Meet Your Fellow Rotary Members! Jon Jay, Debbie and Rick!
First a shout out to Scott Rose for his work in putting together an amazing collection of speakers for our weekly meetings! It’s not a small feat. Our meeting on Tuesday September 15th had the best type of speakers yet! Our Rotary Club members! This is always a fascinating segment where you find out some interesting factoids about your fellow Rotarians. For example – do you know which Rotarian knew young kids in Guatemala would love blowing up plastic gloves like a balloon? Who speaks German besides Elke? Which Rotarian has desilked corn (not talking about a trip to Sunset…) and ridden a tractor?
All of these speakers talked about family and the importance they hold for them, as well as some commonalities about joining Rotary (the great people, philanthropic opportunities.) But aside from that, we heard three unique paths that merged in our club membership.
First up was Jon Jay Miller, who we all know as a great real estate broker. He grew up in Skokie, attended high school at Niles North. There he was a standout on the high school tennis team and played in collage at DePaul.
He went on to Arizona, did not play on their team, but it was tennis that landed Jon Jay in Germany post-graduation. Invited to be an instructor for the Vic Braden Tennis Collage, Jon Jay taught there for a year, then went to Berlin. Yes, he speaks German! His love of tennis took him back to the USA when he had an opportunity to purchase the Quail Valley Tennis Club in Arizona. As most entrepreneurs do, Jon Jay multi-tasked not only teaching tennis, he did the landscaping.
It was his return to the Chicagoland area that he secured a broker’s license, in addition to teaching tennis -to explore a new career for himself. It was his managing broker who introduced him to Rotary and the rest as they say is history!
Next up was Debbie Madeley, the development director at the North Suburban Y. From the Y-site here is Debbie’s bio: "My role is to work with our development team to secure the needed resources to run our programs, provide scholarships, maintain our facilities and live up to the YMCA mission of ensuring no one is turned away for inability to pay; and also to help our team meet our social responsibility in terms of community outreach and identifying responsive programs that match challenges our community is facing."
Debbie is the Development Director at the Y. Her role is to help structure and coordinate the development processes with the development team. There are a lot of community needs the Y fills.
When we asked Debbie what she likes most about her job and what she likes most about the Y she responded, "Development work is so fulfilling! Our Y has an amazing team of competent, dedicated professionals. I am blessed to be part of this team! I love helping people who want to make a difference in the world find a cause to support that brings them joy and purpose. On the flip side, I love hearing the stories of the beneficiaries of philanthropic individuals and businesses and seeing them reach their goals and working towards their full potential. We are all in this life together, we need each other, and all have an important role."
Fun Fact about Debbie: She flirted in media studies while pursuing her Communications degree! In college she served as the Business Manager at her college radio station and on the cable TV access team. She got to meet several famous rock stars through those roles, including Metallica.
More fun facts were divulged at Tuesday’s meeting: Debbie grew up in Dekalb County. She was raised in what she calls ‘farm country,’ where yes, she desilked corn, rode a tractor in a town that had only one bus. Her career included stints as a Deputy Tax Assessor to which she stated, ‘you are never thanked for this job!’ She waitressed and worked in sales and development. Additionally, she has been a Girl Scout Leader; on the Board of the American Cancer Society; as well as being a Kiwanis member.
Debbie wanted to have a meaningful career that served people. Her love of volunteering resulted in a shift to her current career with the Y serving in membership development and now as the Development Director at the Northbrook program. Fortunately, this shift included her joining our club as well (sorry Kiwanis!)
Last, but not least, is long time member Rick Rivkin! He too grew up in Skokie attending both Niles East and Niles North, and is a third-generation owner of his family business that will celebrate it’s 85th Anniversary next year.
From his company site, “Saf-T-Gard International, Inc. is a global supplier of industrial safety products and is now in its 4th generation of ownership. Since its establishment in 1936, Saf-T-Gard has enabled on-the-job safety, compliance and peace of mind for hundreds of thousands of workers and their families, by delivering superior safety products and solutions that protect against work-related hazards and prevent serious injuries. Saf-T-Gard has grown significantly since its humble, two-person factory loft beginnings.
