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Welcome! Yaniv Attar RSO's 5th Music Director A native of Israel, Yaniv Attar is the 1st prize winner of the Duna Szimfonikus Conducting Competition Budapest, multiple recipient of the Sir Georg Solti Foundation Award, and the 2009 Bruno Walter Memorial Foundation Award. Attar is the Music Director of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra, the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra, and Artistic Partner with Northwest Sinfonietta. Highlights of past seasons included collaborations with artists such as Alesio Bax, James Ehnes, Tine Thing Helseth, Sharon Isbin, Alex Klein, Jennifer Koh, Johannes Moser and Gil Shaham. Attar was also one of 10 conductors from around the world who were invited to INTERACTION, and conducted an orchestra composed of all of Germany’s top orchestras, including the Berliner Philharmoniker, Konzerthaus Orchestra, German Symphony Orchestra, and the Radio Symphony Orchestra Berlin. Prior to his current music directorships, Attar completed his two years residency as the Assistant Conductor of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, where he conducted nearly 100 performances, and worked extensively with Maestro Justin Brown. Drawn to orchestral conducting from early age, Attar has studied with Israel Edelson in Jerusalem, Virginia Allen at the Juilliard School in New York and Neil Thomson at the Royal College of Music in London, where he was also the Associate Conductor and co-founder of the Tempus Chamber Orchestra. In 2008, Attar earned his Doctor of Music degree from McGill University where he studied under the tutelage of Alexis Hauser. Attar also studied with Kurt Masur, Leonard Slatkin, Janos Fürst, Jorma Panula, Gustav Meier, Johannes Schlaefli, Peter Gülke, Gabor Hollerung, Neil Varon, Carl St. Clair, David Effron, Donald Thulean, and Michael Jurowski. Attar has worked with the Cincinnati Symphony, Duna Szimfonikus Budapest, Dohnanyi Orchestra Budapest, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, Haifa Symphony, Hamburg Symphony, Israel Chamber Orchestra, Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali Milan, Jerusalem Symphony, Lithuanian State Symphony, London Solists Chamber Orchestra, Memphis Symphony, Milwaukee Symphony, Manhattan School of Music Orchestra, Mihail Jora Philharmonic Romania, National Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, Northwest Sinfonietta, Reno Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic , Russe Philharmonic Bulgaria, Salzburg Chamber Soloists, and Virginia Symphony. Attar is also an accomplished classical guitarist. He has studied under Irit Even-Tov, Charles Ramirez and Sharon Isbin, for whom he served as teaching assistant at the Aspen Music Festival from 2003 to 2005. Attar was the first guitarist to win the Aviv Competition Prize in Israel and the Concerto Competition at the Juilliard School. Attar plays a 2014 Dake Traphagen Guitar. His studies have been generously supported by the America and Canada Israel Cultural Foundations, The Williamson Foundation for Music, Ronen Foundation, The Olga Forrai Foundation New York, the Morris and Beverly Baker Foundation, AVI Fellowships Switzerland, the Rislov Foundation, and the ISEF Foundation. Yaniv’s home base is Bellingham, Washington where he lives overlooking the bay and the Olympic Mountains with his wife, Meredith, children Jonah and Lyla, and pup Gracie. When he isn’t conducting, he enjoys playing his classical guitar and adventuring with his family. Visit Yaniv Attar’s website at yanivattar.com. This will be an excellent and informative program and one to invite a guest or prospective member to join us in person at Memorial Hall or via zoom Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85756613625?pwd=SEdiMG5MWXVBMjhiTDF4c0Zlb2djQT09
Meeting ID: 857 5661 3625
Passcode: 904072 Elise Cadigan will introduce Julie Thomas, former Rotarian and current Executive Director of RSO, who will in turn introduce our presenter. |
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Veteran's Day Program At our November 9th meeting, Rockford Rotary honored Veterans with an outstanding program. It started with the Rockford City Honor Guard posting the colors including the flags from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and the Marine Corps. Following the posting of the colors, our National Anthem was played, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Janine Idstein welcomed everyone to our "A Salute to Veterans" program. The invocation was given by Police Chaplain Pastor Dan Herman. The Veteran Welcome was given by Aaron Booker, Marine Corps Veteran and Winnebago County Board Member. The Keynote address "Veterans Helping