“There never was any heart truly great and generous, that was not also tender and compassionate.” – Robert Frost – 1874-1963 – Poet

“When you can be happy in the midst of hardship, then you see the true potential of the mind.” – Huanchu Daoren – 1572-1620 – Chinese Philosopher

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts – 1915-1973 – Writer

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Mary Kay announced with pride how our club members donated $1,000 dollars to the Rotary Polio Plus Drive this month.

Keith reminded everyone about our club social this Thursday, 10/29/20, at Riggs in Urbana starting at 5:30pm. It will have a Halloween theme and those in costume will receive their first drink free. Mask wearing and proper social distancing will be required.

This Saturday ten volunteers from our club will be helping in the food packing for the “Feeding the Kids” activity at the Champaign Church of Christ in Champaign.

Robb announced this year’s Fruit Drive has officially begun. Developmental Services will be the recipient of the proceeds this year. Our club goals for this year’s fundraiser include 100% club participation and to raise $6,000.  A case of Oranges and/or Grapefruit, fresh from Florida, will sell for $27. All members are encouraged to sell as many cases as possible. In lieu of selling fruit, members should make a monetary donation. Fruit sale fliers and online forms will be sent out to each member.  

Our club has volunteered over the years with bell ringing for the Salvation Army and will do so again this year on December 12. An hourly sign up list will be distributed as that time approaches.

PROGRAM

Tom introduced Dr. Vik Amar, Dean at UIUC College of Law, who spoke on the topic “The Flaws of the Electoral College and How to Replace It.” A graduate of UC Berkeley and Yale Law School, Dr. Amar has written on many legal issues focusing on the Electoral College and Constitutional Law. 

Dr. Amar explained the reasons how and why the Electoral College was formed, what role it has played in our country’s Presidential elections, how it has evolved over the years, how it is used today, and the possible ways to reform it.  

Each state has its own number of “Electors” based on that state’s population and each Elector is to cast their vote for the president based on the popular vote in that state. There are and have been exceptions to that rule over its history and now with the guidance of a recent Supreme Court ruling the electors are not to exercise independence from that rule. 

During our country’s history there have been five occasions where the candidate who had the most national popular votes was not elected.  The presidency was won based on the Electoral College votes. Dr. Amar gave several examples of how political parties will target the Electoral College numbers from each state over the popular vote. Twenty years ago, Dr. Amar floated the idea how each state’s electoral college votes could be tied directly to the national popular vote rather than tied to their state’s vote. Sixteen states have signed on to this idea so far and Dr. Amar believes that this method will get the needed backing in the future.

Please Google Dr. Vik Amar to find so much more information on this topic and see his entire video of this morning’s presentation.   

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

October 29th – Evening social starting at 5:30PM at Riggs

November 5th – Sam Banks, President/CEO, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club (Bob)

November 12th – Danielle Matthews, CEO of Developmental Services Center and Jodie Harmon, DSC’s Director of Development and Communications (Cary)

November 19th – Dean Dempsey, a member of the Navajo nation, who is organizing a project to bring water to tribe members who have water challenges in the best of times (Darrell)

November 26th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 3rd – Susan Zola (Mary)

December 10th – TBD

December 17th – TBD

“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness, and a deep loving concern.” – Elisabeth Kubler-Ross – 1926-2004 – Swiss-American psychiatrist

“With age comes wisdom. With travel, comes understanding.” – Sandra Lake – Author

“One who conquers the sea today is ready to conquer the ocean tomorrow.” – Matshona Dhliwayo – Philosopher-Author

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

October Bucket Bucks will go towards Polio Plus

Our annual Fruit Sale drive kicks off next meeting!

Feeding Our Kids—repack event, Saturday, October 31, 10 am-Noon at Champaign Church of Christ 1509 W John St. Champaign, IL 61821. Contact Mary Kay if interested.

Save the Date: Rotary Day for Salvation Army Bell Ringing is December 12^th. More info to follow. Last year district Rotarians rang up $30,000 in donations.

Darrell has added a PayPal button to our website to make donations more convenient. PayPal charges 2.2% of the total plus 30¢ per transaction for non-profit groups.

PROGRAM

This week’s speaker was Sebastian Klein from the Angel Forever Foundation (Angelforever.org). 

Suicide has now become the 2nd leading cause of death for teenagers.  The Angel Forever Crusade is about filling the void of silence that is masked by “veils of stigma.” It is about being proactive on the frontlines in the battle against suicide, enhancing awareness involving the signs and risk factors related to mental health challenges and suicide, through lived experience, knowledge and support. 

The number one obstacle in suicide prevention is silence. The thoughts, feelings and emotions that cause afflictions within our minds, due to mental health challenges, are hidden behind veils of stigma; these stigmas create the silence, for both the afflicted and those that care about them.

Sebastian’s daughter Angel battled mental health challenges due to anxiety and hidden depression. She was a victim of bullying, and a victim of the silence stigma. Angel Forever is dedicated to piercing those veils of stigma and helping to break the silence and save lives.

Parents should never, ever, take “fine” as the answer to the question “How was your day today at school?”. Ask again and ask again and keep asking. It will take patience, it’s not always going to be“pretty, your child may act defensive, but they will eventually open up – and that is the most important thing. Eventually your child will reveal how their day really went, good or bad.

On Halloween, Saturday October 31^st, Sebastian is having an open house at the Angel Forever Foundation Urbana location (218 W Main St Suite 101, Urbana 61801). He encourages everyone to stop by, say hi, and learn more about what he does and is trying to do.

