We had a rewarding September, highlighted by a special Springfield Rotary Club's event hosted by our club at Maldaners on September 14. Former Rotary International President Mark Maloney spoke about his extraordinary experiences during his tenure as RI President. He drew a large audience (image below) including officers and members of all five Springfield Clubs and current and past District Governors and other dignitaries from Rotary District 6460.
We were honored to have such an esteemed guest and speaker, Mark has been a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama since 1980. He served as the President of Rotary International for the 2019–20 year, guiding the global network with his inspiring theme, "Rotary Connects the World." Beyond his monumental international service, he has provided invaluable leadership with The Rotary Foundation. During his presentation, Mark called attention to a print of original artwork that Rod Buffington created to depict the theme for his year as RI President (lead image). For more information on this event, check out the article and images included in this Newsletter. .
On September 21, we had a successful social Night at Golden Corral (image below). These socials continue to be a night of fun out on the town with members and everyone else who wants to enjoy a night out.
On September 28, we joyfully welcomed new member Paul Rice. We are thrilled to have him as a member of our Club! More information on Paul is provided in this Newsletter.
Our featured speaker on September 28, was Trisha Ratliff. She is the patient experience coordinator for HSHS Home Care and Hospice. She discussed home, palliative, and hospice care. We were fortunate to have her share her expertise in making a difference for patients, and I was happy to present her with our Rotary mug (image on left). For more information on this presentation, check out the article in this Newsletter.
During September, Club members picked up the flags for the Flag Service Project completing the display of flags for 2026. However, work by the Flag Service Committee continues. If you want to volunteer for this important fundraiser, contact John Loftus (jlloftus@aol.com).
At our September 28 meeting, Bill Smith launched our 2027 Robert Montgomery Citrus Sale Fundraiser. Bill provided history on this important project and provided members with their sales packets. He noted that we are working on a new process for online sales. If you want to volunteer for this project, contact Bill Smith (smithveld@gmail.com).
Our three September volunteer events sorted panty and kitchen supplies for The Outlet, built beds for children for Sleep in Heavenly Peace, and prepared a meal for Compass for Kids (image below). Read more about these rewarding projects and other accomplishments in this Newsletter.
Upcoming Opportunities
The October Rotary News (emailed to all members) and pasted below highlights October and other upcoming opportunities. Check the Rotary News and the articles in this Newsletter for more information on exciting events such as our Pints for Polio Fundraiser on October 6!
October will be another busy month! There are several sign-up link opportunities I wanted to share with you now to provide you with additional time to register for some or all of the offerings.
To reserve your meal at Maldaners, I am trying a different format this year instead of the Air Table. For each meal, I will send out a separate link for you to use to sign-up. While I know the chef is wonderful to make additional food in case some people forget to sign up, I would like to try has hard as possible for everyone to sign up if they plan to attend a meeting. When I talked to them for the upcoming year, I was told they truly prefer a six day advance notice to make sure adequate accommodations are provided to us.
You can also sign up to stock the Micropantry at Ridgely School:
The Micropanty schedule has been updated with two week volunteer slots. There are openings through the end of the year. If you or a partner would consider signing up for a two week slot to keep the pantry stocked, you would be doing those families a huge service.
The five Springfield Rotary Clubs came together on September 14th for a special joint meeting as we welcomed Rotary International Past President Mark Maloney as our featured speaker (image above).
Our Rotary Club served on the planning team for the the event and hosted it in Maldaners Upstairs. The image below shows Beth Bellatti (President of the Rotary World Citizens Alliance of Springfield), Former RI President Mark Mahoney, Ken Gilmore (President of our Rotary Club of Springfield), and Vicki Megginson (member of our club and the World Citizens Alliance Club, and Assistant to RI President Maloney during his visit).
Maldaners prepared the delicious buffet dinner for the event (images below).
Ashley Dillingham, President-Elect of our Club, served as the Master of Ceremonies, and all the Springfield Club Presidents participated in the ceremonies.
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The event attracted a large crowd (images below). A long time Rotarian and a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, Mark served as Rotary International President in 2019–2020 under the theme “Rotary Connects the World” (lead image). His year included leading Rotary through the COVID-19 pandemic and presiding over Rotary’s first virtual convention. He also helped establish the environment as a Rotary area of focus and has served Rotary in numerous other leadership roles.
