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Promoting Fighting Supporting
Peace Disease Education
Saving Providing Growing
Mothers Clean Local
& Children Water Economies
Protecting the
Environment
8:30-9:00 Join the Zoom meeting early with video and audio to reconnect with
your friends around District 6490!
9:00-9:15 Master of Ceremonies, Doug Nelson—Rotary Club of Champaign
District 6490 Governor, Mike Step—Paris Rotary Club
9:15-9:30 Remarks from Rotary International President, Holger Knaack
9:30-10:00 Keynote Address by Author and Inspirational Speaker, John O’Leary
10:00-10:30 Rotary International Board of Director, Valarie Wafer
10:30-11:15 Breakout Sessions and Break
(Attendees must choose one session to attend. Sessions will be recorded and available for viewing on the District
6490 website after the conference.)
Session 1: “Why Does Climate Change Matter?” Dr. Donald Wuebbles from Champaign Urbana
Illini after Five Rotary Club – Hosted by District Governor Mike Step from the Paris Rotary
Club
Session 2: “Joining the Hunger Fighting Team: Africa, India, and Central America,” Carl Burkybile
from Rotary Club of Champaign – Hosted by Master of Ceremonies Douglas Nelson from the
Rotary Club of Champaign
Session 3: “Building A Culture of Peace: Education and Libraries in the Democratic Republic of
Congo,” Shannon O’Rourke Kasali, Rotary Peace Fellow – Hosted by Elizabeth Palma, Editor
of District 6490 Newsletter and President of Bloomington-Normal Family Rotary Club
Session 4: “Inspiring Members through Service,”, Emily Cross Vayr, Angie Hatfield Marker, Christine
Nevitt, and Jane Solon from Champaign West Rotary Club – Hosted by Janet Ellis-Nelson,
District 6490 Conference Chair and member of the Rotary Club of Champaign
11:15-11:30 Past District 6490 Governor Julie Dobski, 2019-2020 Award Presentations
Avenues of Service Awards: Club, Community, International, Vocational, Youth
Rotary International Awards: Per Capita Top 3, 100% Giving to The Rotary
Foundation, Every Rotarian Every Year, End Polio Now, Rotary Citation
11:30-11:40 “Dream the Impossible Dream,” performed by Nathan and Julie Gunn
Slide Show of 2019-2020 District and Global Grants, prepared by District
Governor Nominee, Heather Stoa
11:40-12:05 Past District 6490 Governor Julie Dobski, 2019-2020 Award Presentations
Individual Awards: Hall of Honor, Rotarian of the Year, New Rotarian of the Year
Club of the Year Awards: Large Club, Small Club
12:05-12:15 Closing Comments – Doug Nelson and District 6490 Governor Mike Step
*Times are approximate. Please take biological breaks as needed.
Master of Ceremonies, Doug Nelson’s Rotary journey began in 1992 when he was selected to
be a member of a Group Study Exchange Team going to Japan for five weeks. Growing up as a
farm boy who had never been out of the country, Rotary changed his life! Upon his return to
Illinois, Doug joined the Rotary Club of Champaign and visited many clubs in District 6490 to
share his extraordinary Rotary experience. Shortly thereafter, Doug became the Chair of the
District Group Study Exchange Committee and organized multiple international Group Study
Exchanges, preparing outbound teams while also arranging hosts within District 6490 for in-
coming GSE teams. Doug was named New Rotarian of the Year for his club in 1994, received the Four Ave-
nues of Service Award from Rotary International in 1998, and a Meritorious Service Award from Champaign
Rotary for 2019-2020. Doug is a Paul Harris Fellow +1 and has attended three Rotary International Conven-
tions. Outside of Rotary, Doug is the owner and founder of BodyWork Associates, a clinic in Champaign that
specializes in the treatment of pain. An author of three books, he and his teaching institute conduct over 100
advance trainings in neuromuscular therapy annually. Doug is also the current president of the Massage
Therapy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding scientific research in the field of massage
therapy.
District Governor Mike Step was raised on a farm outside of Paris, Illinois. He earned a BS
in Chemical Engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and an MBA from East-
ern Illinois University. He worked for a petrochemical company for almost forty years, pri-
marily in management positions. Mike joined the Rotary club in Morris, Illinois in 1995. As he
was transferred to different locations with his job, Mike joined Rotary clubs in Jackson, Ten-
nessee and Tuscola. When he retired in February 2014, Mike joined the Paris Rotary club and
was immediately elected as President-Elect of their club! When he became President, he wanted to become
more involved at the district level and attended and graduated from the Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI).
Mike served as President of the Paris Rotary Club for two years, then went on to become the Assistant Gov-
ernor for Area 14, a member of the District Governor Nominating Committee, and the District Grants Com-
mittee. He participated in the Visioning Process for the Paris Rotary Club, District 6490, and for several clubs
throughout the district. In addition to Rotary, Mike volunteers at the Paris First United Methodist Church,
where he is a Certified Lay Speaker and for Faith in Action Edgar County, where he designs and helps build
accessible ramps and modified steps for people in need. He also serves on the Oversight Committee for the
Paris Center for the Arts. Mike and his wife, Denise, have been married for forty-six years. They have two
children, Sean and Holly, and seven grandchildren.
Holger Knaack became the President of Rotary International on July 1, 2020. He is a mem-
ber of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany. A Rotarian since 1992,
President Knaack has served Rotary as treasurer, director, moderator, member and chair of
several committees, representative for the Council on Legislation, zone coordinator, training
leader, and district governor. He was an endowment/major gifts adviser and co-chair of the
Host Organization Committee for the 2019 Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.
President Knaack is the CEO of Knaack KG, a real estate company. He was previously a part-
ner and general manager of Knaack Enterprises, a 125-year-old family business. He is a founding member of
the Civic Foundation of the City of Ratzeburg and served as president of the Golf-Club Gut Grambek. Presi-
dent Knaack is also the founder and chair of the Karl Adam Foundation. Knaack and his wife, Susanne, are
Keynote Speaker, John O'Leary, was a curious nine-year-old boy in 1987. Playing with fire
and gasoline, John created a massive explosion in his home and was burned on 100% of his
body. He was given less than a 1% chance to live. This epic story of survival was first show-
cased in his parents' book, Overwhelming Odds, in 2006. Originally printing 200 copies for
friends and family, his parents have sold 60,000+ copies. It was this book that first invited
John to embrace his miraculous recovery and share it with the world. John inspires 50,000+
people at 100+ events each year. He speaks to companies and organizations across industries,
such as: sales, healthcare, safety, marketing, finance, faith, education, and insurance. Consistently described
as, "the best speaker we've ever had," John receives nearly 100% of his engagements from referrals. His
schedule is a testament to the power of his message and who he is as an individual. His emotional storytell-
ing, unexpected humor, and authenticity make each of his presentations truly transformational. John's first
book ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was an instant #1 National Bestseller; 200,000+
copies have sold, and it has been translated into 12 languages. John's Live Inspired Podcast is top-rated on
Apple Podcast and has more than 2,000,000 downloads. His second book IN AWE: Rediscover Your Childlike
Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning and Joy, published in May 2020, will be given as gifts to the first
150 conference registrants. John considers his greatest success to be his marriage to his wife, Beth, their
four children, and his relationships with friends and family.
Valarie Wafer, Rotary International Board Director for 2020-2022, had a 27-year career as a
restaurant owner in Toronto. The brand, Tim Hortons, is the most recognized and iconic fran-
chise in Canada. The Wafer’s operation was best known for its inclusive hiring practices and
accessibility, especially in the area of employment. Valarie was Governor of District 7070,
which covers the greater Toronto area, in 2013-2014. Now residing in Collingwood, her home
club is the Rotary Club of Collingwood South Georgian Bay, District 7010. Valarie has contin-
ued to serve Rotary in international roles. She is an international trainer, a member of the
international convention committee, representative of the Rotary International President, and most recently
has been elected to serve on the Board of Rotary International 2020-2022. During Valarie’s tenure as a Rotar-
ian she has participated and led many initiatives, including a recent mission to Kosovo with Gift of Life Inter-
national. She has also served as the Vocational Training Team Leader to Australia in 2010 focusing on youth
mental health, a national immunization day in India in 2012, and has travelled to Kenya and Tanzania to audit
long term Rotary Foundation grant activity. Valarie, and her husband of 33 years, Mark, are Paul Harris Fel-
lows, Bequest Society members, and Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation.
Noble Prize Winner Donald J. Wuebbles is the Harry E. Preble Professor of Atmospheric Sci-
ence at the University of Illinois. He led the development of the Center for Urban Resilience and
Environmental Sustainability (CURES) across the three UI campuses. From 2015 to early 2017,
Don was Assistant Director with the Office of Science and Technology Policy at the Executive
Office of the President in Washington DC, where he was the White House expert on climate sci-
ence. He was Head of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois from
1994 to 2006. Don also led the development of the School of Earth, Society, and Environment, and was its
first director. He is an expert in atmospheric physics and chemistry, with over 500 scientific publications relat-
ed to the Earth’s climate, air quality, and the stratospheric ozone layer. However, his work goes well beyond
that through providing analyses and development of metrics used in national and international policy and in
developing analyses for understanding climate impacts on society and ecosystems, plus potential resilience
and societal responses. He has been a leader in a number of international and national scientific assess-
ments. Don was a Coordinating Lead Author on several international climate assessments led by the Inter-
governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that resulted in IPCC being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in
2007. He co-led the first volume of the 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment published in November 2017
that assesses the science of climate change and its effects on the United States. He led a new assessment on
the impacts of climate change on the Great Lakes that was published in March 2019 and he is currently lead-
ing a special assessment of the impacts of climate change on the State of Illinois. Don has received major
awards, including the Cleveland Abbe Award from the American Meteorological Society, the Stratospheric
Ozone Protection Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the Bert Bolin Global Environ-
mental Change Award from the American Geophysical Union. He is a Fellow of three major professional sci-
ence societies, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union
and the American Meteorological Society. Don joined the Champaign Urbana Illini after Five Rotary Club in
2007. He is a Paul Harris Fellow.
Carl Burkybile has a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Education, a Master of Science
degree in Vocational Education, and an Advanced Certificate in Vocational Administration. He is
currently the Director of two Non-Government Organizations: Caring for Kenya and Healing
Hands International. He is also an Elder at Philo Road Church of Christ. Carl joined Champaign
Rotary in 2012, after retiring from teaching at Rantoul High School. It has given him the oppor-
tunity to make a difference in the lives of many people by bringing clean water to Africa and
teaching people in fifteen countries survival gardening. Carl has received many awards for his service, includ-
ing Champaign Rotary’s New Rotarian of the Year in 2013 and most recently, the International Avenues of
Service Award from Rotary International.
Shannon O’Rourke Kasali is a native of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is passionate about en-
suring people have the information and skills they need to succeed. Shannon has a Bache-
lor’s degree in Political Science and International Studies from Illinois Wesleyan University, a
Master’s degree in International Development from The George Washington University. She
is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences at the University
of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In 2007, Shannon studied French in Senegal as a Rotary Cul-
tural Ambassadorial Scholar. Shannon has worked in Senegal, Mali, Zambia, and the Demo-
cratic Republic of Congo for international organizations and for the United Nations. She was
a 2016 Rotary Peace Fellow and received the Naohiro Tsuchiya Endowed World Peace Scholarship to study
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. She is the Founder
and Executive Director of Books for Congo, a non-profit organization that creates libraries and promotes
reading in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Angie Hatfield Marker is the Vice President of Development for the Community Founda-
tion of East Central Illinois. Raised in Champaign, Angie is a graduate of Centennial High
School and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she obtained her Bachelor’s
degree in Speech Communication in 2003. She is currently working toward her Master’s de-
gree in Nonprofit Management and will graduate this December. Angie has more than 17
years of sales, marketing and development experience. She has been actively volunteering in
the community for more than three decades, serving on boards for the Urbana Business As-
sociation and the Crisis Nursery. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Association of Fund-
raising Professionals of East Central Illinois and is the Chair of Champaign West Rotary’s Community Service
Committee. Angie and her husband, Dan, live in Champaign with their sons, Johnny and Dean
Emily Cross Vayr is the Director of Development for Champaign County Court Appointed Spe-
cial Advocates (CASA) and is responsible for securing support for their foster child advocacy
program. Prior to her role at CASA, she was at the University YMCA in a similar role and has
spent her career in nonprofit services since receiving her Master’s degree from the University
of Illinois at Springfield and Bachelor’s degree from Urbana-Champaign. She is a recent recipi-
ent of the Forty under 40 Award and was named a Rookie of the Year for 2018-2019 for Cham-
paign West Rotary Club.
Christine Nevitt is Senior Vice President & Commercial Compliance Manager for Busey Bank,
a subsidiary of First Busey Corporation. Christine earned an Associate of Science with honors
from Parkland College and a Bachelor of Science in Business, graduating Summa Cum Laude
from Eastern Illinois University. She is a member of the One-to-One Champaign-Urbana Men-
toring Program, C-U's Oktoberfest Steering Committee and Champaign West Rotary Board.
Christine joined Champaign West Rotary in November of 2013. She received the Rookie of the
Year Award 2014-2015, the Little Jimmy Award for Outstanding Service for 2015-2016 and Rotarian of the
year for 2016-2017. She was Board Secretary and Chair of the Community Service Committee from 2015
through 2019. She became President Nominee for year 2018-2019, President Elect for year 2019-2020 and
on July 1, 2020 became Club President. Rotary has and continues to provide opportunities for her to give
back to her community, as well as create lasting friendships. She is a strong believer in the Rotary mottos,
“Service above Self” and “People of Action Making a Difference.” Christine is proud to say she is a Rotarian.
Jane Solon is the Director of Property Management for The Atkins Group. She has been a
member of Champaign West Rotary for 24 years. She served as the 2014-2015 President of
Champaign West Rotary, was Champaign West Rotarian of the year 2008-2009, was District
Rotarian of Year 2010-2011. She chaired the Community Service Committee for many years
and continues as a committee member and chairs various work projects. She serves on other
Champaign West Rotary Committees, as well. Jane has served on the District Global Grant
Scholarship Committee and the Nomination Committee. Outside of Rotary, Jane has been
active on various Boards for non-for profits, such as University of Illinois Community Credit Union, Champaign
Park District Foundation, Don Moyer Boys & Girls Club, Lynne F. Solon Foundation, and the Urban League of
Champaign County Development Corporation. Jane has volunteered countless hours to help other non-for-
profits with projects and fundraisers over the years and continues to do so.
Julie Dobski served as the President of Bloomington-Normal Sunrise Rotary in 2014-2015
and as District 6490 Governor in 2019-2020. She has been a businesswoman and philanthro-
pist for more than 35 years. In 1988, Bob and Julie Dobski, along with their four children,
moved to Bloomington-Normal as the owners of several area McDonald’s restaurants. They
retired from McDonald’s in 2017. In 2004, Julie and Bob opened their first Little Jewels Learn-
ing Center and presently own and operate three centers. They opened Rob Dob’s Restaurant
in Bloomington in 2019. During her club presidency, Julie added 27 new members and 33 Paul
Harris Fellows. The club received the District 6490 Large Club of the Year Award, the Star Club designation,
the Club Service Award, and the RI Presidential Citation. Julie was named District 6490 Rotarian of the Year in
2015-2016. She is a member of the Paul Harris Society.
Julie Gunn is co-director of LyricTheatre@Illinois and a Professor of Accompanying at the
University of Illinois. She produces three mainstage operas or musical theatre works a year at
the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. A faculty member at the School of Music, she
enjoys teaching singers, pianists, chamber musicians and songwriters, and conducting new
works and musical theatre Julie enjoys working at the intersection of different disciplines and
collaborates with artists in the fields of theatre, dance, and design whenever possible. She
has performed on many of the world’s most prestigious recital series. She is the founder of
the Illinois School of Music Academy, a program for talented pre-college chamber musicians and composers
and has served as a coach or conductor at Chicago Opera Theater, Highlands Opera Studio, the Metropolitan
Opera Young Artist Program, Opera North, Opera Theater St. Louis, Southern Methodist University, Theater-
works!, and Wolf Trap Opera.
Nathan Gunn is a professor and Swandlund Chair at the University of Illinois where he is co-
director of LyricTheatre@Illinois. Nathan developed and founded the first ever Bachelor of
Musical Arts in Lyric Theatre curriculum in the nation. The program is part of the School of
Music at the University of Illinois and housed in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.
Nathan is widely acclaimed for his diverse performing career bridging the genres of opera,
musical theatre, and recital. Nathan attended the University of Illinois (the third generation in
his family to attend the school) to study music. As a performer, Nathan is respected as an artist, musician,
and singing actor. He has performed many of opera and musical theater’s greatest roles on the world’s most
prestigious stages. Nathan has been widely acclaimed for his ability to crossover into musical theater, includ-
ing performances with the New York Philharmonic in Carousel and Camelot, as well as a televised celebration
of Stephen Sondheim’s 80th birthday. Nathan has frequently collaborated with many stars of musical thea-
ter, including Mandy Patinkin, Kelli O’Hara, Audra McDonald, and Kristin Chenoweth. Nathan and Julie GunnCLUB AMOUNT PROJECT ROTARIANS INVOLVEMENT
Socially distanced playground and
Arcola $2,000 Planning/Design and Labor
indoor sensory path
Arthur $2,000 Electronic Recycling Event Making appointments, manage the event
Bloomington $2,000 Safe Harbor Assistance Purchasing/Packaging/Delivery
BN Daybreak $2,000 Books for Congo Books selection and distribution
BN Family Club $1,980 Headsets for PATH Crisis center Delivery and attending crisis training session
BN Sunrise $2,000 Mobile Sensory Therapy Truck Volunteer to help build a second unit
E Learning/furniture in rural In-
BN Sunset $2,000 Visit the school/possible digital connection
dia
Casey $2,000 Wheelchairs in Mexico Donations/Club in Mexico will distribute
Champaign $2,000 Survival Gardening Workshops Promotion
Champaign W Ro-
$2,000 Books for Congo Selecting book titles
toary
CU Illini After Five $1,750 P-3 Literacy During the Pandemic $250 Grants to 7 PreK-3rd Grade Classrooms
CU Sunrise $2,000 Reach out and Read Organizing the books
Purchase materials for Leader In
Charleston $2,000 Zoom meetings/Pen Pal projects in schools
Me School Curriculum
Danville Sunrise $2,000 AED Project for Fischer Theater Attending events at the theater
Dwight $185 Rotary Emblem to shelter Installation of signs
Gibson City $1,998 The Greening of Jordan Lake Park Planting the trees/involving Rotaract
Hoopeston $2,000 Picnic Tables for outdoor learning Possible assembly
Mahomet $1,004 Offsite learning center YMCA Interact involvement
Mattoon $2,000 Mattoon Police Dog Purchase Community education?
Marshall $2,000 Marshall Schools Project Helping order supplies and distribution
Metamora - German-
$1,000 Books for Congo Selecting book titles and distribution
town Hills
Monticello $2,000 Peace Meals (Meals on Wheels) Delivery of meals
Normal Club $2,000 Dreams Are Possible Resources Serving as board members
Assist with Community Assistance
Help ministers on certain days of the month and
Paris $2,000 Program with Paris Ministerial
want to enlist the Interact Club
Fellowship
Purchase iPad/supplies to boys
Pontiac $2,000 Approx 10 Rotarians volunteering at the BGCLC
and girls club
Rantoul $2,000 PPE Supplies to schools Distribution of supplies
Moultrie County Food Pantry Stor- Providing food during the Thanksgiving season
Sullivan $2,000
age Freezer to stock the food pantry as well as distribution
Neighborhood Redevelopment to
Urbana $2,000 Scheduling activities
end racism
Providing meals to impoverished
Vandalia $2,000 Grocery shopping, packaging meals, transporting
families
*While these grant awards have been approved by the District Grants Committee, the awards are subject to TRF approval.Date Event Location Attendees
October 10 Zones 30-31 Summit: Virtual All Rotarians
“Taking Rotary by Storm”
October 24 World Polio Day Worldwide All clubs
2021
January 10 District Governor’s TBD Past District Governors
Holiday Gathering for PDGs and their guests
January 16 MidYear Leadership Meeting Champaign, IL Club & District Leaders
February 7-11 International Assembly Orlando, FL District Governor Elect
March Heart of America Decatur, IL Aspiring Club Leaders
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)
March 19 Assistant Governor Training Effingham, IL Assistant Governors
March 20-21 Land of Lincoln President Elect Effingham, IL President Elects
Training Seminar (LOL-PETS) & President Nominees
April 18 District 6490 Foundation Donor TBD By Invitation Only
Recognition Dinner
April 16-18 Rotary Youth Leadership Allerton Park High schoolers nominat-
Awards (RYLA) Monticello, IL ed by clubs
May 1 District Assembly Champaign, IL Incoming 2021-2022 Club
& District Leaders
June 12-16 Rotary International Convention Taipei, Taiwan All Rotarians
June Heart of America Decatur, IL Aspiring Club Leaders
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI)
June 27 2021-2022 Club & District Decatur, IL All Rotarians & families/
Officer INSTALLATION guestsYOUR LOGO HERE
Very Special Thanks
To our Keynote Speaker, Mr. John O’Leary
For generously donating copies of his newest book,
“In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to
Unleash Inspiration, Meaning & Joy”
YOUR LOGO HERE
Very Special Thanks
To CHAMPAIGN WEST ROTARY CLUB
For the use of their online auction platform
For the 2020-2021 Basket Auction
To Benefit PolioPlus!YOUR LOGO HERE
November is ROTARY FOUNDATION MONTH
What’s the easiest way to give?
Simply sign up for Rotary Direct for as little as $10 a month!
VISIT: https://my.rotary.org/en/donate
YOUR LOGO HERE
Get Ready to Celebrate!
WORLD POLIO DAY
October 24, 2020
Watch for details and ideas in the District 6490 Newsletter
And on the District 6490 Website & Facebook PageYOUR LOGO HERE
6490 ANNUAL BASKET AUCTION!
This year’s auction is available to Rotarians and the public*!
Bidding ends Saturday, October 3, 11:00 PM
All proceeds benefit PolioPlus!
*Feel free to share the link
to the auction with your friends & family.
https://one.bidpal.net/d6490conf20You can also read
