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Doug Plank Fundraiser

Doug Plank Fundraiser

Steak Fry 2020

Steak Fry 2020

New Member Swearing In 2020

New Member Swearing In 2020

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NEW for 2021!
Click Here to Buy Easter Lilies Online...
<div><span style="font-size:22px"><span style="color:rgba(255, 0, 0, 1)"><span style="font-family:arial black,helvetica,sans-serif"><strong>NEW for 2021!</strong></span></span></span></div>
Upcoming Events
  • COVID POSTPONE- Crusader Health - New Building
    Crusader Health
    Jan 28, 2021
    12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
  • COVID POSTPONE-Cosmo Lunch
    Prairie Street Brewing Co.
    Feb 04, 2021
    12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
  • COVID POSTPONE- Cosmo Poker Night
    Hoffman House
    Feb 06, 2021
    12:30 PM – 11:00 PM
  • Cosmo Lunch w/ Speaker
    Prairie Street Brewing Co.
    Feb 11, 2021
    12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
View More...
BOARD MEMBERS for 2020-2021
Tom Graceffa, Club President Francesco Collura, Immediate Past Pres. 
Brian Thor , Vice President 
Chris Zion, President Elect
Bill Redig, Treasurer Eric Magnuson, Secretary
 TBD, Sergeant at Arms Kevin Kjellstrom, Charities Board Rep. TBD, At Large Board Member
Tom Gustafson, At Large Board Member
Dayton Smith, Accountant Joshua Sherman, At Large Board Member
<div>BOARD MEMBERS for 2020-2021</div>
MESSAGE FROM OUR CLUB PRESIDENT - TOM GRACEFFA
My Fellow Cosmos – Thank you for all that you do!  What our club accomplishes on an annual basis is amazing. Each year, and with the significant contributions of those who support our fundraising events, we continue our fight against diabetes while also supporting many local non-profit organizations through our annual grant program.  In the 2019-2020 season, our club raised over $90,000!   I hope you find your membership rewarding and value the power of our club.  I encourage you to stay active, reach out to your Cosmos when in need, and help our club continue to make a difference in the lives of others. 
 
To Prospective Members – What are you waiting for?  The camaraderie of our club is second to none!  Not only do we raise a significant amount of funds each year to fight diabetes and support local organizations in need, we also have a great amount of fun along the way!   Although this year may be a bit different, some of our renowned events are: The Chili Shootout, Boat Trip to Chain of Lakes, Cubs Bus Trip, Steak Fry, Ice Hogs Family Night, Rivets Family Night, Rockford’s Premier Golf Outing, March Madness Raffle, Poinsettia Season, The Polar Plunge, and more!  We believe the success of our club is tied directly to the bond our members share in coming together for a great cause.  If you love to help your community, and events like these sound fun to you, we hope you consider joining The Rockford Cosmopolitan Club.  Inquiries may be sent to our Membership Liaison, Brent Versendaal here.
 
To Our Beneficiaries – we thank you for your passion, good deeds, and ongoing efforts towards helping others.  We recognize the many challenges you face in annual funding needs critical to your mission and goals.  We are proud to help so many of you annually and encourage you to explore and apply for our Grant Program.  
 
Tom Graceffa
President 2020-2021
 
 
<div>MESSAGE FROM OUR CLUB PRESIDENT - TOM GRACEFFA</div>
Quick Links
Crusader Clinic - $500,000 Milestone Reached!
UPCOMING EVENTS PHOTOS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Contact Us
UPCOMING EVENTS
Rockford's Premier Charity Golf Classic
Read more...
Cosmos to Participate in the 2020 Polar Plunge!
Read more...
Snow Sculpting Competition - Thank You Cosmos from John Beck
Good afternoon Fellow Cosmos,
 
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Rockford Cosmopolitan Club for your support of the 32nd Annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition.  See the picture below:
 
Although we once again had to deal with warm temperatures, the sculptors did a tremendous job in dealing with these challenging conditions and creating spectacular works of art.  Unfortunately, the sculptures were gone far too soon but heavy traffic on Friday and Saturday helped us reach the impressive number of over 22,000 spectators.  And we had a very good year in regard to community support with over $7,000 from our 19 block sponsors and an $8,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.  This was in addition to the $21,000 in donated products and services we received from our many in-kind donors and supporters.
 
We were so impressed with the sculptures this year, especially those created by our high school teams.  Visit our Facebook page and Rockford Park District photos page for pictures:
 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ilsnowsculpting/photos/
RPD Web: http://photos.rockfordparkdistrict.org/f829302821
 
We continue to increasingly utilize social media to promote this event and it certainly gets a lot of attention.  One video posted on Facebook received over 2,100 views.  On Instagram, we had 624 Likes over 14 Posts.  And for the first time, we created a Snapchat Filter that had 9,628 Views.  I'm not exactly sure what all of this means but our marketing people say it's pretty good.
 
The Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition is sanctioned by the US National Snow Sculpting Competition and the winner of our event goes on to represent our state in the National Competition in Lake Geneva where they compete against other state winners.  This year, Cave People from Space, comprised of Capt. Brian Hierstein, Joe Goral and Kelly Madison took first place in the Illinois Competition with their sculpture “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”.  They will represent Illinois next February in Lake Geneva.
 
The Rockford Park District is honored to be able to provide this event to our community each year and we are grateful for the many partners like you that help us.  Without your help, there would be no way that we could continue offering this unique event to the City of Rockford.
 
Thanks again and best wishes throughout the rest of this year.
 
John Beck (fellow Cosmo)
Events and Recreation Projects Manager
Rockford Park District
Team Cosmo Participates in the Polar Plunge for 2nd Year in a Row
For the second year in a row, our Team Cosmo participated in the Polar Plunge, which is a fundraiser specifically for Special Olympics.  Our team led the local fundraiser for donations raised.  We are super proud of our Cosmo Team!  Thank you to Chris Zion for helping organize this event for interested Cosmos.  See the video below:
Quick Links
Crusader Clinic - $500,000 Milestone Reached!
UPCOMING EVENTS PHOTOS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Contact Us
2020 Grant Recipients
 
Rockford Cosmopolitan Club
2020 Grant Recipients - $58,425!
 
• Barbara Olson Center of Hope                                                  $850
• Boys & Girls Club of Rockford                                                 $2,500
• Boy Scouts of America, Blackhawk Area Council                   $6,000
• Center for Sight & Hearing                                                       $2,000
• Crusader Community Health                                                    $20,000
• Gigi’s Playhouse of Rockford                                                    $1,500
• Ken-Rock Community Center                                                  $3,000
• Midway Village                                                                           $1,000
• Northern Illinois Food Bank                                                     $3,500
• Northwest Community Center                                                  $2,000
• Patriots Gateway Community Center                                      $3,300
• Paws Saving Lives                                                                      $5,000
• Rock House Kids                                                                        $1,500
• Rockford Rescue Mission                                                          $1,300
• Shelter Care Ministries                                                              $1,800
• The 17th Circuit Therapy Dog Volunteers                               $1,000
• The Literacy Council                                                                 $1,000
• Walter Lawson Children’s Home                                             $1,175
Rockford's Premier Charity Golf Classic
Read more...
Purchase Cosmo Gear Online!
Read more...
Team Cosmo Participates in the Polar Plunge for 2nd Year in a Row
For the second year in a row, our Team Cosmo participated in the Polar Plunge, which is a fundraiser specifically for Special Olympics.  Our team led the local fundraiser for donations raised.  We are super proud of our Cosmo Team!  Thank you to Chris Zion for helping organize this event for interested Cosmos.  See the video below:
Major General Borling
We had the pleasure of hosting our lunch on 2/8/18 with Major General John Borling as your headlining speaker.  We had an awesome turnout and it was indeed a great time to hear him speak to our club once again.  Here is the audio of his presentation:
 
Snow Sculpting Competition - Thank You Cosmos from John Beck
Good afternoon Fellow Cosmos,
 
I want to take this opportunity to thank the Rockford Cosmopolitan Club for your support of the 32nd Annual Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition.  See the picture below:
 
Although we once again had to deal with warm temperatures, the sculptors did a tremendous job in dealing with these challenging conditions and creating spectacular works of art.  Unfortunately, the sculptures were gone far too soon but heavy traffic on Friday and Saturday helped us reach the impressive number of over 22,000 spectators.  And we had a very good year in regard to community support with over $7,000 from our 19 block sponsors and an $8,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Northern Illinois.  This was in addition to the $21,000 in donated products and services we received from our many in-kind donors and supporters.
 
We were so impressed with the sculptures this year, especially those created by our high school teams.  Visit our Facebook page and Rockford Park District photos page for pictures:
 
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ilsnowsculpting/photos/
RPD Web: http://photos.rockfordparkdistrict.org/f829302821
 
We continue to increasingly utilize social media to promote this event and it certainly gets a lot of attention.  One video posted on Facebook received over 2,100 views.  On Instagram, we had 624 Likes over 14 Posts.  And for the first time, we created a Snapchat Filter that had 9,628 Views.  I'm not exactly sure what all of this means but our marketing people say it's pretty good.
 
