Stories

Rotarians,  

 

I am excited to be your President for the 2021-2022 Rotary fiscal year!  The last year has been a roller coaster with COVID-19 and I am thankful that we are getting back to a more normal situation each day.  I look forward to working with each of you over the next year on our normal club projects and hopefully a few new ones!

 

I am also excited to introduce three new board members and say thank you to two board members whose terms recently ended.  Please join me in welcoming Susan Bowles, Brittany Howell, and Gus Konz to the Rotary board! And a HUGE THANK YOU to Carol Solko-Olliff and Scott Braun for their many years of service on the board!  

We will continue to meet Mondays in person.  We have seating and food for 35 on hand.  We will continue to monitor attendance and will make adjustments as necessary.  As the club is nearly fully vaccinated, masks are optional for those who wish to wear them.  If you're unable to meet in person, please join us virtually Mondays at noon as we stream on Facebook Live, at www.facebook.com/HaysRotaryClub. 

In January we began easing back into the normal practice of invoicing for meals, invoicing all members $20 a month for meals.  When meetings were attended in person, that $20 was credited towards any meals eaten.  Effective May 1, 2021, we resumed our normal practice of invoicing the weekly rate ($10.75) regardless of meals eaten.  This our club's primary fundraiser.  The only exception are members who meet the "rule of 85" - if your years of membership and age combine to 85, you can opt to be a dues-only member, and pay only for meals eaten.  If you have any concerns or issues with this change, or if it would impose an undue financial burden, please contact me at (785) 623-3068 to discuss, or talk with any Board member (Lois, Jared, Hillary, Carol, Hale, Cory, Brittany, Susan, or Gus).  

Sincerely,
Josh Dreher
President, 2021-2022

For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.

 

After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.

What is it like taking a large team to Africa?  It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.

A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.

Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."

 

The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.