“Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure.” ― Henri Nouwen

“Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you keep your heart open through everything, your pain can become your greatest ally in your life’s search for love and wisdom.” ― Rumi

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(Notes provided by Allan Penwell)

There is no Thursday morning meeting on Thursday, September 29th.  Rather we will have a social hour beginning at 5:00 pm at Krannert Uncorked.

The Rotary International Convention is to be held in Atlanta, Georgia June 10-14, 2017.  Plan to attend if you need a good dose of Rotary.

We had a great turnout on Saturday for the ECIFB food distribution at Bement.  Ten Sunrise club members helped out, and reportedly all of the corn flakes were given out.  Many thanks to the alive, alert, and awake volunteers who helped:  Diana Dummitt, Robin Ferguson, Larry Johnson, Barb Lintner, Phyllis Mischo, Scott Paceley, Robb Patton, Ed Perry, Rod Roberts, and Lou Simpson.

Also congratulation to Phyllis who retired last week from the University of Illinois.

SPEAKER

Our speaker on September 22nd was Dr. Ellen Fireman who is a senior lecturer in the Department of Statistics at UIUC.  Ellen used the Rotary Four-Way Test to illustrate how even statistics can be used in its interpretation.

Ellen gave an engaging presentation on statistics that focused on ways she helps students become better consumers and evaluators of the statistics they see on a daily basis.  In particular, she discussed ways she makes statistics fun for students by making them part of the data as well as relating it to things they experience in their everyday lives.

Ellen’s examples included things like students’ generosity if given $1 million (from student survey data – women were more generous), randomly selecting a number from a list of 1-4 (sampling and sampling bias – most people picked 3), and a drink from a punch bowl as a snapshot of the entire thing (presidential election surveys – not touching this one).

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

September 29th – No AM meeting

October 6th – TBD (Tod)

October 13th – Prof. Jennifer Pahre, College of Law, UIUC, Legal Issues in the News (Tom)

October 20th – Jennifer Shelby, New Developments in Film (Mary)

October 27th – Niala Boodhoo, WILL Radio’s The 21st, will discuss the Mandella Washington Fellowship(Mary)

November 3rd – TBD (Phyllis)

November 10th – TBD (Tod)

November 17th – Mike Hirschi, Champaign West, will discuss the Foundation (Allan Penwell)

November 24th – Thanksgiving, no AM meeting

December 1st – Club Assembly

December 8th – TBD (Bob)

December 15th – Isak Griffiths, Executive Director, Courage Connections (Laura)

December 22nd – TBD (Mary)

December 29th – No AM meeting

January 5th – TBD (Phyllis)

January 12th – TBD (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – TBD (Bob)

February 5th – TBD (Laura)

February 12th – TBD (Mary)

February 19th – TBD (Phyllis)

February 26th – TBD (Tod)

“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” ― Ernest Hemingway 

“Let my soul smile through my heart and my heart smile through my eyes, that I may scatter rich smiles in sad hearts.” ― Paramahansa Yogananda 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Contact Barb Lintner if you are interested in being a part of the Book Mentor Project.  There is a training session on the 23rd.

Robin announced that our club will be sponsoring both an Inbound and an Outbound Rotary Exchange student next year.  Robin and her family will be hosting one student.

Our club will be helping to distribute food for the Eastern Illinois Food Bank on Saturday the 24th in Bement, Illinois. Email Ed with any questions or details. If you wish to car pool, please meet at the Hawthorne parking lot for an 8am departure.  Ed will bring the omelet maker to whip up breakfast in the Hawthorne parking lot

Justin noted that our Central High School Rotoract Club will be doing a car wash from 12:30 to 4:00pm on Saturday at the Prospect bank on the corner of Kirby and Prospect. For those volunteering for the EIFB Food distribution swing by and get your vehicle washed.   

Also, the Central Rotoract Club will be organizing a 5K run on Nov. 11th, and our club is being asked to help with volunteers during the race and donations.

President Rod announce that our regular Thursday meeting on September 29th will be canceled in favor of an evening gather.  Gates will open at 5:00pm at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts Stage 5. Enjoy this “Uncorked” series with club members, and sample wine while listening to the music of The Joan Hickey Trio. It’s also a great opportunity to bring a friend and possible new member.  

PROGRAM

Gary and Michele Olson presented a program about their recent visit to Cuba. Their trip to Cuba was part of a large group of architects from the United States.  While it was part of a AIA Lecture and Educational program, the group was also able to go out on their own and see people and the beauty of Cuba. 

