Events

Vitaliy Bezrodnow was born in Kazakhstan and as a young man immigrated to the US from Russia in the early 1990's.  Vitaliy was first introduced to Rotary in 1995 through a Russia - USA District Meeting in Denver, Colorado.  After moving to Cleaveland, Ohio he joined the local Rotary Club as their youngest member.  Working with the senior members of the club, he founded the Rotary Children's Fund now known as RCF. RCF's primary funding is in support of the International Cultural Exchange Program, Golden Gates.  RCF  provdies for many programs that support and improve good will between the people of America and other countries to develop a better understanding of cultures, music and traditions.  

The Rotary Children's Fund exists to promote goodwill between countries by funding organizations that contrubute to peace, cultural understanding, and appreciation through the arts.  Since 2003, over 500 young people were awarded grants to be in 40 youth groups that traveled internationally and share their talent and culture with over 1 million others. 

Brett Weiss spent twenty-three years in the software business, four years running a social services organization and eighteen years as a high school social studies teacher.  In 2009 he made a volunteer trip to Kenya and spent most of three weeks in the tiny village of Dago.  Little did he know then that these kind and hard- working people would become a major part of his life.  In 2012 he created the Weiss Scholarship Foundation.  In 2017 Brett "retired" so he could devote full time to this work.

Brett created the Weiss Scholarship Foundation to give HOPE in a village where there was little hope.  Six trips later 79 children from this village have been awarded scholarships.  Our program sends children to high school and then to either university or vocational school.  So far, we have 13 students at vocational schools and 9 attending university.  This is a village where few have ever gone to high school.  A key rule of our foundation is all money is divided equally between boys and girls. We do much more than just pay school fees.  We have staff on the ground that make sure our students are fully supported so they can be successful. 

Brett wrote a book about this work called, "Just Give Them A Hug...And The Rest Is Easy".  He looks forward to sharing this great story with you.  We believe that we can create a world where every child gets a great education.

This foundation has grown a lot since Brett last spoke to the club and looks forward to sharing the story with you.  We have built a great business model and are now looking to scale the model so we can help many more children.

Brett and his wife Christine are the parents of two and grandparents of two.

On Jan 30th, 2020, an article released by Del Monte Foods, Inc State of Healthy Eating in America study reveals Millennials feel social anxiety and stress to eat well. In the same article 1 out of 3 Americans say they were never educated on healthy eating habits. Approximately 23.5 million people live in food deserts, most of which being low‐income. In an article published by South Side Weekly on‐line magazine, it states that the solution to food deserts also includes income disparity and access to educational reform.
Tony will discuss the growth of plants through hydroponics. 

Speaker Pat Sullivan retired from USF in 2010 after 34 years of teaching and serving as head men's basketball coach. He accumulated more than 500 wins during his tenure. Sullivan has dedicated his career to not only coaching and educating students, but also inspiring young people and helping them to discover and capitalize on their personal strengths.

Mr. Navarro was recently touted in the January Route 66 Magazine, "He may not be at the forefront of household names along Illinois'stretch of Route 66, but he is undeniably a major influencer in the tourism experienceat the beginning of the Mother Road. An Ardent advocate of Illinois' Route 66, no one knows more abut what to see and do between Chicago and Towanda, and how to get travelors to pay a visit."

Today he shares with us his work on the Heritage Corridor Convention adn Visitors Bureau.