“It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens.” – Jillian Michaels

 

“There is an unpanned gold in every soul you run into, no matter what walk of life they are from.” – Robert Downey, Jr.

 

“What is success? It is being able to go to bed each night with your soul at peace.” –

Paulo Coelho

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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

 

Darrell thanked everyone for helping with and attending this past week’s rededication of the Don Decker Garden. 

 

September’s bucket money will be going to C-U @ Home.

 

Darrell also reminded everyone that next week’s meeting will be a club assembly with the focus on membership.

 

Larry noted that our club is volunteering for the Eastern Illinois Foodbank’s “Operation Orange” on Friday, September 27th from 4 to 6pm. Sign up directly online with the Foodbank.

 

Phillis announced that she has prepared and sent in our club’s district grant application to help Promise Healthcare/Francis Nelson Health Center with food needs and medical help. The grant includes money donation and the donating of club volunteer services. Grants will be announced in October. 

 

 

PROGRAM

 

Cary introduced Katie Blakeman, Champaign County’s Circuit Clerk. Katie described the various functions and tasks of the County’s Circuit Clerk office. Included in the list are the preservation of all of the Circuit Courts records, the collection and disbursement of County fees and fines, and providing public access to these records. The Circuit Clerks office also handles the notification and actions needed for jury services, the County’s drainage district elections and the disposition reporting to state agencies.

 

The Champaign County Circuit Clerk’s office is the public face of the court system and has a staff of 40 full-time employees.  The office handles nearly 36,000 cases a year, has 750 to 2,000 visitors a day, averages over 600 phone calls a day and deals with a revenue of $9-10 million a year. They have court records going back to the 1830s, including cases in which Abraham Lincoln serves=d as an attorney, and all records must be preserved. They continuously micro-film paper documents for safe keeping.

 

Katie is active in various state organizations and committees focusing on issues and the need for improvements. Current technological improvements include electronic filing, E-filing, and electronic storage of records, E-Record. For certain traffic and conservation tickets one can plead guilty by using E-Plea/E-Guilty. Law enforcement agencies are moving to E-Citations for traffic tickets. Katie is working to update the court systems away from paper with E-filling, E-Citations, Auto Court date and payment reminders. Improving speed and public access are important issues.

 

Upcoming events that her office is taking the lead with are Amnesty Week on September 9 -13th for those with outstanding payments due. The additional late fees will be waived. For those eligible to expunge parts of their criminal records there will be Expungement and Record sealing meeting on October 5th at Stone Creek Church. 

Katie shared statistics showing that 1 in 3 people have been arrested by the age of 23. A criminal record can have a devastating effect on one’s future. 65% of employers will not hire a criminal and 47% of the landlords will not rent to someone with a criminal record, the result being unemployment and homelessness. The need for criminal relief is warranted for those wanting to improve their lives, find jobs and a place to live. Expungement for those with no conviction and the sealing of records on certain convictions is one way to open the door for possible employment.

 

 

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  Sept 12th Sept 19th Sept 26th Oct 3rd
Introductions Tod Satterthwaite Angie Schoonover Jen Shelby Eddie Bridges
Reflection Charlie Smith Mary Kay Smith Adam Wright Oktay Baran
Greeters Tod Satterthwaite Angie Schoonover Jen Shelby Eddie Bridges
Ata Durukan Eddie Bridges Ondine Gross David Henry
Song Leader Keith Brandau Paul Conforti Diana Dummitt Ata Durukan
Notetaker Hodson Conforti Perry Penwell

 

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

September 12th – Club Assembly

September 19th – Michelle Layser, Assistant Professor of Law, UIUC will discuss tax law and social policy (Tom)

September 26th – Meghan Gentry will speak about foster care in Champaign-Urbana (Ondine)

October 3rd – Lisa Wilson, Executive Director, East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (ECIRMAC) (Mary)

October 10th – Club Assembly

October 17th – TBD (Cary)

October 24th – Rob Dalhaus from CU at Home (Charlie)

October 29th – Tuesday – C-U Sunrise Rotary Charter Anniversary banquet at Biaggi’s

October 31st – No regular meeting (5th Thursday) – 

November 7th – TBD (David)

November 14th – District Governor Julie Dobski

November 21st – TBD (Ondine)

November 28th – TBD 

December 5th – John Paul Buzard from Buzard Pipe Organ Builders will speak to our club about building organs (Bob)

December 12th – Club Assembly