Facebook: @angelforevercrusade

Instagram: @angel_spirit_forever

Twitter: @AngelForeverF13

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

October 22nd – Dr. Vik Amar, Dean, UIUC College of Law, will talk about “The Flaws of the Electoral College and How to Replace It”  (Tom)

October 29th – TBD 

November 5th – Sam Banks, President/CEO, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club (Bob)

November 12th – TBD (Cary)

November 19th – TBD (Charlie)

November 26th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 3rd – Susan Zola (Mary)

December 10th – TBD

December 17th – TBD

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.” Seth Godin – Author

“Inspiration is some mysterious blessing which happens when the wheels are turning smoothly.” – Quentin Blake – Cartoonist

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” – Audre Lorde – 1934-1992 – Writer-Librarian-Civil Rights Activist

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

CU Sunrise was number 3 in Foundation Giving for the District last year.  Great job Rotarians!

Our next Club Social will start at 5:30 PM on October 29 at Riggs Brewery.   Costumes are encouraged!

The Famous C-U Sunrise Rotary Fruit sale is on! The citrus will sell for $27 a box again this year.   Email your ideas for worthy beneficiaries to Mary Kay.

Our club needs a new Board Secretary.   Please contact Mary Kay if you can help out.

PROGRAM

Mary Hodson introduced Barbara Jones, chair of the Urbana Rotary Club’s Peace Keeping Committee.   

“Peace Prevention and Conflict Resolution” is one of Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus.   Today, over 70 million people, one half of them children, have been displaced due to conflict or human rights violations.   Rotary addresses the underlying causes of violence such as unequal distribution of resources and ethnic conflict.  

The Urbana Rotary Club is designated as a Rotary Peace Builder Club.  Barbara explained that the one-page application can be found on the Rotary website.

Urbana Rotarians decided to work with a neighborhood with a high crime history.  They chose the Silverwood neighborhood in Urbana.   They have partnered with a local community group called “Silver Hearts”, the Urbana Free Library, Krannert Center and the mayor’s office in planning activities.  Planning sessions are held by Zoom.

They began with food packing and delivery to 150 households.  Starting his month, they will distribute food every other month at a central location such as a church.

The “Urvana” van at the Halloween Shakeup on October 17 will be manned by high school students dressed in superhero costumes designed by staff from the Krannert Center.

The November food delivery will focus on fresh produce from Salt and Light.

First, they want to enhance the Japanese garden at Crestview Park.  It honors the club’s sister relation with a Rotary Club in Japan. “Coffee with a Cop” will foster conversations with 2-3 neighbors and a cop.   Krannert Center staff would like to offer music lessons.  The Urbana Free Library will lend instruments.

The Urbana Club is seeking additional clubs and groups with which to collaborate.

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

October 15th – Sebastian Klein, the founder of the Angel Forever Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to suicide prevention (Ondine)

October 22nd – Dr. Vik Amar, Dean, UIUC College of Law, will talk about “The Flaws of the Electoral College and How to Replace It”  (Tom)

October 29th – TBD 

November 5th – Sam Banks, President/CEO, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club (Bob)

November 12th – TBD (Cary)

November 19th – TBD (Charlie)

November 26th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 3rd – TBD

December 10th – TBD

December 17th – TBD

“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow.” – Helen Keller – 1880-1968 – Author

“Some people look for a beautiful place. Others make a place beautiful.” – Hazrat Inayat Khan – 1882-1927 – Teacher

“No matter what you’re going through, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.” – Demi Lovato – Singer-Actress-Author-Songwriter

ANNOUNCEMENTS

(notes provided by Allan Penwell)

It was good to see everyone last week when we met at Hessel Park. There was no speaker, but we had a good discussion on a number of different topics related to the club.

Bucket Bucks for October are going Polio Plus as October 24^th is World Polio Day. The Rotary Foundation has made polio eradication its principal focus. It was recently announced that Nigeria is the last country in Africa to be polio free, and only two countries in the world still have the wild polio virus.

Darrell announced that we are deferring our charter banquet scheduled for this month. It was scheduled for Biaggi’s, but indoor dining carries extra risks during the pandemic. Maybe next year.

Also scheduled for October is a social on the 29^th, but so far nothing definite for this date.

The fruit sale is on again for this year, and the box price is still the same as last year. At this point we have not selected a principal charity for the proceeds so if you have a suggestion, let us know.

Phyllis has applied for another $2,000 grant for Food As Medicine.

Club service projects are more difficult during these times so if you have one that is appropriate then let Mary Kay know. Eddie talked extensively about the help needed at Yankee Ridge School where his daughter teaches. Over 52% of the children’s families are at or below the poverty level. Mentors are needed, and this might be a good project for the club.

—

—

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

*All meetings via Zoom unless otherwise noted*

October 8th – Dr. Barbara Jones, Chair of the Urbana Rotary Peace Building Committee (Mary)

October 15th – Sebastian Klein, the founder of the Angel Forever Foundation, a local non-profit dedicated to suicide prevention (Ondine)

October 22nd – Dr. Vik Amar, Dean, UIUC College of Law, will talk about “The Flaws of the Electoral College and How to Replace It”  (Tom)

October 29th – TBD 

November 5th – Sam Banks, President/CEO, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club (Bob)

November 12th – TBD (Cary)

November 19th – TBD (Charlie)

November 26th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 3rd – TBD

December 10th – TBD

December 17th – TBD