Networking Opportunities
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN
WHEN: Meetings vary month to month and are not held during the summer months.
WHERE: Varies.
PURPOSE: Promote equality for women and girls in education and legal advocacy.
Membership: Open to all who want to join. Annual dues.
Activities: Spring luncheon and silent auction, Christmas tea, provide scholarships for students at Richland Community College and Millikin University.
Contact: Alice Huebner, president, 876-1446.
AMERICAN BUSINESS WOMEN’S ASSOCIATION
Monarch Chapter
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., fourth Friday of every month.
WHERE: Location varies.
PURPOSE: Networking and provide scholarships for Richland Community College and Millikin University students.
Membership: Open to all employed women. Yearly dues.
Activities: Cookbook and rummage sales.
Contact: Carol Craig, 424-1111
Amacita Chapter
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., first Thursday of each month.
WHERE: Varies.
PURPOSE: To bring together business women to promote opportunities to grow professionally and personally. To provide scholarships.
Membership: All women. Yearly dues.
Activities: Various projects to raise money for scholarships.
Contact: Connie Scribner, 864-5028.
AMBUCS
Decatur AMBUCS
WHEN: Noon, every Tuesday
WHERE: Tuscany Steak & Pasta House.
PURPOSE: Dedicated to creating mobility and independence for people with disabilities.
Membership: Open to all who want to join. Monthly dues include cost of lunch.
Activities: Man all Pepsi booths at Decatur Celebration, sweetheart calendar raffle, maintain scholarship program for college juniors and seniors majoring in a therapy field, provide AmTryke therapeutic tricycles for children with disabilities.
Contact: Eula Snow, 428-0420.
Lincolnland AMBUCS
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., first and second Thursday every month.
WHERE: Easter Seals building, 2715 N. 27th St.
Membership: Open to all who want to join. Dues: $12.50 per month.
Activities: Builds wheelchair ramps, provide AmTrykes for children, sponsor dances at Knights of Columbus Hall, donations to area nonprofit agencies.
Contact: Karen Rossi, 972-2801
BUSINESS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL (BNI)
First Class
Professionals Chapter
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., every Wednesday at Scovill Banquet Facility
PURPOSE: Structured referral network organization.
Membership: Open to one representative per profession per chapter. Visitors welcome. Annual dues, plus cost of food.
Contact: Melissa Watson, president, 876-8500 (work).
DECATUR AD CLUB
WHEN: Noon, second Tuesday of each month.
WHERE: Decatur Club
PURPOSE: To bring marketing and advertising professionals together to garner new relationships, learn new techniques and become more aware of the different fields.
Membership: Those in the advertising field in Central Illinois. Membership dues vary.
Activities: Annual Decagon Awards are held in May.
Contact: Bart Greenberger, president, 428-2323
DECATUR AREA WOMEN’S NETWORK (DAWN)
WHEN: 5:30 p.m., second Thursday of every month.
WHERE: Doherty’s
PURPOSE: Provide networking opportunities for women seeking any career objectives, networking and support system.
Membership: Open to all women pursuing career objectives, regardless of employment status. Monthly dues are $3 and $18 for dinner.
Contact: Marty Cushman, president, 422-3890.
DECATUR BUILDING
CONSTRUCTION
TRADES COUNCIL
WHEN: 10 a.m., second and fourth Tuesday of every month.
WHERE: IBEW Local 146 Hall.
PURPOSE: To promote the construction industry in the area and to meet the needs of members by enhancing the safety and quality of their work.
Membership: Open to construction business managers. Dues vary.
Activities: Donate labor to DMH Home Health & Hospice, Fairview Skate Park, Decatur Celebration and downtown Christmas tree lighting.
Contact: Jay Dunn, president, 877-4604.
DECATUR OPTIMIST
CLUB OF DECATUR
WHEN: 7 a.m., every Tuesday.
WHERE: Webster-Cantrell Hall.
PURPOSE: Be a friend to youth.
Membership: Open to all who want to join. Dues of $38 semiannually, plus breakfast.
Activities: Children’s plays with Millikin University, chili suppers, volunteer at Camp COCO.
Contact: John West, president, 423-7700
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT OF EAST CENTRAL
ILLINOIS
WHEN: Open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. every weekday.
WHERE: 310 W. William St.
PURPOSE: Educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, business and economics to improve the quality of their lives.
Membership: Open to all who want to volunteer. No costs or fees.
Activities: Golf tournament, JA Business Challenge for high school juniors and seniors, careers on wheels for fourth graders, life skills program for 500 high school students.
Contact: Jill Applebee, president, 424-2151
DECATUR SHRINE CLUB
WHEN: noon, every Wednesday.
