Our Projects

Saving Smiles & Changing Lives
February 2, 2024  Our newest club member, Brian Ahern, recently took part in a service mission trip to Bangladesh with Rotaplast International.  Rotaplast International helps children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, they  send multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children.  Brian was part of a 20 member team who came together from the US, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands and Egypt.  They worked at the Sylhet Women's Medical College Hospital and provided life changing surgeries for over 80 children.  Pictured above, Brian is exchanging our club flag with the president of the Rotary Club of Jalalabad, and then presenting their flag to Dave Weiner.  Pictured below is a photo of the celebration ceremony held at the end of the week.

Teaming up for Clear Vision
Feb. 1, 2024   Today's vision screening for low income children was a joint effort supported by Jim Ray of our club,  the Arlington Heights Lions Club and Walmart.  Working together we were able to provide screening and glasses, not to mention big smiles.

 Update-Vision Screening  Enhances Students' Visual Wellness 
January 25, 2024   RCAH member, Dr. Maggie Albert conducted vision exams for low-income children at Sanborn School in Palatine with the assistance of fellow Rotary members.  Through a collaborative partnership with Walmart, the children were also able to select glasses and are very happy to be able to see clearly!

Our Global Awareness Grants in Action
 
December 11, 2023  One of the recipients of a Global Awareness grant was the  Buffalo Grove High School Model United Nations Club.   Over the course of four days, members of the club participated in the annual Chicago International Model UN Conference hosted downtown at the Fairmont Hotel.  Students practiced the art of diplomacy and debate while finding real-world solutions to issues in the historical simulation of 1962 and present-day issues involving Ukraine, the environment, and migration.  Students came away with increased confidence and independence while meeting peers from across the country and other nations, including Mexico.   

Looking Back at 2023
December 31, 2023  
We stayed focused on our vision of Service Above Self- Locally and Internationally this year.  While it is important to always look forward and forge new plans, it is also good to pause and look back at what we have accomplished over the last year.  If it felt busy to many, that's because it was.  Here are some of the things that we spent our time and funds on.  We:
  • Supported  St. Anne's proposed home for refuge girls through garden clean-up and planting, and donation of needed items. (ongoing)
  • Supplied the Wheeling Township Food Pantry with over 1400 dozen eggs and 1000 blocks of cheese throughout the year, shopping and making deliveries 3 times each month.
  • Helped with construction on the Nyakijumba Primary School in Kabale Uganda (January) and helped fund its continuing construction (May)
  • Conducted vision screenings in area schools and provided dozens of low income students with prescription glasses.
  • Partnered with Arlington Cares at the Share the Love Food Drive (February)
  • Provided Easter baskets for WINGS (March)
  • Provided new shoes for local elementary students (April)
  • Packed food at Feed My Starving Children (May)
  • Issued Global Awareness grants to area high schools that supported international exchanges, model UN, and cultural awareness programs
  • Handed out water at the Memorial Day parade ceremony (May)
  • Partnered with Rolling Meadows Interactors to pack Thanksgiving baskets (November)
  • Supported the Wheeling Township Food Pantry with two special "summer shops." (July)
  • Volunteered in the food pantry at the Community Resource Center
  • Handed out candy at Trunk or Treat (October)
  • Prepared and served dinner at the IMD Guest House (once a quarter)
  • Collected jams and jellies for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry (October)
  • Collected baking supplies for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry (November)
  • Collected coats for the Community Resource Center  (December)
  • Helped to fund Eagle Scout projects 
  • Bought holiday gifts for needy families (December)
  • Funded Shelterbox
  • Funded global grants in Uganda (Maternal and Child Health), Cambodia (WASH), Nepal (Education/Technology)
  • Awarded Community Grants to Connection to Care, District 214 Educational Foundation, Greener Good, Hopeful Beginnings, Kindred Life, Northwest Compass, NSSEO Foundation, Special Leisure Services Foundation
  • Supported the Ak'Tenamit school in Guatemala

 

Holiday Coat Drive
December 7, 2023.   In keeping with tradition, this year at our Holiday party, we collected items for those in need.  Through the years, we have collected toys, hats, gloves, and boots.  This year, we upped our game and collected coats for clients of the Community Resource Center.  In addition to the coats pictured at left, Kari made additional drop-offs with donations from those unable to attend the party.  Thank you to everyone for your donations.

