Our February 6th program will start at 11:30 AM with lunch on the second floor of the new Rockford Public Library.  After lunch and a short program from Lynn Stainbrook, the Executive Director, we will have a tour of the new library facility. You can park in our usual places and walk across the street, and we will have someone there to tell you where to go.

     Long before Lynn Stainbrook ran public libraries in three different states, she was a 20-something go-to clerk at Waldenbooks, the preeminent shopping mall bookstore of the 1980s.  Stainbrook was a recent college grad, between an English degree and maybe law school. She wasn't quite sure, so she moved back home — Janesville, Wisconsin — and got a few part-time jobs to make some money and keep herself busy as she figured it out. 

     It was a different time. There was no Google. There was no Amazon. If people wanted to find a book — more often than not they went to their local bookstore or area library and started asking questions. Sometimes they knew the title or author, sometimes not. This is where Lynn shined. One after another, they'd come to the store with an idea, and she would lead them through a maze of stacks and shelves in pursuit of their next read or book to gift.  Her feet ached at the end of each shift, but her heart was full. It wasn't long before she knew where she belonged.

     She soon got a full-time job with the Janesville Public Library. She started working the reference desk where she learned about verifiable sources and how to find them on a variety of topics from who holds what public office to how to make musical instruments. At the same time, she went back to school to get her master's degree in library science.

     The job in Janesville led to a job at the Milton Public Library and then the Beloit Public Library before heading to Orville, Ohio; Gurnee, Illinois; Arlington Heights, Illinois; and Green Bay, Wisconsin; before landing the job as Rockford Public Library's executive director in 2014.

     Lynn will talk about the new state-of-the-art facility and explain some of the new features that were not available in the old facility.

     This will be an opportunity to see this new facility.  We would encourage you to invite a guest or prospective member to join us in person.

 

If you want to help out your fellow Rotarians who have been victims of the California wildfires, here are two links:

 

 

 

 

District 5280 is helping with Pacific Palisades fire and 5300 is helping with Eaton Fire victims.

 

You will have to copy and paste the links.

 

PP Pete Runquist presents Alex Kirchner with a Rotary coffee cup.

 

     On January 30th, Alex Kirchner, Chief Meteorologist for WREX, talked about a number of topics related to weather starting off with the status of the weather staff at WREX which was the big elephant in the room.  He didn't know too much that wasn't already reported in the local news, but he still has a job.  He talked about how he comes up with his weather forecasts, climate change, the California wildfires, the snowstorm along the gulf coast, and answered a number of questions.  At times he reverted to a simpler language that he uses when he talks to school kids.  All in all it was an interesting and informative program. 

 

     The Service Above Self Awards will be awarded on Thursday, March 13th. I am already receiving nominations, but if you have someone or an organization that you would like to nominate, please get it in to me by February 13th. We need time to review the nominations and to plan the ceremony. 

     Do you know someone who either has shown great volunteer leadership or who has given generously of their time to many organizations? Maybe they deserve to be recognized for their extraordinary volunteer contributions. The Service Above Self Award is designed to recognize individuals in the Rockford community who have gone "above and beyond" in serving Rockford in a volunteer capacity, people who are making a difference in our community.

     We also recognize a nonprofit organization who has made an expecially great contribution to Rockford in the past year. Are you proud to associated with a special organization? You may want to shine a light on their achievements by nominating that organization for an award.

     Nomination forms are available on the Rockford Rotary website, under the Membership tab. I am happy to help you with your nomination if you so desire. You can contact me at david.byrnes941@gmail.com, or you can call me at 815/670-1737.
 
Thank you,
Dave Byrnes

 

     A gentle reminder that you please pay for your lunch, $150 for December, January, and February. You can pay by credit card or send a check to our treasurer, Monica Glenny. If you bring your own lunch, you can opt out by not paying the $150.00. If you have any questions, or if you only want the lunches for a specific month, please tell Bob Canfield, 815-968-7200 or canfilaw@sbcglobal.net .

 

 

02-06-25 - Rockford Library Tour 

                  Lynn Stainbrook, Executive Director
                  Host - President Mike Foreman

 

02-13-25 - Growing Up with Frank Lloyd Wright

                  Molly Singh

                  Hots - Elise Cadigan 

 

02/20/25 - Committee Meetings

 

02/27/25 - Vocational Talk

                  Tom Huber

 

03/06/25 - State of Education in District 205

                 Ehren Jarrett, Superintendent

                 Host - TBD

 

03/13/25 - Service Above Self Awards

                  Host - David Byrnes

       

 

     Our Club has a number of volunteer opportunities, but some very specific needs that have been identified are listed below, along with the contact information for the person leading the effort.  Please let them know if you would be willing to help in any of these areas.

 

 

“The Rotary Peace Fellowship program came at a point in my life where I wanted to validate my work. Some of the skills I took back from the fellowship include better communication in the nonviolent space. I feel supported by this community and can reach out to any peace fellow in the world.”

— ElsaMarie D’Silva, CEO, Red Dot Foundation