After a record 228 coats in Week 1, we broke that mark with 359 coats in Week 2 following Illuminate Northbrook and a multi-week drop off of coats from Deerfield. Two week total is 587. We are more than half way to our 1000 coat goal and we are just two weeks into the program!!
Amazingly, our coat sort volunteers got through all of the coats in under 2 total hours of work.
The 359 coats from Week 2 are being distributed on Monday by Two Men and a Truck. Distribution:
180 to Connections for the Homeless in Evanston. They are going through 100 coats every 3 days right now, so this comes at a great time.
80 to Stock the Shelves in Wilmette. They work with families from Syria and Afghanistan and have a distribution event next week, so timing is perfect.
36 to HIAS in Skokie/Chicago. This is for refugees.
23 to Northshore Helpers for their distribution of new, “tags-still-on” coats to families in Englewood. This group is heavily tied to members of the Northbrook Chamber. (Rick to deliver)
40 to St. Malichy school in Chicago’s west side (about six blocks west of the United Center). This is the sister parish to Holy Cross Deerfield and the church is having a kids coat drive right now. It seemed a natural “thank you” to Holy Cross to distribute the extra box of kids coats we had this week.
Here is a preview of Week 3:
Collections from barrels during this holiday week should proceed as close to normal as possible, given your schedules and the schedules of those organizations you pick up from.
THERE IS NO COAT DROP OFF ON THURSDAY DUE TO THANKSGIVING. THERE IS NO COAT SORTING ON SATURDAY. NORMAL SCHEDULES WILL RESUME WEEK 4.
Here is the holiday schedule for the coat drive (Door 7 on the East Side of Holy Cross school):
Dropoff at Holy Cross either:
Saturday 11/25 between 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. (I will not be there early or stay late)
Monday 11/27 at 8:30 a.m.
Coat Sorting at Holy Cross
Monday 11/27 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Note that some of our regular sorters have fixed work schedules and won’t be available. GBS Interact will be in school. So for those who are retired or have flexible work schedules, please try to attend. Our goal is to have 2-3 Rotarians per club for this day.
Organizations that will be supported with Week 3 coats include Wings, PADS of Lake County.
Organizations not yet scheduled through Week 3: Refugee One (waiting for their needs assessment), Veterans Closet (waiting for their needs assessment), Deerfield Free Store (they asked for distribution in mid-December)
Thank you all so much and have a great Thanksgiving!!! Rick
Photos: Left) Roberto and Adrian from Two Men and a Truck at Northbrook Illuminate. Top) The sorting room Saturday morning before Rotarians arrived. Center) The sorting room Sunday morning with boxes ready for Two Men to distribute on Monday.
Our District committees make our district-level programs a reality. We have a few openings for individuals who would like to make a difference at the District level. Please consider getting involved! Reach out to the Rotarians below or Mary Bak our District Governor!
Our Grants Committee will have some vacancies next year, and we’d love to find interested Rotarians who can work alongside the current committee members this year to learn the position requirements.
We will need a Grants Committee chair and a District Grants chair. There is a monthly committee meeting as well as ongoing duties throughout the year for both of these positions. Please contact any member of the Governors Line for more information, or contact Mary Jablonsky, Grants Committee chair, Arlington Heights club, grantschair@rotary6440.org.
Our Youth Exchange program leaders need additional volunteers in all areas- Youth Exchange chair, Inbound and Outbound coordinator.
Please contact Rebecca Dunleavy of the Antioch Club for more information: rye.chair@rotary6440.com.
The District Legislative Committee To initiate, suggest and review proposals made to the District Governor regarding: (1) changes in the District Manual of Procedure; and (2) legislation to be proposed for consideration at the Council on Legislation of Rotary International.
Recommendations made by the Legislative Committee are presented at the Annual Business meeting of the District.
Please contact the me or Chair,
Pat Groenewold, Schaumburg-Hoffman Estates club, groenwp@aol.com.
Rotary Action Group on Mental Health
Initiatives - Mary Bak, DG Needs a Team
Mental and emotional health critical to our individual overall wellness and that of the communities that we serve.
To Create Hope in the World, we must take action to: erase the stigma associated with caring about emotional well-being, raise the awareness about mental health needs, and work to improve access to mental health services.
Many District 6440 Rotarians and clubs are already working in the area of mental and emotional health - now, how can we expand our reach? If you want to join in, please send me an email to express your interest in creating a District 6440 Task Force on Mental Health Initiatives.
Let me know what you're doing and how you and/or your club want to be involved. I'll convene a meeting in mid-late November to start the conversation. For more information, the RI President's Initiative on Mental Health and Well-being is attached, or you can learn more about the Rotary Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives at ragonmentalhealth.org.
Mary Bak, DG 6440 - Hope you are getting the 4-1-1 - here are some recaps
Singapore Convention
Are you thinking about attending the 2024 International Convention in Singapore? The Registration rates go up December 1, so this is a great time to sign up. https://convention.rotary.org/en-us/.
There is still time to take advantage of joining the District room block, we have two rooms left.
For more information on joining the room block or attending the convention, please contact Rick Rosenfeld, our District 6440 Convention coordinator or a member of the Governor line.
Public Image Grants are back!
Awards will be made to reimburse clubs for APPROVED Rotary marketing materials.
The grant will be half of what the club spends on approved materials, with a grant maximum of $500 or $650 for approved Membership Materials.
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