Home Page | Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn

"The Friendliest Club in Rotary"

We meet In Person

Thursdays at 12:00 PM

Glen Oak Country Club

21 W 451 Hill Ave.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
United States of America

Phone:

(630) 309-1851

Email:

glenellynrotary@gmail.com

District Site

Venue Map

Dolly Parton Imagination Library!

Most members of the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn know that we have supported the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. We gave $1,000 for books to help with literacy. Please, give a personal gift through the Glen Ellyn Library or to the quilt raffle fund, both mentioned below....PJ

D41 Kids Foundation, supporting the work of the Glen Ellyn District 41 Schools, with the support of the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn, has established a Dolly Parton Imagination Library serving all children from birth through age 4 who live within the District 41 school boundaries. Free personalized, age-appropriate books are mailed to every registered child each month. The program is free to parents and guardians, being funded solely by the D41 Kids Foundation’s generous donors. Those who qualify can register by going to our website at D41Kids.org.

Ton Van Winkle - "Paul Harris Fellow"

Rotarian Tom Van Winkle receiving his first "Paul Harris Fellow" recognition.

A Paul Harris Fellow is someone who has contributed a particular level of philanthropy at Rotary International Foundation.

Birding with Jeff Reiter

Presenter Jeff Reiter of Cantigny Park (and Glen Ellyn resident), spoke about birding and gave us a birding 101 lesson.

Many varieties of birds are found right here in DuPage County and in our own backyards! Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your love of birds and the art of birding with the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn

Leadership installation - 2021-22 year

Another year and the club not only survived but excelled. Last night the leadership of the club changed hands. Erika Krehbiel is now the Past President and Mark Franz was installed as the President of the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn. As a club we respect and honor those that serve. Many awards were presented to members for their contributions to the success of the last year. Also, six Paul Harris Fellowship awards were presented to members for their donations to the International Foundation. All in all it was very respectful and honoring evening. We can be proud of the good the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn does!

Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission

Christy Truitt, Glen Ellyn Environmental Commission,

visited our club on the same day as the Interactors, so we had a very full program.

It was a good way to get back into full participation in club interests after a time of regrouping after the restricted last year.

I am including some resources that Christy provided for our use.

The Interact Club of Glenbard West

The Interact Club of Glenbard West succeeds in spite of the challenges of the last year!

Our club is privileged to sponsor the Interact Club at Glenbard West High School. The President of the club 2020/21, Anna Burrus, and two other club officers presented us a program highlighting the success for the club despite the odds against them in a year of quarantine:

They were able to accomplish a few projects and organizational changes: Birthday In A Box
Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Drive
Valentine’s For Vets
Christmas Cards
Gratitude Day
Board elections

The incoming Interact Club officers and Senior Advisor, Anna, (that is her title in her Senior year to help the new President make the transition) and club school Adult Glenbard West Advisor Jim Kelly, who was present at our club meeting as well have already chosen 8 priorities for the 2021/22 year so they can get a running start....Congratulations to the Interactors of 2020/21 for their perseverance and dedication to the causes of Rotary International.....PJ

Rotarian Scott Park, Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn Youth Advisor, and Jim Kelly, Adult Glenbard West Advisor,

with three of the officers of the Interact Club of Glenbard West.

Frida Kahlo presentation as a start of the celebration!

Rotarian Penny Belke presenting President Erika Krehbiel with a memento marking the Frida Kahlo celebration in Glen Ellyn this summer. Several Rotary clubs in the local area are partnering to sponsor one of the rooms displaying art and memorabilia about polio.

Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn shines through the last year!

In spite of circumstances of this past year, the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn has surpassed it 's past generosity.

The friends of the club came through with gusto. Socially, we made the best of it. We gathered in a parking lot for a meeting, we used ZOOM to stay in communication and we doubled down on fundraising. We raise around $45,000. Yet we dispersed almost $83,540!
- $2,000 we gave to polio eradication
- $1,000 Shelter Box (disaster relief)
- $5,000 to a Veterans Park Project in Copenhagen, Demark (international)
- $18,000 to student at Glenbard West and Glenbard South for college scholarships,
- $10,000 for vocational scholarships for two years with funds provided by the Bryant Fund
- $18,000 in local non-profit grants to about 15 organizations
- $2,500 to the local school districts.

