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 59 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, food packing and providing necessities to the homeless 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: We are currently meeting in-person AND virtually by Zoom on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of each month at Noon, and the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7pm. Our meeting place for the Noon meeting is the Wilmette Golf Club. 3900 Fairway Drive, Wilmette. Those wanting to join via Zoom can contact debora@pftl.net for link. 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 two groups one meets monthly on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at Noon at the Wilmette Golf Club. In-person and by Zoom. Contact debora@pftl.net for Zoom link. The other group meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday at 7pm in different locations.

District Site

Bulletins

Venue Map

Wine-Tasting Party - Feb 3

Our RAD (Rotary After Dark) group has organized a Wine-Tasting Party for February 3. It will be held at the Bottle Shop, 1148 Central St., Wilmette, from 6pm-9pm. Various wines will be offered as well as snacks. This is a great opportunity to bring friends and potential members to meet and mingle with Rotary members. We hope to see some Rotary members from the Wilmette Harbor and Winnetka/Northfield clubs, as well. Tickets are a bargain at only $20. Click the link below to purchase tickets.

https://secure.givelively.org/event/wilmette-rotary-club-foundation/wine-tasting-party

Kids Against Hunger-Volunteer Event- Feb 25

Posted by Arnie Klein

Date: February 25 Time:10;30 -1PM Location: Winnetka Community Center, 620 Lincoln Ave. Winnetka

Once again our club is participating in the Kids Against Hunger food-packing event. We have reserved a table for twelve and are looking for 12 or more members to package high protein meals to be shipped to needy families in Nicaragua. Expect to package 3300 meals. Bring your friends, relatives and family for a fun social and helpful event. No cost to you. Contact Arnie Klein to sign up and register.-- hawker195@gmail.com 847-899-6168

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.

2022 Holiday Drive for the Homeless:
A Success

Our 3rd Annual Holiday Drive for the Homeless was a success. In collaboration with the Sisters of Fraternite Notre Dame, much-needed items will be distributed to the homeless in Chicago. All the items on the Gift Register with Amazon were purchased, approximately 70 % from donors and 30% from our fundraising. We hope these items will bring a little bit of relief to those unfortunate people living on the street in makeshift shelters and tents.

A big "thank you" to Mariana Al Far, President-Elect and Community Service Chair, for organizing, selecting items, and publicizing this event.

Nov 30 Program - Builidng Peaceful Bridges

Lori Lucchetti and Ahlam Al-Jebory, co-founders of the nonprofit, Building Peaceful Bridges (BPB), spoke to us about the work they are doing to assist refugees in gaining a sense of belonging in America and achieving self sufficiency. Lori, President of BPB, explained how BPB since 2015, has transformed from an informal gathering of committed women to a growing and impactful nonprofit organization. Refugees have very little assistance once they get to the US.

Ahlam, a former refugee from Iraq, related how she survived war, torture, prison, the tragic death of her eldest son, and began her life in the US. Her incredible journey from Baghdad to Damascus to Chicago is told in A Disappearance in Damascus by Deborah Campbell. For more information about BPB, see https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/.

World Polio Day is October 24!

As World Polio Day approaches, Rotary International is getting ready to amplify our message about eradicating polio to protect the world’s children from this devastating disease. We’ve made tremendous progress so far, and now’s the time to intensify our fight to make polio the second human disease ever to be eradicated. In 2020, the World Health Organization’s African region was certified free of wild poliovirus, showing that eradication is possible even in very difficult circumstances.

The wild poliovirus remains endemic in just two countries — Afghanistan and Pakistan— but as long as polio exists anywhere, it remains a threat everywhere. So let’s use World Polio Day to advocate for the support we need to end polio in countries where children are still as risk.

Don’t miss Rotary’s World Polio Day Global Update, a video program that will offer updates on polio eradication efforts and why continued support is critical to protect our progress. The videos will be available on Facebook and YouTube.