On this extraordinary occasion, Rotarians from across Illinois (image above) and Interactors from the Springfield area (image on left) heard stories from Mark’s Rotary journey. The guests included District Governor for District 6460 Musonda Kapatmayo, Rotary District Governor Elect Nancy Waters, Rotary District Governor Nominee Jon Looney, and Past Rotary International Director and member of our club Robert Stuart (images in order below), and numerous past District Governors and other Rotary dignitaries.
The conversation highlighted how Rotary friendships can create meaningful connections that extend far beyond our local community, linking people, places and communities across the country and around the world. In doing so, new opportunities and partnerships present themselves that end up making a difference in the lives of others.
The Springfield Rotary Clubs recognized Mark and his work at the end of the night by committing to make a donation to the Rotary Foundation in his honor.
The fellowship, energy and shared commitment to service made it a memorable night for Rotary in Springfield.
At our September 28 Club meeting, our Rotary Club had the opportunity to learn from Trisha Ratliff, Patient Experience Coordinator for HSHS Home Care, about the Medicare-certified Home Care and Hospice services provided by HSHS Home Care & Hospice.
Trisha helped us understand an important distinction: the primary difference between home care and hospice care is the goal of the care.
Home care focuses on recovery, rehabilitation and managing chronic conditions, with the goal of helping patients regain or maintain independence. Services may include physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech-language pathology.
Hospice care, on the other hand, focuses on comfort and quality of life for people with a terminal illness when curative treatment is no longer being pursued.
Trisha also explained the difference between palliative care and hospice care. Both focus on the patient’s comfort, needs and quality of life. Palliative care can provide specialized support for people living with serious illness at any stage, while hospice is a form of palliative care for those nearing the end of life, typically with a life expectancy of six months or less, when curative treatment is no longer pursued.
Finally, Trisha emphasized the importance of planning ahead by putting advance directives in place. These legal documents allow us to state our healthcare wishes in advance, helping guide our loved ones and medical team if we are ever unable to speak or make decisions for ourselves. Advance planning can also help ensure that our personal values and religious wishes are respected during medical emergencies and end-of-life care.
We are appreciative of these health care services being provided by HSHS and grateful to Trisha for sharing her knowledge and helping us better understand these important healthcare services and the value of planning ahead.
At our September 28 club meeting, we enthusiastically welcomed Paul Rice as a new member of our Club. Membership Chair Harry Mitchell conducted the induction ceremony. Bill Sturm sponsored Paul's membership and assisted with the presentation of the Rotary pin and badge (image below).
Paul spoke briefly to our club after his induction. He relayed that he grew up in Eastern Illinois on a moderate-size family farm. In 2033, his family farm will be 100 years old. In addition to farming, he worked in real estate for 25 years. He went to auctioneers school when he was 50 and worked with families across central Illinois. He now lives in Springfield with his wife. He had attended our club meetings prior to joining and indicated that he found them to be friendly, informative, and enjoyable.
He is a wonderful addition to our club. Before he was officially inducted as member, he volunteered to provide brisket for our Pints to Polio event on October 6! He clearly has the heart of a Rotarian. We are thrilled that he chose to join the Rotary Club of Springfield.
President Ken Gilmore continually brings fun into our meetings. At our September 28 meeting, he raffled off some Byrd's Scotch Oatmeal cookies that he purchased on a recent trip to Georgia. He is shown here with John Webb and Vicki Megginson, the happy Rotarians whose tickets were drawn. Some members were sad that neither winner offered to open and share the cookies with their fellow Rotarians.
It was a great day to build beds for children on Saturday, September 12 in the Lowe's parking lot off of Dirksen Parkway. Three Rotarians, Harry, Ashley and Ken (image above) partnered with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace organizers to help build over 35 beds for children who do not have beds in Springfield.
The Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed building program was started in Springfield by the Holliday family (Tim, Denise and Andrew) when they realized the great need in our community to find a way to provide beds for children who do not have their own bed. Initially, they opened up applications to the Sangamon County area but were overwhelmed with the response. Their criteria was then reduced to just Springfield residents but the need was still so great. For now, they are focusing on providing beds to children in the 62702 and 03 zip codes. Even with over 35 beds created on Saturday, their waiting list for those two zip codes is over 500 requests.
The good news is they are making a difference with the help of volunteers and donations. The better news is there are more bed builds coming up in the fall. Volunteers work at stations so the assembly line tasks really are easy enough for anyone who wants to donate their time. To know a child will be able to put their head on their own new pillow in their own bed is priceless and in Springfield, it should be the expectation.
On September 18, members of our Club spent time at The Outlet learning more about its growing role in helping young men develop the skills, values and confidence to make positive life choices and finding ways to lend a hand.
