ANNOUNCEMENTS
(noted provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

President Jeff read a letter from Larry Craig, thanking our club for the PHF that he received at the 25th anniversary dinner. For many, many years, Larry has graciously allowed us to use his warehouse to store the fruit for the annual fruit sale.

Phil announced that his band, “Concordia”, would be playing July 29 at “Swine and Dine” in Effingham.

PROGRAM

Chair of the Awards Committee Oktay thanked Jeff for a great year and thanked the “silent heroes” of CU Sunrise, the board members, our treasurer Jack, our secretary Ata, newsletter editor Andrew and webmaster Rod. Oktay and the Awards Committee gave gifts for perfect attendance and announced the following awards:

100% Attendance: Baran, Durukan, Hatfield, Hodson, Johnson, Kerins (schmuck), Krchak, McDaniel, Mischo, Olsen, Patton, Perry, Reifsteck, Roberts, Simpson, Van Buren

Alive, Alert, Awake, Enthusiastic Award, Neil Chamberlain

Courage Award, Allan Penwell

Distinguished Service Award, Ata Durakan

New Rotarian of the Year Award, Phyllis Mischo

Rotarian of the Year Award, Ed Perry

Jeff congratulated the club on attaining the four goals that he had set for the year: 500 hours of service, increased membership, attaining “Star Club” status and a successful 25th year anniversary event.

Jeff “passed the gavel” to our new President Chuck, who presented Jeff with mementos of his year as president, including a poster of the photos of the members of the “Jeff Van Buren Presidential Fan Club”!

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Upcoming Schedule

July 4th – No meeting – talk to Chuck about pancake breakfast at his house

July 11th – Steve Shoemaker, President of Urbana Rotary, will discuss his radio show Keepin the Faith

July 18th – Charlie Linville, Ploughman Associates

July 25th – Kaizad Irini, Associate Professor of Horticulture and Agriculture at Parkland College

August 1st – Mike Thomas, Director of Athletics, UIUC

August 8th – Christine Catanzarite, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), UIUC

August 15th – TBD

September 12th – Dr. Peter Schiffer, Vice Chancellor for Research, UIUC

Announcements
(notes provided by the striped-tie-wearing Allan Penwell)

All those who attended enjoyed the 25^th anniversary dinner.  Thanks to all of those who put it together – We need to do this more often.

Congratulations to our club from our club on meeting our goal of completing 500 volunteer hours in the past year.  There should be a special thanks to Ed Perry who spearheaded this effort and to all of the volunteers who participated.  Ed could not be at last Thursday’s meeting because he was volunteering in Vieques, Puerto Rico to pick up exploded fragments of bombs from the U. S. Navy’s target practice range.

On a more serious side as to our volunteer accomplishment, several years ago it was Molly Delaney who charged our club with meeting a higher standard of volunteerism.  She attended our most recent meeting and was presented a Paul Harris Fellow by President Jeff for her many contributions to the community.  Molly has promised to come back to the club, and her announcement received raucous applause.

Jack announced that annual dues will be the same $210.00 as last year for regular members.  The irregular members (like Neal and Penn) get a special discount.  Meals remain at $8.00, or less if you pay in advance.

Rod announced that our Habitat for Humanity work project will be August 24^th.  So far, 12 have signed up, but we need 15 to have a fully staffed building crew.

The Champaign County Freedom Celebration is looking for volunteers, and Jeff sent out an email to all of us.  Most needed are set-up and clean-up crews.

Special Note

Andrew Kerins and Rod Roberts dressed up to celebrate the club’s success in reaching our goal of 500 volunteer hours.  Chuck Reifsteck (not pictured) was also supposed to participate by wearing his red blazer, but rumors are that he is finally taking life seriously now that he will be the President of C-U Sunrise Rotary.

Program

Benny Lapid showed a slide show tour of Jerusalem interspersed with his charming wit and low-key brand of humor.  Most of us stayed later than usual because it was interesting.  Jerusalem is a complicated, historical place which is an intersection of the world’s major religions.  Your notetaker could not read his notes very well from Benny’s presentation so here is a brief summary with acknowledgement to Wikipedia.

