August is Rotary's Membership and New Club Development Month, and I'm excited to share that District 6420 is actively exploring opportunities to grow Rotary in new ways. We are working with a cause-based group interested in forming an International E-Club, connecting with our Youth Exchange Alumni about a potential E-Club, and exploring communities that could benefit from a new or re-established Rotary club.
Rockford, IL July 2, 2026 — Rotary District 6420 is proud to announce a donation of $6,000.00 to the Northern Illinois Food Bank, directly supporting local families and individuals facing food insecurity. This contribution will help provide over 24,000 meals to neighbors across Winnebago County.
Congratulations to the following District 6420 clubs that have earned Rotary International's 2025-26 Club Excellence Award—the highest recognition a Rotary club can achieve:
Rotary Club of Henry Rotary Club of Mendota Rotary Club of Princeton Rotary Club of Rock Island
This award celebrates clubs that set meaningful goals, achieved them, and demonstrated excellence in strengthening their club, serving their communities, and advancing Rotary's mission.
Volunteer for the 2028 Rotary International Convention in Minneapolis! May roles will be a light lift, like working at a Host Organizing Committee table, working the registration booth, helping members with the convention app, etc.
The Rotary Club of Toluca celebrated it's 75th Anniversary in May. District Governor, Melissa McCormick, District Governor Elect, Tina Curtis, as well as District Foundation Chair, Laura Kahn were in attendance to help celebrate the milestone. The club was presented a certificate of recognition from Rotary International as well as a commemorative plaque given by the District Governor. The community was invited and refreshments were provided.
At our July 7, 2026 meeting we recognized club member Norman Walzer for earning "Major Donor" status through his generosity to the Rotary International Foundation. Over his 17+ years of membership, Norm has made enough donations to earn Level 1 Major Donor honors.
Our annual 4th of July pancake breakfast got off to a soggy start at Walnut days celebration but with the support of our wonderful community, it was a great day.
This year marks 54 Years of the Poplar Grove Airport Fly-in Event at that event the Belvidere Rotary hosts Bomber Bingo. This amazing aerial display features small airplanes dropping flour sacks on a large grid on the ground.
The City of Toluca is in the process of building a new community shelter on the corner of Sante Fe and Main streets. The shelter will be used for community events such as the Cruise-In and the Toluca Labor Day Celebration activities. The Rotary Club of Toluca recently made a substantial contribution of $10,000 to the City of Toluca for the construction of the shelter.
The Rotary Club of Toluca is sponsoring a "Beat the Heat Bingo" program again this summer. Our goal is to bring the community members together for some fun, fellowship, and giving. Participants are asked to bring one paper product, to be donated to the Toluca Food Pantry, in order to play.
The Marshall and Putnam County Rotary Clubs joined forces again this year to help sponsor, promote and volunteer at the MP Fair's annual Senior Day on Thursday, July 16 at the Henry Fairgrounds. Putnam County Rotary and Henry Rotary Clubs gathered over 100 door prizes and served as greeters and prize "runners" -- and helped with refreshments during the event. Both Clubs, and Toluca Rotary, helped sponsor the event as well.
River Cities Rotary Annual Fishing Derby will take place on Saturday, August 29th at 5509 286th St N. Hillsdale, IL. This FREE event encourages families to come out and fish on a private pond.
River Cities Rotary sponsored a week of Cordova Cares Lunch Program at the Cordova District Library in Cordova, IL. River Cities Rotary served a hot meal on Monday and the kids took home Tuesdays lunch. On Wednesday, they were back to serve a hot meal and the kiddos took home Thursday and Friday's lunches.
On Sunday, August 2, Rock Island Rotary Club members gathered together for a fun summer picnic and then attended the Backwater Gamblers ski show in Rock Island.
The Rockton-Roscoe Rotary Club's annual Rib Fest once again brought together great food, friendly competition, and community spirit.
Each year, local fire departments compete for the coveted People's Choice Award for the Best Rack of Ribs in the Stateline area, and this year's competition did not disappoint. With record community attendance, four departments fired up their grills: Rockton Fire Protection District, Rockford Fire Department, South Beloit Fire Department, and Shirland Fire Department.
Do you know about Raise for Rotary, The Rotary Foundation’s peer-to-peer fundraising tool? Since August 2020, Rotary members and our supporters have created more than 4,000 fundraising events to celebrate birthdays, athletic challenges, and other occasions. These fundraisers have generated over US$3.5 million for the PolioPlus Fund, World Fund, Disaster Response Fund, and areas of focus.
The Rotary Club of Toluca was very pleased to have Alisa Stewart, District Youth Chair, for our July monthly speaker. We learned a lot about the Rotary Youth Exchange program. Alisa is a member of the Mendota Rotary Club and is the coordinator of the In-Bound Central States Youth Exchange Program. Alisa says that their motto is "World Peace, One Student at a Time."
