Welcome to Our Club


The Rotary Club of Wilmette has merged with the Wilmette Harbor Rotary Club, the combined clubs are now all officially the Rotary Club of Wilmette. The original Wilmette Rotary Club was chartered in 1924 and was known as the Noon Club.  In 1990, the Wilmette Harbor Club was chartered, and was known as the Morning Club.  In 2019, a satellite club was established as part of the Noon group.  Today there are over 80 active members who gather to do good for others while enjoying good fellowship, with the choice of meeting either morning, noon or evening.
 

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, food packing and providing necessities to the homeless in Chicago, supplying ultrasound equipment and related training to people in Uganda, providing disaster relief supplies to hurricane, typhoon, and other natural disaster survivors, providing winter coats and shoes to low-oncome children, food packing for people in Guatemala and Central America, and supporting local food pantries, literacy efforts and diversity.

NOTICE: Beginning in January 2025, we will meet in-person on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6pm, the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at Noon, the 3rd Wednesday at 7:30am. Our meeting place for the 7:30 am and Noon meetings is the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Gillson Park.  The Tuesday evening meeting is at St. Joseph Church, Wilmette.

We’d love to have you join one of our meetings!

Club Information
Welcome!


Our Motto: Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m.
Sheridan Shores Yacht Club
20 Harbor Drive
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America
Phone:
(847) 722-2115
Email:
clubrotarywilmette@gmail.com
In 2025, our Rotary Club meets monthly on the 1st Tuesday at 6pm at St Joseph Church, the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at Noon and the 3rd Wednesday at 7:30am at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Gillson Park. Mailing address: PO Box 111, Wilmette, IL 60091
District Site
Venue Map
Rotary Images from 2023
CLUB NEWS
Holiday Gift Drive For Homeless
Posted by Brian Bradley
Holiday Gift Drive For Homeless
We are kicking off our Holiday Gift Drive for Homeless in Chicago's West Side in coordination with The Sisters of Fraternite' Notre Dame who run the St. Roger Abbey French Organic Pa'tisserie in Wilmette.  Their primary mission is to care for over 200 Homeless men and women in Chicago.  We have partnered with them for over 4 years to gather needed items for their clients as winter approaches.  We have put together an Amazon Gift Registry with the items they need. It is very easy to help. Click the link and go to the registry or search Wilmette Rotary 2024 Registry, click on an item or group of items and chose ship to Sister Valerie Marie directly and you are done.  Here is the link directly to the list: GIFTS
 
Your receipt is your tax donation proof.  Remember, do not ship it to you, select Sister Valerie Marie directly.  They want to be able to hand out the needed items by December 20th.  You can order sleeping bags, blankets, socks, hats and even personal items but please stick to the list.  Feel free to share the link and post on social media. Anyone in America can order and gift to this cause. 
Holiday Raffle Tickets Still Available
Holiday Raffle Tickets Still Available
The deadline for ordering gift items has passed,  however, you can still purchase Raffle Tickets and make Donations to our Holiday Fundraiser through December 18.  Raffle prize drawing will be at the holiday party on Dec. 18.
 
Great Raffle Prizes this year include $500 cash, Goodman theater tickets for "The Color Purple", Lake Geneva Private Boat Tour, and Cubs tickets.

Holiday Gift orders need to be picked up by members on Saturday morning from 9 - 10:30 a.m., December 14 at 822 Chestnut in Wilmette.  Please make arrangements for someone to pick up your orders if you are unable to do so. Members will deliver the gifts ordered by non-Rotarians.

Click on www.rotarygifts.com to purchase raffle tickets and/or donate.  Or use the QR code for easy access to our Holiday Fundraiser options.
 
                     
December's Focus- Disease Prevention and Treatment
The December focus for us in Rotary is Disease Prevention and Treatment Month. It’s a reminder of our commitment to improving health outcomes in our communities locally and globally. Through our collective efforts, we continue to support initiatives that prevent disease and provide treatment to those in need, embodying Rotary's spirit of service above self.
Warm Coats Provided to St. Thomas of Canterbury Students
On Friday, October 25, Wilmette Rotary Club members Puran Stevens, Terry Porter, George Pearce, Debra Morris and Heidi Voorhees fitted students at St. Thomas of Canterbury School with warm coats.  Approximately 200 coats were unpacked and students were fitted and picked out their favorite color! This is one of the many service projects supported by our Rotary Club's fundraising.  We were able to dedicate $2000 to the purchase of warm coats through Operation Warm.
 
End Polio Now 
End Polio Now
Rotary International has declared October 24 to be World Polio Day.  Our club was well represented at two locations this year.  We were at the French Market and the Jewel at Plaza del Lago in Wilmette on Saturday, October 26.  Frank Hussey has organized this event with Debora and Heidi (ably assisted by George Pearce) at the French Market, and  Frank Cheswick and Ben Ivory were at the Jewel to talk about the End Polio Now campaign and collect donations. We collected approximately $700 between on line and in person donations!
 
