As of press time, the staff of the COG had not been given any details about the May 21st meeting except that it will be about the various celebrations around the area in conjunction with the 250th Anniversary of America's independence. If we receive any more information before the meeting we will send it out via e-mail.
Located at 1149 Railroad Avenue in Rockford, Carpenter's Place has a large day room with a home-style atmosphere, case management area, bathrooms, showers, storage for personal belongings, kitchen, classrooms, art room, laundry facility, donation room and office space.
Carpenters Place quickly grew ew beyond simply providing a safe environment away from the streets. Over the years as resources poured in, various programs, case manager and staff grew from the original 2 founders to the 19 staff employed today. A current array of very practical and essential life services center around professional, holistic, and goal-oriented case management. Effective service linkages, coupled with accountability, are provided for those caught in the downward spiral that has led to their living on the street.
Miranda Swanson initially joined Carpenter’s Place in 2016 after receiving her Bachelors of Public Relations at Illinois State University. It was Carpenter’s Place that sparked her love for nonprofit work and communicating impact. She quickly fell in love with the relational nature of the work and the generosity of those who care so deeply about the vulnerable populations in our community.
Since then, Miranda has held positions at The College of Medicine Rockford, Remedies Renewing Lives, and also obtained her Masters Degree from NIU in Nonprofit Management. Now, she is back at Carpenter’s Place as the Director of Marketing and Development, is the President of the Rockford Area Association of Fundraising Professionals and is also an adjunct professor of Public Relations at Rock Valley College.
Miranda, her husband Andrew are enjoying their precious but fleeting time with their two-year-old daughter Vera – either playing outside or roaming around the local library!
Miranda will talk about the history of Carpenter's place and what they are going to be doing in the future to help some of the Rockford area's most vulnerable citizens. This will be an interesting and informative program and one you will want to bring a guest or prospective member to join us in person at Memorial Hall or via Zoom.
Julie Bosma will introduce or presenter and act as Rotary Host.
The Rotry Academy concluded its 24th year with a Final Celebration at Embassy Sites on 5/12/26. It was another successful year, and the students made excellent speeches about wat they learned in Rotary Academy and the community service projects that they performed. Their counselors mentioned that they observed excellent development in their Rotary Academy students and we are confident that they are prepared to succeed in high school.
Eric Moe delivered the reflection and since it was so inspiring that we are including it below:
A Positive Reflection: Growing Into Your Own Space
Take a second to think about everything you handle on a daily basis—school, friends, family expectations, social media, and the constant pressure to figure out who you are.
It is a lot.
Honestly, just navigating all of that makes you incredibly resilient, even on the days you feel totally stuck.
Growth isn't a straight line.
It is built out of the moments where you messed up, felt awkward, or had to change your mind. Those aren't failures; they are just proof that you are trying and learning.
You don't have to have your entire life figured out right now.
What matters is how you treat yourself today. You are allowed to be a work in progress.
Remember that your worth isn’t tied to a test score, a follower count, or someone else’s opinion of you. You bring something completely unique to the world just by being yourself. Trust your path, give yourself some grace, and keep moving forward at your own pace.
Our May 14th meeting was a busy one. Suzanne Shelain brought 3 guests, Shalue Butcher-O'Brien, Shalue's mother Tarun Richmond, and Tarun's husband Ray Richmond.
Shalue and President Paul exchange club flags. Shalue is from the Rotary Club of San Ignacio in Belize.
Our presenter for the meeting was Isa de Melo Reis, our exchange student from Brazil. She gave an excellent presentation with many pictures from this last year from her arrival until her prom last week. Isa would like to return to Rockford after she finishes high school in Brazil. She would like to go to Rock Valley College and then pursue a career. The general consensus is that Isa can probably be anything she wants to be.
L-R - Ciara Stahly, Samantha Hochmann ( Isa's host mom), Isa, Kathy Kwiat-Hess, Tom Brooks and Dave Smith from Loves Park Rotary and President Paul.
The Board voted to make some small changes to the club's dues and invoices have been mailed out. Please pay your dues prior to June 30, 2026 because our club will be billed by Rotary International and District 6420 based on the number of members we have on July 1, 2026.
If anyone has any questions about the dues they can email President Paul at pvondriska@bergstrominc.com .
Our 2025-26 goal for the Rotary International Foundation Annual Fund is $13,000. So far, members have contributed $9,932. In addition, members have contributed an additional $4,580 to the other six funds including Polio Plus.
Our other goal is to have 100% participation. To date, 33 members have contributed to the Foundation out of our total membership of 83 which is 39.7%.
Congratulations and thank you to the following members who have contributed to this year's campaign.
Suzanne Berger Patti Bigger
Dave Byrnes Elise Cadigan
Bob Canfield Jim Coffey
Maureen Crowe Mike Foreman
Monica Glenny Warren Heinke
Helen Hill Wray Howard
Russ Johansson Linda Johnson
Don Kinney Kathy Kwiat-Hess
Dick Leighton Paul Logli
Brian Martin Mary Maxted
Eric Moe Lynn Momberger
Jim Nelson Linda Niemiec
MaryAnn Norwood Jim Powers
Bob Presman Becky Rundquist
Pete Rundquist Lois Seijo
Jeff Smith Beth Thacker
Paul Von Driska
The information is from Rotary International as of May 17, 2026. If you have any questions, contact Jim Coffey (jimc6659@aol.com or 815-222-9168).
Rockford Reads Reads has been the main focus of our Literacy Committee for a long time. We can be proud of having this program run for 24 years and we will continue to be the face of Rockford Reads.
We would like to explore ways for our literacy impact to expand and grow. If you are interested in serving on the Literacy Committee, please contact Kathy Kwiat-Hess.
We will continue to serve lunches for $12 each week. We currently are having food from the Sandwich Shop. Monica will be more than happy to take your money for lunch.
