President Rob Hann and our Rotary Club Members welcomed Erin Burns and Diane Carroll from My Joyful Heart, a non-profit charity we have donated to since 2005.  Every child enrolled in the My Joyful Heart program is disadvantaged in one way or another: they are from single-parent or grandparent-led households, some are in special education, and many are homeless.  The children are school-aged, generally 4 & up; however, they also provide for many young adults. My Joyful Heart believes all children have the potential to succeed in life and if basic needs are met, children will perform better both academically and socially. 

They assist children by providing basic necessities throughout the year. They receive a wide range of items, both fun and practical. Each child is individually shopped for from their inventory. This helps the child feel special because they receive items in their favorite color or receive something that was on their wish list.

Our honorary member, Eldon Tracy, who is Executive Director of Feeding Children Worldwide gave a presentation on where his feeding packs are distributed.  He also told us about his former life as a missionary and the various experiences he has had over the years.

 

Attorney Paul M Byck gave a very informative presentation about the impact of work injuries on injured workers.

 

 

Andrew Witherspoon, co-founder of the Chicago Furniture Bank (https://www.chicagofurniturebank.org) presented at our club meeting on 07Jan22 - and it was a most interesting presentation!   The CFB has experienced explosive growth over the past few years, having been founded in 2018.  It is a 501(c)3 organization providing furniture for people in need - they helped 8,000 people in 2021!  They will recycle excess or discarded furniture from residential homes as well as businesses - including hotels, university dormitories, etc.   Their sister company, the Honest Junk Company (https://www.chicagofurniturebank.org/honest-junk) is the only 501(c)(3) junk removal company in Chicagoland.  If you or your company has any surplus furnishings, I am sure they would love to hear from you!   What better way to discard furnishings you don't need or want!  Our president, Fred Otto, is thanking Andrew in this photo.

On Thursday, 11 November - remembering Armistice Day - our club heard a very interesting presentation by Dr George Palamattam, Executive Director of the Council of International Programs USA (CIPUSA) which is a nonprofit organization that promotes international understanding through professional development and cross-cultural exchange.   Picture shows our president Fred Otto thanking Dr Palamattam for his presentation. 

On October 28, 2021 , Karen Sheehan, MD, MPH, a Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine presented on preventing injuries to children
She is the Medical Director of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s Injury Prevention and Research Center and the violence prevention collaborative, Strengthening Chicago’s Youth (SCY).
Her presentation has been distributed to all club members.

The photo shows our president Fred Otto thanking Dr Sheehan for her presentation.

Our club is in Rotary District 6450.  Our current District Governor Jane Hopkins visited our club today along with Kathy Rak, Assistant Governor Coordinator and Ade' Onayemi who will become district governor next year.  Jane gave us an update on what the district is promoting charity-wise and other relative concerns to Rotary.  Our club president, Fred Otto, along with our Rotary members gave them a warm welcome.

 

 

What a beautiful day for our annual golf outing fundraiser.  We raffled off some great gifts and had fabulous items for our silent auction.  Former member Chuck Henschel drove in from his home state in Washington and traded his new club Rotary banner with ours.  Thanks to all the volunteers who helped make this day a huge success.

Congratulations to our club for all of our members contributing to the Paul Harris Foundation for the years 2019-2020.

Our club has been sponsoring kids in the Joyful Heart Program for many years.  Executive Director Diane Carroll and Erin Burns, Director of Operations, gave us an update on the 1,000 kids they served and the creative way they serviced these kids through the pandemic.