How Knights of Columbus are adapting Tootsie Roll Drive to donors carrying less cash

By any measure, the Knights of Columbus #2191 club for Batavia and Geneva could say it has played its part in successful national efforts during the annual Tootsie Roll Drive fundraisers.

Local Knights of Columbus members have participated in this fundraiser to benefit individuals with intellectual disabilities for more than 50 years, spending a designated weekend on street corners and downtown sidewalks seeking donations and handing out Tootsie Rolls to those who drop money in a can.

Since the first Tootsie Roll Drive unfolded in Tinley Park in 1970 and raised $30,000, the event now occurs in 44 states and raises more than $2 million annually.

Yet, the local Knights of Columbus is a perfect example of how any organization relying on generous people to make donations on the spur of the moment with cash on hand has to change.

It's been relatively easy for any organization's leaders to realize people don't carry cash with them as often these days. During the holidays, the Salvation Army red kettles have seen this dip in cash donations, as have the weekly offerings at churches.

If they haven't done so already, all are turning to digital donation options online or through a mobile wallet app.

It's a dilemma that Tim Studlo of Batavia is taking on as the new chairman of the local Knights chapter's Tootsie Roll Drive scheduled for Sept. 8, 9 and 10 this year.

"We have, for sure, noticed the change in cash donations, and that is why previous chairmen told me, after and even before COVID, that people are carrying less cash," Studlo said. "But more are carrying cards now or have those digital wallets on their phones."

Like many other organizations, it has caused the Knights to go about fundraising differently by starting an online campaign and building links on their websites for specific fundraising dates and even year-round donations.

"We can connect more often now with QR (quick-response) codes that can be put inside bulletins and newspapers, and we can digitize through our website and social media," Studlo said.

The downside, of course, is that the Knights enjoy giving out Tootsie Rolls. After all, that is what has made this decadeslong fundraiser different from others.

"We want to give people a Tootsie Roll, but we found last year when working at the intersection of Fabyan Parkway and Kirk Road that people sometimes want to donate money but don't necessarily want a Tootsie Roll," Studlo noted.

The Tootsie Roll aspect is based on tradition, and the Knights are sticking with it for now. Personally, I like hearing that because I enjoy a Tootsie Roll after making my donation.

"The advantage to all of this is that the drive can go all year, and we can be more creative with periodic online drives," Studlo said.

The local chapter gathered $14,000 in donations last year, about $2,000 short of its goal because of the lingering effects of COVID and the reality of less cash on hand.

"There are advantages to an online setup, but you have to know what to do and invest the time and research into it," Studlo said, adding that a larger donation online can be a tax write-off for donors as well.

The club's link for online donations will change on July 1, when its new fiscal year begins, but donations can still be directed through bit.ly/TootsieRollDrive2191 for last year's 2022-2023 campaign.

Essentially, a fundraising drive these days has to take into account the preferences of every potential donor. Some people hesitate to use a card for donations and would rather use cash, Studlo noted.

Regardless, the local club, which has roughly 100 members, expects 75 to 100 members on the streets the weekend of the drive.

But there is always the issue of someone knowing what the dollar bills or coins they put in a cup or through a digital donation online actually support.

"People don't know where the money goes," Studlo said, "so we have a group of high school students helping us build a Web page and videos to show where the money goes."

For those keeping a tally on such things, the local Knights of Columbus raise money for Valley Sheltered Workshop, Marklund in Geneva, Association for Individual Development in Aurora, Special Camps for Special Needs in Winfield, and the Fox Valley Special Recreation Association in Aurora.

Singers off to Spain

The St. Charles Singers are preparing for their season's final performance in early June. Still, when they deliver "Sing, My Soul" to local audiences, it will also serve as a tuneup for an international trip.

The popular chamber choir, conducted by Jeffrey Hunt out of Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St. Charles, will perform "Sing, My Soul" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at St. Michael Catholic Church in Wheaton and at 3 p.m. Sunday, June 4, at Baker Memorial.

Less than two weeks later, the singers will bring "Sing, My Soul" on a June 14 to 21 tour in Saville, Carmona and Cordoba, Spain, as well as Marvao and Libson, Portugal.

Tickets for the local concerts are $40 for adults, $35 for seniors 65 and older, and $10 for students. Tickets are available at stcharlessingers.com or by calling 630-513-5272.

The final concerts mark the end of the Singers' 39th season.

Jeff gets his center

The sign went up last week, honoring Batavia's longtime mayor with his name on the city's government center.

Last fall, the Batavia City Council surprised Mayor Jeff Schielke by renaming the city hall in his honor.

The limestone building that once housed Dunbar Kapple and other factories is now the Jeffery D. Schielke Government Center.

He's been mayor of Batavia since 1981 and locked down his 11th term in 2021. That puts him in lofty company, putting him at No. 10 on a Wikipedia list of current mayors with the longest service time in the country. So, it's rather fitting that he gets this sort of recognition.

I saw Jeff a couple of weeks ago. I wish I had known about the center's new sign going up so I could congratulate him again.

Instead, I teased him and my friend Brian Henry when they were chatting. These two were often on WFXW 1480-AM radio together about 45 years ago, reporting on local sports, elections and other events.

I said the only thing that comes to mind when I see these two local radio pioneers together. "Why don't you guys go find a Lassies tournament to cover?"

That's an inside joke, only for those who remember the St. Charles-based Fox Valley Lassies, a women's slowpitch softball team that won a national title in 1977. Henry and Schielke had reported on Lassies' softball games during those years.

It gives you an idea of how and why Schielke knows just about everything about his city's history and that of his neighboring communities. He was a reporter at one time.

Casey's gas stations

After first hearing, a couple of years ago, about the possibility of a Casey's gas station and convenience store being built on the east side of St. Charles, my first reaction was, "OK, well, that will be different."

Casey's is a popular gas station operation, as now it seems as if I come across a Casey's no matter where I am driving in the Tri-Cities area.

Casey's has locations at Randall Road and Oak Street in North Aurora, at 2074 Main St. in Batavia, just off Randall, and on County Line Road in Maple Park. And, of course, it's only a matter of time before we see the one off Kirk Road on the east side of St. Charles.

Areas west of the Tri-Cities, like Sycamore and DeKalb, have long had Casey's gas stations, convenience stores and pizza kitchens dotting their landscape.

As for those kitchens, the pizza at Casey's gas stations has a loyal fan base. In some communities, it would not surprise me to hear that it is the go-to place for pizza.

Swarming all over

There's no other way to put this. What's with the gnats this spring?

They seem to be swarming all over, no matter what time of day you are out.

I know these little critters like to congregate around septic or sewer leaks or retention ponds, and they also like rotting fruit or trash bags.

So, it leaves me with another question. Does my head really remind them of a sewer leak or rotting fruit? They sure seem to think so.

dheun@sbcglobal.net