Tickets are now on sale!

F.I.S.H. Food Pantry, Carpentersville & Rotary Club Of Carpentersville Morning will hold a drive-up Thanksgiving food distribution - frozen turkey, sweet potatoes, and sides - on Saturday, November 20th from 9:30 until 11:00 am in the back of the Meadowdale Mall.

NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED

All Are Welcome (Please clear out your trunk!)

 

Blind Flight Beer Tasting Event

July 17, 2021, 1 pm in Carpenter Park, Carpentersville (View the 2022 Event)

Blind Flight Tickets

New members

Welcome, to our newest members—Donna Errera-Ott and Heather Zabski! It's a joy to have both of you at our meetings and work alongside us as we find ways to serve our community.

Looking for sponsors

Breweries

Sponsorships

Tickets

Purchase tickets here >

Learn more >

 

Super Bowl Squares Raises $4,600

SOLD OUT!

Save the date! 

Challenge yourself on the historic Meadowdale International Raceway. 

Race proceeds raise money to support those in need within our community. We partner with the Operation Warm, F.I.S.H Food Pantry and Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township, as well as “Aqua Es Vida” Water project in Mexico.

Run with your dog!

Race a 5K or walk a 3K with your doggo! You will runwith other dog runners in a separate start. (Friendly, leashed dogs that are picked up after )

Visit the Raceway Woods 5K Website >

How many times have you wished you could have been more educated before making a big decision like buying a house? Knowing what it takes to be a homeowner, the financial commit and management needed, the responsibilities you have to your house and your community?! Anyone new to the entire experience can become overwhelmed very quickly.

Who knew there were services and organizations out there like Neighborhood Housing Services of the Fox Valley whose main goal is to educate the average person, guide them in the right direction and lead them into successful home ownership! Just like anything else you don't really know what's there until you start looking for it.

Recently Mary Lu Seidel from the NHS Fox Valley came and spoke to our club about the programs they offer to help lessen the burden and manage the responsibilities of homeownership. Individuals are welcome to try and utilize the programs and financial opportunities they have to offer to put yourself in a better position to maintain and retain possession of your home dwelling! Visit their site for more information opportunities: http://www.nhschicago.org/

We did it again! It is hard to believe that we have successfully completed our 5th Annual Pub Crawl Event and it was a BIG SUCCESS! Of course we could not have done it without the help from everyone involved!...

It was a little unfortunate her presentation was limited to a half an hour time slot because we probably could have sat and listened to Sandy Sullivan's stories of her life working with the Green Bay Packers all day! Each of our members were very well entertained by her ability to share her life experiences in a way where we felt we were there first hand. Very personable, funny, witty and one of better presentation all of us could have enjoyed... Even though she is a true Packer fan!!

The great thing about wanting to hear more about her life experiences is that most of it is available in the book she wrote titled "Green Bay Lover Stories and Other Affairs" which if is as entertaining as her presentation we know it must be a good book to read! Thank you Sandy for sharing your stories and allowing us to relive your first hand experiences! Get your own copy of her book here: Green Bay Love Stories & Other Affairs

We did it! We successfully completed our 2nd Annual RaceWay 5K Fun Run & Walk! Way to go team!

Our annual visit with the District Governor has came and passed and we are better Rotarians for it! Any time we get a visit from the District Governor it is always an educational and motivational visit. As we are analyzed by our current club status and critiqued on our typical Rotary behaviors. All of which helps us become a better local Rotary group and better represent the entire Rotary Organization.

Light Up Rotary! Showcase our inner beauty and strengths! Be proud of the things we accomplish. Know that the our monetary contributions helps so many people throughout the world and not just in our home town! We are Rotary! Service Above Self! Proud and true to everything that we do!

Thank You Governor Ellen for enlightening us and motivating us to succeed in the 2014-15 Rotary Year!

Another Year another successful School Supplies Drive! Each of our members reached into their own pockets and helped purchase new school supplies to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township. Club President Elect Amalia Woolf, who is also the Vice President of Program Services for the Boys and girls Club of Dundee Township, was on hand to receive the donations to distribute later to children who are most in need that will be enrolling in their programing for the upcoming 2014-15 school year. Well over 200 items will make their way to these children and provide them with the basic essentials they need to succeed! Thanks Again to all members who donated and lets do it again next year!

We want to wish all students locally and world wide a successful and safe new school year and may they stay in good health and prosper as our future generation!

Having the opportunity to suddenly make a decision to stop your normal day to day activities and decide to take a trip around the globe usually does not present itself, but it did for Annette Jahnel! Hailing from South Africa she made the decision to give up her good life as an artist and photographer to take a journey around the globe on a quest to communicate with middle aged men from various parts of the world and discover their general views in life. What she discovers is that typical men, regardless of where they are from, generally want the same thing!

Through various quotes she had written on her traveling vehicle by all the men she came into contact with during her 1 year trip around the world she discovered that a lot of men are like "Beauty Queens" and strive for world peace, feeding the hungry and respect for one another! Annette has a great presentation that she is willto share with anybody is willing to listen. To learn more about her, how to schedule her as a speaker, her book "My Year of Beds" and her current book in progress "Searching for Galileo" click on the picture to visit her site!

Week 2: I was back home and back to my normal schedule but the work was still progressing. This week we had to hire local laborers to do the work as the volunteer students all went back to school and could no longer help on the jobsite. At first we did not think we would have the workers we needed but word got out and workers showed up more than willing to work. Wayne and Ulises both stayed on site that week to ensure the progress with the construction. 

This week the Super Adobe Vault style house was finally starting to take shape as the roofs were formed, the floor was formed, electrical put in place and walls were stuccoed and painted. By the end of the week the windows and doors were on sit to be put in place and additional bags were on hand to finish forming the exterior houses.

The hired workers did their best to get the house to a point where Alvaro (father of the family receiving the house) could finish the rest to his liking to officially make the house theirs. Upon Wayne's return home after that week of work we met for lunch to discuss the project in detail. He brought a gift the children of the school had made for me which I humbly accepted. One last gift he was able to provide was the discussion we had about the appreciation shown by Alvaro and his family shown on Wayne's final day down there. Wayne described him as almost coming to tears for being so appreciative of the work we had done and new housing we had provided for his family even though we are stranger from another country!

Getting to know the family and people in general was a very humbling experience that one can only expect to experience by seeing it first hand! The thought never came across my mind that I would ever be part of a project like this but I am very grateful for the experience. Our plan is to continue the work and continue building similar houses for the families in this community year after year. In addition to that our goal over the next year is to provide a water well for this community because it is desperately needed and in their words "Agua Es Vida"... Water Is Life! With water they can do anything!

Check out all the build pictures in the Jose Santos photo album!

It is sad to say our inaugural KickBall Konfederation Co-Ed Kickball League is officially over! After 8 weeks of the fun regular season we battled it out during championship week and we are proud to announce our inaugural champions the Dill Kicklz! Facing the CVillains for the final match they battled it out through 11 innings of intense play and came out victorious with 1 out remaining in the bottom of the inning!

It was a great time had by all and adding the the nights excitement was the free nachos and last official game night after party at Dylan's Pub in West Dundee. Congratulations again and thanks for all the support! We will definitely do it again next year and possibly in the fall as there was some interest generated ant the finale of the summer season! Check out all the great pics in the 2014 KickBall Konfederation League photo album.

After years of being an Honorary Member Melissa Hernandez was glad to become official and enlist as a full time Active Member. She has been a great member as Honorary and we would not expect anything less as an Active member. I was more than happy to present her with her official New Member Packet as part of one of my 1st official duties as president.

A great night with great people and great food as we installed our incoming officers for the 2014-15 Rotary Year. Thank you to Immediate Past President Jeff Provisor for his great year of service and leading the way for the next man up! Check out all the great pictures of the nights activities in our 2014-15 Installation dinner photo album.

It was a very interesting weekend selling Ice Cream with the rainy weather and the heat but it was a fun time none the less. Thank you to all the members and volunteers who came out and made the most of the weekend and thank you to the Odd Fellows organization for giving us the opportunity to fundraise for our club.

Ice Cream is still available while supplies last at Main Street Bikes in Carpentersville. All proceeds benefit the operation and charities of the rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning. Check out all the pictures in the 2014 Rock the Fox Photo album!

We recently had 2 surprise guests attend our meeting who came to the club with information about a Little Free Library they have established. For those of you who don't know what a little free library is visit the link here. Currently they have a dire need for Spanish children's books as these seem to be the books that are checked out but rarely returned. As adults we all know how important reading is and there are plenty of statistics that back it up. During summer time children are more concerned with relaxing versus worrying about continue to learn. In some cases they just lack the resources to acquire educational material to continue learning while there on a break from the school year. Little Free Libraries like theirs provides a resource  to learn and is only possible through the volunteers like them and donations from supporting organizations.

Like mentioned above Spanish Children's books are in dire need and any donation will be much appreciated. Feel Free to pass along the information and anybody that can help can contact Robin Ross via her email: robinr226@gmail.com

After 5 years of bouncing around we finally feel like we have a home! Thanks to the Carpentersville Staf & Management for making us feel so welcomed! Here you see club president Jeff Provisor presenting a meeting plaque to Denny's Manage Rich!

Our club is growing again and we could not be any more happier! Welcome to our newest member Mario Castillo Branch Manager of the BMO Harris Bank on Rte. 25 in Carpentersville. Your presence has been uplifting already and we look forward to what your membership will bring.

