OCTOBER 1996
ON THE CHUCK WAGON
We have survived fifty-four club visits and are getting ready to do the Belvidere Bright Horizons Club Charter Night on Thursday, October 24. What a great event that will be. Two people are primarily responsible for that happening, PDG Stu Smith, chair of the district extension committee and Dr. Dick Sandburg, secretary of the Belvidere noon club. They both worked long and hard, starting in the cold winter months of last January and February to pound the streets of Belvidere in search of potential members for the new club. Their efforts paid off on September 16 when I received a call from Service Supervisor, Margaret Omori in Evanston saying that the R.I. Board had approved the charter with the club having twenty-five charter members. I understand they have added several new members to their ranks since that date.
There are a number of clubs in the district (twenty-one, to be exact) which are under the twenty-five member mark. It CAN be done, but it takes effort on every member's part to make it happen. Clubs in District 6420 have been contacted or will be contacted shortly by members of the district Membership Development Committee asking to help your club develop ways of increasing and retaining membership. Please cooperate with these people. They have much to offer your club. No standard programs for membership development work in every club, but we know of many strategies that have worked well in district clubs, one of which would probably be adaptable to your club. We have a net membership increase goal of 187 in the district this year. Bright Horizons brought us an automatic twenty-five. Now all of the older existing clubs need to do the rest.
Club presidents are reminded of the necessity to hold elections for 1997-98 officers and report the results, at least for the president and secretary, to R. I. no later than December 31. Club secretaries should have received the necessary report form from R.I. by now. It is a multipart NCR form. The white copy should be sent to R.I., the yellow copy to Governor Nominee, Ray Den Adel, and the pink copy to Governor, Chuck Engel. As soon as the 1997-98 president is known, make sure that person has the date for the PETS and District Assembly on his or her calendar. Both of those meetings will be held on Saturday, April 5 at the Brandywine Inn at Dixon. The PETS will be held in the morning followed by lunch and then the District Assembly in the afternoon. While this will mean a long day, you will only have to make the trip once instead of twice. This change from last year is due to the fact that the International Assembly in Anaheim where new district governors are trained was moved from February to March.
I must also remind club presidents of the midyear meeting in Sterling on Saturday, December 7. It is very important that your club is represented since much information will be shared concerning district programs which will be coming into focus in the second half of your presidential year. We will also try to take stock of where we are at the midway point of working toward district goals.
BELVIDERE BRIGHT HORIZONS CLUB CHARTERS
WITH 25 MEMBERS
The Rotary club of Belvidere Bright Horizons received a charter from Rotary International on September 16, 1996 after having been a provisional club since last spring. The 25 charter members are very enthusiastic about their club and its future. The club meets on Thursday mornings at 7:00 A.M. at the Huddle restaurant in Belvidere. Sponsored by the Belvidere Rotary Club, which is sharing its territory, the new club has been mentored by Dr. Richard Sandburg, the long time secretary of the Belvidere club, and PDG Stu Smith, chair of the district Extension Committee. The Charter Night ceremonies will take place on Thursday, October 24 at the Belvidere Civic Center.
Club officers are Pat Barr, President and Nancy Vettore, Secretary. Other charter members are Dan Albrecht, Cathy Anderson, Diane Baker, William Bersted, Mary Bouray, Robert Bowley, Edward Branom, Marlene Brereton, Shirley Brereton, Denise Fish, Rogene Funderburg, Anna Gray, Cathy Goad, Vera Hansen, Tom James, Jared Kresge, Judy Kresge, Clifton McCoy, Patricia McCoy, Beverly Paulson, Mary Ross, Rev. William Westlund, and Judy Winter. Congratulations Bright Horizons, and welcome to Rotary!!!!!
AD HOC COMMITTEE TO STUDY THE FUTURE OF
DISTRICT PROGRAMS AND FINANCE
The 1996 District Assembly held last March 30 in Dixon charged the 1996-97 District Governor to form a special committee to study the future needs and future financing of District 6420. The committee will report to the 1997 District Assembly. That committee has now been formed and includes representatives from various size clubs and geographical locations within the district. Their first meeting will take place on Saturday, November 23 at which time they will receive an overview of the district organization, the current financial picture, a comparative study of other districts in our zone, and projections of future program needs.
The committee will schedule additional meetings as needed with the goal of presenting recommendations to the District Finance Committee in March and to the District Assembly on Saturday, April 5, 1997 in Dixon. Those who wish to give input to this committee should submit their suggestions in writing to Robert I. Smith, Secretary/Treasurer of District 6420 prior to November 23.
