Sharing a compliment or letting someone go ahead of you in line may seem like a small thing at the moment, but these little random acts of kindness can really add up and make the world feel like a nicer, safer place. Plus they often have ripple effects, spreading kindness far beyond the person you originally helped. Serving others is also one of the fastest ways to help yourself feel happier, not to mention that giving service is great for your health.
Remember, service doesn’t have to be big to be meaningful—any small act of kindness will make someone’s day, whether it’s a stranger or your own child. Read on to get inspiration for your next random act of kindness. Then, read these stories about kindness and share these kindness quotes and kindness memes to spread goodwill to others.
Read the Reader's Digest Random Acts of Kindness Article to Discover how you can change the world one act at a time!
Donate diapers to a family shelter
Babies need diapers but they can be very expensive, particularly for parents who are struggling. Donate diapers to a family or women’s shelter or many food banks accept them as well.
Clean off your equipment at the gym
Sanitation protocols are more important than ever these days so be a good citizen at the gym and take the extra few minutes to spray and wipe down any equipment you used, like free weights and yoga mats.
Reuse household objects
Finding creative and practical ways to reuse household objects is a big help to the environment. For instance, instead of throwing away a plastic dish soap dispenser, see if you can use it to store homemade cleaning solutions. Or instead of throwing away a plastic iced coffee cup from your local coffee shop, wash it and reuse it for future beverages.
Make eco-friendly cleaning solutions
Instead of buying cleaners made with harsh chemicals, make natural cleaners at home with household staples like baking soda, vinegar, and dish soap. Just make sure you research which substances are safe to mix together and which ones aren’t.
Become an UPSTANDER! As a Rotarian -please share with your communities: Schools, Teams, Scouts...
We invite you to learn how to be an UPSTANDER when you see harassment, bullying or intimidation towards another person. Learn skills to intervene safely if you are a witness to harassment—skills applicable to all ethnic and gender situations.
The webinar gives five strategies for intervention: distract, delegate, document, delay and direct; and how to prioritize one’s own safety while intervening. Practice scenarios will give viewers more confidence intervening the next time they see anti-Asian-American harassment.
Are YOU familiar with DECA? It is a high school business club. They are teaching high school students business skills in marketing, finance, customer service, etc. They are always looking for additional judges for their events (twice a year). Last week the regionals were held in Rosemont, and March 4th are the state finals. The caliber of students is pretty amazing at this level. They come from schools all over the state. BUT NEED YOUR HELP. Are you willing to be an official judge?
Judge Info Form-DECA State Competition 2022
Complete this form. This allows DECA to best assign you to a competitive event to judge at the Friday March 4th, 2022 DECA State Competition. It takes place in Rosemont, IL. The judges' time commitment for State is 7:30 AM - 4:00 PM. Continental breakfast and lunch is provided free of charge. Parking is validated.
To be an official judge sign up via this link: CLICK HERE
RI president-elect announces 2022-23 presidential theme
by Ryan Hyland, Rotary International
Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones wants members to imagine the possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world.
Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, revealed the 2022-23 presidential theme, Imagine Rotary, as she urged people to dream big and harness their connections and the power of Rotary to turn those dreams into reality.
“Imagine, a world that deserves our best,” Jones told incoming district governors on 20 January, “where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”
Jones, who will make history on 1 July by becoming Rotary’s first female president, gave a live online address to precede Rotary’s annual training event for district governors from around the world, the International Assembly held virtually 7-14 February.
The Seven Centers of Peace - by Jeff Ruby with Illustration by Jason Schneider
Situated in different parts of the world, the Rotary Peace Centers offer tailor-made curricula to train individuals devoted to peacebuilding and conflict resolution — no matter where they land.
Rita Lopidia vividly recalls her experiences as a Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of Bradford in England. “The classes in African politics and UN peacekeeping were my favorite,” she says. “The politics course challenged me to dig deeper into research to understand the history of the continent, and the peacekeeping class aided my understanding of global politics. As a practitioner, that was an eye-opener to have a global view of events happening around the world.”
Lopidia's time at the Rotary Peace Center profoundly affected her. "After graduation, I traveled back to Africa and settled in Uganda due to the ongoing conflict in South Sudan," she explains. "There I established the EVE Organization for Women Development and started engaging the South Sudanese refugees in Uganda and their host communities. Through my organization, we were able to mobilize South Sudanese women to participate in the South Sudan peace process promoted by eastern Africa's Intergovernmental Authority for Development — and that led to the signing of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan in 2018."
Lopidia is just one of the 1,500-plus peace fellows from more than 115 countries who have graduated from a Rotary Peace Center since the program was created in 1999; the first peace centers began classes three years later. Currently, Rotary has seven peace centers in various locations around the world; the newest, at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda — the first in Africa — welcomed its inaugural cohort of peace fellows in 2021. Next, Rotary plans to establish a peace center in the Middle East or North Africa, perhaps as soon as 2024, and has set its sights on opening one in Latin America by 2030.
