Welcome to Our Club

TOGETHER WE CAN END RACISM

The Rotary Club of Wilmette offers help and support to all communities locally and internationally wherever and whenever there is need in the human family.

The Rotary Club of Wilmette was chartered in 1924 with 21 members. Today there are over 48 active members who gather to do good for others while enjoying good fellowship.

Our Club members enthusiastically live the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” both locally and internationally. Recent projects include water well installation at schools in Angola, the collection and delivery of over 20,000 books annually to inner city schools in Chicago, supplying ultrasound equipment and related training to people in Uganda, resettlement assistance to legal refugees in the Chicago area, providing disaster relief supplies to hurricane, typhoon, and other natural disaster survivors, food packing for people in Guatemala and Central America, and supporting local food pantries and literacy efforts.

NOTICE: Because of coronvirus concerns, we are now meeting virtually via Zoom. When things return to normal, we'll resume our regular in-person meetings as listed below.

We meet Wednesdays at 12:15 PM at the Wilmette Golf Club, 3900 Fairway Drive, Wilmette, IL 60091.

We’d love to have you join us!

Welcome!

Our Motto:
Service Above Self

We meet In Person

Wednesdays

Wilmette Golf Club

3900 Fairway Drive
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America

Because of Corona virus safety concerns, we are now conducting Virtual Meetings. Please join us when we are able to have live meetings at our usual location.

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Rotary Meeting Update

ALL Club lunch and other face-to-face committee meetings are cancelled for an indefinite period. Our first priority is always safeguarding the health and well-being of our members and their families. Our members are meeting every Wednesday using the technology of Zoom. We have had some amazing virtual presentations from a variety of speakers these past few meetings.

We welcome prospective members and guests to come to our meetings. Please contact Debora at debora@pftl.net if you would like to join us.

February 24, 2021 - Sara O'Keefe

Supporting Teens and Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Sara O'Keefe, Development Manager of Our Place in Wilmette, spoke to the club at the noon meeting on February 24. Sara explained the mission of Our Place is to provide support for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities so they can live meaningful and socially connected lives within their community. She talked about the various programs that are offered and the ways clientele are referred to the program. Unfortunately, the COVID crisis has made the important one-on-one interactions difficult but staff have found ways to alter some of the experiences provided and to remain in contact with each family so the clientele do not feel abandoned. Our Place will be the beneficiary of the next club fundraiser.

February 17, 2021 - Annie Aggens

Shackleton's 1914-1917 Expedition

Annie Aggens, a Director of Polar Explorers and guide at Northwest Passage based in Wilmette, presented the program for the club's February 17 noon meetings. Using her own experiences crossing both poles as well as photos from the Shackleton expedition, Annie provided her listeners with a fascinating retelling of the harrowing expedition and its amazing conclusion.

February 10, 2021 - Rostom Mbarek

High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena Through the Lens of Cosmic Rays

Rostom Mbarek, graduate student at the University of Chicago's Department of Astrophysics, presented the club's lunchtime program on February 10. After briefly introducing himself and his background, Rostom provided an introduction to his work on astrophysical phenomena including the origins of cosmic rays and the formation of neutron stars. Club members expressed interest in having Rostom return to help us learn about black holes.

February 3, 2021 - Joe Goldstein

A Successful Investment Strategy

Long-time member Joe Goldstein provided the program for the February 3 club meeting via Zoom. Joe was excited to share with fellow members the investment strategy he has used for many years to generate extra income. Through study and experimentation, he has found a way to reduce his risk by using Option Spread investments. Joe provided several examples from his own experience and would be happy to share his wisdom with anyone who would be interested in learning more. Thank you, Joe!

January 27 Program - Ami Campbell

Posted by Gregory Michel

Amalya (Ami) Campbell is the Co-Author of Love Let Go: Radical Generosity for the Real World and a marketing consultant with an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ami related her remarkable life story, and how it inspired her to encourage others to promote and understand generosity. Born in Vietnam, she was airlifted to the United States where her life changed.

She grew up in a single-parent household. She was the first in her family to attend a four-year college, and was determined to make enough money to not have to think about it all the time. She married soon after and became a successful consultant.

She and her husband sponsored a three-year-old child in Tanzania. In visiting the girl, Ami discovered the power of Radical Generosity. The mother of the girl had four other children and cared for while farming the family's land. Ami was struck by the realization that her life could have been exactly like the Indian mother …except for the fact that Ami was airlifted out of poverty and the other woman wasn’t. She realized that this gift changed her life completely.