Veterans" was given by Sean West, a veteran and the newly appointed Executive Director of the Veterans Drop-in Center. Three Rockford Rotarians, who were in attendance were presented a lapel pin by a member of the Honor Guard and a Certificate of Appreciation for their service by Janine Idstein. Each of the veterans were given a chance to talk about their experiences in the service. Bob Canfield talked about serving as a helicopter pilot in Viet Nam including flying Bob hope to one of his shows and on another mission, getting shot down. He obviously survived and made it home. Jim Coffey talked about being told by Rockford College to "join the Navy and grow up" after spending three years majoring in beer and bridge. So, he did and spent a year on an aircraft carrier and two years on an LST in Japan shuttling members of the various services from Japan to Viet Nam. All while spending most of his time in front of a typewriter. John Fridh graduated from the Army Finance School as #1 in a class of 320 and in typical Army fashion was assigned to a unit with no Finance Office and had to spend the rest of his time in Minnesota! Rockford Rotarian Veterans Roger Maggio, Tom Scoville, and Kent Mallquist were not in attendance and will be given their certificates and lapel pins at another time. Eight Veterans who were not members of Rockford Rotary, including two members of the Honor Guard, were also presented with Certificates of Appreciation and Lapel pins in recognition of their service. The "Armed Forces Salute" was played next, and the veterans stood while their anthem was played. Janine Idstein gave a final thank you to the veterans and President Pete Rundquist presented our speaker, Sean West with a Rotary coffee mug. A special thank you to Janine for putting this wonderful program together. Speaking on behalf of the veterans, we all appreciated it.
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President's Message A couple of "SAVE THE DATE" dates. Thursday November 30,2023 5pm at Prairie Street Brewing. Rotary Happy hour and dinner. Friday February 23, 2024 Rotary-Ice Hogs game with several other local Rotary Clubs. Also, the BOD meeting for November has been moved to Tuesday November 14 at the Furst Staffing offices. Please contact Becky at (Runkymom@comcast.net) about the Service Opportunities and Service meeting on November 16th at Lucha Cantina. See You Soon Pete Rundquist President, Rockford Rotary Thanks Pete Rundquist President
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November 30th - No Meeting 5:00 PM - Happy Holiday Hour(s) Prairie Street Brewery
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Future Programs 11/30/23 - No Regular Meeting 5:00 PM - Happy Holiday Hour(s) Prairie Street Brewery 12/07/23 - "The Changing Face of Medical Care and the Education of Doctors" Speakers - Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green & Dr. Jeff Smith Host - Elise Cadigan 12/14/23 - "Our Park District Expanding Our Economy" Speaker - Jay Sandine, Executive Director Host - Paul Von Driska 12/21/23 - "Multi-Cultural Holiday Festival Music" Rockford Music Academy Host - Elise Cadigan 12/28/23 - Happy Holidays - No Meeting
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2023 Service Above Self Awards Rockford Rotary celebrated community service at our October 26th meeting with our Annual Service Above Self Awards. Seven individual Service Above Self Awards were presented to 9 individuals. The Mary-Stuard Carruthers Community Impact Award was also presented. Congratulations to Dave Byrnes and his committee for a wonderful program after not having one last year. We started with a buffet from Beef-A-Roo. It was nice to see Memorial Hall full for a change. The invocation by Linda Johnson Keynote Speaker Mayor Tom McNamara. The Mayor also presented the awards and offered his congratulations to each honoree. Introduction of honorees by Dave Byrnes. Kathy Vigna nominated by Jim Coffey  Kathy is accompanied today by Kathy Branning from Remedies Renewing Lives; Lynn Delacey from The Alzheimer’s Support Group and Karen Tilly from Alpine Kiwanis. From 1981 to 1993 Kathy was involved with the Phantom Regiment Drum & Bugle Corps as a chaperone, cook and then served on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and as President from 1985 to 1990. For her efforts she received the Chevron Award for Meritorious Service; was inducted into the Phantom Regiment Hall of Fame in 2016 and currently is a Board Member Emeritus. As if one Drum Corps wasn’t enough, from 1985 to 1995, she also worked with the Purple Knights Drum & Bugle Corps, again as President of the Board of Directors and as the Bingo Co-Chair. Upon her retirement from Sundstrand in 2011 she got back into