Be sure to review "Posting of Proposed Club Bylaw Revisions Prior to Voting" within the News/Updates section below
April's Student of the Month is Carter York. His parents, Amanda and Shane, joined him for his Rotary Club recognition. Congratulations to Carter!
Dominick Parisi, NIU's Associate Athletic Director for Development, shared information about the new Huskie Athletic Fund membership levels and benefits with club members.
Congratulations to Carter York, who was announced as Student of the Month for April at this week's meeting! Carter is a senior at Sycamore High School. His parents are Amanda and Shane York, who attended the club meeting with their son.
Carter will be attending South Dakota State University in the Fall, with plans to study Business and play football. He was a football team captain this year while playing the position of safety, and Coach Ryan said Carter would be on his "Mount Rushmore of captains". Such a statement is a huge compliment, considering all the captains he has had over the years. Last year, Carter was captain of the varsity basketball team.
Carter has a 4.0 GPA and is completing dual credit courses this year at Kishwaukee College, both in Algebra and English. He is also a member of the Business Leadership Academy and the Student Athlete Coalition. In 2023-2024, he was named Academic All State, Academic All Conference (in both football and basketball), 1st Team All Area in football, and 1st Team All Conference in basketball.
Carter has volunteered at the Feed My Starving Children meal packing event since 2021 and will donate his $100 recognition check from Rotary to the FMSC cause.
Rotarians learned about the updated Huskie Athletic Fund membership levels and benefits at Northern Illinois University from Associate Athletic Director for Development, Dominick Parisi. The updated program includes one donation for a calendar year of membership (no more "a la carte") with payment available through payment plans, pledges, and matches. Nine membership levels (with increasing benefits) are offered:
Boneyard ($50/year)
Pack ($100/year)
Pride ($500/year)
Coaches ($1,500/year)
Directors ($2,500/year)
Champions ($5,000/year)
All-Conference ($10,000/year)
Legends/Huskie Circle ($25,000/year)
Hall of Fame/Huskie Circle ($50,000/year)
Benefits include discounts, gifts, and access. Top tier Huskie Circle membership ($25,000+) include exclusive HC gear, sideline coaches gear, travel opportunities, ring/pendants for purchase, all-access passes, and away game suite/field passes.
Dominick said the program was updated to:
Remove "Build Your Membership"
Re-establish membership
Match NIU's peers
Make it easier on our members
House settlement/NIL (name, image, likeness)
Allow the Huskie Athletic Fund to grow annually
Since launching in February, the program has enrolled 164 members (including 51 new members), generating $398,819 in revenue. It is the highest donor participation for NIU since FY2017.
Section 1 - The annual election of officers and directors to serve for the ensuing year shall be held not later than May March 31. The term of service begins 1 July of the ensuing year. In June of each year, the annual installation of officers meeting will be held to facilitate the induction of all officers and directors who will serve in the new fiscal year.
Section 2 - The regular weekly meetings of this club shall be held on Wednesdays beginning at 11:45 a.m. Due notice of any changes in or cancelling of the regular meeting shall be given to all members of the club. All members excepting an honorary member (or member excused pursuant to the standard Rotary club constitution) in good standing in this club, on the day of the regular meeting, must be counted as present or absent, and attendance must be evidenced by the member's being present for at least 60% of the time devoted to the regular meeting, either at this club or at any other Rotary club, or as otherwise provided in the standard Rotary club constitution, Article 9, Sections 1 and 2.
Section 3 - One-third of the membership shall constitute a quorum at the annual and regular meetings of this club.
Section 4 - Regular meetings of the board shall be held on the day of the first regular club meeting of each month. Special meetings of the board shall be called by the president, whenever deemed necessary, or upon the request of two directors, due notice having been given. In the event the board is unable to physically meet, a meeting may be conducted via email as long as minutes are recorded.
Article 6 - Fees, Dues, Leave of Absence
Section 1 - The admission fee shall be $25.00 to be paid before the applicant can qualify as a member, except as provided for in the standard Rotary club constitution, Article 11.
Section 2 -There shall be four (4) three (3)categories of membership: Active Members, Corporate Members, R-85 Members, and Honorary Members. Active Member dues shall be $165 $125 per quarter, payable quarterly on the first day of the first quarter of the fiscal year or when billed (generally 1 July, 1 October, 1 January, and 1 April). This fee shall include the member's meals at regular, weekly meetings for the quarter and RI assessments. RI assessments include, but are not limited to District 6420 dues, Rotary International dues, and RI official magazine dues. Corporate Member dues shall be the same as Active Member dues and shall include the same expenses as Active Member dues. Corporate Membership shall be open to business, industry, non-profit, or other similar organization as determined by the Board. Corporate Members shall identify a single individual to serve as the point of contact for the Corporate Member. The point of contact may identify other individuals within the organization to attend meetings and Rotary events. R-85 Member dues shall not be required to pay for all meals during the quarter, but shall pay that sum necessary to cover District 6420 dues, international dues, and RI official magazine dues. Honorary members shall be billed only for the meals consumed during those meetings attended by the R-85 member. Honorary Members shall be identified and voted upon by the board. Honorary members shall not be billed any dues, except for meals consumed during those meetings attended by the Honorary Member.