After that trip, Ami realized that generosity wasn’t an act of giving, it was a way of living. A reality of generosity is that it ripples out far beyond what we can imagine. Scientists call this “Social Contagion”. In fact, Rotary programs of support are examples of that … for which we can all be proud.

January 20 Program - Chicago Metra

Posted by Gregory Michel

Metra Reinvented Itself

James R. Derwinski joined Metra in 1997 as an electrician and climbed the ranks through the mechanical department until he became CEO in 2017.

Jim described the innovative marketing plan that Metra undertook to address declining ridership. After five consecutive years of declining ridership, it was clear that consumer needs were changing. Declining fuel prices made driving more competitive, and Metra had not been marketing train service aggressively. Working with an outside marketing firm, they built “brand architecture” that revolved around the concept of “My Metra”. Then the pandemic hit with stay-at-home orders, dropping ridership by 90%.

Metra needed to convey messages to riders that they could “Commute with Confidence”. Factors included: one person per seat, hand sanitizer dispensers, hospital-grade filters, touchless ticketing, face coverings are provided, and a commitment of cleaning. On Metra cars, air is replaced every four minutes. They also created a ridership dashboard so riders could check the density of riders on the route. The message impetus is all about recovery.

For a full view of Metra’s new look, check out their website at: https://metrarail.com

January 13 Program - New Trier Township

New Trier Township Offers Broad Services

Gail Schnitzer Eisenberg is an elected Trustee for New Trier Township. She told us about the many programs that New Trier Township offers.

The Township has a 2021 budget of $3 million, generated by a property tax rate of 0.6. It will distribute funds across about 50 programs serving New Trier Township's most vulnerable populations: youth, seniors, the mentally ill, and the physically or developmentally disabled.

Some of the many services include: The Food Pantry serving 222 families, The Angel Fund (financial support for 156 families), Daycare scholarships (for 15 children), Peer Jury Program ( youthful offenders who go through the peer jury program experience a 5% recidivism rate as compared to 50% for comparable offenders).

There are many more services provided by New Trier Township. Food and other donations can be sent to them at 739 Elm St. Winnetka, IL Find out more at: https://www.newtriertownship.com

COVID Relief Projects Update

Cooperative Project Delivers Sleeping Bags to the Homeless

In December, the Rotary Club of Wilmette in partnership with the Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield collected 230 sleeping bags top be distributed to the homeless in Chicago by the Fraternite Notre Dame.

The project came about when the Sisters of St. Roger Abbey, who operate the French Organic Patisserie in Wilmette reached out to club member Mariana Al Far for help providing cold weather supplies to the homeless in Chicago. The evening satelitte group of the Wilmette club decided to help by collecting sleeping bags. The project was then enthusiastically taken up by club members in the noon groups as well as by neighboring clubs.

The sleeping bags were put in cheerful holiday bags with other items such as toiletries and hats and handed out by sister from Fraternite Notre Dame and other volunteers to homeless people in Tent City in Chicago. Thank you to Mariana and all who contributed!

January 6, 2021 - Karen Murchie

Freshwater Research at the Shedd Aquarium

Karen Murchie, Director of Freshwater Research for the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, presented the program for the January 6 noon meeting conducted via Zoom. Ms. Murchie talked about the variety of work that is being done to learn more about the freshwater ecosystem in the Chicago area and to engage the public in work being done. She talked about the need to encourage beneficial marine life like the sucker fish as well as barriers to a healthy system including culverts and invasive buckthorn. Although the Aquarium is currently closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, there are virtual programs and other information resources online at their website: https://www.sheddaquarium.org .

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Rotary Board Meeting
Mar 09, 2021
Rotary-Toastmasters Alliance Series
Mar 23, 2021 7:00 PM

Javi Santacruz

Mar 03, 2021

Changing Lives Trhough Math

Wilmette Rotary member, Javi Santacruz, owns and operates a neighborhood math-only learning center, called Mathnasium. They teach kids math the way that makes sense to them. Thier experienced math tutors utilize our proprietary teaching materials and techniques, The Mathnasium Method™, to deliver a customized learning plan designed to address each student's needs, whether they started out far behind or are already ahead in math. Their instruction approach goes beyond traditional math tutoring to develop understanding and build a love for math.

Shannon Valko

Mar 10, 2021

Inspiring the Next Generation of Vounteers

Renee Dominquez, PhD

Mar 17, 2021

Family Services Center

Mark Parr, Executive Director

Mar 24, 2021

Children's Advocacy Center

Martin Pazzani

Apr 07, 2021

Hiking and Health