After careful examination and discussion, the Rotary Board of Directors is offering a proposal to sponsor the construction of a new shelter for the Sycamore Park District.

 

The Club has $25,000 available, which can be used to obtain the naming rights for a shelter...and to help the Park District defray the costs of construction.  This is the end result of a discussion of several proposals; Rotarians Jude Wilbers and Dan Gibble (Executive Director of the Sycamore Park District) collaborated extensively on the plans, and the Board is seeking approval from the general membership.

 

A formal vote will be taken at the February 24th meeting; if passed, the Rotary Club will work in conjunction with the Park District to help with construction and placement of the shelter.

 

 

Sue Emberson will be attending this year's Midwest Presidents-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) from March 4th to 6th; and as part of the weekend, Rotary Presidents-Elect will be bringing items for distribution to U.S. veterans and their families.

 

Rotary is partnering with Illinois AMVETS and Veterans Outreach of Wisconsin to gather items for these families in need.  AMVETS is looking for adult and childrens' clothing, backpacks, purses, old cell phones and laptops.

 

Veterans Outreach is looking for basic food such as canned tuna, ketchup, mustard, Jello, pasta & pasta sauce, cereal, canned ravioli and spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, and pancake mix.  They also want toiletries such as razors, shaving cream, men's and women's deodorant, shampoo, feminine products and soap.

 

Rotarians are asked to bring these items to the next meeting; cash contributions are also welcome.

 

 

The Sycamore Rotary Club needs to update its file of member photos; for that purpose, we will be taking members' pictures during our February 24th meeting at Blumen Gardens.

 

Each picture will be included with the member's entry in our Club directory, and may also be used for other official Rotary purposes.

 

If you will not be available for that day's meeting, or would prefer to submit a picture of your own, please send one to brianadams62@hotmail.com.  (We will only accept head shots, featuring the Rotarian and no one else; no gag pictures, please!)

 

 

The DeKalb Rotary Club is again holding a fundraising beer and wine tasting party on Sunday, March 6th; it will be from 2 to 5 p.m. at Inboden's Meat Market, at 1106 North 1st Street in DeKalb.

 

A variety of beers and wines will be available, along with plenty of hors d'oeuvres and sweets; all proceeds will go towards community service projects, with a portion of all tickets sold to Sycamore Rotarians coming back to our club.

 

Tickets are $40 each in advance, and $50 at the door; you can purchase them at the upcoming Rotary meeting from Brian Adams, or contact John Horn from the DeKalb Rotary at (815) 790-0407.

 

 

Darion Page works as the internet and social media director for DeKalb Sycamore Chevrolet Cadillac GMC -- and he found himself there, after a series of other potential career steps went awry.

 

Born in suburban Dolton, Darion attended Illinois State and then went to Northern Illinois University to study law; he says his year at the school was a disaster, and realized that he had no real interest in practicing law. 

 

He then decided to pursue a career in education, eventually getting hired by an online university based in Schaumburg; he quit that post to take a job at Kishwaukee College -- only to discover that the position had already been filled.

 

He re-enrolled at Northern to get his Masters in education; after graduation, he sought a short-term job at the dealership to tide him over until the education hiring season began.  He wound up as the internet service director, having to build the job and the company website from the ground up; his four-month stint turned into four years, and he says now the site is responsible for nearly one-fifth of their auto sales.

 

He and his wife have lived in Sycamore for ten years, and have two children; he says Rotary gives him the opportunity to connect with the people who run the community, and who help make a difference on the job and as volunteers.

 

 

Brandon Diviak aspired from a young age to get involved in investment and finance; he took a long route into the profession, but wound up working on behalf of Resource Bank...helping its customers with their financial needs.

 

Brandon is originally from Buffalo, and spent his teen years developing a keen interest in investments and the stock market; a year of community college led him to apply to Northern Illinois University, where he earned a degree in finance.  He worked at an auto parts store during his teen years, and wound up working similar jobs while in DeKalb; he eventually latched onto a job at Resource Bank, and earlier this year moved into the investment department.

 

Brandon says he heard a lot about Rotary from his colleague Dave McCann, and finally accepted his invitation to see the club...and eventually get involved.  He says he joined because he's interested in giving back to the community, and sees Rotary as one of the best ways to make a tangible difference.

 

 

The Sycamore Rotary Club's annual Hula-for-Loota fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, April 21st; it will be from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m. at a location to be determined.

 

This annual Hawaiian-themed event is a fundraiser for the Rotary Club's scholarship fund; the featured event is a draw-down raffle, with numbers being removed one-by-one...and the last one drawn, wins the grand prize of $3,000.

 

There will also be cash and prizes given away throughout the drawing, as well as a 50/50 drawing; tickets for the main drawing are available from Paul Michel.

 

 

Plans are coming together for our annual Rotarians at Work Day; members of our Rotary Club will be joining with DeKalb and Kishwaukee Sunrise, as well as our New Generations clubs, to provide assistance with crucial tasks to not-for-profit and community agencies.

 

We will again be fanning out on Saturday, May 7th beginning at 9:00 a.m. to work at various sites around Sycamore and DeKalb; these will include:

     Rotary Park -- clean-up and maintenance work as part of the Sycamore Park District's Park Pride Day

     Pay it Forward House -- gardening and lawn care for the respitality house

     Joiner Cemetery -- clean-up and gardening of veterans' graves, in advance of Memorial Day

     Kishwaukee Special Recreation Association -- interactive garden and assembly of information packets

 

We will be signing up participants as we get closer to May; in the meantime, anyone with suggestions on other projects we can do should contact Brian Adams at brianadams62@hotmail.com