While Rotary Clubs such as ours have been working on helping to bring fresh water to undeveloped areas of the world, few have shown interest in dealing with one of the most serious sources of poor health and hygiene in these same areas: the lack of proper toilet facilities.
Past District Governor Bob Newlon began traveling to Central America years ago to help with drilling and construction of new water wells; but he also saw a need in many communities for an alternative to poorly-maintained latrines. These can help spread a variety of diseases, and preventing the spread of communicable diseases is also one of Rotary International's primary goals.
So with the help of the Sycamore and Rockford Rotary Clubs, among others, he has ventured to Costa Rica to help with the installation of urine-diverting dry toilets (UDDT) in communities which have a clear need.
The towns that he's been to have open-pit toilets near schools that have gotten full with age; others are located perilously close to ground water, and in some cases botched drilling attempts have caused them to leak into the water table.
Bob recently returned from his most recent trip to Costa Rica, and plans to return in October in an effort to bring new facilities to other remote villages in need.
T-shirts for this year's Make a Difference DKC are now on sale; and as a welcome to our Rotary Club and to Sycamore, Rotarian Curt Lang (right) bought the first shirt for our new exchange student, Luca-Sophie Giese of Germany (center) from fellow Rotarian Heidi Wright.
These shirts are designed by a local student, and cost $22 each; that will be enough to provide 100 meals for starving children (at $.22 per meal).
Shirts are available in adult S/M/LG/XL/XXL and youth M/L.
You can order shirts through Heidi Wright; make checks out to Make A Difference DKC.
Make a Difference DKC is again preparing for its annual food packing event on behalf of Feed My Starving Children...and Rotarians are being asked to help, by supporting their annual raffle.
Tickets are now being sold for $20 each, with $8 going back to the organization which sells the ticket; the grand prize is $10,000, to be drawn on November 12th at the conclusion of this year's food packing event.
Volunteers will be needed for the food packing itself, to be held from Thursday, November 9th through Sunday, November 12th at The Suter Company in Sycamore. Our Rotary Club will again be sponsoring the event, and providing volunteers to help pack food for distribution to needy children in areas around the world.
If you would like to buy or sell raffle tickets, tickets are available now and at upcoming Rotary meetings; sales will continue through November 9th. Please contact Heidi Wright or more information.
On Saturday, September 9, 2017, Andy Grammer will be headlining a concert at River's Edge in Aurora to help raise awareness for SUDC.
Joining Grammer will be musicians Ali Morgan and Marty Casey; gates open at 6 p.m. with the show beginning at 7 p.m.
Answers4SUDC is an innovative charitable effort to honor the memory of Emmett Frank while raising awareness and funds toward research and family support for Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood.
By hosting Answers4SUDC, his parents Jeff and Kristy Frank hope to someday prevent the tragedy of Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood (SUDC) so that no other family might have to endure this loss. Proceeds benefit the SUDC Foundation.
As the home club of District 6420 Governor Steve Kuhn, the Sycamore Rotary Club will be the hosts for next spring's District Conference -- and people are needed to help plan the event.
The event will be held at Faranda's in downtown DeKalb on Friday, April 27th and Saturday, April 28th; Friday will mostly involve meetings by the District Strategic Planning Committee, with a buffet dinner for the Rotary Foundation that evening. Saturday will see the bulk of the events during the Conference, with guest speakers and presentations during the day...and a gala awards dinner that evening.
Right now, the club's Planning Committee needs more help; we are in search of a treasurer and/or registrar, to manage the money and registrations for the event. Persons with connections to the Chamber of Commerce, the DeKalb County Convention and Visitors Bureau and other such entities are also welcome. Rotarians will also be needed to work on the day of the event; they will be sought as we get closer to the event.
If you have any questions, please contact Steve for more information.
While most people who didn't serve in Vietnam picture soldiers being dropped via helicopter and fighting their way through the jungle, the reality is that far more served in crucial roles that didn't take them into combat. Rotarian Jim Buck was among those who worked behind the lines, during his tour of duty from 1969 to 1970.
Jim joined the Army for two years to avoid being drafted into the Marines (he didn't think he'd get over the wall on the obstacle course); he was assigned to serve as a Preventive Medicine Specialist, and trained to help prevent the spread of disease by treating water and spraying for mosquitoes.
He was stationed at Camp Viking on the South China Sea, spending much of his tour checking water to make sure it was properly chlorinated. But in spite of his efforts, at least one soldier came down with hepatitis -- Jim himself.
He was sent to Cam Ranh Bay for recovery, but was well enough when he got there to be put on a work detail -- where he wound up working harder than he did with his own unit.
Jim says his tour in Vietnam was relatively pleasant and uneventful...and when he returned to the U.S.A. he didn't encounter the disrespect that so many other Vietnam veterans did.
Attendance Report -- August 23, 2017
Attendance: 59.70%
Visiting Rotarians: Bob Pritchard (Kishwaukee Sunrise)
