Drawn by national curling and youth baseball contests, crowds of athletes flock to the small town of Summerside on Prince Edward Island. Townspeople, however, aren’t content merely to be spectators. Each winter, local curlers contend in a tournament that’s been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Summerside for nearly 20 of the event’s 36 years. In March, 36 teams vied in a friendly meetup that raised about CA$40,000 for Strive, a program that provides scholarships and Rotarian mentoring to high school students. “In curling, [a tournament] is a bonspiel,” explains Paul Power, a past president of the club. “We call ours a ‘funspiel.’” Participants, including about a dozen club members, “love their curling,” says Power. “It’s not competitive whatsoever,” unless you count the points awarded to the best-dressed Mardi Gras-themed team. “It’s basically all hands on deck” — and on the granite stones players slide across the ice once the games begin.
United States
Students learned to become environmental “solutionists” at a Maryland Rotary club’s youth summit, organizing battery and plastic recycling drives and teaching peers about growing trees. Teens at the environmental summit, the second hosted by the Rotary Club of Southern Frederick County (Urbana), joined a coalition of Interactors and other young people who volunteer to rescue uneaten school cafeteria food and compost waste. The students advocate with school leaders and state lawmakers, backed by Rotary members who support the expansion of the Lunch Out of Landfills initiative. The summit’s goal is to give students skills and confidence to push for change in their communities. “Young people bring an incredible energy and urgency to climate action,” says Mary Jo Anderson, the club’s president.
- Current City Projects including the annual road program, sanitary sewer rehabilitation, lead service line replacement, sidewalk construction, flood control, traffic engineering, etc.
How a Rotary initiative turns old computers into new opportunities
The initiative, called Digital Waste to Digital Hope, addresses the dual challenges of e-waste and digital inequality. Guided by university mentors and teachers, students at Shoushan Middle School in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, disassemble, clean, repair, and reassemble used computers. The refurbished machines are then donated to elementary school students in rural areas, many of whom have never had a device in their homes.
“In Taiwan, like in many countries, electronics are being discarded at an alarming rate,” says Jackie Shih, a member of the Rotary Club of Kaohsiung, Taiwan. “This project tackles that waste while empowering our youth to take action through knowledge and service.”
The program is funded by a Rotary Foundation global grant and sponsored by the Rotary Club of Pingtung Feng-Huang, 11 other Taiwanese clubs, a Korean club, and National Sun Yat-sen University in Sizihwan, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Hands-on learning is at the heart of the program.
“I learned how to clean the CPU and install memory sticks,” said Kyuri Park, one of the student refurbishers. “I now understand that the Earth’s resources aren’t infinite. Every repair we do helps protect the planet, and it helps someone else.”
The project has fixed up and delivered more than 100 computers. For students like Jojo, who received a refurbished computer, the impact is tangible.
“I remember being nervous when we first brought it home,” she says. “It became the center of our home. I use it to study and play games, my sister uses it for homework, and my parents use it to watch videos.”
- https://chicagolandsportshalloffame.com/hall-of-famer/ken-popejoy/
- https://ballotpedia.org/Kenneth_L._Popejoy
- https://www.dcba.org/mpage/judgePopejoy
- In Illinois, the circuit court is the court of original jurisdiction. There are 25 judicial circuits in the state, and in DuPage County this is the 18th Judicial Circuit Court.
- Each circuit is administered by a chief judge who is elected by vote of the circuit court judges of that circuit. For the 18th Judicial Circuit Court the Hon. Bonnie M. Wheaton, is currently the Chief Judge. She is the successor to Judge Kenneth L. Popejoy. Circuit judges in the circuit elect one of their members to serve as chief circuit court judge. The chief circuit judge has general administrative authority in the circuit. The chief judge can assign cases to general or specialized divisions within the circuit.
- There are two types of judges in the circuit court: circuit judges and associate judges. Circuit judges are elected for a six-year term and may be retained by voters for additional six-year terms. They can hear any circuit court case. Associate judges are appointed by circuit judges of that circuit for four-year terms. An associate judge can hear any matters deemed suitable by the chief judge or designated circuit judge.
- 24,000+: the estimated annual number of individuals in Illinois who are victims of trafficking.
- 1,600: the estimated number of beds in the U.S. available for women victims of trafficking.
- 70% of female trafficking victims are involved with the sex industry including prostitution, porn, and stripping.
- 100% of Naomi House residents experience addiction and other mental health disorders associated with abuse.
- 85% of of women helped are victims of child abuse.
- Mission: To help every woman who has suffered from commercial sexual exploitation
- Impact: Since 2016 Naomi House has grown from serving five women through the Reside residential program to serving hundreds of women across the Chicagoland area. In 2024 over 250 women received services from Naomi House.
- Programs
- Reset outreach drop-in centers: victims are welcomed to “come as they are”. The Naomi House team offers immediate support, a listening ear, and even a care plan outlining steps to a different life to every woman who walks through the door.
- Reside is the long-term, 24-hour residential program for women who are ready to build a life free from sexual exploitation . Here, they find the safety and comfort they need to exit survival mode and face the trauma of their pasts.
- Rise: This day program is for survivors who have already done extensive work to heal from sexual exploitation and seek continued growth. Accountability, continued education, job-skills training/placement, and counseling are provided as they begin to live independently, pursue healthy community and relationships, and rebuild connections with family.
Wheaton, IL 60187
United States of America