Announcements
(courteous of the venerable Neal Chamberlain)

Illini Rotaract will host a cookout starting at 5:30pm on Tuesday, Oct 2nd at the Northwoods Pavilion in Crystal Lake Park.  Several C-U Sunrise Rotarians have already indicated they would attend, including Grillmaster Simpson.

Thoughts and prayers were sent out for Barb Lintner who is recovering from pneumonia.

Program

Mary introduced our speakers/visitors from the Illinois State Archeological Survey (ISAS), Madeleine Evans and Andrew C. Fortier.

Madeleine presented the program, “Archaeological Investigation, Past and Present in East Central Illinois”.  Madeleine described Cahokia Mounds, (near the convergence of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers) a site that has continued to be excavated in search of artifacts.  This is an area which once was a city of approximately 20,000 people.  Much of local artifacts are in the hands of private collectors.  Arrow points which are judged to be 1200 years old (that’s older than Neal) are often found in farmland in Champaign County.

Madeleine described some characteristics of various time periods in which native people were in East Central Illinois:

-Paleoindian period – (15,000 – 13,000 b.c.), Traveled as a group, bands of hunters, migrated.

-Archaic Period – (5,000 – 900 b.c.), Artifacts include wood picks, gourd dippers, wood working tools, dugout canoes.  Locally, the area of Brownfield Woods (big grove on airport road has yielded archaic period artifacts).

-Woodland Period – (900 b.c. -1000 a.d.), Artifacts include large pottery, mounds (approximately 16) of this period are still visible in this area.

-Period of (350 – 800 a.d.), This is the time frame when technology for hunting (and fighting) changed from spears to bow-and-arrow. Corn was not in their diet – not until 400 years later.

Madeleine explained that viewing of the excavations of graves and mounds have become more spiritual and respectful, using photos instead of displaying actual skeletal remains of the natives.

In conversation with Andrew Fortier, he described a game that was played by natives in early historic days.  They rolled a round stone (shaped like a small tire) down a slope.  They would then aim spears at the rolling stone.  The competition was severely competitive – they would bet prized positions – they would bet their family members, children and wives.  Andrew Fortier, who is a Cardinal fan, said they found no evidence of a winning Cubs team in the artifacts. The story above is true, except that thing about the Cubs.

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Upcoming Schedule

Sept 27 – Ida Simila, RYE student

Oct 4 – Dr. Jennifer Quirk, Associate Director, Institute of Genomic Biology

Oct 11 – Leah Matchett, ROTEX

Oct 18 – John Groce, Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach

Announcements
(notes courteous of the unconventional and unorthodox Paul Conforti)

September 24th: Champaign Club’s Action Auction including tickets to the Illinois v. Purdue football game on November 17. The tickets will be for the Colonnade Club and includes premium parking.

September 29 is the planned CU Sunrise tailgate event (no gloves please) before the Illini take on Penn State in the Big 10 opener.

October 18th meeting we will have Illinois Men’s Varsity Basketball Coach John Groce as our speaker. We will have a larger room and this would be an excellent meeting to bring a guest and/or prospective member.

December 13th is the tentative date for our club’s holiday party.

Mary Hodson announced she would like our club to explore the possibility of adding an international project to aid in her trip to Honduras which is open to all members as a service project.

Paul Harris Fellow: The club will match up to $500 towards any members quest to become a Paul Harris Fellow.

Donors of $1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund, PolioPlus, or the Humanitarian Grants Program, or people who have that amount contributed in their name, can be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Each new Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate and a pin.

Program

There was no program this week.  Instead, President Jeff conducted a club assembly that focused solely on membership.

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Upcoming Schedule

Sept 20 – Madeline Evans and Evan Fortier, Illinois State Archaeological Survey

Sept 27 – Ida Simila, RYE student

Oct 4 – Dr. Jennifer Quirk, Associate Director, Institute of Genomic Biology

Oct 11 – Leah Matchett, ROTEX

Oct 18 – John Groce, Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach

Announcements

September 13 will be a Club Assembly.  The focus will be on Membership.  Please bring the names of two prospective members.

The 2012 – 2013 District 6490 Annual Membership/ Foundation/ New Generations Seminars are as follows:

*September 25 – Champaign-Urbana: Carle Forum (6:30pm) 611 W Park St, Urbana, IL 61801

*September 26 – Effingham: Lake Land College – Kluthe Center, 1204 Network Centre

Blvd., Effingham, IL 62401 Located off I-57 at Exit 162 (217) 540-3555 (6:00pm)

*September 27 – Bloomington-Normal: Heartland Community Center, 1500 W. Raab Road, Normal, Jon Astroth Education Building (6:00pm)

For more information and registration see the District Website, www.rotrary6490.org

Are you interested in being a book mentor?  Book mentoring entails reading and doing an activity with preschoolers once a month for about a half hour in October, November, December, February, March, and April at a Headstart or Early Childhood facility.  There will be a WILL Young Learners book mentor training for all new and old volunteers at several times and places the week of September 24th.  Please contact Molly Delaney at delaney1@illinois.edu if you have not yet signed up for a training session.  We will learn about the new format for our visits this year.

Gary Olsen reported that Shelter Box is in New Orleans aiding in the aftermath of Hurricane Isaac and is also engaged in 8 other disaster relief efforts around the world.

President Jeff exchanged club flags with Meltem Onay from the Konak Rotary Club in Izmir, Turkey.  She is a visiting professor and will join us for a few months.

Program

Scott Burnsmeir, Assistant Governor for Area 6 of District 6490 and the Co-Director for New Generations presented a program on the four areas of youth outreach.  Rachel Miller and Susanna Storms from the Illini Rotaract Club accompanied him.  Also attending our meeting was Leah Matchett who belongs to Rotex, a group of former Rotary Exchange Students who assist the program.

Rotary sponsors 4 areas in which youth can become part of Rotary, a service organization which can change the face of the world.  First, Rotaract for youth 18-30 years of age is made up largely of college youth. There are about 300 clubs in the United States.  Illini Rotaract Club at the University of Illinois is one of those.  You can see what they are doing on their Facebook Page.  Club leaders Susanna and Rachel are interested in partnering with local clubs for service opportunities.

Second, Early Act is a club designed for 6 – 12 year olds in elementary schools.  It has been suggested by some reputable club members that Dave Krchak and his wide array of jokes would work wonders with this age group.  Go get ’em Dave!

Third, Interact is for youth from 13 to 17 years of age.  There are many Interact clubs in the district including the one CU Sunrise sponsors with Savoy at Central High School.  Scott helped start a club in Monticello seven years ago.  It started with 20-25 kids and in spite of ups and downs now has an active Rotarian at the helm, a school councilor, an involved administrator who is also a Rotarian, and 236 active members in a high school with 567 total students.

The fourth area is RYLA, a team building opportunity.  CU Sunrise and other District 6490 clubs select participants and sponsor RYLA financially at Allerton Park each year in April.

It takes partnership, the ability to believe in positive outcomes, outreach, and good communication to make all these projects work.  But the goal is worth it.  By becoming involved in New Generations as Rotary Clubs we can “pay it forward” to develop the next set of Rotary Leaders and change the face of the world.

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Upcoming Meetings

Sept 13th – Club Assembly on Membership

Sept 20 – Madeline Evans and Evan Fortier, Illinois State Archaeological Survey

Oct 18 – John Groce, Illinois Men’s Basketball Coach