The Sycamore Park District Community Center is nearing completion, with most elements of it expected to be open for use by the spring; and the Fitness Center is expected to be a popular addition to the community, in spite of the presence of other, similar centers in the area.
Park District Executive Director (and Sycamore Rotarian) Dan Gibble says the fitness center will provide 24-hour access to the facility, including an elevated running track, cardio equipment and two full basketball courts. It will also have three multipurpose rooms and park district programs and rentals, along with a group exercise and dance studio.
Gibble says Pathway Fitness is not intended to compete with, or take business away from, the Kishwaukee YMCA or the new Northwestern Medicine rehab facility; he says there is plenty of demand for 24-hour access from those interested in maintaining their fitness, and the Park District believes it will quickly fill a niche.
The campus of the Community Center on Airport Road will also include a sled hill, a dog park and the Splash Fountain splash pad; these will also be available for use by springtime...although the sled hill may be put into operation sooner, depending on winter weather. Gibble noted the difficulties of having such a hill; obtaining proper liability insurance means having the ground at a certain consistency and the slope at just the right angle -- and the Park District staff has worked diligently to make sure it meets all the necessary standards.
Elizabeth "Libby" Swedberg originally struggled with math as she entered higher levels of education; but her parents made her concentrate on her math studies even over summer vacation and breaks...and this slowly developed into a love for learning, in this and other subjects, which has made her a success in the classroom.
Libby has not only excelled as a student at Sycamore High School, but she has already earned college credit through the Kishwaukee College Engineering, March and Science Academy. She has been a standout on a Spartans Math Team which has won eight straight conference championships...and she says she prefers going to math competitions over many other activities, even cross country and track (which she has participated in for the past two years).
Libby has been a member of the Interact Club for four years, following in the footsteps of her Rotarian father Ben; he and Lori have encouraged her to take other leadership positions, including with Youth Engaged in Philanthropy. She hopes to go to either Iowa State or Oklahoma after graduation, to study mechanical engineering.
The Rotary Club has presented her with $100 for donation to the charity of her choice; Libby has picked the Youth Grantmakers program sponsored by YEP.
Sycamore Rotarians joined other organizations in selling raffle tickets for the Make a Difference DKC food packing and fundraising event on behalf of Feed My Starving Children -- and aside from the children who received the pre-packaged meals the Club helped prepare, Rotary came out the winner in more ways than one.
Each organization selling tickets received $8 off of every $20 ticket sold; and at the December 6th Rotary meeting, Make a Difference DKC presented the Rotary Club with its share -- $2,832.00. The Sycamore Rotary Club was also the number one ticket seller for this year's event.
This follows the official drawing in November, at which Rotarian Paul Stromborg became the grand prize winner -- receiving $10,000.
Pictured: Heidi Wright presents Rotary Club President Eric Jones with the club's portion of the fundraising monies.
A therapy group of girls staying at Hope Haven has bonded together, after enduring the worst imaginable trauma while growing up…and spending the last two and a half years sharing their experiences with each other. Now as they prepare to move through their last year together, the members of this group – who have dubbed themselves “The Squad” – hope to share one last great adventure…and are seeking Rotary’s help.
Hope Haven Executive Director Lesly Wicks says these six girls have participated in trauma therapy sessions at Hope Haven, and have struggled just to find shelter at times. But through these sessions and their work with each other, these girls now have a chance at fulfilled adult lives. Part of their therapy has involved exploring the outdoors; they have been camping, hiking, kayaking, canoeing and other outdoor events in five states.
They now want to undertake their most ambitious adventure yet, with a trip to Canada; the cost of such an excursion would be high, so with the help of Dave Juday from Ideal Industries they have developed a business plan and model…and have begun manufacturing a number of items, to sell around the community and put towards their Canada trip.
Rotary President Eric Jones encourages Rotarians to not only support their sales effort, but find out what more Rotary can do to help The Squad realize this dream, and goals beyond that. He, Lesly and Dave want to expand the vision for this group beyond a single fundraising opportunity, and would like to know if any Rotarians would be interested in devoting their time and effort to help these girls further build their confidence and character.
Please contact Eric if you are interested in helping out.
The Sycamore Rotary's meeting site at Blumen Gardens is also the hub of activity for the Goodfellows during the Christmas season -- and Rotarians are encouraged to help out during the next few weeks.
Each year, Goodfellows bands together for a single purpose: to provide children with clothing for the holiday season. This year, over 1,000 children are expected to be served; to help out, the Goodfellows held its annual Office Party benefit on Thursday, December 7th at P.J.'s Courthouse Tavern, beginning at 5:00 p.m.
You can also help with gift-wrapping, as the organization takes over Blumen Gardens to prepare these gifts for delivery; wrapping will be held on Wednesday at 6 p.m. Rotary has done its part, by donating the remaining coats from Operation Warm to the Goodfellows for them to distribute as needed.
And the campaign culminates on Christmas Eve, as community members are asked to take the gifts to homes in the DeKalb and Sycamore area; volunteers will gather at Blumen Gardens at 8 o'clock that morning, to pick out some of the distinctive red and green plastic bags filled with Christmas cheer for delivery to their recipient families.
Please contact Riley Oncken if you have any questions, or would like to make a donation.
This year's annual Rotary Holiday Party will be held at Taxco Restaurant in downtown Sycamore on Wednesday, December 20th.
We will be gathering at 11:30 a.m. and can stay through 2:30 p.m. The event will be informal, with Rotarians having the chance to relax with their friends; but there could be a few Reindeer Games before the day is done....
This will be our last official Rotary Club event for the year; be sure to let Eric Jones or Sally Bruch know if you will be in attendance, and if you plan to bring any guests.
The next Club Committee Meeting Day will be held on Wednesday, January 31st, 2018; in lieu of a regular meeting, all committees with projects coming up during the next quarter of the Rotary year will have the opportunity to meet and work on details of their events -- putting club time to use, instead of having to meet via e-mail or after a regular meeting.
Upcoming projects would include the February and March program committees, Rural-Urban Day, the District Conference on April 27-28 at Faranda's, Hula-for-Loota and Rotarians at Work Day. Others may be added, as required.
Attendance Report -- December 13, 2017
Attendance: 58.82%
Visiting Rotarians: Bob Pritchard, Jim MacMurdo, Nancy Peltz and David Dosier (Kishwaukee Sunrise)
Guests of Members:Jonathan Delaughter (Ahmed Kamel)
Other Guests: Luca-Sophie Giese (exchange student)