To top it off we made a grant of $25,000 to the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry for construction and renovation of the home they will be moving to in December. And then another matching district grant to the pay for "Snack Packs" of which we helped pack and awarded another $1,540 for the food in the packs.

I almost forgot, we provided money and man power to the Jr. Woman's Club of Glen Ellyn for Christmas presents and food. We also helped sort and distribute the food.

In addition we participated using Designated District Funds (DDF) on two international projects. One in India and one in Colombia, partnering with Rotary Club of River City.

This is success! This is serving! This is "Service Above Self" and we had fun doing it....PJ

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Grant Presentation

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry Grant Presentation

Rotary District 6440 and the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn strive to serve others. They have undertaken and participated in many endeavors over the years, but in this case they chose to support us. Laura Glaza, Pantry Executive Director (left), and Paula Nugent, Pantry Board President (right), were proud to accept their generous donation this week, represented here by Rotarian Kathy Borello Oldham, Sarah Oldham, and Rotarian Paul Keenon. The funds are a matching grant with the club and Rotary District 6440.

This amazing support will make a difference for the Pantry's backpack program for children at risk of hunger. We are thankful to both groups, and are proud of all of the great work they do in our community!

For those of you who have never been to the food pantry, below are a few photos....PJ

Bruno Inductions

At our "Big Wheel" fundraiser another momentous occasion took place. District Governor Lyle Staab inducted two new members. They are a shared membership. Lynn Bruno was inducted as an active member and her husband Robert was inducted as an Honorary member. Together they are the Bruno shared membership. Their membership brings the club total to 41 Active members and 8 Honorary members (shared) = 49 members. Club President Erika Krehbiel welcomes the Bruno's.

"Big Wheel Event" - We are back!

Big Wheel:...We are back! The Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn held its second largest fundraiser last night. It was a great success.

"Dragonflies and Damselflies" - Cindy Crosby

"Dragon Flies and Damselflies"

Cindy Crosby gave us and overview of the differences and similarities as well as their benefit to the bio sphere.

Glen Ellyn Food Pantry - Grant Award

Paula Nugent, President of the Board of the Glen Ellyn Food Pantry attend our meeting to receive the pledged funding that we promised to the pantry. $25,000.

The Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn will be honored by having the "Community Room" named for our club.

We did it again!

Once again! Two clubs in co-operation for the good of the community.

The Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn and the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn

have come together at the United Methodist Church to pack about 150 "snack packs" for families that need a little fun food once in a while.

Penny Linneweh, Kiwanis, Glen Scott, Kiwanis, Penny Belke, Rotarian, and Dawn Bussey, Rotarian organize us and facilitate the pack.

This time there were 8 Rotarians and 2 Kiwanis of us jammed into this little room but it made it all the more fun...PJ

Glenbard West - INTERACT

As members of our Rotary club, here is something that you should and may want to know!

We have an Interact club at Glenbard West High School.

What is an Interact Club you may ask?

We Traveled! With Elizabeth (Beth) Clower

We Traveled! With Elizabeth (Beth) Clower

Beth has take in us halfway around the world with her twice.

She is the Instruction Librarian and Business Liaison, with the Glen Ellyn Public Library.

She helped us in vision the travels to these exotic locals thorough the very experienced and knowledgeable eyes of a seasoned traveler...Traveling to South East Asia is not a trip for the faint of heart. First to Singapore and then to Bhutan. Beth shared many of the cultural differences she experienced living in Singapore and visiting Bhutan. I am going to let some of the photos tell the story. Please keep in mind these were taken of the screen through ZOOM.

Republic of Singapore,

Is a sovereign island city-state in maritime South-East Asia

Population - 2019 estimate - 5,703,600

Buddhism (33.0%)

Christianity (18.0%)

Islam (14.0%)

Taoism and folk religion (10.0%)

Hinduism (6.5%)

Sikhism or Other religion (0.6%)

None (18.5%)

Big Wheel 2021

It's time for Big Wheel

Helping Hands - Snack Pack Packing

This week the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn members worked a joint project to provide snack packs for Glen Ellyn District 47 students. The primary group who's project we helped on is the Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn. This is not our first cooperative project with their club and it won't be the last. We have another date set aside, February 18, 2021. Please put this date on your calendar. One of many ways our team and others in the Village of Glen Ellyn pull together to provide for the community...PJ

Kiwanis Club of Glen Ellyn

Chartered in 1954

Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn

Chartered 1943

Early Childhood Literacy

Our speaker was Richard Rosen, District 6440 Literacy Chair. His presentation was both melancholy and hopeful.

