“ True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity, before it is entitled to the appellation.” ― George Washington

Announcements
(notes provided by the crafty and courageous Barb Lintner)

Rod reminded us of the event for cyclists today and opportunities to help with the East Central Illinois Foodbank food truck this Saturday.

There will soon be a place to sign up online to work on the 6 club Rotary Rehab Build for Veterans which will begin on August 1 and go for 10 Saturdays in hopes of completion by Veterans Day.  Each club has pledged $40 per member; our portion will come from the CU Sunrise Foundation.  Groups of 15 will work each Saturday.  More information will be available in July.

Penn and Laura are still selling raffle tickets for the Park District benefit.  Reuben is selling Centennial Booster tickets to Applebee’s on August 1 for $5.

Program

We welcomed new member Robin Ferguson.

Oktay, chair of the Award Committee, thanked our current President Todd Satterthwaite for a great Rotary year and recognized those who served on the CU Sunrise board:  Tod, Reuben Chambers, Jenn Shelby, Jack Kamerer, Rod Roberts, Cary Woolard, Laura Auteberry, Alan Chalifoux, Scott Paceley, and Chuck Reifsteck.

Special thanks was given to Lou for keeping the attendance records; to Lou and Phyllis for the Decker Garden; to Andrew for his work with the newsletter, to Rod for the website, and to all the note takers; to Mary Hodson, Ata Durukan, and Gary Olsen for service at the district level and beyond; and to the past presidents for their service; as well as to the members of the awards committee who sent in nominations.

Eleven members received ball caps for perfect attendance:  Reuben Chambers, Mary Hodson, Gary Olsen, Scott Paceley, Rod Roberts, Tod Satterthwaite, Jenn Shelby, and Oktay Baran.

The Alive Alert Awake Enthusiastic Award went to Neil Chamberlain.  The Courage Award went to Molly Delaney and the Distinguished Service Award went to Jeff Van Buren.

Bob La Charite received the New Rotarian of the Year Award, presented to the new member who has best exemplified the “Service above Self” motto by exhibiting outstanding service and commitment to the goals and visions of the club.

This year our club’s highest honor, The Rotarian of the Year, recipient is Mary Hodson.  The honor is presented to the Rotarian who best exemplifies the motto “Service Above Self”, both as a well-rounded Rotarian and as someone who goes a step further to help with our mission.

Congratulations to all our award winners!

President Tod passed the gavel to our new president for 2015-2016, Reuben Chambers.  Reuben expressed interest in more socials, especially a club picnic.  He also has ideas for integrating social media into our communications mix.  Send Reuben any suggestions you might have at rtdl17@gmail.com  Signup sheets for committees for the new year were passed around at the meeting.  Reuben announced that we will have a club meeting soon so that committees can work on goals.  Mary Hodson asked that those interested consider helping out on the program committee so that those on the committee don’t have so many programs to fill and so the presentations are varied.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

July 2 – Chief Anthony Cobb, Champaign Police Department

July 9 – Stacey LeFeber, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois

July 16 – Jen Shelby will discuss the Cannes Film Festival

July 23rd – Phil Hoggatt, Harbor Light Hospice

July 30th – Club Assembly

August 6th – Dan Olson, Executive Director of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District

August 13th – Rick Manner, Executive Director of the Champaign-Urbana Sanitary District

August 20th – Jaymeet Attaway, part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange team that traveled to Denmark

August 27th – Barry Pittendrigh, Department of Entomology, UIUC

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. ” ― Sophia Loren

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

Penn and Laura are selling car raffle tickets to benefit Park District scholarships.   They are $20 or three for $50.

Penn is collecting new or gently used books for the United Way Children’s Book drive.  Please see Penn for further information.

Tod reported that Paul is recovering well from knee surgery.

If you would be interested in joining the Program Committee, or if you have an idea for a program, please contact Mary at maryfhodson@aol.com.

 PROGRAM

 Tod introduced Kelly Hill from Habitat for Humanity.   Kelly came to tell us about a new initiative involving several local Rotary clubs coming together to rehab a home for an Iraq War veteran an his family.

The cost of rehabilitating a foreclosed home in Urbana will be divided up according to the number of members in each participating club.  The CU Sunrise Board has approved this expense.

The work will begin around August 1 and is expected to take ten Saturdays.

Over the years, CU Habitat for Humanity has built 80 homes for families who needed a hand up.   Habitat hopes to build nine homes and rehab three more this year.

