“Success only comes to those who dare to attempt.”  – Mallika Tripathi – Poet-Writer

“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” – Meister Eckhart – 1260-1328 – German Theologian

“Opportunities multiply as they are seized.” – Sun Tzu – 544 BC-496 BC – Chinese General-Military Strategist-Writer-Philosopher

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

Darrell thanked everyone for making our club contributions to the Rotary Foundation Fund Drive a big success.

Jen will take part in Central High School Interact’s 4th annual trivia event.

This month’s bucket money will go to CASA’s pinwheel fundraiser.

Larry passed around a signup sheet for Books2Prisoners service project on May 9th.

Darrell reminded us that our club’s “The Bottom Line Diaper Drive” will officially start this week as flyers will be distributed at Thursday’s meeting. All members are asked to actively participate in getting diapers donated.

Phyllis mentioned that our club will be helping Sola Gratia Farm on May 25th.

Eddie has agreed to become our club’s “President Elect” starting in July.

Darrell noted that anyone interested in joining the prestigious “Notetaker” committee please see Mary, Paul or Ed for information on the notetaking duties.

PROGRAM

Cary introduced Diane Marlin, Mayor of Urbana, as our speaker. Mayor Marlin’s focus this morning was on the ways Covid affected the city of Urbana and how Urbana responded. Originally thinking that Covid would be a short-term problem, it quickly turned into a long-term pandemic. The City of Urbana’s immediate concerns dealt with emergency mobilization, protecting public health and health centers, the city staff and workers, police, firefighters and anyone dealing with the public and how to do that safely. Priorities had to be shifted, goals were reset, and budgets were adjusted. How to maintain the core services and how to do rapid testing were among the many unknowns and had to be solved on a daily basis. How to adjust and help business with mandated covid regulations such as distancing issues, crowd control and outdoor activities were new problems to be solved.  

Another issue was how to equally distribute any of the Federal and Illinois emergency Covid funds. With so many and ever-changing issues, the handling of Covid was like an overlapping second job mixed in with your normal work load. 

As we try to navigate out of covid, Mayor Marlin noted that the allocation of the American Relief Funds are providing several areas with much needed funding for the city of Urbana. These areas include infrastructure repair, two new fire stations, resurfacing of roads, upgrading neighborhoods with street lighting, sidewalks, helping to address racial, social and crisis response issues. 

Mayor Marlin can now move forward with filling existing major administration vacancies such as Community Service Director, new Police and Fire Chiefs.

A special treat ended our meeting as Centennial High School Drama Club presented songs from the play ” The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee ”. Director Sue Aldridge introduced the performing students and noted that the play will take place this coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday at Centennial High School and tickets are still available online or in person. The money received will help support future plays and provide needed updating of equipment and furnishings.

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

April 28th – Jordan Dziura, the Executive Director at Illini Media Co., will discuss the Daily Illini’s 110th anniversary, upcoming reunion for IMC alums, and the future of college media (Charlie)

May 5th – TBD

May 12th – Scott Schwartz, Curator and Archivist for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University of Illinois Library (Joe)

May 19th – Major General (ret) William L. Enyart (Mary)

May 26th – Jacque Kalipeni, representing the Kalipeni Foundation that helps communities in Malawi

June 2nd – TBD

June 9th – TBD

June 16th – TBD

June 23rd – Pass the Gavel

June 30th – TBD

July 7th – TBD

July 14th – Rick Davidson will speak about the new District Foundation and a new Global Grant

July 21st – TBD

July 28th – TBD

“I’m not going to continue knocking that old door that doesn’t open for me. I’m going to create my own door and walk through that.” – Ava DuVernay – Filmmaker

“Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.” – Guy Finley – Writer-Philosopher-Spiritual Teacher

“May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect.” – Chuck Palahniuk – Journalist-Author

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

Lou and Darrell reminded us that The Fund Drive to Rotary International will end April 20. If you have an interest, you can make a pledge and bring your check or mail it to Lou. We are matching the first $100 in cash and also applying 100 points, so you will get $300 credit towards your next Paul Harris Fellow award for your $100 contribution. Checks can be made to Sunrise Rotary Foundation.

The club has the following upcoming service opportunities:

-April 23: Central Interact 4^th Annual Trivia Event (we are sponsors, contact Darrell if you’d like to be on our team)

-May 9: Books to Prisoners (Larry)

-May 14-21: The Bottom Line Diaper Drive – newborn, 1, 2, 3 and pullups. Bring to Logic 8am to 5pm

Rod Roberts was contacted by Jan Seeley asking for volunteers on Friday, April 29 and or the morning of Saturday April 30 to prepare for Illinois Marathon weekend. From Jan: We need over 250 volunteers for course spots Friday and Saturday. We will give you info and training and you get great swag, plus lots of love from our participants. If you can get any other members of your Sunshine Rotary group to also volunteer, we can donate to your Rotary Club $25.00 per person. There’s a place on the registration flow where someone can enter Sunshine Rotary as their affiliated group, which lets us track your members. 

Here are the volunteer sign up links:

Friday, April 29 Course Team Positions: https://illinoismarathon.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=61309  

Saturday, April 30 Course Team Positions:  https://illinoismarathon.volunteerlocal.com/volunteer/?id=61465

PROGRAM

This week’s speaker, introduced by Bob, was Dr. Pat Vargas, Professor of Advertising, UIUC. 

