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 .
The November 21st meeting is set aside for committee meetings. Committee chairs will contact their members to remind them of the meeting. If you are not assigned to a specific committee, feel free to join us for lunch and sit in on a committee meeting.
Dr. Ron Lee was our speaker at the November 14th meeting. He gave us his thoughts on the recent election and also President-Elect Trump's recent cabinet picks. He wasn't sure if some of the cabinet picks were for real or just Trojan Horse picks. Only time will tell. He also talked about what went right and what went wrong with the election and also discussed what some of his students were thinking.
There were a lot of interesting questions and it was an interesting and informative program as usual.
Ron Lee gives his election analysis and answers questions from the audience.
President Mike presents Dr. Ron Lee with the coveted Rotary cup
Bob Presman accepts a Certificate of Appreciation on behalf of Rockford Rotary for our efforts in supporting the Polio Plus Program of the Rotary International Foundation. Bob is pictured with President Mike and Foundation Chair Bob Canfield. Congratulations to those members who supported Polio Plus and to Bob Presman for leading the Club's efforts to support this worthwhile program.
Taylor Carlin joined Rockford Rotary on September 4, 2004. He was a Paul Harris Fellow and was an active club member until the last month or so when his health force him to miss meetings. Taylor was a retired Financial Executive and was involved with many committees of Rockford Rotary especially where money and finances were concerned. Rest in peace fellow Rotarian.
Taylor Carlin, 87, died peacefully on October 21 after a brief illness. He was born in Montreal to Francis (Frank) Carlin and Audrey Taylor. He attended Selwyn House School and Lower Canadian College before enrolling in McGill University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business and became a chartered accountant. After beginning his career as an accountant in Montreal, he moved his young family to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he earned an MBA in finance at the University of Michigan.
Taylor’s illustrious career in corporate finance included serving as VP of finance for Pepsi-Cola Company and as CFO of Anchor Hocking. He also held leadership positions at Faberge and Owens Corning Fiberglass. In 1990, his career led him to Rockford, Illinois, where he became CFO of Amcore Financial, a position he held until 1995. Following his retirement from Amcore, he served as chairman of Rockford Bank & Trust and as interim CEO of Rockford Health System.
In 1980, Taylor met Susan Skorski in Purchase, NY; the two married in 1984. Their years together were marked by adventures near and far - hiking the American Southwest (Arches, Canyonlands, Catalina Mountains) and traveling widely in Europe. London and Paris were favored destinations, but they equally enjoyed off-path locales such as Côte D'Azur, Brittany and the Languedoc.
Generosity was a hallmark of Taylor’s life: He freely shared time, counsel and resources to better the community and the lives of individuals. He chaired the boards of Keith Country Day School and Rockford Health System and was an active member of the Rotary Club of Rockford. To the many who sought his advice in business and life, he offered the gifts of good listening, sharp analysis and diplomatic candor.
Taylor was a natural athlete who competed in over two dozen sports throughout his life - among them golf, distance running, platform tennis and dogsled driving. He spent many summers at Balsam Lake in the Laurentian Mountains outside of Montreal; and in Kennebunkport, Maine, a place he later shared with his children and grandchildren. (They happily remember days at Goose Rocks Beach, walks to the General Store and games at the Pitch and Putt.)
Taylor was enormously proud of his family. He is survived by his adored wife of 40 years, Susan Carlin; children Sara Carlin Baxter (Michael), Christopher Carlin (Lisa), Stephen Carlin (Jennifer), and Andrew Carlin (Cecily); grandchildren Audrey, Benjamin, Whitney, Claire, Jordan, Allison, Jack, Ellie, Nicholas and Elsie; sister Nan Carlin; and cherished cousins and their families. He was preceded in death by daughter Pamela Carlin Reddan (Mike); and his parents.
A celebration of Taylor Carlin’s life will be held at the Rockford Country Club on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. with a time of sharing at 5:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the healthcare nonprofit Crusader Community Health (CrusaderHealth.org) or Milestone, Inc, 4060 McFarland Rd., Loves Park, IL 61111.
River Bluff asked that we help get gifts for residents off their Giving Tree when they put it up a er Thanksgiving.
I will stop in there on Monday, December 2nd and pick up names from the tree. I just need to know how many people would like to participate so I know how many to pick up.
If people want to buy a gift for a River Bluff resident, they can just email me to let me know - lynn@familycounselingrockford.org
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 Service Above Self Awards – Program Date, March 13, 2025
There are a number of parts of the whole. This may involve a few meetings to be determined by those who want to be involved.
First, we need a good pool of candidates. According to program rules, candidates must be nominated by a member of the Club. Only a few may be Rotarians themselves. The rest must be from the Rockford community. If you want to help, please talk to the nonprofit organizations with which you are familiar. Who are the outstanding volunteers in their organizations? Let’s see how wide we can cast this net. Try to include both large organizations along with smaller ones.
When we have compiled a good number of applications, there needs to be a committee to review the applications and select the winners. For those who nominate a successful candidate, they will do the introduction at the awards ceremony.
The applications for both individual candidates and the Mary Stuart Carruthers award are available on our website. Look under the Membership tool bar near the top of the home page.
Second, we need to involve the media, not only in covering the event, but also in announcing that the awards are available.
Third, we need volunteers to plan and run the lunch and program on March 13, 2025 which includes many individual elements such as:
Determining & Executing Program Elements. Like last year for the ceremony, Mayor McNamara was invited to attend, say a few words, and hand out the awards.
Getting flowers for each of the award recipients.
Order, proof, and ensure plaques for each recipient are on site the day of the event.
Track of reservations so we have enough food.
Ordering Food and arranging pick up or deliver on March 13, 2025.
Clean-up at the end of the program on March 13, 2025
CONTACT for more info or to take on one of these pieces of this event – Dave Byrnes, david.byrnes941@gmail.com
Each week we will be publishing a message from the Rotary International Foundation. This week's message is:
DOES THE ROTARY FOUNDATION RECOGNIZE ROTARY CLUBS?
Donations to the Foundation are essential to securing and expanding our programs throughout the world. We recognize with gratitude clubs that make extraordinary contributions.
• 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club: These are clubs in which all dues-paying members are Paul Harris Fellows. The club receives a banner. This is a one-time recognition, but the intent is that the club will maintain its status.
• 100% Foundation Giving Club: This banner is given to clubs that have an average of US$100 in per capita giving and in which every dues-paying member donates at least $25 during the year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, the Endowment, or approved global grants.
• Every Rotarian, Every Year Club: This banner is awarded to clubs that have a minimum Annual Fund contribution of $100 per capita during the year and in which every dues paying member personally contributes at least $25 to the Annual Fund in that time period.
• Top Three Per Capita in Annual Fund Giving: These banners are presented each year to the three clubs in each district with the highest per capita Annual Fund giving.
• 100% Paul Harris Society Club: This banner is awarded to clubs in which every dues paying member contributes at least $1,000 during the year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved global grant.
• 100% Rotary’s Promise Club: These are clubs in which every dues-paying member supports the Endowment with an outright gift of $1,000 or more or a commitment of at least that amount in an estate plan. These clubs receive a certificate upon request.
Will you help our club be recognized by the Foundation this year?
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