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: Our Noon meetings (the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month) and Morning meetings (the third Wednesday of each month) will be at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club.  We also meet in-person on the 1st Tuesday of each month at 6pm 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 Shore Yacht Club
20 Harbor Drive
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America
Phone:
(847) 722-2115
Email:
clubrotarywilmette@gmail.com
We meet 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 both at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Gillson Park. Mailing address: PO Box 111, Wilmette, IL 60091
District Site
Venue Map
CLUB NEWS
January 14 Program - Counseling Center of the North Shore
Thomas Applegate, Executive Director, and Megan Winzeler, Therapist, spoke to us about the how the Counseling Center of the North Shore (CCNS) in Winnetka approaches mental health assistance.  They welcome all people who come to seek help and will work to customize each therapy session. Megan emphasized that difficult life situations can often benefit from intervention with a therapist. Thomas indicated that they expect to do 6000 therapy sessions in 2026, an increase of 800 this year, with the fundraising need for each session at $100 after insurance reimbursements; fundraising is important.  CCNS also operates the Winnetka Thrift Shop; donations and shopping here benefit the work of CCNS. Website: ccns.org
 
 
International Service Committee Update
Most of this Rotary year’s budget has been put to work and the ISC has shifted from selecting projects to watching them come to life.
 
> Empowering Families Global Grant remains our largest effort, with a total grant of $550,000 to save mothers and newborns through training midwives and providing life-saving equipment to the rural health centers.  
> Closer to home, our $3,000 financial support this year for Building Peaceful Bridges reminded us of the power of practical kindness. Refugee families come to the North Shore to rebuild a life with nothing but grit and a host family.  
> At Bwindi Hospital in rural Uganda, the dental imaging equipment we purchased for $7,000 has now been installed. Steve Jambor traveled to Uganda in November to help install the sensors and a panoramic dental X-ray. Steve is contemplating returning in March to assist with installing the remaining $250,000 in equipment provided through the Project Cure global grant.
> Meanwhile, our club sent $4,000 to Project C.U.R.E., to help with medical supplies and equipment destined for Ukraine. Our funds are leveraged through 1:1 matching funds from a generous Rotarian in Utah. Ray is continuing to promote with other clubs in the district.
January is Vocational Service Month
                          
 
Vocational Service is one of Rotary's Avenues of Service. One of the objectives is to encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and professions, to recognize the worthiness of all useful occupations, to see the all occupations as an opportunity to serve society.  Vocational Service is the way Rotary fosters and supports the application of the Ideal of Service to the pursuit of all vocations.
Feel Good Story About Polio
Feel Good Story About Polio
If you want to read a moving story about a Rotarian's experience when he wore his red End Polio Now shirt to a local Chicago restaurant, click HERE . This appeared in Rotary360 a blog where Rotarians everywhere can contribute stories. https://blog.rotary.org/
Amazon Wishlist for Homeless
Amazon Wishlist for Homeless
Our Amazon Homeless Project for unhoused clients of The Sisters of Fraternite Notre Dame is underway and the need is great this year, especially with the early cold and snow we have received. Basic needs for socks, hats, gloves and toiletries are all available to easily purchase on line and they will be delivered directly to the convent.  Please select Sister Valerie Marie as the recipient when you check out.  It is hoped to have the gifts delivered by Christmas.  There are still some items left on our Amazon wishlist.  Here is the link: HOMELESS  
Our Club Is Proud to Support
                    
 
Our club presented Our Place with a check last month.  At Our Place, teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop meaningful relationships, engage in productive activities, and grow through life experiences.  https://www.ourplaceofnewtrier.org/
 
We also presented a check to the Trade Collective which provides opportunities for young people to learn marketable skills in the trade professions by connecting them to businesses and training programs.   https://www.thetradecollective.org/
 
