Home Page | Rotary Club of Kishwaukee Sunrise (DeKalb)

Our club is proud to share how we've been helping our community!

1. Provided $10,000 in grant money in support to children, youth and families in DeKalb County to the three local non-profits

2. Donated $2,075 and over $650 in new toys to the Salvation Army for use in Christmas support of local families

3. Volunteered a day at the Salvation Army bell ringing station at HyVee

4. Covered a local Meals on Wheels route for 2 months

5. Adopted two families through the Family Service Agency and purchased Christmas gifts for their children

6. Purchased 27 new children's books and donated them to the DeKalb Public Library

7. Contributed to a wider effort to provide $15,000 worth of books to two Ukrainian Village schools in Chicago

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Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club

Serve to Change Lives

We meet In Person

Tuesdays at 7:00 AM

Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group

1957 DeKalb Avenue
Sycamore, IL 60178
United States of America

We meet every other Tuesday, starting January 9, 2024.

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Kishwaukee Rotarians Help Expand a Pre-School

The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club obtained a Rotary District 6420 Foundation grant to help the Federated Church in Sycamore, IL open an additional pre-school daycare classroom to meet the growing demand in the area by both single parent and two wage-earner families for these services. The Federated Church has provided high quality care since 1968 and wanted to convert another classroom to these services so contacted KSR for assistance in raising funds.

Rotary District 6420 provided matching funds ($1,496) so that KSR could provide the Church with a total of $ 2,996 to purchase sleep cots, a play kitchen, and other equipment for 30 preschoolers who will use the classroom daily. In turn, several KSR club members helped Bobbi Clough, preschool center director, assemble and place the equipment in the classroom. The church also received donations from other organizations in the community.

The KSR club works with various community agencies to finance local programs by hosting a variety of programs such as Taste of DeKalb, a Whiskey History and Tasting Event, among other events. The funds are then shared with local agencies on a competitive basis. In addition, KSR ranks high among clubs in its annual contributions to the Polio Plus programs. The club also helps VAC with its Meals on Wheels Program, participates in Feed My Starving Children, provides scholarships to students from DeKalb HS, Sycamore HS, and KEC, and works with other community sponsored programs.

Wait....Santa was at a Rotary Meeting?

The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club of Sycamore/DeKalb held its holiday gathering with a breakfast on December 12th at Faranda’s Banquet Center in DeKalb. Club members brought gifts estimated at $650 or more to support the Toys of Tots program of the Salvation Army. Participating club members also made cash donations of $1,300 plus matching funds to support other Salvation Army initiatives. The gifts and donations (about $2,000) were delivered to the Salvation Army Community Center in Dekalb with the expectation that the cash donations will be match.

Santa and First Elf joined the festivities with club members sharing important moments for them in past Christmases, what the Sunrise Kishwaukee Club has meant to them over the years, and how they have personally gained from these experiences. The event was very uplifting and demonstrated how meaningful camaraderie and fellowship can be. Club members also brought gifts (about $650) for a family in need (four children and another on the way) to brighten their Christmas time. This has become an annual tradition for KSR Club members.

Community Grant Winners Announced!

The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club recently completed its seventh year of award selections for its annual Community Grant for Children, Youth and Families of DeKalb County. The club raises money each year through the “Taste of DeKalb” event held in September, in conjunction with the Corn Classic Run, to fund an annual $10,000 grant to local non-profit organizations with a project that will directly benefit children, youth, and/or families in the county.

Through sponsorships and donations from the Taste of DeKalb event, the club awarded $10,000 this year to three recipients: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of DeKalb County, Volunteer Action Center (VAC) and the We Care Pregnancy Clinic. Grant dollars will be used by CASA for materials to expand their advocate training capabilities. The VAC will use the money to fund new bags for their Meals on Wheels program, and the We Care Pregnancy Clinic will be be expanding their space and materials for clients participating in the Earn While You Learn program. The CASA project targets youth, the VAC targets the elderly and infirm and the pregnancy clinic aims to help expecting and young mothers and their support network. We were exceptionally pleased with the scope of reach of this year's grant dollars!

Our club is proud of the fact that over the past seven years we've been able to put over $60,000 into the local community's efforts to meet needs of children, youth and families. If you would like to be part of something with such an important impact, email us at kishwaukeesunriserotary@gmail.com for more information.

Paul Harris +3!!!

Our club was honored to have our District Governor, Dave Emerick, attend our October 31st meeting to present two club members with their Paul Harris +3 pins! A Rotary member becomes a Paul Harris Fellow after donating $1,000 over their lifetime to the Rotary Foundation. A new level is attained with each subsequent $1,000 increment. Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary Club members Norman Walzer and Kenda Jeske each received their Paul Harris +3 pins. Over the past 100 years, the Rotary Foundation had donated over $3 billion to life-changing efforts around the world. Congratulations to Norman and Kenda and thanks to DG Emerick for making the trip to Sycamore for the presentation! Pictured above (left to right) is our club Foundation Chair, Jim MacMurdo, Norman Walzer, Kenda Jeske and DG Dave Emerick. Also pictured (below) are all the Paul Harris Fellows in the club (that were present that day) - what a generous group!!

Whiskey & Scholarships!

The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary partnered with the Sycamore Whiskey Club to raise funds for their high school senior scholarship program on May 20th. The event was called "A Taste through History" and featured tastings of Old Forrester whiskeys which spanned their history beginning in 1870. Over 100 people attended the event where a taco bar was provided and raffle for various items donated by local businesses, to include Byers Brewing Company, Whiskey Acres and Chelsea McGhee Studios. Funds raised from the event will go towards expanding the Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary's scholarship program which currently provides scholarships to one student each from Sycamore High School, DeKalb High School and the Kishwaukee Education Consortium.

