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 has merged with the Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club, the combined clubs are now all officially the Rotary Club of Wilmette. The original Wilmette Rotary Club was chartered in 1924 and was known as the Noon Club. In 1990, the Wilmette Harbor Club was chartered, and was known as the Morning Club. In 2019, a satellite club was established as part of the Noon group. Today there are over 80 active members who gather to do good for others while enjoying good fellowship, with the choice of meeting either morning, noon or evening.

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, food packing and providing necessities to the homeless in Chicago, supplying ultrasound equipment and related training to people in Uganda, 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, literacy efforts and diversity.

NOTICE: We are currently meeting in-person on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at 7:30 am and Noon, and the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Our meeting place for the 7:30 am meeting is the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club. The Noon meeting is the Wilmette Golf Club. 3900 Fairway Drive, Wilmette. Meeting place for the evening meeting will vary.

We’d love to have you join us!

Welcome!

Our Motto:
Service Above Self

We meet In Person

Wednesdays at 12:00 PM

Wilmette Golf Club

3900 Fairway Drive
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America

We have three groups: two meet on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 7:30am at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club and at Noon at Wilmette Golf Club. The other group meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 7pm. Mailing address is: PO Box 111, Wilmette, IL 60091

District Site

Bulletins

Venue Map

August 23 Programs -Go Green Wilmette and Phil Andrew

Our morning group heard from Phil Andrew and Beth Drucker spoke to the noon group.

Phil Andrew, principal of the Pax Group, LLC spoke to us about the prevalence of gun violence in the US compared to the rest of the world. Phil explianed how even though mass shootings (4 or more killed) are increasing, most gun deaths occur with one or two people killed. He also said that the most popular rifle, based on sales in the US, is the semi-automatic AR-15. The US far exceeds the number of gun deaths of any nation in the world.

Beth Drucker founded Go Green Wilmette whose mission is to raise environmental awareness, inspire people to take action, and create a more sustainable community. She told us about the many programs and initiatives that Go Green Wilmette has begun and actively promotes, including composting, installing heat pumps, using solar energy, conserving energy, recycling properly. For more information visit https://gogreenwilmette.org/

July 26 Morning Program - Oakton College

Katherine Sawyer, Chief Advancement Officer/AVP of Marketing & Communications, Foundation Executive Director, and Steve Butera- Director of Communications External Relations Presented an overview of Oakton College. We learned about many new things, in addition to the number of students, diversity of student body, curriculum, etc. We also were informed about new projects and initiatives.

Katherine and Steve will be presenting to the Noon group on August 9.

July 26 Noon Program - Wilmette Stars

Jane Westendorf, Founder and Joe Taylor, Athletic Director, spoke to us about the Wilmette Stars team. They are a group of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities who train to compete in the Illinois Special Olympics. The team has grown since it started, even though it was curtailed during Covid. Jane and Joe outlined the type of training the kids go through and the sports in which they compete. The dedication and compassion expressed by Joe and Jane for the team's success was inspiring. Volunteers are welcome and will receive special training on how to intereact with the young athletes.

July 18 RAD Program - Meals on Wheels

Deborah Mack, Executive Director for Meals on Wheels Northeastern Illinois (MWNEI) spoke to the RAD group about this organization's customized meal services. MWNEI is an amazing movement of neighbors volunteering to deliver fresh, healthy and delicious meals to those who are unable to prepare their own food at home. They serve not only senior citizens but also people with physical or cognitive disabilities and those who need help during a specific medical situation like recovering from surgery. Unlike other organizations with the same name, Deborah's group customizes meal choices that are prepared according to hospital specifications. The food is high quality and is availabe to anyone in the region who requests it; the meals are paid for by the recipients on a sliding scale based on income.

Deborah will be presenting to the Morning group on August 9 and the Noon group on September 13.

July 12 Noon Program - Project CURE

Katie Hanlon, Executive Director of Project C.U.R.E. Chicago, spoke to us about Project CURE, which is the world’s largest distributor of donated medical equipment and supplies to resource-limited communities across the globe, touching the lives of patients, families, and children in more than 135 countries. She described how each week, Project C.U.R.E. delivers approximately three to five semi-truck sized ocean containers packed with the medical equipment and supplies desperately needed to save lives in hospitals and clinics. In addition, each year hundreds of healthcare professionals travel with Project C.U.R.E. to provide medical treatment to communities in need and training to those dedicated to serving them. 98% of donations to Project CURE go to providing medical supplies and equipment, only 2% goes for administration and staff.

July 12 Morning Program- RISE, Lynn Cole

Lynn Cole, Executive Director of RISE International, related how she became involved with Angola. She first traveled to Angola with her husband Andrew in 1998 to celebrate their 25th anniversary, and was forever impacted by the experience. The poverty of this war-torn nation was devastating. Andrew and Lynn led mission teams to Namibia, Zambia and Angola and co-founded the African Refugee Committee, now called RISE International. Partnering with BP Angola, 19 schools have been constructed, as well as 4 community and medical centers, and 5 school libraries, impacting the lives of thousands of children, their families and communities.

