Rotopep for March 19, 2015

Posted by Paul W. Larson 
on Mar 19, 2015
 

Rotopep: Vol. 95 No. 38

Rotary Club of Evanston

March 19, 2015

Inspiration: None today -- offsite meeting

Sergeant at Arms: None today -- offsite meeting  

This Week’s Program: Hands-on Service Project at Peer Services, 906 Davis Street -- NO MEETING AT RI HEADQUARTERS

Announcements  

Prospective Members Applications Approved

The Club Board of Directors has approved the applications of four new member-candidates. They are:

Adrian Dortch, Owner, Dortch Wellness

Classification: Wellness Service

Sponsor: Paul Giddings 

Jane Lawicki, Director, External & Public Relations, Rotary International

Classification: External Relations

Sponsor: Karen Kring

Mark Lowry, Director, Operations & Administration, Rotary International            Classification: Non-Profit Administration

Sponsor: Gene Servillo

Elio Romero, Owner of Chef’s Station Restaurant

Classification: Restaurants

Sponsor: Tom Swigert

New Membership Policies Announced

Club members should be aware of  two important new policies approved by the Board of Directors:

Employer Representation Level

The Board has had recent discussions about the allocation of membership among organizations represented in the club. The goal for the club is to achieve diverse representation among employers, and to avoid having disproportionate membership from any single employer. The Board therefore approved a policy that representation by any single employer should not exceed 20 percent of the club’s total membership.

If an employer is at or exceeds that level in the future, applications from that employer won’t be considered until the employer’s membership percentage falls below 20 percent.   

Our club, which meets at Rotary International headquarters, understandably has a large percentage of RI staff. Under the new policy, RI has reached the 20 percent limit and any new RI applications beyond the two that were recently approved by the Board of Directors won’t be considered until the percentage is reduced.

The new policy is aimed at and will be applied to all employers as the club continues to grow. The Membership Council will be seeking new members in as many sectors, and from as many employers, as possible.   

Reduced Meal-Plan Pilot Project

The Board has also approved a pilot test of an option for new members that would enable them to sign up for a 21-meal membership plan for a total yearly cost of $564. This cost would cover meals AND dues. (The current full-year plan covers 42 meals, along with dues, at a total cost of $780.) This option is available immediately for NEW MEMBERS ONLY and will be tested for one year to evaluate its impact on membership, attendance, food costs, etc.

If at the end of the test period the Board opts to continue with the new 21-meal option, this alternative plan will be made available to all club members. If the Board concludes that the new 21-meal option has negative impacts that outweigh its benefits, it will be discontinued.   

The pilot test has been created as a way of providing increased flexibility for prospective members who seek a lower-cost option for membership or who may want to attend but not always have a meal.

During the pilot test the club will also be analyzing food usage and attendance figures to ensure we have accurate statistics on our food costs for budgeting purposes in the future.  

If anyone has any questions about these policies, please contact President Paul.

 

Other Club News

 

  • ABOUT OUR MARCH 19 MEETING: On Thursday, March 19, we’ll have our third hands-on volunteer day of the year. This time we will be helping Peer Services, which offers substance-abuse prevention, education and recovery services. On March 19, we will actually visit Peer Services’ offices at 906 Davis Street  to help them process a mass mailing for their Annual Benefit, to be held May 2nd,  that they need to get out...so be ready to help stuff envelopes and provide assistance in organizing this mailing. Again, this volunteer activity will NOT be at RI headquarters! Thirteen volunteers have signed up and we can accommodate up to 20. . Please let Kat Eiff know right away if you still want to volunteer. You can send an email to Kat at katherine@eobgroup.com. We’ll be on site at Peer Services over the lunch hour -- from noon to 1:15 p.m., and lunch will be served. .

  • The EVENING Rotary program on Wednesday, March 25, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist John H. White, is sold out! If you have reserved space, we will see you at the Rotary International Auditorium that night. White’s presentation, on “Peace and the Power of Photography,” will be from 7 to 8 p.m. in the Rotary International auditorium and a short reception will follow the event.

  • Many of you may have heard that the Giordano’s Pizza in Evanston has closed. Giordano’s was going to be the site of this year’s PizzaFest, so we are in the process of considering our options. We will keep you apprised!

  • Dont’ miss the free Rotary International event: “Tap Into Lake Michigan: A Local Perspective on The Global Water Crisis,” to be held Tuesday, March 31, from 5 to 8 p.m. in the 3rd floor atrium at Rotary International headquarters. A panel discussion with Q&A will feature various water experts. A Goose Island- sponsored “idea exchange” will be held from 5 to 6:30, with tastings from Goose Island and Temperance Breweries.