We began with a tour of the facility and saw firsthand the significant progress The Outlet has made in transforming the space and bringing its vision for a more effective and supportive environment for youth and families to life.
Afterwards, we went to work organizing the kitchen (images below) and food pantry (image above) to improve workflow and efficiency, helping The Outlet’s staff spend less time managing resources and more time serving its young people at mealtime.
It was a rewarding afternoon of hands-on community service. We appreciate The Outlet for the opportunity to contribute to its important work of helping young men pursue and realize their potential.
On Wednesday, September 29, our Club volunteered to help out Compass for Kids by preparing and serving a full family-style Taco Night for approximately 25 Club Compass kids and volunteers at Southside Christian Church.
The menu consisted of tacos, nachos, fresh fruit, a drink, and, of course, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies!
Club Compass is a free, community-based program that takes place after school that serves elementary students in Springfield Public Schools – District 186. Every week Club Compass participants get to:
• Develop social-emotional & leadership skills;
• Spend time with positive, caring adults;
• Participate in interactive life-skills & enrichment activities;
• Share a delicious meal alongside volunteers; and,
• Receive non-perishable food to take home for the weekend.
We’re grateful for the chance to spend time with these amazing kids and support the important work Compass for Kids is doing in our community. Sometimes, making a difference starts with something as simple as gathering around a table and sharing a meal.
Pints for Polio is almost here! Come celebrate with us on Tuesday, October 6 at Springfield Beer Company.
We'll start at 5:00 p.m. - which is right when the taproom opens. Their address is: 3788 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, IL.
Our club will provide some food, including brisket prepared by our newest member (shoutout to Paul!), along with snack trays, chips, and other goodies. If that’s not your speed, the taproom allows patrons to bring their own food, including from Freddy’s next door. They also offer some alcohol-free beverage options.
$1 from every pint of 95 Golden Lager sold will go toward PolioPlus. We’re thrilled that Springfield Beer Company has agreed to continue this promotion through October 24 in recognition of World Polio Day. Plus, we’ll have a designated spot for additional donations and a special 50/50 raffle.
We're grateful to the owners of Springfield Beer Company, Ryan & Rebecca Kunken, for their generosity and partnership.
We’re in the home stretch toward eradicating wild polio. What an extraordinary achievement for Rotarians around the world to be part of! Every contribution brings us closer to a polio-free world. And if you're wondering - why polio? I would encourage you to check out the article below and visit the End Polio Now site.
Please share the invitation with your friends and join us for a fun evening supporting an incredible cause. It's a great way to learn more about Rotary and contribute to our worldwide efforts to eliminate polio!
As reported by Rod Buffington at our last several club meetings, he has put together two new designs (image above) for Rotary shirts for club members. The designs are embroidered on white polo shirts. If you are interested in ordering and paying for a shirt, contact Rod Buffington via email as soon as possible at rotaryrod@comcast.net. He will need to know your size and which design you would like to have. Women may request a 3/4-sleeve shirt if so desired. The first batch of shirts have been delivered to Rod, and there will be a delay before any additional shirts can be embroidered.
This will be a high-level email to be sure you have the upcoming service opportunities on your calendar. More details will be sent soon for each opportunity.
Please mark your calendar for the following dates:
Friday, October 2: United Way Day of Caring: Sorting toys and games and Big Brothers/Big Sisters - 1pm-4pm. Volunteers pre-registered for this event through the United Way.
Friday, October 9: RISE Professional Clothing Drive at Salvation Army (donations requested, not workers) - 10am-6pm (Bring your donations to our Pints for Polio Fundraiser on October 6).
If you have ideas for service projects, I am always happy to further discuss.
Respectfully,
Brandy Zanger 2026-2027 Community Service Director 217-971-1146 (cell)
You can sign up to volunteer to fill the Ridgely Micropantry by using the Signup Genius App. Just download the app and sign up for a one week or two week timeframe that works best for you or you and a friend. What a great way to make a difference. Thank you!
Ridgely Micro-Pantry: Fall Dates Added to SignUp Genius
Please consider signing up for a two-week commitment to stock the pantry or partner with a friend. The link provided takes you to the sign-up sheet located online using the SignUp Genius program. The Signup Genius link is listed below to sign up and allows you to reserve those dates and to also shows which timeframes are unfilled. The app will also send you a reminder closer to your volunteer date.
It's open season for volunteering by yourself, with your family or by partnering with another Rotarian. Also, if you have friends or acquaintances who would like to volunteer, please share the sign-up link and we will give them lots of praise for making a difference.
You can sign up to stock the Ridgely Micropantry using the new Sign-Up Genius online system featured in the above article by Ken Gilmore.
Please sign up. There are numerous empty slots.
I appreciate your help!
Thank you for signing up for a micropantry volunteer shift. Your time and effort are greatly appreciated by the community we serve.
Members who have supported this program realize the price of food and other products stocked in the pantry have become more expensive. Under a new program, a member may be reimbursed up to $100 when a purchase is made for the food pantry. Funding for this reimbursement was made possible by donations in the amount $1,739, which were received at the Rotary Open House in December 2024 that I hosted at my home
Below are the details including the location of the pantry, and suggestions on items to collect and distribute. If you are unable to complete your shift, please reach out and we'll work on a better period of time to meet your needs. If you have suggestions for future volunteers, please let me know and we'll adapt the program along the way.
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Ridgely Elementary School
2040 North 8th Street
Springfield, IL 62702
Main entrance to the school (look for the yellow and purple pantry by the front doors).
The image below shows the location of the pantry at the entrance to the school.
These suggestions came from people who use food pantries to help feed their families.
1. Everyone donates Kraft Mac and Cheese in the box. They can rarely use it because it needs milk and butter, which is difficult to get from regular food banks. 2. Boxed milk is a treasure, as kids need it for cereal, which they also get a lot of. 3. Everyone donates pasta sauce and spaghetti noodles. 4. They cannot eat all the awesome canned veggies and soup unless you put a can opener in too or buy pop tops.* 5. Oil is a luxury and needed for Rice a-Roni, which they also get a lot of. 6. Spices or salt and pepper would be a real Holiday gift. 7. Tea bags and coffee make them feel like you care. 8. Sugar and flour are treats. 9. They fawn over fresh produce donated by farmers and grocery stores. 10. Seeds are cool in Spring and Summer because growing can be easy for some. 11. They rarely get fresh meat. 12. Tuna and crackers make a good lunch. 13. Hamburger Helper goes nowhere without ground beef. 14. They get lots of peanut butter and jelly but usually not sandwich bread. 15. Butter or margarine is nice too. 16. Eggs are a real commodity. 17. Cake mix and frosting makes it possible to make a child’s birthday cake. 18. Dishwashing detergent is very expensive and is always appreciated. 19. Feminine hygiene products are a luxury and women will cry over that. 20. Everyone loves Stove Top Stuffing.
The image below shows a fully stocked pantry.
The image below shows the empty micropantry before I stocked it in January 2026. This is why you need to sign up! The pantry is almost always empty when we show up to stock it. The need for nutritious food is great in the community surrounding our micropantry. .
Feel free to contact me.
Micro Pantry Coordinator: Allie Montney with assistance from John Webb
Phone 217-494-6901 (for the quickest response, please text)
Things I've noticed that may be helpful: During the school year, stocking the pantry on a weekend or after 4:00PM during the weekdays means fewer people and it's easier to get a parking spot. Ask friends and family to donate unused household items for the pantry that you can collect. If purchasing bags of fresh fruit or veggies, stock them individually so that more in need can take what they need. ALDI grocery stores have prices that cannot be beat. Be sure to stock appropriately for the season so that fresh foods do not spoil.
Please remember that we are including some noon meetings at Maldaners and social night meetings at locations other than Maldaners. Please pay attention to the meeting schedule listed in the Newsletter, on our website home page (www.spirotary.org), and on our Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram pages for the dates and locations of the meetings.
October 5, 2026 No Rotary Club Meeting
October 6, 2026 5:00 p.m. Off-site Social Night and Polio Plus Fundraiser
Springfield Beer Company, Springfield Tap Room
3788 Wabash Ave., Springfield, IL (see article in this Newsletter)
October 12, 2026 No Rotary for Commemoration of Indigenous Peoples Day
October 19, 2026 4:00 Rotary Board Meeting
5:30 p.m. Club Meeting and Dinner
Maldaners Upstairs
Featured Speaker: Saul Morse
Saul is a polio survivor and will discuss his experiences in dealing with this disease. His experience emphasizes the importance of continuing Rotary efforts to totally eradicate polio and is being presented in recognition of World Polio Day on October 24.Saul is a long-time Springfield resident and the Chair of the Quality Control Board at the State of Illinois Department of Human Services.
October 26, 2026 5:30 p.m. Rotary Club Meeting
Club Assembly
Maldaners Upstairs
November 2, 2026 11:50 a.m. Rotary Club Lunch Meeting
Maldaners Upstairs
Featured Speaker: Lori Schlosser
Lori is a strategist, advocate, and facilitator for passion projects and businesses in the Springfield area
November 9, 2026 4:00 p.m. Rotary Board Meeting
5:30 p.m. Rotary Club Meeting
Maldaners Upstairs
November 14, 2026 10:30 a.m-4:00 p.m. Rotary District Conference
University of Illinois Springfield
Student Union (free registration)
Optional 5:00-7:00 p.m. Foundation Dinner
There is a charge
Registration is now open. See District 6460 Website or Ken Gilmore's Rotary News for the registration link.
November 16, 2026 5:00 p.m. Rotary Off-Site Social Night
Do you know or are you someone who has a passion to give back to your community? The Rotarians in this image are helping pack essential items for the Illinois Police Department to give to homeless individuals in our community. As a Rotarian, you adhere to the principles of the 4-way Test., which are:
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all concerned?
Will it build Good Will and Better Friendships?
Will it be Beneficial to all concerned?
If you find value in these ideals and want to be part of a great organization, right click on the attached link to open our online Membership Applicationin a new window. You can also click on this link to download an electronic copy of the Membership Application from our Club's website Home Page (www.spirotary.org) in the Download Files section. You can send the completed application to the Membership Committee at hmitchell11@comcast.net. We look forward to hearing from you!
Please remember to report your service hours and related contributions. You will be able to enter your hours and correctly assign them to the correct Rotary Calendar year. Just follow this link:
Please email images of service activities to Bonnie Styles at bonstyles@yahoo.com. It's easy to take pictures if you have a smartphone, but even an old style camera works just fine. Send me an email (bonstyles@yahoo.com) to let me know when you will be volunteering for a service project, and I will come out and take some images.
Be sure to turn in your hours for any volunteering that you do on behalf of Rotary.
Please sign up to help stock the pantry, it is vitally important in the community surrounding the school. A fully stocked pantry is depleted of food in about two days.
If you want to help stock our Little Libraries, please let Allie Montney know (onedirtymartini@gmail.com) know.
Special thanks to all our members who participated in service projects in September. The image below shows members who volunteered to prepare and serve a meal for Compass for Kids.
We had a rewarding September, highlighted by a special Springfield Rotary Club's event hosted by our club at Maldaners on September 14. Former Rotary International President Mark Maloney spoke about his extraordinary experiences during his tenure as RI President. He drew a large audience (image below) including officers and members of all five Springfield Clubs and current and past District Governors and other dignitaries from Rotary District 6460.
Our featured speaker on September 28, was Trisha Ratliff. She is the patient experience coordinator for HSHS Home Care and Hospice. She discussed home, palliative, and hospice care. We were fortunate to have her share her expertise in making a difference for patients, and I was happy to present her with our Rotary mug (image on left). For more information on this presentation, check out the article in this Newsletter.
To reserve your meal at Maldaners, I am trying a different format this year instead of the Air Table. For each meal, I will send out a separate link for you to use to sign-up. While I know the chef is wonderful to make additional food in case some people forget to sign up, I would like to try has hard as possible for everyone to sign up if they plan to attend a meeting. When I talked to them for the upcoming year, I was told they truly prefer a six day advance notice to make sure adequate accommodations are provided to us.
On this extraordinary occasion, Rotarians from across Illinois (image above) and Interactors from the Springfield area (image on left) heard stories from Mark’s Rotary journey. The guests included District Governor for District 6460 Musonda Kapatmayo, Rotary District Governor Elect Nancy Waters, Rotary District Governor Nominee Jon Looney, and Past Rotary International Director and member of our club Robert Stuart (images in order below), and numerous past District Governors and other Rotary dignitaries.
It was a great day to build beds for children on Saturday, September 12 in the Lowe's parking lot off of Dirksen Parkway. Three Rotarians, Harry, Ashley and Ken (image above) partnered with the Sleep in Heavenly Peace organizers to help build over 35 beds for children who do not have beds in Springfield.
The menu consisted of tacos, nachos, fresh fruit, a drink, and, of course, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies!
As reported by Rod Buffington at our last several club meetings, he has put together two new designs (image above) for Rotary shirts for club members. The designs are embroidered on white polo shirts. If you are interested in ordering and paying for a shirt, contact Rod Buffington via email as soon as possible at rotaryrod@comcast.net. He will need to know your size and which design you would like to have. Women may request a 3/4-sleeve shirt if so desired. The first batch of shirts have been delivered to Rod, and there will be a delay before any additional shirts can be embroidered. 
