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

District 6440 Histories 2005
As of March 2005, through the generosity and the grass roots efforts of a caring community, the
Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary has raised, in monetary and in-kind donations, more than $375,000 to
make this dream a reality for an important youth group in the greater Chicagoland area. We were
pleased to present this field to the Roselle Park District and to commit to its support in the years to
come.
2003-04 - Chirag Shah was our president for 2003-04. With an invitation to his beautiful home in St.
Charles, the club enjoyed a wonderful Christmas party. Almost simultaneously, the club presented the
Bloomingdale Township Food Pantry with a check for $2,000. It was one of the largest donations they
had ever received. It was also this year that the Miracle Field was inaugurated and we hosted the
Australian Group Study Exchange (Winery Party). We also enjoyed fellowship by attending the Odd
Couple play, hosted by member Tom Kruse and including acting by member John Butts. The club also
hosted the District Bowling Tournament. For its efforts this year, the club received the District
Governor's Award as well as the District Outstanding Community Service Award, 2003-04.
2004-05 - The Centennial Year. Perhaps the most interesting and appropriate "statement" of the club
this year is a woman president. As president, Linda Zerwin felt honored and humbled at the same time
to be in this role. This demonstrates how far Rotary International has come in meeting the service needs
of the community and showing diversity both locally and as an international organization.
In the Bloomingdale-Roselle Rotary Club, we have concentrated this year on finalizing our Miracle
Field Centennial project. We continue to expand the membership of the club whose goal this year is ten
new members! We are also expanding our community service projects to include fish restocking not
only in Roselle but Bloomingdale Park Districts. We have done this program for the past three years,
inviting school age children to help the club release fish into Turner's Pond in Roselle. We also double
the service to the community by asking the children to bring a non-perishable food donation for the
Bloomingdale Township Food Pantry. This year we will provide the same activity in Bloomingdale.
Along with the donations from the children, we will utilize the District's grant program to provide
$2,000 in gift certificates to the food pantry in $25 increments for the purchase of perishable items by
needy families.
Our Literacy Committee Chairman, Ken Gross, has moved us beyond reading at local schools annually
to the Big Book Drive, which will take place in April 2005. Since this is our first time, our goal is
participation from each of the invited schools in Bloomingdale and Roselle. We are excited to promote
this effort and hope to make this an annual event.
We culminated the Centennial year with a party. The choice to host an international contingent of 45
Rotarians during the June RI Centennial Conference for a night of baseball on the Miracle Field proved
to be the perfect ending of a landmark year. The Western DuPage Special Recreation baseball players
put on a grand game for our guests. Some of our guests were moved to tears by the opportunity that the
Miracle Field allows special needs children. The meal, provided by Tony Spavone's Restaurant, was
exceptional! And, of course, no trip to Roselle is complete without a tour at Lynfred Winery! Thanks to
Fred and his staff for a great place for fellowship.
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