Michele and Gary’s presentation consisted of a combination of slides and videos showing the streets, buildings, squares, beach fronts, food, music, dancing and daily life of current Cuba. Cuba will be going through many changes as work is needed in the areas of basic infrastructure, crumbling buildings, and basic economic conditions.  In particular, the island nation will need to balance the future handling of the growth in tourism and all that it can bring to the country while keeping its unique identity. New buildings are going up while preservation and restoration of existing structures continue.

Michele and Gary’s visit included examples of Colonial Architecture in Old Havana, Russian influence in architecture during the cold war, and the current Chinese influence in new buildings. Included among the many places visited were The Hotel National, Christopher Columbus Cemetery, Varadero Beach, Mansion Xanadu Hotel, Cuba’s National Art Schools, 1950’s Swiss Ambassadors House, and many other historical and architectural significant treasures. They enjoyed evening strolls along The Malecon beach walk, local food during lunch and dinners, visits to historical museums, The Havana Club, the entertainment of dancers, musicians and the overall friendly people of Cuba.

Gary and Michele also enjoyed their rides in several 1950’s classic car taxis that Cuba is famous for, one in particular brought back fond memories for Gary.  Cuba continues to be a beautiful island which is once again entering a time of change after years of slow economic conditions. Michele noted that the Copperbridge did a very good job with this tour and future tours can be found at copperbridgefoundation.net.  

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

September 22nd – Dr. Ellen Fireman, Department of Statistics, UIUC (Tom)

September 29th – No AM meeting

October 6th – TBD (Tod)

October 13th – Prof. Jennifer Pahre, College of Law, UIUC, Legal Issues in the News (Tom)

October 20th – Jennifer Shelby, New Developments in Film (Mary)

October 27th – Niala Boodhoo, WILL Radio’s The 21st, will discuss the Mandella Washington Fellowship(Mary)

November 3rd – TBD (Phyllis)

November 10th – TBD (Tod)

November 17th – Mike Hirschi, Champaign West, will discuss the Foundation (Allan Penwell)

November 24th – Thanksgiving, no AM meeting

December 1st – Club Assembly

December 8th – TBD (Bob)

December 15th – Isak Griffiths, Executive Director, Courage Connections (Laura)

December 22nd – TBD (Mary)

December 29th – No AM meeting

January 5th – TBD (Phyllis)

January 12th – TBD (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – TBD (Bob)

February 5th – TBD (Laura)

February 12th – TBD (Mary)

February 19th – TBD (Phyllis)

February 26th – TBD (Tod)

“There’s a certain grace in accepting what your life is and embracing all the good things that have been – but there’s still an expectation of good things to come. Not necessarily what you expected.” ― Emmylou Harris 

“Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” ― Mother Teresa 

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

Our meeting was graced by the attendance of Betsy Barringer, guest of Jeff Van Buren and Gary and Michelle Olsen. Betsy gave her eighth donation to Shelter Box USA.

Also in attendance, Miranda Meng, our Rotary inbound exchange student from Taipei, Republic of China. Miranda gave a recap of what she will be studying here at Illinois and she was most enthusiastic. Perhaps she could deliver an upcoming program? After the meeting notetaker Paul spoke with Miranda (her “American” name). Paul asked her birth name, learned it is Yi-Hsuan, Meng. Phonetically her name is “Yee Shren”. (Paul also had Miranda write her name in Chinese – see him at our next meeting and he can show you).

PROGRAM

Eliana Brown is the Outreach Specialist with the Illinois Water Resource Center.  Eliana works with communities, Master Gardener organizations, and others to educate members on storm water pollution and best management practices

As an outreach specialist, Eliana partners with government agencies, universities, and communities to educate the public on key water resource issues, including private well care, water and wastewater treatment, nutrient management, and controlling contaminant.

With the able assistance of the lovely and talented Reuben Chambers, Eliana demonstrated, using a genuine rain water reenactment, how different rain water management strategies can be effectively used in residential as well as commercial spaces.

Did You Know…Prospect Avenue is an actual continental divide location. Eliana pointed out that waterways to the west of Prospect, such as the Kaskaskia and Sangamon flow to the Mississippi while waters to the east, such as the Boneyard and the Little Vermilion, flow towards the Ohio River.