WHERE: Scovill Banquet Facility.
PURPOSE: Provide free treatment to children in 22 children’s hospitals across the United States and Mexico.
Membership: Any Shriner can join. Initiation fee and yearly dues.
Activities: Fish fries, steak bakes, parade participation.
Contact: Skip Proctor, president, 674-3753
KIWANIANNE CLUB
OF DECATUR
WHEN: 9:30 a.m., every Tuesday.
WHERE: Scovill Banquet Facility.
PURPOSE: Service to the community.
Membership: Current members sponsor new members. Initiation fee, meeting dues, plus cost of food.
Activities: Kiwanianne for schools drive, geranium sales, quilt sales and raffle, craft sales, fall salad luncheon with silent auction.
Contact: Jean Hanson, president, 429-4896.
KIWANIS
Early Bird
WHEN: 6:45 a.m., every Thursday.
WHERE: Scovill Banquet Facility.
PURPOSE: Children are priority No. 1.
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Members pay $32 per quarter.
Activities: Peanut day, cheese sale, popcorn sales with Boy Scouts.
Contact: Mark Wood, board member, 875-2655.
Golden K
WHEN: 9:30 a.m., every Wednesday.
WHERE: Scovill Banquet Facility.
Membership: Open to men and women who are retired. $100 per year membership fee.
Activities: Sponsor of Bring Up Grades, sixth-grade basketball at Decatur Indoor Sports Center, Books for Kids, help sponsor Fire Cadet Program.
Contact: Howard Lawrence, secretary, 428-9042.
Noon
WHEN: noon., every Tuesday.
WHERE: Decatur Club.
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Dues $110 per quarter, includes meals.
Activities: Ushers at Millikin University basketball tourney, citrus sales, peanut days, serve at Community Thanksgiving Dinner.
Contact: Chris Funk, president, 875-3131
Prairieland
WHEN: 9:30 a.m., every Tuesday.
WHERE: Civic Center.
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Dues are $68 per year, with an additional $25 initiation fee.
Activities: Collect printer cartridges, serve at Community Thanksgiving Dinner, help Girl Scouts send cookies to troops.
Contact: Dorothy Murphy, 875-5368
LIONS
Decatur Noon
WHEN: Noon, every Monday
WHERE: Tuscany Steak & Pasta House
PURPOSE: Provide services for sight- and hearing-impaired.
Membership: By invitation of a current member. Quarterly dues, lunch included.
Activities: Lions Candy Day, Thanksgiving basketball tourney, hearing screenings at the Farm Progress Show.
Contact: Gale Salzman, 875-0290
Mature Resource
Network
WHEN: 11:30 a.m., second Thursday each of each month
WHERE: Decatur Club, 158 W. Prairie Ave.
PURPOSE: Mature Resource Network is dedicated to educating families for life. Local professionals provide information and solutions on a wide array of topics including advance directives, financial, house and home, leisure and wellness/health care.
Membership: Only one member professional allowed per service category. Semiannual dues.
Contact: Roger Mullinax, 899-0557
METRO DECATUR HOME BUILDERS ASSOCIATION
WHEN: 6 p.m., first Thursday of every month.
WHERE: Beach House
PURPOSE: Dedicated to promotion of new construction and remodeling in Decatur area.
Membership: Anyone with ties to the building community. In Macon, DeWitt, Moultrie and Shelby Counties. Membership fee is $425 per year.
Activities: build wheelchair ramps, Homeward Bound and CASA projects, Decatur Park District Dog Park
Contact: Tony Etherton (Dunn Co.), president, 429-4444.
OAKWOOD BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
WHEN: 7:30 a.m., second Wednesday of every month.
WHERE: Lock, Stock & Barrel.
PURPOSE: Betterment and beautification of the West End.
Membership: All businesses within the boundaries of Eldorado, Monroe and Wood streets and Oakland Avenue. Annual dues.
Activities: Sponsor Millikin University Fall Family Weekend, and spring flowers in planters.
Contact: Tom May, president, 429-7746
ROTARY
Decatur 180
WHEN: Noon, every Monday.
WHERE: Decatur Club.
PURPOSE: Service to humanity, whether domestic or foreign.
Membership: By invitation of a current member. Monthly dues are $10, plus cost of lunch.
Activities: Finance Rotary Park, provide grants for school libraries, contribute funds for international relief programs, numerous contributions to area organizations.
Contact: Pen Shade, president, 875-7603
On the Web: www.decaturrotary.org.
Forsyth
WHEN: 7 a.m., every Tuesday.
WHERE: Hickory Point Golf Course clubhouse.
Membership: By invitation of a current member. A monthly membership fee is charged, plus cost of breakfast.