Sharing Holiday Joy
December 9, 2023.   One of our favorite holiday traditions is Gift Shopping for families in need.  Everyone gathers at Target with wish lists and hits the aisles.  Afterward, we gather at a local restaurant to wrap the gifts and enjoy fellowship with each other.  Based on the smiles, this year's event was a big success.  To see more photos,  click here.

23-24 Community Grants Announced
November 30, 2023-  In addition to hands-on service projects, the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights uses funds raised by the Santa Run and the Arlington Classic to support community organizations through it's annual community grant program.  Local organizations were invited to submit grant applications and requests for funding up to $2000.  The following organizations were selected as our 23-24 grantees:
Unfortunately, the number of organizations requesting funds significantly exceeded our budget and there were several very worthy requests that we were not able to fill.  For the full list of applicants and websites where you can learn more about their good works, click here. 

Teaming Up to Pack Thanksgiving Meals
November 16, 2023.   We teamed up with the Rolling Meadows High School Interact Club to pack Thanksgiving meals for 75 local families.  With so many helping hands we finished packing and delivering all the boxes in record time.

Trunk or Treat
October 28-  Christmas came early at Trunk or Treat this year as RCAH members treated local trick or treaters to candy canes and info about this year's Rotary Santa Run and Reindeer Dash.

Planting Day at St. Anne's
October 21, 2023.   It was a perfect day for planting, as our club joined forces with the Rotary Club of Buffalo Grove to continue landscaping St. Anne's as they prepare to welcome their first clients.  We started the day with a tour of the facility which is awaiting final approval to open, and then we got to work, doing some final weeding, planting perennials, bulbs,  bushes,  and trimming the trees.

RCAH Recognized by ShelterBox
October 20, 2023   The Rotary Club of Arlington Heights was recognized once again this year for its support of ShelterBox.   ShelterBox is an organization that provides families with life-saving shelter and essential tools and supplies to enable them to rebuild their homes and transform their lives after disaster.  To learn more about ShelterBox and the services they provide visit https://www.shelterboxusa.org/ 

Collecting Donations to Help Furnish St. Anne's
September 25, 2023-   In our continuing efforts to support St. Anne's, we collected donations at our Fall Harvest Dinner on Saturday.  The focus was on furnishing the interior, and providing craft and educational materials for the girls.  The following Monday, we delivered and assembled our donations.  

The Work at St. Anne's Continues
 
August 15, 2023  The work continues rehabbing the garden at St. Anne's.  A group of Rotarians and scouts worked on completing the block patio, spreading mulch, and weeding in preparation for planting in October.  After work, everyone took a break on one of the three picnic tables that the club recently donated to this project.  
Read more...

Helping Out at the Food Pantry
August 17, 2023  Instead of our usual weekly lunch meeting, this week we met for a hands-on project at the Community Cares All Saints Food Pantry located in the Community Resource Center where we supplied, sorted, and packed food and other essentials for families in need.

National Night Out
August 1, 2023-  Arlington Heights Rotary Club was at National Night Out- to share infomation about Rotary and the Rotary Santa Run.

Fighting Food Insecurity
July 27, 2023  Arlington Heights Rotarians Kari and Rick Koebernick are all smiles after loading up on supplies for the Wheeling Township Food Pantry at July's "Summer Shop."

Partnering to Create a Safe Place for Girls
July 29, 2023 Maryville Academy is opening a long-term foster home, St. Anne’s, for girls ages 12-17 who arrive in the US as unaccompanied minors. The girls can stay at this home until they turn 18 and some may be parenting or pregnant. The home is located in Arlington Heights and the interior is undergoing renovations but the grounds are desperately in need of help.  We partnered with Maryville, three other Rotary clubs and community members to clean-up the grounds of St. Anne's.   To see more pictures, click here.

