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Wednesdays at 12:10 PM

First Gateway Credit Union

200 N. Base Street
MORRISON, IL 61270-3042
United States of America

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Morrison Rotary welcomes September Students of the Month

The Morrison Rotary club welcomed MHS seniors Madison Krum and Caden Bielema, our September 2023 Students of the Month.

Madison Krum

Madison is the daughter of Mark and Chris Krum. She has been involved in Student Council, B.L.I.N.D., band, choir, FFA, musical theater and she was selected to the National Honor Society. Her community activities include President of the Cottonwood 4-H, plus serving on the Whiteside County Federation and Whiteside County Shooting Sports. She is also active in her church. Her hobbies include archery, scrapbooking, drawing, watching movies and playing and listening to music. Her future plans are to attend Sauk for 2 years and then transfer to UI- Champaign or UIC to major in Mathematics or Statistics and minor in Business Economics or Ag Business with a goal to be a Quantitative Analyst.

Caden Bielema

Caden is the son of Cory and Jennifer Bielema. He has participated in the scholastic bowl this year and he played a role in the 2023 school play. He had been active in FFA and the student council. He also played golf in his freshman year. He was selected to the National Honors Society and he is proud to have worked at Sullivan’s’ for the past 2 years. His hobbies include playing and designing board games, video games, and listening to music while walking. His plan is to attend a college where he can continue to work in game design.

Morrison Rotary welcomes Senator Win Stoller

Citing some encouraging words from his father, Senator Win Stoller challenged the Morrison Rotarians to always seek a new personal goal, even if it scares you. He recently completed an Iron Man competition in Madison WI where he was challenged to the limits of his body. It was very inspirational. Thank you Senator Stoller. Pictured below is President Scott Vandermyde (on the left) and Senator Stoller.

Highway Road Clean up July 2023

Thanks to some keen work with a timer on Brad's phone we were able to capture the whole Morrison Rotary clean up crew (less Don Jevne who arrived early). Our crew found a TV remote control, cell phone, credit card and a lot of other less valuable items. Participating in the highway 30 clean up on July 19 was (l-r) Jim Camp (who by the way DOES NOT look like his 84 years young), Michael Blean, Kevin Schisler, Dr. John Tomasino Jr., Road Commissioner in charge Stan Steines, one-night honorary Rotarian Grace Steines, Kathy Schmidt, Mick Welding, Dave Abele, Tanner Girard, Karl Kovarik and Dr. Brad Yaklich. We do want to recognize 3 members who were not able to join us- Dan Vandermyde (home recovering), and long time Road Clean Up Chairmen Mark Schuler and Merle Reisenbigler. A toast in their honor was made at the Double G refreshment center afterwards. Thank you to all Rotarians who turned out to make our community a cleaner place to live!

Pollinator Plot Clean up

The Morrison Rotary Club tackled weeds and some overgrowth in the Pollinator plot. We were assisted by Master Gardener Kelly West and our fearless leader Don Jevne. Assisting with weeding were (l-r) Kelly West, Rotarians Josh West, Stan Steines, Kevin Kuehl, Karl Kovarik, Don Jevne and Dan Vandermyde pictured in the back. We were so pleased by the growth of the pollinator plants and the appearance of so many bees buzzing around .

Morrison Rotary awards Scholarships

The Morrison Rotary club awarded $5000 in scholarships to the following students:

Pictured left-right

MIT $500- Paul Wagenecht

All Around Female- $1,250 Taylor Swanstrom

All Around Male- $1,250- Zayden Boonstra

Citizenship- $1,000- Mark Cypers

Not pictured: Sauk Valley College Sponsorship- $500- Landri Harmon

AG Scholarship- $500-Marissa Folkers

April 2023 Students of the Month

Morrison Rotary April Students of the Month

The Morrison Rotary club would like to recognize two Students of the Month for April 2023.

Gina Lee

Gina is the daughter of Matt and LuEllen Lee. She participated in volleyball (3 years),

Track (1 year), Student Council (3 years), Key Club (1 year), Prom Committee (1 year) and she was selected for the National Honor Society this year. Gina was previously involved with the Cottonwood 4H club which her mom directed for many, many years. She stays active by baking, fishing and hanging with friends. Next year’s plans are to attend Cornell College in Mt. Vernon and major in Elementary Education and a minor in Pre-law.

Carter Behrens

Carter is the son of David and Amie Behrens. He has participated in basketball and golf and he was a B.L.I.N.D leader and also a member of the National Honor Society. He has volunteered at the Whiteside County Fair and he is a math tutor. His hobbies are basketball, volleyball and of course, video games. His future plans are to attend Illinois State University with a major in the medical field.