Our Rotary Club with the Glenview Sunrise Rotary Club have help to fund the building of wells to provide clean water to the rural areas where the schools have been built. Wells at school sites allow for education about the importance of clean water, sanitation, health and nutrition.

Lynn will be presenting again at our evening meeting on August 15.

Great Turnout for Lunch-Packing July 6

A group of volunteers met August 1 for our monthly service project to pack lunches for the homeless. Volunteers were members from the morning, noon and RAD groups, as well two potential new members. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet and socialize with members, and do something good for Connections for the Homeless as well. The group made and packaged 163 lunches which were delivered to Connections for the Homeless in Evanston.

Hope Walk for the Homeless - May 6

Despite intermittent light showers, our 2023 Hope Walk was a fun event and spirits were high. We had about 70 walkers and many volunteers from all five Rotary Clubs, Wilmette, Wilmette Harbor, Evanston Lighthouse, Winnetka/Northfield and Evanston. Although the final numbers are not yet tallied, we took in over $11,000. The recipients of the funds will be Connections for the Homeless, La Casa Norte, Fraternitie Notre Dame, and Evanston Interfaith Action, all of which were represented at the event.

Our thanks to the organizers who were mostly our RAD group, and special thanks to the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary for widely publicizing the event. Thanks also to our photographers, Jackie Grant and Patty Ohle.

May 10 Program - Phil Andrew

Phil Andrew, principal of the Pax Group, LLC spoke to us about the prevalence of gun violence in the US compared to the rest of the world. His interesting and often shocking information was well-received by our group. Phil explianed how even though mass shootings (4 or more killed) are increasing, most gun deaths occur with one or two people killed. He also said that the most popular rifle, based on sales in the US, is the semi-automatic AR-15. The US far exceeds the number of gun deaths of any nation in the world.

The Pax Group, LLC is a consulting firm that helps groups navigate through conflict and crises through team building, conflict resolution and violence prevention. (https://www.paxgroupllc.com )

April 12 Program - Connie Izquierdo

Connie Izquierdo, gave an interesting presentation about the primary causes of sleep distrubance. She outlined how obstruction of the airway while sleeping can cause the urge to unrinate, to snore and sleep apnea. Inadequiate sleep can contribute to diabetes, heart failure and Alzheimers. While a CPAP device is often recommended to solve the airway problem, it is too cumbersome for some people. Connie runs Interactive Speech Associates in Wilmette where she does myofunctional therapy, which teaches clients how to exercise orofascial muscles to help open the airway for easier breathing at night.

Link to Our Social Media

Public Image Chair, Patty Ohle, has created a link that will open all our social media venues, Rotary website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. With a few clicks you can see our website and respond to notices on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The more people who respond by liking, or following, the notices, the more exposure we get for our club. Patty has made it easy to access our social media. Please click on the link and open the apps indicated.

https://linktr.ee/rotaryclubwilmette

Update on Schools and Wells in Angola

Lynn Cole, Director of RISE International and Rotary's partner in placing wells next to schools in Angola, has updated us on a new well in Lalula. "I wanted to let you know that the well was drilled in December. All are very grateful and excited! The kids love their new well, "our water is so clean and sweet!" they exclaimed. Thanks so much for your generosity, and another life changing gift!"

Rotary's funding enables wells to be built. Building wells then can lead to schools being built near the wells. RISE International is responsible for helping to build the schools so the children can get a better education, which ultimately improves the condition of the community..

March 8 Program - Kevin Sorby, Village Forester

Kevin Sorby, Forester for the Village of Wilmette, spoke to us about his job of taking care of over 18,000 parkway trees in Wilmette. Kevin is involved with everything from planting, pruning and maintenance of the trees to snowplowing. He also advises residents on which trees should be planted on parkways and how to best take care of them. His department tries to preserve trees that have been storm damaged or diseased. The Village of Wilmette has received Tree City U.S.A. status since 1983. This is an award given to recognize communities that effectively manage their public tree resources, for which Kevin's department is responsible. It was an informative presentation with lively Q&A discussions.

This program will be repeated with modifications on Tuesday, March 21 at the RAD meeting at 7pm.

Kids Against Hunger - Food-Packing Event

Several club members and family members joined the Kids Against Hunger food-packing event on Feb 25. The food packages will be sent to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. We had volunteeers for both the 8:30am shift and the 11am shift. The goal of packing 60,000 meals was met. Organized by the Rotary Club of Winnetka/Northfield and the Volunteer Center, this event is always fun and worthwhile.

