This year's Double Good popcorn sales reached $5,315, meaning the club gets $2,657.50! The top sales person was Paulette Renault, with Bob Brown as runner-up. A big "Thank You" to those who sold and/or bought popcorn!
Sycamore High School Senior Lila Ezell is the February Rotary Student of the Month. Ezell attended North Grove Elementary School, is a member of the National Honor Society, and has been taking dual enrollment courses at Kishwaukee Community College for U. S. History and Music Appreciation. She was part of the Conference winning school math team (retaining a 15-year streak), the Fresh-Soph and varsity tennis teams (and a member of Fellowship of Christian Athletes), Jazz Choir, and Interact Club. Ezell said when she was asked what her passion is, she came up with 15 to 20 different things but concluded it definitely was music. She is an accomplished pianist who has taken lessons since age six. She is an accompanist at Salem Lutheran Church and also gives piano lessons. She says she is always doing things with music, both playing and listening. Ezell estimates she has accumulated about 156,000 hours of music learning and appreciation and has a 40-tune playlist of recorded songs at her disposal. Her favorite artists are pop singers Noah Kahan and Jack Johnson. Upon graduation Ezell hopes to attend St. Louis University or Marquette majoring in economics. She will be donating her Rotary check to Sweet Life Gardens which grows and distributes organic produce and flowers locally to food pantries and shut ins.
Voluntary Action Center (VAC) CEO Nate Kloster updated Rotarians on their transportation and meal programs. VAC is facing ever increasing demands for services, particularly for its “Meals on Wheels” program that covers DeKalb, LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam Counties. The Agency was recently forced to put potential clients on a waiting list.
Voluntary Action Center (VAC) Executive Director Nate Kloster began his Rotary presentation this week by giving a big “Thank You” to those who volunteer to deliver food for their “Meals on Wheels” program. However, he said the agency has been forced to use a waiting list for this program as demand to help an aging population and those with disabilities remain independent in their own home or apartment exceeds available funding sources. Kloster explained how VAC’s mission is carried out by providing high quality transportation and nutrition services. Their “Meals on Wheels” deliveries cover DeKalb, LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam Counties. Those qualifying for “Meals on Wheels” are 60 and older, homebound, unable to independently shop, isolated, and lack caregiving support. Kloster says they are serving 969 clients but their waiting list currently numbers 342 people. An additional $500,000 is needed to close that gap according to Kloster.
Kloster said funding for “Meals on Wheels" comes from a range of federal, state, and local sources. He said 47% comes from state government, 18% from the federal government, 14% from local government, 9% from client payments, and the remaining about 13% from donations. He said there has been a 42% year-over-year increase in requests for service but limited resources to help cover the added cost. Kloster gave poignant examples of those on their waiting list in describing a woman who is wheelchair bound after breaking her wrist and hip and another person who is blind and only has limited caregiver access. He said VAC is hoping to help add services to those on their waiting list through local fundraisers. These include a stand-up “Bad Momz” women’s comedy night at the Egyptian Theatre on April 4 and their annual golf outing on September 28. Details on these events and volunteer opportunities are available on their website at www.vacdk.org.
February 2, 1895 – Papa Bear George Halas is born in Chicago. He was a standout athlete at the University of Illinois. Enlisting in the Navy, he was named MVP in the 1919 Rose Bowl game playing for the winning team. He went on to join the Decatur Staleys football team (renamed the Bears when they moved to Chicago) as player-coach. He retired from coaching in 1968 with 318 wins and six NFL titles.
February 3, 1894 – Prolific American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell is born in New York.
February 4, 1902 – American aviator Charles Lindbergh, the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, is born in Detroit, Michigan. His 1927 flight in “The Spirit of Saint Louis” is credited with ushering in a new era of global transportation. Later, the 1932 kidnapping and death of the 20-month-old son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh created a media frenzy. It spurred Congress to pass the so-called “Lindbergh” law making it a federal crime to transport a kidnap victim across state lines.
February 5, 1900 – Illinois Governor, two-time Democratic presidential candidate (1952 and 1956), and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Adlai Stevenson II, is born in Los Angeles, California.
February 1, 1884 – The first portion of the “Oxford English Dictionary” is published. It took over 40 years until the final section was complete. At over four-hundred-thousand words and phrases in ten volumes, it is considered the most comprehensive and accurate dictionary of the English language.
February 3, 1870 – The 15th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified guaranteeing the right of citizens to vote regardless of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
February 3, 1913 – The 16th Amendment to the U. S. Constitution is ratified granting Congress the authority to collect income taxes.
February 4, 2004 – Mark Zuckerberg launches Facebook from his Harvard dormitory room.
________________________________________
BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2025-2026
President – Jonelle Bailey
President Elect – Becky Springer
Director (President Nominee) – Matt Nelson
Director (President Designee) -
Past President – Brandon Diviak
Treasurer – Dr. Michele Jurkovic
Secretary – Pat Shafer
Sergeant at Arms – Paulette Renault
Monthly Committees
July: Board of Directors
August: Brandon Diviak, Jeff Keicher, Pat Shafer
September: Dave Hamilton, Jeff Jacobson, Jim Stoddard
October: Paul Callighan, Matt Nelson, Paul Stromborg
November: Sue Emberson, Jeff Frank, Phil Meyer
December: Larry Berke, Ray Dembinski, Riley Oncken
Fellowship: Paulette Renault, Larry Berke, Sue Emberson, Dave Hamilton, Pat Shafer
Foundations:Paul Stromborg, Jim Buck, Sue Emberson, Matt Nelson, Jim Stoddard
Membership: Jonelle Bailey, Ray Dembinski, Brandon Diviak, Bob Hammon, Jeff Jacobson, Steve Kuhn, Phil Meyer, Matt Nelson, Riley Oncken, Jeff Petersen, Bob Wildendradt
New Generations: Chip Houdek, Julie Sgarlata, Becky Springer
Public Image: Bob Brown, Paul Callighan, Jeff Keicher, Joyce Klein, Tasha Sims
Scholarships:Tim Neubert, Don Clayberg, Ray Dembinski, Michele Jurkovic, Steve Kuhn, Julie Sgarlata
Service: Brandon Diviak, Alicia Cosky, Jeff Frank, Michele Jurkovic, Rob Mondi, Tim Neubert, Brendan Wilson
