“The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of those depths.” ― Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(notes provided by the erudite Mary Hodson)

Remember to turn your fruit sale money into Jennifer.

February and March “Bucket Money” will go to DSC.

Read Across America is on March 5.  You can sign up to read on our website.

PROGRAM

Linda Tammen reminded us that the Youth Literature Festival will be held again on October 20-22, 2016.    During the first two days of the festival, authors will make visits to 100 schools in seven counties in and around Champaign-Urbana.   Linda is recruiting volunteers to drive the authors to the schools.

On October 22, everyone is invited to celebrate youth literature during Community Day at the I-Hotel and Conference Center in Champaign.  This even, free to the public, includes author readings, presentations, book signings, music, art, puppetry and a variethy of hands-on activities and live entertainment.

A preview will be held on March 5 from 10 AM to 5 PM at Barnes and Noble.  The Youth Literature books will be on display.  There will be activities for kids, including readings by the Illinois Football Team members.

Linda introduced Dan Keding, a local story teller who has won national and international awards.  Dan grew up on the South side of Chicago with his Croatian grandmother telling him her stories of the old country.   He is now an adjunct at the U of I in the Graduate School of Information and Library Science.  He has over a dozen recordings and five published books and travels worldwide telling stories.  Dan believes that stories are what binds the generations.  He says, “If we continue to tell kids stories, there won’t be a generation gap.”

Dan shared a heart-warming story about his 5th-6th grade baseball team, The Horrible, Terrifying, Mutilating Vikings.  To make his story short, they were in last place until a tall girl who was rejected by the 7th-8th grade team asked to join theirs.   They became Rosie’s Boys, had a perfect season and even beat the 7th-8th grade champs!   Looking back, he believes that Rosie gave them the “gift of possibilities”, the greatest gift that you can give someone.

Finally, Dan gave us a demonstration of spoon playing, which he teaches the kids at the Youth Festival.

For more information about the Illinois Youth Literature Festival, see http://youthfestival.education.illinois.edu.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

January 28th – Leslie Deem, Program Coordinator at the UIUC Pollinatarium

February 4th – Dr. Matthew Winters, Associate Professor of Political Science, UIUC, will present What Works in International Development: The Latest Evidence

February 11th – Club Assembly

February 18th – Ray Cunningham will discuss North Korea

February 25th – Rod Beadle, PE, Engineers in Action

March 3rd – TBD

March 10th – TBD

March 17th – TBD

March 24th – Molly Delaney, Executive Director, C-U Schools Foundation, will discuss their first cross-district, collaborative grant

March 31st – Dee Brown, Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, UIUC

April 7th – Megan McKisson, vice president of Illinois 2015-2016 Vis International Commercial Arbitration Team

June 9th – Megan Casey, Frances Nelson and SmileHealthy

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” ― Martin Luther King, Jr.

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent then the one derived from fear of punishment.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

ANNOUNCEMENTS
(Notes provided by Allan Penwell)

Our college playoff football pool raised $141 for our Sunrise Charitable Foundation.

Mike Hirschi of Champaign Rotary invited us to join his club on February 6^th at the Hilton Garden Inn for a talent show fundraiser.  Benefits go to Courage Connection, Frances Nelson Health Center, Daily Bread, and Family Services of Champaign County.

PROGRAM

Our own Robin Ferguson was the program this week, and she filled in for her son, Andrew, who could not come.  Andrew participated in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and Robin and her husband have been host parents, outbound parents, and rebound parents.  They have been to three Central States Rotary Youth Exchange conferences which are held in July every year. CSYRE includes parts of north central states as well as Canada.

CSYRE is a three-day event held at beautiful Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan for outbounds, inbounds, and rebounds.  Robin described it last year as a gathering of 1,056 of your BFFs (best friends forever). Students represented well over 100 different countries.  Programs included speakers to help parents and kids prepare for their year and even for coming home.  Interestingly, the rebounds probably have not even been home yet and meet their parents for the first time since coming back.

Activities are too numerous to list but include talent show, swimming, dancing, soccer, and pin exchanges.  The kids exchange pins, and their blue blazers are laden heavily with pins as they wind up the meeting.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

January 21st – Linda Tammen, Coordinator of the UIUC Youth Literature Festival

January 28th – Leslie Deem, Program Coordinator at the UIUC Pollinatarium

February 4th – Dr. Matthew Winters, Associate Professor of Political Science, UIUC, will present What Works in International Development: The Latest Evidence

February 11th – Club Assembly

February 18th – Ray Cunningham will discuss North Korea

February 25th – Rod Beadle, Engineers in Action

March 3rd – TBD

March 10th – TBD

March 17th – TBD

March 24th – Molly Delaney, Executive Director, C-U Schools Foundation, will discuss their first cross-district, collaborative grant

March 31st – Dee Brown, Special Assistant to the Director of Athletics, UIUC

June 9th – Megan Casey, Frances Nelson and SmileHealthy

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”― Henry Ford

“We think that forgiveness is weakness, but it’s absolutely not; it takes a very strong person to forgive.”― T. D. Jakes

Announcements

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

Andrew announced that he has been selected to be on this year’s Rotary’s Group Study Exchange (GSE) Program. He and the GSE Team will be traveling to Romania for three and a half weeks in May. We look forward to the team’s presentation to our club later this year.

Paul noted that the “Foundation Bowl” has three participants able to win depending on the outcome of the College Football Championship Game. Winner and CU Sunrise Foundation share the funds raised.

Our fundraiser Fruit sales were good this year. Get any outstanding “Fruit Money” to Jen by next meeting at the latest.

Cary announced that tickets are now on sale for the 10th Annual All Out A Cappella Fundraiser Concert. See Cary for more information or click on www.unitymusicbooster.org/. This fundraiser has gathered over $40,000.00 for Unity’s Music Boosters.

Everyone thanked Jen for hosting a fantastic club Holiday Party at her home. Plans are already under way for another party at her home!

Program

Laura introduced Randy Hauser as our speaker at this morning’s meeting. Randy is the Horticulture and Natural Areas Supervisor for the Champaign Park District. Randy has been with the Champaign Park District for 3 years after 20 years with the Urbana Park District.

His program this morning focused on the many flowering landscaping beds that dot the city of Champaign. Using a combination of perennials and annuals the CPD brightens up over 200 separate island beds and another 100 beds with in the city’s parks. Randy presented many examples of the planting beds, and used our Decker Garden as an excellent example of plant and flowers planted correctly and very well maintained.

The CPD creates variety by changing the appearance and plant type in the beds every year. The beds are designed for both vehicular and pedestrian interest. Benefits to the insect life is also a top priority when selecting flowers to be planted. Milkweed, Butterfly Weed, Swamp Milkweed, Cone flower, Dill, Parsley, Zinnia, New England Aster were just a few of the plants that create visual variety and that help pollenating insects and butterflies , including the popular but threatened Monarch butterfly. Many of these plants are available at local nurseries as plants or seeds and can easily be grown in your yard.

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE

January 14th – Andrew Ferguson, son of Robin Ferguson, will speak about his experience as an RYE in Poland

January 21st – Linda Tammen, Coordinator of the UIUC Youth Literature Festival

January 28th – Leslie Deem, Program Coordinator at the UIUC Pollinatarium

February 4th – Dr. Matthew Winters, Associate Professor of Political Science, UIUC, will present What Works in International Development: The Latest Evidence

February 11th – TBD

February 18th – Ray Cunningham will discuss North Korea

February 25th – Rod Beadle, Engineers in Action