Section 3 - Upon written application to the board, setting forth good and sufficient cause, leave of absence may be granted excusing an active member from attending the meetings of the club for no longer than 12 months. To be eligible, the member must have all dues paid in full, and must pay the equivalent of current District and RI fees that will be incurred by the club for that member during the leave period. Members who wish to resign may be re-admitted to the club as part of the regular application and induction process. Such leave of absence does not operate to prevent a forfeiture of membership; it does not operate to give the club credit for the member's attendance. Unless the member attends a regular meeting of some other club, the excused member must be recorded as absent except that absence authorized under the provisions of the Standard Rotary Club Constitution is not computed in the attendance record of the club.
Section 4 - Any member with an outstanding balance owed to the club of $500 - $1,000, will be placed for automatic review of their account by the board at the next stated board meeting in order to determine any action. Any member with an outstanding balance owed to the club that exceeds $1,000 must respond in kind and in good faith with a payment plan upon the board or treasurer’s written request.
Article 11 - Finances
Section 1 - Prior to July 1 of each year, the board shall prepare a budget of estimated income and expenditures for the corning fiscal year, which shall stand as the limit of expenditures for these purposes, unless otherwise ordered by action of the board.
Section 2 - The treasurer shall deposit all club funds in a FDIC insured bank named by the board in a timely manner, upon receipt. The club funds shall be divided into not less than three separate accounts: club operations, scholarship, and service projects.
Section 3 - All bills shall be paid by the treasurer or other authorized officer. Expenditures exceeding $100 requires board pre-approval. If the expenditure is over $500, two signatures are required on the check. All expenditures over $1,000 must be approved by vote of the club. The only exceptions to the above authorization requirement are the payment of the weekly meals which are charged per person and will be paid weekly without additional board authorization and payments made to Rotary International or the Rotary Foundation.
Section 4 - A thorough review of all financial transactions by a qualified person, who is not a member of the board, shall be made once each year and a report presented to the board by September 30 of each year.
Section 5 - Officers having charge or control of the club funds shall give bond as required by the board for the safe custody of the funds of the club with the cost of the bond to be borne by the club.
Section 6 - The fiscal year of the club shall extend from 1 July to 30 June, and for the collection of members' dues shall be divided into four quarterly periods. Members may also be billed for the Rotary Foundation donations, club events, and other financial obligations which may be incurred.
Section 7 - No board may commit the club to any expense or contract which exceeds the fiscal year of the board, unless by approval of 2/3 of members present at a meeting, provided that notice of such meeting and proposed vote has been published in the Spoke and via e-mail to members at least fourteen (14) days prior to such meeting.
Dear fellow members of the Rotary Club of Sycamore:
Fellow club member Brendan Wilson has successfully written and published 2 Science Fiction books as part of a trilogy. The most recent is titled: "Warrior Goddess". They are fast-paced, wonderful, engaging reads that I believe all readers would really enjoy! (Of course, available on Amazon, etc.)
Brendan has woven some of his amazing background as a former U.S. Army Ranger, NATO Advisor, and Martial Arts Master into these beautifully crafted action stories.
Anyhow...the favor that I'm asking is for you to take a minute and vote for him as "International Impact Author of the Year". See below for the easy process to vote for Brendan.
March 31, 1732 – Composer Franz Joseph Haydn, considered the father of the symphony, is born in Rohrau, Austria.
April 2, 1805– Fairy Tale author Hans Christian Andersen is born in Odense, Denmark.
April 3, 1924 – Academy award winning method actor Marlon Brando (known for The Godfather, A Streetcar Named Desire, and On the Waterfront) is born in Omaha, Nebraska.
April 5, 1856 – African American educator Booker T. Washington is born as a slave in Franklin County, Virginia. Self-taught to read at an early age, he becomes principal of the Tuskegee Institute with 30 students in 1881 and helps it grow into a modern university which today has 2,900 students.
April 1, 2004 – Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, known for jokingly publicizing over-the-top products or plans on April Fool’s Day, announce a free email service with what was then the largest amount of storage available. It was up to an Associated Press reporter to verify Gmail was for real in a dispatch sent to news outlets nationwide. Gmail now boasts over 1.8 billion active users worldwide.
April 1, 1973 – American Rock Band Cheap Trick is formed in Rockford, Illinois. They have sold more than 20 million albums and done over 5,000 live performances. The Illinois Legislature designated April 1 “Cheap Trick Day” in 2007. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016.
April 2, 1513 – Near present-day St. Augustine, Florida, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon comes ashore and claims the territory for the Spanish crown. The Spanish explorer was on an ill-fated search for the “Fountain of Youth,” the fabled water source that was said to bring eternal youth. He named the peninsula he explored “La Florida” because his discovery came during the time of the Easter feast of the flowers, or Pascua Florida.
April 4, 1968 – Civil Rights leader Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis, Tennessee. As head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he had championed non-violent resistance to end racial oppression. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS, 2024-2025
President – Steve Wilder
President Elect – Jonelle Bailey
Director (President Nominee) – Becky Springer
Director (President Designee) - Matt Nelson
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, Steve Wilder
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
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