I really appreciated members reminding me of some of the international events we have/are working on in both Haiti and Brazil and our financial support and involvement in Rotary Foundation Programs. As an update for our membership, the Haitian Outreach Project of Mahomet and the First Christian Church of Monticello, with partial support by our Green Mountain Coffee Sales, sent a team from the church to help rebuild a hospital/medial facility on the campus in Peredo, Haiti. Our funds from coffee sales in 2010-2011 covered the cost of a borehole well at the site. During 2011-2012, our club and the proceeds from a District Simplified Grant helped in the moving, refurbishing, and shipping of hospital equipment from the old Kirby Hospital to the same Haitian site. The equipment arrived in Peredo, Haiti this past April!

The project in Londrini, Brazil is to purchase a gastroscope for the pediatric department at their hospital. The funds for the project are from several sources including our club (through a $2,000 donation from one of our members), the Londrini Club, the Rotary Alumni group, District 6490, and Rotary International. As the new year moves forward, I encourage our members involved in these and other projects to write articles or provide programs on these very worthwhile projects.

As you see, our list of projects and services that we are involved in is very impressive! Our 2012-2013 promises to be a great Rotary Year!

Steve Tenhouse, CEO of Kirby Medical Center, introduced Wayne Mathews, director of the Emergency Department to talk about 'What to Bring to the Emergency Department (besides yourself)"

Mathews talked about how the healthcare is being increasingly interrelated between providers to bring better care for patients.

He said that in the emergency department, the medical professionals there are not generally the patient's primary healthcare provider.

"One of the most frustrating things we hear in the emergency department is when we ask questions of the patient and hear the response 'You already have that.'" Mathews said. "We might have some of it, but not all of it. We're not the patient's primary physician."

There is a list of five things you should bring the the emergency department.
1. A clear story of what happened: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, HOW
2. Medication list, as up to date as possible
3. AMPLE History

            A: Allergies

            M: Medicines

            P: Past medical history/pregnancy

            L: Last meal

            E: Events/environment leading to current trauma

4. Emergency contacts/DNR forms
5. Medical hardware cards: pacemakers, implantable defibrillators, stents, artificial anything

Mathews  also discussed the Vial of Life and that emergency responders are now trained to check for this -- a specially labeled bottle that is kept on the right hand shelf in the refrigerator that contains a list of medications, advanced directives, emergency contacts and DNR forms. He also recommends putting an ICE listing in your cell phone.

Kirby sees about 10,000 cases in the emergency department each year of with 35 percent are real emergencies, Mathews said.

Jim Hires, Executive Director of the East Central Illinois Foodbank in Urbana was our guest speaker.  Last year, 19 volunteers working through the Foodbank provided 7.5 million lbs of food to 100,000 recipients in 14 counties within East Central Illinois.  In addition, they provide education and serve as the communication between the food-disadvantaged and public agencies.

Surprisingly, one-third of the people they serve are children so they began their backpack program 5 years ago to reach that specific population directly.  This fall, they expect to pack and deliver 1,000 backpacks with food to children.

The food insecurity rate in Illinois is 23.3% - unfortunately, Piatt County has a 21.5% rate.  Not all are families living perpetually under the poverty level.  Many are victims of circumstantial hardship like the loss of employment or a disruption in the family structure.

The Foodbank does not expect that trend to end when the economy turns around for 2 reasons:

1.    Higher paying manufacturing jobs are moving overseas and being replaced with lower paying service industry jobs.

2.    The aging baby boomers are headed into their senior years, and while they didn’t actually lose jobs, their retirement incomes can’t keep pace.

Recently, a Midwest regional produce distribution center opened and will provide over 1 million lbs. of produce annually to the Foodbank.

There is a network of 206 Foodbanks in the nation that allow for deep discounts in volume purchasing.  While cash donations given directly to the Foodbank can have a much greater effect ($1 buys $10 worth of groceries), the Foodbank still commits heavy resources toward food drives because it reinforces the act of giving, especially in school-aged children.  However, tangible food drives only account for 1% of the food they distribute annually.

At today's joint Rotary-Chamber meeting, guest speaker Eddy Weiss spoke about the importance of disaster readiness and education.  He stressed the importance of not only making sure you and your family are ready to respond to disasters, but that the community is ready as well.  Eddy has been speaking with all of the Monticello school children as well as other organizations, businesses, and clubs in the area.  He founded Chasing4Life.  The following information about his organization is from his website (www.chasing4life.org) where you will find important information regarding disaster preparedness.

Chasing4Life is an educational organization under the direction of well-known author/educator Eddy Weiss with a vision to change the way America views the issue of disaster preparedness.  Chasing4Life's educators present hundreds of programs nationwide each year on subjects ranging from tornado safety to environmental issues and climate change, from the importance of home disaster kits to agro-terrorism threat mitigation.   Chasing4Life has been recently featured in magazines such as Emergency Management Magazine and EMS World, and you can find articles written by Chasing4Life educators in magazines such as FireCall.

Chasing4Life is also home to the Chasing4Life Disaster Response Teams (C4LDRT's).  These are highly trained volunteer teams trained by Chasing4Life to respond to disaster events around the country.  The teams have also received national attention in dozens of newspapers and magazines nationwide for their recent deployments around the United States in the wake of this year's tragic natural disasters.

Ken Frye of Scovill Zoo was the speaker for the February 29 Rotary meeting. Frye told the group he was with WAND TV for 18 years before coming to work for the zoo as assistant director.

He has some opportunities to work with the animals at the zoo, but the majority of his job is dealing with the “people” side of the zoo.

Frye brought with him a legless lizard to show the group. He showed the group how the animal’s tail starts about halfway down its body, that it has earholes (which snakes don’t have)  and it blinks, which snakes don’t do. He also said that it chews its food, while snakes swallow the food whole and digest it. The lizard is a European Glass Lizard although there are Glass Lizards in Illinois.

He told the group when he goes to visit clubs and talk, they say “Don’t bring a snake.”

“So I bring this, just to be ornery,” he said.

The lizard can regenerate their tails. The Glass Lizard’s tail can break off if grabbed by a predator.

The zoo has cheetahs and the largest mammal they have is a camel. They also have spider monkeys, tamarinds, a very big alligator… “some really cool animals,” Frye said.

The zoo is soon getting naked mole rates and also is raising funds for a new penguin exhibit and plans to start building this year with hopes of having it open next year.

Frye also said that the zoo will have a new concession stand and bathrooms this year. “And if you’ve ever visited the old bathrooms, you know what a big deal this is,” he said.

Frye said the zoo first started as Scovill Farms and had farm anivmals. In 1974, a Sun Bear was added to the exhibits, so they changed the name to Scovill Zoo. Now the zoo has an eclectic collection of animals.

About 95 volunteers help out at the zoo in various ways, from showing animals to groups to driving the trains. Anyone interested in volunteering can call the zoo for more information. The zoo also has memberships  for individuals and families and that membership will also get visitors admission discounts to some other zoos.

Frye was asked what they do with the animals during the winter; do they have special enclosures for them?

The zoo has special holding areas for animals that are warm-weather animlas. Some stay inside. There are some animals who can handle cold weather and snow and those have some access to the outdoors. All of the farm animals have access to the outdoors, but also have shelter.

Starting in April the zoo is open 7 days a week. A variety of events are held at the zoo each year including a Critter Egg Hunt, a Mother’s Day and Father’s Day special admission, and Campout is in the works that would allow people to sign up for one night of camping in the zoo grounds.

February 29th, 2012

Saturday's night Charity Ball, was a big success. Community members along with Rotarians came out to support the Charity Ball Auction and Dance on Saturday. Allerton Park was our gracious hosts and provided a very elegant atmosphere while Auctioneer Rudy Huber from Sullivan started the night out with a great sense of humor and was able to get the crowd in a festive mood. After the auction we moved into the Ball Room at Allerton for some great music and dancing to the Jim Markum Band. The event was able to raise around $6200 for "The Back Pack" Program.