Many of you know that we have funded the growing needs of this district in the past several years through the spending down of the extensive reserves that had existed in the district treasury for some time. This was done partially to appease the I.R.S., which frowns upon a not-for-profit organization having too much money sitting around. We have now, however, reached the point where we should not continue to use deficit financing to fund the programs of the district. Therefor, there is a need at this point to decide what the financial needs are if we are to continue and expand the programs of the district and determine what per capita dues level will be needed to fund those programs.
LAST CALL FOR GROUP STUDY EXCHANGE
TEAM CANDIDATES
G.S.E. candidate credentials need to be in the hands of district chairman Deryl Miller no later than November 1. We need to select four team members plus alternates to travel to the Philippines next spring. The district G.S.E. committee will schedule interviews to take place on Saturday, November 16 at CGH Medical Center in Sterling.
A Rotarian team leader will be selected at interviews held on November 2.
ROTARY ROSE PARADE FLOAT
NEEDS YOUR CLUB'S SUPPORT
I am informed by the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee that a number of district clubs which normally support that endeavor have not yet sent in their contributions. They need to have this financial support for this great undertaking NOW!! Time is getting very short, and their budgeted income for the float is coming up short.
If your club has not yet sent in its contribution, please do so immediately. Club contributions should be sent to:
Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee
P.O. Box 92502
Pasadena, CA 91109-2502
PAST DISTRICT GOVERNOR
DISTRICT 642 1964-1965
ERNEST L. "ERNIE" SWARTS
ROCKFORD ROTARY CLUB
BORN OCTOBER 24, 1899
DIED OCTOBER 8, 1996
We have received word of the passing of PDG Ernie Swarts on October 8 in Greensboro, North Carolina. We understand Ernie had not been well for some time and had recently moved into a retirement home. He is survived by his wife, Lucille. Ernie would have been 97 on October 24. Our sympathies go out to Lucille and to the members of the Rockford Rotary Club. Ernie was governor of District 642 in the 1964-1965 Rotary Year.
DISTRICT GOVERNOR 1999-2000
NOMINATIONS NEEDED
As reported in the last newsletter, we still need at least one nominee for District Governor of District 6420 for the Rotary year 1999-2000. Nomination forms may be obtained from:
Betsy Smith, chair
Nominating Committee
1609 Oakland Drive
Sycamore, IL 60178.
NEW ROTARIANS SINCE LAST NEWSLETTER
WELCOME TO ROTARY!!!!
GALENA
James L. Rachuy Rickie
HARVARD
Susan Elliott Terry
MACHESNEY PARK
Brian J. Buob
OTTAWA
Jerry Galas
Mike Stevenson
PECATONICA
Lucy Runte Roger
PRINCETON
Howard D. Schou Pat
Note: Secretaries, please send me your "Reporting New Member " forms so I can recognize your new members in the newsletter. There must be a lot of them I am missing. I have no need of the termination forms.
ADDITIONAL CHANGES OR CORRECTIONS TO THE
1996-97 DISTRICT DIRECTORY
PAGES 9 & 17
DELETE
Daniel B. Salameda
PAGES 14 & 17
DELETE
Rev. Kirk Reed (moved out of district, position vacant)
PAGE 25
NEW CHAIRMAN
Bill Liston
CHANGE ADDRESS AND PHONE
Ann Field
836 Illinois Avenue
Rockford, IL 61102-3310
Res: (815) 962-1799
PAGE 26
CHANGE IN CHAIRMANSHIP
Chairman: PDG Kieth Speckman
Delete "Co-Chairman" from Dr. John Landry
PAGE 34
ADD
2 - 1996 BELVIDERE BRIGHT HORIZONS 25
Thursday, 7:00 A.M. The Huddle Restaurant
PRESIDENT
Pat Barr Burnell
420 Fairview
Belvidere, IL 61008
Res: (815) 332-2395 Bus: (815) 544-3141
SECRETARY
Nancy Vettore
1219 W. 4th Street
Belvidere, IL 61008
Res: (815) 547-6905 Bus: (815) 544-9455
DEKALB - CHANGE MEETING TIME
5:45 PM
PAGE 38
GALENA - CHANGE MEETING TIME
11:45 AM
PAGE 38
LASALLE - NEW SECRETARY
Dale Tieman Dale
737 Gooding Street
LaSalle, IL 61301
Res: (815) 224-4705 Bus: (815) 223-8387
PAGE 43
QUAD CITIES - CHANGE PRESIDENT'S DATA
Robert E. Rapsilber Bob
2209 E. Lombard Street Margaret
Davenport, IA 52803-2043
Res: (319) 326-6483 No business phone