community service with Remedies Renewing Lives and Alpine Kiwanis and continues to serve both organizations to this day. At Remedies she is on the Board of Directors and serves as Chair of the Fund Development Committee. In this capacity she leads the efforts for the golf playdays and the annual Charity Gala which is returning on November 11th at the Pavilion at Aldeen. Kathy was invited to join Alpine Kiwanis by a Program Manager at Hamilton Sundstrand. She didn’t waste any time getting involved. Since joining she has served on many of the 25 committees that keep Alpine Kiwanis running. From 2013 to 2015 she served as Chair of the Charities Distribution Committee which has the fun job of giving away all of the money generated by Brat Days to over 30 local organizations each year. She served as President for the 2015-16 Kiwanis Year and as Divisional Lt. Governor for 2017-2018 Kiwanis Year. Rather than sit back like some Past Presidents do, she took over as Membership Secretary in 2017 and continues in that position today. As membership secretary she is responsible for collecting quarterly dues, which at times can be a tedious task. In 2023, the Treasurer decided to relinquish his duties and Kathy took on the responsibility of Administrative Treasurer. In 2013 Kathy became a Site Chair for Brat Days which meant she was responsible for all aspects of running one of the Brat Days sites. In 2022, there was a reorganization of Brat Days Committee and Kathy became one of two Co-Chairs of the entire Brat Days in addition to her site chair duties. When Kathy’s husband Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease in 2014, she became involved with the Alzheimer’s Support Group at Kenrock Community Center. She served as a Caregiver Member from 2015 until Bob’s passing in 2021. Again, rather than move on, she continues to serve as a Support Mentor to Caregivers, helping others who are going through what she went through with Bob. To paraphrase one of her supporting letters, “It is a pleasure to work with such a positive and energizing individual who puts hours of volunteer time and effort into chairing, organizing and putting together a village of others to work together”. Please join me in recognizing Kathy Vigna with a 2023 Service Above Self award. Bob & Georgia Eiss nominated by Lois Seijo  Joining the Eisses at their table are Nate and Marie Broughton and Phil and Jan Meyers, members of the Wesley Willows Auxiliary and volunteers on this project. You’ve all heard the expression “Bloom where you are planted.” When Bob and Georgia Eiss came to Wesley Willows in 2014, I’m sure it was to have a tranquil and leisurely retirement. Instead, they saw a need and acted to help. Wesley Willows is a continuous care retirement community in Rockford. One of the purposes of the Wesley Willows Auxiliary is to raise money for the Good Samaritan Fund, a source of support for those residents who have out-lived their resources, enabling them to continue to live on our campus. For 5 years (2017-2022) Bob and Georgia Eiss were the primary volunteers in charge of the Auction House, a location for a bi-monthly auction of furniture and large household items. The merchandise displayed for resale at the auction was gathered from Wesley Willows homes which had been vacated. The Eisses recruited volunteers to sort clothing, jewelry and smaller items for resale at another campus store and coordinated with the Maintenance Dept. for the transfer of furniture and larger items. They were personally involved in making the items presentable (cleaning and repairing,) pricing them and staging them in one of Wesley Willows’ townhomes, developing all the skills needed to do just that. Every few months the Eisses also coordinated the loading and delivery of truckloads of unsold or unselected furniture to several Rockford charities. For their efforts, in 2018 the Eisses were recognized by the Rockford Area Chapter of the Asso. of Fund-Raising Professionals. THEN CAME COVID! Public spaces at Wesley Willows were closed. The Auction format no longer served. The Eisses brainstormed. As the supply for furniture did not diminish during COVID, the Eisses created a new format so that sales could continue during the pandemic. The newly named Décor and More store opened with fixed prices 3 days a week, beginning in May, 2020, barely two months later. For the next two years they adapted the lay-out as COVID regulations changed, monitoring the number of shoppers and making adjustments due to the need for social distancing, extra sanitation and masks. Gradually things have returned to normal. Due to the Eisses’ creativity in responding to changing circumstance, the funds collected during the years of COVID limitations were actually