Congratulations to the 3 lucky young ladies Vanessa, Carla & Haley who are the recipients of this years Carpentersville Rotary Jim Krenz Memorial scholarship. Getting the chance to meet these beautiful young ladies, it is very clear to see that they have what it takes to make a difference in this world and if they stay on track with what they plan to accomplish success is definitely in their future. Special thanks to Krenz family for thier contributions and last minute gift increase the scholarship amounts for the well deserving young ladies!

With all the could weather this winter and spring we could have not of asked for a better day to host our 2nd annual End of School Year Kickoff to Summer Celebration which we held  on Saturday May 10, 2014. It ended up being one of the better days in the season and we definitely took advantage of it with all the activities we had going on at the event.

The music was great and very entertaining provided by the Carpentersville Middle School Jazz band! There were children activities provided by the Tom Thumb Community Child Care Center and the local Boys and Girls Club. The Dundee Township Park District was on hand to promote summer programs and the local book mobile from the Fox Valley Library also got the opportunity to promote their summer programs. The local Police and Fire Department were also on hand to showcase their vehicles and hand out goodies to the children. We had our free ice pops which every one took advantage of. The biggest hit of the night was the dunk tank which the children lined up to be a part of and dunk their fellow students. 

All in all it was another great night and definitely something we will plan on doing next year. So until then.. check out all the great pics from out Kickoff to Summer Celebration photo album. 

Recently we had a visitor to our club and before you know it he decided to become an official member on Wednesday April 23, 2014. So we want to officiall welcome Albert Morgan Bergquist as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning. Welcome Morgan! We are very happy youu made the decision to be part of our club and the Rotary Organization as a whole.

Another year... another Cinco de Mayo Mustache Bash fundraising event. With any event there is always a lot to learn but we are very grateful for everyone who came out and showed their support. We also wold like to extend our gratitude to the Carpentersville Moose Lodge for working with us to help put on the event by allowing us to utilize their facilities and volunteers. Thank you to all those who made a donation to out door prize raffle, which was a definite highlight of the night. The $500 cash draw was also a big high light in addition to the pinto bean races, mustache pinata, and delicious walking tacos. No to mention the awesome margaritas and mustache cake that was also served that night. 

Everyone who attended had a great time and enjoyed the company of one another which we are also very grateful for. Our goal is to make this successful annual event and it would not all be possible with the support and help from others. Check out the full line up of 2014 Cinco De Mayo Mustache Bash pictures in our photo albums.

We had another successful year distributing over 35 full Easter Dinners baskets to local families in need just in time for the Easter Holiday. With the club support and donations from all our friends and sponsors families were able to have the opportunity to provide a complete delicious Easter meal for their families. Thanks to Griselda Hernandez and Patty Birones who are social workers for the Carpentersville Police department who helped select all of the families and allowed us to utilize the village hall meeting room as our distribution place. Thank You to the ladies of our club for taking the time out to shop for and assemble each of the baskets that cash donations were made for. Without all the support and effort none of this would be possible so we do our best to make sure the work they or anyone els puts in is much appreciated. We will once again plan to do it again next year and look forward to our next opportunity.

We are always welcoming new and prospective members!

Part 2: In addition to the great education opportunities at Elgin Community College there is also great opportunity for financial support to help soften the burden students face trying afford some of these classes. Katherine Sayer, who is the Executive Director of Institutional Advancement and Foundation for Elgin Community College, recently spoke to our club and was able to describe the ways there are able to help students financially and also help organizations who have scholarships available disperse and manage the scholarship process through their foundation.

The ECC Foundation has been in existence for over 50 years and has always strived to provide any financial assistance they can to students and provide an outlet for organizations who are looking for an effective way to distribute scholarships that are available. Through there various contacts with these outside organizations students have the ability to apply for all of them through 1 application process. Any student knows that applying for financial assistance can be very tedious and time consuming so to have 1 application process for a chance a t a variety of options is ideal!

To learn more about Elgin Community College visit their website: http://elgin.edu/homepage.aspx

It didn't feel like spring but we cleaned the roads none the less. Thanks to all members and volunteers who came out early on that cold morning to help with the efforts. Check out all the rest of the pictures in our photo albums.

Well over a year ago we were introduced to the Lori Hewitt and the CASA Organization and learned about what they do for children in the Kane County court system who are negatively affected bad family/living situations that are monitored by the court. After learning about the amount of children they help in the Carpentersville community, which is about 11% of the total children they help in Kane County, we knew that supporting their organization would directly effect the children in our community. Our goal from the beginning is helping the youth which is why we continue to supports efforts such as this to give these children every opportunity we can so they become successful and effectively contribute to society.

Here you see club President Jeff Provisor presenting Lori with a check for $500 for her CASA organization for their ongoing work with the troubled youth in the Kane County court system. to learn more about CASA and ways to help vistit their site via this link: http://www.casakanecounty.org/

Attending the Presidential Elect training this past weekend I had a slight idea what I was in for but did not expect what I was going to take from the overall experience. In short there were great speakers to listen to, the break out groups came in a close second, the food and service was excellent, the fellowship and networking was even better. All of which were very educational, informative, creative, and motivational to encourage me to to the best job I can to represent my club and our Organization the best way possible in our community and in the world!

 

Almost a year has passed since we first met Wayne and Fred from the Build A Dream Organization and ever since our initial interaction our club has been trying to figure out a way to work together to help assist with the work they are doing in the rural town of El Vaquero, Mexico.  Now we are happy to say that a plan is in motion and we are on our way to what will hopefully become a sustainable project for years to come.

 

 

Check out this great article written by Carpentersville community columinist Erin Sauder from the Courier News: http://couriernews.suntimes.com/lifestyles/25721305-423/carpentersville-man-returning-to-roots-to-build-a-dream.html

 

(Here you see President Elect James Olvera present Fred Neuschel from the Build a Dream Organization with a check of $3,000 for the cost of the construction of 1 dome house for a family in need in the rural town of El Vaquero, Mexico)

Thanks to a collaboration with all club members and all of our friends and followers we are happy to have successfully completed our 3rd annual Toiletries Drive for the Carpentersville FISH Food Pantry. Through our established donation drop off sites and the new ones we just acquired this year we were able to collect and donate well over 300 items throughout the entire month which was distributed almost just as soon as it came in to local families in need.   

Thanks to great coverage from local Courier News Reporter Erin Sauder, who wrote this fantastic article, we had a fantastic out pour of support and received a surge of donations soon after it's release! Thank You Erin!

The staff at the FISH Food pantry is very grateful for everything we and our supporters are able to accomplish the last 3 years. Donations can continue to be made at any point throughout the year when the Pantry is open for business on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for those of you with any interest. We express our most sincere gratitude for those who contributed and will once again plan on doing it again next year! THANK YOU and See You Then!!

This Years RYLA applications have been submitted and are currently under review. We are very happy to have the chance to send another District 300 student to participate in the District Rotary Youth Leadership Award program and will have more to report back once and candidate has been selected and is able to attend  the 3 day program. 

 

In honor of our founding member Jim Krenz we are glad to announce our 2nd annual Carpentersville Rotary Jim Krenz Scholarship which has increased to the amount of $2,500 thanks to donations from the Krenz family. Due to the increased amount we are offering 2 - $1,000 scholarships and 1 - $500 scholarship. The scholarships are available exclusively to young men and women in District 300 who are preparing to go to college or possibly pursue a vocational course. Applications have been submitted and are currently under review! Applicants will be notified for an interview and a decisions will be made in the up coming months.   

For those who don't know Jim Krenz is the founding member of the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning and deserves every bit of praise we have earned from what our group has done and continues to do in the Carpentersville & International Rotary Communities. Without his initial drive a determination to get a group like this together we would not be in existence. Going through our fifth year as a club we are happy to continue to have this ability to provide a scholarship and honor the life of our founding member. 

With multiple tours as a Marine protecting our beautiful country and his time spent on Capitol Hill Larry Kaifesh has returned home determined to utilize his acquired knowledge to attempt to make a major positive difference in the current state of the Illinois government. Born and raised in the Carpentersville community he is currently trying to secure representation for his home district to get to a point where his ideas are herd and natural leadership is showcased to those who can help him make a difference.

As a club we were very well impressed with Larry when he was our guest speaker on February 19th and wish nothing but the best for him and the challenges he faces trying to make a difference in the government which we all know is difficult. To learn more about Larry and his campaign you can visit their site at: http://www.kaifesh4congress.org/ 

In December local author and historian Philip Aleo visited our club an presented his book The Midwest Motorsport Legend - Meadowdale Raceways which depicted the entire history of the historical Meadowdale Raceway in Carpentersville. In the presentation he described the people behind the project, the process of it being built, the originals races that took place there, some of the tragedy and triumphs of the track and the current state of the track and it landmarks. Throughout his presentation it was hard not feel like you wished you had been around to witness a racing track of this magnitude with the star studded drivers who once roamed the tracks. For years that track was widely used for various forms of motor racing from stock cars to even snowmobiles in the winter time and then slowly became underutilized as years went along. Currently the are is used for walkers, runners and bike riders and of course our annual RaceWay 5K event which was the 1st actual race there since the track was officially closed. 

Philip also has other books depicting the history of Carpentersville and Dundee area which with all the great pictures these books contain, it is very easy to go through and see how this are started and where it is today. For more information on Philip you can visit his site: http://www.aleopublications.com/index.html   

Back in November and even just recently Suzanne Ness, professional Life Coach and founder of the Living Forward Foundation, presented to our club her foundation and discussed a Life Coaching program she runs for individuals ranging from teenagers to adults. The program runs 10 weeks long and covers topics ranging from decision making to eliminating self doubt which can be very beneficial to those who need that extra boost to allow to progress in life as a whole. Suzanne has currently completed a successful 10 week program through the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township Teen center which was very well received by all the teens who were involved. The potential a program like this has to help those who lack the confidence to progress in life is phenomenal and us as a Rotary club hope to implement her program for other other groups of students in the community. More info to come!

