JERSEYVILLE - The Jerseyville Rotary Club only has one major fundraiser a year - its annual chili festival.
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Rotary club member Charles Huebener said the festival begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2017, and lasts until 6 p.m. It will be held at the Jerseyville Knights of Columbus Hall, located at 307 N State St. Tickets for the event are $8 and include all-you-can-eat chili or vegetable soup with hot dogs, desserts and a drink.
The money raised goes to help public projects done through the Jerseyville Rotary Club. Fellow member Kim Hardin said those projects include character grants given to local school districts, which make funds available for teachers to promote good character in their students. The Jerseyville Rotary Club is also sponsoring a foreign exchange student for the first time in a decade, with one from Thailand currently. Another measure done is a dictionary project to focus on literacy.
"We have donated 400 dictionaries to our school districts as well as other school districts, such as Southwestern, Brussels and Calhoun," Hardin said. "We make sure third graders each get a dictionary to call their own."
Current Jerseyville Rotary Club President, Eli Molloy, works with Engineers Without Borders to bring purification systems for water sources across the planet. Hardin said she is also working with the Rotary Club to help fund that initiative as well, with a new purification system currently being built in Bolivia.
Hardin said the Jerseyville Rotary Club also helps sponsor teams through the city's park and rec department. Huebener added the club works with Jersey Community Hospital to help support recent renovations.
To make enough money to support those programs, the Jerseyville Rotary Club requires good chili. Huebener said he is the one making it, but it isn't his recipe.
"I guess you could say I am the chef," he said. "We have a chili recipe put together by Mary Brightweiser. she was one of the head cooks at Peace United Church of Christ. Those ladies put together lunch on Mondays, which makes our noontime meal experience very wonderful. The chili has been really well-received over the years. We keep it going."
Several volunteers join Huebener for what he described as a very busy and very long day. The vegetable soup option is prepared by Sharon Cameron, who Huebener believes utilizes her own recipe. He said her soup is very well-received as well.
Tickets for the event can be purchased through Jerseyville Rotary members or bought at the door the day of the festival.
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