The Spoke -- June 2, 2016 (Jun 02, 2016)

Heidi Wright receives District 6420 "Service Above Self" award

Heidi Wright has for many years been a major player in the Sycamore Rotary Club's international relief efforts; she has headed up our international water project with Rotary Clubs in Africa, and has directed the local Feed My Starving Children food packing event.

In recognition of her contributions to Rotary and to the community, she has been chosen as a recipient of District 6420's "Service Above Self" awards for 2016.

District Governor Jim Nelson appeared at the June 1st Rotary meeting to formally present Heidi with her award; she is one of just three Rotarians in District 6420 to receive this honor.

Reclassification Speech: Paul Stromborg

Paul Stromborg's reclassification talk focused on his time in the U.S. Air Force; he flew tankers and other aircraft for the Strategic Air Command, at a time when this unit stood ready to be launched into World War III.

Paul recounted the tenor of the times during the Cold War, as the USAF geared up for a potential all-out nuclear war. The security measures necessary for protecting nuclear armed aircraft were extensive; planes not in use were constantly guarded, along with their nuclear ordinance, and no one person was allowed to be on board by themselves.

At times during the Cold War, crews were on active duty around the clock; at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, planes were manned 24-7, ready to be launched. Drills were frequent, although after some time the practice of actually taking off during a drill -- and risking damage to the nuclear arsenal -- came to an end.

The end of the Cold War saw SAC disband; but Paul notes that there remain other nuclear-related threats -- from extremist groups, rogue nations and others who have managed to obtain nuclear material. He says a good portion of the nuclear weaponry developed in that era is not secure.

Voting underway for 2016 Ovitz Award

Electronic voting is now open for the 2016 John W. Ovitz, Jr. Rotarian of the Year Award; this award will be presented to the Rotarian chosen by the membership as the one having best lived up to the ideals of Rotary, during the past year and throughout their time with our Club.

Ballots have been sent to all members via e-mail; paper ballots will also be available at the meeting on Wednesday, June 8th. All ballots must be submitted by the close of the meeting.

All current Sycamore Rotarians are eligible, except for:

Russell Bishop (incumbent President)

Sue Emberson (President-Elect)

Sally Bruch (2013 recipient)

Michele Jurkovic (2014 recipient)

Lavarre Uhlken (2015 recipient)

This year's recipient will be announced during the Installation Dinner, following the annual Golf Outing on Wednesday, June 29th.

Rules for this year's contest are available in the Stories section of our website

Rotary International Convention scheduled for Atlanta in 2017

The 2017 RI International Convention is being held in Atlanta from June 10-14. This is the 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation.

There is a special discounted registration fee available from May 28-June 6 of $265.00. After that time it will raise to $340 and will go higher the longer you wait. This is a great opportunity for you to experience and enjoy and RI convention.

Go to register at: http:www.riconvention.org/en/atlanta. Do it now and save money; hotel reservations are going fast.

See what RI is doing and planning to do in the future.

Plans set for Sycamore Rotary Golf Outing on June 29th

The Sycamore Rotary Club will hold its annual Golf Outing on Wednesday, June 29th at the Sycamore Golf Course; the day will begin with lunch and a Make-up Session at 12:00 p.m. in the clubhouse, and tee times start at 1 o'clock.

The annual Installation Dinner will begin immediately after the final foursome completes its round; events include the installation of Sue Emberson as our new Club President, and the presentation of the John W. Ovitz, Jr. Rotarian of the Year Award. Prizes for the winning team, the various contests and other golfing "accomplishments" will also be awarded.

The fee for the round of golf is $16 for all Sycamore Park District pass holders, and $36 for all others.

To sign up, you can contact Dan Gibble at danielg@sycamoreparkdistrict.com or sign in at any Rotary Club meeting (be sure to do one or the other -- not both). Give him your name(s), and you'll be assigned a tee time; please also indicate if you'll be attending the dinner afterwards.

Deadline to sign up is Wednesday, June 15th.

Sycamore exchange student Gracia Watson's Japan blog

This year's Outbound exchange student Gracia Watson is spending a year in Japan; to find out what she's up to, go to her blog at this link

Attendance: May 18, 2016

Attendance: 57.33%

Guests of Members: Leena Galica (Dave Galica)

Jun 08, 2016
James McGuire
Little Free Libraries

Jun 15, 2016
Terry Hannan
Sycamore Forest Preserve

Jun 22, 2016
Sejal Patel
Hinduism from a Layman's View

Jul 06, 2016
Jeanette Vaupel, RN
Genetic Testing for Weight Loss and Wellness

Jul 13, 2016
Mark Bushnell, Sycamore City Engineer
Update on City Maintenance

Jul 20, 2016
Chelsea McGhee
Art Learning and Teaching

Jul 27, 2016
Gracia Watson
Returning Exchange Student

View entire list

Golf Outing Make-Up Session

Sycamore Golf Course Clubhouse

Jun 29, 2016
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club Golf Outing

Sycamore Golf Course

Jun 29, 2016
1:00 PM – 5:30 PM

Sycamore Rotary Club Installation Dinner

Sycamore Golf Course Clubhouse

Jun 29, 2016
5:30 PM – 8:00 PM

Club Information

Welcome to our Club!

