Member George Pearce is being honored with the George E. Noyes Community Spirit Award! At the New Trier Township Annual Town Meeting, awards will be given to George and to other local residents who were nominated by their peers for a number of community awards. The meeting is April 14, 7:30pm-9:00pm Wilmette Public Library Auditorium.
Welcome!
The Rotary International theme for March is Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Month. This monthly focus highlights the urgent need for safe water access and sanitation worldwide, encouraging clubs to launch projects that provide clean water, toilets, and hygiene education to communities. For many years our club has supported the building of wells in Angola to provide water to schools.
More than 25 members attended the February 25 Noon meeting to hear Wilmette Police Community Relations Officer, Carly Watson, talk about cybersecurity and what some of the current scams are. She had excellent advice including: never provide personal or financial information to anyone you do not know well, especially over the phone; no business will ever request payment in gift cards or stay on the phone with you while you go to stores to buy them; if you feel pressured or rushed, take a step back; if ever in doubt call the police or at least tell a friend about your situation (if you are embarrassed to tell a friend, that is a sign that it is not a legitimate situation). And, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. She emphasized calling the police or contacting her as soon as possible if you think you've been defrauded. She is also happy to talk with other groups. Her email is: Watsonc@wilmette.com.
Our speaker on Feb 18 was Tracy Butkus, Director of Training for the Shedd Aquarium. It was an exceptional program filled with information about this wonderful Chicago institution. Founded in 1930, the Shedd Aquarium is focusing on its 2030 Centennial. Home to 1500 species and more than 32,000 animals, the Shedd has committed more than $500 million to its Centennial Celebration. They are modernizing the facility, adding educational and experiential programs, accelerating aquatic research and continuing their advancement into animal care. If you would like to volunteer or learn more about the Shedd Aquarium, visit their website: https://www.
Our club recently granted a $2000 scholarship to Oakton College for Lilly Ekhtera. Lilly and Jim Vilson, Manager of Scholarships and Donor Relations talked to us about Oakton and Lilly’s current educational goals. Jim spoke about the many programs available at Oakton and how these programs have enabled students to get good jobs. Lilly spoke about her goals to pursue a PhD in Psychology and is currently working on a project with a psychologist to test cortisol’s effect on vitality.
George Pearce who recently became Chair of the Youth Services committee, spoke to our group about the projects currently part of Youth Services, including scholarships, youth exchange, and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).
George Pearce who recently became Chair of the Youth Services committee, spoke to our group about the projects currently part of Youth Services, including scholarships, youth exchange, and Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA).
Our Club's International Committee is excited to announce the completion of a small underground water system with an AFRIDEV manual pump in the Cubal Municipality, Angola and is part of the activity of RISE Angola. The project serves 500 students studying at the Comandante Bula School. We contributed $4000, our 6440 partner Glenview Sunrise contribute $1000 and RISE Angola contributed $6000. This project was spearheaded by Ray Zeiss. Well done!
Several members participated in an 11th Annual Blood Drive on Sunday, February 8th in memory of Kevin Burke. It was held at St Francis Xavier Gym on Super Bowl Sunday and over 400 people showed up to give blood. While our members did not actually give blood, we gave out buttered coffee cake and coffee to the blood donors and volunteers. Thanks to Frank Cheswick and his wife Georgia for setting up the event and table; additionally Frank Candioto. Frank Hussey and Debora Morris worked the table. Several people who stopped by the coffee cake expressed interest in learning more about Rotary.
The month of February is very special in the Rotary calendar because it includes the anniversary of the first meeting of Rotary held on February 23, 1905, in Chicago. That day is now designated as the "World Understanding and Peace Day". If you’re looking for a practical way to put peace into action, check out the following that ties directly to Rotary’s peace focus:
5th Annual Peace Week - February 23–27, 2026 - Five virtual sessions | Completely free
Hosted by Partnering for Peace, brings together meaningful conversations and perspectives from around the world. Registration is simple: one link registers you for all five sessions — attend the ones that interest you most. Register here:
A.J. Voth is a Board Rotary Liaison with Engineers in Action, also International Service chair of the St. Charles Rotary. He told us about a clean water project in Eswatini that is a partnership between Rotary, the Eswatini government and Engineers in Action. Eswatini is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. It is mainly an agricultural country and a monarchy, formerly known as Swaziland. A special drill was invented to make drilling for water easier than boring holes which was much more expensive and unreliable. The drill can be transported to schools throughout the country. The goal is to enable 150 schools to access clean water, thereby enhancing education and community health.
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
Our Motto: Service Above Self
Wilmette, IL 60091
United States of America