Each adult in a Habitat family must attend budgeting and home maintenance classes and must contribute 250 hours of “sweat equity”, including time spent working at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

 At move in time, the Eastern Illinois Food Bank donates 350 pounds of food to the family.   Slumberland donates a bed for each household member and Whirlpool provides a washer and dryer at cost.

The next phase, “A Brush With Kindness” will be neighborhood revitalization.   Volunteers will help fix up homes, clean yards, build handicap ramps, etc.   Families in those neighborhoods will also be asked to contribute sweat equity.   For elderly home owners, a family member will be asked to help.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

June 25 – Pass the Gavel

July 2 – Chief Anthony Cobb, Champaign Police Department

July 9 – Stacey LeFeber, Girl Scouts of Central Illinois

July 16 – Jen Shelby will discuss the Cannes Film Festival

July 23rd – Phil Hoggatt, Harbor Light Hospice

July 30th – TBD

August 6th – Dan Olson, Executive Director of the Champaign County Forest Preserve District

August 13th – Rick Manner, Executive Director of the Champaign-Urbana Sanitary District

August 20th – Jaymeet Attaway, part of the Rotary Group Study Exchange team that traveled to Denmark

August 27th – Barry Pittendrigh, Department of Entomology, UIUC

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

“ Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, and riches take wings. Only one ting endures and that is character. ” ― Horace Greeley

Announcements

(notes provided by the distinguished gentleman from Connecticut, Ed Perry)

Jack noted that the billing for dues had an error and he will send out a new billing form. Dues have gone up $10 this year.

Dave was asked during our “Rotary Minute”: “When young, what did he want to be when he grew up”. Dave noted that many years ago in eighth grade he had written down that he wanted to be a lawyer. Dave has become a successful attorney and has been a partner in the law firm of Thomas, Mamer & Haughey since 1994 and specializes in Employment and Labor law.

Tod announced that this month’s bucket money will go to LINC: Learning in Community, helping communities in the U.S.  and around the world.  

Penn announced he is selling tickets for the Champaign Parks Foundation for the Champaign Park District Youth Scholarship Program. The drawing is August 22. Tickets are $20 each, 3 for $50 and 25 tickets for $400. Winner could win the choice of 4 new cars.

Program

Kathie Spegal, past president and past member of our club, spoke this morning about Illinois Radio Reader. Kathie serves as coordinator for Illinois Radio Reader which provides free reading service for the blind and visually impaired community of East Central Illinois.

Kathie serves as the coordinator of currently 60 volunteers who read the local newspapers, magazines and books broadcasting over the air to an estimated 600 listeners. The listeners use a special radio receiver that picks up the signal from WILL-FM. This local news information service is provided from 10am to 10pm with national tie-ins for expanded coverage and entertainment from 10pm to 10am. This 24/7 service is also available live stream on home computers. The smart phone app is available on iBlink Radio, www.iblink.com.

Volunteer readers are always needed. Volunteers can read for a half hour or an hour once a week.  One can sign up for a 6 month commitment or as a substitute.

One of the fundraisers for this program is the yearly “Vintage Vinyl” sale which will take place this September 26th. Donations of old records and cassettes can be made starting in late August.

Additional information can be found at will-irr@illinois.edu, www.will.illinoisradioreader, or by calling 217-333-6503.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

June 18th – Andy Leipold will discuss grand juries and Ferguson, MO

June 25 – TBD

July 2 – Chief Anthony Cobb, Champaign Police Department

July 9 – TBD

July 16 – Jen Shelby will discuss the Cannes Film Festival

July 23rd – Phil Hoggatt, Harbor Light Hospice

July 30th – TBD

August 6th – TBD

August 13th – TBD

August 20th – TBD

August 27th – Barry Pittendrigh, Department of Entomology, UIUC

September 3rd – TBD

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Notes provided by Allan Penwell)

Laura announced the Champaign Park District is raffling off a car again this year.  Proceeds go for youth scholarships for swim lessons, day camp, and others.  Drawing is at the Taste of Champaign on August 22, 2015.  See Penn for tickets. 

Jack announced that dues have increased $10.00.

PROGRAM

Our presenter at last week’s program was Maria Bohri, a student at UIUC, who was accompanied by her advisor, Valerie Werpetinski.  Maria is a participant in an Engineering 315 course called LINC which stands for Learning in Community.  LINC provides a service-leraning opportunity to match up with a not-for-profit organization to help communities in the U.S. and around the world.