The United States is one of only two countries worldwide in which advertising of prescription drugs is allowed (the other country being New Zealand).

Direct to consumer advertising (DTCA) for pharmaceuticals generates $4 for every $1 spent. 73% of doctors believe DTCA causes patients to believe that drugs work better than they actually do. Furthermore, doctors filled 55% of requests for brand specific antidepressants for disorders for which the drug was not indicated.

Adverse drug events are the fourth highest cause of deaths in the US after stroke, cancer and heart disease. Annual adverse drug events more than doubled in the decade after DTCA was introduced in 1997, and that number has continued to grow.

Pharmaceutical ads are constructed to show the drug creating an idyllic lifestyle if used to treat certain ailments irrespective of the side effects associated with the drug which, while listed, are listed as to be not necessarily noticed and certainly not the ad focus. Advertising regulators are concerned with the accuracy of propositional content of drug facts. However non-propositional content (happy families, peaceful ocean views, couples holding hands, etc.) which is not regulated are powerful belief conditioners causing consumers to avoid conducting drug evaluations and reinforcing positive attributes about a drug that may not actually be true.

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

April 21st – Mayor Diane Marlin, City of Urbana (Cary)

April 28th – Jordan Dziura, the Executive Director at Illini Media Co., will discuss the Daily Illini’s 110th anniversary, upcoming reunion for IMC alums, and the future of college media (Charlie)

May 5th – TBD

May 12th – Scott Schwartz, Curator and Archivist for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University of Illinois Library (Joe)

May 19th – Major General (ret) William L. Enyart (Mary)

May 26th – Jacque Kalipeni, representing the Kalipeni Foundation that helps communities in Malawi

June 2nd – TBD

June 9th – TBD

June 16th – TBD

June 23rd – Pass the Gavel

“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t even happened yet.” – Anne Frank – 1929-1945 – German-Dutch Diarist-Jewish Holocaust Victim

“If you make your internal life a priority, then everything else you need on the outside will be given to you and it will be extremely clear what the next step is.” – Gabrielle Bernstein – Author-Motivational Speaker

“Every time you tear a leaf off a calendar, you present a new place for new ideas.” – Charles Kettering – 1876-1958 – Inventor-Engineer

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

April 23 – Central Interact Trivia Contest – Need a team of 6!

May 9, 6-8 PM – Books 2 Prisoners

May 14-21 – Diaper Drive at LODGIC, volunteers needed 9-5 M-F.

ASSEMBLY

President Darrell encouraged all members to make a donation to the Rotary Foundation.   Foundation donations fund global projects and come back to our Rotary District in the form of District Grants.   If every member makes an annual donation, in any amount, the club will be designated a “Every Member, Every Year” club.   If we contribute an average of $100 per member, the club will earn the “Star” designation.    

There is more than one way to contribute.   You can write a check to the CU Sunrise Rotary Foundation and give it to Lou.  The club will make a matching donation of points towards your Paul Harris Fellow designation.   Lou will then total the checks and forward to the Foundation.   You can also donate directly by going to the www.rotary.org site.  You can make a one-time donation or sign up for the convenience of “Rotary Direct”.   With Rotary Direct, monthly, quarterly or annually recurring deductions of a minimum of $10 will be taken directly from your checking account.

Darrell introduced Caroline Butterfield, Manager of Community Impact at United Way.   Ms. Butterfield said that one in three U.S. families struggle to afford diapers and 57% of families report that they have to leave their children in diapers longer than they should.   

The United Way works with Champaign Public Heath to provide diapers to the Bottom-Line Diaper Drive.   Donated diapers are collected for distribution at local service agencies.   A corporate donor made a large donation of larger size diapers; so United Way is asking us to collect diapers sized newborn to 2 and pull-ups.   

Rotarians are asked to sit in the coffee shop and receive donations during the collection week of May 14-21.  Please mark your calendars for the May 21 repack.

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“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is most important.” – Junko Tabei – 1939-2016 – Mountaineer-Author-Teacher

“Passion is the log that keeps the fire of purpose blazing.” – Oprah Winfrey – Actress-Entrepreneur-Talk Show Host-Media Executive-Philanthropist

“The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all.” – Josiyah Martin – Author

PROGRAM

We enjoyed a club social mingling with the veterans at the University of Illinois’ Chez Center.   The Chez Center is the only residential campus veterans center in the US.   The ADA accessible center is home to 14 veterans and provides services to many more.  Garrett Anderson gave tours of the state of the art facility.

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

April 7th – TBD

April 14th – Dr. Pat Vargas, Professor of Advertising, UIUC will discuss studies on advertising in the US and New Zealand and how this effects consumer decisions (Bob)

April 21st – Mayor Diane Marlin, City of Urbana (Cary)

April 28th – Jordan Dziura, the Executive Director at Illini Media Co., will discuss the Daily Illini’s 110th anniversary, upcoming reunion for IMC alums, and the future of college media (Charlie)

May 5th – TBD

May 12th – Scott Schwartz, Curator and Archivist for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music, University of Illinois Library (Joe)

May 19th – Major General (ret) William L. Enyart (Mary)

May 26th – Jacque Kalipeni, representing the Kalipeni Foundation that helps communities in Malawi

June 2nd – TBD

June 9th – TBD

June 16th – TBD

June 23rd – Pass the Gavel