The Illinois Snow Sculpting Competition is sanctioned by the US National Snow Sculpting Competition and the winner of our event goes on to represent our state in the National Competition in Lake Geneva where they compete against other state winners.  This year, Cave People from Space, comprised of Capt. Brian Hierstein, Joe Goral and Kelly Madison took first place in the Illinois Competition with their sculpture “So Long and Thanks for All the Fish”.  They will represent Illinois next February in Lake Geneva.
 
The Rockford Park District is honored to be able to provide this event to our community each year and we are grateful for the many partners like you that help us.  Without your help, there would be no way that we could continue offering this unique event to the City of Rockford.
 
Thanks again and best wishes throughout the rest of this year.
 
John Beck (fellow Cosmo)
Events and Recreation Projects Manager
Rockford Park District
Mark Doudlah Educates Our Club on the Importance of Organic Foods
On Thursday, January 25th, Mark Doudlah of www.DoudlahFarms.com headlined our Cosmo lunch.  He impacted everyone in attendance!  This was not your average health food presentation.  Mark is a 4th generation farmer and has become a national authority for assisting traditional farmers to converting to organic methods.  Here is his presentation in its entirety:
 
 
Click Here to Download his Powerpoint Presentation.
10/12/17:  Tracy Miller Educates Our Club on New Int'l Initiatives & $5,000 Check Presentation to Crusader Clinic
10/5/17:  The FBI Visits the Rockford Cosmopolitan Club
FBI Special Agent, Christopher Remillard, delivered a great presentation to approximately 50 of our members on 10/5/17!  Within the presentation, he explained the inner workings of how the local FBI office was constructed, as well as how the International entity works on a daily basis.  
 
The Question/Answer session also allowed our members to ask those burning questions that everyone wants to ask, such as the Equifax hack and how the FBI generally proceeds with their investigation of such an issue.  Thank you Special Agent Remillard for your time for this presentation!
 
9/28/17:  Gary Kieper Delivers a Stellar Presentation as the New Season Kicks Off!

Some presidents in the past have chosen to "theme" their presidency.  The theme for John LiCausi for 2017/2018 is to "run the Cosmopolitan Club like a business."

With the significant revenue that our club generates with our 200 members (and growing), it is critical that we apply business sense to every decision that we make as an organization. 

In the spirit of this theme, Gary Kieper, CEPA, CFBA spoke at our first luncheon on Thursday 9/28/17 at Forest Hills Country Club.  He also joined our club as a new member after he finished!

The title of his presentation was "Selling YOU ... Ready, Set, Go!"

If you missed the lunch, then no worries.  Here is his entire presentation in HD video:

 
Click Here to Download his Presentation Slides in PDF format.
8/23/17:  Rockford Cosmopolitan Club is honored with a second naming opportunity at the new Crusader on Alpine--The Patient Education Room.
The signage for the first Cosmopolitan Club naming opportunity in the new Crusader Clinic location on Alpine Road was meant to be the Patient Education Room, however, it got turned into an exam room (at the time of the Ribbon Cutting). So now the Cosmopolitan Club has two naming rooms, that includes the exam room and the second one being the original intention of the Patient Education Room.
 
Cosmos to Participate in the 2020 Polar Plunge!
Read more...
Dave Syverson Headlines Our Lunch!
40 Cosmos and 3 guests attended our lunch featuring Dave Syverson.  It was a great time hearing him speak about local and national politics.  Here is the event video:
 
 
9/7/16 Poker Event Nets $1,750!
Thanks to the coordination of Tom Grimes and the 9 Cosmos that volunteered to manage the cash and chips, the club netted $1,750 during the 9/7/16 poker event at the Hoffman House!  This means that the time of our volunteers was worth almost $50/ per hour!  That is awesome!  Keep up the great work...
Reveal of New Website Concept and Branded Solutions Website on 10-6-16
Today we revealed the new website concept for Cosmopolitan International as well as the Rockford Cosmopolitan Club.  We went into depth regarding the science of how we laid out the new website to improve membership and fundraising.  It will also now be 100% fully mobile responsive.  If you missed it, then you can watch the video below.
 
 
 
 
"Smooch a Pooch" is now "Paws Saving Lives"
For easy understanding and branding purposes, the "Smooch a Pooch" program is now known as the "Paws Saving Lives" program.  This program is being led by our own Rick Swansboro.
 
See the Download Files section to the left for the Powerpoint Presentation that explains the program.
 
Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green Headlines 1st Cosmo Lunch of New Season
Date of Event:  9/29/16
 
Did you miss our first lunch of the 2016/2017 season?  If so, then you missed a great one!  Dr. Alex Stagnaro-Green educated attendees about the different types of diabetes and the science behind them.  However, no worries if you were not there, because you can view the entire presentation right here in HD:
 
 
BECOME A MEMBER
The Rockford Cosmopolitan Club is committed to finding a cure for diabetes, supporting our region through annual grants, growing our endowment with the CFNIL for the long term while promoting through social and fundraising events. 
 
