The Spoke - March 7, 2020 (Mar 07, 2020)

Tom Crouch, Kishwaukee Education Consortium, to Speak March 11

Tom Crouch, Kishwaukee Education Consortium's Executive Director, will provide an update regarding the agency which administers cooperative vocational, alternative and after-school programs to four DeKalb County school districts (DeKalb, Genoa-Kingston, Hiawatha and Sycamore) and one Ogle County school district (Rochelle).

Celebrating 45 Years of Voluntary Action Center

Posted by Paul Callighan

President Gerald Ford was in the White House when community-minded DeKalb County residents formally organized a local chapter of the federal Voluntary Action Center (VAC) program to help connect volunteers with local needs. VAC Executive Director Ellen Rogers explained to Rotarians at their March 4^th meeting how 45 years later the organization has evolved into a leading provider of nutrition and transportation services.

“Meals on Wheels” is the program most Rotarians become involved with by helping deliver a hot lunch and cold meal to seniors and shut-ins assisting them to continue to live in their own homes or apartments. Rogers estimates the value of time by 1,200 volunteers to the program at over $100,000 a year. VAC also provides meals at two senior center sites in the DeKalb area and one in Sandwich. In addition, there is a summer youth program that served 19,000 meals last year. Food service to the jail and a catering business help supplement income for these programs.

Early in its years of operation, VAC recognized a need for transportation services for seniors and the disabled and started a door-to-door service using a van and several volunteer drivers. By 1988, their fleet of vehicles moved into a newly constructed transportation garage. Then, last year, the VAC bus system integrated service with the Huskie Line to better coordinate community-wide transit options. An estimated 8,000 riders are moved each week by the combined system.

Needs remain to be funded. For example, there are 25 people on a waiting list to receive “Meals on Wheels” according to Rogers. Donations may be made at their website at www.vacdk.com or mailed to VAC, 1606 Bethany Road, Sycamore, IL 60178.

Joshua "JT" Burns - March Student of the Month

Posted by Paul Callighan

JT Burns says he learned about placing others before oneself as a result of summer mission trips he’s taken through Sycamore United Methodist Church. Living by the Golden Rule has become his life standard as a result of the trips he’s taken the past four years. JT said his first trip had him helping with house repairs in Rochester, New York. The next year there was assisting “Make-a-Wish” recipients in Florida. Year three was spent at a Native American reservation in Montana. Year four took his group to Houston where victims from 2017’s Hurricane Harvey were still recovering. This year he will be going to Pennsylvania. The high school senior said he plans on attending the University of Missouri majoring in engineering after he graduates.

Hula for Loota is April 9! Tickets on Sale Now!

Posted by Eric Jones

You are invited to join the Rotary Club of Sycamore at our annual Hula for Loota fundraiser to support our scholarship fund that provides financial scholarships for college-bound seniors at Sycamore High School. The event consists of a dinner, a drawdown raffle, and new for 2020, a trivia competition. Entry to the event can be obtained by purchasing a dinner ticket for $25 or a drawdown raffle ticket for $100, the latter granting you a chance to win our $3,000 grand prize! Additional details are below.

Drawdown: 100 raffle tickets will be sold prior to the event. The cost for a ticket is $100 and includes dinner. In addition to these 100 tickets, two additional tickets (#101 and #102) will be added to the pool when only 8 tickets remain to form the final ten. The winning ticket will receive the grand prize of $3000 and additional prizes may be awarded along the way. If you want to reserve your number, please reach out to someone on our committee as soon as possible (or email me at jonesy16@outlook.com).

Trivia: New for 2020, each table of 8 will form a trivia team. Anyone who has participated in a bar trivia before will be immediately familiar with the format. We will have several rounds of trivia on a variety of general knowledge topics. Each team will submit one answer sheet per round, the team with the most points at the end of the night will win a coveted Champions Hawaiian shirt for their effort.

50/50 Raffle: Anyone who doesn't purchase a regular raffle ticket but still wants a chance to win some cash may purchase tickets for the 50/50 raffle.

When: Thursday, April 9, 2020. Doors will open around 5:30 PM with dinner served around 6:00 PM. Trivia and the drawdown will start around 7:00 and we plan to wrap up the evening by 8:30.

Menu: Catering by the Country Store will serve rotisserie pork, white cheddar mac n' cheese, house salad, cornbread, dinner rolls, snickerdoodle salad, and cherry/apple pie squares.

If you're looking for other ways to support this even or our scholarship funds, we are looking for a variety of sponsors for our event. If your business would like to be featured during our evening festivities, you can elect to sponsor a round of trivia or sponsor a drawdown consolation prize basket. Sponsorships are available starting at $100 and you can reach out to Eric Jones to make arrangements. We hope to make this a large and successful event enjoyed not only by Rotarians but by many members of the general public as an opportunity for us to share Rotary's mission and projects in the community with its members. Please spread the word.

Before the tour, Sycamore Rotarians enjoyed lunch and attended to some business.