Founded as Latex Glove Company, by Leo and Lillian Rivkin, the company began its manufacturing operations in Chicago when the Rivkins acquired equipment from a balloon company and used it to produce waterproof, rubber-coated cotton gloves. They purchased cotton gloves, dipped them in the latex rubber tanks, let them dry overnight, and sold them the next day. In the 1940s, as Chicago manufacturers geared up to support the American war efforts, Latex Glove Company expanded its product offering as a full-line industrial glove distributor.
The focus on occupational safety and health in the 1960s and 1970s lead to an increased emphasis on providing a full line of personal protective equipment. As such, Latex Glove Company began supplementing its legacy of hand protection with industrial safety products from global suppliers, including protective eyewear, respirators, hard hats, protective clothing and footwear, and first aid kits and supplies to meet OSHA’s requirements. In 1979, Latex Glove Company purchased a larger industrial building in Northbrook, Illinois to position the company for further growth and better customer service.”
When the company moved to Northbrook, Rick got involved with the chamber. He served as a board director, later becoming the Board president as well. Barbara Hayskar, then the executive director, gave Rick a Paul Harris award and invited him to a meeting.
From there his dedication to the Service Above Self mission grew. Rick mentions how his life changed when he got to see and experience what Rotary actually did. How the support of a club in Northbrook had incredible impact on worldwide.
His Rotary travels included 2004 helping to build a dormitory in an orphanage; in 2007 in Guatemala the Rotary Club helped complete needed housing for people displaced by volcanos; then in 2013 traveling to Hanspukur, India and on to Nigeria: where his dream to immunize children became realized when he was able to participate in distributing polio vaccines in a Leprosy colony [polio is now completely eradicated in Nigeria as of August 2020]; in 2016-17 Rick became and served as a District Governor.
His term was under the theme of “Rotary Serving Humanity” and his District them was “Power of One.”
His 2007 trip to Guatemala was one that helped to cement his becoming a “Rotarian.” They took time from working to create some joy – a MASH throwback or homage to the Latex Glove Company - by using gloves to blow up as balloons for the children. “Nothing, NOTHING tugs on your heart more than to see the smile on the face of a child.” Anyone can join a Rotary club. But if you need a vision for what a Rotarian should be – look no further.
Rotarians met up on Wednesday September 16th at Greenbrier School across the street from the Northbrook Public Library. Everyone had a perfect night, great weather, and got to meet Steve Brownstone's new baby! Thank you Suzi Gantz for coordinating our first foray into meeting face to face.
Last week our own Kate Hall zoomed in to give an update and overview of one of Northbrook’s most important assets - the Northbrook Public Library.
“Kate Hall is the Executive Director of the Northbrook Public Library after serving as Director at the New Lenox Public Library and in various Youth Services positions in the Chicagoland area for the past 20 years.
In her decade as a library director, Kate has been very active in state and national library groups including the American Library Association, Illinois Library Association, and Reaching Across Illinois Library System.
She is currently chairing Director’s University, an intensive training for new Illinois Public Library Directors that went virtual this year.
Additionally, Kate is the co-author of The Public Library Director’s Toolkit published by ALA Editions and the devoted servant of two demanding cats.”
Kate is an amazing leader of an organization that provides services for residents and includes many resources for local businesses’ and their employees as well.
Where nationally, library card holders hover around 57%, Northbrook has a 70% rate – a testament to Kate and her team. Rotarians on her “team” include Carlos Frum, Jay Glaubinger- president and vice president respectively on the Library board of trustees.
If you have ever had the privilege of working on a committee with Kate you will have experienced her incredible attention to detail, her ability to develop processes to get the job done and she makes it look effortless. So it is no wonder that the library was able to provide a variety of seamless services during Covid, such as curbside pick-up as well as offering services to home-bound residents.
Want to get involved? The library offers several volunteer opportunities along with leadership positions like running for the board.
Kate produced an informative power point for our meeting that you can review here, Rotary 2020.pptx or on the Facebook live video. Check out the public library. Log on to their website, explore their offerings and opportunities. Updates, hours and services are on the site so you can plan your participation!
