Drs. Patel and Nasrallah spoke to us about their organization, Global Foundation for International Cardiac and Community Services. They offer unique opportunities for medical practitioners in Kenya to expand their individual skills and knowledge with the goal of providing improved health care and health equity to their own communities. They also collaborate with local community organizations to provide health care, education and leadership development.
Welcome!
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 available to anyone in the region who requests it; the meals are paid for by the recipients on a sliding scale based on income.
Lori Lucchetti, co-founder of Building Peaceful Bridges spoke to our Morning group about the scope of this organization. Primarily organized to help refugees settle and assimilate to life in the US. They assist with rent, groceries, clothing, tutoring, and job search, as well as helping refugees study for citizenship. But most of all the volunteers offer friendship; they meet regularly with refugee families and host cultural events. We were also very pleased to hear from Ismail Moradi a refugee from Afghanistan who was an interpreter for the US military. He and his family were evacuated when the US pulled out of his country, which made him become a target for the Taliban because of his work with the US .https://www.buildingpeacefulbridges.org/
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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/
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 )
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.
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
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..
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Our Motto:
Service Above Self
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America