The annual distribution of dictionaries for The Dictionary Project will be held on Wednesday, October 18th -- immediately following the Rotary Club meeting.
Rotarians will be distributing English and English-Spanish dictionaries to 3rd grade students in the District 427 elementary schools, as well as St. Mary's and Cornerstone Christian Academy. Experts say third grade is the time when children begin to take a stronger interest in vocabulary, and the meaning of words; this is the ideal time to ensure that all children have access to a dictionary, to help develop their language skills.
All Rotarians signed up to help will be issued their dictionary supply and instructions right after the meeting; please contact Lavarre Uhlken if you have any questions.
After a hiatus of several years, the Sycamore Rotary Club is bringing back the Steak Fry.
It will be held on Thursday, October 19th at Becker Park, located at 12710 Base Line Road in Kingston; there will be an evening of games, food and fun for all Sycamore Rotarians and their families.
If you plan to attend, please contact Don Clayberg at donsyc@aol.com
Tickets are now on sale for the annual Sycamore Rotary Pancake Breakfast, to be held on Saturday, October 27th during the Pumpkin Festival.
We will be serving pancakes and sausage from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. at the Federated Church, located at 612 W. State Street in Sycamore.
Tickets are $5.00 each; you can purchase one in advance from any Sycamore Rotarian, or at the door. All proceeds will go towards the club's Scholarship Fund for Sycamore High School.
Volunteers are needed to serve that day, or to help set up on Friday afternoon; you can sign up at the upcoming Rotary Club meeting.
District 6420 will hold its annual Foundation Dinner at Brandywine Banquets in Dixon on Saturday, November 4th. It will run from 4:45 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.
The Foundation Dinner is a celebration and recognition of District 6420 Rotary members and their support for The Rotary Foundation. The dinner is open to all district members who want to learn about The Rotary Foundation. For more information go to this link
The need for mental health treatment is constant and ongoing, and for decades there was no organized effort to treat the mentally ill in DeKalb County. But the formation of the DeKalb County Mental Health Board gave those with such challenges a place to turn, and their families a voice.
Deanna Cada is Executive Director of the DCMHB, which marked its 50th anniversary at a public celebration on Tuesday night. She says the Board provides a unifying location for the various services offered by public agencies and private vendors; DeKalb County was fortunate to have Ben Gordon to act as an unofficial advocate and informal provider during his lifetime, and the Ben Gordon Center helps to continue that legacy for those who need it.
Cada also discussed the availability of Mental Health First Aid training; anyone willing to sign up for this eight-hour course will receive crucial information on how to deal with someone who has just suffered a traumatic event, is suffering a panic attack, or is having an especially turbulent reaction to an ongoing mental health concern. While you don't have to be any sort of professional to sign up for this course, it can be of particular use to teachers, first responders and health care professionals in fields outside of mental health.
While he has taken an interest in educational achievement and community service, Ben Briscoe says his passion is music -- and he has made good use of his skills while working to stay near the top of his class at Sycamore High School.
As the October Student of the Month, Ben is being recognized for advanced placement in English, history, science and math; he has been on the Honor Roll since 2014, and passed 3 AP tests in his junior year.
But he has also devoted time to playing in the Pit Orchestra, the Suzuki Violin Program and the Orchesis Dance Club; he has been a concertmaster for pit orchestra and chamber orchestra, and has even taken gigs for weddings and special celebrations.
Ben has been with the Interact Club since 2015, as well as Youth Engaged in Philanthropy and the Boy Scouts; he became an Eagle Scout through his work with the Barn on Baseline Animal Shelter, and has volunteered his time with Feed My Starving Children and various church service opportunities.
He is hoping to enroll at either Boston University or Utah State, in a course of study yet to be decided; in recognition of his achievements, the Sycamore Rotary Club has provided him with $100 for donation to the charity of his choice -- the Barn on Baseline.
The Sycamore Rotary Club will be manning collection kettles on behalf of the Salvation Army for DeKalb County on Saturday, December 2nd; we will be at the Jewel-Osco on Peace Road from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.
