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

District 6440 Histories 2005
Westminster Academy, and at an Awards Day. The luncheon continues to draws over 600 students and
parents each year.
Members ring Salvation Army kettle bells each year and have won engraved bell in 1977, 1982, 1985,
1986, 1987, and 1988 from bringing in more than any other Elgin service group. The bell ringing is
supplemented by fines collected during the Christmas season being donated to the Salvation Army kettle
drive as well as voluntary cash contributions by the Club Presidential Classroom Project – Continues
annually to send several local high school students to Washington for several days to give them a better
idea of how our federal government functions. Vocational Scholarships – Provides approximately
$5000 in academic and technical-vocational scholarships each year for Elgin Community College
students. Each year sends high school students to Philadelphia as part of the RYLA project.
Projects:
Club chooses worthy projects each year for contributions: 1960 – Established Community Concern for
Alcoholism $2,000; 1961 – Sailboat for Camp Edwards (YMCA) $2,000; 1962 – Student Aid
Foundation $1,000, station wagon for YMCA $2,610; 1963 – half cost of station wagon for Larkin
Home $1,500, Judson College Grant $800; 1964 – YMCA Building Fund $2,500; 1965 – YMCA
mortgage retirement $1,000, Easter Seal Equipment $1,500.
1966 – St. Joseph Hospital building fund $3,000; 1967 – Student Aid Foundation $2,000, E.C.C. Nurses
Scholarship $1,000, Jobs for Youth (city program) $500; 1968 – Foster Parents, United Fund, misc.,
$570, E.C.C. Nurses Scholarship $1,000; 1969 – Screen, projector, and sound equipment for Hemens
Building $3,411, E.C.C. Nurses Scholarship $2,000, Salvation Army and Rotary playground $2,640.
1970 – E.C.C. Nurses Scholarship $2,000, misc. $1,000; 1971 – Salvation Army and Rotary playground
equipment $1,455, misc. $600, E.C.C. Nurses Scholarship $2,000; 1972 – E.C.C. Nurses Scholarship
$3,000, Salvation Army Rotary playground blacktopping $3,400, misc. $600, Larkin Home (John
Genderson Memorial) $1,009; 1973 – St. Joseph Hospital building fund $3,000, E.C.C. Nurses
Scholarship $2,000, misc. $600, Judson College $1,500, Operation Save $1,500; 1974 – E.C.C. Nurses
Scholarship $2,000, Fox Valley Mental Health Association, Salvation Army Nutritional Aid Program,
and YMCA West-Side Facility $3,000, misc. $750.
1975 – Clock in Elgin mall $3,300; 1976 – Life Pak Unit $5,500; 1977 – Easter Seal Society for
audiovisual equipment $3,864; 1978 – Parlaska Memorial Indian Library $4,000; 1979 – YMCA
$1,000, Summit School $2,000, Fox Valley Mental Health $1,000; 1980 – Boy Scouts $2,000, R.I. 3H
Project $1,500, YMCA $800, Community Crises Center $700.
1981 – Family Service $1,800, YMCA gym mats $1,000, Community Concert for Alcohol and Drugs
$1,000, Rotary Park $1,000; 1982 – Sent nine high school seniors to Washington, D.C. for educational
program $3,000, Mary Lenz (Marquette U. scholarship) $2,000, Scott Sund (Northwestern U.
scholarship) $2,000.
1982 - 83, members distributed weekly federal cheese and butter to $5,491 persons. For many years,
club has hosted honor students from local high schools to meetings. 1983-84 – Club given Paul Harris
Foundation award for highest participations in the 1982-83-scholarship fund.
1984 - 85 – Elgin Community College nursing emergency loan fund started. Nurses scholarship fund
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