what`s inside… - Bloomington

july 2008
what’s inside…
inside…
what’s
• from the president
• jaycees book club
thurs aug 28
• social with peoria jaycees
sat aug 2
• mckid’s day
tues aug 12
• raising readers &
clifford event
sat aug 16
• upcoming social
opportunities
• christmas parade
• an evening of shakespeare
sun aug 3
• a murder mystery evening
fri aug 8
• brüegala: a festival of
international beer
fri & sat sept 5 & 6
• meet new members lynn
sieberns and troy kateman
Bloomington-Normal
Jaycees
P.O. Box 42
Bloomington, IL 61702
(309) 823-0509
[email protected]
www.bnjaycees.org
Membership meetings:
Second Wednesday
of every month at Central Station in
downtown Bloomington • 7:15pm
T
he Bloomington-Normal Jaycees
has partnered with the Uptown
Normal Business Association to
collect books for Book Showers for
Literacy of McLean County (BSLMC).
This event, a first for the Jaycees,
hopes to promote literacy in our
community. Reading is essential to
a child’s development and success
in school. Children in low income
families are often the hardest hit
in times of recession. Food and
gas prices have brought a strain
to the budgets of many lowincome families, and any formerly
expendable income is now paying
for essentials rather than books
and educational materials. Without
the access to books outside school,
children don’t read and fall behind
in school. By donating books we
provide them with the opportunity
to strengthen their reading skills.
Community members will be able
to drop off new and/or gently used
books at these participating Uptown
Normal locations: The Alamo II,
Babbitt’s Books, Bank of Illinois,
Busey Bank, Children’s Discovery
Museum, Commerce Bank, The
Garlic Press, Normal Public Library
and Pro-Type Printing. Books will be
presented to BSLMC on the morning
of August 16.
Project chairs Sarah Backstrom
and Lisa Beohm ask the
membership for its support of
this very worthwhile project by
bringing either a new/gently
used book or a cash donation to
the August meeting. The greatest
need is for baby/toddler books
and young adult/teen readers.
Direct any questions to Sarah at
[email protected] or
Lisa at [email protected].
the blast • bloomington-normal jaycees • july 2008
the jaycees
book club
from the president
lisa beohm, 2008 chapter president
K
atherine Graham,
the late publisher
of The Washington Post
once said,
“To love what you
do and feel that it
matters—how could
anything be more fun!”
This is exactly how I feel. I’m so
honored to be able to serve as
President this year and share some
of my passions, such as literacy, with
fellow members and the community.
As we approach August with some
completed great projects behind
us while still working hard on the
book drive and making Brüegala
a success, I wanted to express my
appreciation to you, the members.
Without YOU our organization
wouldn’t have been able to
accomplish the following projects:
• Toy Box Auction (proceeds to
The Boys & Girls Club)
• Read Across America
(celebrating Dr. Seuss and
inspiring kids to read)
• 5-Minute Dating (bringing
singles together in the
community)
• Can-a-thon (stocking food
pantries and helping to feed
those in need)
• Monical’s Community Day
(proceeds to fund other Jaycee
projects)
• Sandbox Days (proceeds to
PanCAN and NIC Dan Edwards
scholarship fund)
• Fling-a-Football (proceeds to
fund other Jaycee projects)
Seeing this list of projects already
under our belt is impressive. I hope
it makes you PROUD to be a Jaycee.
There are only more great things
to come, such as the book drive,
Brüegala, Thanksgiving baskets,
Christmas Shopping with the Kids,
and the Christmas Parade. Catch
your breath, because the second
half of the year will be also busy but
promises to be rewarding as well.
I personally have found much
inspiration from the Simple Truths
newsletter and website. Therefore,
I’d like to sign off by sharing an
inspirational movie…The Simple
Truths of Appreciation. It only takes
three minutes to watch…but will be
hard to forget! So just sit back, turn
up your speakers and click on the
link below:
Click here to see the movie.
For the community,
Lisa
social with peoria jaycees
at mackinaw winery
W
e’re still on for Saturday, August 2 to meet with our fellow
Peoria Jaycees, but we’re moving
locations to Mackinaw Winery. A
tour and wine tasting is in the works,
and rock band Bubblegum Jack will
preform. Cost is roughly $10/person.
Please be there around 5pm and
page don’t forget your lawn chairs and bug
spray. The vineyard has crackers and
Ropp Cheeses and Butch’s pizza for
sale, but if that doesn’t suit you feel
free to bring some snacks. However,
NO outside beverages are allowed
as they sell wine, beer, soda and water.
Let’s all have some summertime fun!
T
he next book
club selection
is Leaving Microsoft
to Change the World: An
Entrepreneur’s Odyssey to Educate
the World’s Children by John Wood:
In 1998, John Wood was a rising
executive at Microsoft when he took
a vacation that changed his life.
What started as a trekking holiday
in Nepal became a spiritual journey,
and then a mission: to change the
world one book and one child at a
time by setting up libraries in the
developing world. He was soon
driven to leave his career with only
a loose vision of the change he
wanted to bring to the world.
Over the next five years John
would use Microsoft business
practices to create Room to Read,
an organization that has created a
network of over 5,500 schools and
libraries throughout rural and poor
communities in Asia and Africa.
The organization is now one of the
fastest growing, most effective, and
award-winning non-profits of the
last decade.
Discussion will be held on
Thursday, August 28th at 6:30pm
at the Baker residence, 625 W.
Orlando Apt. #108 in Normal.
Please bring a dish to share.
the blast • bloomington-normal jaycees • july 2008
mark your
calendars!
community corner
• July 20
Clinton Lake Trip
McKid’s Day
Tuesday, August 12th 2-6 pm
Raising Readers & Clifford Event
Saturday, August 16th 2-3:30 pm
• August 1-15
Book Drive
M
G
• August 2
Summer Social with the
Peoria Jaycees
• August 8
Murder Mystery Event
• August 9
Lexington Jaycees Golf Outing
• August 12
McKid’s Day
tara jacquin, community vp
cKid’s Day is an annual
fundraising event held at the
McDonald’s on Oakland Avenue in
Bloomington. This year’s event will
be held on August 12th from 2:00
to 6:00 pm. The Jaycees will have
a table where we will provide a
craft activity for the approximately
1,750 families that attend. All
organizations that participate
agree to provide the activity
at no charge. Barnes & Noble
will provide the supplies for the
activity. Volunteers are needed.
More information will be
available in the coming weeks.
• August 13
General Membership Meeting
• August 16
Presentation of Books to Book
Showers for Literacy
• August 16
Clifford/Raising Readers Event
et ready to meet Clifford the
Big Red Dog at Barnes & Noble!
Jay Bersche was gracious enough
to volunteer to be Clifford. (Even if
he doesn’t remember doing so, we
have witnesses!) During this event
we will read several Clifford
books to the kids and do
some coloring activities.
We will also be giving
parents information on
how to get kids to love
reading. Polaroids of
the kids will be taken to
give as keepsakes for
the event. Volunteer
Jaycees are needed to
staff this event.
Please contact Tara Jacquin at [email protected] if you are
interested in helping out with either of these great events!
happy hour fridays
and other social happenings
shawn hodina, social chair
july
birthdays
• Tim Bill
• Gary Blank
august
birthdays
• Andrea Dodrill
• Jay Bersche
• Jeremy Kelley
• Lisa Howard
I
would like to thank everyone who
came out to the happy hour on
July 11th. I believe we had 20 people
come out to Schooners. Unfortunately, the official happy hours are
going to be on hiatus for the next
few months due to the busy schedule. Instead, we have plenty of other
social opportunities in their place.
To start off August, I would like
to encourage everyone to plan on
going to the mixer with the Peoria
Jaycees on Saturday, August 2nd
at the Mackinaw Winery. Lisa is working on the plans for this event; see
her article on page two for details.
For you golfers, the Lexington
Jaycees are holding their 24th Annual Golf Outing. Please see the
registration form included at the end
of this newsletter if
you are interested
in participating.
Throughout August we will be
holding Brüegala promotional
bar crawls to promote the event
throughout Bloomington-Normal.
Everyone is welcome and more details
are forthcoming.
