“A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead 

 

“Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well.”― Voltaire 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Notes provided by Allan Penwell)

 

Don’t go to Rotary next week!  At least, don’t go to our regular morning meeting because we are having a social hour at Destihl on December 29th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Should be fun, but mistletoe not included.

Have you heard this message before?  It’s the message that we are looking for members, and January 29, 2017 is a perfect time to bring a guest.  Josh Whitman is our speaker, and it should be anything but boring.

Remember that we used to have a three-ring binder where we could add and take out pages of our members’ bios? Not any more as CUSR is high tech. We have a members page on our website, and I will bet most of you haven’t looked at it.  In fact stats show that 27 of us have never even clicked on the page.  Take a moment and get to know your fellow Rotarians.  In fact, you can add to your bio and upload a current picture. Want to know an interesting fact about me (Allan)? I was once salute battery commander at Fort Bliss.  That was a job I got when the previous second lieutenant fired only 20 guns on a 21-gun salute.  

 

PROGRAM

Our speaker, Mitch Davis, is the Illinois Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Executive Director for all points south of I-80 in Illinois.  He is originally from Tolono, and his mother had MS so he knew what it was like when he was asked to take the job with MDA.  MDA was best known for the Jerry Lewis telethon although that has been discontinued.  It’s an organization that has been around for 65 years and is funded without any government assistance.

There are three C’s of the MDA which are Cure, Care, and Champion. 

As to Cure, there are currently 150 research projects underway.  No cure has been found yet, but there are several which are promising to improve people’s daily life and longevity. 

For Care, there are 150 care centers in the U.S. of which Carle is one of them.  The centers provide a multi-disciplinary approach to helping those who have multiple dystrophy.  At a center, a patient will get help from dieticians, neurologists, and medical equipment among others. 

One of the ways that the MDA is a Champion is to provide summer camps for young people with the disease.  The nearest one is the Timber Pointe Outdoor Center at Lake Bloomington in Hudson, Illinois.  Mitch said this was a great experience, and our own Jeff Van Buren has been there to help kids ride Harley-Davidson motorcycles. 

MDA also has a loan closet with various types of equipment available.  Muscular dystrophy is a progressive disease so different equipment may be needed for assistance at different times.  Items would include lifts, scooters, and other accessories.  Mitch noted that the University of Illinois has always been one of the most advanced schools in the country to help people with disabilities.

Mitch encouraged people to get involved by volunteering through one of their many different outlets.  He noted their logo and website were relaunched earlier this year so it is probably a good idea to check out their webpage (https://www.mda.org/office/champaign).

If you are interesting in talking with Mitch Davis you can reach him at (217) 351-1853 (office) or (217) 841-1269 (mobile) or mdavis@mdausa.org. 

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  Dec 29th Jan 5th Jan 12th Jan 19th
Introductions No AM Robb Patton Allan Penwell Ed Perry
Invocation meeting Paul Conforti Diana Dummitt Ata Durukan
Greeters Instead  Robb Patton Allan Penwell Ed Perry
go to Adam Wright Adam Wright Adam Wright
Song Leader Destihl Billy Stull Jeff Van Buren Cary Woolard
Notetaker at 5:30PM Conforti Penwell Hodson

 

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

December 29th – No AM meeting; instead, we will gather starting at 5:30pm at Destihl in downtown Champaign (drinks on Keith?)

January 5th – CUSR family meeting – no speaker this week

January 12th – Chris Alix, Champaign County Board member from District. 10, will talk about County facility needs and the County Executive (Tod)

January 19th – TBD (Tom)

January 26th – Josh Whitman, Athletic Director, UIUC (Jeff?)

February 2nd – TBD (Laura)

February 9th – TBD (Mary)

February 16th- Nick Osborne, Director, Center for Wounded Veterans in Higher Education, UIUC (Phyllis)

February 23rd – Dr. King Li, Dean and Chief Academic Officer, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, will speak about the new Carle Illinois College of Medicine (Tod)