Spoke for March 17, 2021 (Mar 17, 2021)

March 17, 2021

March 10 Program - The Kindness Connection

Posted by Gregory Michel

The Kindness Connection (TKC) was started by a group of North Shore parents wishing to instill the spirit of sharing acts of kindness in their children. Shannon Valko is currently COO for this organization.

Shannon described the ways that TKC works with kids and volunteers. They assemble a “Kit of Kindness” for individuals, families, classrooms, and groups. Each includes project supplies to be completed by a the volunteer, and then gifted to a person who will benefit from their kindness. The kit comes with instructions, recipient ideas, and a curriculum of activities designed to encourage empathy, compassion and a giving spirit. Sales are made to individuals, schools, groups (scouts, teams, etc.), schools, partners (non-profits for their own fundraisers) and World Kindness Day.

They have a space for volunteer use in Northbrook Court, but that’s been curtailed by the pandemic. But over 12 years, TKC has generated 45,000 hands-on volunteering experiences and created more than 50,000 handmade gifts for Veterans, Seniors, Hospitalized youth and others in need.

To learn more, check out their website at: https://thekindnessconnection.org

Volunteer Opportunity
Beach Clean-up

Our district and many districts are involved in the Great Lakes Watershed Clean up as part of Earth day celebration. Our district, 6440 is participating and enthusiastically supporting the event.

The Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club has organized a beach clean-up for Saturday, April 24 from 10am-noon and have invited us to join them. They have selected Elmwood Beach and will meet there on April 24. Contact George Pearce (geoknox@comcast.net) of the Harbor Club for details.

New Trier Educational Foundation - Day Of Service April 17

The mission of the New Trier Educational Foundation is to provide private funding for exceptional educational opportunities and special projects that are not funded – or are funded only in part – by the District 203 budget.

Their 20th anniversary kicks off on April 17, 2021 with a Day of Service. This special event embraces the New Trier High School motto "to commit minds to inquiry, hearts to compassion, and lives to the service of humanity." New Trier students have a long history of giving back to their communities, a legacy that lives in our alumni.

There are three easy ways to participate:

Connect with a student group. Service is a pillar of the New Trier education and many student groups have ongoing service projects. You can help them increase their impact!
Find a project near you. Throughout the US we have alumni captains leading projects in their communities. See if there's a project near you, or consider becoming a captain!
Choose from our list. There are hundreds of ways to give back to your community. We've compiled a list of our top ideas that you can do on your own or with a group.

Find out more: https://newtrierconnect.org/day-of-service/

Remember EREY

Don’t forget to make your contribution for this Rotary year. Our Club has pledged a minimum of $5,000 this Rotary year for the EREY program. EREY stands for Every Rotarian Every Year. This number was based on 50 members contributing at least $100 annually. For every dollar we contribute, our Club receives $2.50 in grants from Rotary International and District 6440.

The Foundation Board of Directors authorized an additional incentive for contributing to the program. Our club will match 50% of your contribution up to $500. As an example, if you contribute $500, the Club will match that amount and you will receive a Paul Harris Fellow recognition. Additionally, the contributions are cumulative. Therefore, your annual contributions in whatever amount can be counted over a multi year period and you would still qualify for the Club match.

Ray Zeiss, Club Foundation Chair, has information regarding your contributions to date. Check with him to see how close you are to the next Paul Harris award. Click below for a direct link to donate. https://secure.givelively.org/donate/wilmette-rotary-club-foundation/erey-for-rotary-members

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