Jerusalem? is the capital of Israel internationally recognized as such, and one of the oldest cities in the world.  It is located in the Judean Mountains, between the Mediterranean Sea and the northern edge of the Dead Sea. It is Israel’s largest city in both population and area, if East Jerusalem is included, with a population of 801,000 residents over an area of 48.3 square miles.  Jerusalem is also a holy city to three major religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

During its long history, Jerusalem has been destroyed twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. The oldest part of the city was settled in the 4th millennium BC.  In 1538, walls were built around Jerusalem under Suleiman the Magnificent. Today those walls define the Old City, which has been traditionally divided into four quarters—known since the early 19th century as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters. The Old City became a World Heritage site in 1981, and is on the List of World Heritage in Danger.  Modern Jerusalem has grown far beyond its boundaries.

Jerusalem has been the holiest city in Jewish tradition since, according to the Hebrew Bible, King David of Israel first established it as the capital of the united Kingdom of Israel in c.1000 BCE, and his son, King Solomon, commissioned the building of the First Temple in the city.  In Christian tradition, Jerusalem has been a holy city since, according to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified there, possibly in c. 33 CE and 300 years later Saint Helena identified the pilgrimage sites of Jesus’ life. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina, whereas Shiite (Shia) Muslims consider Najaf in Iraq the third holiest city followed by Karbala. In Islamic tradition in 610 CE it became the first Qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (Salah), and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to heaven where he speaks to God, according to the Quran.  As a result, despite having an area of only 0.9 square kilometers, the Old City is home to many sites of tremendous religious importance, among them the Temple Mount and its Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque.

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Upcoming Schedule

June 27th – Pass the Gavel, reign of Chuck the Terrible begins

July 4th – No meeting – talk to Chuck about pancake breakfast at his house

July 11th – Steve Shoemaker, President of Urbana Rotary, will discuss his radio show Keepin the Faith

July 18th – Charlie Linville, Ploughman Associates

July 25th – TBD

August 1st – Mike Thomas, Director of Athletics, UIUC

August 8th – Christine Catanzarite, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), UIUC

August 15th – TBD

September 12th – Dr. Peter Schiffer, Vice Chancellor for Research, UIUC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the venerable Neal Chamberlain)

Invocation by Paul Conforti:  Paul emphasized the 25 years of CUSR’S commitment to helping others and he prayed that our club will continue these efforts in the coming years, both in our community and throughout the world.

Rob reported that plans for CUSR’s 25th anniversary celebration are complete.  This is to be an informal (no ties), about 80 are signed up to attend. (Notetaker’s comments are “it was great time, good music by the Parkland Jazz Band, good food, good program, good fellowship).  A special congratulation to the Charter Members who were in attendance – thanks for all you have done to organize CUSR, to help the club grow throughout the 25 years.

Phyllis announced that Mike Thomas, UIUC Director of Athletics, is scheduled to be our speaker on August 1^st.  Please consider inviting a friend for this meeting.

Rod asked for response from those interested in a “Habitat Build” workday (August 17 or 24).  The workday will be from 8:00 am to mid afternoon.  Rod is going to see if either of the above dates can be arranged for our club.

Ed thanked the club members who helped with the “Relay for Life” (5am) cleanup.  He also reported that our club has almost reached our annual challenge of 500 hours of community volunteer activity.  With the participation in the events scheduled in the next two weeks we will achieve the 500 hour goal.

Jeff alerted us to the June 27^th “Pass The Gavel” (regime change without a coup) regular meeting.  Please bring your rotten fruit to welcome Chuck to the presidency.

Marsha asked that we consider participating in the meal served by Piato’s Cafe (Lincoln Square) which is a fundraiser for Time Center.  The time is 12:00 noon on Thursday, June 20, cost is $5.

Laura announced that “Taste of Champaign” is scheduled for the weekend of June 22.  For the first time, beer will be available at the event.

