“What a desolate place would be a world without a flower! It would be a face without a smile, a feast without a welcome. Are not flowers the stars of the earth, and are not our stars the flowers of heaven?” – Mrs. Clara Lucas Balfour (1808-1878)

“Wild roses are fairest, and nature a better gardener than art.” – Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)

“Autumn is a second Spring when every leaf is a flower.” – Albert Camus (1913-1960)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Darrel announced that Cary had suffered a heart attack earlier this week and is now back home comfortably recuperating.  He will soon begin cardiac rehab. Please wish Cary well.

This week’s meeting will take place at the Decker Garden starting at 6:30pm. The meeting will include the annual “Passing the Gavel”, introducing Jarrod Scheunemann as our newest member, and a presentation of the annual club awards. Bring your own chair, blanket, hammock, and umbrella(?).  Please also be sure to wear a face mask and practice the proper social distancing for this special outdoor event.  If you can’t make it, join in on the live Facebook stream. 

This month’s bucket money will go to the Cunningham Township Angels Fund. Because we have not been able to pass the bucket due to our Zoom meetings this money will be donated from our club funds. Any members wanting to add to that may donate by sending a check to Lou.

Mary noted that the new Rotary International President, Holger Knaack, has identified “Rotary Opens Opportunities” as the theme for the year. He is committed to bringing Rotary and Rotaract closer together.  We can connect with him via our Rotary Region 30-31 weekly online chat. 

PROGRAM

Allan introduced Sara Johnson as this morning’s speaker. Sara is currently Vice President of the Champaign County Audubon Society. Originally from Buffalo, New York, since 2015 she and her husband have made their home here. Sara spoke of the many activities, volunteer opportunities and information about the Champaign County Audubon Society.  

The Champaign County Audubon Society (CCAS) became a chartered member with the National Audubon Society in 1945. CCAS now has 500 members who are involved in many activities centering around birds and environmental issues. Membership is made up of people from all walks of life. A variety of activities for the membership include local meetings, scheduled bird watching here locally, and traveling to various locations and the focus for environmental concerns. 

Sara also spoke of the healthful benefits of bird watching. The peaceful activities in natural surroundings can improve both your physical and mental wellness. Here in Central Illinois we are fortunate to have a variety of birds, including those that stay all year and those that migrate through our area. Sara shared examples of many bird types that can be identified visually and by sound.  She also gave examples of what plants you can provide for a bird friendly habitat in your own backyard.

Champaign County Audubon Society plans to resume their many activities this fall. For more information on membership and activities please go to champaigncountyaudubon.org.   

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom*

July 2nd – Pass the Gavel ceremony – 6:30PM at the Decker Garden

July 9th – Club Assembly

July 16th – District Governor Mike Step

July 23rd – Heather Stoa, 2021-2022 District Governor, will speak about the 2019 “Heart to Heart” trip to Mexico and new projects in honor of Mexico’s 100th anniversary of Rotary  (Bob)

July 30th – Club Social

August 6th – TBD (Cary)

August 13th – TBD (Charlie)

August 20th – TBD (Ondine)

August 27th – TBD (Tom)

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

September 17th – TBD

September 24th – TBD

October 1st – TBD

“You are not your struggles. You are the survivor who keeps moving forward in spite of them.” – Lori Deschene – Author

“Strive for progress, not perfection.” – Unknown

“You know, I think everybody longs to be loved, and longs to know that he or she is lovable. And, consequently, the greatest thing that we can do is help someone know that they are loved and capable of loving.” – Fred Rogers – 1928-2003 – Television Personality

NOTES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Arielle Gross Samuels Head of Global Business Strategy and Engagement at Facebook, gave an overview of Facebook’s response to the Pandemic and key lessons learned on how to keep people safe, build useful products, and support businesses of all sizes.

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom*

June 25th – Sarah Johnson from the Audubon Society (Mary)

July 2nd – Pass the Gavel ceremony – 6:30PM at the Decker Garden

July 9th – Club Assembly

July 16th – District Governor Mike Step

July 23rd – Heather Stoa, 2021-2022 District Governor, will speak about the 2019 “Heart to Heart” trip to Mexico and new projects in honor of Mexico’s 100th anniversary of Rotary  (Bob)

July 30th – Club Social

August 6th – TBD (Cary)

August 13th – TBD (Charlie)

August 20th – TBD (Ondine)

August 27th – TBD (Tom)

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

September 17th – TBD

September 24th – TBD

October 1st – TBD

“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” – Viktor Frankl – 1905-1997 – Psychiatrist-Author

“Be somebody who makes everybody feel like a somebody.” – Courtney Shields – Musical Artist

“The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” – Oprah Winfrey – Actress-Talk Show Host-Television Producer-Philanthropist

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Darrell introduced prospective member Jarrod Scheunemann.   Jarrod moved here from Wisconsin in 2007.   He is the Assistant to the Executive Director of the Park District. Jarrod is sponsored by Andrew.

