WE HAVE A WINNER! Brendan Wilson drew the Ace of Spades to win the big raffle jackpot at this week’s Rotary meeting. Brendan and his tablemates will be sharing $4,000 which represents half of the raffle pot accumulated over the past 50 weeks. But the real winners are the charitable causes designated to receive the other half of the money collected each month (see the article below for a full listing of Club giving so far this Rotary year). Congratulations, Brendan!
Student of the Month Krishna Patel told Rotarians “there is no cap on learning” as she explained her passion for studying. Patel gave an example of this as she recounted how she became self-taught in algebra after moving to Sycamore from Boston. She was placed in a Middle School standard math class but became excited about algebra when seeing homework from a fellow student. She got support from her teacher and then completed a one-year curriculum in four months. In high school she’s pursued advanced placement studies in biology and language and is on the academic honor roll. She is a member of the school’s business leadership academy and plays varsity tennis. She has volunteered at Northwestern Medicine, the Sycamore library, and Pay It Forward House. She is also an active member of her church, BAPS Swaninaryan Mandir, a branch of the Hindu faith, and is donating her $100 Rotary check to their charitable organization. Patel plans on pursuing pre-med biology classes in college at either Loyola University or Northwestern University.
CASA DeKalb Executive Director Jill Olson makes a pitch to help a child in need by becoming a court advocate in their program. The Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are “the voice of the child” in the court system, along with various other legal system organizations and individuals, seeking to bring a safe environment to a child involved in a court case.
“Being the Voice of the Child” is how CASA Executive Director Jill Olson described the work of their court volunteers during this week’s Rotary meeting. Created in 1993 at the urging of Circuit Court Judge John Countryman, CASA DeKalb (Court Appointed Special Advocates) volunteers are the link between professionals and children to see that the child’s wishes are fully represented as the judicial system seeks their safe treatment.
Olson says their organizations has about 60 volunteers and 25 lawyers providing services without charge. They serve approximately 200 children a year. Olson said a number of cases apparently never get reported since a study suggests there is a case of child abuse every 13 hours in DeKalb County. Olson asked Rotarians to consider becoming CASA volunteers. A volunteer typically commits to 10 to 12 hours a week. Details may be found at their website: www.casadekalb.org.
Olson added that the CASA program is a donor-funded organization. Their largest fundraiser is the “50 Men Who Cook” event scheduled for August 12 at the NIU Barsema Visitor’s Center.
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 30, 1882 – The 32nd President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is born in Hyde Park, New York. Despite being crippled by polio, he launched a successful political career and as President oversaw relief efforts for the Great Depression and America’s response to World War II. He died in office during his unprecedented fourth term as President.
January 31, 1919 – Baseball great Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier in major league baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, is born in Cairo, Georgia.
February 2, 1895 – Papa Bear George Halas is born in Chicago. He was a standout athlete at the University of Illinois. Enlisting in the Navy, he was named MVP in the 1919 Rose Bowl game playing for the winning team. He went on to join the Decatur Staleys football team (renamed the Bears when they moved to Chicago) as player-coach. He retired from coaching in 1968 with 318 wins and six NFL titles.
February 3, 1894 – Prolific American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell is born in New York City. He produces more than 4,000 original works during his lifetime.
February 1, 1960 – In Greensboro, North Carolina, four African American students sat down and ordered coffee at a segregated lunch counter inside a Woolworth’s store. They were refused service but did not leave, instead they waited all day. The scene was repeated over the next few months with protests spreading to other southern states. Sit-ins become part of the Civil Rights Movement. The lunch counter was integrated on July 25th when the store manager asked three black employees to change out of their work clothes and order a meal.
February 1, 2003 – Sixteen minutes before it was scheduled to land, the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart over west Texas, killing all seven crew members.
February 3, 1870 – The 15th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified guaranteeing the right of citizens to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
February 3, 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified granting Congress the authority to collect income taxes.
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