"Of course, we do not know what the new decade might bring, but whatever it is, we must always be aware of our special responsibility — because in Rotary, we stand for values of equality, tolerance, and peace. Tolerance is a relevant concern in so many parts of the world now. Rotary is not political and it must stay that way. But when things obviously go wrong, we cannot look away. Rotarians must not be speechless. We stand by our values and our Four-Way Test. We are measured not only by our results, but also by our attitude." — Holger Knaack, 24 January 2020
Up until March of this year, Chef Q had a very successful epicurean business as Owner and Executive Chef of @ Teertsemasesottehg – Secret Location Underground Supper Club. Six-course interactive dining with wine pairings priced at $250.
Then Covid-19 happened. On March 26, 100 Food Banks, schools and restaurants were forced to close, creating food shortages and unemployment. Evanston parents started reaching out to her, looking for ways to feed their children since the schools no longer provided free meals.
The next day, Chef Q bought large amounts of food on her own and started cooking for families that contacted her. She hired two laid-off people to help: a cook, and a driver. Within three days, Chef Q was feeding 75 people. After five months, she was feeding 200 people. She connected with a farm that gave her 50-80 lbs. of food … but it was over an hour for her to drive.
In Evanston right now, one in five families are food insecure. On the day Chef Q spoke to us, her kitchen had roasted 60 chickens, to be served with potatoes au gratin and a fresh salad. In general, meals cost her operation about $10 each. They’re running two kitchens, one of which is a partnership with Youth Opportunity United where they teach culinary arts.
Lyle Staab, our DG, received a letter from RI president, Holger Knaak, discussing RI’s
involvement in the worldwide vaccination campaign against COVID-19. We are encouraged to spread the message of the power of vaccines to save lives.
Of course, each District's response will be different depending on local circumstances. Lyle welcomes your suggestions as to the role District 6440 could play in Northeastern Illinois. If you would like to be part of a task force exploring options, please contact him. We must take into account that D6440 covers all or part of five counties, each of which has its own situation, public health department, and guidelines.
There are ways that D6440 Rotarians can have an impact today:
1. BE A COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has started an Ambassador program for outreach to all communities, for communications on prevention initiatives and immunizations once available. They would like Rotarians involved, in part because of their knowledge and passion for Polio vaccination. See here for additional information. If you complete this survey, IDPH will send you materials and notifications about training.
2. ENCOURAGE VACCINATION Residents of Lake County can register for vaccination on the Lake County AllVax Portal, Community Service Chair Suzanne (Sam) Martinez is working with President Angela Walker of North Chicago to encourage all Lake County Rotary Clubs to help spread the news of this opportunity. There may be similar initiatives in other counties. Contact Sam for more information.
DG Lyle says, “Our official theme this year is, "Rotary Opens Opportunities". Let's rise to the challenge, and show our communities our commitment and creativity in a time when they need us most.”
Don’t forget to make your contribution for this Rotary year. This is a great time to make your contribution as it can count as a 2020 tax deduction.
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. 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.
In these challenging times, the needs are immense. I suspect that Rotary International will be looking at ways to fight the COVID-19 virus globally including the United States. Any help you can provide will go a long way.
Ways to Pay:
Checks may be made payable to the Rotary Club of Wilmette Foundation marked for EREY and sent to: Rotary Club of Wilmette, PO Box 111, Wilmette, Il 60091
Credit Card: Go to our website, wilmetterotary.org and in the right hand column is a small purple square marked “EREY For Members Only”. Click on that and enter your credit card info. You will be asked to add a 2.2% processing fee.
Directly from your Bank: Many banks are able to process your payment online. Go to our website wilmetterotary.org and click on the purple box marked “EREY For Members Only”. Follow the prompts for your bank. Some banks will not do this.
Welcome!
Our Motto:
Service Above Self
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.
Patrick Hourihane and Ron Klipstein of Hibbard Road Partners will give us an overview of the evolution of cryptocurrency: From the creation of distributed ledger technology also known as blockchain, to the emergence of Bitcoin and the growth of digital currencies. How the space has evolved from one digital currency, Bitcoin to thousands of tokens. What are alt coins/tokens, and how are they of use. Where do we go from here and what is the end goal?
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