At least two Rotarians will be needed for each shift; we will be signing up volunteers at an upcoming Rotary Club meeting. See Dave Andrews for more information.
Wednesday, November 22nd -- Make-Up Session at Blumen Gardens: In lieu of the regular meeting, we will have a make-up session at the usual time; attendance is optional, and those on hand will receive make-up credit.
Wednesday, November 29th -- Toys for Tots Collection: Please bring a new, unwrapped toy to the Rotary meeting for donation to Toys for Tots.
Saturday, December 2nd -- Salvation Army Kettle Collection: Rotarians will again spend a day manning one of the iconic Salvation Army red kettles to take in contributions for support of the needy during the holiday season. Times and location will be announced shortly.
Wednesday, December 20th -- Sycamore Rotary Holiday Party: Our annual holiday celebration during the regular meeting; please watch for further details.
Sunday, December 24th -- Goodfellows Gift Distribution: Rotarians are invited to join other members of the public in bringing goodwill to those in need on Christmas Eve. You are invited to come to Blumen Gardens at 8:00 a.m. that day to help deliver gifts on behalf of the Goodfellows.
Wednesday, December 27th -- Meeting cancelled: Please enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones.
All other meetings will take place at the usual time and location.
There has been a bit of a lull in interest among Sycamore students looking to take part in our Rotary Youth Exchanges -- but that lull has come to an end.
Jeff Jacobson says he and Tim Carlson met with potential RYE applicants on Tuesday, October 10th at Sycamore High School; there were quite a number interested in applying to act as Outbound students, and the Club will have plenty of candidates to consider.
Anyone with a student interested in applying for either short-term or long-term exchange should contact our new Youth Exchange Officer, Bert Gray, for more information.
In advance of World Polio Day on October 24th, Sycamore Rotarian Paul Stromborg -- a retired physician, and the End Polio Now chair for Rotary District 6420 -- submitted this Letter to the Editor to the DeKalb Daily Chronicle and the Rockford Register Star.
You can read the letter in its entirety in the News section of our website, or go to this link
We are once again projecting the End Polio Now logo on the front of the DeKalb County Courthouse the weekend prior to Pumpkin Festival, in observance of this worldwide campaign.
The projected EPN logo will be visible from 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 20th through Wednesday, October 25th; this will include Tuesday, October 24th, which is World Polio Day.
This has become an annual tradition for the Rotary Club of Sycamore; the projection is made possible with the assistance of DeKalb County Facilities Director Jim Scheffers, and Upstaging, Inc.
A new round of Paul Harris Fellowship awards will be presented at the October 25th meeting of the Rotary Club of Sycamore.
All current Paul Harris recipients are reminded to wear their medallions and/or pins to mark the occasion, as we salute those who have earned their new or latest PHF awards by contributing to The Rotary Foundation.
Make a Difference DKC is again preparing for its annual food packing event on behalf of Feed My Starving Children...and Rotarians are being asked to help, by supporting their annual raffle or buying specially designed T-shirts.
Tickets are now being sold for $20 each, with $8 going back to the organization which sells the ticket; the grand prize is $10,000, to be drawn on November 12th at the conclusion of this year's food packing event.
If you would like to buy or sell raffle tickets, tickets are available now and at upcoming Rotary meetings; sales will continue through November 9th.
T-shirts for this year's Make a Difference DKC are also on sale; these shirts are designed by a local student, and cost $22 each. That will be enough to provide 100 meals for starving children (at $.22 per meal).
Shirts are available in adult S/M/LG/XL/XXL and youth M/L.
Volunteers will be needed for the food packing itself, to be held from Thursday, November 9th through Sunday, November 12th at The Suter Company in Sycamore. Our Rotary Club will again be sponsoring the event, and providing volunteers to help pack food for distribution to needy children in areas around the world.
Please contact Heidi Wright for more information at (815) 895-9186, or at Hwright@suterco.com
Attendance Report -- October 18, 2017
Attendance: 68.12%
Guests of Members: Libby Swedberg (Ben Swedberg)
Other Guests: Luca-Sophie Giese (exchange student)
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