April, 2006 My Fellow Rotarians - Rotary's Global History Fellowship

District 6440 Histories 2005
Bahr won individual awards for each bringing in three new members. This year in April the club also
began its tradition of stocking Turner Pond with fish.
2002-03 - With Rob Burns as president, the club was proud of its response to the polio eradiation
initiative. It was only Rob's first or second meeting as President, and we agreed to hand District
Governor Terry Mueller a check for $4,200 (21 members x $200). This year Rotary International asked
for $300 per member, instead of the “usual” $100, and we did it. Rob gave credit to his predecessors as
some/much of this came from previous earnings. The club was also proud of our response to the
Miracle League presentation in March of 2003 and especially the Spavone concert, where virtually all
members participated. Rob thought it a good thing we “blindly” jumped into that project. Had we ever
stopped and objectively analyzed the financial commitment, he doubted our Miracle Field would have
become reality. Divine intervention and our being in the right place at the right time was key. "Thank
the Lord" for Chicago White Sox contribution of $150,000 and their faith in our effort. As well, special
thanks to all community members who contributed to the Miracle Field project rounding out the
contributions to $375,000!
Our wine/barrel tasting and cheese party was great. On the other hand, fundraising (excepting Miracle
Field) was like pulling teeth. Rob thought programming improved dramatically with Tony Przeklasa's
chairmanship and thanked Tony for his work for the club in that regard.
Major challenges for the club were fundraising and engaging in community service projects requiring
time. Virtually all our membership had to work day jobs, with time tugs from all directions. On the
other hand, many of our Paul Harris Rotarians are company owners, presidents, and CEOs with a little
broader latitude with their time, albeit with possibly even more work.
The Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club's Centennial Project is the Miracle Field in Roselle, Illinois.
The field, part of the National Miracle League and the Miracle League of Illinois, is a ball-playing venue
for children with disabilities to play baseball side by side with non-disabled children. This project had
its beginning over a Rotary Club lunch in March of 2003 featuring a program highlighting the
development of the Miracle Field in Geneva, Illinois. Rotarian Rob Burns, then president, asked if a
Miracle Field could be incorporated in a municipal development project in Roselle.
The Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club spearheaded numerous community meetings enlisting the
support of Roselle Mayor Gayle Smolinski, State Representative Carole Pankau, the Roselle Park
District, Bloomingdale Park District, Medinah Park District, Keeneyville School District 20, Western
DuPage Special Recreation, Northeast DuPage Special Recreation, and a host of community leaders and
business people.
Significant fundraising involved much of the community. The Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club held
a concert featuring local entertainer Tony Spavone. Rotarian Corinne Kehoe and her husband, Frank,
donated the lighting and electrical service for the field and scoreboard. Many other community
members and groups stepped forward to lend support to the project. In October of 2003, the Chicago
White Sox Charities contributed $150,000. Wilson Sporting Goods also contributed athletic equipment
for these youth players.
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