greater than the total sales the previous years during which the auction format was used. During the 5 years of their leadership at Décor and More, total proceeds from the store and other volunteer efforts which were offshoots of the store surpassed a quarter million dollars ($253,592.00.) All of the proceeds went for the benefit of Wesley Willows residents and all were the results of the Eisses’ volunteer efforts. Oh, I should mention that during three of these five years, Bob served as President of the Auxiliary, with all the responsibilities that position entailed! As with most volunteer assignments, the time commitment mushroomed. It did take over their lives and became a full time job. They worked family events and their personal lives around the needs of their volunteer commitment, instead of the other way around. Their dedication to doing whatever needed to be done, coupled with their talent in re-designing this fund-raising activity and their cheerful, encouraging presence has inspired many others to become involved in this endeavor. The Eisses “bloomed when they were planted” at Wesley Willows. They are perfect examples of “Service Over Self.” Please join me in recognizing Bob and Georgia Eiss….. Susan Carlin nominated by Liz Dickinson  It is my sincere pleasure to recommend Susan Carlin for Rotary's Service Above Self Award. I have known Susan best as an outstanding member of the Music Academy Foundation Board. The move from Rockford University to the First Lutheran Church was complicated. Susan's ability to navigate this move, plus her financial and logistic skills we an important contribution. Susan has held a few different roles at the Rockford Art Museum, as a Board of Trustee Member and as President of the Woman's Art Board. Her agile mind and financial acuity have served the Art Museum well. Susan always steps in to help. There are many volunteer activities she has been involved with, not just involvement but dedicated and loyal service as a volunteer reading instructor and Rockford Women's Club. Although Susan grew up in New York, she has thoroughly embraced Rockford as home. She is a passionate and true ambassador for the Rockford region. She has always placed her great talents to the organizations to which she belonged. Roger & Lowes Eggert nominated by Becky Rundquist  It is my privilege to introduce Lowes and Roger Eggert! Pete and I have known them for at least 40 years. We were all members of St. Paul Lutheran church. Lowes taught both our children in Sunday School. Service Above Self is a perfect award for this couple. They received the Alma Fringer award from MercyHealth volunteer Association in June for their dedicated service at Javon Bea Hospital. Lowes works in the gift shop on Mondays and has 760+ hours. Roger works as a patient transport volunteer and has donated over 1200 hours to MercyHealth. He and Lowes are very friendly and calming. They both have put in countless hours in service to their church, Resurrection Lutheran. Lowes is an excellent cook and makes meals for church functions – her sloppy Joes are outstanding. Roger is a senior elder at the church and has been responsible for routine maintenance at Resurrection, which is almost 120 years old. He is very capable at building and fixing mechanical problems. Roger also volunteers with Habitat For Humanity, putting his skills to great use as a Weekday Wonder. Both Roger and Lowes Eggert exemplify “Service Above Self” in the Rockford community, and I am honored to know them. Mary Ann Norwood nominated by Kathy Kwiat-Hess  Mary Ann is one of those individuals who does a lot of work quietly behind the scenes and doesn’t seek the limelight for what she does. She has been a member of Rockford Rotary since 2002. During that time, she has Served on various committees and has participated in numerous service projects. She served as co-chair of High School Recognition and Scholarships Committees for a few years. The last couple of years she chaired the Program Committee, working with her committee to select and provide a wide variety of quality programs for our club meetings. Mary Ann has served as a liaison for our Rotary Academy for several years. She works with the liaison and students from Eisenhower throughout the course of the school year. Mary Ann has also been a reader at Gregory School as part of Rockford Reads for the past few years, reading with 2nd and 3rd grade students each week. Anytime our club has a service project, you can count on seeing Mary Ann there as part of the project. Mary Ann has been passionate about her work on the board of Golden Apple Foundation. She has been involved in every part of the process of teachers being nominated for and eventually receiving the Golden Apple award, from