Rockton Roscoe Rotary Club supports community and education through action, Ribfest
Service Above Self is the motto of the Rockton-Roscoe Rotary Club.
One of many ways that the club serve the communities and beyond is by raising funds used for educational purposes through the annual Rifest.
Family fun is coming to Viking Lanes in South Beloit on Saturday, July 26 as four fire departments prepare to turn up the heat on their competition.
Try your favorite ribs, each made from special recipes by local firefighters, and vote to help one of the firehouses win the coveted “Rack of Ribs” trophy.
Rotary member Ted Rehl is the 2025 Ribfest Chair.
Come out to Viking Lanes, 210 Oak Grove Ave. in South Beloit with action starting at 11:30 a.m., and running until 2 p.m., or until they run out of ribs.
Admission is $15 a plate, which includes rib tasting, sides, and a chance to cast a vote on your favorite ribs.
All proceeds from this event are used to support the Rockton Roscoe Education fund. Through these efforts, books are provided to elementary school students and libraries in addition to scholarships for Hononegah Community High School and South Beloit seniors covering either colleges or trade schools.
This year the Rotary awarded “Outstanding Youth Award” scholarships to HCHS and South Beloit Seniors, Avani Joshi,(HCHS), Emerson Czizek,(HCHS) and Audrianna Mahlum,(SBHS).
The Rotary had a total of 17 applicants, 14 were from Hononegah Community High School and three were from South Beloit.
Students from HCHS have two scholarships that are awarded, and one in South Beloit, based on school size. Finalists are selected to do an interview with the Rotary Scholarship Committee.
Scholarship winners are chosen from those who have demonstrated community service, academic achievement, and leadership in school and community activities.
The Rotary Club promotes literacy by providing books to librarians in Rockton, Roscoe, Shirland and South Beloit schools as well as to North Suburban Library in Roscoe, and Talcott Free Library in Rockton. These books often supplement a possible shortage for readers.
Furthering educational opportunities the club has participated in design competition with CEANCI
(Career Education Assistance of North Central Illinois), a program designed to prepare and to invest in all students for career and college through partnerships that build innovative regional opportunities.
The club collaborated with the HCHS graphic arts class where a female student from HCHS created a new brochure for the Rotary.
The Rotary backs an “Interact Club” that is incorporated into one of local schools. The Interact Club is Rotary for ages 12-18. It is a service club that will have a minimum of two events in the fiscal year, one for the school and one for the community.
Recently the Rotary sponsored a student from Harlem for a Rotary Youth exchange student who completed a year in Taiwan.
Most recent action includes completing a pollinator plot at Kinnikinnick Elementary School.
Rotary International’s tagline is “People of Action.”
The local Rotary Club was chartered on June 3, 1959, with 22 members. They met on Mondays at noon at the Wagon Wheel Resort and the first president was George Wm. Franzen.
Originally called the Rotary Club of Rockton, it represented Rockton, Roscoe, Shirland, and Harrison.
In time the club name was changed to the Rotary Club of Northern Winnebago County and later changed to Rockton-Roscoe Rotary Club,in November 2019.
Glen Terry serves as the current Rockton Roscoe Rotary President. Members remain active year round, lending a hand anywhere they can.
The Rotary took part in the first ever Non-Profit Night in October 2019.
Since January 2020 they have served and provided breakfast for Carpenters Place in Rockford, an outreach that continues today. They have extended help to the Rockford Rescue Mission.
In July of 2020 the Roscoe Rockton Rotary club participated in the assembly of 3,125 face shields. They also donated 100 face shields each to Fair Oaks in South Beloit and Highview in the Woodlands in Rockton.
Also in October of 2020 members worked toward goals of eradicating polio at the End Polio Now Walk, organizing a walk at HCHS to raise funds for the Polio Plus Foundation, (Rotary International.)
The walk’s mission is to raise funds and to raise awareness. Only two countries in the world are not considered polio-free: Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The South Beloit Food Pantry has also benefited from the Rotary’s generosity, where they helped deliver food to the cars in drive-thru donations.
In 2022 the club participated in the Rockford 1M Meal Packing Event. Rotary blood drives have aided in saving lives.
The Rockton-Roscoe Rotary was the winner of a sustained literacy award at the Rotary District 6420 Conference in April 2024.
The Rotary is a strong supporter of the Winnebago County 4-H program, with sponsorship for the Grand Champion Overall Pair-Pen of Standard Chickens and the Champion Computer Generated Art.
A hybrid program allows club members to meet both in person and virtually. Meetings are held the first and third Wednesday of each month at Sophia’s Restaurant in Roscoe. with social events coming to life each quarter.
To contact the Rockton -Roscoe Rotary Club, you can go to their website https://portal.clubrunner.ca/8404/, at or e-mail a club member. Other options are to go through the
Rotary International’s website or the club’s Facebook page.
New members are always welcome to make a difference.