Jeff was pleased to welcome our new CUSR member, Amanda Alleman.  Jeff Van Buren is Amanda’s sponsor.  Amanda’s application highlights and interesting facts:
-Married to Lloyd and they have one young son
-Co-owner of Fish Window Cleaning with her husband
-Parkland College graduate
-Enjoys bike riding and spending free time with family
-Classification will be Window Cleaning
-Played in a volleyball league

Welcome Amanda, we are very happy to accept you and we look forward to becoming better acquainted with you as a CUSR member and friend.

PROGRAM

Dr. William Forsythe, DO, (Board Certified in Emergency Medicine, Anti-Aging Medicine, Certified Wound Care, Hyperbaric and Vitality Physician), and Valerie Van Buren (Wellness & Anti-aging Patient Coordinator) of Bella Medical Center presented the program.

Dr. Forsythe outlined the services available which include helping men and women  regain their vitality, energy, endurance, mental clarity, metabolic functions, sexual drive.  Dr. Frorsythe also stressed the need for preventive care and early detection which can help protect against chronic diseases such as heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer.

Dr. Forsythe explained that the number of “anti-aging” practitioners has increased exponentially in recent years.  This has been brought on by the need for early prevention/screening/awareness in several areas but especially in the control of hypertension.  He also mentioned early screening of potential health issues with the scheduling of the procedures such as EKG, colonscopy, and bone density check.

Dr. Forsythe summarized anti-aging health by stating that we should be active (exercise) eat healthy, control obesity and get routine screening (detection) check-ups.

In conversation with Valerie Van Buren after the program, I (Neal) jokingly asked “I’m 107 years old, is it too late for me to maintain my youth with a Bella program?”  She was very kind, when she assured me that you are never too old.  I think her answer was somewhat disingenuous.

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Upcoming Schedule

June 20th – Benny Lapid

June 27th – Pass the Gavel, reign of Chuck the Terrible begins

July 4th – No meeting – talk to Chuck about pancake breakfast at his house

July 11th – Steve Shoemaker, President of Urbana Rotary, will discuss his radio show Keepin the Faith

July 18th – Charlie Linville with Ploughman Associates

July 25th – TBD

August 1st – Mike Thomas, Director of Athletics, UIUC

August 8th – Christine Catanzarite, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), UIUC

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the unorthodox and unconventional Paul Conforti)

Rob Patton reminded everyone about our club’s 25^th anniversary dinner celebration this Saturday, June 15^th, at the Illinois Terminal. There will be a cocktail hour at 6pm followed by dinner. The Parkland College Jazz Band will provide entertainment

Ed Perry discussed three upcoming Volunteer Opportunities.  First, Tuesday, June 11, Eastern Illinois Food Bank 5:30 to 7:30pm, 2405 N. Shore Drive, Urbana.  Second, Saturday June 22 – Taste of Champaign (details to come).  The third one already took place – see special note below.

President Jeff Van Buren reported on recent activity of the Rotary International Legislative Council:

-http://www.rotary.org/en/members/policiesandprocedures/announcements/

-Approved a US$1-a-year increase in per capita dues

-Rejected several resolutions that would have asked the RI Board of Directors to grant official recognition to programs that serve a range of different age groups, including EarlyAct, KidAct, and ElderAct.

-Approved a measure creating the office of vice governor, who would fill in if the governor becomes unable to serve.

-Approved a measure, aimed at increasing membership, that provides for satellite clubs, whose members meet at a different time and location from their parent club but who are also considered members of the parent club.

-Approved a measure allowing participation in club projects to count toward club attendance requirements.

-Defeated two measures that would have allowed clubs to meet less frequently. The delegates also rejected a measure that would have allowed a club to cancel six regular meetings a year instead of four, for holidays, the death of a club member, disasters, or other emergencies.

PROGRAM

May Hodson introducedTraci Barkely, Aquatic Ecologist for Prairie Rivers Network (PRN).

Prairie Rivers Network is 45 year old Illinois advocate for clean water and healthy rivers that champions clean, healthy rivers and lakes and safe drinking water to benefit the people and wildlife of Illinois. Drawing upon sound science and working cooperatively with others, PRN advocates public policies and cultural values that sustain the ecological health and biological diversity of water resources and aquatic ecosystems. PRN is an independent state affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation.