Click Here for the New Member Application.
<div>BECOME A MEMBER</div>
We Cosmo's work hard to raise a significant amount of money every year for local causes.  Our Grant Awards Presentation is where we show them the money. 
 
NEW FEATURE FOR 2020
 
Cosmos, please take a moment and consider any charities you may know that would be worthy recipients, and have their main contact fill in their charity information below.
 

Register for Updates from Our Charities Board

* indicates required
() - (###) ###-####
 
 
We are now keeping a database of all charities that are interested in our grant process.  Our Charities Board will use this new database to keep in better touch with those organizations.
 
The new grant application for 2020 is an online form, and can be submitted by CLICKING HERE. 
 
Completed grant applications are due by NOON on March 31, 2020.
 
The Grant Awards Presentation will be held on April 23, 2020 at the Prairie Street Brewhouse. More information about this event will follow.
<div>GRANT APPLICATION</div>
MEMBER ANNIVERSARIES
Anniversaries:
  • Tom Grimes
    Laurel Grimes
    January 5
Join Date:
  • Keith Kruchten
    January 3, 2018
    3 years
  • Kenneth Wolowiec
    January 6, 2015
    6 years
  • Kevin Kjellstrom
    January 6, 2015
    6 years
  • Gordon Eggers
    January 8, 2020
    1 year
  • Matthew Gabel
    January 8, 2018
    3 years
  • Peter Junor
    January 8, 2018
    3 years
  • Joe Geraghty
    January 9, 2018
    3 years
  • Nunzio Pace
    January 9, 2019
    2 years
  • Earl Smith
    January 10, 2000
    21 years
  • Chad Bauer
    January 12, 2017
    4 years
  • Matthew Marshall
    January 12, 2017
    4 years
  • Tim Huff
    January 12, 2018
    3 years
  • Andy Bowen
    January 14, 2015
    6 years
  • Ryan Meseck
    January 15, 2009
    12 years
  • Justin Lang
    January 16, 2020
    1 year
  • Brad Hatfield
    January 18, 2018
    3 years
  • Brandon Johnson
    January 18, 2018
    3 years
  • Dana Kiley Jr.
    January 18, 2001
    20 years
  • Daniel Clark
    January 18, 2001
    20 years
  • David Tartaglia
    January 18, 2018
    3 years
  • Dean Svarc
    January 18, 2018
    3 years
  • Joseph Marte
    January 18, 2018
    3 years
  • Russell Dennis
    January 18, 2001
    20 years
  • Luis Delgado
    January 19, 2017
    4 years
  • David Meyer
    January 25, 2007
    14 years
  • Jeffery Makeever
    January 25, 2007
    14 years
  • Michael Purin
    January 25, 2007
    14 years
  • Mike Spoden
    January 25, 1983
    38 years
  • Rick Swansbro
    January 25, 2007
    14 years
  • Kurt Schiffer
    January 26, 2016
    5 years
  • Larry Bridgeland
    January 26, 2004
    17 years
  • Adam Palmquist
    January 28, 2020
    1 year
  • Jamie Wasemiller
    January 28, 2008
    13 years
  • Tony Saladino
    January 28, 2016
    5 years
  • Gary Caruana
    January 31, 2014
    7 years
Quick Links
Crusader Clinic - $500,000 Milestone Reached!
UPCOMING EVENTS PHOTOS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Contact Us
EVENTS CALENDAR
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[MEMBERS ONLY] RECEIVE UPDATES BY TEXT MESSAGE
<div>[MEMBERS ONLY] RECEIVE UPDATES BY TEXT MESSAGE</div>
Quick Links
Crusader Clinic - $500,000 Milestone Reached!
UPCOMING EVENTS PHOTOS
UPCOMING EVENTS
Contact Us
Photo Albums
2007 Mid States Convention
2010 Chili Shootout
2006 Convention
2009 Mid States Convention
2009 Installation Dinner
2001 Crusader Mobil Diabetes
2007 Speical Recogntion Day
2009 Bowling
2009 New Orleans Convention
2008 Cubs Trip
2008 Chili Shootout
2007 Soup Kitchen
2007 Chili Shootout
2006 Cosmo Board Members
2006 New Member Dinner
2007 March Madness
2011 Grant Luncheon
2009 Chili Shootout
2008 Christmas Party
2009 March Madness
2010 Cubs Trip
2011 Christmas Party
2006 Christmas Party
2015 Photos
2012 Chili Shootout
2010 Soup Kitchen
2012 - 2013 photos
2007 Installation Dinner
 
 
 
 
 
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