Mental Health Speaker Series
Mental Health Speaker Series
The District 6440 Task Force on Mental Health Initiatives is proud to announce the first of a series of monthly speakers. The series will continue through June 2025.  ALL presentations will be made on ZOOM, a different topic on the First Monday of each month from 12:00 - 12:30.  There is no charge, but you do need to register.  Upcoming speakers for the Mental Health Series:
 
1/6/25 - Sofia F, high school student and Daniel Paustian, LCSW, Asst Principal Class of 2027, New Trier High School. "Teens and Technology
 
Click MHSeries for more information.
Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief Fund
Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief Fund
Hurricane Helene has caused widespread devastation in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, leaving countless families in need of urgent assistance. Rotary Zones 33 and 34 are responding swiftly, and your support is crucial in helping the hardest-hit areas. Please use the donation link below to contribute to recovery efforts.  Jim Pockross was the first to suggest we use our club meeting collections to send some funds to help this relief effort. We have only collected about $400, so if anyone would like to up that amount before we send it, you can do so at the next club meeting, or donate directly to Hurricane.  Former Harbor Club members may remember the name Ladd Waldo -- he was a member of the Harbor Club and is now coordinating this relief effort in Florida.
Another Successful Beach Sweep!
Our Beach Sweep on September 21 was a great event. Wilmette Rotary members have been participating in the annual Beach Sweep at Gillson Beach for more than 25 years!  For many of those years, students from Springman Junior High School in Glenview have joined us and this year we also partnered with Go Green.  Many thanks to Chris Simcox and Ben Ivory for organizing this wonderful event.
 
Trivia Night -- A Fun Fellowship Fundraiser!
Trivia Night -- A Fun Fellowship Fundraiser!
Trivia Night on September 18 was a very fun and successful event!  Congratulations to Club Member Tom Ryan's winning team!  Thank you to all of our sponsors -- Gold Sponsors:  Canning and Canning, LLC, Optima and North Shore Community Bank and our Silver Sponsors Glasgow, Cahan, Haussermann, Hagan and Associates, the Krupp Family Foundation and Scott Simpson Design.  Gelato was graciously donated by Frio Gelato a new business in Wilmette.
 
Proceeds support our local, international, and End Polio Now projects. Recent grant recipients include: Building Peaceful Bridges, Wilmette Theater, New Trier Food Pantry, Go  Green Wilmette, Family Promise, Meals on Wheels, Our Place, Wilmette Warming House, Refugee One, Haven Youth, Family Service Center, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
 
There were many people who assisted in making this a success -- special thanks goes out to Jim Bowman, Jim Pockross and Jack Close for all of their diligent organizing!

 
  
Block Party 2024
Our club participated in the Wilmette Block Party yesterday as a sponsor and Kids Zone exhibitor.  Organized and coordinated by George Pearce, we had a roulette-type wheel for kids to spin for prizes, while we chatted with parents about what our Rotary Club does locally and internationally.  We were joined by Julie Koenigsberger and Cora Frieswyk of  Regina Dominican high school who are organizing an Interact Club there. Rotary volunteers included: Terry Porter, Maurice Sullivan, Jim Bowman, John Kilner, Frank Cheswick, Brian Bradley, Beth DeWall, Gene Rinaldi, Ben Ivory, Corrine McClintic and Patti Tsuru.
           
            George Pearce, Terry Porter
          
            Terry Porter, Jim Bowman and kids
 
          
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SERVICE ABOVE SELF

How We Serve and Support:
Local Community Groups
International Groups
 
Speakers
Stephen Fine
Jan 15, 2025 7:30 AM
Melanoma Prevention
Melanoma Prevention

Shortly after his son, Dan, died of melanoma in 1998 at the age of 26, Steve Fine founded the Melanoma Education Foundation and, since 2000, has devoted full time to the Foundation. The primary activity of the Foundation has been educating high school and middle school wellness teachers about melanoma and providing them with free online lessons to educate their students about self-detecting melanoma while it is curable. Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic over 1700 schools in all 50 U.S. states and Canada were using the lessons, resulting in saved lives of students, teachers and their loved ones.

Gordon Heinrichs
Jan 22, 2025 12:00 PM
Health Literacy - Improving Doctor/Patient Communications
Dr. Yashar Taheri-Karamati
Feb 26, 2025 12:00 PM
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
View entire list...
Club Executives & Directors
Co-President
Heidi Voorhees
Co-President
Debora Morris
Immediate Past President
Mariana Alfar
President Elect
Brian Bradley
Club Foundation Treasurer
John Flanagin
Secretary
John Kilner
Treasurer
Kent Meyers
Director
Nick Dallas
Director
Frank Cheswick
Director
Irene Paterno
Director
Laurie Cavalier
Director
Timothy Frenzer
Director
Terry Porter
Director
Jack Close
Director
George Pearce
Director
John Kay
Membership Chair
George Pearce
Public Image
Patricia Ohle
COMMUNITY SERVICE CHAIR
Brian Bradley
YOUTH SERVICE CHAIR
Jacqueline Granat
CLUB SERVICE CHAIR
Yvonne Sito
Web Site Coordinator
Debora Morris
Program Chair
Frank Candioto
Co-Bulletin Editor
Debora Morris
Co -Bulletin Editor
Heidi Voorhees
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CHAIR
Steven R Jambor
Rotary Foundation
C. Raymond Zeiss
Finance Chair
John Flanagin
General
Upcoming Events
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Club Links
Downloadable Forms