Pat is the Monticello MainStreet Executive Director and a Rural Development Specialist in the Rural Community Assistance Program (RCAP). Pat also serves on the Board of Directors for the Mahomet Aquifer Consortium, as Vice-Chairperson for the Illinois Water and Wastewater Agency Response Network (ILWARN); he is a member of the Great Lakes RCAP training and IL AWWA Small Systems committees. He received his B.A. in History and M.A. in Public History from the University of Illinois Springfield. He resides in the Monticello area with his family where he serves on the Goose Creek Township Library Board.  Pat discussed with us the Main goals of Monticello Main Street.  Monticello MainStreet, Inc. is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996 by concerned local volunteers dedicated to historic preservation and to strengthening our community's economic growth. The main area of concentration is in the downtown business district, and the extended fringe area of Monticello's downtown.  Monticello MainStreet also plans events throughout the year like the May Market in May, and the Farmer's Market from June through October, and the Monticello Celebration in the Fall.

Join District 6490 to Walk or Run to End Polio Now!

Please join us on April 27^th or 28^th in Champaign-Urbana to participate in the Illinois Marathon events.  You may run or walk the 5k or 10k, or you may run the half or full-marathon.   Each participant is asked to raise $500 for The Rotary Foundation for the End Polio Now campaign.  You are guaranteed the lowest entrance fee for this event when you register through us.  For $20 you will receive a special edition Illinois-Marathon-Rotary-End Polio Now-long sleeved Sport-Tek shirt. We want all Rotarians to wear this shirt during the event to promote Rotary and our fight against polio

Entry, donation and shirt forms and all guidelines are attached.  You may contact me atjwrector@gmail.com or at 217.841.4738 at any time.

Please see www.IllinoisMarathon.com for specific race info.  All entries must be made with the special District 6490 race entry form to guarantee the special Rotary pricing.  You have several months to complete your training, so start now.  We can all do our part to help District 6490 walk or run to End Polio Now. Let’s run or walk to help those who can not.

Sherry Fulton, the 4-H Youth Development Coordinator for theUof I Extension was our guest speaker today.  Although Sherry has been with Extension for 30 years, sheassumed programming responsibility for the Youth Development arm of 4-H in Julyof 2011.  Her area covers Macon,Piatt and Dewitt counties.  Sherryis also responsible for 4-H staff and volunteer training.

Interestingly, over time the demographics of the 4-H programhave changed.  Years ago, most4-H’ers grew up on farms as Sherry did. However, today, nearly ¾ of the 4-H members live in towns. Programstoday are varied and numerous. This year’s membership has over 250 projects they can choose toexplore.  Enrollment numbers arealso increasing in recent years, thanks to the breadth of program options.

Much of Sherry’s programming work is done in conjunctionwith local school districts. Currently she is working with the Monticello 4^th and 5^thgraders on the Super Sages after-school program.  In Bement, she has led a variety of decision-making, diversityand interview skills workshops. Mansfield has partnered with 4-H in offering a number of specialinterest programs like cooking clubs and book clubs.  Many of the special interest clubs are run by volunteers, soif you have a certain skill you would like to share, please contact SusanHouska, the coordinator of volunteer leaders.

During February, Sherry will be coordinating a cooperativeprogram between Washington School 5^th graders, the 4-H Memorial Campand Kirby Medical Center directed towards preventing childhood obesity.  The program includes a day at KMC fornutrition education and a day at the 4-H camp for exercise and activity.  Each participant will receive apedometer and will commit to a goal of 30 minutes a day of walking or exercise.The program also includes a 30 minute class for an 8 week period.  Participants will complete pre &post program testing, and record their goals and progress in a journal.  The overall program challenge is to seeif the participants can rack up a combined number of miles of walking that isequivalent to the distance from the northern tip of Illinois to the southerntip of Illinois.

4-H accepts members as young as 5 years of age into theCloverbuds and up to the age of 19.

The 4-H Federation annual spaghettidinner fundraising event will be held on Saturday, February 11 from 4:30 – 6:30at the First Christian Church. Tickets are $6 in advance and $7 at the door.

2011-2012 Monticello

Rotary Community ContributionGuidelines

Monticello Township Highway Supervisor Charie Montgomery spoke to Rotarians on Wednesday, January 18, and said he's not the typical road commissioner.  He said he likes politics, business management and making the roads in the township better.  Montgomery grew up in Monticello, has been married 32 years and has two daughters.

 Although his responsibility is the township roads, he feels very accountable to the community and what residents see out there is a group effort.

Montgomery talked about the state's effort to eliminate township government, noting this form of government was established in 1636.

 The Interact Club is working on a winter project called "Operation Teen Safe Drive" which is sponsored by IDOT, Ford Motor Company, and The Allstate Foundation.  MHS was selected as one of the schools participating to receive a $2000 dollar grant.  With this financial assistance, Interact has incorporated this peer to peer based program in the school and community as a way to increase awareness of safe driving and issues of traffic safety.  Illinois implemented this program in 2007 as an attempt to reduce teen fatalities due to automobile accidents.   Winners of this project could win up to $2500 dollars for post-prom activities.

Today at Rotary, three Interact Club members and leaders of this project visited and spoke about their efforts and activities.  A special thanks to Heather Hunter, Rachel White, and Meredith Crook for their leadership with this valuable and life saving project.  Thank you to all of the Rotarians who will be displaying "Safe Driving" decals and posters at their place of business. 

On January 11th Melissa Waller joined our Rotary family.  Melissa is an accomplished photographer and owner of her own studio, Melissa Waller Photography & Design.  She lives in Monticello with her husband Travis.  They have two children, Ethan age 7 and Caden age 6.

Melissa went to high school here in Monticello and then went on to the University of Illinois for a BFA in Graphic Design. 

Valentines Charity Ball

This Gala Event is being held at the Historical Allerton Mansion in Monticello, benefiting the "BackPack Program" feeding at risk children in our schools.

An Evening to Remember, will begin with an elegant dinner followed by a live auction, dessert and dancing to the Jim Markum Swing Band.  This 12 piece orchestra will feature songs from the Big Band Era to the modern sounds of pop, jump swing, and blues, guaranteed to get the audience "IN THE MOOD".

The Charity Ball will be held Saturday, February 11th starting at 6pm, with a cost of $50 per person.

Tickets are available at CF&H Insurance, State Farm Insurance or by contacting Patty Woodham at 762-3330.

Auction Items Include: Time Shares, Illini Tickets, Art Work, Jewelry, Gourmet Dinners and much more!!

Please join the Monticello Rotary for this great event.  Give back to our wonderful community and help feed the hungry.

Rotary Leadership Institute is coming up on Saturday, February 18th, at Richland Community College in Decatur, IL. We will be offering all three parts.
February 10th is the deadline for registration, mainly, so that we can get the packets prepared and notify the caterer of a head
count. If their are members that would like to attend last minute, we can accommodate that, as well. Please have the members go to
http://www.hoa-rli.com/rli-submission and fill out the registration form and submit.

Thank you!

Cathy Rector

My name is Tiffany DeSpain and I am a Savoy Rotarian. For the past
couple of years we have offered an all Rotary Day for Free to members of
our local Rotary Clubs. We have played volleyball, basketball, board
games, used the indoor walking track and more. I would like to extend
the invitation again for Sunday, February 19 from 1-4 pm. This is free
of charge. We just ask that you sign a waiver once entering the
facility. Family members are encouraged to come with!!   We will
have some friendly competitions for bragging rights. Help promote to
your club that living an active life is healthy and what better way than
with your fellow Rotarians!! 

Thank you for everything you do for Rotary. I hope for a great turnout.

Address:  402 W. Graham Dr., Savoy Illinois

Sue Lochbaum hosted the club last week to the game of Holiday Jeopardy.  The club was broken into two groups and the losers had to each give a dollar to the bucket.  The headings ranged from Christmas Music, Christmas Movies, Kwanza and Hannakah.  Sue made it known to the club members that it was her game and it was to be played by her rules.  Patty Woodham and Kelly Finet were the Captains of the respective teams.  Kelly's team got off to a great start and held the lead throughout the game.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

On December 28th we welcomed into our family of Rotary, David King.  David is the Executive Director of Piatt County Mental Health Center.  He and his wife Wendy live in Mahomet and have four children, Rachel 22, Ethan 20, Madison 14, and Delaney 7.

Dave went to high school at Lanphier in Springfield.  He went on to the University of Illinois where he earned a Masters degree in social work.

In his free time Dave enjoys woodworking, sports cars, supporting his church, and working with Celebrate Recovery. 