Earth Day 2023 Bag handout

To celebrate Earth Day 2023 Rotarians handed out recyclable shopping bags at Sullivans Grocery Store in Morrison and on the City-wide Recycling Day at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds. Pictured here at Sullivans are Rotarians Kevin Kuehl, Rich Groleau, and Lynette Damhoff and at the Fairgrounds Kathy Schmidt (l) and Carrie Melton (handing a bag to a driver). Carrie and Kathy were brave enough to stand in snow and sleet to hand out bags while Kevin, Rich, and Lynette had more favorable conditions. Rotarians handed out 300 recycling bags. Thank you to Kathy for putting this all together and to the Rotary club who purchased all the bags.

Earth Day Project 2023

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary's people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. We are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end. Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. That is why the Morrison Rotary Club is handing out fabric grocery bags on Earth Day, Saturday, April 22, at Sullivan’s and at the Whiteside County Fairgrounds at the Lions Club Recycling Event. They have purchased 300 bags to be given until gone in an effort to remove plastic from our garbage and help the environment.

Pictured with a sample of the bags are Rotarians Mark Schuler and Kathy Schmidt. Do your part and come to Sullivan’s or the recycling event to pickup a grocery bag.

April 5 program City Administrator Brian Melton

Rotarian Carrie Melton introduced her husband Brian who was hired 6 months ago as the new Morrison City Administrator. Brian summarized some projects that have been completed since his hire including water infrastructure projects and improvements to the sports complex playing fields. In addition he mentioned some projects yet to come including more water projects, street improvements on Jackson and Heaton Streets and the DOT's repair of highway 78 south. Brian complimented his support team at City Hall and the quality of employees we have on board. Brian also commented on the on-going installation of fiber internet in our residents.

Thanks for a great program Brian.

We welcome new member Rich Groleau

The Morrison Rotary Club welcomed new member Rich Groleau. Rich is the Director of Facilities at Sauk Valley Community College. Rich was presented his membership packet and his badge by his sponsor Dave Abele. Welcome aboard Rich!

March Students of the Month

The Morrison Rotary club recognized two Morrison High School students as our March 2023 Students of the Month. The first is Annie Dykstra daughter of Brandi Renkes and Darren Dykstra. She is involved in the education bound program through the high school, loves to spend time with children, is going to UW-Platteville for early education. She does babysitting and volunteering at Northside and Southside schools.

Aiden Dolieslager is the son of Angela Reamer and Mitch Dolieslager. He is involved in sports at the high school, is taking classes at WACC and is interested in possibly doing welding, mechanics or military after he graduates.

Congratulations to Annie and Aiden!

Smoke Alarms Save Lives!

Smoke alarms save lives! Working smoke alarms can cut the risk of death from home fires in half. That’s why we’re rallying volunteers, fire departments and partners to Sound the Alarm. The American Red Cross and the Morrison Fire Department are installing FREE smoke alarms in your community. Request a smoke alarm installation today!

Morrison, IL

Saturday, March 25th, 2023, 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM

To sign up for a Free smoke alarm installation visit https://tinyurl.com/MorrisonILSmokeAlarms or call 815-963-8471, extension 7.

For information on volunteering with the event, go to SoundTheAlarm.org or email NWILalarminstall@redcross.org

Mike Zurn receives Paul Harris +1 award

The Morrison Rotary Club would like to congratulate Mike Zurn for attaining the rank of Paul Harris plus 2 which means he has donated $2,000 to the Paul Harris Foundation. Your generosity is much appreciated Mike! Pictured here is Foundation Chair Dave Abele on the right presenting Mike with his pin.

Steve Siefken Program

The Morrison Rotary Club listened to a very thoughtful and emotional presentation by Mr. Steve Siefken. Steve served in the Navy Intelligence Division. His dad also served in the Armed Forces. So when Steve was asked to participate in the recent Honor Flight he did so as a former serviceman and professional photographer. Steve placed pictures around the room depicting landmarks in Washington DC plus some very personal photos that really brought out emotions. Steve noted his favorite part, but the most emotional part, was reading "mail call" letters on the plane that were hand written by his family members. Steve is pictured here with a hat he wore in the service plus the hat his dad wore in combat. Thank you Steve for an emotionally charged presentation!

John Prange receives Paul Harris award

John Prange, pictured on the left, receives a Paul Harris + 2 award from Rotarian Dave Abele. John has contributed over $3,000 to this valuable foundation. Paul Harris founded one of the very first Rotary clubs in Chicago in 1905. His philanthropy efforts have helped fund projects such as:

Vocational training for teachers establishing an early childhood education center in South Africa
Water filters, toilets, and hygiene training to prevent fluorosis, diarrhea, and other diseases in India
A scholarship for a medical professional in Italy to research treatments that minimize mortality rates among premature babies
Peace-building seminars for 200 teachers and 1,300 students in Uganda
Treated mosquito nets and medical services that prevent malaria in Mali

Congratulations JP!

