Jane Gallery, President of the Board of Our Place, invited Club members and guests for a tour and talk at 1020 Forest Avenue in Wilmette on January 5. The mission of Our Place is to support teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities so that they can live meaningful, productive, socially connected lives in their home community. Members of the Club participating learned more about the wonderful activities and volunteer opportunities at Our Place.
Last year, the Club participated in a concert fundraiser to provide support to Our Place.
A detailed description of the activites and history of Our Place can be found at ourplaceofnewtrier.org
January 12, 2022 Regular Meeting -- Ten Thousand Villages
Robb Geiger and Joseph Meyer, both from the Ten Thousand Villages store in Evanston, will give an introduction to principles fo Fair Trade, tell stories of fair and unfair trade, and show Fair Trade products.
Robb Geiger has been volunteering at the Evanston store since 2010, and he has been on the Board of Ten Thousand Villages for seven years; he is the current Chair. Joseph Meyer has been manager of the Evanston store for seven years; has has over 30 years of retail experience, both in large and small stores.
Unless otherwise specifically indicated regular morning meetings will continue to be held in hybrid form, so that members and guests can participate either in person at the Harbor Club in Gillson Park or by Zoom. The link to the hybrid meeting will be emailed to members, guests and others within the community who express an interest in attending. Those attending in person are reminded of recent Cook County directives relating to the wearing of masks indoors.
January 19, 2022 Regular Meeting -- Joe Ferguson, Former Inspector General of the City of Chicago
Highlights from late 2021
Certain highlights of the Club's activities in the last part of 2021 are as follows.
December 8, 2021 Meeting --District Governor Kevin Stevens Official Governor Visit and Recognition of Major Donors
Kevin Stevens, District Governor of Rotary District 6440, joined the meeting of the Club on December 8, 2021, in his Official Governor Visit to the Club. Kevin offered an informative presentation, highlighting in particular how the Club can better interact with the District, Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation.
The meeting also included a presentation by Donna Gulley and others recognizing as Major Donors Club member Frank Hussey and his spouse Gail, and Club member George Pearce and his spouse Mary. The Club also recognized prior Major Donors John Kessler and Herb McDowell.
On the evening of November 3, 2021, the Club hosted a Community Conversation on Race: A Welcoming Community. This panel discussion panel furthered the Club's continuing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiative.
Van Gilmer of the Wilmette Human Relations Commission moderated an informative and lively discussion. The panelists were as follows:
Miya Hasegawa, Healing Everyday Racism in Our Schools (HEROs) member
John Jacoby, Village of Wilmette Historian and former Village of Wilmette President
Rev. Erin Raska, Associate Minister at Glencoe Union Church
Gerry Smith, Chair, Village of Wilmette Human Relations Commission
More About the Club's Community Conversation Series