For more information on the activities of the Illinois Water Resource Center go to: http://www.ilwaterresources.org/

SPECIAL NOTE

CU Sunrise Rotary is officially signed up for helping the Eastern Illinois Foodbank food distribution on Saturday Morning, September 24th in Bement, IL. For those interested in car pooling, we will meet in the Hawthorne Suites west parking lot and depart at 8:00am for Fire Station #1, 301 S. Sangamon, Bement, IL. It’s just south of Monticello on Route 105 and about a 40 minute drive. We will meet the EIFB truck there and help unload, set up and distribute the food. We will also help carry the food to the participant’s cars if needed. The food distribution ends at 12 noon and we help clean up.  This type of project has been a rewarding service project for our club due to the direct hands-on experience helping those in need. All members are welcome to participate and to bring a friend or a prospective new member.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

September 15th – Michelle and Gary Olsen will discuss their recent trip to Cuba (Laura)

September 22nd – Dr. Ellen Fireman, Department of Statistics, UIUC (Tom)

September 29th – No AM meeting

October 6th – TBD (Tod)

October 13th – Prof. Jennifer Pahre, College of Law, UIUC, Legal Issues in the News (Tom)

October 20th – Jennifer Shelby, New Developments in Film (Mary)

October 27th – Niala Boodhoo, WILL Radio’s The 21st, will discuss the Mandella Washington Fellowship(Mary)

November 3rd – TBD (Phyllis)

November 10th – TBD (Tod)

November 17th – Mike Hirschi, Champaign West, will discuss the Foundation (Allan Penwell)

November 24th – Thanksgiving, no AM meeting

December 1st – Club Assembly

December 8th – TBD (Bob)

December 15th – Isak Griffiths, Executive Director, Courage Connections (Laura)

December 22nd – TBD (Mary)

December 29th – No AM meeting

January 5th – TBD (Phyllis)

January 12th – TBD (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – TBD (Bob)

February 5th – TBD (Laura)

February 12th – TBD (Mary)

February 19th – TBD (Phyllis)

February 26th – TBD (Tod)

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” – Nelson Mandela

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” ― Socrates 

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

Twenty-two people attended the Visioning session last Thursday.  A pdf of the results was sent out. 

Rotary International Conference will be in Atlanta. 

We will have a scholarship student from Taiwan, Miranda Ming, and she plans to attend next week’s meeting. 

Our bucket money this month is going to the Jr. League Backpack Program. 

Club Assembly

Committees met and reported back to the club as follows:

Membership – The committee would like us to get back up to 50 members; we currently have 37.  They will emphasize 5 things – hands on service projects, special speaker’s events, fellowship events, retention of members, and tie-ins to community events including meet and greets at businesses.  It was suggested that we focus on the concept of “currently accepting new members.”

Programs – They will try to get more big name speakers and are planning to have a social every fifth Thursday in the evening in place of a morning meeting.  Mary Hodson asked that we all continue to give her our ideas for speakers.

Foundation /Shelterbox– The committee would like to encourage more sustaining members—those who give $100 annually to the Foundation.  It is a good way to get your second Paul Harris as Barb Lintner did today. The committee will encourage members by matching contributions for the first Paul Harris.  We will have a speaker in November for Foundation month. 

Publicity—Please share and comment on  CU Sunrise Rotary photos and information posted on our Facebook page as public so that others can see what we are doing.  The committee is going to create a video series “I am in Rotary because.”  Hope to have as many members as possible taped by January 15.

Fundraising—November Fruit sales continue to be profitable raising about $9000 a year.  The committee is working on a new project in partnership with The School Foundation for an arts scholarship with an event fundraiser bi-annually. 

Project Development – Focus will be on a hands-on project each month.  Lou will email 12 – 15 volunteer projects for consideration.  The committee would also like to explore co-coordinating projects with other groups.

Vocation—We will continue the annual scholarship.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

September 8th – Eliana Brown, Illinois Water Resources Center, will discuss simple things you do in your hard to improve our waterbodies (B0b)

September 15th – Michelle and Gary Olsen will discuss their recent trip to Cuba (Laura)

September 22nd – Dr. Ellen Fireman, Department of Statistics, UIUC (Tom)

September 29th – No AM meeting

October 6th – TBD (Tod)

October 13th – Prof. Jennifer Pahre, College of Law, UIUC, Legal Issues in the News (Tom)

October 20th – Jennifer Shelby, New Developments in Film (Mary)

October 27th – Niala Boodhoo, WILL Radio’s The 21st, will discuss the Mandella Washington Fellowship(Mary)

November 3rd – TBD (Phyllis)

November 10th – TBD (Tod)

November 17th – Allan Penwell, Rotary Foundation

November 24th – Thanksgiving, no AM meeting

December 1st – Club Assembly

December 8th – TBD (Bob)

December 15th – TBD (Laura)

December 22nd – TBD (Mary)

December 29th – No AM meeting

January 5th – TBD (Phyllis)

January 12th – TBD (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – TBD (Bob)

February 5th – TBD (Laura)

February 12th – TBD (Mary)

February 19th – TBD (Phyllis)

February 26th – TBD (Tod)