The work of the Family Service Agency is never-ending; even as they complete the observance of one month devoted to a particular cause, they flow into another month dedicated to two more. And they are making changes to accommodate their ever-expanding objectives.
Erin Tamms from FSA says they just finished Child Abuse Awareness Month in April; this was marked by 125 pinwheels outside their offices along Sycamore Road in DeKalb -- representing 125 children helped by them, or through the Child Advocacy Center, during the past year.
Now they continue to help children through other programs, which now means a change in title for one key project. FSA has ended its affiliation with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, citing the increased cost for using the name and adding the personnel they require; they will now operate the service in-house under the title Youth Mentoring -- with few changes in how they operate.
Coming up during May are Older Americans Month and Mental Health Month; the latter is especially crucial, since they are now working more closely with the Ben Gordon Center in assisting those with mental health issues.
And they have joined a number of agencies which are offering their services to the residents of University Village; this area of DeKalb has proven to be in particular need of special services, and they are taking steps to bring what they have available to a population which would otherwise have trouble accessing them.
A tour of the newly-constructed wing of the DeKalb County Jail will be conducted for Sycamore Rotarians on Wednesday, May 23rd; it will be led by Joyce Klein from the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office, and will commence at 12 noon.
Since Blumen Gardens is booked for another event on the 23rd, we will be offering this tour as part of a make-up session; attendance is optional, and those on hand will get make-up credit towards their overall attendance. The tour should take about 45 minutes.
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
For those on the borderline with their attendance, this is also our annual "triple-witching" day; each of these events counts as a separate Rotary Club function...so those in attendance for the entire day can earn up to three attendance credits.
Sign-up information will be made available in the coming weeks.
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
Volunteers are still needed for our final Rotarians at Work Days project for this year -- the Youth Service Bureau's bicycle auction, to be held on Saturday, May 19th at the DeKalb High School Field House.
Every year, the YSB auctions off bicycles recovered by the DeKalb Police Department; these bikes were lost or stolen over the course of the previous year, and are sold off to clear them out of storage...and to provide the YSB with extra funds.
Rotarians are needed to help set up and move around the bicycles during the course of the day; we'll be working in two shifts -- from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. You may sign up at any upcoming Rotary Club meeting, or contact Michael DeVito for further details.
The Rotary Reader Breakfast Buddies event was held on May 4 in the morning at South Prairie Elementary School.
Rotarians were greeted with a bright yellow thank you banner as they entered the cafeteria. A light continental breakfast was served for students, teachers and Rotarians.
Principal Kreg Wesley thanked the Rotarians for being part of this new program to share the importance of reading and vocations.
Mark Spiegelhoff, project coordinator, noted that 27 different Rotarians read to the third graders in the two classes at the school and emphasized the importance of lifelong reading for their future job or for enjoyment.
Marijo Schwartz helped promote the Early Act program as a next step for the third graders at the school.
Ethan, a current Early Act participant and fourth grader at the school, gave a wonderful speech on what the club has accomplished in the past school year and the positive impact it had on him.
Everyone is looking forward to continuing the program in the 2018-19 school year.
The newly-formed Rotary Satellite Club of Sycamore-Oak Crest Area is undertaking its first project -- the purchase of two planters, for use in the Oak Crest Retirement Center courtyard.
The club is looking to raise $700 for the purchase of two planters (one of which is portable) as well as the soil and additional supplies necessary.
Any amount is appreciated, and checks can be made payable to the main Rotary Club of Sycamore; you can send them to P.O. Box 332, Sycamore, IL 60178, or give them to any Oak Crest Rotary club officer. Gifts of $100 or more will be acknowledged in publicity and photos taken; donations are tax deductible, and receipts will be provided on request.
For more information, you can call Club Chair Sally Stevens at (815) 756-2343 or Club Secretary Barry Schrader at (815) 758-5424.
Students with disabilities often have little opportunity to use playgrounds; for those with physical issues, the equipment may simply be inaccessible...while for those with cognitive or autistic problems, the environment may not be safe for them to use.
But the Sycamore Rotary Club is now actively involved in an effort to provide a safe location in town, for use by children with such hurdles to overcome.
Citizens for Inclusive Playgrounds wants to erect the play area on the campus of South Prairie Elementary School; that is the site within the district where most children with such disabilities are assigned, and a safe location designed to let them play and interact with all students is needed.
Rotarian Marijo Schwartz, who is with the Sycamore School District, has been spearheading the effort to bring the playground to town; a goal of $130,000 is needed, and so far over $71,000 of that has been contributed by a combination of public and private donors. Over $57,000 is still required to launch the project; the Sycamore Rotary Club will be seeking a grant from District 6420 to supplement its own donation, and some individual Rotarians are pledging to contribute.
There is no set deadline for the project, but all monies must be collected before work can begin; it's hoped that construction can be completed over the summer. Anyone wishing to contribute should contact the DeKalb County Community Foundation, or Marijo at mschwart@syc427.org