delivering apples to teachers, reading portfolios, observing teachers in the classroom, and interviewing teachers as part of the final process. She eventually became a trainer at new volunteer trainings and has chaired the teacher selection process for 6 years. In addition, she reads and scores teacher grants and serves on the Outstanding Principal selection committee. She served on the Executive Committee for 6 years and assists with fundraising efforts. Mary Ann is a quiet leader who is most deserving of the Service Above Self award. Eric Willard nominated by Janine Idstein  It is my honor today to introduce my good friend, Eric Willard. Eric is here today with his wife, Betty, Col. David Draeger, Kelvin Judson, and Jim DiVerde. First and foremost, Eric is proud to have served in the U.S. Army 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam from 1967-68. His early career was in marketing and training in manufacturing and service companies, although later he spent 14 years focused on computers and technology as a school district Chief Technology Officer in the Chicago suburbs and Belvidere. Eric worked for several years with the Business and Professional Institute at Rock Valley College to provide training guidance and resources for companies in the area. During this time, he volunteered at the Veterans Drop-In Center, teaching computer classes and helping veterans with job training and job searches, as well as working on fundraising for the center. After the founder of the center passed away suddenly it only made sense for Eric to step in as interim Executive Director. His 6-month term turned into 2 years, but under his leadership the center has seen tremendous growth in mission, scope, and community influence. Eric has allied the center with Rosecrance Health Network, Veterans Path to Hope, IL Dept of Employment Services, IL Dept of Veterans Affairs, the VA, and over 20 other businesses and government organizations. Core members of this team, called the Veterans Leadership Team, meet every Wednesday at the Center. Eric’s collaboration with these organizations, and his energetic leadership, have turned the Veterans Drop-In Center into Rockford’s first One-stop-shop for “Everything Veteran”. Eric left his role as Executive Director in very capable hands after hiring Sean West as the new director. Two weeks after “retiring” from the Veterans Drop-In Center, Eric accepted another interim position for three months as Superintendent of the Veterans Assistance Commission of Winnebago County, where (after five months) he will use his sixth retirement to continue to serve in an advisory capacity to the new Superintendent. (Do you see a pattern here?) Once again, Eric left the Superintendent position in very capable hands after hiring Jesus Pereira. Eric is very proud of bringing two excellent young, bilingual leaders to the Rockford area. In addition, he is currently spearheading a group seeking funds for the Veterans Drop-In Center expansion, with hopes to include enough space for the Veterans Leadership Group as well as to be downtown near a bus station for easy access to the Veterans. His life membership in VietNow, Vietnam Veterans of America, American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars and as an Associate Member of the Navy Club, contribute to his awareness of the needs of veterans. However, he has also volunteered his time with many community committees, including Midway Village Museum, the New Metropolitan Technology Steering Committee for the City of Rockford, the Belvidere Citizens Corp, Growth Dimensions, the International Quality Leadership Institute, and the Youth Services Network in Boone County. Now that Eric has officially retired for the sixth time, he said he’s looking forward to a more normal life and more “self-time.” I know his wife Betty is looking forward to this as well. Please join me in recognizing Eric Willard with a 2023 Service Above Self Award. Catherine Brown nominated by Wray Howard  It is my pleasure to introduce Catherine Brown as a 2023 Rotary Service Above Self recipient.
Catherine’s community volunteer activities over many years line up with several of Rotary’s top priorities including fighting disease, supporting mothers and children, and supporting education. In particular she has been a champion for those who are underserved or have limited access to healthcare services.
She has been a member of the Crusader Community Health Board of Directors for 14 years and served as their Board Chair and was nominated by Crusader for this award for her outstanding dedicated service to that organization. She has spent many hours over those years contributing to important decisions that will lead to positive community health outcomes.
