Rotary Club of Palatine distributes allocations and exceeds milestone

The Rotary Club of Palatine exceeded last year’s milestone when they distributed checks to 38 organizations from the proceeds of last year’s Oktoberfest as part of their 2025 allocation program on February 20th at The Cotillion in Palatine.

The 2024 Oktoberfest was held September 20th through the 22nd in downtown Palatine. The money raised allowed the Rotary Club of Palatine to distribute just over $60,000 at the allocations event. With this year’s donations, the Rotary Club of Palatine exceeded last year’s milestone. The money they’ve received from Oktoberfest, members, corporate matching and other club activities has helped the club go over the one-million-dollar mark in allocations since the inception of Oktoberfest that they reached last year. These donations were local as well as national and international.

“This is the reason I joined the Rotary Club of Palatine,” said Hank Sobotka, President of the Rotary Club of Palatine. “When I see how we’ve helped within our community and around the world, I realize that all of the hard work we do throughout the year is worthwhile.”

This year’s donations were split between 38 different organizations which serve the Palatine community and that had contacted the Rotary Club of Palatine requesting assistance. The donations spanned a wide range with an average amount of about $1,500. The donation amount was determined by the allocations committee based on the need exhibited in the request and the impact that the donation would have on the community.

Some of the groups that the Rotary Club of Palatine donated to this year are Palatine Township Senior Center, Partners for Our Community, Palatine Fire Department, Journeys the Road Home, Little Sisters of the Poor, WINGS, and the American Cancer Society’s Palatine Relay for Life.

“We had an excellent Oktoberfest that allowed the Rotary Club of Palatine to help those in need within our community,” said Sobotka. “It’s a great feeling to be part of an organization that can give back so much especially when so many have had to cut back in recent years.”

The Rotary Club of Palatine invites interested men and women of the Palatine community to learn more about Rotary. “Those interested in joining our dynamic service organization are welcome to come and learn more about the good work that Rotary does both in our community and around the globe at one of our weekly meetings,” said Sobotka. “If you would like to attend a meeting, email us at info@palatinerotary.org and we’ll make the arrangements.”

Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world. The Rotary Club of Palatine represents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women. The Rotary motto is Service Above Self.

The Rotary Club of Palatine meets every Tuesday at 7:30 AM at Annie's Restaurant and Pancake House at 154 West Northwest Highway in Palatine. For more information, visit the club at PalatineRotary.org or facebook.com/Rotary-Club-of-Palatine-57707637615/.