Today Jim Dalrymple introduced Brian Quick PhD. U of I CU.  Brian spoke on "A comparison of campaigns designed to increase organ donation"

Brian and his wife Cindy have lived in Monticello for 5 years and received his PhD from Texas A&M.  Brian discussed with us that the fact that 91% of people favor organ donation but only 50% have registered.  Why so few??

 In Jan 2006, IL was the first state where you can register as an organ donor and your family cannot block that decision.  One must be 18 years old to register, but one problem is that a 16 year old recieving their license doesn't have to renew until the age of 21.  So increasing 18yr old population registration  is a marketing challange.  Overcoming media misconceptions about organ donation is paramount .

Barriers:

Body Integrity - Body intact for burial

Distasteful topic

Superstition

Medical Mistrust - Afraid the doctors will pull the plug early

Increasing peoples organ donation knowledge does not seem to help this increase, the Barriers above are the biggest problem.

Brian stressed that we must communicate the process of donation, and overcome the barriers with facts.  Stress the HERO aspects of donation and ease the reegistration methods.

Dan graduated from high school in Greenfield, Illinois and then received his Bachelor's degree in Ag Science and Master's degree in Crop Science from the University of Illinois.

Dan's hobbies are aviation, hunting, and spending time with his family and his church.

On November 2nd Carol Stoddard returned to Rotary after an absence.  Carol is a former valued member who is now in a new job that allows her to rejoin us.  She works now for Kirby Medical Center as their Director of Development.

Carol and her husband Bruce live on South Charter St. in Monticello.  They have three daughters - Jessica age 26, Maggie age 22, and Allison age 21.

Carol graduated from high school in Chicago, then went to Northern Illinois University in DeKalb where she received a Bachelor's degree in Marketing.

In Carol's free time she takes care of a truly beautiful and extensive garden and also likes to hike. 

The first order of business today was to nominate officers for the upcoming Rotary year.  Officers will serve July 2012 through June 2013.  The board brought their nominations to the meeting and since no nominations were offered from the floor, the following slate of officers will be voted on:

President  Sue Lochbaum

President Elect  Patty Woodham

Secretary  Dianna Wilkin

Treasurer  Gay Adams

Sergeant of Arms  Cochran Keating

Past President  Dick Koch 

 The Rotary and Interact clubs participated in this year's Monticello Christmas parade.  It was a great day for a parade.  Rotarians donated the candy for the parade and not a single piece was left by the end of the parade route.  The community turn out was wonderful.  Thanks to everyone who participated.

Photos may be viewed on the MHS Rotary Interact Facebook page and the Rotary webpage photo album - (2011 Monticello Christmas Parade).

The Monticello High School Madrigal singers provided a delightful holiday performance at the annual Rotary-Chamber luncheon.  The group is made up of 20 students and are under the musical direction of Mrs. Tricia Shaw.  They start training at the beginning of the school year and provide numerous performances during the holiday.  They will be providing their annual dinner and music at the High school on December 9 and 10th.  Both of those shows are sold out, but Mrs. Shaw announced that there are still a few tickets available for the dessert and music show on December 8th.

Today Vic Zimmerman introduced Tracy Bodine, co-owner of Pies by Inge.  Tracy's topic and demonstration was on "How to make a Pie".

Tracy started by explaining that the most important and difficult part is the crust.  Don't stretch the crust because it will shrink.  Tracy made a Triple-Berry Pie.  There are many fillings but the main ingredients are flour and sugar.  Use cold water to make the crust or it will be tough.  Tracy put butter on her berry filling before putting on the top crust.  She bakes her pies for 90min at 350 degrees.  Make sure you put milk on the crust edge to get a good seal between the upper and bottom crusts when you squeeze the edges.  Excess crust can be saved for another pie.  The pie edge is then shaped.  Put more milk on the top to hold the sugar and pierce the top to allow the steam to escape.  45 minutes into the baking check to be sure that the holes on top have not sealed themselves shut.  Pies by Inge makes 25-30 pies/day.  Triple Berry & rhubarb its sell the most.  You can contact via their Facebook page or check them out on the web at:
  http://www.wix.com/tbodine/pies-by-inge#!thanksgiving-orders

Stan Seever is from Cisco, Illinois.  He has an interesting retirement hobby.  He collects unique items and shares them in a "What's It" format.  He attends conventions where he acquires items, learns about items, helps others identify items and seeks help on items that he isn't able to identify on his own.  His presentations are based on showing items to the attendees and asking them to identify these items.  For our meeting today he placed 5-6 items on each table.  After allowing us some "guess time", he filled us in on details including names, uses, age and occasionally the item's current value.  He is shown here holding an item, can you guess what it is?  (Answer found later in this article!)  

Many of his items are antiques but not all.  The oldest item that he has today is an 1840 Sugar Nipper.  His most current item is a 1980 Cowboy Boot Puller.  Some of the other items that he shared today included:  Bone Marrow Scoop, Stick In Tommy, Sewing Eagles/Birds, Rolling Skate Oil Can, Cherry Pitter, Sugar Nippers, Civil War Tooth Extractor/tooth Key, Ice Cream Disher for Ice Cream Sandwiches, Hoof Picks, Cast Iron Ice Shaver, Laryngoscope, Exerciser, Wooden Shucking Peg, Antler Shucking Peg, Finger Slitter for Shoe Leather, Button Hole Cutters, Cigar Box Cutter, Button Hook for Shoes, Archemedian Drill, Pineapple Eye Remover, 1893 Upholstery Tack Puller, Spinning Finger/Boy, WWII Shield (Used when polishing Brass Buttons), Pill Baller, Sweat Stick (Hickory) for Horses, and a Glove Finger Hole Fixer.

So... "What's It?" in the photo?  A school book carrier that wrapped all the books together for one hand carrying! 

 Eighty three children along with their parents and grandparents attended the Rotary annual Halloween costume party Saturday morning at the Lincoln School gym.  Many Rotarian and non-Rotarian businesses made the party possible by donating candy and toys for the treat bags and prizes.  First through fourth place winners in four different age categories took home a bag of various toys and coupons.  All 83 kids received more candy than they could possibly ever need in their treat bags.  Many thanks go out to those who helped that morning, as well as to every business that generously donated items.  Special thanks go to Jean Reeves and Heather Lawhead for helping me with advanced preparation during my ill-timed surgery recovery.  Watch for photos of the winners in the Journal-Repuplican to see how cute and creative these kids are.

Beth Manuel 

Harlan provides leadership to the multi-county Unit in the areas of fiscal and personnel administration, facilities management, volunteer recruitment and management, marketing, educational program planning and development and networking with other community agencies and resources.

Harlan is excited to be working the post once run by his Mom.  He is activiely working to get 4-H re-started in the community and getting the word out that the extension service is still here and serving the residents fo Macon, Dewitt and Piatt counties.

Harlan is a member and president-elect of Epsilon Sigma Phi, an organization of Illinois Extension professionals.  Doug is a 28-year US Army veteran. He has served overseas in Iraq, Kuwait and Afghanistan.

 The Interact club is joining efforts with Rotary to develop a "Career Pathways" program at the high school.  Mr. Roger Morgenstern spoke with the club today at their meeting about the concept of the program.  He has previously met with the Interact officers and advisors to discuss this idea.  This program will offer the students an opportunity to meet with representatives from various careers to learn more specifics about the vocation.  The students will gain greater insight into career paths which may facilitate their decision making regarding college and career plans. 

The Interact officers will be attending the Rotary meeting on October 12th to discuss New Generations and Interact.   

Emily Bakken introduced Peg Bargon from the Piatt County Museum today.  Peg described to us the many changes that the Museum has gone through in the last year.  The decision to stop the UofI Beef barn was probably the most major.  The beef barn was sold this spring and the Museum has decided to go with Metal buildings for a 1/10 of the cost of the Beef barn.  The first building was completed last fall and the concrete for the next building is being laid now.  Another major event for the Museum was the Heritage Advocate Award (Honorable Mention).  One of six organizations received this distinction, Piatt County Museum was selected based on an outstanding project that educated the public about the risks faced in the museum artifacts and collections and the importance of appropriate care to protect these treasures.  

Leonard asked what was the difference between an artifact and an item.  Peg described an artifact as something important to the history of Piatt County (i.e. a sign from the local Dairy) and an item as something that could be significant but not for our museum such as Civil war memorabilia from a neighboring county.

 Dale Latz asked if other counties had museums, Peg said some do, but like the one in Tuscola they are having a hard time staying open.  Peg believes that the proximity of the Railway Museum and Ely Field will bring visitors from all over.