Help for Earthquake Victims in Turkey/Syria

From Mary Bak, DG Elect: Here are several options for Clubs and Rotarians looking for opportunities to provide relief to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria. We will also post the links on the District website.

Rotary Foundation: Give to the Turkey/Syria Disaster Response Fund.
Rotary District 2430 in southeast Turkey is seeking contributions to it's Earthquake account. Survival items purchased with the funds raised will be delivered to the affected areas by local Rotarians. You may make a contribution here: Online donations.
Shelter Box. The emergency response team from Shelter Box is already working in Turkey to provide shelter and essential goods.

Wilmette Theater Tour - Feb 21

Our Rotary After Dark (RAD) group scheduled a tour of the Wilmette Theater for their second meeting of the month. Amy Falkowski, Program Director, took the group into the small theater room with comfy chairs and discussed how the theater operates now as a non-profit organization. The group also viewed the projection room where films are shown digitally (no more reels). The theater also has live performances, and can be rented for birthday parites and adult parties,

After the tour, several members met to discuss how our Rotary Club can help the theater with funding. Many ideas were generated. One was to mention upcoming theater events in our newsletter. Go to https://www.wilmettetheatre.com/ to see their amazing schedule of films, stand-up comedy, and other events.

February 22 Program - Senta Plunkett

We were honored to have Senta Plunkett, Wilmette Village President, speak to our club. Senta informed us about the new developments in the business areas of Wilmette She gave us an overview of the current and future plans for new restarurants, shops and events, including an Art Fair in August. We heard about the some infrastructure plans, public safety, affordable housing efforts, sustainabilty programs, a new tree ordinance and more. This was a very interesting and informative presentation.

Lunches For the Homeless - June 20

This on-going project usually packs lunches monthly, but the need is greater now, so we scheduled an additional lunch-packing session this month. Several volunteers showed up on June 20 to help prepare and pack 120 lunch bags for distribution to the homeless. The group met at member Kurt Zoller's home in Wilmette. Sandwiches, fruit, chips, cookie, condiments and napkins were all packaged for transport (by Mariana) the next day to Connections for the Homeless in Evanston.

Jan 17 & 25 Program - Alliance for the Great Lakes

Ted Glasoe, an ambassador for the Alliance for the Great Lakes spoke to us about importance the Great Lakes in our lives as well as some of the major issues impacting them. He cited some astonishing facts about the scarcity of freshwater on the planet. Only 2% of all the water on earth is freshwater, and the Great Lakes supplies 95% of that. There are several issues that threaten this valuable freshwater. One of the most dangerous is the Line 5 pipeline from Canada which runs over much of Michigan. Other threats include invasive species (e.g. carp, zebra mussels), climate change, pollution, and habitat destruction, This was an eye-opening presentation for many of us.

December 28 Program - Fire Chief Brian Lambel

Wilmette Fire Chief, Brian Lambel, spoke to us about the many services that the Fire Department provides besides fire-fighting. These include emergency medical services, technical rescue, underwater and surface water rescue, hazardous materials incident mitigation, fire prevention, public education and fire investigation. The Department is part of MABAS Division 3 which is a partnership of 17 North Shore fire departments, and can collectively provide service from 35 stations and over 750 firefighters if needed. Chief Lambel also spoke about the difficulty of hiring and retaining staff. There are strict requirements, both mental and physical, that must be met by new recruits.

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Lori Lucchetti

Sep 27, 2023 7:30 AM

Building Peaceful Bridges

Lori Lucchetti, co-founder of the nonprofit, Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB), will share the work they are doing to assist refugees in gaining a sense of belonging in America and achieving self sufficiency. Ahlam, a former refugee from Iraq, has survived war, torture, prison, the tragic death of her eldest son, and the challenges of starting over, will be speaking to us at another time. Lori, President of BPB, has worked in corporate, government and nonprofit sectors. She has led BPB since 2015, transforming it from an informal gathering of committed women to a growing and impactful nonprofit organization.

Location: Wilmette Harbor Club

Terri Guercio

Sep 27, 2023 12:00 PM

Three Pillars Initiative

Terri Guercio, Youth Philanthropy Board Coordinator from Loyola University, will speak to us about the Three Pillars Intiative. Teaching the art, science and business of philanthropy to the next generation. This is a 501(c)(3) philanthropy service organization whose mission is to create youth philanthropy education programs for communities committed to preparing the next generation of charitable sector leaders. The Three Pillars are Fundraising, Charitable giving and Service Projects.

Location: Wilmette Golf Club

Deborah Mack Exec Director

Oct 11, 2023 12:00 PM

Meals on Wheels Northeast

Heidi Voorhees and George Pearce

Oct 17, 2023 7:00 PM

Member Bios

Terri Guercio

Oct 25, 2023 7:30 AM

Three Pillars institute

Glenn Garlick

Nov 08, 2023 7:30 AM