In September we have Brüegala:
A Festival of International Beer. We
are very excited about this event, and
we really need everyone to be there.
Watch your inboxes for updates and
reminders on both of these events.
Remember that Jeremy Kelley is
planning the Rural Pub Crawl for October. If anyone has any suggestions
for stops you may reach Jeremy by
email: [email protected].
page the blast • bloomington-normal jaycees • july 2008
christmas in july
an evening of
shakespeare
brent lee, 2008 management vp
H
o, ho, ho! No, I’m not
using my space in
this edition of the blast
to hype some furniture
or mattress sale. Though
we’re still in the middle
of the dog days of summer, your board needs
to soon name a chairperson for the next go-round of the
Bloomington-Normal Jaycees’ oldest
project—the Christmas Parade!
Thanks in large part to its nearly
80 years of history, this event is one
with which our club is inextricably
linked in the minds of the public. Its
success goes a long way towards
a positive public perception of the
Bloomington-Normal Jaycees.
Chairing the event involves
making sure a variety of duties
are accomplished; including, but
not limited-to: publicizing the
parade to the media and potential entrants, collecting entry fees,
obtaining necessary permits from
local government, serving required
notice of the parade to residents
along the route, organizing line-up,
and even making that all-important
postponement decision should it be
necessary (God forbid).
birthday party
J
eremy Kelley and Jay Bersche
are celebrating their birthdays
and want us to join them! Jay will
be celebrating his 31st
year and providing
pointers to Jeremy
on turning 30.
Jeremy is hosting
the event on August
16th at his house
at 207 Orlando in
Normal. The party
starts at 8pm. Please
bring your favorite
beverage.
page emilie schukai, 2008 idvp
So have I scared you all off yet?
I hope not—no one can put on a
parade by himself or herself. You
should get plenty of help by organizing a committee and delegating
many of these duties. You’ll also
have CPGs (Chairman’s Planning
Guides) from past parades as well
as many past parade chairs, who are
still members, to use as resources.
In addition, of course, your trusty
board members are always here for
you!
There’s something really cool
about us maintaining this connection to our past. So if you have any
interest in chairing a project, which
has been around longer than all of
us members (and even most of our
grandparents), just let me or another
board member know prior to the
next board meeting, Wednesday,
August 6.
E-mail your
blast submissions to
[email protected]
The next deadline
is Wednesday, August 13.
Check us out
on the web:
www.bnjaycees.org
The Taming of the Shrew
• Sunday, August 3rd @ 7:30pm
• Ewing Manor
Synopsis:
A rough-and-tumble farce
centered around a lively battle
of the sexes, The Taming of the
Shrew brims with action and
bawdy humor. The unconventional
romance between a lusty fortunehunter and a bitter shrew unfolds
to the accompaniment of witty,
fast-paced dialogue and physical
humor.
The group rate is $18, and
tickets won’t be ordered until the
payment is collected.
If you’re interested in going,
please contact me and make
arrangements to pay for tickets.
Feel free to invite any non-Jaycee
and possible new member!
RSVP to Emilie Schukai via email
at [email protected] or by
phone at (309)287-7921.
a murder
mystery evening
emilie schukai, 2008 idvp
Who: The Jaycees
What: Caribbean Cruise; “Who
Done It” Murder Mystery
Where: The Loft
When: Friday, August 8th @ 6:30
Why: To work on communication
skills and working in small groups
toward a common goal. (There’s
also a prize for the winning team!)
Remember to bring a friend to
join in!
the blast • bloomington-normal jaycees • july 2008
the bloomington-normal jaycees introduce a new era in weekend
brüeology: brüegala, september 5 & 6
meghan swords, chair
C
alling all Brüeligans: there
have been some very exciting changes to our International
Festival of Beers!
As many of you know, we have
created a partnership with Ross
Creative Services. Throughout the
past several weeks they have been
working diligently to
help enhance our image,
increase promotional
items, and create an
identity for our event. As
this process began, Ross
introduced a new name
for the festival, Brüegala
– A Festival of International Beer. This new
name directly relates to
the brews and breweries associated and highlighted throughout
the two days. An entire advertising
and promotional campaign defining Brüegala will be introduced in
August.
