Rotary Club of Princeton, IL

10/14/2026

Happy Anniversary to Jill & John Kowalczyk from your friends in Princeton Rotary Club! Wishing you many more years of happiness 🥂

10/14/2026

Are you a 6th, 7th, or 8th grader looking for some adventure?

The Rotary Club of Princeton invites you to a FREE event! Imagine yourself immersed in nature away from technology for a day! We've partnered with Echo Bluff Park again this year for Wildside Challenge! Enjoy a ropes course, ziplining, archery, and human foos ball. We've planned for Saturday, November 7, 2026 from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Transportation and lunch are provided.

For more information or to register, visit our website: https://princetonrotaryclub.com/wildside-challenge/

🏹🍁🍂

10/12/2026

At last Tuesday's noon meeting, Jenica Cole introduced Justina Chlum, Cubmaster for Club Scouts Pack #4151. Justina shared that the Princeton Masonic Lodge #587 sponsored their unit, and the first meeting was in January 2025 with 20 scouts. Today, they have 35 active kids and are the largest in the Lowaneu District! The scouting program consists of a pack that is divided into dens based on a child’s grade. Lions are kindergarten, followed by Tigers in 1st, Wolves in 2nd, Bears in 3rd, Webelos in 4th, and Arrow of Light in 5th. Following that, they are considered Boy Scouts. Den meetings are held on Mondays from 6 - 7 p.m., and pack meetings are every other month, at which time they are recognized for accomplishments and they receive their adventure loops. Scouts are required to complete 6 adventures and at least 2 electives during the school year to earn the next rank. During the year, scouts participate in a number of service projects. Justina shared photos of the food drive, Earth Day clean-up, helping with the “clean waters initiative” at the Canal, and serving as Color Guard for Veterans Day - just to name a few. They helped carry the giant flag in the Homestead Festival Parade as well. Fundraising is important to the pack, and they have participated in Lunch in the Park and the bake sale, Culver’s “Share Night,” and popcorn sales. This active group also holds an annual Pinewood Derby, participates in day camp and a bike rodeo, as well as camps and hikes. Justina ended her presentation with Q&A. For more information about this local group, they have a page.

10/12/2026

10/12/2026

Princeton Rotarians Rex Lasson and Cathy Foes joined other Rotarians from Chicago at Hungry World Farm on Saturday. They helped prepare for the planting of over 5,600 trees in pastures along the bottom road!

10/11/2026

Happy Anniversary to Erica and Nick Oertel from your friends in Princeton Rotary Club! Wishing you many more years of happiness 🥂

10/08/2026

Happy Anniversary to Dan & Sue Legner from your friends in Princeton Rotary Club! Wishing you many more years of happiness 🥂

10/05/2026

Help support our Interact Club at Princeton High School 🎃 They're planning a night full of fun, games, and treats 🍭🍬🍫

10/05/2026

Happy Birthday to Chantha Chhim from your friends in Princeton Rotary Club! Have an amazing day 🥳

10/04/2026

At last Tuesday's noon meeting, Michael Stutzke introduced Bob Eschbach to share information with us about the Starved Rock Country Community Foundation (SRCCF). Bob was a founding board member of the SRCCF and has an impressive professional background in economic development; he has also served as past mayor of Ottawa. The SRCCF is now 10 years old and started with just $30,000. The original goal of the foundation was to support the Ottawa community, but the Starved Rock Country area seemed best as it incorporates those local and surrounding smaller counties. Pamela Beckett is the co-founder and CEO of SRCCF, and they have undergone some changes in leadership format to share responsibilities and expertise across the team. Their mission is “connecting people who care with causes that matter.” They are an all-volunteer 501(c)3 grant-funded public charity organization. Bob shared a “Report to our Community” that details their revenue and expenses of $9.6M, substantial growth since their start in 2016. Funds are managed by Hometown Bank, and they have an average 18% return on these funds. SRCCF has an upcoming fundraiser in November where they will share a $10M announcement. Currently, there are more than 100 funds available. SRCCF acts as a fiscal agent for smaller organizations/funds, taking care of all IRS needs. There are currently donor advised, designated, field of interest, agency, scholarship, and giving circle funds, and Bob gave a brief description of some of these. Bob ended his presentation with Q&A. For more information, visit their website at www.srccf.org.