A grassroots effort to bring an inclusive playground for children with disabilities to Sycamore has received a boost from the Rotary Club...which has pledged at least $10,000 to the effort.
Citizens for Inclusive Playgrounds wants to build the play area near South Prairie Elementary School; this is the school within Sycamore District 427 to which most children with special needs are assigned. The organization is seeking $130,000 towards construction of the playground; it will have equipment and play surfaces designed for students with mobility issues, and will be fenced in for safety. It would be available for use by all children, not just those with special needs.
Rotarian Marijo Schwartz works for District 427, and was grateful to the Rotary Club for its support; she says this has been a dream of hers for years, and the fundraising effort is bringing them ever closer to the goal. This pledge puts the fundraising campaign well over the $80,000 mark.
The Rotary Club may expand upon its pledge, based on future factors.
The work of the Family Service Agency is never-ending; even as they complete the observance of one month devoted to a particular cause, they flow into another month dedicated to two more. And they are making changes to accommodate their ever-expanding objectives.
Erin Tamms from FSA says they just finished Child Abuse Awareness Month in April; this was marked by 125 pinwheels outside their offices along Sycamore Road in DeKalb -- representing 125 children helped by them, or through the Child Advocacy Center, during the past year.
Now they continue to help children through other programs, which now means a change in title for one key project. FSA has ended its affiliation with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, citing the increased cost for using the name and adding the personnel they require; they will now operate the service in-house under the title Youth Mentoring -- with few changes in how they operate.
Coming up during May are Older Americans Month and Mental Health Month; the latter is especially crucial, since they are now working more closely with the Ben Gordon Center in assisting those with mental health issues.
And they have joined a number of agencies which are offering their services to the residents of University Village; this area of DeKalb has proven to be in particular need of special services, and they are taking steps to bring what they have available to a population which would otherwise have trouble accessing them.
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.
Your family can have an amazing international experience this coming year without a passport, airfare, or stuffing a suitcase. The international experience comes to you, when you decide to be a host family for an exchange student.
Exchange students are here to experience life in Sycamore, meet and make friends with Sycamore High School students, work on improving their English, and share their culture with the community. Host families need to live in the Sycamore School District.
All you need is a spare bed at your house and a willingness to share your normal family life with a high school age student for about 14 weeks. (Your family will be one of three families to share this unique experience.)
For school year 2018-2019 the Sycamore Rotary Club will sponsor a young man from Venezuela. He is a swimmer, loves books, and is looking forward to the personal growth this exchange year will provide.
For more details, call or text Bert Gray, Sycamore Rotary Club Exchange Coordinator, at (217) 521-0968 or e-mail rkgray1@sbcglobal.net
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.
Due to various factors, The Spoke will not be published for the rest of May after Thursday, May 24th.
The May 23rd meeting has been switched to a make-up session; in addition, many Rotarians (including the editor of The Spoke) will be on vacation the week of Memorial Day. So there will be no new publication of our electronic newsletter at that time; regular production will resume on Tuesday, June 5th.