Maria and her team partnered with several organizations in India to focus on rural villages that had significant fluorosis in drinking water and needed basic sanitation and health training.

In parts of India there is excessive fluoride in the water which causes teeth to darken and fall out.  It also affects bone and muscle development so people have trouble walking and managing daily tasks.  The goal in this case was to provide equipment to remediate the fluoride and provide safe drinking water.

As to the health issues, the team conducted interventions in the villages to explain how diseases spread from improper sanitation and simple things such as hand washing.  In some cases, the villages changed their practices if they had strong community leadership, but in other cases, change did not occur and old habits continued. 

The team collected data in their time in India and eventually published case studies as part of their class. 

Ms. Werpetinski mentioned that the LINC classes have completed numerous projects in the area, including ones for the Champaign County Forest Preserve District, the Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club, and C-U At Home, among others.

Special Note

Dear CU Sunrise Rotary Members,

Last June, Jason and Erin Dorsey were married in the Decker Garden.  I sent a note to Erin earlier this week and wanted to share the exchange.

Phyllis
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Phyllis,

Thank you so much for thinking of us! That really meant a lot to both Jason and I! Our first year together has been wonderful, and the kids & us are planning to go back to the park this summer to celebrate with a picnic. We can’t wait to see the garden we haven’t seen since last summer and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere! Tell everyone hello at the rotary and we hope you all have a wonderful summer!

Erin

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

June 11th – Kathie Spegal, Coordinator, Illinois Radio Reader, and former CU Sunrise Rotarian

June 18th – Andy Leipold will discuss grand juries and Ferguson, MO

June 25 – TBD

July 2 – Chief Anthony Cobb, Champaign Police Department

July 9 – TBD

July 16 – Jen Shelby will discuss the Cannes Film Festival

July 23rd – Phil Hoggatt, Harbor Light Hospice

July 30th – TBD

August 6th – TBD

August 13th – TBD

August 20th – TBD

August 27th – Barry Pittendrigh, Department of Entomology, UIUC

 Announcements

(notes provided by the crafty and courageous Barb Lintner)

The CU Sunrise Board voted to donate $1000 for a Shelterbox for Nepal.

The June bucket money will go to the Don Moyer Boys and Girls Club.

Rod announced two volunteer opportunities:  O n June 6 at the Tractor Pull for the March of Dime, we need volunteers to man the gate from 4:30 to 6:30 pm.  On June 25 for a Bike Ride for the Cancer Society, we need people to meet and greet and serve snacks and water from around 4 to 6 pm.  See or email Rod for details and to sign up.

Program

Cu Sunrise Rotary Youth Exchange student from Chile, Antonia Rivera delighted us with a visual presentation of her year in Champaign-Urbana.  Highlights included pictures of her two host families- the Fergusons and Millers, the District 10 Exchange Student Group, and Centennial High.

She found the most difficult time was the cold winter.  During a trip to Tennessee she hiked for the first time and although she enjoyed her spring break said she didn’t plan to hike again anytime soon.

At Centennial she participated in the play, “Grease”, played on the JV soccer team, and attended prom.

She showed us that to her, the differences between Chile and the U.S. were the size of the soft drinks, the winter weather, and corn fields.  Her favorite things include Cocoa Puffs, donuts, Jimmie Johns, and Jarlings.  What she will miss most are all the squirrels, Jimmie Johns, her sisters, and school.

Antonia will go back to Chile in July after 10 months in the U.S. to complete her senior year in one semester.  Her future plans include enrolling in a university and studying something in the health care field.

Our sincere thanks to both host families, the Fergusons and the Millers, who accompanied her this morning.  Jeff reported that she was an outstanding exchange student who studied hard, participated in activities and was a delight to both families.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

June 4th – Maria Bohri, Learning in Community (LINC), Engineering Education projects, UIUC

June 11th – Kathie Spegal, Coordinator, Illinois Radio Reader, and former CU Sunrise Rotarian

June 18th – Andy Leipold will discuss grand juries and Ferguson, MO

June 25 – TBD

July 2 – Chief Anthony Cobb, Champaign Police Department

July 9 – TBD

July 16 – Jen Shelby will discuss the Cannes Film Festival

July 23rd – Phil Hoggatt, Harbor Light Hospice

July 30th – TBD

August 6th – TBD

August 13th – TBD

August 20th – TBD

August 27th – Barry Pittendrigh, Department of Entomology, UIUC