Co-Chair of the Popcorn Fundraiser, Bob Brown, reads the happy totals from the four-day virtual pop-up store sales totaling $6,556 (which translates into $3,278 for club literacy programs). Rotarians got support from 105 people in 53 cities spanning 13 states. Top seller was past president Paulette Renault at $1,531 followed by Bob Brown at $1,152 and Joyce Klein at $761.
Eleven Rotarians participated in our recent Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser, including (left to right) Paulette Renault, Brandon Diviak, Paul Callighan, Sally Bruch, Bob Brown (Co-Chair), Matt Nelson, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer, Tim Neubert, Jonelle Bailey (Co-Chair, not pictured), and Joyce Klein (not pictured).
The DeKalb and Boone County Manager for RAMP, Jessica Wexell, explains how the non-profit organization helps people with disabilities learn and live to their full potential. Services are offered without charge to clients and assistance is given to people of any age. Their range of help can start with school curriculum at the kindergarten level and goes to reentry to independent living for seniors leaving nursing home care.
RAMP is a non-profit organization helping individuals with disabilities live independently and learn without obstacles according to Boone and DeKalb County Manager Jessica Wexell who spoke at this week’s Rotary meeting. Wexell joined the local RAMP group in 2017 as an independent living advocate and was promoted to manager in 2021. RAMP began serving northwest Illinois in 1980 with a focus on independent living and expanded services to include education advocacy, public awareness, and sensitivity training to aid those entering the workforce or facing special needs in school. Wexell said RAMP assists about 600 people a year. 51% of their own staff has a disability. Funding comes from federal and state grants and private donations.
RAMP offers an extensive menu of services. For adults they offer a community reintegration program helping someone transition back to independent living after undergoing a nursing home stay. Their ITAC program provides free amplified phone modifications for those who are hearing impaired. They can refer clients to personal assistant caregivers. They also help with access issues, including loaning ramps until permanent installations are made and helping clients use public transportation . For youth, they offer help with Individual Education Plans, “Fast Track” services for workplace readiness, and adaptable learning techniques. For all ages, creative use of technology to aid in learning and working is also available from RAMP.
Wexell said that besides helping individual clients, RAMP is an advocate for public policy that brings ease of access to everyday living and learning resources for those with disabilities. More information is available from their web site, www.rampcil.org.
ShelterBox HERO Clubs are foundational to our ability to respond when disaster strikes. To show our gratitude for your generous support, we are hosting an exclusive online Rotary Club HERO event on:
We will have an update on our response to the earthquakes in Turkey/Syria.
ShelterBox is proud to be Rotary International's official project partner in disaster relief. Together, we are putting the partnership into action.
This exclusive event is open to every club member. We will be giving reports on our current response work, the impact we make in the lives of those we reach, and how Rotarians make this work possible. There will also be an opportunity for you to submit questions.
Thank you for being a Shelterbox HERO, I hope to see you this Saturday.
Bill Tobin, Rotary Relations Manager, ShelterBox USA
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!
February 5, 1900 – Illinois Governor, two-time Democratic presidential candidate (1952 and 1956), and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson II, is born in Los Angeles, California.
February 7, 1812 – British novelist Charles Dickens (“David Copperfield”, “Oliver Twist”, “A Christmas Carol”) is born in Portsmouth, England.
February 9, 1773 – The 9th U. S. President, William Henry Harrison, is born in Berkeley, Virginia. He was sworn into office on March 4, 1841 but died 32 days later from complications from a cold he caught during his inaugural ceremonies.
February 11, 1847 – Prolific inventor Thomas Edison is born in Milan, Ohio. Throughout his lifetime he acquires over 1,200 patents.
February 6, 1952 – At age 27, Princess Elizabeth becomes Queen of Great Britain after the death of her father, King George VI, following his long illness. Her official coronation takes place on June 2, 1953. Her reign of 70 years and 214 days made her the longest serving British monarch in history.
February 8, 1910 – The Boy Scouts of America was founded by William Boyce in Washington, D.C. modeled after the British Boy Scouts.
February 9, 1964 – With his now famous words, “Ladies and gentlemen…The Beatles”, TV host Ed Sullivan brought the British singing group to American television in a program viewed by what was then a record audience estimated at 73 million viewers.
February 11, 1929 – Italian dictator Benito Mussolini granted political independence to Vatican City and recognized the sovereignty of the Pope over the 110-acre site.
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