February 2023 Students of the Month

February 2023 Rotary Students of the Month Marissa Folkers and Logan Baker

Marissa is the daughter of Scott and Andrea Folkers. She has been active in softball, cross country, basketball, volleyball FFA, student council and she was elected to the National Honor Society. She has participated in 4-H for 9 years. She loves softball and enjoys her travel softball team. After graduation she plans to attend University of Wisconsin Platteville and study plant and soil science and agribusiness. She will also play on the softball team. Her ultimate goal is to be an agronomist.

Logan is the son of Jason and Krista Baker. He loves to work out and lift weights which is why he served as captain of both the football and wrestling teams. He also participated in B.L.I.N.D and Building Trades at WACC. In addition he was elected to the National Honor Society. He has volunteered at the Kiwanis sandwich sales, Whiteside Fair electronics recycling, Flag Football coach and assisted with the wrestling team pancake sale. Future plans would be to attend a D-3 college and play football.

Rotarians learn about the B.L.I.N.D program

Morrison Rotary learns about B.L.I.N.D. program

Our Rotarians were treated to a presentation outlining the Building Lasting Impressions that Never Die (B.L.I.N.D) program. Our presenters were Melissa Landes, Student Council Leader and Jennifer Stevenson, Librarian at Morrison High School. What started in Sterling and Newman schools has now blossomed into 4 additional schools including Fulton, Morrison, Prophetstown and Rock Falls. Juniors and seniors in each of these schools apply to be leaders. Once the leaders are chosen a 2 day training in August prepares these kids leadership, team-building, community service skills and training to help freshmen transition into high school. IN September a retreat is held at Westwood with kids from every school. Last year just short of 500 kids participated! The kids learned team-building skills while building spaghetti towers and playing blind dodge ball. They also learn and practice the 40 developmental assets for teens. Each year the students write valentine cards for Nursing Home residents and they also send cards to military veterans on Veterans Day. We are so fortunate in Morrison that 14 students served as leaders last year to help freshman students acclimate to high school and find projects that make our community a better place!

Rotarian Dr. Brad Yaklich wanted each student to know that local Rotary clubs are looking for talented students to participate in college Rotary programs such as Rotaract.

Thank you ladies again for educating us on such a wonderful program.

January 2023 Students of the Month

The Morrison Rotary Club announces our January 2023 Students of the Month

Congratulations to our Morrison High School Students of the Month- Katie Eggemeyer and Taylor Swanstrom.

Katie is the daughter of Steve and Jean Eggemeyer. She is a member of Key Club, National Honor Society, B.L.I.N.D and Student Council. She also cheers for the football team. Her hobbies are reading and baking. She has been very active in 4-H. Her plans after graduation are to attend Sauk Valley College for pre-requisites and then transfer to Carl Sandburg or Rock Valley to major in Dental Hygiene.

Taylor is the daughter of Andrew and Monica Swanstrom. She has been a member of Key Club for 3 years, National Honor Society, B.L.I.N.D and she is a member of student council. She is also an Illinois State Scholar. Taylor has also participated in basketball for 2 years and she was a football cheerleader. She loves to dance and cheer when she is not reading or crocheting while watching Netflix. She plans to go to Augustana to study Biology and major in Pre-Med.

Paul Harris recipients

Congratulations to Paul Harris recipients (left to right) Dr. Richard Vandermyde, Dr. Brad Yaklich and Kevin Schisler. Presenting the Paul Harris pins is Morrison Rotary Foundation Chair Dave Abele. Thank you gentlemen for your commitment to Rotary and the Paul Harris Foundation!

Jimmy Buffett concert

The Morrison Rotary club was blessed by a stop from the one and only Jimmy (Brad) Buffett (Yaklich). Despite snowflakes falling in the background we really all felt that Margaritaville was warmer and closer than we could imagine. For more information on Brad's world tour contact brad@icanseeclearlynow.com

MHS November Students of the Month

Morrison Rotary November Students of the Month

Marissa Wadsworth

Marissa is the daughter of Jeff and Cindy Wadsworth. She is active in student council, B.L.I.N.D. and pom pons. She loves to dance especially at Jennifer’s’ Dance Studio. She also loves to bake. Her plans are to attend college to obtain a degree in Biology with plans to pursue a career in the medical field. Sounds like mom is a great influence!