RI President-elect Gary C.K. Huang chose Light Up Rotary as his theme for 2014-15. Huang was inspired by the teachings of Chinese philosopher Confucious who said: "It is better to light a single candle, than to sit and curse the darkness."

"There are so many problems in the world, so many people who need help. Many people say, 'There's nothing I can do.' So they sit there doing nothing. Meanwhile everything stays dark," Huang told the 537 district governors and their spouses and partners who are attending the 2014 International Assembly in San Diego, California.

Water Projects Have Ripple Effect
Here's a good video (in both English and Spanish) about water projects and their effects -- freeing time for education and long-term operation because of community involvement.  To see the video in English click here, and for Spanish, here. More…

Idea -- Example of Timely, interesting use of District Grant grant money, good local service, and good groundwork for PR.
Arlington Heights Sunset Rotary has service project with the Wheeling Township Food Pantry -- A Grant Project Refrigerator.  A member of the club said, "we will be taking the official photos of the refrigerator our club purchased as part of the Rotary District 6440 grant on 1/8 at the Wheeling Township Food Pantry.. More…

New Dates for April Rotary Youth Leadership (RYLA) Session
The April RYLA session at Camp Edwards now will take place April 17-20, later in the month than announced originally.  Website information and brochures have been updated to reflect this change.  More…

We accomplished a lot before the month of December was over and here are a few pics of what we did which included a club holiday after hours, gift wrapping at the mall, volunteering at the Shop with A Cop Event and of course plenty of fellowship! More pics to follow!

 

Happy Holidays from the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning! Check out more pics from our festive Holiday party in the 2013 Holiday party photo album. 

Our 1st annual FREE Christmas Move was a huge success! With a visit from Santa, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and a bunch of mischievous elves all the children who attended had a great time and awesome holiday experience. Thanks to the support from the staff at the Tom Thumb Child Care Community center who provided the great holiday crafts and games before the movie started which mad the event that much more festive. Children lined up to take pictures with Santa and Rudolph and occasionally the "held elf" snuck herself into some of the pictures.

Check out all the great pics like this one in out Holiday Movie Photo Album!

 

This year’s Operation Warm event was a full day of running around to distribute the coats. We started out the day bright and early distributing over 100 coats to the great Social Worker staff at the District 300 Administration building. A number of these coats will go to a select group of students who are currently in need and the rest will be held on retainer for them to use as they see fit. Knowing that this staff works with these children each and every day we see they are very well aware of identifying those students in actual need and we are confident they will distribute the coats to the right children.

We continued the day later on that afternoon carrying on our tradition of distributing coats to the children in need in the Local Boys & Girls clubs in 4 of the community schools. This is always a fun and chaotic time trying to wrangle up the children to give them their new coats. Soon after they receive it there is a lot of excitement in the air and many kids running around the gymnasium who quickly learn how warm these coats really are!! Their initial reaction and overwhelming gratitude is what makes it all worth wile! There are a lot of happy kids who are better prepared to take on the elements through the winter season!

We are very grateful for this opportunity and having the ability to continue this program for our 5^th year in a row. Without all the support we receive at our various fundraisers throughout the year we would be very limited on what we could actually accomplish. Thankfully for us this is not the case and the support for our organization continues to grow and grow each year! Check out of this year pictures in the 2013 Operation warm Photo Album!

Check out this great article from the Carpentersville Community Courier News Reporter Erin Sauder: http://couriernews.suntimes.com/news/23885348-418/carpentersville-rotary-has-local-kids-covered-with-warm-coats.html.

Thanks to all of those who have donated and continue to donate to the rebuilding of the Illinois communities recently hit by the destructive Tornadoes. We have learned though our District 6440 leadership that the biggest donations needed at this point is money and that District 6460 has currently put the following plan in place:

In conjunction with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, FEMA and other voluntary agency partners, representatives of District 6460 are working tirelessly to assist victims of the recent tornadoes in Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. Financial contributions are the most important effort we can make at the moment to support the work of our fellow Rotarians.  We have two choices:  the Rotary District 6460 Foundation that is supporting efforts wherever needed within that district, or the Washington Rotary Club Foundation whose resources will be used 100% within Washington.  Specific directions about information needed on the checks and the address to which each must be sent are shown on the home page of our district website link.

Up-to-date official information for all the state tornado sites may be found at http://www.ready.illinois.gov

 

As we are all pretty well aware of the recent natural disaster that took place in the Philippines and us as Rotarians are willing to lend a hand when the opportunity presents itself. Our Rotary District in conjunction with the Shelter Box Organization has committed to partially fund at least 15 Shelter Boxes to send to the region and has asked us as individual clubs to sponsor the remaining amount. After a brief club discussion and a unanimous vote we were very happy to be able to sponsor the remaining $800 Shelter Box cost of $1000 ea. ($200 sponsored by the District) to send out in relief for all those currently in need in the Philippines.

Shelter boxes are just that, a box that is filled with the basic essentials a small family would need to provide a little security if they were in a position where they lost everything. As you can see in the picture below each Shelter Box contains mostly everything you need to shelter a small family, keep warm, provide warm meals and provide other basic materials to assist in times of desperation. To learn more about the Shelter Box Organization feel free to visit their site in the link provided.

Did you know that 1 unit of Blood donated can save up to 3 lives? That is pretty astounding and somewhat encouraging for someone who may be on the fringe about possibly donating blood.

Roxie Kaminski who is a representative from the local Hertland Blood Centers spoke to our club on Wednesday November 6th and discussed all the great benefits and lives that are saved from people who donate blood.She also promoted a local drive that took place that same week in addition to some upcoming drives in other local surrounding communities. We also found out that with a few months coordination we or any other organization that is interested could host their own drive to help contribute to the constant need of fresh blood.

Anyone who knows anybody in the surrounding local hospitals that had to receive blood for any reason there is probably a good chance that it came from one of the local Heartland Blood Centers. Through their local drives and donation centers they have been able to develop into one of the biggest suppliers of fresh blood for a majority of the various hospitals surrounding the Carpentersville community. 

To learn more about the Heartland Blood Centers Organization or ways to donate visit there site here:

http://www.heartlandbc.org/cntr_crystal.html

Club President-Elect James Olvera and Club Secretary Nina Pearson at the 2013 District Fall Seminar on Saturday November 2, 2013!

Being able to work one on one with local troubled youth and doing whatever one can to help them succeed in life is an everyday occurrence for District 300 Social worker Patricia Briones, her boss Don Wesemann and Carpentersville Police Social worker Griselda Hernandez. In no way is it an easy job but these individual are willing to do it and in more ways they are able to reap the rewards when they see the end result of all their hard work.

Most of their work goes unseen out of respect to the children and families they help. No one wants to be looked down upon because of their inability to properly care for themselves or their families and these local social workers work tirelessly to get the resources they need to help out in any way they can. From simple things like providing snacks in between meals and a chance to was dirty clothes to coordinating transportation to and from school or making sure they have a place to sleep and everything in between. Through state grants and help from local organizations they are able to do what they can to maximize the support they receive to help as many youths and individuals who may be in need. 

As a club we were all pretty astonished by the information that they discussed with us on Wednesday October 30th and it didn't take much to realize that we want to be a part of this and contribute in any way we can now and through the future. With this being said plans are in the works to help out and we will have more information later on the progress of our ideas to be had! Stay Tuned!

What an exciting morning! Before we knew it the parking lot was full and 2 theaters were occupied full of all the children in their costumes and their families who came out to see our Free Halloween Movie Hotel Transylvania! Well over 450 people came to our 2nd Annual Free Halloween Movie, 3x as much as we expected, and boy was it a fun time.

By joining forces with the local Tom Thumb Child Care Community Center and the great staff at Cinema 12 we were able to provide a very entertaining morning for everyone that came out. From face painting to coloring activities.. mystery box game to being wrapped like mummies there was a lot going on and everyone seemed to be having a great time. No to mention all the free treats that were being handed out!

Thanks to donations from our club members, the staff at the Tom Thumb Community Center and the local Fire Department we were able to provide treat bags to a select number of kids and coloring books w/stickers for everyone else after the movie got out. With attendance near 500 people we will definitely need to work on having something for everyone! We also want to extend our gratitude to the great staff and managers at Cinema 12 for hosting the event and giving us the opportunity to provide a free movie for the community.

We are not done though!!! Saturday December 21st, we will be hosting our 1st annual FREE Christmas Movie featuring the movie ELF! We will also have photo opportunities with Santa with his "Elf" Helpers!! Plus some more exciting Christmas activities for all children and their families!! 

Check out all the pictures in our FREE Halloween Movie Photo Album!

For the 1st time in who knows how long the weather was perfect for the Carpentersville Community Oktoberfest and CycleCross Race. Granted it was a little chilly but that just made our coffee and hot chocolate that much better!

Bright and early at 6am, before the sunrise, we were brewing coffee, heating up water, and assembling our brand new Rotary booth preparing for the day ahead! After some great team work we were up and running and ready to serve anyone who was willing to partake in what we had to offer. Soon after the Sasquatch hunt was on as one by one hunters came and gave it their best shot but could just not hit the elusive target.