 Peg also said that the Museum will be available for rental as another income stream in the future.  

Date:    Saturday, October 29th

Time:    Registration starts at 9:30 a.m.; costume judging begins at 10:00 a.m.

Place:   Lincoln School Gym

Ages:    Zero thru age 12years

Prizes:   First through fourth places in 4 different age categories; treat bags for all participants

Committee:  Beth Manuel, Donation collections and organization; Heather Lawhead, Publicity; Jean Reeves, Day-of-the-event

Rotarian volunteers will be recruited closer to the event date.  Last year 80 children attended and a fun time is had by all. 

Maureen Holtz moved to the Monticello area in 1991.  When she retired from a career in computers in 2004 she embarked on a writing career.   She  co-authored "Robert Allerton:  The Private Man and the Public Gifts"   with Martha Burgin.  Published in September 2009 by the Champaign News-Gazette, this book  outlines the life of Robert Allerton.  Included are examples of his generous donations to the Art Institute of Chicago, Allerton Park, and the public library in Monticello, Illinois, to name a few.  Her second book "Allerton's Paradises"  is a compilation of text by Maureen and photography by her husband Michael Holtz.  This book showcases not only his Monticello, Illinois home but also his home in Kauai, Hawaii.  It was published by the Champaign News-Gazette just this year (January 2011).  Over 100 photos explore the gardens that Mr. Allerton designed and the sculptures that he collected. Also found in this book are samples of letters that he wrote to Ellen Emmett, a woman that he may have had feelings for.  Although she married someone else in 1911, he shared a lifelong friendship with her.  Maureen shared glimpses into the history behind several sculptures.  She shared that the Sunsinger, which was completed in 1919 and then brought to Illinois in 1938, was so much bigger than Mr. Allerton expected that he had to purchase additional land for it.  Although most of the original sculptures remain at Allerton Park, several statues have been moved and are on display at Krannert Center in Urbana, Illinois.  Additional books, memorabilia, etc are available for viewing at the Red House (historical museum) in Monticello.

Crystal Alexander introduced Sara Wade, the asst Director of Nutrition and Diet at Kirby Hospital.  Sara holds a M.S. from Eastern Illinois University and is a registered nutrisionist.  Sara asked us if we knew if have high cholesterol, also known as hypercholesterolemia? Abnormal cholesterol levels such as high LDL cholesterol or low HDL cholesterol are a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. An unhealthy diet can cause high cholesterol. Sometimes high cholesterol runs in families. A low-cholesterol diet can help improve cholesterol levels. If the low-cholesterol diet does not work to lower bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, your doctor may prescribe medications.

Quick Facts about Cholesterol that Sara provided today.

• High cholesterol is also referred to as hypercholesterolemia (hyper=high + cholesterol + emia = in the blood) or hyperlipidemia
• Cholesterol is a fatty substance that is an important part of the outer lining of cells in the body of animals.
• Cholesterol is also found in the blood circulation of humans.
• Cholesterol in the blood originates from dietary intake and liver production.
• Dietary cholesterol comes primarily from animal sources including meat, poultry, fish, and dairy products.
• Organ meats such as liver, are especially high in cholesterol content.
• LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol is called "bad" cholesterol, because elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease.
• HDL (high density lipoprotein) cholesterol is called the "good cholesterol" because HDL cholesterol particles prevent atherosclerosis by extracting cholesterol from artery walls and disposing of them through liver metabolism.
• High levels of LDL cholesterol and low levels of HDL cholesterol are risk factors for atherosclerosis.
• Research has shown that lowering LDL cholesterol reduces the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral artery disease.
• Factors that affect blood cholesterol levels include diet, body weight, exercise, age and gender, diabetes, heredity, and other causes including underlying medical conditions.
• Guidelines recommend that cholesterol screening occur every 5 years after age 20. Should elevated cholesterol levels be found, testing may need to occur more frequently.
• Health care practitioners and the National Institute of Health recommend that a person's cholesterol level stay below 200.
• Cholesterol levels 200-239 are considered borderline high.
• Cholesterol levels 240 or greater are considered high.
• Drugs available to treat high cholesterol include statins, bile acid resins, and fibric acid derivatives.
• Drugs to lower blood cholesterol levels are most effective when combined with a low cholesterol diet.

Last year’s trip to Millikin University’s Holiday Vespers was abig success!!

We are soliciting your input as to repeating this event as aholiday get-together.

 Millikin University’sHoliday Vespers program takes place at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center on theMillikin campus in Decatur

Jim Pownall can get 50 tickets for the event and will also providetransportation to Decatur and return.  

When:  December 4, 2011   3:00 p.m.

Please indicate your preferred level

            • First Floor • Balcony

                                (There are no elevators to the balcony area)

Cost: 

Concert and Bus Transportation -- $13.00 per person or $25.00 percouple  

Dinner at Tuscany’s Restaurant   (optional and on your own) after the concert

Name:__________________________        Phone:_________

# of Tickets ____________

Make check payable to Monticello Rotary or request to be billed.

                            PLEASE RESPOND BY  October 5, 2011   

                              Return to Kelly Skinner  --Questions:  217-762-8425

                     (LIMITED SEATS – FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE)     

My fellow Rotarians. 

I've tried to make it clear that from time to time I'd like to use Clubrunner as a weekly communication tool to update you about what's going on with your club.  I'm going to do that this week.

If you look in Clubrunner under View Club Documents you'll see that the latest Monthly Financials and Board of Directors Meeting Notes are available for all to read.  Thanks to Scott Wilkin for continually improving Clubrunner.

I'd also like to reemphasize what Secretary Patty Woodham mentioned last week in a note to all the club.  Our attendance has dropped slightly, so we want to alert everyone regarding how missed meetings can be made up:  You can visit other clubs;  you can attend Board or Committee meetings;  you can do "e-makeups" on line.  Please make sure to notify Patty if you have any make ups.

We will be losing one of our  Board members at the end of August.  Cindy Nelson will be relocating to Naples, Florida. We want to take this opportunity to thank Cindy for her service to the Club.  In order to have as many potential candidates put forward as a replacement Director, the entire Board will serve as a nominating committee at a Special Board Meeting on August 17th prior to our regular weekly meeting.

Lastly, we're taking our initial  step to begin the Rotary Weekend Backpack Program on August 16th when we get a pallet of food delivered from the Eastern Illinois Foodbank in Urbana.  We have several volunteers who will help us unload the food at the Steppe Inn.  We'll make our first delivery to our three grade schools on Thursday, September 1st. I hope you're all as enthusiastic as I am about helping young children at risk of hunger get nutritious meals.

Yours in Rotary Service.  Dick

Ron Nolte presented tombstone rubbings for last weeks meeting.  Ron started with a Mother and Son that perished in the Johnstown Flood, and then described how Andrew Carnegie was a large beneficiary to that flood making his Steel Company the largest in the world.

A history of James Doolittle was next.  General Doolittle held a PhD from MIT and was most famous for his raid on Toyko.

In keeping to the WW2 them Ron then presented the rubbing of George Sullivan.  He was one of 5 brothers serving on a us ship in which the japanese sank.  All Brothers died, and it was this story that was the basis of the movie Saving Private Ryan.

The Payne Stewart maker was presented - Payne died of apoxia on a learjet not long after winning the US open.

Daniel White -  Famous for using the Twinkie defense for killing the Mayor of San Francisco and Harvey Milk.  Mr. White only received 5yrs in prison.

Leo Ryan - died in 1978 while investigating Jim Jones .

Jerry Balisk- Died in 1978 his Tombstone reads "Damn the State Dept" after his Mother tried and gain his body from the State Dept after the Jonestown mass suicide.  Funny thing is Jerry did not die in the mass suicide, he died in prison years later.

Other Rubbings shown include:

Joe Russell - Hemmingways fishing guide

Edwina Lariz - whose tombstone read 'Devoted fan of Julio Ingelesias"

Guy Bradley - first game warden in Key West whose death sparked the audubon society

Kay Boyles 4th husband - Baron Von Frankenstein

Fast Eddie O'hare -tipped the IRS to Al Capone's tax evasion

Dorothy An Whitaker - whose tombstone reads - Who Knows , Died Who cares

John McKee - Cause of Death Reagonomics

And Ron finished off with Mary Solencie -who on her tombstone Damned the town of Whaling Port, Ron reported that the town of Whaling Port is doing just fine. 