The scholarships are geared towards students who have overcome incredible odds to graduate from high school and are looking to continue their educational journey in some way beyond high school. Currently the scholarship is a one-time payment to be applied to the first year of schooling, but thanks to the money raised at this event, the club plans to make this a 2-year scholarship to help students make it past that first year and continue to completion. The club would like to thank all members of the Sycamore Whiskey Club for their willingness to partner and contribute to this important cause.

Kishwaukee Sunrise International Service

International Service Spotlight: Jane Adeny Memorial School for Girls

One of the goals of nearly every Rotary club is to have both a community and international service focus. Often, community service needs are readily apparent and are very fulfilling to participate in. International service, on the other hand, can seem daunting and difficult to arrange, particularly for smaller clubs. This short article highlights how one club leveraged a member’s connections to participate in international service.

The Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary is proud to have Dr. Andrew Otieno as a member. Andrew is originally from Kenya and along with his wife, Teresa Wasonga, founded the Jane Adeny Memorial School (JAMS), an all-girls boarding school in Kisumu County, Kenya. The school opened in 2011 with 12 students and today has over 160 students and continues to grow. This connection provided an opportunity for the Kishwaukee Sunrise club to incorporate JAMS into their international service efforts. The club was one of several on a District Global Grant that added a water well to the school’s grounds (among other places in Kenya) and also raised its own funds to pay for the installation of solar panels on some of the campus buildings. Some members also support individual scholarships for girls to attend the school. The club hosted one of the school’s graduates as a program speaker in 2019.

Due to the incredible success of the school, JAMS continues to grow and more work is needed. Clubs who may also be interested in partnering with JAMS for international service projects, both large and small, can contact their US-based non-profit organization, Friends of JAMS, for more information. The President of their Board of Directors is Diana Swanson and she can be reached at dianaswanson@JAMSKenya.org. Friends of JAMS could also be a program speaker for District 6420 clubs interested in hearing more. Additional information about JAMS can be found at https://janeadenyschool.online/ and information about Friends of JAMS can be found at https://jamskenya.org/.

Why Join Rotary?

You may be checking out this website because you're considering Rotary - GREAT! You've come to the right place. Below are 10 good reasons you should consider joining us.

Service Opportunities
Club members have many opportunities for humanitarian service, both locally and internationally. Service programs address such concerns as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment. Rotarians experience the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community. At Kishwaukee Sunrise, we endeavor to provide a $10,000 community grant EVERY YEAR. This money goes directly towards helping children, youth and families in DeKalb County. Internationally, we support the Jane Adeny Memorial School for girls in Kenya. We raised and donate funds for this because we know that educating young women is one way to bring prosperity and advancement to any community, region and country (and the world!).

Professional Networking
A founding principle of Rotary was to meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and enlarge one’s circle of business, community and professional acquaintances. As the oldest service club in the world, Rotary club members represent a cross-section of the community’s owners, executives, managers, political leaders, and professionals – People who make decisions and influence policy. Our club members are invested in the community and are the type of people who can "get things done."

International Awareness
With more than 34,000 clubs in over 200 countries & geographical areas, Rotarians gain an understanding of humanitarian issues through international service projects and exchange programs. One of Rotary’s highest objectives is to build goodwill and peace throughout the world.

Friendship
Rotary was founded on fellowship, an ideal that remains a major attraction of membership today. Club members enjoy the camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and club projects offer additional opportunities to develop enduring friendships. Rotary club members who travel have friendly contacts in almost every city in the world. Have you ever met Diane Hammon? Join us for one meeting and you'll know what we mean by friendship.

Good Citizenship
Weekly Rotary club programs keep members informed about what is taking place in the community, nation, and world and motivated to make a difference. Each week we have a presenter, many of whom share news about relevant events and activities going on in our own back yard.

Supporting the Development of Youth
Rotary sponsors one of the world’s largest youth exchange programs in the world. We also help run a leadership camp for high schoolers in our region every May. At our club, we additionally fund three scholarships for AMAZING students from DeKalb and Sycamore high schools and the Kishwaukee Education Consortium who have overcome incredible challenges and strive to build a new life for themselves through higher education.

Entertainment
Social activities give Rotarians a chance to let loose and have fun. Every Rotary club and district hosts parties and social activities that offer diversions from today’s demanding professional and personal schedules. Conferences, conventions, assemblies, and social events provide entertainment as well as Rotary information, education, and service.

Ethical Environment
Encouraging high ethical standards in one’s profession and respect for all worthy vocations has been a hallmark of Rotary from its earliest days. In their business and professional lives, Rotarians abide by The Four-Way Test:

Of the things we think, say or do:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Leadership Development
Rotary is an organization of successful professionals. Team building, fundraising, public speaking, planning, organization, and communication are just a sampling of the leadership skills that club members can exercise and enhance. Being a Rotary leader provides further experience in learning how to motivate, inspire, and guide others. Members can participate in the three day Rotary Leadership Institute courses offered at various times during the year.

Want to be a part of something like this? Join us any Tuesday morning at 7:00 am at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital in conference room 4. Or, if you're not a morning person, the DeKalb club meets on Monday nights at 6:00 pm at the Ellwood House Museum and the Sycamore club meets every Wednesday for lunch (12:00 noon) at Blumen Gardens.

Welcome to Kishwaukee Sunrise Rotary!

Welcome to our Rotary Club!