Before we knew it the park was packed and things were happening everywhere you looked. The sun even made an appearance every once in a while providing some heat on this chilly Autumn day. Thank You to all club members who made it out to help, especially those who were up extra early on a Sunday morning!!

Check out all the Pictures in our Photo Albums!

During our first meeting in October we were lucky enough to have the 66th District State Representative Mike Tryon speak to our club about the current state of the Illinois Government. Through his first hand experience Mike was able give us a great picture of the latest happening at the state government level and described some of the concerns us as resident should consider or possibly be worried about.

As a former Rotarian from a local near by club and a obvious deep passion for the good of our local communities it was easy to see Mike was out to make a positive difference through his work in state government. As we all know Government work is not easy and trying to solve problems where everyone is satisfied and taken care of equally in today's society is almost impossible. But, it is always good to know that there are individuals out there like Mike who educate themselves about these problems, consider who all is affected by the decision making, and wholeheartedly tries to generate the best solution possible to positively impact everyone who is involved. 

Once again we were very happy and privileged to have Mike as our guest and wish him nothing but the best in all his future endeavors. To lean more about the 66th State Rep Mike Tryon you can visit his site here.

Any child growing up who has participated in an organized team sport know the benefits, comradery, and life skills developed from their participation and more often than not they are better off from what the have learned. Any child with special needs of any sort may not always have the opportunity to participate in organized team sports because of their disabilities which contributes to one more obstacle that holds them back from properly developing as other normal children. do. Thanks to people like Donna Patterson (seen in the picture to the left) and organizations like her Tri Cities Little League Challenger Program, special needs children are given that opportunity and ability to develop skills like normal children do.

The Tri Cities Little League was established in 1953 but when the need was realized it wasn't until 2009 when the Challenger Program was put into place. Since it's inception it has given a large number of local special needs children the opportunity to participate and acquire that life skills that are developed when playing an organized team sport. The program is completely run by volunteers which include "buddies" for the individual players who are constantly assisting these children on and off the field. Through generous sponsorship from many great local companies they are able to provide the Challenger program FREE to those who with interest. This year's team was lucky enough to be selected to participate in the Little League World Series in Pennsylvanian. For more information about the Tri Cities Little League Challenger Program visit their site here.

We had another successful year at our annual Rotary Rock N Pop Pub Crawl in beautiful Downtown Dundee Illinois! We the help of everyone involved that helped make it happen and all those who came out and supported us we were able to raise over $3,000 four our various charities which we are very grateful for. Many thanks go out to all club members for their contributions, all donating companies and individuals, each of the bars for hosting, and all the individuals who cam out and supported our event. Check out all the great photos in our photo albums!

We are very excited and thrilled to welcome our newest member Mr. John Skillman who is the Deputy Fire Chief of Carpentersville to our Club on Wednesday August 28, 2013. John has been a "hang around" or "prospect" for some time and we finally made him official and welcomed him in to our club. We are very grateful for what you have done for the club already and will continue to do as our newest member.

In today's society raising children and  properly preparing them to attend school on their own can sometimes get over looked or even avoided all together. Many factors play into this lack of preparation and the majority of the time the reasoning for this relates back to the type of environment a child is raised in. Ranging from young or in experienced parents, parents lack of education, generations of families living the same way year after year, lack of consistent income, broken homes, children being abandoned or any other factor that can deter a young child from having the basic skills he or she needs to succeed in the education system. Fortunate enough there is help available which sometimes is not always evident!

The Tom Thumb Community Center in Carpentersville realized the need of our community and does whatever they can to help parents in need with quality day care and education for their young children at low to now cost for those who qualify. One of the programs offered is the Preschool For All program (which is taught by Angela Horner seen in the article picture) that is designed to house preschool children for a couple hours a day throughout the week and teach these children the basic problem solving, communication, and behavioral skills they need to succeed through their education career and life in general. Any child who completes this program, or any other the program that the center offers, can rest assure that they will be ready and more prepared to take on the everyday challenges of being young student. With any good foundation the possibilities of what can be built on top of that is endless, which is why preparing children at a young age can ensure a better future for years to come. 

Thank you to Angela for taking the time out to inform us of her organization and the great programs they are able to provide to the preschool children in our community. Anyone interested in learning more about the Tom Thumb Community Center or possibly partaking in the services they have to offer can visit their site for full contact and organization information.

If you build it they will come!! That is definitely what happened at our inaugural Raceway 5K event on Saturday August 17, 2013. Well over 100 runners and walkers showed up and were prepared to give it all they got! Sponsors, vendors, and volunteers were up extra early to prepare for the event and all the hard work that was put into hosting the event payed off. This doesn't go without saying that there were not any hiccups on the way, but overall it was a big success and something we plan to make an annual event. 

One by one they showed up and prepared themselves for the race and before you knew it the count down to the start of the race began. Jeff Provisor, our current club President and event coordinator, MC'd the race providing great play by play and did the course justice by paying homage to it's heyday by starting the race with a "Racers Start Your Engines" with the sound effects to match and the waving of a green flag to send the racers on their way! With that being said this is the 1st time a race has been conducted on this historical course since it closed which we are very happy to be a part of. 

The weather was perfect and the scenery along the course was in full bloom giving runners an ideal setting as they pushed them selves to do their best throughout the entire race. Spectators and race marshals were positioned along the course cheering on the racers as the ran by shouting out words of encouragement to motivate them to give it their all. Shortly after the 18 minute mark our first racer passes the finish line and was greeted by a crowd of spectators cheering them to victory. Keep in mind that there a couple tough hills in this course so to finish it in 18 minutes is very impressive!

Check out all the pics in our photo albums!

 

We had a blast at this year's parade in downtown Gilberts on Sunday August 11, 2013. We got their earlier to make sure our float was decorated and man did it look good! Our 2 celebrities "Lady Liberty" and "Rosie the Riveter" received a lot of compliments and they were more than happy to reward the crowd with hand fulls of candy! Note for next year: Soft chocolate candy is no good on warm days!!! Check out all the great pics in our Photo albums!

 

Check out these Awesome ladies who were gracious enough to donate a box full of  new school supplies to help support our drive and essentially the needy children in the community.

With school starting on August 14 we are once again conducting our New School Supplies Drive for local children in need. Sometimes parents are unable to get children the supplies they need in time for the school year and programs like this will help soften that burden. Anyone interested in possibly contributing contact us at CarpentersvilleRotary@gmail.com to set up a delivery date.

 Items needed include: 

Pencils (lots), Colored Pencils, Handheld Pencil Sharpeners, Crayons, Markers (washable), Dry erase markers, Ruled paper (wide), Pocket folders, Highlighters, Scotch tape, Glue sticks, Rulers (with inches & cm), Scissors, Disinfecting wipes, Hand Sanitizer

 

We were happy to host our guest speaker Jim Wiseman from the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association Organization and even more excited to learn he was a fellow Rotarian from a neighboring community. Jim has been with the organization for over 30 years and it was easy to tell the personal satisfaction he receives from his day to day work activities.

For those of you who don't know Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, NISRA for short, is an established organization that works with community park districts to run and host recreational activities for individual with special needs. Allowing these individuals a chance to interact with one another and experience fun and educational recreational activities, that range from simple art work & crafts to rock climbing & ice skating, that this organization is able to provide.The joy and excitement these individuals experience or teaching them the ability to interact with others and build friendships are just some of the benefits received from the people and volunteers who work for the NISRA organization and make it all worth wile. To learn more about the NISRA Organization visit their website: www.NISRA.org 

 

On Wednesday July 24th the new District Governor Sarah Oliver joined us for breakfast on her district wide club tour and we were more than happy tho have her as our guest. With her many years of Rotary experience  it wasn't long before we realized how much of an asset she is to our club, in addition to all of the other district clubs,and the Rotary International Organization. Motivation and education were her key speaking points as she informed us of the latest and the greatest at the district level and provided encouragement for the Rotary year to come.

Thank You Sarah! Your encouraging words and educational input will be very beneficial in the year to come! 

 

This years Ribfest was a BIG success and not to mention a lot of FUN! Located just adjacent to the Huntley Rotary club, who were selling roasted corn like there was no tomorrow, the Rotary fellowship that developed between our 2 clubs was a definite highlight to the weekend's activities.The money we were able to make from all the ice cream that we sold was just an added bonus. 

Each day we were ready to go at the opening of the fest but the customers were slow coming. The other food vendors around us had no problems selling food right off the bat but we had to wait. But it wasn't long before the fest goers came to their senses and realized that an ice cream sound pretty good after gorging on ribs, french fries, and all the roasted corn they could eat. Soon our line was out the tent pushing our ice cream machine to the limits but it did it's job and the people were very happy. There was great music going on in the background and plenty of people to socialize with not to mention the perfect weather for each of the 4 days.

THANK YOU to all our volunteers, the Lake in the Hills Rotary club, and the ice cream man Bob Long for making this successful fundraising event for our club. Check out some of the pics in our photo gallery.

     

On June 26th we installed the new officers for the Rotary Year of 2013/2014 and with that we looked back upon the many accomplishments we made over the past year. Many clubs who are just starting out normally don't make it past the 3rd year and we are more the happy to be entering our 5th. Our club is very active and for a small group we get a lot done and have a lot to look forward to in the up coming year.

Special thanks to the 2012/2013 board and especially to our immediate past president "Mr. Fantastic"... Charles Nason! With his guidance we were able to successfully continue our successful programs in addition to adding a few new ones. As we continue to grow so will our ability to give back and for that we are really grateful.