  • If you want to see Annie Coakley’s interview with Fox News about Evanston’s selection as one of the 10 best downtowns in the nation, visit the link below:

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/clip/11213206/vics-view-downtown-evanston

 

March 12 Meeting Summary

Visiting Rotarians

Fran Caan, Rotary Club of Evanston, Lighthouse.

Guests of Rotarians

We had MANY guests on March 12, who came to participate in our “ETHS at Rotary Celebration.”

Guests of Diane Claussen:

Anne Berkeley, Reverend Michael Nabors, Dr. Elena Garcia Ansani, Sharon Weeks, Nancy M. Cunniff, Adam Joyce,  Maureen Palchak, Henry Godinez, and Anthony C. Kirchmeier.

Guest of Wally Bobkiewicz: Johanna Nyden

Guests of Brian King: Mary Collins and Jennifer Moran

Guests of Paul Larson: Brian Brown,  Fiona Mensah, Mike Shawver

Other guests of the club:

Mayor Elizabeth Tisdahl, District 202 School Board President Gretchen Livingston and School Board member Bill Geiger.

Prospective Members Mark Lowery and Elio Romero.

ETHS Staff:

Marcus Campell, Sarah Schmidt, Evangeline Semark, Pete Bavis, Scott Bramley, Vernon Clark, Robbie Brown, Paula Miller, Joanne Bertsche, Fran Caan, Ahmadou Drame 

ETHS Students:

Olasumbo Babalola, Guadalupe Herrera, Reggie Murphy, Patrick Baranovskis, Mikee Pagdanganan, Irene Antonelli

Announcements  

Mark your Calendars for District Conference

The annual District 6440 Conference is coming April 10-12 in Itasca. Our club will have car-pooling available for anyone who wants to go.  Please see President Paul if you are interested in attending. Some club members are planning on attending on Saturday, April 11 if you want to go for just one day.

Club Anti-Violence Grants Featured in the News

The Daily Northwestern recently included a nice article on our “Building a More Peaceful Evanton” grants. Nice job, Tracy Tebear!– see the link below:

http://dailynorthwestern.com/2015/03/05/city/rotary-club-of-evanston-offers-new-grant-to-address-community-violence/

Program: ETHS DAY AT ROTARY

President Paul introduced our special tribute to Evanston Township High School and the long relationship between the high school and our club.

The primary goal of the event was to  celebrate and recognize the presence of ETHS in our community. But we also wanted to celebrate the strong partnership that exists between ETHS, which is more than 130 years old, and our club, which will be 100 in just a few years.

Over the years our club has included superintendents and principals, school board members, and faculty and administrators from ETHS – people like Lloyd Michael, who was Superintendent of District 202, and for whom one of ETHS’s four schools is named.

President Paul also showed some classic vintage photos of ETHS alums from Rotary, including Adrian Dortch, Dick Peach, Paul Fischl and Bill Geiger.

During the event he paid special tribute to Bill Logan, ETHS Class of ‘51, who went on to become Evanston Chief of Police and later served for many years as Director of Public Safety at ETHS. He was also a recipient of the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Dick Peach summarized our club’s scholarship program, which over the last decade has contributed nearly $100,000 in assistance for ETHS grads.  

Marcus Campbell, Assistant Superintendent and Principal at ETHS, provided an overview of the many achievements of the high school.

The school has more than 500 employees and approximately 3,200 students. Thirty eight languages are spoken at the ETHS and more than 59 countries represented by students and staff. ETHS is on a 62-acre campus and has more than 3 miles of hallways!

The student population is extremely diverse and is studying in more than 250 courses, including 29 Advanced Placement (AP) courses. The school has received numerous state and national awards and was recently ranked in the top 2 percent in the nation by U.S. News and World Report (It is in the top 500 of more than 22,000 schools nationally.)

ETHS has a 5-year graduation rate of 90 percent and currently has a dropout rate of 1.1 percent, which is the lowest in its history.

Campbell outlined various opportunities and challenges for the school, including expected budget shortfalls caused by funding changes at the state level. 

Many thanks to all of the staff and students of ETHS, who we value for all they contribute to the community!

REMEMBER: NO CLUB MEETING ON MARCH 26. THE CLUB’S MEETING NEXT WEEK WILL BE THE JOHN WHITE EVENT AT THE RI AUDITORIUM THE NIGHT OF MARCH 25. RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED!