Pledge = Ken led us in the Pledge
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Thoughts – Bob B shared thoughts about travel
Announcements –
You should have received dues statements. Please pay! Or check with Patti Van Cleave, Treasurer.
David – Debra has redesigned our bulletin. It’s great and new! Take a look!
Thomas – Mental Healthcare Week – Lotteria #2 night is coming up on Feb 19 at AVLI.
Patti = WNRCF Community Grants awarded. List available and will be posted in bulletin.
Amy- Cyber Security workshop on Feb 12.
Bill – spoke to Pat O’Day this morning. He sends regards to the club.
Happy Bucks
Rich – For Moha in all that he has been through lately, the Moroccan soccer team, the Bears, and also including approval of the Global Grant.
Robert – Happy Buck: 75 degrees where he is now
Whiny Buck: Coming back tomorrow.
Dig N Grin – Rives led us in a rousing rendition of a Scottish ballad.
Program - Tony was our featured speaker for Rotarian Behind the Badge. His wife Carolyn was in attendance.
Tony shared Rotary-based stories and picutures from his history as a Rotarian. His stories of a trip to Switzerland to meet Russians were fascinating, as well as his time in Uganda.
Tony also shared some personal history, beginning with his childhood in Joliet. He considered pro baseball, but his father discouraged him.
As a printer’s apprentice in junior college, he met several famous Republicans. He attended the Republican National Convention where he liked “Ike”.
He met Carolyn in college at Northern Illinois.
Moving into his Rotary years, Tony was president in 1985. Once women were allowed in Rotary, the club admitted 4 women and was no longer an “old boys club”.
He met the RI President in Evanston at the end of his year as president. The RI President began the EndPolio initiative.
He learned at an International Convention about the inequality of women in Africa, Uganda specifically. He and Carolyn began a micro-lending program for women in Uganda. Over the course of the program, they raised over $300K and it became an International Rotary project.
Working with the State Dept, they were able to bring Ugandans to the US to be trained as teachers.
The school currently has 600 students and has grown over the years. The Kambichs have been to Uganda 14 times.