Here is incoming president Jeff Provisor presenting our immediate past president Charles Nason with a plaque for his year in service. Check out the photo albums for more pics from our installation dinner.

In the words of our esteemed speaker Jim KOKO from the BeingU Organization "The only barriers you have in life are the ones you set for yourself and the ones you allow others set for you"! Thinking about his quote on a personal level there is a lot of truth to his statement which encourages you to take a step and re-analyze some of the things holding us all back in life. With this mindset and seeing how it could be applied to helping children with special needs by utilizing new technology to provide a teaching/stimulating outlet Jim founded the BeingU organization to do just that.

Through out his life and career Jim has established many contacts an great relationships which now he has a great opportunity to provide a great service to individuals with special needs. Through all his contacts he is able to bring people together form opposite sides of the spectrum with a few similarities in common to figure out solutions to problems or develop applications to help educate, comfort  stimulate individuals with special needs. With all the new tablet technologies and the possibilities  of type of apps Jim, his organization and many contacts will work together to come up with creative solutions to help those in need.

Want to help or learn more about the BeingU Organization visit their website here! 

For the past couple of years Carpentersville has hosted a Healing Field visual put on by the True Patriots Care Foundation in Carpenter Park to commemorate and honor those who serve our country and our community. For those of you who don't know what a healing field is just imaging a vast field filled with rows and rows of flying American flags all dedicated to those in service who do their part and have done their party tho make this beautiful country what it is today!

Jerry Christopherson (who spoke to our club on Wednesday May 29, 2013) is the president of the True Patriots Care Foundation and has been one of the main organizers of this event year after year. This year the event will take place on August 11 and commemorate Word War II veterans and feature other family activities everyone can enjoy. Unfortunately due to upgrades  being made to Carpenter Park this summer the event will take place in the Gilberts Town Center Park. Activities planed include a 5K race, parade, Commemorate Ceremony, Fire works and much more. For up to date information and ways you can help visit their website www.TruePatriotsCare.net.

Letter from our District Governor Mike Yesner:

Many of you have inquired about a possible response to the tragedy in Moore, OK.

The Rotarians in Districts 5750 and 5770 are organizing a fund for the area.  Details will be posted, probably sometime today, at http://www.clubrunner.ca/portal/home.aspx?did=5770

I urge you to visit the site, and do what you can to provide help.

Mike Yesner

 

On the morning of 5.15.13 Fellow Rotarian Samuel Brown visited our club via Skype and shared with us his Project Amigo organization and showcased the work they are doing for rural towns in Mexico. Check out this great youtube video that displays the work they are doing. www.projectamigo.org

 

The weather was perfect and there was no need for a rain date! Community families came out and enjoyed all the free activities the Kickoff to Summer Celebration had to offer. The Fire & Police Department were well represented and entertained the children as well as they could. The children had chances to cool down their friends with a real fire hose and experience the ins & outs of a real police car & fire truck including turning on the lights and sirens! The jazz band played wonderfully and entertained the adults who were casually enjoying their own personal picnics. The FREE Ice Pops were flowing and each child and adult who wanted one had their fare share. The dunk tank although empty at first soon found its first victim and the children quickly lined up to dunk the "poor" volunteers into the cold water multiple times. Face painting was next including some small games and a tug of war rope that the young men quickly lined up for to prove their strength. In all it was a great evening that everyone enjoyed and became anxious to do it again next year. It was a big success and a great representation of the community coming together to provide free entertainment and celebrate the end of the school year and kickoff the summer. See You Next Year! Check out all the great pics on our photo album page!

The Carpentersville Community is very fortunate to have a potential World Class Bike park right in our own back yard and it is up to us as a community to try and help make that happen because of the great potential positive impcact. The CAMBr organization has bravely taken on the massive project that will take years to complete and a lot of money and community support in order to be successful. As a community group we feel it is extremely necessary to get the word about this Bike Park and the CAMBr organization in order for them to get the support they need which will benefit the Carpentersville Community as a whole in more ways than one. 

Walking through Andres Park now there is not much to look at but a bunch of evasive plants and garbage but through a recent cleanup and site build the gradual change is starting to take place. A small skills section has been built already that has been utilize by young children on a daily basis. Take a look at the picture below for the park design plan which was completely designed by a professional bike park design group and when all said and done can become a world class bike park right here in Carpentersville.

Allison Nason was one of the young adults sponsored by our club to participate in the District RYLA program where she spent the weekend with fellow like minded young leaders and experienced all that the RYLA program had to offer. On Wednesday May 8th Allison spoke to our club about her experience and shared he gratefullness for the opportunity to be chosen to participate. As a Rotary club, with a major goal of helping the youth in the community, sending young adults to programs like RYLA has great potential to increase the leadership abilities of the future generation which we are very happy to be a part of.

The weather was great, the planets were aligned, the mustaches were on point and the people came out. We had a great time celebrating the Cinco De Mayo holiday with our friends and supporters who helped help raise money for our various charities. The night was filled with many great surprises that made each moment more enjoyable. We are very happy to have provided a very entertaining night and plan to do it again next year so keep us in mind for your Cinco De Mayo celebration. Check out the full set of photos in or photo albums page! 

Thank You to everyone who came out and supported the event in addition the bars who hosted and club members who donated their time to help run the event. None of this would have been possible without you! 

On Saturday April 27, 2013 members of the Carpentersville Rotary Club, the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township, Carpentersville Employees, Comcast Employees, and members of the Chicago Area Mountain Bikers all joined together to volunteer and begin the multi-year construction  process of the proposed Mountain Bike path in Keith Andres Park in Carpentersville. When it is all said and done this park will be one of the Elite Mountain Bike Trails in the area. As volunteers we were all glad to be part of the inaugural cleaning and build efforts and look forward to the positive attention it will bring to the Carpentersville Community!

Check out the Pics in our Photo Albums

What is Rotary International? Your Local Rotary Club Is Doing More Than You Think

Even after I joined the Salt Lake Rotary Club six months ago, I wasn’t sure just what to think. The average age of our active club members—judging by appearances—is north of 65. The image of a bunch of senior men—with a few younger women and a smattering of guys who still have hair that isn’t all gray—singing the National Anthem and reciting the pledge of allegiance seemed a throwback to a time before I was even born... More

As the Mustache Mariachis we took 4th place out of 15 teams at this year's Boys & Girls Club Trivia Night! Not bad for our rookie team!

After a recent visit to the FISH Food pantry we got an Emergency Request for much needed Toiletry items to replenish the depleted innovatory the Pantry currently had. We quickly scrambled and got the word out. After one weekends worth of collecting we were able to conjure up hefty donations which included over $400 of items purchased from our club, a truck load of items donated by the employees at OTTO Engineering and several more donations made from other various groups. Thank You to all that donated and make this last minute drive possible.  

 

As a young man Ricardo Paniagua was shy and very hesitant to open up to others. It wasn't until his mother forced him to join the local Boys & Girls Club that he developed into the promising young man he is today.

As a young member of the Boys & Girls club he was skeptical of what it could offer but he soon realized, through activities & club engagement, the potential & learning possibilities the club is capable of providing. After a while as a member it wasn't long before he started to open up more and more and taking advantage of everything that was available and develop into a respectable young adult.

Working hard in the industry as a caregiver for several years and being caregiver for her own family members it wasn’t long before Michelle Dacy (Founder of Special Needs Chicago) made the decision to start her own organization. She soon formed Special Needs Chicago and strived to provide basic transportation and caregiver needs for elderly and disabled people.

Transporting individuals in wheel chairs is no simple task unless you have vehicles designed to do so which most people don’t have access to. Many times an ambulance is called for transportation needs which can quickly become extremely costly.  Seeing the need Michelle worked with her contacts, other non-for profits and municipalities to form a network of volunteers and sponsors to help fund and operate the day to day transportation needs of these elderly and disabled people.

Check out the video below from Michelle and her organization being featured on the Channel 7 news:

 

For the 2nd year in a row we had another successful Easter Dinner Basket Give Away event on Saturday Morning of March 30, 2013.

We scrambled around to collect the remaining donations and ended up with 36 total Easter Dinner Baskets, filled with a complete Easter Dinner & treats for the kids, to distribute to needy families in the Carpentersville Community. Working with the local Police Social Worker Griselda Hernandez and her Angel/Assistant Patty we had 33 families who were pre-selected and notified to come pick up a basket at the village hall that morning. 

There we were waiting with baskets, seeing if anyone would show up. Before we knew it here they came, one by one, each one just as happy as the last. Grateful for the donation and the opportunity to treat their family to a nice Easter Dinner at minimal cost to them. Hearing what some of these families are dealing with and having the ability to give back and help them out in their time of need is what makes it all worth wile and a main reason why we as a Charity Organization will continue to do what we can to help those in need.

Firefighters Coats for Kids Takes Off with Promise

Operation Warm's latest collaboration is a program with the International Association of Firefighters, it is branded especially for the hometown heroes who are fundraising in their communities to break the cycle of poverty. Firefighters work on the front lines and are witnesses to levels of poverty that many can't understand. The necessity of a warm coat and the lack thereof in so many impoverished families couldn't be more apparent to our new distribution partners, who've shared countless stories about providing shelter for struggling children at the firehouse.  

Kids Helping Kids

Meet Nikolas Toocheck. Nikolas looks like the average 4th grader but what he has already accomplished and plans to accomplish is far from ordinary. Nikolas's dream is to raise money and awareness for Operation Warm by running a marathon on each of the seven continents. And, at 9 years old, he has already completed two of these marathons. Visit Nik's Website to learn more »

Meet Lucky! …Lucky is an Irish Potato and he was our special guest at our meeting on the morning of March 17th! Lucky came with gifts, but with those gifts came SHENANIGANS! ….

