06/10/2026
We are just about at the end of the Rotary year. July 1 will be the start of the new Rotary year. "Create Lasting Impact" is the official 2026-27 presidential theme and call to action for Rotary International, launched by President Olayinka H. Babalola. It urges members worldwide to turn collective service into sustainable, enduring change locally, globally, and within themselves.
Springfield has many neighborhood parks. Back in 2022, we began working on a project with the Springfield Park District to add an 11th pollinator garden in our city at our namesake Rotary Park, which had been dedicated in 1990. The project was spearheaded primarily by the Rotary Club of Springfield IL Sunrise and Springfield Westside Rotary Club, on behalf of all the Springfield Clubs, and couldn’t have been done without the leadership and expertise of Susan Helm and Karla Frank from the pollinator garden volunteers, 3 B Natives Plant Nursery, and the financial backing of a District grant from The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Those grants are given to local clubs funded solely by donations from Rotarians and clubs in West Central Illinois' Rotary District 6460.
A centrally located sunny location was selected at the park. In November of 2024, volunteers helped cover the space on the lawn with a single layer of cardboard donated by a box manufacturer in Lincoln, IL and park district mulch from recycling local tree debris. In Mid-May of 2025, the cardboard was gone and native plants had been purchased. Rotarians and other community volunteers assisted in planting on the newly bare soil. Regular watering by Rotarians throughout the summer of 2025 helped the plants immediately take growth and soon we had our first caterpillars’ lifecycling away.
Now, the plants are firmly established and don’t need watering, the bees and butterflies are busy and we return once a month during the summer to keep our plants from having to compete with the neighboring grasses and weeds.
We expect that garden will continue to provide a waypoint for bees, butterflies and other critters to get water and lay their eggs for many years ahead. Several species of milkweed give the State Insect (monarch butterfly) a place to lay eggs and support future generations. The garden is registered as a Route 66 Monarch Butterfly Waypoint and is registered with other Native Pollinator Garden locations. We added signs with QR codes that direct visitors to information on how they can help pollinators in their backyards. Future development will include more opportunities for Pollinator Education and Literacy with a proposed story walk.
As a capstone we added a Peace Pole to remind passersby to do things that lead to Peace among all Nations. “May Peace Prevail on Earth” is a rallying phrase on over 160,000 Peace Poles around the planet, and ours is written in English, Spanish, Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Braile- some of the most common languages spoken in Illinois. Rotary is all about Peace.
If your club wants to do a pollinator garden and or a peace pole, feel free to message this post and we will be happy to help with your questions.