As you will discover, the curriculum at each peace center has been carefully crafted to address specific aspects of the peacebuilding process — and train the next generation of global change-makers.
“What does ‘return to safe international travel’ look like?”
We are invited to join fellow Rotarian, Rick Rosenfeld of Glenview Sunrise, on his webinar this Wednesday evening February 16th at 7:30 p.m. to find out what the travel landscape looks like going forward. He will share his vast knowledge of travel, share ideas and tips.
Mar 01, 2022 Speaker Alert: David Banks, Bell Flavor and Fragrances
With over 25 years of marketing experience, Banks has held a number of leadership roles focusing on insight, market research, brand/product management and innovation. In his career, he worked for such CPG companies as Coors Brewing, Sara Lee and Meadwestvaco and was responsible for creating proprietary tools and approaches to assist with short/long term business strategies, customer targeting and sales forecasting.
Banks also has over ten years of flavor and fragrance experience working for such companies as Givaudan, Mane and Kerry, where he served as its director of market research and consumer insights. Most recently, he served as Aimpoint Research’s VP of global strategy, innovation and food and beverage, where he connected consumer insights to the agriculture industry.
By Gundula Miethke, Specialist, Regional Content and Communication • Europe/Africa at RI Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA
“Imagine Rotary” is the 2022-23 presidential theme that RI President-elect Jennifer Jones revealed on 20 January. She is asking Rotary members to dream big and take action: “We all have dreams but acting on them is a choice. Imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”
The logo for the theme was designed by Riki Salam, an Australian artist and graphic designer specializing in contemporary Indigenous art, design, and communications. He also created the 2023 Rotary International Convention logo which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, thus connecting the two by a shared visual language.
Meaning of the design elements
There is, of course, a deeper meaning behind each element of the design. The circle in aboriginal culture for instance, signifies our connections to one another. The dots around it represent people and there are seven because of Rotary´s areas of focus.
The circle and the dots together become a navigation star – our guiding light. The solid line underneath is what is referred to as a digging stick and it is used when doing hard work. And since Rotary members are people of action – it represents a tool for getting things done.
The colors
The colors green, purple, and white are not necessarily connected to aboriginal culture. President-elect Jennifer Jones asked the new crew of Governors to use one, two, or all three when dressing for official events instead of using a theme jacket. “As we celebrate diversity, equity and inclusion, I wanted all of us to be able to express ourselves differently in what we wear, but still have connection”, Jones explained.
There are several ways to interpret the colors: Purple for example stands for polio eradication, green for the environment, the newest addition to our areas of focus, and white for peace, our core mission.
Together, they are the colors of the women’s movement, the Suffragette – a subtle nod to this history as Jones pointed out, since she will be the first female RI president.
PAY IT FORWARD: The Rotary Club of Northbrook 2022 Spring Raffle is up and running.
All we need now is YOU!
Each spring, our major fundraising drive of the year is dependent upon your participation for its success – and without you, we wouldn’t be able to monetarily support our community, our friends, and our neighbors. The Raffle is the way to raise money to help:
Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook fund services for youth in crisis
Gratitude Generation build a new generation of service
North Suburban YMCA provide vocational training and employment opportunities
Northbrook Symphony Orchestra continue to provide music
Northfield Township Food Pantry feed those who are food insecure…and the list could go on and on.
Without you, we can’t be successful. Without you, we can’t help the needy. Without you, we aren’t Rotary. We need YOU!
Actual raffle tickets will be available for you to sell as of February 15th, but until then, direct your friends, your family, your contacts to:
FEB 13: Random Acts of Kindness Week - February 13-19th
FEB 17: UPstander Zoom Training-- February 17th -registration required
MAR 4:DECA Judges Needed - see above article
APR 23: Save-The-Date: Ak ‘Tenamit trip, April 23-May 2, 2022 -- Join Rotarians from District 6440 and 6450 in Guatemala this Spring. Sixteen people have signed up, six spots remaining. Contact Dr. Bob Steinberg, rotarydrbob@comcast.net or 847-650-3668.
Join Zoom meeting on the good old-fashioned telephone!
+1 312 626 6799 Meeting ID: 295 416 335 Password: 726580 for telephone only
Please note - Meetings are no longer recorded. If you do not attend on zoom or in person you will miss the fun! Meeting dates and times, or virtual access may change, always check our website for updates. In-person meetings are held at Hilton, 2855 Milwaukee Rd., Northbrook or other locations as announced, and the club Covid protocol must be followed.
2855 Milwaukee Ave
Northbrook, IL 60062 United States of America
We have hybrid-meetings. Join us! Contact webmaster@northbrookrotary.org to join us.
NOTE: The 3/22 meeting with Brad Schneider will be in the evening, location TBD.
The 3/29 meeting will be at the North Shore Senior Center
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