Bill Knape is the epitome of a Rotarian! He is a long time member and past President who gives his all to Rotary – his time, talents and resources. Bill is the President of his family business. He has an Engineering degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Our Club has two main events each year and Bill is always actively involved from planning through clean up. He spear headed the effort and figured out the logistics to purchase a 23’ tall rubber duck that has been the showpiece for one of our main events, The Big Daddy Duck Race, that is held each year during Rockford’s Start of Summer Celebration. The duck is just one of many projects that Bill completed to involve the community in Rotary efforts. The duck race helped to raise nearly $20,000 and involve more than 200 local businesses. It has become a well known community event that everyone looks forward to each year. The other main event is the Chicken dinner sale each year in the fall. Bill is the first one out selling tickets ahead of time to local businesses, he is on set up and clean up crews and is the one who takes care of all the tasks no one wants to do. He picks up shifts that are slow and not much fun but still need to be done.
In addition to his time, Bill donates warehouse space to store equipment and supplies and to build and create a float for the annual Start of Summer parade. Despite working long days, he is the first one with his sleeves rolled up doing whatever needs to be done. He is never too tired and he is never too busy for anything Rotary whether it be planning or doing for Rotary or fellow Rotarians.
Bill is always thinking of ways to engage Rotarians and looking for new members to join our Club. Bill is a grand champion Rotarian who dedicates more time and energy to Rotary than required because he believe in Rotary and what is stands for. He will tell you how satisfying it is to be involved in Rotary and how much he enjoys the fellowship of fellow Rotarians.
Thank you, Bill, for all you do for Rotary. It is a great honor to work with you and to be a part of Rotary with Rotarians like you!