To donate click the link: https://www.endpolio.org/donate

October 12 Program - Jennifer Ramirez

Jennifer Ramirez spoke to us about her organization, &Rise. She told the story of how she was a victim of domestic abuse and had the courage to leave that behind. She got into real estate, completed her education, and became financially secure. Jennifer's passion, however, was to help others who have experienced sexual or other domestice abuse to overcome and live their best lives. She founded &Rise, whose mission is to empower women to be the ultimate versions of themselves no matter what adversities they've faced. &Rise offers free counseling, support groups, financial education, life coaching, and professional development workshops. Jennifer also offers prevention education to help empower and educate women on healthy relationships, red flags, and healthy coping skills. To learn more visit www.womenrisechicago.org

September 14 Program - Jason Acres

Jason Acres was a professional soccer player, and later a coach at all levels from grade school to professional teams. He related how his early life was filled with personal challenges, which he believes helped him to work hard to achieve success as a college and professional soccer player. Jason's determination to be the best he could be in the sport, stemmed from a dysfunctional and disconnected family life. This was an inspirational story, presented in a lively and compelling manner.

August 31 Program- RI Polio Update

Glenn Garlick, District 6440 End Polio Now Chair, spoke to us about what's happening in the world pertaining to Wild Polio eradication. Rotary International has made Wild Polio Eradication the #1 cause for the last thirty years and we are very, very close to the end. RI is a governing part the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI). With sustained political and financial commitments, the GPEI is confident that we can achieve a world in which no child is paralyzed by polio again.

Glenn also outlined the process to join the PolioPlus Society and urged members to check it out at the Rotary6440.org . He said that any donation is welcome and needed, and we can tell our friends and neighbors that donations can be made at rotary.org .

August 17 Program - Dr. William Hurlbut

Dr. Willima B. Hurlbut gave a very thought-provoking and fascinating presentation about the latest gene-editing technique called CRISPR, which is short for “clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat.” It’s a bit of DNA that scientists first noticed in the immune system of bacteria. That inspired this gene-editing technique. Researchers use the CRISPR strategy to take on threats like diseases. CRISPR can turn genes on or off, or make them work in a different way, to protect your health.

CRISPR is already widely used for scientific research, and in the not too distant future many of the plants and animals in our farms, gardens or homes may have been altered with CRISPR. In fact, some people already are eating CRISPRed food.

CRISPR technology also has the potential to transform medicine, enabling us to not only treat but also prevent many diseases. We may even decide to use it to change the genomes of our children. An attempt to do this in China has been condemned as premature and unethical, and the researcher was jailed for three years. The bioethical dilemma is evident.

Donate Here for Our Foundation

Service Projects - Local

About Our Club

EREY For Club Members Only

Links

Email for QUESTIONS and MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION

Subscribe to our eBulletin and stay up to date on the latest news and events.

Click here to sign up!

Lunch Packing/ RAD Meeting
St. Joseph Church

Feb 07, 2023
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Noon Club Meeting (Membership Matters)
Feb 08, 2023 12:00 PM
Activity Fair- Womens' Club of Wilmette
Women's Club of Wilmette

Feb 16, 2023
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Behind the Scenes Tour at Wilmette Theater
Feb 21, 2023
7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Noon Club Meeting with Speaker
Feb 22, 2023
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM
Kids Against Hunger Packing Event
Feb 25, 2023
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Noon Club Meeting with Speaker
Mar 08, 2023
RAD Meeting with Speaker
Mar 21, 2023
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
2023 RI Convention - May 27-May 31
May 27, 2023 – May 31, 2023

Amy Falkowski, Wilmette Theater

Feb 21, 2023 7:00 PM

Behind the Scenes Tour at the Wilmette Theater

Amy Falkowski, Wilmette Theater's Program Director, will take us on a "Behind the Scenes" tour of the Wilmette Theater. This should be an interesting experience. This event is the RAD meeting for February 21.

Senta Plunkett, Village President

Feb 22, 2023 12:00 PM

Update on the Village of Wilmette Happenings

Kevin Sorby, Village Forester

Mar 08, 2023 12:00 PM

Trees of Wilmette

Kevin Sorby, Village Forester

Mar 21, 2023 7:00 PM

Trees of Wilmette

Lori Lucchetti

Apr 18, 2023 7:00 PM

Building Peaceful Bridges