It's been nearly six months since a tornado devastated the town of Fairdale, and former Sycamore Rotarian Bill Nicklas has been at the center of efforts to help the residents there rebuild and recover their homes and lives.

 

Nicklas was called on to oversee Fairdale's recovery committee; with the town ineligible for federal aid, and no state or local disaster aid monies to call on, the Fairdale relief effort has been focused on local donations.  Working in conjunction with the DeKalb County Community Foundation and other area resources, the relief fund has done what it can to help along Fairdale's residents -- nearly all of whom have decided to stay in town, and reclaim what what theirs.

 

He says there have been plenty of logistical and regulatory struggles to deal with, from a special rezoning measure to make up for Fairdale's outdated layout, to installation of a new septic pond to handle the village's waste products.  Rotary has also done its part -- Club Secretary Sally Bruch, who lives near Fairdale, has served as a case manager for some of these residents; District 6420 has donated monies for installation of a new tornado warning siren; and several individual Rotarians have contributed to the relief fund.

 

 

The Sycamore Rotary Club will again be providing free dictionaries to all 3rd grade students in our local schools; they will be distributed on Wednesday, October 14th, immediately following the Rotary Club meeting.

 

The Dictionary Project works with Rotary and a number of other organizations to provide dictionaries to students.  Children in 3rd grade are the traditional recipients; they are at an age when they're starting to learn and consider the meanings of words, and giving them access to a dictionary encourages that process.

 

And while many children don't have books of their own, due to tight family finances or the presence of electronic media, having a book to call their own encourages their overall interest in reading.

 

Sycamore Rotarians are being sought, to participate on the Rotary Club's official spelling team at the upcoming DeKalb County Community Spelling Bee.

 

Three-member teams will participate in a spelldown on behalf of Altrusa International; the event will be held on Thursday, October 15th at 6:30 p.m. at St. Mary's Parish Hall.  Rotarian Brian Adams will be the master of ceremonies for the evening.

 

If you are interested, contact Brian at brianadams62@hotmail.com

 

 

Tickets are now on sale for the Sycamore Rotary Club's annual Pancake Breakfast, to be held on Saturday, October 24th at the Federated Church in Sycamore.

 

This annual event is one of many featured during the Pumpkin Festival; those in attendance can receive all-you-can-eat pancakes and sausage, for just $5.00 each.  Breakfast will be served from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m.

 

Tickets are available from any Sycamore Rotarian, or at the door on the day of the event.  All proceeds will benefit our scholarship program, and other youth oriented programs.

 

 

For the first time, all of District 6420's youth organizations are invited to take part in a district-wide service project.

 

Participants will be asked to help plant trees at Skare Park in Rochelle on Saturday, October 17th.  They will also have the chance to share written recaps of their club activities with representatives of the other New Generations clubs on hand

 

All Interact, Rotaract and EarlyAct Club members, along with their Rotary Club representatives, are invited to take part; they will gather by 9:00 a.m. at Rochelle Township High School, and then go by bus to Skare Park.  Volunteers will be asked to wear long pants/jeans and closed toe shoes, and to bring shovels if available.  The tree holes will already be dug.

 

Those wishing to participate should RSVP by October 9th to PDG Pat Burch, at (815) 262-1045.