Supporting Literacy
July 24, 2023   Last year changes made to the curriculum requirements of all schools across Kenya meant that the Brining Miracles school needed to acquire new textbooks for all of its students.  With a grant of $2000, our club was able to supply the text books for 2 grade levels of students.

Providing Dinner at the Guest House
June 8, 2023   The veterans and guests staying at the Guest House were treated to a BBQ dinner with all the trimmings prepared and served by RCAH Rotarians at our quarterly dinner.   Dine-in guests enjoyed a shrimp cocktail appetizer and the return of "craft night"  and take-away meals were delivered to those unable to dine in.  

Serving on Memorial Day
May 29, 2023-  Rotarians helped out again this year passing our water to marchers in the Memorial Day parade.
 

Supporting Global Awareness
May 18, 2023   In an effort to promote global awareness among youth, this year RCAH introduced a Global Awareness Grant.  Hersey High School was one of the grantees, using the funds to support its Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration.   The event included cultural performances, activities, and night market food vendors.  AH Rotarians attended to partake of the fun and show their support.

Packing Meals at Feed My Starving Children
April 27, 2023   Twenty RCAH members and their families spent the afternoon packing meals for under nourished families.
Afterward, everyone gathered for some fun and fellowship.

Operation Warm Soles
April 8, 2023.   The Arlington Heights Rotary Club partnered with other District 6440 clubs on a multi-club grant to provide new shoes to low income children.  Our club is providing shoes to District 25 and Partners for Our Communities.   Shown above, volunteers helped pick out shoes in the necessary sizes and then deliver them to our partner organizations for distribution.

Helping out the Easter Bunny
March 28, 2023-  Karen Baker played the role of Easter Bunny assistant delivering Easter baskets assembled and donated by club members to Tabitha Nilson of WINGS.  Thanks to everyone who volunteered for this project.

Sharing Food and Fellowship
March 9, 2023-   The threat of snow didn't stop us from serving our quarterly dinner at the Guest House.  Under the direction of "Master Chef" Frankiewicz, we prepared and treated the veterans, and other medical guests to a feast of shrimp cocktail, teriyaki salmon, twice baked potatoes and flourless chocolate cake.  AND we held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new double oven that the Guest House purchased with our community grant award.  In between cooking chores, we had an opportunity to visit and chat with our dinner "guests" who all raved about the food. 

Building Good Will & Better Friendships in Uganda
February 23, 2023   Two Arlington Heights Rotarians joined a group of 14 other Rotarians and volunteers in a joint District 6440/6450 service trip to Kabale, Uganda.  While there, they worked with Rotaractors from the Rotaract Club of Kampala South to teach classes at the Nyakijumba Primary School, and help with the construction of a new building When completed, the new buildidng will double the number of students that can be served..  While there, there was an opportunity to attend a meeting of the local Rotary Club,  exchange flags, and engage in fellowship with fellow Rotarians.

Partnering to Share the Love
February 25, 2023   We partnered once again this year with Arlington Cares for the Share the Love Food Drive.  Held outside the Vail Street Market Jewel, Arlington Heights Rotarians were on hand to give shoppers suggestions for food items needed by the Wheeling Township Food Pantry and collect donations as shoppers left the store.  It is always wonderful to see how ready everyone is help out their neighbors at this event.

Helping Kids to See Better
 
 
Feb. 7, 2023   Rotarian Dr. Maggie Albert was assisted by fellow Rotarians Wendy Davis and Mike Driskell at today's vision screening clinic at Virginia Lake School.  
Read more...

