For over eleven years, children of persons who have business before the court in DeKalb County have had a refuge while their parents are in the courtroom -- which is especially important if the case directly involves them in a custody dispute, or their parents in a criminal matter.
The Children's Waiting Room occupies the former bailiff's room on the first floor of the Courthouse; the staff watches any child between six months and 10 years, while their parents -- be they litigant, witness, attorney or otherwise -- are appearing before the bench.
Euneta Weeks has worked there for about three years, and has spent over 35 years in child care; she took on the task of being the Waiting Room's supervisor, and every day strives to make the room a fun, supportive and learning environment for the children in her care. She says that's especially crucial for children who come from difficult backgrounds; the situation which may have led their parents to the courthouse is likely to have had a negative impact on them, and Euneta hopes to lessen the problem by giving them a secure place to be watched...and to enjoy the company of other children, as well as the staff.
Every child who stays in the Waiting Room receives a free gift bag, including a new or gently used book to keep; Euneta and the other staff and board members usually work to keep the shelves stocked, and get the budget needed to provide what in some cases may be the only books in a child's home.
To assist with that effort, the Sycamore Middle School Interact Club provided $100.00 from its proceeds from sports concessions to the Children's Waiting Room, towards the purchase of new books. Gable Carrick from the Interact Club was on hand at the November 15th meeting, to present the check on their behalf.
Dozens of children in Sycamore School District 427 will be receiving brand new winter coats this week, courtesy of our Rotary Club and Operation Warm.
The coats arrived in Sycamore on November 14th, and were promptly sorted and distributed to the various schools. These coats were purchased through funds raised by our Rotary Club, and acquired from the Rotary-backed project Operation Warm; they are brand-new, stylish coats -- not hand-me-downs or donated old coats -- and they'll help children around the school district stay warm during this upcoming winter.
The remaining coats will be used for our annual Adopt a Family project, and for the Goodfellows; the latter will be wrapping gifts during the month of December at Blumen Gardens. These coats will be on display at the November 29th Rotary Club meeting.
Make a Difference DKC finished in excess of its goal, as the four-day packing event at The Suter Company finished up on Sunday, November 12th...with over 1.3 million meals packed, for delivery to Feed My Starving Children.
This annual event brought together hundreds of volunteers, who took time to help prepare and load the pre-packaged, ready-to-cook meals for distribution around the world. Organizers aimed to prepare 1.26 million meals, but wound up with 1.36 million -- a difference of 100,000.
Rotarians from Sycamore joined their counterparts from DeKalb, Kishwaukee Sunrise and our New Generations clubs during the Saturday morning shift; but none worked harder than Heidi Wright, who again helped organize this event on behalf on Make a Difference DKC.
Pete and Char Johnson were recognized as this year's Volunteers of the Year, for their efforts during the weekend; they have volunteered every year since this event began, and worked a half-dozen shifts this weekend alone.
And Sycamore Rotarian Paul Stromborg won the grand prize in the Make a Difference DKC Raffle -- $10,000. A portion of the proceeds from this raffle will be returned to the Rotary Club, and all other organizations which sold tickets; the remainder will be donated to Feed My Starving Children.
The Rotary Club of Sycamore has been cited by District 6420 for its contributions to The Rotary Foundation, during the annual Foundation Dinner in Dixon on November 4th.
Sycamore was recognized as the second-highest donor to The Rotary Foundation in the district during 2016-17; the Club was also cited as one of eight clubs to donate $1,500 or more towards End Polio Now.
Club Foundation Chair Paul Stromborg (right) was on hand to receive the awards from DG Steve Kuhn (left) and PDG Scott Shore.
The Rotary Board of Directors once again has a vacancy, due to the resignation of Dave Miller from our Club. Whomever takes this role, would eventually serve as Club President in 2020-21.
We will also be needing someone to join the Board in July of 2018, as Past President Sue Emberson completes her term of service. That Rotarian would serve as Club President for 2021-22.
If you are interested in either seat on the Board, please contact Eric Jones for more information.
The Sycamore Rotary's meeting on November 29th will feature information on the various charities we'll be supporting during the holiday season.
Neilly Berger, the Homeless Liason for the Sycamore School District, will be the featured speaker; she will update us on what the district does for its homeless students during this season and year 'round.
There will also be updates on what we're doing for this year's Adopt a Family project; we will be assisting up to five families and some individual emancipated students, by providing them with Christmas gifts and other perks for the holiday season.
Other projects to be covered include the Sycamore Food Pantry, Operation Warm, Goodfellows and Toys for Tots. Rotarians are asked to contribute to the latter, by bringing a new, unwrapped toy to the Rotary meeting; these items will be presented during the annual Toys for Tots Benefit Concert in DeKalb on Sunday, December 3rd.
Sycamore Rotarians are again being asked to contribute towards this year's Toys for Tots drive, conducted by the Salvation Army and the DeKalb County Marine Corps League.
Please bring a new, unwrapped toy to the November 29th meeting, as part of our "Season of Giving" event; these toys will be presented during the annual Toys for Tots benefit concert, scheduled to be held on Sunday, December 3rd at the DeKalb County high-rise on Taylor Street in DeKalb.
Continuing an annual tradition, the Sycamore Rotary Club will be helping out families in need...by making their Christmas a little brighter.
Families from each of Sycamore's District 427 schools have been selected for our annual Adopt-a-Family project; each will receive a helping hand for the season, with the purchase of Christmas gifts on their behalf.
We will be assisting these select families, as well as some individual emancipated students, during the month of December. For privacy reasons, their identities will not be disclosed; but for whomever they are, it's our hope that we can do something to make the holiday season a happier one for them.
The Sycamore Rotary Club will be hosting a Make-Up Session on Wednesday, November 22nd -- the day before Thanksgiving -- in lieu of our regularly-scheduled meeting.
Attendance is optional, and no formal business will be discussed; those in attendance will receive a make-up credit, towards a past or future absence. Be sure to notify Sally Bruch in advance, if you plan to attend.
Due to the Thanksgiving Day holiday, and the lack of a regular meeting the day before, there will be no edition of The Spoke published on Thursday, November 23rd.
Publication of the Sycamore Rotary Club's biweekly newsletter will resume on Tuesday, November 28th; we hope you enjoy Thanksgiving Day with your loved ones.
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.
This year's annual Rotary Holiday Party will be held at Taxco Restaurant in downtown Sycamore on Wednesday, December 20th.
We will be gathering at our usual meeting time, at 11:45 a.m. Details of the party are still being worked out; please keep watch for more details.
This will be our last official Rotary event of 2017; the following week's meeting on December 27th has been cancelled, so Rotarians can enjoy the holiday season with their family and friends.
Attendance Report -- November 15, 2017
Attendance: 61.19%
Guests of Members: Dr. Anthony Tsiftilis (Pat Shafer) and Gabe Carrick (son of Michele Jurkovic)
Other Guests: Luca-Sophie Giese (exchange student)