We are now approaching the
home stretch in planning this
festival—we need YOUR help in
several aspects.
Brüegala Volunteer T-Shirts:
If you have not provided your
requested t-shirt size to Meghan
at [email protected]
please do so no later than July
16. Your first t-shirt is paid for by
the Jaycees for your participation
in the event. If you would like to
order an additional shirt the cost is
$4.50 per shirt. Please have money
to Meghan no later than the
August 13th meeting.
T-Shirt Pick Up: To save on shipping expenses and time delay, we
would like to pick up the t-shirts
in Indianapolis. If you will be in
the area at any point in time and
are willing to pick up these shirts,
please let Meghan know.
Going to Springfield? Are you going
to Springfield in the upcoming week?
If so, would you be willing to obtain
our State Liquor License? Meghan has
all the paperwork ready; it just needs
to be delivered.
VOLUNTEERS: We have close to 600
volunteer slots to fill over the two days.
We truly need everyone’s participation
and as much time dedicated as
possible. There are three-hour shifts
this year beginning at 5:30 on Friday
and 3:30 on Saturday. Contact
Alicia Lawhun or Leslie Spafford to
confirm you will be volunteering at
[email protected] or
[email protected].
Brüegala Promotional Pub Crawl:
Beginning the weekend of August
15th, we need several Brüeligans
to act as an official promotional
team throughout the Downtown
Bloomington and Uptown Normal
bars. Promotional material will
be provided. This is a
great opportunity to
get the new name out
there and have a little
fun as Jaycees. Please
contact Mike Kinate at
[email protected]
for further information
and availability.
Brüeligans, I can’t
thank you enough for all of your
help, excitement, and participation
in this event. I look forward to the
next several weeks as we approach
the BIG DAYS! Don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions.
pool party sat. july 26 @ 6pm
submitted by chad bevers
Y
ou’re invited to my first Jaycees
party! Guests are asked to bring
a side dish of some kind to pass
around; burgers, brats, and hot dogs
will be provided.
Alcohol? Well, ok! There is homemade wine and eight kinds of homebrewed beer on tap. Home-brew
beer isn’t for everyone; it’s got a lot
more flavor (and alcohol) than commercial beers like Miller, Bud, etc. If
you want something else you better
come prepared!
The pool is open, so bring the
swimsuits and please remember to
drink responsibly!
Directions to 502 Pearl Ave. in
Towanda, IL: Take Rte. 9, GE Road, or
Ft. Jesse to Towanda Barnes road.
Turn left (north) on Towanda Barnes.
Take it for a couple of miles (you
will pass a church and the road that
Normal Community High School is
on) until you see the Lamplighter
subdivision sign on your right. Turn
onto the road just before the Lamplighter sign and take it all the way to
the end. Turn left at the “T” (Eugene)
and go down a couple houses until
you see Pearl on your left. Turn onto
Pearl and go down to the circle—it’s
the brick house on the right of the
circle with the white pillars in front.
PLEASE pull all the way into the
driveway! There’s room for about 14
cars in the driveway if everyone pulls
all the way in. If you need to leave
early, park in the grass in the circle,
but please do so in a way to leave
room for others to park as well.
page the blast • bloomington-normal jaycees • july 2008
meet one of our newer members: lynn sieberns
Age/Birthday: 26/March 4, 1982
Where do you work?
The Pantagraph
Occupation: Recruitment Manager
Married? No.
Children? No.
Pets? Chocolate lab named Daisy,
Maltepoo named Maggie, and
two leopard geckos, who after five
years still remain nameless.
Where are you from originally?
Gifford, IL (close to Champaign)
Where did you attend college? ISU
What was your major? What
degree(s) did you earn? B.S. in
Human Resources Management
When did you join the Jaycees?
May 2008
Why did you join the Jaycees?
I had heard a lot about the group
from Nicole Williams and Lisa. It
sounded like a great opportunity to
meet people and help out the community, so I decided to check it out.
What do you like about the Jaycees?
I love that no matter what fundraiser
or activity the Jaycees is having,
everyone always has a good time.
