While Northern Illinois' golf team has to fight for recognition on the course, as many mid-major schools have to, they have gotten attention both nationally and internationally for their efforts to build the program...and host competitions at a top-flight golf club.
NIU Director of Golf Tom Porten says NIU broke onto the national scene when Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove was chosen to host the 2017 NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships; the course was built by a Northern Illinois alumnus, and that allows the Huskies to use it as their home course. Porten says it's tougher than the links they usually play on -- and that's good, because it toughens them up for tournament play.
Meanwhile, Porten has worked in his nine years at Northern to widen the range of golfers he chooses from; he became the first NIU golf coach to recruit internationally, bringing two players from France to the men's team and opening the door to two South American golfers to join the women's squad. He also works to draw in the best available talent from around our area, and across the Midwest.
That effort is beginning to pay off on the fairways, as both teams have finished in the top half of several of their tournaments in 2017...and the trend has continued this year.
For many seniors, the month of May is filled with both excitement and nostalgia; they look forward to graduation and heading off to college in the fall...but also spend time looking back on all that they've done to get to this moment.
Allyson Versluys is no exception; like many of the other top-ranked students at Sycamore High School, she has racked up an impressive resume in education (High Honor Roll, National Honors Society and Kishwaukee College Engineering Math & Science Academy) as well as athletics (softball with the Spartans and the Kishwaukee Valley Storm) -- but what she'll remember most is her work with Peer Pals.
This mentoring program pairs volunteers from the student body with special needs students, helping them with their social adjustment as well as with academics. She says the many things these students have accomplished during her time working with them has been the most memorable part of her high school years.
But she has plenty going for her in the classroom as well; she plans to attend Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, IN to study biomedical engineering...and she enters her freshman year already having earned 31 college credits. She'll also be playing on the school's softball team.
In honor of her achievements, the Sycamore Rotary Club has provided $100 for donation to the charity of her choice; she has selected Opportunity House.
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.
If you have been or will be a Rotary Reader this school year, mark your calendar for Friday, May 4.
South Prairie Elementary School is hosting its end-of-year Rotary Breakfast Buddies Event. All Rotarians who have read (or will read by the end of the year) are invited to the event.
Breakfast will be served from 7:55 a.m. to 8:25 a.m. Please be sure to check in at the school office.
You will get breakfast and a chance to interact with the 3rd grade children you previously read to. Please make it a priority to attend this event and show our support for the children at South Prairie Elementary School.
We are entering the second semester of the school year for South Prairie Elementary, which has hosted Rotarians each week as part of our Rotary Readers project.
Each Thursday, Rotarians come to the school with two book selections; one is read to the students, and both are donated to the library. Each Rotarian also comes prepared to discuss his or her occupation, and what reading has meant to them in their lives. Each visit runs from about 9:45 to 10:30 a.m.
For those signed up to read during this second half of the school year, here is the remaining schedule:
May 3 Sally Bruch
May 10 Sue Emberson
May 17 Michelle Jurkovic
Rotary Reader Tips:
Be sure to arrive early enough to have time to pick out your two books and rehearse the one book that you will read to the third graders.
Engage the children by asking questions of them during the time you are reading. Add your own personal comments to what is being read about the story or happening to the characters.
Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois) says human trafficking isn't just confined to far-off, Third World countries -- it's a real problem here in northern Illinois, and across the United States, and action has to be taken at all levels to combat it.
Kinzinger was the keynote speaker at the District 6420 Conference on April 28th; he says many of those involved in the sex trade, as well as migrant workers, are doing so against their will -- they are lured away from overseas by the promise of a better job and a better life, only to find themselves trapped and isolated from friends and family, forced to perform demeaning or backbreaking work with no chance of escape.
He says human trafficking involves power and control; illegitimate employers force workers to become dependent on them, make them believe they are just property and generally treat them as such. There are many organizations involved in combating human trafficking -- so many, that they have trouble coordinating their efforts; Kinzinger says the best way to get involved is to work at the local level -- make sure employers put up the state-required poster telling employees of their rights, and watching for signs that someone is being exploited.
Human trafficking and exploitation was a recurring theme during the one-day conference; speakers Bethany Lerch and Teresa Wasonga also touched on the effects of this on other countries, and Toni Lucas from Rotary's task force on human trafficking noted the far-reaching effects on individuals and the world at large...along with Rotary's work to help those involved, and to improve living conditions in underdeveloped countries and keep people from being lured in to begin with.
Sycamore Rotary Club President Eric Jones has been selected as the District 6420 Club Officer of the Year for 2018; he was formally presented with the award during the District Conference, at Faranda's on April 28th.
The Sycamore Rotary Club was also recognized for its communications efforts; the club received the District Public Image Award, for clubs with 40 members or more.
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
Our incoming exchange student is Sebastian Colmenares. He is from a suburb of Valencia, Venezuela and will be 18 when he arrives.
We must find three host families to share the 11 months he will be here. Homes with high school aged child(ren) are preferred. If you are interested (and want to know more), or know of families in the school district who might make great host families, please contact Bert Gray, Youth Exchange Officer, at rkgray1@sbcglobal.net or 217-521-0968.
Bert will provide the club with more details about Sebastian as they become available.