 Cindy Nelson introduced Stephanie Beever, Vice President of Development and Diagnostic Services from Carle; and Steve Tenhouse, CEO of Kirby Hospital, to discuss the Kirby and Carle collaboration.

Steve told the group he's been here 10 years and worked with Stephanie from the beginning, starting with the Sleep Lab project. He said Kirby and Carle are working together in both business and healthcare partnerships. In light of the health care debate, Kirby and Carle are trying to make health care as uncomplicated as possible, providing both compassionate and quality care.
He said Kirby's mission is provide health care to the residents of Piatt County regardless of their ability to pay. As health care has changed, Kirby has changed, he said.  Kirby and Carle are collaborating allowing more convenience in care and diagnostics than would be possible for Kirby alone.  The partnership will also allow Kirby to provide a level of care more quickly and efficiently than without the partnership.

Stephanie Beever told the group she moved to Bement in 1987 and that as she talks about Carle, she and her family have all gone to Kirby for care. She said in 2010 Carle Clinic Associate was pulled under the umbrella of their not for profit hospital.  So physician care is now in line with the not for profit goals of the organization.  Carle has looked for ways to partner with communities in 40 counties, from just south of Kankakee to the tip of Illinois and into the Decatur area. Growing up in a small town, people should be able to get the same outcome in health care and someone who lives in Urbana. She said she and Steve have tried to figure out how to compensate for the distance factors, such as in stroke care, and know that because Carle and Kirby have established this relationship, a person can get lab work and imaging done and the information sent to Carle by the internet so a doctor can look at it immediately, then send the helicopter or get the necessary medication to the patient.

This concept isn't just for strokes, she said, but situations such as heart attacks or for chronic health issues.  Beever said Carle has had a very defined mission and that Dr. Leonard, who is a primary care physician, in addition to being CEO of Carle Foundation Hospital, wants people to be able to be at home for as much of their care as possible. It's Beever's job to figure out how to make that happen, she said.  She also said health care reform is "a phenomenally interesting thing" and that care providers are going to have tofind ways to reduce costs. Hospitals such as Carle and Kirby can get together and see how they can save money and do their best for their patients.

Beth Manuel shared a documentary video about the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood of 1889.  On a trip last September Beth and Jess visited the Memorial Museum that commemorates this historic and dramatic event in history. 

This is a story of the moment on May 31, 1889 when at 3:10 in the afternoon a private dam burst, unleashing 20 million tons of water (with waves towering up to seventy feet high)  that came roaring down the valley to Johnstown.   Within a matter of minutes the heart of this thriving city was swept away.  Drowned or perished in fires caused by the flooding, 2209 men, women, and children were dead.  Thousands were left homeless and without shelter or food.

This film is more than a story of destruction.  It is also a story of nineteenth century America and how some of the most famous industrialists and civic leaders of the time - members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club like Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick - were blamed for the tragedy.

Beth encouraged all Rotarians to locate and read a book or two about the flood as these will paint an even more vivid picture of what the people of Johnstown lived through and of how there remains still today the question.  Was this a natural disaster or a man-made one?

The following three new members are the last inducted during the 2010/2011 Rotary year.  Again, we welcome them into our Rotary family.  Monticello Rotary was fortunate to be able to add 12 new members during the year.  Sadly we lost 11 members for various reasons giving us a net gain of only one.  Please remember that it is the responsiblity of every Rotarian to bring Rotary to the attention of good potential new members.  August is Membership Month and your Membership Committee would be grateful to have names to add to our working list.  Please call Beth (762-9739) or email me at jessbeth@mchsi.ocm  with any prospects that the Club should consider for membership.  Thank you to everyone for making an effort to help new members to feel welcome in our Club.

Dale Lattz is the new Community President for First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust in Monticello.  He has been with First Mid in Weldon for the past two years.  Dale lives near White Heath with his wife Kathy, a teacher in the Monticello school system.  They have three children, Daniel age 33, Nathan age 31, and Jessica age 29.  Dale graduated from high school in Peotone, IL and went on to earn a Bachelor's degree in Ag Industries at SIU Carbondale.  Then at the University of Nebraska Lincoln he earned a Masters in Ag Economics.  In his free time Dale enjoys gardening and is a sports fan.

Crystal Alexander is Ambulance Director for Kirby Hospital and a paramedic.  She lives in Monticello with her husband, Todd, and her children, Ty age 13 and Ethan age 7.  Crystal graduated from high school here in Monticello and enjoys boating and other outdoor activities.

Barbra Webber is our newest Rotary member.  Barb is a partner with Beckett & Webber law firm with an office at 114 W. Washington Street.  She practices Family Law.  Barb lives in Monticello with her husband Gary, a former member of our club, and their two children, Kyle age 18 and Claire age 8.  She graduated from high school in Petersburg, IL and went on to Illinois Wesleyan University for a BA in Economics.  Her law degree is from the University of Illinois.  In Barb's free time she enjoys baking, reading, knitting, and gardening.   

Thanks to Don Mosher for organizing the golf outing this year.  Three teams played in the scramble and although it was hot, everyone had a great time.   the winners were as follows:

First place: Don Mosher, Gay Adams, Carol Hawkins and Greg Crawford

Second place: John Hendrix, Tim King, Kelly Finet and Jean Reeves

Third place:  Joe Mouser, Craig Myers, Sue Lochbaum and Amy Malone   

As Rotarians we pride ourselves on integrating SERVICE ABOVE SELF into our daily lives.  Because we sometimes take this approach for granted, we often overlook opportunities to recognize and thank our colleagues when they step up and demonstrate SERVICE ABOVE SELF.  I'd therefore like to recognize several Club members who've already been involved in two projects in just the past few weeks.

We had four Rotarians: (Dean Beazly, Dick Koch, Craig Myers and Larry Stoner) help at the Freedom Fest on July 3rd by collecting money at two gates to help defray the cost of the fireworks.

We also have 14 Rotarians volunteering to deliver Peace Meals the weeks of July 11 and July 18.  (Crystal Alexander, Emily Bakken, Karla Bradley, Jeff Clodfelter, Shelly Crawford-Stock, Dick Koch, Sue Lochbaum, Amu Malone, Bill Mitze, Bill Mundt, Craig Myers, Jim Pownall, Bruce Wintersteen and Patty Woodham).

I recognize that we joined Rotary to do good for others, but I wanted to make sure that these participants are recognized and that that they receive on behalf of our Club a heart felt.  THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Dick 

Our highlighted new members for this week are Emily Bakken and Jay Lamb.

Emily Bakken joined our club last March.  She is the new manager of Piatt County Farm Bureau.  Emily graduated from high school in Lincoln, Illinois and went on to the University of Illinois to receive a Bachelor's degree in Ag Leadership Education.  She lives in Monticello and enjoys gardening, sports, and spending time with her family.

Last April we welcomed Jay Lamb, a physician's assistant for Kirby Medical Group.  Jay lives near Monticello with his wife, Tracey, and their children Riley age 8 and Sawyer age 5.  Jay graduated from high school in Decatur and went on to get a BA in Health Administration at U of I Springfield,  Then at Southern in Carbondale he received a BS PA before going to the University of Nebraska Medical Center for a Masters in PA Studies.  In Jay's free time he enjoys hiking, fishing, motorsports, gardening, and spending time with his kids.

Last week we honored individuals who have made or in whose name contributions have been made to the Rotary Foundation.   We are honoring seven recipients as  Paul Harris Fellows.

This award was established in 1957 to express appreciation for a contribution of $1000 to the humanitarian and educational programs of the Rotary Foundation and named for Paul Harris, who had founded Rotary in 1905.  The programs of TRF include an array of projects that save and invigorate the lives of people around the world and enhance international friendship and understanding.

To share some insights into these programs and projects, and help you better understand the significance of the contributions and the recognitions you have received or will be receiving, we have with us today PDG and ARRFC Harry Henderson.  In his role as ARRFC he deals with the three Rotary district in the southern part of Illinois as well as one MO district.  He is a retired dentist from Sparta, IL; he served as DG of District 6510 (southern most district of Illinois) in 2007-08, and was a Rotary volunteer to India in 2009 doing dental work and visiting areas where his Rotary club had been involved in water and sanitation projects.