Dues are due!   Please get your payment to Lou within the next week.   

This month’s bucket money will be donated to Cunningham Township’s Angel Fund.

June 25, “Pass the Gavel” event will be held at 5:30 PM at the Decker Garden.   It will be live streamed on Face Book.

You can also attend the on-line Rotary International Convention, free of charge!   See the District website for more information.

PROGRAM

Darrell introduced Dean Plumadore from the Champaign County Sports Car Club.   Founded in 1957, it is one of the oldest continuous running sports car clubs.

CC Sports Car Club has about 100 paid members who accumulate points towards end of year trophies.   Not all drive “power” cars.  There are 25 different classes.   Speeds average 35-40 miles per hour as members navigate through agility courses.  The club is known for its autocross event held at the Rantoul airfield each year.   Dean said the events are low risk and reasonably affordable.

They offer classroom instruction and one-on-one training with experienced drivers.   They also award about $3,000 per year in scholarships to Auto Tech students.

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom*

June 18th – Arielle Gross Samuels (Ondine’s daughter), Head of Global Business Strategy and Engagement at Facebook, will provide an overview of Facebook’s response to the Pandemic and key lessons learned on how to keep people safe, build useful products, and support businesses of all sizes

June 25th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

July 2nd – Sarah Johnson from the Audubon Society (Mary)

July 9th – Club Assembly

July 16th – District Governor Mike Step

July 23rd – TBD (Bob)

July 30th – Club Social

August 6th – TBD (Cary)

August 13th – TBD (Charlie)

August 20th – TBD (Ondine)

August 27th – TBD (Tom)

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

September 17th – TBD

September 24th – TBD

October 1st – TBD

“Teachers open the doors, but you must enter by yourself.” – Chinese Proverb

“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” – Buddha – Philosopher

“Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections.” – Unknown

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Bucket money has been going to The Angle Fund which is administered by Cunningham Township. See the link at https://www.toi.org>angel-donor-fund for more information. Our next Bucket money will be going to The Prosperity Gardens.

Please remember to submit your annual Rotary dues to Lou as soon as possible.

PROGRAM

Tom Ulen introduced Gabe Lewis as this morning’s speaker. Gabe is a planner with Champaign County Regional Planning Commission (RPC). Gabe has been with the RPC for 13 years and has been involved in regional transportation studies and demographic planning. His program this morning dealt with the US 2020 Census.

Gabe noted that as required by the US Constitution every person in the United States must be counted every ten years. This work is conducted by the US Census Bureau which works with local organizations such as the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. The census information, once compiled, serves to establish the federal spending which will be distributed to the states, cities and local governmental organizations and each state’s representation in the House of Representatives. 

The amount of money distributed corresponds to the area population. Studies have shown that the amount of this federal spending can average $1,400 per person each year for 10 years or $14,000. The number of US House of Representatives from each state is also based on that state’s population. Illinois, with its declining population, lost 1 representative in 2010 and may lose 2 more in 2020. Businesses, education, health care, transportation and local government organizations are just a few of the organizations who use the census information for planning and development. 

The RPC, along with many other groups, have been working locally to get the word out and receive the needed information for a complete count in our area. They are working with housing authorities, libraries, health departments, churches, homeless organizations and attend many community activities distributing information. 

This year the Census, which is available in 59 languages, may be done either online, mail, phone or in person. It is estimated that 80% is done by self-response with 20% needed to be completed in person by door to door. Completion dates have been pushed back by the Corvid-19, and the current schedule is now for the door to door census taking to begin on August 11 and be completed on October 31. 

Gabe shared many numbers and the percentages of various people, age groups and income levels of people who make up our Country. These numbers are established as the responses are counted. As of today, 60% of people in the US have responded with 66% responding in Illinois and 63% in Champaign County. It is a monumental and necessary task to provide an accurate census. 

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom*

June 11th – Dean Plumadore, president of the Champaign County Sports Car Club will talk about the group’s activities and how you can participate (Cary)

June 18th – Arielle Gross Samuels (Ondine’s daughter), Head of Global Business Strategy and Engagement at Facebook, will provide an overview of Facebook’s response to the Pandemic and key lessons learned on how to keep people safe, build useful products, and support businesses of all sizes

June 25th – Pass the Gavel ceremony

July 2nd – TBD (Mary)

July 9th – Club Assembly

July 16th – District Governor Mike Step

July 23rd – TBD (Bob)

July 30th – Club Social

August 6th – TBD (Cary)

August 13th – TBD (Charlie)

August 20th – TBD (Ondine)

August 27th – TBD (Tom)

September 3rd – TBD

September 10th – TBD

September 17th – TBD

September 24th – TBD

October 1st – TBD