The annual Sycamore Rotary Club Golf Outing is set for Wednesday, June 27th; it will be at the Sycamore Golf Club, as the featured event of three being held that day.
The afternoon and evening at the course will feature:
-- A make-up session at 12:00 p.m. in lieu of our regular meeting; attendance is optional, and lunch will be provided for everyone on hand
-- The Golf Outing, a four-player scramble team competition, beginning at 1 o'clock
-- The annual Installation Dinner at 5:30, immediately following golf; Ray Dembinski will be formally sworn in as Club President for 2018-19, and we will also announce the recipient of the John W. Ovitz, Jr. Rotarian of the Year Award
Even though Rotary's "End Polio Now" campaign has been in effect for decades, many newer Rotarians still don't know what it's all about; not only are they unsure of the project's origins, but they have no memory of just how serious polio was here in the United States -- and how much effort has been made to wipe it out worldwide.
Paul Stromborg says he and others of his generation still remember the fear which could be found in post-war America during the summertime; that was the time of year when polio was most prevalent, and parents had to take extreme measures to keep their children from contracting this paralyzing disease -- to the point of keeping them inside, or away from public pools, during the hottest days of the year.
At its zenith, thousands of children and adults were being infected by the polio virus; they ran the gamut from the youngest toddlers up to President Franklin Roosevelt, who was one of the strongest supporters of the March of Dimes -- which collected money for research and treatment.
Scientists were racing to find a vaccine, and competing efforts from Dr. Jonas Salk and Dr. Albert Sabin (apparently with no love lost between them) eventually saw Dr. Salk's approach receive public approval. The vote to approve his vaccine led to nationwide celebrations which rivaled the end of World War II; within months, thousands of children were immunized, and polio in the U.S. began to wane.
But this didn't extend to the rest of the world on any organized level until Rotary became involved; a single immunization project in the Philippines led to the establishment of End Polio Now, which has seen the disease eliminated in the Western Hemisphere. The effort continues in a few countries to reach all potential victims, with the hope of eventually eradicating the disease once and for all.
We will once again be collecting school supplies, for donation to families in need for the upcoming school year.
The Salvation Army in DeKalb will help distribute these items; pencils, crayons, paper, scissors, glue, notebooks, folders, rulers, tape and backpacks are among the items needed. Rotarians are asked to bring them to the meeting on Wednesday, July 11th.
Everything collected will be donated during the annual School Supply Drive Concert, on Sunday, July 15th at the Taylor Street apartments in DeKalb.
The month of July marks the start of the new Rotary year, and the Sycamore Rotary Club will take advantage of a reduced schedule to plan out our objectives for the coming months.
We will begin on July 11th with a presentation by future President Ray Dembinski on the club's goals for 2018-19; this marks the 75th anniversary year for the Sycamore Rotary Club, and Pat Shafer will head up the planning for our observance of that occasion in the spring. We will also go over our other upcoming projects, and give committees time to get organized.
Then on July 18th, District Governor Kathy Kiwat-Hess will be making her official visit to the Sycamore Rotary Club; we will be one of the first stops on her journey around District 6420, and our Rotary Club will be among the first to hear her plans for the coming year.
Finally on July 25th, we will convene our formal Club Assembly; this annual meeting will be used to solidify our plans for the months to come, as the months of September through December are traditionally the busiest of the year for us.
All Rotarians are encouraged to attend these meetings, as we prepare to Be the Inspiration for our community...and the world.
Volunteers will be needed to help man a Rotary booth to be set up in downtown Sycamore, during the annual Fizz Ehrler Memorial Turning Back Time Car Show. It will be in operation on Sunday, July 29th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Rotary Club will have a display about its upcoming and ongoing projects, and give the public an opportunity to find out more about what our Club does...and how they can join.
Rotarians will be needed to watch over the booth and interact with the public, answering any questions they may have. In addition, any Rotarian with a home or business located near downtown is asked to let the Club know if they'll have parking available that day, for volunteers to use.
Sign-up sheets will go around starting in July; please contact Brian Adams for further details.
Your family can have an amazing international experience this coming year without a passport, airfare, or stuffing a suitcase. The international experience comes to you, when you decide to be a host family for an exchange student.
Exchange students are here to experience life in Sycamore, meet and make friends with Sycamore High School students, work on improving their English, and share their culture with the community. Host families need to live in the Sycamore School District.
All you need is a spare bed at your house and a willingness to share your normal family life with a high school age student for about 14 weeks. (Your family will be one of three families to share this unique experience.)
For school year 2018-2019 the Sycamore Rotary Club will sponsor a young man from Venezuela. He is a swimmer, loves books, and is looking forward to the personal growth this exchange year will provide.
For more details, call or text Bert Gray, Sycamore Rotary Club Exchange Coordinator, at (217) 521-0968 or e-mail rkgray1@sbcglobal.net
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