BULLETIN – September 4, 2024
By Tim Dempsey                     
 
Jon Robb started the meeting, Patricia Bleck gave the Pledge, and Greeter Bob Zamor led us in prayer. No song meister, no song.

BRAGS:
-Tom Miller celebrated 45 years of wedded bliss with wife Cheryl.
-Tom Zengler just returned from a vacation at Jackson Hole. He visited a Rotary there and won their raffle! 
-Patricia Bleck’s daughter Emma was an intern at Eli Lilly recently. They offered her a job when she graduates in the spring.
-Jon Robb recently enjoyed a weekend in Santa Barbara.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES:
-Birthdays: Doug Fendon - 9/6, Larry Neal - 9/17. Ron Lapins - 9/18, Jim Curtis - 9/23, Scott Hezner -9/29.
-Anniversaries: Tim & Barb Dempsey - 38 years, Scott & Jane Hezner - 40 years, Tom & Cheryl Miller – 45 years.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
-9/10 Rillee exhibit 4th grade school project.
-9/14 Lake County Symphony at the James Lumber auditorium at CLC. Tickets are $30. See Jim Curtis. 
-9/19 USO fundraiser at Mickey Finns. 
-10/2 meeting will be at City of Hope in Zion. We will learn about cancer research.

FUN & FROLICS:
Elliot Pinsel entertained us with a baseball quiz.

PROGRAM:
Today’s program was Jim and Tina Elliot from Dive Heart. They do scuba diving therapy for the disabled. There has been a paradigm shift in therapies for the disabled. They look for the internal possibilities of their patients. If they can get someone out of a wheelchair and into the water, they can stand! They can do many things not possible on land. They work with people who can improve and those who won’t i.e. ALS patients. 
We watched a video of Tracy, an ALS patient. She said she doesn’t have to give up her identity. When she is diving, she feels free. It is like flying. She experiences unadulterated joy.
Dive Heart has 2 programs in Racine and Oak Lawn. Both are free to participants. They provide all training and equipment. Patients come for the camaraderie. They make presentations and train instructors all over the world. They are recovering from the Covid shut down. In 2020 they cancelled 14 ocean trips and 200 pool sessions.
They are raising money for a building in North Chicago. They hope to build a new pool that will accommodate 300 people at the same time. They have made presentations to the Mayo Clinic on adaptive aging. They work with veterans who have PTSD. Diving clears the head. Patients are weightless under water. It heals the soul.
Jim and Tina are raising awareness of their program and gathering donations. They have been a nonprofit for 23 years. They hope to build their new facility on land adjacent to Great Lakes Naval Training Center. Diving is popular in the Midwest. There are many wrecks in the Great Lakes to be explored. They work with the Hines VA hospital and the Shirley Ryan Ability Lab.

RAFFLE:
-Daily: $26. Steve Risley donated his winning to the Food Pantry.
-Progressive: $653 (26 cards). Jim Curtis drew the 9 of Clubs. ROLLOVER!
-Extra special prize won by Scott Hezner.

NEXT WEEK:
-Fun & Frolics: Dave Potts.
-Greeter & Prayer: Bill Taranowski.
-Program: Jennifer Clark. Lake County Board member.

WHEEL:
-Ellen Young didn’t sign in. She did a substandard moon walk.
-Jon Robb had to pay $10.

ROTARY MINUTE:
What is a share? Through the SHARE system, contributions to the Rotary Foundation are transformed into grants that fund local and international humanitarian projects. Funds are divided among District Directed Funds and global grants.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
“Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement.” Rita Mae Brown