Current affiliations with other organizations: BNHRC, SHRM
Past personal achievements and/or
awards: I don’t think I’ve won an
award since high school and that
was for Senior Superlatives. I got the
quietest girl in the class (big surprise,
right?).
How do you like to spend your free
time? Watching movies, hanging out
with friends, shopping.
Favorite movie: The Wedding Date or
For the Love of the Game
Favorite book: I haven’t actually
read a book in a long time, but
have been listening to audio
books when traveling for work.
Right now my favorite is The
Choice by Nicholas Sparks.
Favorite genre of music and/or
musician: I like almost anything,
but am a country girl at heart. My
favorite group is Montgomery
Gentry.
Favorite restaurant:
Texas Roadhouse.
Favorite sport: I love college
basketball and football and am a
huge Illini fan.
Where do you see yourself in five
or ten years? No long term plans
for me right now. I take things one
day at a time.
What would people be the most
surprised to learn about you?
I used to be terrified of dogs, even
the small ones.
meet one of our newer members: troy kateman
Age/Birthday: 31/December 23, 1976
Where do you work? State Farm
Occupation: Business Analyst
Married: No.
Children: No.
Where are you from originally?
Arrow Rock, Missouri
Where did you attend college?
University of Missouri–Columbia
What was your major? What
degree(s) did you earn? Degree:
BSBA Major: Business with an
emphasis in Finance and Banking.
When did you join the Jaycees?
June 2008
Why did you join the Jaycees? I
had an unexpected opportunity
to go to a Jaycees happy hour
page and quickly realized it was an
organization I wanted to become
involved in.
What do you like about the Jaycees?
A lot of opportunity to become
more involved in the community
and meet new people.
Church or other activities: Attend St.
Patrick’s Church of Merna.
Past personal achievements and/or
awards: Ran three half-marathons
in a year.
Hobbies: Tennis, volleyball, jogging.
Special/unique skills: I can’t really
think of anything other than I can
say the alphabet backwards. Oh,
and I can also usually win a game of
HORSE in basketball by shooting the
ball under my leg to make a basket.
How do you like to spend your free
time? Hanging with family and
friends, watching TV, going for a walk
or jog.
Favorite movie: Stand By Me
Favorite genre of music: Pop and
alternative rock, but like about
everything.
Favorite restaurant and/or type
of food: Flatbranch restaurant—a
beer brewery back in Columbia
MO. Cheesecake ranks right up
there as a favorite food.
Favorite sport and/or game: Tennis
Where do you see yourself in five
or ten years? I honestly don’t
know, so I’ll use an answer a friend
of mine once gave in an interview
by quoting her favorite comedian
Mitch Hedberg: “I see myself
celebrating the five or ten year
anniversary of being asked this
question.”
What would people be the most
surprised to learn about you?
That I grew up on a farm where my
dad is still a farmer. Growing up I
would spend my summers on the
tractor mowing and raking hay,
cultivating fields, filling silos. I’m
definitely a country boy at heart.
2008 bloomington-normal jaycees
executive board
Chairman of the Board........................................................Az Wazeer
President................................................................................Lisa Beohm
Administrative VP.......................................................... Natalie McKee
Management VP......................................................................Brent Lee
Community Development VP.......................................Tara Jacquin
Membership VP................................................................. Patsy Cahoe
Individual Development VP......................................Emilie Schukai
Secretary...........................................................................Alison Hodina
Treasurer........................................................................... Mark Oertwig
Social Director............................................................... Shawn Hodina
PR Director..................................................................................... Tim Bill
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
the blast
an official publication of the
bloomington-normal jaycees
Julie Wazeer, editor
e-mail submissions to:
[email protected]
Published monthly; e-mailed the third
week of the month. Submissions due
the second Wednesday of the month.
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
We Believe:
That faith in God gives meaning and purpose
to human life;
That the brotherhood of man transcends the
Sovereignty of Nations;
That economic justice can best be won by
free men through free enterprise;
That government should be of laws rather
than of men;
That Earth’s great treasure lies in human
personality;
And that service to humanity is the best work
of life.
BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL JAYCEES
P.O. Box 42
Bloomington, IL 61702
[email protected]