 

 

 

 

…. Meet Mike! Mike is a club member and always attends weekly meetings! Mike said “Shenanigans… Schle-manigans!... I am going to win those gifts!” … And he did! Congrats Mike!

Gifts: Irish Cap, Sack of Gold Coins, & Irish Whiskey

 

 

Sorry Lucky!! :(

 

Wednesday March 6th Wayne & Fred from the Build a Dream Organization spoke to our club and discussed how they found themselves spending their retirement helping underprivileged families & children in a rural town in Mexico. What started out with helping a single local Hispanic family facing deportation turned into helping an entire Mexican community and changing the lives of many of their residents in the process.

 

With hundreds of toiletries items donated, our month long drive came to an end Wednesday (February 27th) morning as we all gathered to turn in the remaining items and volunteer at the pantry. We quickly stocked the shelves, sorted the produce, sorted the breads, and prepared for the day at hand. Not before long the orders came in and we were busy filling the carts with the necessary items. 2 cans of this 3 bags of that, we were finding our grove and getting the orders out as fast as we could. Before we knew it the orders were filled and our time there was coming to an end but not before we all had a great sense of accomplishment and pride for the work we had just accomplished!

We had a great time at the movies with fellow Rotarians and other local business leaders last Thursday evening at our After Hours Event at Cinema 12 in Carpentersville. We were fortunate enough to be granted free pop corn, soda, a movie ticket and access to the projector rooms where we got a first hand experience of how the theater operates. Not to mention the great socializing, networking and fellowship that took place that evening. We want to send out a special Thank You to the staff at Cinema 12 and the Northern Kane County Chamber of Commerce for the help and guidance in helping us host the event. Check out the pictures in the photo albums.

tt

Jim Proebstle, award winning author and fellow Rotarian, spoke to our club Wednesday February 20, 2013 and shared with us his book titled “Fatal Incident”. Fatal Incident is a story based on true events involving a military air disaster on September 18, 1944 at 11,000 feet in an uncharted area of the Mt. McKinley range in Alaska. No evidence as to the cause of this crash was ever uncovered and no evidence of the 3 crew and 16 passengers, dead or alive, ever surfaced. Ooooh… Enticing!

Within minutes of his presentation and introduction of the book the group as a whole was quickly swept up into the story line and wanted to know more. First the plane crash was described, then the main characters were introduced, then some additional characters were introduced and finally the storyline that brought the whole book together. Before we knew it the time for the presentation was up! Good thing Jim brought several copies of his book that we were able to purchase and have the individual opportunity to read the entire book and find out the whole story. As an added bonus he was more than happy to sign them for us.

Since it’s beginning in 1989 the DayOne Network Organization has strived to do whatever it can to help those who struggle with disabilities and their families who support them.

On the morning of January 16, 2013 Stephen Taylor, who is the current Executive Director of DayOne and a retired long time Rotarian, introduced our club to the DayOne Network and opened our eyes to the great work they have accomplished and continue to strive to do in the Kane & Kendall counties. We were amazed about their work and stunned about the little notoriety this organization receives for everything they do.   

Through various grants and fundraisers the DayOne organization is able to work with selected individuals, both children & adults, who are mentally disabled and provide various forms of help and support. Unfortunately the current need for support like this is much greater than the abilities of the DayOne Organization alone. They are only able to help a select few who are deemed qualified through a thorough screening process. Other candidates are left to wait until they are selected. Anyone dealing with family members or individuals with mental disabilities understand the effort, patience, and heart needed to take care of them which is why support from organizations like DayOne are so important.  

To learn more about their Organization and possible ways to help visit their website: www.DayOneNetwork.org   

The Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning has a limited number left of the Rotarian Flavors of the World Cookbook as a fundraiser for our club in addition to supporting the Eradication of Polio efforts through Rotary International. For Every Cookbook purchased, $5.00 goes to Polio Eradication!

The Rotarian Flavors of the World Cook Book is:

A unique collection of over 400 recipes from Rotary districts in over 150 countries. Plus: Information on Rotary and The Rotary Foundation

This Cookbook features Appetizers and Beverages * Soups and Salads * Vegetable Dishes * Meat Dishes * Desserts * 10 Minute Meals

Enjoy with family and friends

A great Gift to: Mother, Wife, Sister, Aunt, In-laws, Neighbors, Friends

Timely Gift for: Birthdays, Anniversaries, Special Celebrations, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines Day, Mothers Day, New Year And special events

The Books are $20 and can be purchased through any club member. For more information please contact us at CarpentersvilleRotary@gmail.com. 

I am pleased to inform you that earlier today RI President-Elect Ron D. Burton announced the 2013-2014 theme, “Engage Rotary, Change Lives”

The theme announcement was made during the opening plenary session of the International Assembly, the annual training event in San Diego for incoming district governors. In explaining how he came to choose the theme, President-Elect Burton said, “If we really want to take Rotary service forward, then we must make sure that every single Rotarian has the same feeling about Rotary that each one of us here has today. We need to make sure that every Rotarian has a meaningful role to play, that they’re all making a contribution, and that their contribution is valued.”

Go to the  Rotary International website to read more and to see the new logo.

 I look forward to working with engaged District 6440 Rotarians during 2013-2014 to change lives.

Yours in Rotary Service,

Sarah Oliver

2013-2014 District Governor

When anyone ever inquires about Rotary the usual first question is "What is Rotary?". After that is explained the second question usually is "Does it cost anything to be a member?" The answers is YES! Every Rotary Club has dues and each club is different...

 

Dealing with pediatric cancer is almost certainly devastating to any family as no parent wants to lay their child to rest. Not much can be done when a child is lost but the family of a young man named Cal Sutter felt otherwise.

While experiencing the trials and tribulations associated with the pediatric cancer obtained by their young son and realizing the importance of support in a desperate time of need the Sutter Family created the Cal’s All Star Angel Foundation to honor and celebrate the life of Cal Sutter. The foundation is designed to help support the families of children with pediatric cancer in any way they possibly can. From granting wishes, helping with bills, gifts for patients and their siblings, pizza parties and whatever can be done to lift the spirits and support the families of the children suffering from pediatric cancer.

Thanks to Beth Jareczek, who is a long time friend of the club, who helped inform of this great foundation and her new position with the foundation. She has a big job on her hands but we all know she is more than capable of making it happen!

For more information on Cal’s All Star Angel Foundation visit their website!

It is official! She is a part of our club now and we are happy and excited she made the decision to be a part of our great organization! Just one more thing on the to-do list!

Welcome Beth Jareczek!

Check out ths great article from the Daily Herald!

In collaboration with other Local Rotary Clubs we are proud to announce our participation in a project providing local CASA children with suitcases filled with basic essentials a child will need when being relocated to a safe location through court appointment. Over 500 children are helped through this program and 8% of these children come from the Carpentersville area! Through our recent fundraising events and support from people like you we are able to donate

$500

to the cause which will provide a number of suitcases and essentials for needy children in the CASA program.

Here is a picture of club member and village mayor Ed Ritter with a donation check to the CASA organization.

Check out the article from the Courier News!

Operation Warm 2012 Complete!

With the weather still mildly warm but cold weather lurking around the corner club members and volunteers made it out for our 4th annual Operation Warm coat distribution to 4 grade schools in the Carpentersville Community on Friday November 16, 2012. Selective members of the Boys & Girls clubs from each school location were brought into the gymnasium completely unaware of what they were about to receive. One by one they made their way up to the coat table with their name slip in hand and to their surprise were given a brand new winter coat. Each coat is equipped with a hoody and thick liner to keep the children warm throughout the winter season. Before long the children were running around the gymnasium  quick to realize how warm the jackets actually were as the began to sweat. Before we knew it the simple coat distribution turned into a coat party!

Check out this recent newspaper article from the Courier News highlighting our efforts in this project. 

Project Complete! Thanks to all our hard work and volunteer hours both rooms have been completed.The new practice room is already getting plenty of use by the students and the new storage room is ready to be utilized. This was all made possible by 3 great local groups concerned with making a child's music educational experience more enjoyable and functional. (OTTO Engineering, The District 300 Foundation, & Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning)

BIG THANK YOU to friends of the club Brian & Richard and all participating club members for all their hard work and willingness to donate their time.

Take a look at our Photo Album to see the complete transformation!

Room 1 Before & After

 

Room 2 Before & After

 

As the East Coast continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy, The Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs in Northern Illinois Districts 6420, 6440 and 6450 effortlessly responded to the emergency needs of men, women and children in crisis.

During the Rotary District 6440 Fall Training Seminar held on Saturday, November 10th at Medinah Banquets in Addison, Illinois approximately 300 members of suburban Rotary clubs gathered to assemble donated relief supplies for Hurricane Sandy victims.

The doors were opened at 9 am and we were ready to greet the children and their families as they entered the Free Movie Event! Slowly but surely they started to show up ready to enjoy their time at the theater. Some young children even came in costume. Check out this little guy who came dressed as a dragon!.. Perfect fit for the movie that was showing which is why we had to take the picture.

 

 

 

As a club who's focus is centered around the youth of the Carpentersville community we were happy and excited to sponsor this event and hoped it provided entertainment and joy to all those who attended. Thanks to all club members who can out to work the event and the movie goers who donated to our Operation Warm program.   