                   
December 10 Program - ASILI
December 10 Program - ASILI
Rotary Club members at the December 10 noon meeting heard an excellent speaker on an impressive non profit organization doing important work in Eastern Congo. Aude Wilkins told us about the important work of Asili, an organization that works closely with the Congolese people to develop clean water supplies and open health clinics. Asili's mission is to "reinvent humanitarian aid as startup capital for self-sustaining systems.”  They have constructed 69 water points which cover 98 miles of both rural and urban areas.  Asili also operated five medical clinics staffed by Congolese doctors and nurses and include two advanced diagnostic labs and a dedicated maternity ward.
Village Clean Up a Success!
Rotary Club members and their guests and volunteers gathered on Sunday, November 23 to clean up the Village!
Big Book Drive Update
Big Book Drive Update
Chairperson Maurice Sullivan announced that the book drive (coordinated with Bernie's Book Bank) collected over 17,000 books!  Maurice wanted to thank the members of her committee who were actively involved in making the Big Book Drive a success. This included the ongoing support of the District 39 Superintendent of Schools (and member) Kari Cremascoli and 13 area schools  These books will be given to underserved children who have few books at home. These books will help build early literacy, the love of reading and support academic success.  
December is Disease Prevention & Treatment Month
Our health is everything. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care. As the year winds down, December serves as a time to reflect on one of Rotary’s core causes: Disease Prevention and Treatment. From eradicating polio to supporting mental health initiatives, Rotarians worldwide work tirelessly to improve health outcomes and build resilient communities.
Disease prevention is about more than healthcare—it's about education, access, and empowerment. Whether it’s funding vaccines, providing clean water to prevent disease, or offering medical training in underserved areas, our collective efforts save lives and restore dignity. 
                     

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

How We Serve and Support:
Local Community Groups
International Groups
 
ABOUT ROTARY

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Speakers
A.J. Voth
Jan 21, 2026 7:30 AM
Clean Water Project- Eswatini
Clean Water Project- Eswatini

A.J. Voth is a Board Rotary Liaison with Engineers in Action, also International Service chair of the St. Charles Breakfast Rotary.  He will talk to us about a clean water project that is a partnership between Rotary, the Eswatini govenment and Engineers in Action. Eswatini is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa,it was formerly known as Swaziland.  Over 150 schools there lack access to clean water and this project helps to train local teams, drill boreholes at schools and lays the foundation for sustainabe water access.

NO Speaker -Tour of Rotary One Center
Jan 28, 2026
Lily Ekhtera, Oakton Student
Feb 11, 2026 12:00 PM
Karen Kline Scholarship Experience
Tracey Butkus, Director of Training
Feb 18, 2026 7:30 AM
Shedd Aquarium Update
Carly Watson, Wilmette Police Dept
Feb 25, 2026 12:00 PM
Safety and Security in Wilmette
View entire list...
Club Executives & Directors
President
Brian Bradley
Co-Immediate Past President
Heidi Voorhees
Co-Immediate Past President
Debora Morris
Co-President Elect
Frank Hussey
Co-President Elect
Frank Candioto
Club Foundation Treasurer
John Flanagin
Secretary
John Kilner
Treasurer
Kent Meyers
Director
Jack Close
Director
Terry Porter
Director
George Pearce
Director
Irene Paterno
Director
Nick Dallas
Director
Frank Cheswick
Director
John Kay
Director
Ben Ivory
Director
Karl Behrend
Membership Chair
George Pearce
Public Image
Gabriell Doyle
Co-chair Community and Environmental Service Committee
Sarah Homan
Co-chair Community and Environmental Service Committee
Ben Ivory
Co-chair Youth Service
Jacqueline Granat
Co-chair Youth Service
George Pearce
Web Site Coordinator
Debora Morris
Program Chair
Frank Candioto
Co-Bulletin Editor
Debora Morris
Co -Bulletin Editor
Heidi Voorhees
Fundraising Chair
Debora Morris
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CHAIR
Steven R Jambor
Rotary Foundation
C. Raymond Zeiss
Finance Chair
John Flanagin
Golf Outing Chair
Terry Porter
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITES
Monthly Lunch-packing on February 3 - Please Sign-up to participate.  Our monthly service project of preparing lunch bags for Connections for the Homeless is at St. Joseph's Church, Lake and Ridge, Wilmette at 6pm. Enter through the east lower entrance. A Rotary Club meeting follows immediately after the sandwiches are made. This is now a collaborative project with members joining us from the Winnetka-Northfield and Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Clubs.  
 
New Trier Food Pantry - volunteers needed to help organize increased food donations.  739 Elm St., Winnetka. Sign-up FOOD
 
The Volunteer Center -   Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 19, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the Winnetka Community House, located at 620 Lincoln Avenue, Winnetka.  This event honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by encouraging community members to engage in service projects that benefit local nonprofits and individuals in need.  Projects include: Fleece Blanket Making for homeless; Dog Toys created for Orphans of the Storm; assembling gifts for Pediatric Cancer patients; collating Hygiene bags for homeless kids; creating Valentine cards for veterans, infirm and elderly.  The Volunteer Center invites individuals and families to participate in this meaningful event. No reservations required. For more information visit website at Volunteercenterhelps.org    
 
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