“…The Rotary Foundation has the capacity to change the lives of every single person on this planet.  It is our duty, our responsibility and our privilege as Rotarians to face this challenge.”      Luis Vicente Giay, RI President 1996-97

This week's highlighted new members are Larry Stoner and Gay Adams.

   Larry Stoner has a long history in Monticello and is well known for his years as Band Director at Monticello High School.  He is now retired and is spending his time reading and traveling.   Larry went to High School in Joliet, IL and then graduated from Eastern Illinois University with a Bachelor's in Education and a Master's in Education Administration.  Larry is married to Laurie.

     Gay Adams is the owner of Adams Chiropractic Clinic in Monticello.  She and her husband, Paul, have two daughters, Ashley age 19 and Amelia age 18.  She also has three step-sons ages 28 - 32.  Gay graduated from Monticello High School and later received a BA in music therapy from WIU and a Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College in Davenport, Iowa.  During her free time she enjoys volunteering, music, and international travel. 

This week's highlighted new members are Lori Freemon and Pam Ashcraft.

    Lori Freemon works for the Macon-Piatt Special Education District as a psychologist.  Lori's office is in Decatur, but she lives in Monticello.  She has three children: Kayla age 18, Leah age 16, and Noah age 13 and is an Interact parent.  Lori earned her Bachelor's Degree from Millikin and Masters from Eastern.  In her spare time Lori enjoys drawing, outdoor activities, and yoga.

   Pam Ashcraft is the owner of Cabbage Rose Floral Market.  In the years that she has been in town she has owned and operated a Tea Shoppe, has worked as a Real Estate agent, has designed and decorated for home owners and businesses, and has worked in floral design.  Pam went to High School in Potomac, IL and then went to Blackhawk College,  Later she became a licensed cosmetologist and licensed real estate agent.  She is married to Don and they have two daughters, Heidi and Hannah.  In her down time she enjoys cooking, fiber arts, travel, and gardening.

1. For our June 29^th club meeting to assist in the presentation of Paul Harris Fellows and share insights into the Rotary Foundation, we are privileged to have with us PDG and ARRFC Harry Henderson from the Rotary Club of Sparta, IL.  Harry is a recently retired dentist, who has also served as a Rotary Volunteer doing dental work in India.

2. We are honored in District 6490 to have recently formed an Alumni Association – 1 of only 12 in the U.S.  PDG Liz Skinner and D6490 Alumni Chair Jim Ayers from our club were instrumental in getting the association started and Jonathan Cox, GSE team member to Brazil sponsored by our club, is the new Association president.  We invite club members to join us for this special evening— June 29, 2011 --(see invitation below)

THE ROTARY DISTRICT 6490 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION is now official   

and to celebrate we invite you to join us on June 29, 2011, at 5:30 p.m.

 in downtown Champaign at the Blind Pig, 120 N Walnut, (Neal and Walnut)

for an informal social hour and presentation of the charter.

Martha Morris of the Piatt  County Toy and Gift program spoke to Rotary on June 15. She was raised in Monticello and is a retired teacher.  The Piatt County Toy and Gift Program started in 1984 with Loreta and Gene Gillespie, who decided to collect toys and give them away to needy families. The collected used toys that Gene refurbished. Loreta contacted the churches and got the names of families who needed help.  The first year Morris helped she was hooked, she said.

The program now has a board of 12 people representing churches in the county. The group used to use space the Eisner building and the Pepsin building to fix toys and store them. Morris said the only time one of those locations was robbed, the left  the toys and only took coats, hats and gloves. The program had expanded to provide clothing as well as the toys. They also collected stuffed animals, housewares, books and bedding.

By the early 1990s the organization was soliciting funds from local organizations, churches, businesses and friends to buy some new toys. They now only give new toys, with one reason being they don't have space and don't want to use funds to rent space to store and fix used items.

Families qualify for the toy and gift program if they are eligible for free or reduced lunches in the schools and/or are clients of a Piatt County Social Service Agency. The parents are asked to fill out a list of what a child might want and the board members take that form and buy for the family. The board members keep the items at their homes in bags with the family's name on it and hold onto them until distribution at the end of November.

The family comes to distribution and they are given the toys requested along with Christmas wrap and bows. The program also gives something additional each year. This past year it was towels, another year it was games. The Rotary gives a bag of apples for each family and the program sometimes includes a gift certificate to County Market.

There is no set budget, Morris said, because they never know how many families will apply each year for help.

"We always pray we have enough money for families and every year, we do," she said. Last year the Piatt County Toy and Gift program served 166 families and a total of 370 children. They have had as many as 190 families and 456 children.

At this, the beginning of a new Rotary year, I would like to take the opportunity to review the names of our newest club members.  Toward that goal, I will be sharing the biography of one or two new members each week.  In this way I hope that all club members will get to know them better.

Carl Vestal (joined July 21, 2010):  Carl is our new Postmaster in Monticello.  He was previously with the Postal Service in Urbana before assuming his current responsibilities.  Carl, his wife Terry, and their son Devon are residents of Villa Grove.  Carl is a graduate of Catlin High School and Coastal Carolina Community College.  Carl indicated that learning his new job consumes much of his time, but in his free time he enjoys model railroading and computer games.

Nancy Koeneman (joined Sept. 15, 2010):  Nancy is our new editor at the Piatt County Journal-Republican.  At the time of her joining she had worked at the paper for only one month.  Nancy has lived in Monticello for over ten years.  She went to High School in Wells, Minnesota, then received a B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communications from Drake University.  Nancy is married to Scott and they have a 16 year old son, Quinn.  Her hobby is motorcycling. 

Beth A. Manuel, Membership Chairman 

Greetings Rotarians:    I would like to spend this one last message thanking all who have impacted my year as president. The first people I would like to thank is the 2010-11 Board who served this past year, Thank you for your time and efforts and guidance. Sue Lochbaum, Patty Woodham and Dick Koch  thank you for your leadership throughout this year. I want to thank Kelly Skinner for heading up international and community service and some of your key ideas for fundraising with Interact club.  A BIG thank you to Amy Malone and Patrick Hayes and Diana Wilkin for their efforts to make Monticello interact the BEST of The BEST in District 6490. Scott Wilkin for his expert advice and all enhancements to clubrunner, including donating a laptop computer for reporting purposes.  The last person I would like to thank is the person who brought me into the Monticello rotary club Rick Rhodes. As I leave this volunteer role, I wish Dick the best. I am sure he feels the same way I did when I started, excited, happy, and ready to take on the year.  I wish him the best of luck as he ventures into his new role.  

"Scott" 

Fellow Rotarians,   In honor of Fathers day I found a few facts about this great day

The first observance of Father's Day is believed to have been held on June 19, 1910 as a result of the efforts of Sonora Dodd, of Spokane, Washington, who was inspired by her father, William Smart, a widower and Civil War veteran, who had single-handedly raised all six of his children.

Soon, the idea of Father's Day caught on throughout the rest of the country to became an unofficial US holiday, However, it would be decades before President Lyndon Johnson issued a proclamation in 1966 designating the third Sunday in June to be Father's Day, and it only became a national holiday when President Nixon signed the official proclamation in 1972.

Today, Father's Day is celebrated in various ways and on different days around the world. The German tradition for honoring fathers, for example, is on Ascension Day in May (with lots of wine and beer!) and in some Roman Catholic countries St. Joseph's Day on March 19 is the customary day to honor all fathers. In Russia, fathers are customarily honored on "Defender of the Fatherland Day" on February 23.

However, worldwide - from the US, Canada, and Europe to countries as far-flung as China and Zimbabwe. - the third Sunday in June remains the most traditional day to celebrate Father's Day. In 2011, Father's Day is celebrated on Sunday, June 19.   I want to wish each of you Dads a happy fathers day.  Enjoy your day you earned it.  