Cathy’s cancer diagnosis some years ago spurred her to fight hard and use her experience to inspire others. She began working with the American Cancer Society to ensure our community is aware of risks and is empowered to mitigate those risks. As chair of the Purple Tea Coalition, she has worked to engage the African American community in Rockford in being proactive about cancer risks. Every step of her own health journey has been redirected to how to better equip her community to be healthier. It epitomizes selflessness and prioritizes service.
In addition to her work with Crusader Cathy has served as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society, is a past Chair of the West Gateway Coalition, Chaired the Purple Tea Coalition and has served as a mentor to young mother students.
Please join me in honoring Cathy with the Rotary Service Above Self Award.  815 Stone Scrubbers nominated by Lynn Momberger  The Mary-Stuart Carruthers Community Impact Award is presented in honor of Carruthers, who was a member of the Rotary Club of Rockford. In addition to recognizing individuals, she saw the need to recognize organizations in our community performing Service Above Self. This year’s recipient of this award is 815 Stone Scrubbers. 815 Stone Scrubbers is a group of volunteers currently cleaning headstones of Civil War Veterans in Winnebago County, led by organizer and long-time community volunteer, Janie Jenkin. You may be wondering how one decides to take up gravestone cleaning? For Janie it stated with now a 120-year-old brick American Foursquare just down the street from here in historic Churchill’s Grove. In September of 2019, she and her husband purchased this home, 6 months later the Pandemic hit and after 21 years she found herself without a job and a lot of time on her hands. She began to do some house genealogy on the original owners and saw they were buried just 3 blocks away inside Greenwood Cemetery. Their stones were covered in moss and lichen. She decided she wanted to honor them and get them cleaned up. She began to research and found a training class that summer in Peoria and was hooked. In Spring of 2023 Jenkin officially started 815 Stone Scrubbers. With donations she received from Greenwood Cemetery, Haunted Rockford-Kathy Kresol and Amber Kresol, Jenkin invited like-minded individuals and coordinated the first ever grave cleaning event on May 6th, 2023. Through October, they met monthly at Greenwood Cemetery where Jenkin taught others how to properly clean and restore the headstones of Civil War Veterans. The group began with just three volunteers, but with volunteers coming to help from all over the region and from Wisconsin, they now have 50+ people helping in the effort of honoring these veterans. In just six months, they cleaned, raised, and repaired the graves of all 468 Civil War Veterans who rest in Greenwood Cemetery. That is a lot to accomplish in such a short time! Next Spring they’ll move on to other cemeteries and focus on the remainder of the Civil War Veterans buried in the county and after that, 815 Stone Scrubbers will start on other veterans from different wars. Please join me in congratulating 815 Stone Scrubbers as this year’s recipient of the Mary-Stuart Carruthers Community Impact Award. |
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Pollinator Garden Under the direction of Tyler Smith and his committee, Rockford Rotarians joined students from Welsh School to plant a pollinator garden on October 20th. This project was made possible by a District 6420 grant. A special thanks to all who helped out. From the pictures, it looks like everyone had a good time. And a special thanks to Tyler Smith and his committee for organizing this event.
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Each week we will be publishing a message from the Rotary International Foundation. This week's message is: WHAT IS A PAUL HARRIS SOCIETY MEMBER? The Paul Harris Society recognizes people who commit to contributing US$1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved global grant. The society’s purpose is to honor and thank people for their generous and ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation. Paul Harris Society contributions count toward several different kinds of individual recognition, and members receive a chevron-style pin and a certificate. Members are also listed in the Paul Harris Society Report. Ask me for a Paul Harris Society membership form to provide this ongoing support to the Foundation! |
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Starting with our September 7th meeting, we will be having lunches at our noon meetings. We will be starting with a package from Beef-A-Roo. It will consist of a Wrap, salad, chips, cookie, and a soda or water. There will bea variety of meats in the wraps. This is a work in progress and things may change. Lunches will start on September 7, 2023 and will be available at 11:45 AM the day of the meeting. PLEASE. If you plan to bring a guest, PLEASE let us know 3 days in advance so we can make arrangements for food. It will be your responsibility to cover the cost at $12.50 per meal. Thanks Pete Rundquist - runky907@comcast.net President, Rockford Rotary
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