In honor of Memorial Day, Club President Paulette Renault set up a Fallen Soldier Table for this week's meeting. The tablecloth is white to symbolize the purity of their motives when answering the call of duty. The single red rose, displayed in a vase, reminds us of the life of each of our fallen comrades, and the loved ones and friends of these comrades who keep the faith. The vase is tied with a red ribbon, a symbol of our continued determination to remember our fallen comrades. A slice of lemon on the bread plate is to remind us of the bitter fate of those who will never return. A pinch of salt symbolizes the tears endured by the families of those who sacrificed all. The glass is inverted because they cannot toast with us at this time. The chair is empty because they are no longer with us. We hope everyone has a meaningful Memorial Day on Monday, May 30!
Plans for ROTARY DRIVE-THRU DINNER coming together!
Date: Thursday, June 23 (4:30 - 6:30 PM)
Menu: Pork chop sandwich, baked beans, coleslaw, and snickerdoodle salad
(from Country Store & Catering)
Ticket Price: $15 each
Pick Up Location: St. Mary's PAC Parking Lot
The Suter Company is famous for its chicken salad...especially among Sycamore Rotarians! Heidi Wright, our fellow Sycamore Rotarian who recently retired as the company's VP of Sales and Marketing and had overseen their food innovation and development work, shared several samples of the product while conducting a sensory evaluation with us during her May 25th presentation.
Heidi Wright wanted to be an animal veterinarian, yet she found her way into a rewarding career in food innovation and development. After spending the first 21 years of her career with DeKalb Swine Breeders (including time spent running a genetic innovation station in Minnesota), Heidi met George Suter and other members of the Suter family during local athletic events. It was through that friendly relationship that George convinced Heidi to join The Suter Company (at $20 million per year, a much smaller operation than she was used to) as its VP of Sales and Marketing.
One of Heidi's responsibilities with her new employer was overseeing food innovation and development. When she joined Suter, they were making custom food products (including unique kinds of chicken salad) for different retailers. Even Wal-Mart and Sam's Club had different versions of products!
Under her leadership, Heidi said the company "dug into little tiny details" within food innovation and development, including their sensory evaluation efforts. Such efforts have greatly contributed to Suter's exponential growth over the past two decades, and included Rotary Club members and Sycamore High School teachers and parents as sensory evaluation test subjects (among others) over the years. Heidi explained that lots of taste testers are necessary to ensure statistical validity. Lucky us!
Heidi then walked club members through a sensory evaluation. She first explained about flavor (volatile - aroma, non-volatile - taste, and other attributes such as texture, viscosity, and mouth feel). She then invited each Rotarian (and guest) to "taste" each of the two small strips of paper they had received upon arriving to the meeting. She asked those who tasted a difference to raise their hands...about 15 hands were raised. She said that individuals who could taste a difference were considered "super-tasters"! About 25% of the human population is considered "super-tasters", while 25% are considered "non-tasters" (and the remaining 50% are normal tasters).
After tasting the paper strips, everyone was invited to taste the two samples of chicken salad they had each received. They were then asked to complete a form indicating their sample preference in six different categories: Visual (Most Appealing Appearance), Aroma (Chickeny, Fresh, Bright), Texture/Mouthfeel, Flavor, Most Preferred, and Likely to Buy. Finally, she collected the completed sensory evaluation forms to return to The Suter Company.
Lots of companies make and sell chicken salad, but Suter doesn't consider them to be competitors. They don't focus on the details like Suter does. And many of them use high-fructose corn syrup, which Suter refuses to use. Another fun fact: All Suter's salads use vinegar. In addition to having some impact on taste, the vinegar prevents listeria and E. coli!
Posted by Sallyann Price, Rotary International on May 20, 2022
Rotary members in Ukraine are helping neighbors return to their homes, distributing supplies from other countries, and organizing long-term aid — all despite being affected by the war themselves.
Since Russian military forces entered the country in late February, Rotary members have been holding regular video calls to coordinate relief work. Mykola Stebljanko, a member of the Rotary E-Club of Ukraine and the editor of Rotary's Ukrainian magazine, Rotariets, says they are focused on three main activities: supplying medicines and electricity to hospitals where wounded civilians are seeking care, finding shelter for displaced families, and managing the flow of incoming humanitarian aid.
Recent efforts by members in District 2232, where Stebljanko is the public image coordinator and a past governor, have focused on cities that residents are now returning to after fleeing Russian attacks earlier this spring.
"Ukrainians are coming back home to their towns and cities in ruins," says Stebljanko, who in a March interview had told Rotary magazine about being awakened by air raid sirens at night and taking shelter with his family in the bathroom of their home in Odesa. In early May, news reports said that city had been struck by missiles.
"It's hard to describe how much destruction there is in some cities and the work that needs to be done to bring them back," he says.
The district has acquired and distributed dozens of high-powered generators to help restore power to hospitals, businesses, and some homes. Clubs have also organized the transportation of several donated firetrucks from other countries in Europe. In addition to being used to respond to fires and other emergencies, Stebljanko says, the trucks have ladders that allow utility workers reach power lines that need repair.
Donations are currently being requested for the Sycamore Food Pantry. Bring a bottle of laundry detergent...or $10 for Julie Sgarlata to purchase one. Money is easier to handle.
Personal hygiene items (bar soap, shampoo, etc.) are also being sought.
May 24, 1844 – Samuel FB Morse taps out “What hath God wrought” in the first message from an official telegraph office located in the basement of the U. S. Capital building which was then received at a Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Station in Baltimore.
May 25, 1787 – The Constitutional Convention began in Philadelphia with delegates from seven states forming a quorum.
May 26, 1940 – The Dunkirk evacuation began on the northern coast of France to save Allied forces trapped by the German Army. Vessels of all shapes and sizes ferried over 340,000 soldiers across the English Channel concluding on June 2.
May 27, 1937 – More than 200,000 people celebrate the grand opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
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