Activities: Citrus fruit sales; support summer baseball teams; sponsor RYLA for high school students; sponsor Heifer Program, which sends livestock to undeveloped countries; sponsor polio eradication program.
Contact: Austin Edmondson, president-elect, 877-9445.
Decatur Metropolitan
WHEN: Noon, every Thursday.
WHERE: Decatur Club.
Membership: By invitation of a current member. Annual dues are $134 per quarter including lunch.
Activities: Adopt a Big Brothers/Big Sisters family for Christmas, holiday citrus fruit sale, adopt a mile on West Pershing Road.
Contact: Mike McNamara, president, 429-5432
Blue Mound
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., every Wednesday.
WHERE: Pleasantview Township shed, Blue Mound
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Annual dues are $365.
Activities: Fund projects with two yearly fish fry, citrus sales and peach sales.
Contact: John Holmgren, president, 692-2404 or 412-8181
SERTOMA
Decatur Breakfast
WHEN: 7 a.m., every Friday. Quarterly social events are scheduled for members, spouses and guests.
WHERE: Scovill Banquet Facility.
PURPOSE: Service to mankind, with focus on speech and hearing.
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Quarterly dues are $80, which includes a breakfast buffet.
Activities: Purchase hearing aids, hearing devices, and services for the needy; Fantasy Baseball for hearing impaired ages 6 to 12; provide copies of Bill of Rights to all fifth graders in Macon County; sponsor foreign students at Community Thanksgiving Dinner; ring bells at Christmas for Salvation Army. Fundraising activities include selling elephant ears at Zippy Zoo Days and Decatur Celebration, midnight bingo and selling gourmet holiday blend coffee. Works on donations for Northeast Community Fund, Easter Seals, SAIL, Project Success, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Sertoma Foundation, and Sertoma Speech and Hearing Centers.
Contact: Gaylan Turner, chairman of the board, 422-7600.
On the Web: www.decaturnet.org/sertoma/
Noon
WHEN: Noon, every Tuesday.
WHERE: Tuscany Steak & Pasta House.
Membership: Open to anyone who wants to join. Quarterly dues are $30, plus cost of lunch.
Activities: Sponsor Service to Mankind Award Banquet with Decatur Breakfast Sertoma and shaken baby syndrome project at both Decatur hospitals, park cars at Decatur Celebration, sponsor Christmas Party for Easter Seals, poinsettia and spring bedding plant sales, sweet corn sales.
Contact: Jim Bondurant, president, 424-6089.
THURSDAY NOON
TOASTMASTERS
WHEN: Noon, every Thursday.
WHERE: third floor of Barnes Citizens Building.
PURPOSE: Participants practice and learn skills by filling a meeting role, ranging from giving a prepared speech or an impromptu one to serving as timer, evaluator or grammarian.
Membership: Open to all who have a desire for self-improvement and want to become better public speakers. Annual dues. Take your own lunch.
Activities: Devoted to the art of speaking and listening.
Contact: Kevin Miller, past-president, 855-3018, or e-mail kmiller2112@yahoo.com.
WOMEN’S
PROGRESSIVE CLUB
WHEN: 6 p.m., first and third Monday of every month.
WHERE: Greater Northside Baptist Church.
PURPOSE: Meet the needs of women and children in the community.
Membership: Christian-oriented. Open to anyone who is committed to the mission. Annual dues.
Activities: Mother’s Day souvenir booklet, bake and rummage sales to help support NAACP, organizations with DOVE, and honorariums to college students. Also host a pre-Thanksgiving dinner for senior citizens.
Contact: Barbara Holder, president, 428-1381.
DECATUR AREA SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
WHEN: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., second Tuesday of every month except July and August.
WHERE: Decatur Public Library.
PURPOSE: Networking and information for HR professionals and individuals tasked with HR administration/management or any of its specialized functions.
Membership: Open to individuals engaged in at least 50 percent of their work time to an HR administration/management or any of its specialized functions. Annual dues are $35 for national members or $40 nonnational members.
Activities: Networking events, monthly lunch meeting with different speaker each month to discuss HR-related topic.
Contact: Cheryl Scholtz, chapter president, 429-5148.
On the Web: www.decaturshrm.org.
501 CLUB
PURPOSE: 501 Club is a premiere organization designed to enhance Decatur by connecting young professionals with each other and the community.
Membership: Business professionals ages 21 to 40. Membership is free.
Activities: Athletics; leadership; philanthropy; and social activities, including speed networking, community leagues, seminar series, valentines for troops, monthly gatherings.
Contact: Shelly Klink, executive director, 542-0233.
On the Web: www.decatur501club.org
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