Have a great week   

Scott 

Neighbor House is the name given to Piatt County's first women's domestic violence shelter.  It is located in Monticello, Illinois near the downtown.  It is a faith based facility and serves as a respite and resource for women who need help when domestic violence affects their lives.  An informational video is available to any group that would like to learn more about Neighbor House and/or about domestic violence.  The video shared many of the staticstics of domestic violence.  1 out of every 4 women will be a victim of domestic violence in their lifetime.  40-60% of children who live in abusive homes will grow up to be abusive themselves.   The video helped outline who is affected by domestic violence, and challenged the perception of the typical victim.  Domestic violence knows no race, no income level, no age limit.  It can involve emotional abuse, physical abuse, verbal abuse or any combination.  The video then went on to talk about what to do if you are a victim of domestic violence.  The most important thing to remember is to Break the Silence.  "Our lives end the day we become silent about things that we should speak up about".  Often a victim feels isolated, ashamed, has low self-esteem and feels that there is no one to talk to.  They stay in an abusive situation because they think they can change their spouse or the situation.  Or they simply feel that they must honor their vows, "To death do us part," despite the consequences that staying would create.  Years ago, Domestic Violence was a hush hush subject.  Especially if it involved a reputable family.  Now, it is time to break the silence.  If Neighbor House were open today, there would already be 2 Piatt County families living there.  Eight local women have already trained as advocates.  12 more are needed.  The advocates/volunteers will be present at the house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  There are many other ways to help.  Monetary donations are always appreciated as there are no state or federal funds or grants available to the house.  The Willow Tree resale shop has provided the majority of the funds at this point.  (The cost for a family to stay at the house for one night is $100.00.)   If you financially contribute to the House, you will receive a note specifying how and when your contribution was used.  Currently the board is proposing a fund drive by asking all the local churches to consider making a monthly financial contribution to help pay off the house's mortgage.  Connie Hendrix has orchestrated the interior design with many donated household items.  Office supplies were donated.  Groups have already come forward and have volunteered to provide toiletries or to help stock the kitchen with food.  The local police have been trained in domestic violence situations and will be a big asset to the program.  Questions about safety and the fact that the location of the house is not secret, were put at ease by input from other facilities reporting that there are no problems.   There are many other ways to help and if you have any ideas, feel free to contact Suzanne or any of the current board members.

 Rotarian Cochran Keating provided a reading of Henry Wadsworth Logfellow's "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere" for the club today, along with Rotarian Rick Rhodes providing the sound effects.  This patriotic endeavor was chosen in honor of Memorial Day.

Cochran started his career as a morning radio personality in Florida.  After selling his two radio stations, he began The Keating Agency which was a full service advertising agency.  He recorded his first professional voiceover in 1975.  Since then he has recorded hundreds of commercials and corporate videos.  Some of his clients were Volvo, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Abbott Labs, TransAmerica Insurance, Ritani Jewelry, Bank of America, and the Winn Dixie Grocery Store Chain.   His current projects include film narrations for T.C. Touchstone Films, Ken Joy Productions, and an audio book for Karl Henrik-Robert.  He has locally aired commercials for First State Bank, Kirby Hospital, Curtis Orchard, and The Monticello Chamber of Commerce.  

Rick started making wierd noises early in life and continues to make them everyday. 

Our District, as many others in the USA, has never celebrated BIG GREEN BOX WEEK in the USA as has been the custom in most major cities in Great Britain for the past several years. Perhaps it is because Tom Henderson, the founder of the ShelterBox Trust in England, likes to have great fun while   raising  lots of money for SHELTERBOX at the same time.  Several areas of the USA, including my friends in Barrington, IL, are raising funds, making ShelterBox friends and benefactors, and are planning fun events during every day of BIG GREEN BOX WEEK this year!
 
My motivation for emailing this information to you is very simple, I want District 6490 to be able to join in the fun AND, of course, raise awareness and money to replenish the supply of ShelterBoxes around the globe which were depleted when thousands of Shelterboxes were sent to Haiti, Japan, New Zealand, India, Chile, Congo, etc, during the past twelve months. 
 
This past Rotary year we have answered the call for "HELP" in many languages, and, ShelterBox International has responded to these calls, at a RECORD pace of one major disaster, every two weeks.  We need to restock our main warehouse in Cornwall, England, and the fourteen other warehouses located around the equator that can store 250 SBoxes each for faster deployment around the globe. We pay DHL International $1 rent each year for this tremendous location assistance. Also, for the first time in our ten year history, we have "green boxes" stored on US soil in southern Texas. SRT Tim Osburn, my good friend and fellow SBUSA Board Member, has joined with SRT Mike Freeman from Georgia, to assess the damages around Joplin, Missouri and other tornado ravaged cities, towns and villages following the northeast path of destruction through the HEARTLAND of America.
 

Shelterbox:  Big Green Box Week

Fun Fun Fundraising

Now for the Fun part!  Many of you know that I have two demonstration ShelterBoxes with tents.  Although I have slept in the new WHITE tent that was first introduced in Haiti and now sets a very high standard for tents in the disaster relief world, to my knowledge, only two members of the Champaign West RC have actually slept in one of my demonstration tents!  We plan to repeat the great Club bonding effect and fantastic fundraising experience that the Champaign West Rotarians generated in February, 2010 when the temperature was very, very cold!  Hopefully this year’s BIG GREEN BOX WEEK event won’t be very, very, wet!
 
THE PROJECT:  Teams of Rotarians will raise funds for Shelterbox from a tent erected in a high traffic area in Bloomington-Normal and Champaign-Urbana for thirty continuous hours starting on Thursday, June 16th at 7:00 am and ending at 1:00 pm on Friday, June 17th.  We will be raising awareness for ShelterboxUSA and also experiencing a chance to meet and connect with Rotarians from other Clubs in our District.
 
PLANNING:  Planning for your Club’s event and Fundraising for ShelterBox USA can begin as soon as any District 6490 Rotary Club wants to begin.  The main event will begin officially at 7:00 am on Thursday, June 16th (about three weeks from today) and continue until 1:00 pm on Friday, June 17th for a total of thirty continuous hours on your chosen site.  Choose your BIG GREEN BOX WEEK site very carefully.  It must be on a safe and visible location and big enough to erect the SB tent in a very busy intersection in the Bloomington/Normal (BN) area and in the Champaign/Urbana (CU) area.  All the Rotary Clubs located in each of the two areas (outlying areas as well) will join the area team closest to them and become a part of the BN team or the CU team.  All other District Clubs have the right to join either the BN team or the CU team, or create their own fundraising scheme for ShelterBox USA.  Remember that the two sets of tents and SB equipment will be actively utilized for only about 30 hours during this special week.

INVOLVEMENT:   A group of four Rotarians from four different Clubs within each team’s area will work for a minimum of one and no more than three hours each at the Shelterbox site, including the overnight campout!   Rotary Clubs near the outer boundaries of our District are encouraged to load up a vehicle of 4 to 6 members so that they can participate in the on-site activities.

GENERAL PROCEDURES:

• Each Team must create a Planning and Implementation Committee to organize their event.
• Choose a site: This must be done carefully so that the SB tent is set up in a safe and visible location and is large enough to accommodate the fully erected tent.
• Organize advance publicity  (Encourage other fundraising efforts in the community)
• Pick up the Shelterbox and  tent the day before the event, Wednesday, June 15, 2011 at:

                  Olsen + Associates Architects

                  3121 Village Office Place

                  Champaign, Illinois 61822

                  Call first to make arrangements: 217-359-3453

                 Ask for Gary Olsen, ShelterBox USA National Representative

• Erect the ShelterBox  tent. Eight people can erect the tent in less than 30 minutes. The tent must  be put up by 7:00 am on June 16^th and taken down at 1:00 pm on June 17^th.
• Teams of Rotarians will occupy the tent site, including the overnight team, for thirty hours.   They will ask for and accept donations from people passing by the site.
• Funds will be collected until 4pm on June 21, 2011 at:

Olsen + Associates at the address above.

Checks should be made out to: ShelterBox USA and must include the donor’s name and address.  If they are Rotarians they should also indicate  their Club name and District 6490.

• Winners of the competition will be announced at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, June 22^nd.

GOAL:  We hope to raise from $15,000-30,000 at each site!  Have fun and good   luck to all!   Please contact me if you are interested in this project.   Thanks,  Scott

Past and present Interact officers attended the Rotary meeting today.  The outgoing officers officiated over the meeting and provided a presentation of their exceptional  2010-2011 Interact school year.  Mrs. Amy Malone was inducted as an Honorary Rotarian.  This membership is provided as part of her Interact Faculty Advisor service role.  She has offered to continue this role for the upcoming 2011-2012 school year.  