Sycamore Rotary Club: Classification (Joyce Klein)
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Dec 09, 2020 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Oak Crest Satellite Club Meeting
Oak Crest Retirement Center
Dec 10, 2020 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club: Fate of USS Peter Silvester
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Dec 16, 2020 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club: NO MEETING (Holiday)

Dec 23, 2020

Oak Crest Satellite Club Meeting
Oak Crest Community Center
Dec 24, 2020 11:45 AM

Sycamore Rotary Club: NO MEETING (Holiday)

Dec 30, 2020

Sycamore Rotary Club: TBD
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Jan 06, 2021 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club: TBD
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Jan 13, 2021 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Oak Crest Satellite Club Meeting
Oak Crest Retirement Center
Jan 14, 2021 11:45 AM - 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club: EarlyAct Club (Ryan Janisch)
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Jan 20, 2021 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club: TBD
Blumen Gardens (and Zoom)
Jan 27, 2021 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM

View entire list

Member Birthdays

Paul Callighan

December 10

Julie Sgarlata

December 13

Concetta Maniaci

December 19

Jeffrey Petersen

December 19

Rotary Club of Sycamore, Illinois

We meet Wednesdays at 11:45 AM

Blumen Gardens

403 Edward Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
United States

District Site

Venue Map

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2019-2020

President – Pat Shafer

President-Elect – Michael DeVito

Past President – Ray Dembinski

Secretary – Sally Bruch

Treasurer – Michele Jurkovic

Assistant Treasurer – Lavarre Uhlken

Director – Paulette Renault

Director – Tim Neubert

Sergeant-at-Arms – Monthly Committee

Monthly Committees

July: Board of Directors

August: Jim Buck, Dave McCann, Ben Swedberg, Bob Wildenradt, Don Clayberg, Lloyd Larson

September: Paul Michel, Jeff Jacobson, Mario Fontana, Brandon Diviak

October: Dave Andrews, Beata Palasiewicz, Curtis Lang, Marcy Buick, Jim Schwarzbach

November: Kathy Countryman, Julie Sgarlata, Fred Peltz, Chip Houdek, Troy Oates

December: Dan Gibble, Steve Balster, Paul Loner, Dan O’Connell, Joyce Klein

January: Paul Barnaby, Jim Bowers, Gary Evans, Heidi Wright, Chad Jewitt

February: Riley Oncken, Ahmed Kamel, Larry Berke, Nicole Stuckert, Tim Carlson

March: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Petersen, Doug Johnson, Mark Hilde, Nick Brooks

April: Bob Hammon, Suzanne Anderson, Sejal Patel, Chase Goodeill, Paul Callighan

May: Mark Speigelhoff, Jeff Frank, Cliff Bottigliero, Renae Wilkinson

June: Marijo Schwartz, Paul Stromborg, Jeff Keicher, Steve Kuhn, Tom Mangan, Jim Stoddard

New Generations

Chair: Julie Sgarlata

At-Large Committee Members: Kathy Countryman, Eric Jones, Don Clayberg, Nichole Stuckert, Tim Neubert

Sycamore H.S. Interact: Ben Swedberg

Sycamore M.S. Interact: Julie Sgarlata

South Prairie EarlyAct: Julie Sgarlata

North Grove EarlyAct: Michael DeVito

Long/Short Term Youth Exchange: Chip Houdek, Tim Carlson, Jeff Jacobson, Fred Peltz, Mark Spiegelhoff

Group Study Exchange: Jim Stoddard, Mary Alexis

RYLA: Ben Swedberg

Student of the Month: Steve Balster

Foundations & Grants

Chair: Paul Stromborg

At-Large Committee Members: Don Clayberg, Bob Hammon

Polio Plus: Paul Stromborg, Curtis Lang

Annual Giving/Foundation: Jim Stoddard, Jim Buck, Jim Bowers, Riley Oncken, Paul Callighan

Scholarships: Pete Johnson, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Don Clayberg, Steve Kuhn, Tim Neubert

Service Above Self and Service Projects

Chair: Michael DeVito

Multiple Club Project Coordination: Bob Hammon, Paul Stromborg, Dave Hamilton

Meals on Wheels (August): Curtis Lang, Sejal Patel, Mark Spiegelhoff

Dictionary Distribution (September): Lavarre Uhlken

Pancake Breakfast (October): Dave McCann, Marcy Buick, Marijo Schwartz, Michele Jurkovic, Fred Peltz, Jeff Petersen, Paulette Renault, Michael DeVito, Brandon Diviak

Feed My Starving Children (November): Heidi Wright, Jeff Frank, Eric Jones, Paul Stromborg, Marijo Schwartz

Salvation Army Bell-Ringing (December): Dave Andrews, Kathy Countryman

Operation Warm (December): Michael DeVito

Adopt a Family (December): Heidi Wright, Kathy Countryman, Sue Emberson, Riley Oncken, Marijo Schwartz

Spartan Food Pantry (April): Beata Palasiewicz

Rotarians at Work Day (May): Mary Alexis Low

Rotary Reader: Mark Spiegelhoff

Public Image and Awareness

Chair: Eric Jones

Website: Eric Jones, Paul Barnaby

The Spoke: Eric Jones, Tim Neubert

Public Image Campaign & Social Media: Tim Neubert, Paulette Renault, Paul Callighan

Sergeant at Arms: Monthly Program Committee

IT/Audio-Visual: Eric Jones

Club Fellowship

Chair: Paulette Renault

Fines: Riley Oncken, Paul Callighan, Marijo Schwartz, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Bowers

100% Attendance (August): Sally Bruch, Jim Buck

Holiday Party (December): Jeff Petersen, Gary Evans, Dave Hamilton, Paulette Renault, Julie Sgarlata, Tim Neubert, Renae Wilkinson

Rural-Urban Day (February): Bob Wildenradt, Larry Berke

Hoola-for-Loota (April): Jeff Jacobson, Julie Sgarlata, Jim Bowers, Eric Jones, Riley Oncken

Golf Outing (June): Sue Emberson, Dan O’Connell, Joyce Klein

Steak Fry (October): Paulette Renault, Paul Callighan, Paul Loner

Membership

Recruitment: All members are expected to bring at least one prospective member as a guest

New Member Orientation: Bob Hammon, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Tim Neubert

Member Retention: Jim Stoddard, Bob Wildenradt, Larry Berke, Nicole Stuckert