The Rotary Reader Breakfast Buddies event was held on May 4 in the morning at South Prairie Elementary School.
Rotarians were greeted with a bright yellow thank you banner as they entered the cafeteria. A light continental breakfast was served for students, teachers and Rotarians.
Principal Kreg Wesley thanked the Rotarians for being part of this new program to share the importance of reading and vocations.
Mark Spiegelhoff, project coordinator, noted that 27 different Rotarians read to the third graders in the two classes at the school and emphasized the importance of lifelong reading for their future job or for enjoyment.
Marijo Schwartz helped promote the Early Act program as a next step for the third graders at the school.
Ethan, a current Early Act participant and fourth grader at the school, gave a wonderful speech on what the club has accomplished in the past school year and the positive impact it had on him.
Everyone is looking forward to continuing the program in the 2018-19 school year.
Volunteers are still needed for our final Rotarians at Work Days project for this year -- the Youth Service Bureau's bicycle auction, to be held on Saturday, May 19th at the DeKalb High School Field House.
Every year, the YSB auctions off bicycles recovered by the DeKalb Police Department; these bikes were lost or stolen over the course of the previous year, and are sold off to clear them out of storage...and to provide the YSB with extra funds.
Rotarians are needed to help set up and move around the bicycles during the course of the day; we'll be working in two shifts -- from 7 to 10 a.m. and from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. You may sign up at any upcoming Rotary Club meeting, or contact Michael DeVito for further details.
The newly-formed Rotary Satellite Club of Sycamore-Oak Crest Area is undertaking its first project -- the purchase of two planters, for use in the Oak Crest Retirement Center courtyard.
The club is looking to raise $700 for the purchase of two planters (one of which is portable) as well as the soil and additional supplies necessary.
Any amount is appreciated, and checks can be made payable to the main Rotary Club of Sycamore; you can send them to P.O. Box 332, Sycamore, IL 60178, or give them to any Oak Crest Rotary club officer. Gifts of $100 or more will be acknowledged in publicity and photos taken; donations are tax deductible, and receipts will be provided on request.
For more information, you can call Club Chair Sally Stevens at (815) 756-2343 or Club Secretary Barry Schrader at (815) 758-5424.
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.
The annual Sycamore Rotary Club Golf Outing is set for Wednesday, June 27th; it will be at the Sycamore Golf Club, as the featured event of three being held that day.
The afternoon and evening at the course will feature:
-- A make-up session at 12:00 p.m. in lieu of our regular meeting; attendance is optional, and lunch will be provided for everyone on hand
-- The Golf Outing, a four-player scramble team competition, beginning at 1 o'clock
-- The annual Installation Dinner at 5:30, immediately following golf; Ray Dembinski will be formally sworn in as Club President for 2018-19, and we will also announce the recipient of the John W. Ovitz, Jr. Rotarian of the Year Award
For those on the borderline with their attendance, this is also our annual "triple-witching" day; each of these events counts as a separate Rotary Club function...so those in attendance for the entire day can earn up to three attendance credits.
Sign-up information will be made available in the coming weeks.
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.
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.