Greetings rotarians,  This past weekend my daughter and I had the honor to go and put American flags on the graves of former servicemen and servicewomen who served our great nation.   Over this long Memorial day weekend please take time to remember why you are observing the day off.  We owe a debt of gratitude for all of the past soldiers who have paved the way for us to enjoy the freedoms of a day off that we all will enjoy. Also, please come out and support our special guests Monticello interact club, they will run our meeting.

Have a safe memorial day weekend.

Scott 

Dear Partners in Service,

The second President of United States of America, John Adams once said, “There are only two kinds of people in the World who really count – those who make commitments and those who keep them!” A Rotarians life is one that really counts. It is a life of commitments made and commitments kept for bigger, better and bolder clubs.  That  are required for building communities & bridging continents.  As my year as president winds down I continue to be amazed by all of the involvement of Monticello Rotarians and the commitment each of you have kept to make this year very successful. My hope is that each of you will continue to support Dick in his year the same way you have supported me in mine.      Have a great week

 Scott

The Interact Club purchased and planted a maple tree at the High School today as part of their "Environmental Friendly" week.  The tree was planted on the east side of the football field.  The club also assisted with the planting of another tree located in the front of the high school in memory of a classmate who passed away.  The club has been busy this week with collecting recycling materials and practicing earth friendly activities such as lights out day and ride your bike to school day.   

Great job Interact!  The tree is a beautiful contribution to the High School and will be enjoyed for years to come. 

The current Interact officers officiated over their last meeting of the school year.   The incoming officers were given their pins along with the duties of each office.  They were elected back in February and have been attending the board meetings.   This has provided a valuable transition time for both past and present officers.  This meeting was a celebration of the club's incredible year. The past officers were each given an Interact Distinguished Service Citation Certificate and Patrick was given a plaque for his service as President.

Although this was the last meeting for the past officers, the club projects continue through the month of May including the upcoming Kirby Derby and Relay For Life events.  The club continues to focus on their ongoing projects such as tutoring and recycling.  The new officers will hold their first meeting with the club on May 26th to discuss club participation with upcoming summer events and the start of the new school year.  They have planned an end-of-year party at the park for the club.

A Rotary message of "thanks" was extended to the officers and the club for their leadership, commitment, and dedication. 

Today’s speaker was Amanda Becker with the American Heart Association.  This year, the American Heart Association is promoting a campaign entitled “Leading a Healthy Movement”.  She states that thanks to past strategic goals, the United States has seen a 25% reduction in heart related deaths!   As we look ahead, she stresses that continued attention needs to be given to increasing physical activity and decreasing obesity, and new attention needs to be given to women and minorities. 

The Interact Recycling Committee has chosen this week to be an "Environment Friendly Week" at the High School.  They are planning to have recycling boxes for batteries, lightbulbs, glass bottles, etc. in the cafeteria all week long for people to discard these items.  On Tuesday they are encouraging students to "bike to school" day and on Wednesday they will encourage a "lights off day" at the High School.  They will be planting a tree on the High School grounds towards the end of the week.  

Hats off to the Interact Recycling team for arranging all of these environment friendly activities!!  

 The Monticello Interact club hosted their first Youth Summit meeting on May 7th at the High School.  Other Interact clubs in the district were invited to attend along with school Advisors and Interact Rotary members.  This gathering was a positive step toward focusing on the New Generations avenue of service and the best practices of the Interact clubs.  The Interact members spent time discussing topics such as utilizing technology advances to promote and communicate Interact activities; moving Interact forward to make positive impacts at the international and community levels; teaming with other Interact clubs to complete service projects; and building stronger working relationships with our Rotary clubs and Advisors.  

Rotary extends a "big Thanks" to the Interact participants for representing the Monticello Interact and Rotary Clubs with professionalism and a true passion for all that they accomplish.

Greetings Rotarians,   I would like to  take the opportunity to step back and recognize the wonderful teachers in our community. The week of May 2nd -May 6th is Teacher appreciation week. Please take time to thank a teacher for the impact they make in our children's lives.   

Have a great week

Scott 

Greetings Rotarians,  We are blessed to have a 80 member club in our town of Monticello.  Now the question is how do we continue to maintain membership and attract younger members all at once. If we are going to make Rotary relevant for future generations we must be prepared to embrace a few concepts and ideas for recruitment and retention.

First,  We must continue to support our Interact club at Monticello High school, they are our future.  By continueing to  provide them the tools to be successful, our community as a whole benefits and Rotary benefits with the introduction of rotary service to future rotarians through this avenue of support. 

Some things I have seen other Rotary clubs initiate that seem interesting are: 

1) The Y-me generation is always looking for ways to impact by volunteering - Other Rotary clubs have initiated "Volunteer Opportunities" and have invited folks outside the club to attend.

2) Create a happy hour/networking event at different locations in our town. 

3) We must continue to think of ways to upgrade socially Club runner has been enhanced this year for potential members to read,  Technology through text messaging, Face book, twitter and linkedin. 

We must reach younger professionals.  they face a lot of pressure to be involved in multiple endeavors and to balance work and personal life. As a result, they may be "on call" with their careers, but they are no less dedicated to service.  If we are flexible in the way we reach out the possibilities can be endless.

This coming Saturday was one of those baby steps we took as a club to make the future of Rotary and the fifth avenue of service come to life.   

Have a great week

Scott 

Greetings Rotarians,  I continue to be amazed by all of the activity that surrounds our club.  This past weekend the interact club was busy putting on an Easter egg hunt for the youth of Monticello and a garage sale to help raise money for the American Cancer Society.  As a club we still continue to sell Green Mountain Coffee and collect Box tops, Our annual Food drive has been very successful and is ongoing through the end of this week. Starting May 7th we will host the first annual youth summit  at the Monticello HS cafeteria for the youth of district 6490 from 9am-11am. Additionally, In the next couple of weeks we will help with the flags at the cemetery to honor all who have served our great nation.  Indeed it is a great time to not only to serve but a great time to be a Rotarian.   

Have a great week   

"Scott"   

The Interact Relay for Life "Team Awesome" had a busy day today hosting two events, the Easter egg hunt and a garage sale.  The dual event was well planned as moms and dads shopped after the Easter egg hunt concluded.  Both events took place at the High School.  They accepted donations from the community for the last two days and had a great variety of items to sale.  Any items left over were donated to Willow Tree Mission in Monticello and a local church.  This Interact team made $1075 dollars from the combined events along with a bake sale during the garage sale.  All proceeds will be donated to The American Cancer Society following the Relay for Life event on May 21st at Cerro Gordo.  This team has additional upcoming fundraising events planned towards this cause.

 Great Job to the most "Awesome" team ever! 

Approximately 90 children enjoyed an early Easter egg hunt at the High School thanks to the Interact Relay for Life team.  Children of various ages had their Easter baskets and bags ready to collect lots of candy, eggs, and prizes.  The Interact team made sure everyone had a great time and left with smiles on their faces.  All proceeds from today's Easter egg hunt will be donated to the American Cancer Society following the Relay for Life event on May 21st in Cerro Gordo.  

Please look at the Interact photo section on the Monticello Rotary web page to view more fun photos from today's events.  

Greetings Rotarians,  What an amazing weekend for the Monticello Rotary club.  Our club brought home a few awards at  District conference on Saturday.  We received the top interact club, a new generations award and Star Club. Additionally there was talk of the work accomplished on the club-runner site by Scott Wilkin.  I would like to encourage everyone to bring food items as it will be the next to last week of our food drive.  

Have a great week

Scott

Greetings Rotarians, This week is National volunteer week so in the spirit of serving others, I took the opportunity over lunch one day to deliver Peace Meals to the elderly. It was a great experience for me to learn about this vital program in our community. I would encourage each of you to volunteer to help with this program as you can.  I want to thank Mary Koch for running this program and Dick for making sure volunteers are in place. Thank you to these special volunteers and all who have impacted the program. Programs just like this one and others continue to count on volunteers to carry out their mission daily. If you or someone you know would like to volunteer  please ask Dick for more details on future opportunities.  Have a great week

Scott 

Greetings Rotarians,   I want to start off and thank all Rotary members who came out to participate in the 1st annual Interact carnival for the kids.   I would like to congratulate Amy Malone, Diana Wilkin, Patrick Hayes and all of the interact club on a job well done. Last but not least Thank you to Tip Reedy and Vic Zimmerman for your support of Interact throughout the school year. Please Do not forget this week we will be starting the food drive for the local food bank so please be prepared to fill up those boxes.  

Have a great week  

Scott