Mark Cyphers

Mark is the son of Olga and Michael Krueger. He has been involved in several activities at MHS including Key Club, Student Council, Cross Country and Track (4 years), Quiz Bowl and Band (3 years) and Basketball, Tennis and National Honor Society (2 years). He has volunteered a total of 95 hours cleaning up Eagle Point Park, putting up flags at the cemetery, filling backpacks for Ukrainian refugees, installing mulch at Dog Park and co-coaching at K-8 summer tennis program. He loves playing tennis and weight lifting. He is a huge New York Jets fan. His favorite topic is weather and the short/long term effects it has on the world. His passion is to attend either IA. State, Northern IL, Oklahoma or Texas A & M and obtain a degree in meteorology.

October 2022 Students of the Month

Morrison Rotary October Students of the Month

Landri Harmon

Landri is the daughter of Paul and Jamie Harmon. She has been active in swimming on the Seahorse Swim Club, High School Swim Team (4 years) and Assistant Swim Coach. She has been on the Student Council and Key Club for 4 years and she is a member of the National Honor Society. She loves designing and planning art projects which has been displayed on Paint the Town windows for 6 years. She loves reading, swimming and hanging with friends. Next year she plans to go to SVCC for 2 years and then onto NIU to pursue graphic design with a major in Advertising and Marketing.

Hannah Zinke

Hannah is the daughter of Ryan and Melissa Zinke. She has been involved in BLIND, Student Council, FFA, Cheer, Drama, Band, Choir and is a National Honor Society member. She is a member of 4-H, the 4-H Federation and JDC Dancer. She loves to play the ukulele and cello. Hannah raises dairy heifers and shows them at County Fairs. She would love to pursue a degree in Elementary Education at a 4 year state school.

Morrison Rotary donates a new Pollinator Garden

A few weeks ago Morrison Rotarian Dr. Dick Vandermyde introduced Christopher Stein, Chief, Heritage Areas and Large Landscape Initiatives National Park Service, Interior Regions 3- 5. Christopher introduced our Rotary Club to the Bee and Butterfly Fund Seed a Legacy program. He discussed how dependent on bees, butterflies and other insects to pollinate plants to provide the foods we eat every day. Christopher noted “One out of every three bites of food you eat exists because of the efforts of pollinators, including many fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Pollinators not only are necessary for our own food, but support the food and habitat of animals” In addition he noted “In the United States alone, pollination by honey bees contributed to over $19 billion of crop production in 2010, while pollination by other insect pollinators contributed to nearly $10 billion of crop production”

In June of 2020 the Rotary International Board of Directors and the The Rotary Foundation Trustees added “supporting the environment” as the 7th Area of Focus. Rotary Board members established a collaborative effort known as Operation Pollination. Operation Pollination recognizes the importance of pollinator habitat both restored and maintained on public and private lands. Through collaboration and outreach, an interconnected mosaic of pollinator habitat interspersed between public and private land will be developed to stabilize and/or increase populations of pollinator species throughout your project area.

The Morrison Rotary Club agreed to join Operation Pollination as their 2021-22 project. The club wrote a District matching grant to fund the project. The Morrison Club voted to contribute $500 toward the project which was double-matched by our local 6420 District. The Morrison City Council agreed to donate up to an acre of land located at Waterworks Park on West Winfield St. An environmentally friendly herbicide was applied to remove grass and weeds from the site. Morrison resident Ron Shank plowed the area in October 2021. He plowed it again in April 2022. Next a grant was written to the Bee and Butterfly Fund Seed a Legacy program for seeds that are native to both bee and butterfly pollinators. Many thanks to Elsa Gallagher for providing 17 lbs. of a variety of clover, lavender hyssop, lemon mint, coneflowers, goldenrod and blackeyed susan seeds at no cost to our club. The garden was planted in late April. A sign was erected to commemorate the Morrison Rotary Clubs dedication to the preservation of pollinators in our area. Many thanks to Christopher Stein, Elsa Gallagher of the BBHF, Dr. Vandermyde for his vision, plus Morrison Rotarians and Rotary District 6420 for providing funds to make this vision a reality!

District Governor Laura Kann visits Morrison

The Morrison Rotary Club hosted District Governor Laura Kann and Assistant District Governor Allen Przysucha on August 24th. Laura's home club is in Princeton IL. She outlined the new strategic plan for District 6420 which strengthens our shared commitment to Rotary’s core values of service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership and is consistent with our Four-Way Test. She also mentioned the new Rotary National President Jennifer Jones from Canada has set a challenge for each member of every local chapter to donate a book to the local library.

It was an honor to host Laura and Allen and to join them to help our District succeed!

Pollinator Plot completed

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