Looking Back at 2022

In 2021, we adopted a new vision:  Service Above Self- Locally and Internationally.  While there are sure to be oversights,  this is a list of how we spent our time, talent, and resources in support of this vision in 2022:

  • Supplied the Wheeling Townhip Food Pantry with over 1400 dozen eggs and 1000 blocks of cheese throughout the year
  • Conducted vision screenings in area schools (February and November)
  • Partnered with Arlington Cares at the Share the Love Food Drive (February)
  • Volunteered at Rahab's Daughters "Brave this is Me" workshop (April)
  • Provided Easter baskets for WINGS (April)
  • Packed food at Feed My Starving Children (May)
  • Refurbished the el Rodeo school in Guatemala (April)
  • Partnered with Rolling Meadows Interactors to pack Thanksgiving baskets (November)
  • Bought holiday gifts for needy families (December)
  • Partnered with Kiwanis to sort books for Bernie's Book Bank (November)
  • Handed out candy at Trunk or Treat (October)
To see the full list- click read more
Read more...

Bringing Holiday Cheer
December 11, 2022-  We teamed up with members of the Rolling Meadows Interact Club to buy and wrap presents for local families going through hard times.

Welcoming Asylum Seekers
November 10, 2022-  Our club is helping to support a group of 100 Venezuelan asylum seekers who recently arrived in Chicago.  With donations from club members and the River Cities Rotary Club, we purchased slippers and toiletries for 50 families. 

Vision Screening
 
November 15, 2022- Thanks to RCAH Rotarians and especially Dr. Maggie Albert,  15 students from Central Road School received eye exams and will be getting new glasses.

Teaming up with Rolling Meadows Interactors 
 
November 17, 2022    Thanksgiving meals packed today by the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights and our Interact Club at Rolling Meadows HS!

50 meals will go to Wheeling Township and 25 meals will go to the Village of Arlington Heights - all to help our neighbors in need

Doing Good and Having Fun
October 27, 2022-  We joined the Kiwanis Club in a service project working at Bernie's Books.  Our assignment was to screen books to make sure that they were "donation worthy."  Afterward we gathered at Black Finn for some fun and fellowship.

Celebrating Youth and International Friendship Part 2
Oct. 18, 2022.   Rotarians were on hand today as Prospect High School welcomed a group of French exchange students from outside of Paris.  Our language immersion grant helped to provide financial support to the program.

Celebrating Youth & International Friendship
 
 
October 7, 2022   This morning, we saw the results of our first ever language immersion grant in process.  Prospect High School welcomed 15 students from Verona Italy for a 2 week language and cultural exchange.  
Read more...

Supporting Dryden Place Community Garden
October 1, 2022.   With the official start of fall, the growing season for District 25's Dryden Place Community Garden was capped off with a final harvest celebration.  
Then it was time for the final harvest, and garden clean-up.   "Chief Gardener and Organizer" John Kent lead the clean-up effort with the assistance of students from Prospect High School.

New Bike Rack at Lake Arlington 
August 12, 2022-  Introducing our very attractive and functional bike rack located at Lake Arlington along the bike/walking track. Thanks to our friends and fellow Rotary Club members at the Arlington Heights Park District for allowing us to place the bike rack on their property and installing it for us.

Summer Food Shopping
July 21, 2022-  Thanks to everyone who helped our with our second "summer food shop" at Aldi.  And thanks to Kari Koebernick who took this picture and coordinated everything with the Wheeling Food Pantry.

Fighting Food Insecurity
June 30, 2022.  Donations to the Food Pantry typically drop off during the summer months, so we do three summer food "shops."   This was our first one of the summer.  The next one is coming up on July 20.  Thanks to Kari Koebernick for leading this initiative.
 

Gardening for Good
July 3, 2022- Thanks to the efforts and leadership of John Kent, we've rented 8 community garden plots and we're growing vegetables to donate to local food pantries.  Garden "maintenance days" are Monday and Thursday.  

Rotary in the Community
June 18, 2022-  We helped kick-off the inaugural Friends of the Library Passport event by manning a stop on their course.  It was an opportunity to talk about Rotary, and promote the Santa Run.