This past week our immediate past President Tina Curtis took a trip to Southern California and had the chance to participate in a Rotary meeting with the Anaheim Rotary Club which meets Monday's at noon at the Diamond Club in Angel Stadium. In addition to the great weather and awesome view Tina had a great time with fellow Rotarians from another state and was able to share her experiences obtained during her year as president.

(Taken from the Squeak: Anaheim Rotary Newsletter) 

A Time-Honored tradition at Rotary Clubs around the world is the flag exchange. It‘s customary to exchange your club’s banner when visiting another club. Tina Curtis, the Past President of the Rotary Club of Carpentersville, Illinois is shown exchanging banners with our President, Steve Sain.

 

   

Cloudy, Rainy, Windy, Rainy, Cold, Windy, Rainy, Sunshine, Warm, Cloudy, Rainy, Tornado Warning, Windy, Rainy.... This year's Carpentersville Oktoberfest did not have the best weather or ideal conditions but people still came out to try and enjoy themselves.

Pop Up tents were prone to getting blown away if not properly anchored down, the rain seem liked it was coming from any direction possible, everything was soggy and could not stay dry, cyclist were coming of the course drenched in mud from head to toe. All these factors contributed to making this year's event one to remember.

As a Rotary club we made our attempt to keep the people some what warm by providing Hot Coffee & Hot Chocolate, keeping them energized with the variety of sugary snack cakes we had available, and keeping them entertained with our fishing game and "Futterung" idea. Fest goers came and showed their support but the continuous changing weather just put s major damper on all of the activities.

Thank You to all club members who came out to work the event and a special Thank You to the NKCC Chamber for all their help & support. Check out all the Pics in our Photo Albums.   

Megan Butler the Local representative for Energy Impact Illinois spoke to our club on Wednesday August 29 and introduced us all to a federally funded program that will help us make our homes more energy efficient and comfortable while saving us money at the same time!

As a fairly new program the government will provide instant rebates up to $1,750, & low percentage loans to homeowners who are willing to willing to make their homes more energy efficient and reduce their environmental imprint. The money saved over time through reduced energy costs pays for any out of pocket expense a home owner may experience while participating in the program. Plus the upgrades are there for life!

New District 6440 Governor Mr. Mike Yesner visited our club the morning of Wednesday August 22, 2012 with his over sized engagement ring and blue blazer ready to make his presence known! He was excited to meet and greet all of our club members and willing to share knowledge gained from his years of service with Rotary. “Engage us” if you will, with fresh ideas and motivational encouragement making us proud and excited to continue to be a Rotarian.

As we sat there, ate our breakfast and started our casual conversation it wasn’t long before we got down to business and discussed the latest and greatest with Rotary and our local District. As a single local group we can only do so much but combining ourselves we are capable of doing so much more! The possibilities are so much wider and the positive effect will be so much greater!

Here is a great letter from the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township showing their appreciation for all the help they receive starting out this new school year on the right foot. 

Dear BGCDT Friends & Investors,
  
On Monday, August 13th the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township opened our doors to welcome back nearly 500, new and returning Club Members (grades 1st – 12th), for the start of the 2012 – 2013 academic school year.  In doing so, these Club Members will take full advantage of the wonderful opportunities that our after-school programs offer, both socially and academically. 

 

This opportunity is made possible by YOU, our friends, investors and community supporters that selflessly donate to BGCDT throughout the year.  Through your support, our BGCDT Staff is able to impact over 1,200 local at-risk youth annually that enter our program, all with the hopes and dreams of finding their own place and purpose in life.   

Even with short notice and a quick turn around the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning and it's supporters were able to gather a a good amount of new school supplies to donate to local children through the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township! Check out this great picture of a donation made by Express Employment Professionals in Carpentersville.
One of the best things the Boys & Girls Club offers to the youth in the community is tutoring and designating a time for them to do their homework before any club activities. Anyone can remember being young in school and thinking... homework is the last thing I want to do, especially when being around all my friends. That is when we stared to think of any excuse we could not to do it like.. I don't have any paper!.. I left my supplies in my locker!.. I traded it for a cheeseburger! Whatever it was it all boiled down to not having the supplies you needed to do your work!

Thanks to our great donation of new school supplies the Boys & Girls Club of Dundee Township can take on any excuse a child will try to give to them! No paper? Here take a stack!.. Left the scissors and glue in your locker? Bam!... Here you go! No excuses! Now lets work! In some cases a child's personal supplies is very limited with an inability to purchase anything new. Here is where the donation helps those who need it the most! In the end the entire donation will help make a difference, big or little, to children in the Carpentersville community which is what our club is all about.

Thanks to all club members and club supporters who helped make this a successful school supplies drive for a 3rd year in a row. Check out this great pic of current Boys & Girls Club leaders and the total donation!      

By Arnold R. Grahl 
Rotary News -- 24 July 2012

In 1958, Bob Izon ran the mile in world-record time in the under-16 age category, becoming the English schools champion.

But the most meaningful run of his life took place in May, when the founding member of the Rotary Club of Hereford Wye Valley, Herefordshire, England, carried the Olympic torch through his hometown.

Izon is one of several Rotarians who have carried the torch on its relay to the new Olympic Stadium in London for the opening ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics on 27 July. More...

Club members Andrew & Siru Knox attend the Rotary Youth Conference in Michigan the week of July 9th, 2012 and were able to take a picture with RI President - Elect Ron Burton and his wife.

The Circus came to town and entertained the masses!


We raised over $5,000 for our charities and operations!

Thank You to everyone who came out and supported the event. All 7 shows had a good showing and entertained a lot of people. The weather, although a little warm at times, could not have been any nicer. 
Check out the pictures in our photo albums! 

Congratulations to all our winners of our Circus coloring contest who received 2 FREE tickets to the circus. Thanks to all our sponsors, each entry was able to receive at least 1 FREE ticket.

Check out more of the contest winners in our photo albums!

The cat is out of the bag! Through our successful work with Operation Warm for the past 3 years and we have earned a Significant Achievement Award from Rotary International president Kalyan Banerjee.

Governor Carlos surprised us this morning (Wednesday June 20, 2012) with his presence and the only Significant Achievement Award which was awarded to our club. In addition to that we received a letter directly from Kalyan Banerjee (the President of Rotary International) praising our successful work. Check the Pictures out in our photo album.

Our hard work and dedication has paid off and will continue to be a part of our evolving club.

Yi Liu from the Mid USA Falun Dafa Association  spoke to our club on June 6, 2012 and we were told it was going to be a presentation on Chinese Culture. What we didn't expect was how the presentation of the Chinese culture was going to be presented.  

Yi introduced the club to a presentation of Chinese Culture which included breathtaking classical chinese dance, live orchestra fusing East and West, exquisite handcrafted costumes, state of the art animated backdrops and 5,000 years of myths legends and stories. Shen Yun is the name of the theatrical show which Yi was presenting and it is currently playing in cities throughout the world. Although the presentation was a brief overview it was still enough to generate a need to want to know more and possibly see a show in the future.
 
Thanks Yi!

Having the ability to read, like many other simple daily tasks, is something we take for granted. Going about our normal routine with no fear of the inability to comprehend any new task that may require any bit of reading . To a large number of people throughout the world this fear is an actuality and limits their potential because they have the inability or difficulty reading. The problem also becomes more difficult when a person who is illiterate in their native language and goes on to try and learn a new language. With the diversity of the surrounding local communities this continues to become a problem for a part of the population.   


This does not go without saying that the inability to read completely inhibits a person from accomplishing a lot.

The Elgin Literacy Connection has been around for close to 28 years and came to be because of the realization of the need to provide a literacy service for the growing diverse population. The Elgin Literacy Connection provides Literacy services and Tutoring for children and families who are in need of developing their reading and comprehension skills. Their are located in the Gail Borden Public Library on Grove Avenue in Elgin, IL.  For full information visit their site http://www.elginliteracy.org/

We are proud to announce that Operation Warm has been nominated for a CLASSY Award for Human Services! The award will go to the human services charity that's made the most extraordinary achievement on behalf of families and children.

The CLASSYs have been called “the Oscars of Philanthropy,” celebrating the greatest charitable achievements by nonprofit organizations, socially conscious businesses, and individuals worldwide. The collective efforts of the 2011 CLASSY nominees impacted the lives of more than 200 million people in 71 countries worldwide. Check out Operation Warm’s CLASSY Achievement page!

Dear Operation Warm Supporters,

We have just served our one millionth child! Can you believe it? Second-grader Imani from Philadelphia received the millionth Operation Warm coat on February 27. “I love my new coat because it’s pink and pretty,” she said. We celebrate this milestone with pride and gratitude, because none of this would be possible without you, our supporters, volunteers, and community partners from throughout the years!

Check out this great video from the recent District 6440 Conference in Milwaukee!

To be awarded as the Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Dundee Township says a lot about the individual that it is awarded to. The Youth of the Year is the premier youth recognition program for Club members which promotes and celebrates service to Club, community and family; academic performance; moral character; life goals; and poise and public speaking ability.This year Jasmine M. from Dundee Crown has received that honor and by doing so will compete for the chance at National Honors and a possible $15,000 in scholarship money. 

Jasmine will participate in the state competition. State winners will then participate in regional competitions. Five regional winners each receive an engraved plaque and a $5,000 scholarship and compete on the national level. The National Youth of the Year receives an additional $10,000 scholarship and is installed by the President of the United States.

From the brief time Jasmine spent with our club on Wednesday morning (April 18, 2012) it was easy to see and hear why Jasmine has received this honor. Weather it be her general consideration of others, willingness to give back, or overall outgoing personality (just to name a few!) she definitely has the mind set to succeed in life.

