CU Sunrise Rotary Club members and Central High School Interact members assembled 400 hygiene kits that will be donated to C-U at Home. A District Rotary grant provided funds for the project.

“Enthusiasm in our daily work lightens efforts and turns even labor into pleasant tasks.” —James A. Baldwin – 1924-1987 – American novelist, playwright, activist

“I now tried a new hypothesis: It was possible that I was more in charge of my happiness than I was allowing myself to be.”  – Michelle Obama – Former First Lady of the United States-Author-Attorney

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” – Anne Frank – 1929-1945 – German-Dutch Diarist-Jewish Holocaust Victim

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Cary reminded everyone that there will not be a meeting this Thursday morning, 9/30/21 as we will have our social gathering at Pour Bros. Taproom 40 E. University Ave. Champaign starting at 5:30pm.

Jerry noted that he will be sending out an email to the club’s committee chairs asking for a report on what’s happening in their committee. These reports need to be sent to Jerry prior to the club’s monthly board meeting. 

Ed passed around the signup sheet for the volunteer project of folding newspapers for the Champaign County Humane Society on Oct. 16th.

PROGRAM

Cary introduced Terri Reifsteck and Carly McCory-McKay who presented about the Chambana Welcome Crew. Terri is the Vice President of Marketing & Engagement for Visit Champaign County and Carly is the Executive Director of the Champaign County Economic Development Corporation.

Chambana Welcome Crew is the collaborative effort begun in June 2021 between the You’re Welcome CU, Visit Champaign County and the University of Illinois Human Resources. Its purpose is to help recruit and attract new members to our community and welcome them to our community by providing ambassadors who assist in providing a wide range of information in-person or virtually in the welcoming process.

Ambassadors are volunteers that are matched up with the prospective new resident by demographics and areas of interest. Terri and Carly’s program this morning focused on the need for ambassadors and explaining what their role is and how you can become an ambassador. 

After filling out a detailed application that is used to better match an ambassador with prospective residents, the ambassador may invite them to a local event, give tours of the area, assist them in engaging with the local community,  and suggest restaurants, shops, parks, etc. and share their own experiences in the community. A follow up a year later may also take place.

Ours is one of the fastest growing areas in the state of Illinois and we need to be ready to welcome new residents and workers to our community. If interested in more information about Chambana Welcome Crew and how to become an ambassador contact Terri at terrir@visitchampaigncountyedc.org or Carly at carly@champaigncounty edc.org.

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

September 30th – Club Social

October 7th – Club Assembly

October 14th – Dr. Charles Gammie, professor of astrophysics, UIUC, will speak about black holes (Tom)

October 21st – Normal Rotarian Drake Zimmerman, co-founder and chair of the Rotary Action Group Against Malaria, will speak about Global Grants of Scale (Mary)

October 28th – TBD (Charlie)

November 4th – Club Assembly

November 11th – Veteran’s One to One (tentative)

November 18th – Derek Peterson, Director, Allerton Park & Retreat Center (Joe)

November 25th – No meeting – Thanksgiving

December 2nd – Club Assembly

December 9th – TBD (Ondine)

December 16th – TBD

December 23rd – TBD

December 30th – TBD

On October 16 from 10:00-noon we will meet at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 2101 S. Prospect Avenue, Champaign, to fold newspapers for dog/cat cages at the Champaign County Humane Society. Please save your newspapers. If you can’t attend we’ll collect/fold your papers. Ed Perry is leading this effort and will show us how to fold the papers so they fit correctly in the cages.

Tom Hodson a Champaign West Rotary Club member since 1986, Past President of Champaign West and husband of Mary Hodson. Tom is also our Rotary District’s 6490 representative for ShelterBox USA and Disaster Relief.
Video of Shelterbox talk

Our speaker this week was Rachel Rasmussen who is the UC Books to Prisoners Volunteer Coordinator

UC Books to Prisoners is an Urbana, Illinois based project providing books to incarcerated individuals in Illinois at no cost by mail as well as through two county jail libraries. It is a community-powered volunteer organization with several ways to get involved. No experience is required and whether an hour a month or would like to volunteer more often, you are invited.
Books to Prisoners

Mike Hirschi’s talk

Dean Dempsey, a member of the Navajo nation, talked about a is project to bring water to tribe members who have water challenges in the best of times
meeting video

Danielle Matthews, CEO of Developmental Services Center and Jodie Harmon, DSC’s Director of Development and Communications spoke about the programs and needs of the organization.
video of presentation

Sam Banks, President/CEO, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club talked about the programs and needs of the organization.

The meeting on Zoom video