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

District 6440 Histories 2005
included: Providing Thanksgiving dinner for needy family, providing Christmas dinner and gifts to a
needy family, and sending student to World Affairs Seminar in Whitewater, WI each June. Also
provided overhead projector to Wauconda Nursing Home and donated money for their garden. Provided
crafts to the Island Lake Nursing Home and continue to support them when needed.
Contributed money for the stocking of Island Lake, Tent for Boy Scout Troop 90, and supplied trophies
for the NISRA basketball tournament. In 1993 raised money and physically constructed a picnic shelter
in Cook Park for the Park District. Sponsored Explorer Troop 176 in automotive mechanics for two
years.
1992 - Hosted a get acquainted night for the community at Mers Restaurant with astronaut Jim Lovell
the speaker. Each year our big fundraiser has been a Silent Auction held in conjunction with a
Candlelight Town. Another successful fundraiser has been a spring raffle.
1995 - Sponsored Easter Egg Hunt for Wauconda Park District, which will be an annual affair. Donated
money for prizes, and have a judge in the first Venetian Night held in Wauconda July 3.
1995-1996 – Ken Locher, President. Sponsored a local student, Jaclyn Stangler, as a representative to
People to People in Australia. Held a silent auction/dinner fundraiser in September at the local American
legion Hall. Sponsored needy families through food donations at both Thanksgiving and Christmas. The
club continued sponsorship of the Easter egg hung at the park district. Two local students participated at
the World Affairs Seminar. We also began a quarterly donation of $250 to the local food pantry.
1996-97- John Barbini, President. Sponsored a local baseball team for nine- and ten-year-olds.
Purchased a racing wheel chair for the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association. Created a
scholarship program for graduating students for the local high school to include a $500 vocational
scholarship and a $500 bachelors’ degree scholarship. Continued sponsorship of Easter Egg Hunt for
needy families at holiday time, and the Food Pantry. Sponsored a matching grant to help equip an x-ray
room for Moro Leone, Mexico. Received the 1996-1997 Presidential Citation award at the district 6440
Convention. Special note: the Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, in conjunction with the
Wauconda Park District, dedicated the handicapped-accessible fishing pier on Bangs Lake, which will
be known as the Arthur G. Farley Accessible Fishing Pier. This is named after the first president of the
Wauconda Rotary Club, who passed away in November of 1996. The Wauconda club had been
influential in laying the groundwork for the pier under Art’s leadership.
1997-98- Kathy Pullam, President. The club sponsored an applicant for an Ambassadorial scholarship,
but the applicant was not accepted. Contributed to “pathfinder” schools in Rio de Janeiro province in
Brazil. Contributed funds for a “Bicycle for Togo” as a district sponsored project. Due to a business
transfer, our president, Kathy Pullam, resigned on April 1, 1998, and was replace by president-elect Julie
Mayer. The club continued with established community service projects as in past years.
1998-99- Julie Mayer, President. Established a literacy project in conjunction with the local school
district and the Wauconda library to provide equipment and software for teaching English as a second
language. An initial contribution of $500 was made to start the project. We also donated funds for
another local student, David Schwarz, to attend People to People, in New Zealand. Applied for and
received a grant from the Feinstein Foundation to provide funds for the local food pantry. The club
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