The Sycamore Rotary Club will hold a Make-Up Session on Wednesday, November 25th -- the day before Thanksgiving.

 

Attendance is optional, and there will be no formal business conducted; each Rotarian in attendance will receive a make-up credit, to be used at any time throughout the year.

 

Due to the upcoming holiday season, publication dates for the electronic version of The Spoke will be changed.

 

There will be no edition of The Spoke on Thursday, November 26th due to the Thanksgiving holiday.

 

There will also be no editions during the week of Christmas and New Year's; the last scheduled edition will be sent out on Thursday, December 17th, and publication will resume on Tuesday, January 5th.

 

Sycamore Rotarians can start making their holiday travel plans, as the schedule is set for our meetings in December:

 

Wednesday, December 23rd -- No Meeting.  Goodfellows will be setting up at Blumen Gardens for their gift distribution the next day

The Sycamore Rotary Club will now hold its annual Christmas celebration on Wednesday, December 16th; it will be at Chapel in the Pines, 15165 Quigley Road in Sycamore, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

 

"Christmas Around the World" will be an informal cocktail party; international appetizers and a cash bar will be featured, and international attire is optional.  The cost is $30 for individuals, $50 per couple.

 

 

The Salvation Army and the Marine Corps League of DeKalb County are again collecting donations for this year's Toys for Tots drive; and the Sycamore Rotary Club will be doing its own collection at the December 2nd meeting.

 

Rotarians are asked to bring in one new, unwrapped toy for donation to Toys for Tots; these will be presented to the Salvation Army at the annual Toys for Tots Benefit Concert in downtown DeKalb on Sunday, December 6th.  That show will be held at The House Cafe, with Rotarian Brian Adams serving as the master of ceremonies; it will be from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. and admission will be one new, unwrapped toy.

 

The Sycamore Rotary Club will again be helping the Salvation Army, by manning its kettles at the Sycamore Jewel-Osco on Saturday, December 5th.

 

Rotarians are asked to sign up for a one-hour shift, from 11:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.  Contact Dave Andrews at theandrews@hotmail.com for more information.

 

 

Barb King first saw a performance by The Pengiun Project while visiting Peoria, and she was inspired to bring the concept to DeKalb County.  And this project, which gives children with developmental disabilities the chance to perform in public, has proven to be a runaway success; it has inspired dozens of youths, with and without disabilities, to join in...and spurred the creation of a similar program for adults.

 

Barb and Joe King, along with their son Daniel, have been named the Sycamore Rotary Club's Citizens of the Month for December in recognition of their efforts to bring The Penguin Project into being.  It has now become an annual staple for performers in the area, with children's versions of well-known musicals performed by youths working in concert with mentors.

 

Daniel was a longtime performer, but was disappointed when he became too old for the troupe; so his family went on to found the Penguin Players, an adult version which also brings together disabled and non-disabled performers. 

 

In recognition of their service to the community, the Sycamore Rotary Club has provided the Kings with $100 for donation to the charity of their choice; they will put it towards The Penguin Project for future use.

 

 

Eric Jones has worked extensively with developing and maintaining the Rotary Club's website over the years; he originally fashioned our own self-made site, and now works on the ClubRunner version provided to Rotary Clubs via Rotary International.

 

Jones noted the many functions available through our site, as well as the District 6420 and Rotary International sites.  He ran through how to access each one, and how to update your information.

 

But he realizes that may Rotarians may need assistance in updating their personal information; anyone having trouble doing so can contact him at jonesy16@outlook.com for more information.

 

(You can see his presentation at http://1drv.ms/213fliU)