Service Above Self

We meet Wednesdays at 11:45 AM

Blumen Gardens Banquet Facility

403 Edward Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
United States

District Site

Venue Map

BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2016-2017

President -- Sue Emberson

President-Elect -- Eric Jones

Past President -- Russell Bishop

Secretary -- Sally Bruch

Treasurer -- Michele Jurkovic

Director -- Ray Dembinski

Director -- Jude Wilbers

Assistant Treasurer -- Lavarre Uhlken

Sergeant-at-Arms -- Brian Adams

Monthly Committees

July -- Curt Lang, Gary Evans, Jim Moris, Chip Houdek, Sally Bruch, Fred Peltz

August -- Barry Schrader, Ben Swedberg, Lloyd Larson, Jim Buck, Julenne Davey, Dave McCann

September -- Mario Fontana, Paul Michel, Bert Gray, Jeff Jacobson, Tim Carlson, Brandon Diviak

October -- Jeff Frank, Marcy Buick, Dave Andrews, Jim Schwartzbach, Dave Miller, Don Clayberg

November -- Pete Johnson, Dave Galica, Julie Sgarlata, Kathy Countryman, Tami Armstrong, Troy Oates

December -- Steve Balster, Bob Wildendradt, Brad Waller, Eric Jones, Dan Gibble, Kathleen Merner

January -- Pat Shafer, Michele Jurkovic, Keven Dahl, Kreg Wesley, Paul Barnaby, Heidi Wright

February -- Brian Gregory, Nicole Stuckert, Riley Oncken, Ahmed Kamel, Jude Wilbers, Larry Berke

March -- Jeff Petersen, Paulette Renault, Russell Bishop, Ray Dembinski, Dave Hamilton, Steve Kuhn

April -- Paul Borek, Shelley Hendricks, Jim Bowers, Bob Hammon, Paul Callighan, Sajel Patel

May -- Mark Spiegelhoff, Cliff Bottigliero, Rose Henton, Mark Hilde, Darion Page, Rose Treml

June -- Paul Stromborg, Brian Adams, Lavarre Uhlken, Jeff Keicher, Jim Stoddard, Marijo Schwartz

New Generations

Chair—Julie Sgarlata

At-Large Committee Members – Kathy Countryman, Eric Jones, Don Clayberg, Julenne Davey, Nicole Stuckert

Sycamore H.S. Interact – Ben Swedberg

Sycamore M.S. Interact – Nicole Stuckert

South Prairie EarlyAct – Julie Sgarlata

North Grove EarlyAct – Mark Hilde

Long/Short Term Youth Exchange – Chip Houdek, Tim Carlson, Jeff Jacobson, Jeff Keicher

Group Study Exchange – Troy Oates, Fred Peltz

RYLA -- Ben Swedberg

Student of the Month – Steve Balster

Foundation & Grants

Chair – Paul Stromborg

At-Large Committee Members – Don Clayberg, Bob Hammon, Rose Henton
Polio Plus – Paul Stromborg, Curtis Lang, Bert Gray
Annual Giving/Foundation – Jim Stoddard, Jim Buck, Jim Bowers
Scholarships – Pete Johnson, Jeff Keicher, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Don Clayberg

Service Above Self and Service Projects

Chair – Ray Dembinski

Multiple Club Project Coordination – Bob Hammon, Dave Miller, Paul Stromborg, Keven Dahl

Water Project – Heidi Wright, Riley Oncken, Julenne Davey

Meals on Wheels (August) – Brian Adams, Curt Lang, Sejal Patel, Darion Page, Mark Spiegelhoff

Dictionary Distribution (September) – Lavarre Uhlken, Brian Adams, Shelley Hendricks

Pancake Breakfast (October) – Dave McCann, Marcy Buick, Marijo Schwartz, Brad Waller, Michele Jurkovic, Fred Peltz, Jeff Petersen, Paulette Renault

Feed My Starving Children (November) – Heidi Wright, Jeff Frank, Eric Jones, Paul Stromborg, Marijo Schwartz

Salvation Army Bell-Ringing (December) – Dave Andrews, Jim Moris, Kathy Countryman, Rose Treml, Paul Borek

Adopt a Family (December) – Heidi Wright, Dave Miller, Brad Waller, Julenne Davey

Rotarians at Work Day (May) – Brian Adams, Pat Shafer, Bert Gray, Brandon Diviak, Sejal Patel

Public Image and Awareness

Chair – Brian Adams

Website – Eric Jones, Fred Peltz, Paul Barnaby

The Spoke – Barry Schrader, Paul Barnaby, Brian Adams, Shelley Hendricks

Public Image Campaign and Social Media – Brian Adams, Marijo Schwartz, Mark Hilde, Jude Wilbers

Sergeant at Arms – Brian Adams, Lavarre Uhlken, Barry Schrader, Curt Lang

IT/Audio-Visual – Eric Jones, Brian Adams, Dave Galica

Club Fellowship

Fines – Jeff Keicher, Riley Oncken, Paul Callighan, Marijo Schwartz, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Bowers

100% Attendance Lunch (August) – Sally Bruch

Holiday Party (December) – Jeff Petersen, Gary Evans, Dave Hamilton, Tami Armstrong, Paulette Renault, Julie Sgarlata

Rural-Urban Day (February) – Bob Wildenradt, Troy Oates, Larry Berke

Hula-for-Loota (April) – Paul Michel, Rose Henton, Julie Sgarlata, Tami Armstrong, Jim Bowers

Golf Outing (June) – Dan Gibble, Brian Gregory, Steve Balster, Brad Waller, Jude Wilbers, Kreg Wesley

Membership

Chair – Sally Bruch
Recruitment – All members are expected to bring at least one prospective member as a guest
New Member Orientation – Bob Hammon, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Russell Bishop
Member Retention – Jim Stoddard, Bob Wildenradt, Larry Berke, Nicole Stuckert