $1,500 to be used for Literacy initiatives. My son in law Justin said that this was the most delicious, yummiest popcorn that he ever ate…and, in fact, he kept on ordering Double Good popcorn after our fundraiser!
These flavors ain’t your bland, regular “so what” pedestrian popcorn tastes…some of the 12 unique examples to make your mouth drool are: “Easy Peasy Caramel Cheesy”, “In Queso Fire”, “Sweetie, You Salty”, and “Holla-Peno”…great with all kinds of beverages!
If you’d be interested in supporting this Double Good fundraiser, go to:
IMPORTANT: This fundraiser only runs for 4 days from 5:00 PM on February 3, ending at 5:00 on February 7! Popcorn is delivered directly to your address.
Thanks so much for supporting our Rotary efforts! Enjoy these mouthwatering treats!
PS: feel free to share this with your circle of friends/family...just ask them to use the link above.
The Rotary Club of Sycamore is committed to supporting many great causes. Following are the causes we have support since July 2022:
$372.50 to Sycamore District 427 for School Supplies (50/50 raffle cause for August)
$300.00 to Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County (50/50 raffle cause for September)
$465.50 to Safe Passage (50/50 raffle cause for October)
$1,350.00 for Polio Plus (funds raised through Chicken Salad Tasting with Suter Company)
$2,761.00 for Habitat for Humanity of DeKalb County’s 2022 Home Build (w/ Dist. 6420 Matching Grant)
$400.00 to Usborne Books (during District conference) to provide reading materials to Ukrainian refugees attending two schools in Chicago's Ukrainian Village
$896.00 for Adopt-a-Family
$1,000.00 to Coats for Kids
$1,000.00 to Feed My Starving Children/Make a Difference DKC
$352.50 to Spartan Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for November)
$1,000.00 to Sycamore Public Library to fulfill District 6420 Governor's "Nothing Reads Like a Book" initiative
$292.50 to Sycamore Food Pantry (50/50 raffle cause for December)
$500.00 to Pay-It-Forward House (50/50 raffle cause for January)
$400.00 to Navajo Water Project (50/50 raffle cause for February)
$365.00 to DeKalb County Community Gardens (50/50 raffle cause for March)
$297.50 to Tails Humane Society (50/50 raffle cause for April)
$500.00 to South Prairie Elementary School (Rotary Reader)
As with Happy Dollars and fines, 50/50 raffle proceeds have long been earmarked for the scholarship fund for Sycamore High School seniors. In an effort to "spread the wealth" and support more causes, the members of your Rotary Board have determined that 50/50 raffle proceeds collected each month will benefit a different cause.
For the month of June, 50/50 raffle proceeds will help support CASA DeKalb County, Inc. to advocate for and serve as the voice for children who have experienced abuse or neglect in DeKalb County. The Board has committed that the total amount given to this cause will be no less than $250.
Thank you for your support of this important cause...and best of luck with the raffle!
January 23, 1737 – John Hancock, American merchant and statesman who was first to sign the Declaration of Independence, is born in Braintree, Massachusetts.
January 25, 1783 – William Colgate, founder of the present-day Colgate-Palmolive Company, is born in Hollingbourne, Kent, England. His family emigrates to the U.S when he is 15 and he becomes an apprentice learning the soap trade.
January 26, 1880 - General Douglas MacArthur is born on a military base in Little Rock, Arkansas. He commanded Allied forces in the Pacific during World War II. He commanded U.N. forces after war broke out in Korea in 1950 until dismissed in 1951 by President Harry S. Truman in a disagreement over war policy.
January 27, 1932 – British novelist Lewis Carroll (author of “Alice in Wonderland” and “Through the Looking Glass”) is born in Daresbury, Cheshire, England.
January 24, 1848 – The California gold rush begins in the Sierra Nevada foothills with the accidental discovery of the precious metal during construction of a sawmill near the town of Coloma.
January 25, 1959 – An American Airlines Boeing 707 made the first scheduled transcontinental flight from California to New York.
January 27, 1967 – Astronauts “Gus” Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee were killed as fire erupted inside their Apollo 1 spacecraft during a launch simulation test at Cape Kennedy, Florida.
January 28, 1986 – The U. S. Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 74 seconds into its flight killing the seven-member crew including teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was to be the first ordinary citizen in space.
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