Up early on the Saturday just before Easter and running around collecting the last remaining baskets. We gathered up all we had, made the last additions, and lined up the baskets ready to be picked up! One last bonus, a trunk full of Beanie Babies donated to the children of the families, not to mention the additional Easter candy that was included in each basket. Finally we were ready!... Now only time will tell if the families will show up!

Sure enough they came with happy faces and excited children thrilled about what they were about to receive. A good Easter Dinner with extra goodies and food to spare! As long as it took to put together and collect all of the baskets it was all over in a matter of an hour. Job Well Done!   

As the final days grew closer to our delivery date (4.7.12) the Easter Dinner Baskets were starting to pile up. In the end we had a total of 28 baskets given out to needy families in the Carpentersville Community. Just 7 short of goal of 35. In all, not to bad for our first year collecting Easter Dinner Baskets!

Thank You to everyone that donated, the local social workers and Church Pastor, and all of the club members who participated! We greatly appreciate your participation and willingness to support the local Carpentersville Community.

A little bit of rain or early morning grogginess did not stop the Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning from conducting a spring clean up on our adopted Highway in Carpentersville. Bright and early (8 am… on a Saturday Morning!) we gathered for breakfast ensuring we would have the energy to walk up and down the street to pick up debris that had been collecting since our last clean up only a few months back. Hubcaps, VHS tapes, a front end of a Acura, fast food wrappers, winter hats, a dresser drawer and of course cigarette butts are just some of the many items that filled our bright orange bags.

It is actually pretty amazing the amount of garbage that is actually collected. When we gathered and were handed our safety vests and nifty grabbers we were also given the orange garbage bags that almost seemed to large for the task at hand. When driving by, it did not seem like there was much to pick up! But it wasn’t long before the bags were busting out the bottom and in need of being doubled up because all of the garbage that had been collected. As we got to the end of the route the once empty bags were full, heavy, wet and stinky ready to be taken away no sooner then we wanted to get rid of them. End result, a clean highway in Carpentersville!

Thanks to our volunteers and all the club members who came out to work for a few hours on a Saturday morning that had sleeping in written all over it!

Check out the Pics!

Polio Eradication – “You can do it” from Rotary International on Vimeo.

Our tree has been planted! Here is the picture!

The Rotary-Club of Carpentersville-Morning is working on reducing our own individual carbon foot prints and will provide updated stories and pictures to show the steps we are taking.... Stay tuned!

The Rotary Club of Carpentersville-Morning is proud to announce our participation in the Nosso Bosque Tree Planting program to help reduce the carbon footprint in the country of Brazil as well as in our home town. A tree has been planted in the name of our club by the Rotary club of St. Andrew North, Brazil  in an attempt to reduce the carbon foot print in Brazil. As part of the agreement our club will try to reduce the local carbon foot print on an individual basis. For ideas on how to reduce our individual footprint visit this link here. 

For full information on the Nosso Bosque program visit their site here.   

IA2011 - Katie Ischkin - EN from Rotary International on Vimeo.

 

Besides the early morning showers and late afternoon gusts of wind it was a great day at this years Oktoberfest/Oktobercross event. With close to 600 racers and a good mix of local residents this years event was a success!

For those of you who never attended a bicycle cross race just as this, it is definitely a site to see. The race course consisted of tight turns, sand traps, creeks to cross, hills to climb, mud pits, corn fields, bumpy rollers, and grassy straight a ways. All of which contributed to the entertaining bike races that were taking place all day. Other entertaining factors include the various snack or drinks such as twinkies, bacon & whiskey bystanders extended out to the racers as they passed by and the constant heckling of the racers for not living up to the standards of the viewing bystanders. Not to mention all the great food and drinks that were available and all the children activities and local vendors who came out to showcase their local business. All in all... a good time! 

Thank You to everyone who came out and supported this great local event on Sunday the 16th of October. Thank You to all of those who visited the Rotary booth and bought twinkies or raffle twinkies for the Sony PSP Sports Pack. Congratulations to the winner of the PSP! Special thanks to Mudslingers for all their hard work serving the endless line of coffee drinkers and donut eaters. 

Check out the Pictures!

Martina Mathisen spoke to our club (Wednesday September 21, 2011) about her amazing ability to create ideal business contacts through effective customer appreciation. A little extra effort can go a long way. The great thing is, is that her principals can be applied to any aspects in life that involves generating relationships and general interactions with other people.

The idea of a more personalized attempt when showing appreciation or even just acknowledging someone’s effort more times than not will have a positive impact on the people receiving the appreciation/acknowledgement. That positive impact can go along way when it comes to them making future decision, referrals and presenting business opportunities. Being customer friendly will turn your business into one that others envy!  

Thank you Martina for speaking to our club and sharing your awesome ability!

 

It was a perfect to go out and help the community and the Carpentersville Rotary Club, in addition to other great volunteers, would take advantage of it. This year the club was glad to participate in the 3rd annual Carpentersville Pant-A-Thon which took place at 4 different houses trough out the village. With the paint provided by Home Depot and all the great volunteers we successfully completed all 4 houses. 

Check out the pics!    

Even with the late night of Pub Crawling the night before club members still managed to get up early the next morning and gladly participate in the 9.11.01 memorial parade which took place in downtown Carpentersville. Club members in addition to a line of other groups lined up and marched down Main Street starting at noon where the made a silent march pass Fire Station 1 for those who were lost on that tragic day.  

Check out the pics!   

This year's pub crawl was a great success! With close to 140 crawlers, live entertainment, cash prizes, door prizes, food specials, drink specials, and great fellowship we were bound to have a great night. 

Thank you to all of those who came out to support us, all our volunteers, all our sponsors, and everyone who donated to the event. With out all of you guys this night would have never happened.   

Check out the pics!  

 

At Operation Warm, Inc. those words have so many meanings.

For a child without a warm winter coat, it may mean receiving a brand new coat! A delight, to be sure.

For a parent struggling to make ends meet, it may mean the relief of knowing your child now has the warm winter coat she needs in order to get to school this winter. A wonderful delight!

For people who share our vision that every child should feel warm in winter, it may be knowing that you provided that coat from the kindness of your heart.
What could be more delightful?

 

This past Wednesday club members stepped up with bags full of new school supplies, ready to be donated to children through the Boys and Girls Club of Dundee Township. This was our 2^nd successful year of collecting donated school supplies but it will not be our last.  The school supplies will help students complete their homework during their designated homework time at their individual Boys and Girls Club. No Excuses! The supplies are there!

With the school year just around the corner making sure you get everything on the supply list can sometimes be stressful. Through donations and the ability to pass the donations out to the individuals who need them the most, some of that stress can be relieved.   

Thank you to all the members who donated or collected donations.

If cigarette butts were dollar bills we would be rich right now!

 

This past Saturday was our firs Highway clean up for the 2 stretches of Highway we recently adopted.  Carpentersville Rotary members in addition to 2 wonderful volunteers took time out of their Saturday morning to dodge traffic, bare the elements and clean a highway.  We picked up trash ranging from car parts, rebar, broken glass, paper cups, wrappers, and of course cigarette butts. Just a little way in trying to do our part in keeping this community clean!  

Thank you to all Club members who showed up and to our wonderful volunteers!

Check out the Pics!

The dinner was great, the speaker was entertaining, and the fellowship was plentiful. This year’s club annual Installation Dinner was a success! Now in our 3^rd year we are starting to get the hang of participating and hosting these types of events and can only hope it will continue on for years to come.

In recognition of the recent passing of Jim Krenz, who is the Key Charter Member when the club was created, the club will establish a scholarship in his honor.

Congratulations to our new president Tina Curtis, but also for becoming a Paul Harris Fellow which she accomplished by personally donating at least $1,000 to annual program funds. Oh Yeah… and for donating her 50/50 winnings back to End Polio Now…. Sorry Chip!

Thank You Jason Nowitzki for your past year as president and congratulations to the newly installed board members.

Carlos tied the entire night together by gracing us with his presence and speaking to the club which encouraged the witty banter between club members and our Rotary guests. Good Times!

Last Thank You... for all our guests and the Holiday Inn in Elgin for providing the great professional service at our dinner and becoming the new home for the Carpentersville Rotary meeting place.       

Check out the Pics.    

The Children have their Jackets!

Another successfully year was had handing out warm winter coats to children in need. Just in time for the winter season. All the hard work put into collecting funds to purchase the coats for Operation Warm has paid off. As with anything else with the Carpentersville Rotary Club does we strive to progress in what we do and this was definitely a step up from last year’s Operation Warm program.

The children came in at each of the three locations not knowing what to expect until they were surprised with the fact that they were receiving a new winter coat. There was a quick change in attitude from confusion to excitement as each kid was handed their coat. There was a definite sense of overwhelming joy in the room!

Thank you to everyone involved for making this such a great program for the children in the community.

Special thanks to Rotarians Donna Zoellick and Tina Curtis for all of there help with all the collections and putting this event together for a second consecutive year. Thanks again to all the Rotarians who helped collect the money, everyone who made donations, and all the hard work the staff of the Dundee Township Boy's and Girl's Club has done and continues to do everyday.   

THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Look back later for testimonials from the children and the volunteers! Check out the photos below. Tell us what you think and we will post it on the website!

The Group Study Exchange Team from Brazil visited the Carpentersville Rotary on Wednesday, April 14th, 2010.

Operation Warm brings warmth and smiles to Golfview Elementary kids.