Scholarships, gifts, service projects: Dundee Rotarians help community

Thirty years - that's how long the Dundee Township Rotary Club has been together. Tally the amount of money raised for scholarships and other local causes and realize a lot of good has happened since 1980.

For example, consider the scholarship program.

"Since we started, we have raised $605,400 in the scholarship program," said Allan Treml, who has served as the club's president twice. "We give scholarships in amounts that range from $10,000 to $2,000 to local high school students that intend to go to college. The $10,000 scholarship is spread over four years and the lesser amounts are for one year."

Those scholarships have helped many families pay for a college education, he said.

To collect that money, the 36 local Rotarians sell cases of oranges and grapefruits in December. That sale alone has been known to raise as much as $20,000, he said. Club members also conduct a Bowling for Dollars fundraiser, which can raise up to $7,000. And, they conduct an annual raffle which has a grand prize of $5,000. More thousands go into the pot.

With all that money and when the scholarships are disbursed, Rotarians work on other projects such as parties for children and their families at Halloween and Christmas. They have touched and helped hundreds of local residents. The Halloween parties are for terminally ill and disabled children. These aren't just little get-togethers. Members scour the area for volunteers and businesses to elaborately decorate rooms and hand out candy.

At the Christmas parties, children from low-income families are invited to celebrate with each other and Santa. Both parties have been going on for years and since they have started both have involved thousands of children.

"We do all this because we enjoy it. We all belong to this community," Treml said. "All of our members work and live here, and we're committed to giving back. We enjoy it. We have fun."

Other numbers and smaller projects are involved as well. Consider the $24,000 local Rotarians donated so the Dundee Township Library could purchase a van to take staff and materials to school. Consider the dollars raised to help build a pavilion near a baseball field near Randall Oaks Park. And consider the hundreds of paper plates, napkins and cups Rotary Club members donate for the chili cooking contest during West Dundee's Heritage Fest in September.

Members also donated $16,000 in computer equipment and books to the Senior Center, run by the Dundee Township Park District. And every year, Rotarians host a casino night for Senior Center members, he said.

"We love being a part of Rotary. It's is the older service organization in the United States. It was started in 1905 and it is world wide," Treml said. "The organization played a major role in eradicating polio throughout the world."

Every year, Dundee Rotarians also organize a group of doctors from Wisconsin to treat people in Jamaica. As a result thousands receive care for their eyes, teeth and the rest of their bodies.

To keep track of all these events and start new ones, Rotary Club members meet weekly for lunch. More information about the club can be obtained by calling Patricia Szpekowski at (847) 426-6900.