Traci spoke about three areas of PRN educational focus:

1) Clean water program

2) Healthy stream flow and habitat protection program

3) River stewardship and awareness program

Traci gave one example PRN is currently working with the Illinois Pollution Control Board (IPCB) to better regulate the Industry Mine owned by the Springfield Coal Company which has had more than 600 violations over 10 years regarding its wastewater discharge permit.

PRN is also monitoring Sunrise Coal’s (Hallador Energy) proposed Bulldog Mine near Homer. There are several opportunities to learn more about the effects this mine might have on Champaign County.

June 14^th, 6pm, UI Research Park, 1816 South Oak St., Champaign (as part of the Outside at the Research Park summer concert series.

June 18^th, 7pm, Public Information Meeting, University YMCA, 1001 S Wright St., Champaign

June 20^th, 7pm, Champaign County Board Meeting. Brooken’s Center, 1776 E. Washington, Urbana

SPECIAL NOTE ON VOLUNTEERISM

The CU Sunrise Clean Up Crew (aka Ed Perry and the Motley Crue) was a breath of fresh air this past weekend for the Relay for Life volunteers who had spent the previous 12 hours running the event. Allan Penwell, Patrice Grant, Scott and Cyndi Paceley, and Ed Perry were alive, somewhat alert, and not just a little enthusiastic at 5:30am this past Sunday morning helping clean up after this very successful event.  Thanks to this special group for their early morning efforts!

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Upcoming Schedule

June 13th – Dr. William Forsythe, Bella Medical

June 20th – Benny Lapid

June 27th – Pass the Gavel, reign of Chuck the Terrible begins

July 4th – TBD

July 11th – Steve Shoemaker, President of Urbana Rotary, will discuss his radio show Keepin the Faith

July 18th – Charlie Linville with Ploughman Associates

July 25th – TBD

August 1st – Mike Thomas, Director of Athletics, UIUC

August 8th – Christine Catanzarite, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), UIUC

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

Contact Robb to make a reservation for the 25th Anniversary Dinner, to be held on June 15 at the Illinois Terminal. Cocktails will be served at 6 PM and dinner will be served at 7 PM. Tickets are $25 per person.

Jennifer announced the sale of Shelby Motors to Dave Taylor from Borbonnaise.

Andrew announced that later that day, he would be asking his girlfriend Maggie to marry him (she said yes)!

PROGRAM

Rod introduced Kelly Hill from Habitat for Humanity. Kelly is a former women’s basketball coach. She came to Habitat for Humanity in 2011.

Since 1992, Habitat has built 64 homes in the Champaign-Urbana area. In that time, there has been only one foreclosure!

Studies show that children who grow up in Habitat homes have 36% higher scores in Math and 31% higher scores in reading. They are also more likely to own homes as adults.

Family partners must be able to pay a $500 down payment and $500 per month mortgage/taxes/insurance. They must also be willing to put over 200 hours of “sweat equity” into the project and attend household budgeting and home maintenance classes.

The mortgage payments as well as profits from The ReStore at 119 E. University in Champaign, go to finance future projects. Part of their stewardship is to “keep things out of the landfill.” The Restore will take just about everything except mattresses. They take furniture, building materials and electronics of all kinds, cell phones, TVs, etc., working or not. In addition, the ReStore truck will pick up unwanted items at your home.

Habitat volunteers usually build on Saturdays. Volunteers must be at least 16.

If you would be interested in volunteering at the ReStore or on a “build”, see the website, CUHabitat.org and click on “volunteers”.

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Upcoming Schedule

June 6th – Traci Barkley, Water Resources Scientist, Prairie Rivers Network

June 13th – Dr. William Forsythe, Bella Medical

June 20th – Benny Lapid

June 27th – Pass the Gavel, reign of Chuck the Terrible begins

July 4th – TBD

July 11th – TBD

July 18th – Charlie Linville with Ploughman Associates

July 25th – TBD

August 1st -TBD

August 8th – Christine Catanzarite, Director of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI), UIUC