Quad Cities Rotary eNews (Jul 05, 2026)

Welcome to our Club!

Service Above Self

Mondays at 6:00 PM

Hy-Vee

2930 18th Avenue
Rock Island, IL 61201
United States of America

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We are at the end of our biggest project of the year! Service above self! Parking duty John Deere Classic 2026 has been a great success. We filled an all-time record of 68 volunteer slots, covering both Jewel-Osco and The Downs with the help of Friends of Rotary.

Thank you to everyone who put in countless hours, both prior to the event and during the week, and those who even fulfilled multiple shifts. The heat and raindrops didn't stop us! A special thank you to Rotarians who were able to bring friends and family to fill our roster. We awarded Marcy O'Brien our top-recruiter prize of a Rotary Aluminum Water Bottle. A cold drink was needed during the hot afternoons.

Amanda Aunan, Office Administrator (and more) with Ballet Quad Cities

Ballet Quad Cities

Ballet Quad Cities is celebrating 30 years of performance this year. They are a professional non-profit ballet company with 9 female and 3 male dancers. They do five shows a year. The majority of their income is derived from grants and sponsorships. A portion comes from ticket sales and some schools make a monetary contribution.

They believe art should be available to everyone. A big part of the dancers work outside of major performances is work with six local school districts. Ballet Quad Cities uses four programs to reach 1^st through 6^th graders in six school districts in Iowa and Illinois. Dance Me a Story: Exploring Literature through Ballet, Bullying Prevention and Character Building, Live Performance Experience: The Nutcracker, and LEAP! (Leadership, Expression, Action, Participation). Each program targets a specific academic discipline, and all support social-emotional learning. Programs are developed in close collaboration with school personnel and presented by the staff and dancers of Ballet Quad Cities. All programs are interactive and multidisciplinary, combining movement, music, visuals, and critical thinking skills. In addition to classrooms, BQC presents many of these programs–at no cost to participants–in area libraries, community centers, senior centers, and organizations serving individuals with disabilities. No other arts organization offers such an intentionally designed, comprehensive suite of programs for youth and adults. Their educational outreach programs bring the magic of professional ballet to every Quad Citizen who wishes to experience it, regardless of age, ability, or income!

Dancers work a 40-hour week, including practice and community outreach. They have 300-500 applicants each year from dancers hoping to be a professional dancer. They often find themselves really enjoying the outreach required for their position.

Check out the link below for performance dates and to learn more about the company. We are fortunate to have them in the Quad Cities. They are so talented and offer amazing performances for all ages.

Ballet Quad Cities

Happy Dollars of the Week

Andy was happy about the 4 dozen oatmeal chocolate chip cookies his daughter made, using his mom's recipe. Yum!

Terry was happy about his grandson's achievement. He's been admitted to West Point. Truly an honor and testimony to his hard work.

Amanda (guest speaker) is happy her kids will be home for a visit at the end of the month for the Bix and an engagement.

Paul was happy to have Cole and Hannah home for a triathlon. Their animals made the visit a little more interesting. Thankfully, it doesn't sound like the cat had to put anyone in their place. It's been 3 weeks since Karen's knee replacement and recovery is going well with help from tramadol.

Bill had a lovely 2 weeks in Hayward Wisconsin and caught “that” many fish. He displayed few fingers and they were close together, to give you a visual. :) But he was in his happy place.

John was happy that Vickie was able to attend Rotary today. His dentist grandson will be traveling between Kansas City, Minnesota, Wisconsin and then back to St. Louis within 28 hours this weekend.

Vickie is happy to see the club.

Sue is happy about the John Deere Classic happening this week and celebrated her last week as club President.

Randy is back from vacation in Anna Maria Florida. It was a 23 hour drive! But, the best part, they found a Buc-ees in Athens Alabama! The $200 experience included slippers, t-shirt, pj's, and a few other items. Truly, a happy day. They kayaked and saw manatees and dolphins. There was an ice cream boat that offered many great items, but he recommends the butterscotch bomb.

Christie is watching her grand kids this week and will be taking them to Riverside pool to escape the heat and burn their energy.

Marcy was happy to enjoy a beautiful Saturday and complete her yard work.

Wayne was happy his memory kicked in and he didn't go to the June 22nd meeting (cancelled for volunteer dinner). The Cubs won 2 out of 3 against the Brewers at Milwaukee. The Brewers are in first place.

George was happy about the Sox 41st game win. Is his heart softening? His grandson's 16 and under team had 6 straight wins and they won the tournament! They played through 79 degree temps and 85% humidity. Their persistence paid off.

$ 19 was raised.

No meeting July 6th.

Pay a dollar on the 13th if you show up.

President, Bill Abel, will be installed by Dave Emerick at our next meeting. We hope to see you on the 13th.

Newsletter

Please reach out to Sue Cassatt if you would like to help with the newsletter. She can be reached at 309-644-0101 or scassatt69@ymail.com. A training session can be arranged. It's not difficult if you are comfortable with a computer. Are you good at taking detailed notes? Good at writing our speaker articles? Willing to create our weekly communication? It's our primary source of communication, documents club activity, and valuable to those unable to attend the meeting.

Jul 06, 2026

No meeting

Taking a well earned break

Jul 13, 2026

Dawn Wohlford-Metallo, Quad City Arts

Mathias sculpture project

Jul 20, 2026

Mary Ann Stewart

AARP free income tax preparation service

Jul 27, 2026

Deb Steele

Friendship Force

View entire list

Join Date

Marcy O'Brien

July 1, 2021

5 years

Paul Neder

July 16, 2007

19 years

Check us out at quadcitiesillinoisrotary.org

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