He laid out the thoughts behind saving a child from a life of poverty and crime.

"Early Childhood Literacy"

Print awareness, print motivation, narrative skills, vocabulary, and letter acknowledgement are the basic components of early childhood literacy.

Children can be abused in very insipid ways that scar as deeply as physical abuse and literacy is one of the keys to escape.

Along with the literacy parents are another key to lifting children out of limiting circumstances.

They must take part in influencing children to develop these skills.

Richard gave us back ground information pertaining to successes that children have when reading before 4th or 5th grade. He gave us resources to reach goals for the children.

This is a presentation worthy of our attention....PJ

Successful - Annual Citrus Sale

In October the Rotary Club of Glen Ellyn set in motion our annual citrus sale. The sales were abysmal at first, but the momentum built to a brisk pace in late November and the direct donations as well as our a citrus purchases picked up. One anonymous donor gave $6,000. Many others gave smaller but significant direct donations. These donations provide 100% profit, therefore the money goes so much further to help local non-profits and 14 scholarships to Glenbard South and West students as well as some vocational scholarships. Then the citrus sales picked up in early December and by the last day of sales we surpassed our goal for sales and donations. We are so thankful to all our members and those that support our "Citrus Sale." We are thankful to Wheaton Rotarian Sean Nelsen and the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards students who helped deliver citrus to large purchasers. The Village Links in Glen Ellyn provided the use of their maintenance shed to store the fruit over night and then the Club entrance portico to use for purchasers to drive by to pick up the fruit.....This made Christmas hopeful for many families and students.

Tail Gate: - Christmas Cookie Meeting

Tail Gate:

Rotarian Penny Belke made a big hit with the tail gate Rotary meeting she planned and executed for us in the parking lot of Alfie's Restaurant in Glen Ellyn. Alfies's accommodated us with their famous cheese burgers and fries in the middle of the lot. Penny gave a plate of home made cookies to each member in attendance. Merry Christmas!

It was our annual meeting to elect and ratify our club board. Previous to the regular meeting we had a meeting of our Foundation Board. The discussion revolved around the financial report and a possible international project with a club in Copenhagen Denmark, suggested by Peter Zeuthen.

Rotarian Mark Franz was elected President and his board nominations were ratified for the 2021/22 year.

27 members and guests attend the tail gate meeting in person and about 6 joined us by Zoom. This was the best attended meeting since the covid 19 lock down in March.

So what's happening for Christmas?

Our annual Christmas food packing project for the Jr. Woman's Club of Glen Ellyn was curtailed to ten people in the building as a result of the covid situation. We packed food packages for about 50 families that will be distributed with gifts to elderly and families in Glen Ellyn.

Another curtailed activity is our Christmas gift wrapping for other families in the community. Our gift wrap for those wishing for a Christmas season with grace, hope and love...Merry Christmas!

Each Rotary member purchases gifts for one or two children and we wrap them at our annual wrapping gathering. Not this year! We made the donations but one member, Kathy Borello, purchased and delivered the presents. The money we collected from the members is matched by a Rotary District 6440 grant. These two activities benefit around 100 families. It is our privilege to be able to extend our service to our neighbors.

Citrus Cycle - 2020

Lets do a "wheelie" for citrus. Get peddling and come down the "Village Links" golf course on December 11 or 12th for a marathon sale of fruit.

Thank you to Rotarian Peter Zeuthen for displaying our rolling citrus signs.

Citrus Sale - Our vehicle to helping others!

New Member Installation - Janet Sutherland

Our newest member, and the third in a month, is Janet Sutherland, author, speaker and dog lover.

She is a consultant with Sutherland Media Broadcasting & Media Production Company

Paul J. Keenon Assistant District Governor for District 6440 and Glen Ellyn Rotarian along with Penny Belke, performed the induction at our last meeting. Of course it was hybrid with Janet at her office and some of the members at the Glen Oak Country Club.

Please welcome Janet to the club. At the time of induction she was the newest member of Rotary in the entire world.