Serving at the IMD Guest House
June 9, 2022-  It was a perfect day for a picnic, and that's what we served to veterans, patients and family staying at the Guest House.  It was a feast of hot dogs, brats, baked beans, pasta salad, cole slaw,  tossed salad,  mac and cheese, finished off with apple pie.  Due to Covid precautions we had to prepackage all the meals- somewhat of a challenge with so many choices and only 3 compartments to work with, but we were up to the challenge.

Memorial Day Service
May 30, 2022-  The Arlington Heights Memorial Day Parade was back in person this year for the first time since 2019.   The weather was perfect, if a bit warm, and the turnout was great.  Our club donated water and  members were on hand at the end of the parade to distribute the water to thirsty marchers. 

Supporting  International Friendship Through Foreign Language Immersion
May 20, 2022.   John Kent, our Youth Services Chair, visited Prospect High School with fellow Rotarians, Rick Koebernick and Franco Lasagni to present our first ever foreign language immersion grants.   The funds will help support two student exchange programs in French and Italian that will take place in the fall of 2022.  

Supporting AK'Tenamit
April 2022-  While en route to our service project in El Rodeo,  Guatemala, we met AK'Tenamit founder, Steve Dudenhoefer to hand deliver 2 Rachel Plus 4 servers purchased by our club.  The Rachel server is specifically designed for use in schools where internet access does not exist or is limited.  It contains over 100 modules of digital education resources stored on a battery driven server capsule.

Guatemala Service Trip
May 2, 2022-  Four members of the Arlington Heights Rotary Club joined Rotarians from Districts 6440 and 6450 for a week long service trip to El Rodeo, Guatemala.  The focus of the project was an elementary school that had been damaged by an eruption of the El Fuego volcano.  In five days of work we installed wash stations, built a porch and stairway for safer access, buried a waste water line, and did a lot of painting.  The project was carried out in cooperation with the Uwara satellite club of Guatemala pictured below.

Feed My Starving Children
April 28, 2022-  After packing meals at Feed My Starving Children, Rotarians and family members reconvened at Morettis for some post-service fellowhip.

Chuck Frankiewciz and  RCAH Honored by the IMD Guest House
April 28, 2022.  Four years ago, Chuck Frankiewicz spearheaded the beginning of a volunteer project to serve meals to veterans and families staying at the Illinois Medical District ("IMD") guest house.  Four times a year, Chuck plans the meals, rounds up volunteers to prepare the meals, and leads a group of volunteers to the Guest House to serve the meals.  In recognition of this effort, Chuck was recognized as the IMD Guest House Volunteer of the Year, and the Rotary Club was recognized as the volunteer organization of the year.  Click on the picture above to see a short video of the award, and hear the great things that IMD Guest House Manager, Jan Kroeschel has to say about the work of Chuck and our Rotary Club.  Congratulations!

Supporting  the Empowerment of Girls
April 9, 2022.   Our club partnered with seven other  Rotary clubs (Barrington Breakfast, Bartlett, Cary Grove, Dundee Township, Lake Zurich, Long Grove-Kildeer-Hawthorn Woods & Schaumburg/Hoffman Estates) to underwrite and provide volunteer support for Brave- This is Me!. a workshop put on my Rahab's Daughters.  Rahab's Daughters is  an organization dedicated to fighting human trafficking and the workshop was a day of empowering, inspirational and encouraging activities for girls ages 10-18.  Our club was assigned to help out with lunch duty.  To learn more about Rahab's Daughters visit http://Www.rahabsdaughters.org/

Monday is Egg and Cheese Day
April 18, 2022-   If it's Monday, it's probably egg and cheese day.   Three weeks out of each month club members restock the Wheeling Township Food Pantry with eggs and cheese.  That's almost 1500 dozen eggs a year and an equal number of cheese blocks.  Rain, shine, snow or hail we're on the job.

Helping Out the Easter Bunny
 March 31, 2022.  Rotary members "hopped" right in, to provide Easter baskets to children in WINGS domestic violence programs.  Shown above, "Chief Easter Basket Wrangler" Karen Baker hands off Easter baskets to Tabitha Nilson of WINGS.