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
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
CLUB NEWS
George Heinrichs, a health care communications expert, was our guest speaker at the Wednesday, January 22 morning meeting.  His presentation was filled with excellent advice.  He indicated that between 44,000 and 98,000 deaths occur each year due to miscommunications in the health care industry, often between patients and their doctors.  He outlined best practice solutions to improving communication with medical personnel.  Mr. Heinrichs has written articles and books on this subject -- his latest book is available on Amazon and is called "Did Your Doctor Pass Communications 101? How Miscommunication Endangers Your Life.."
Thanks to all who participated in our Drive for the Homeless in support of the Fraternite Notre Dame Sisters' unhoused clients in Chicago.  Together we were able to provide the following donations via an Amazon list:
 
60 pairs of socks
132 pairs of gloves
132 knit hats
78 sleeping bags
24 fleece blankets
11 cases deodorant
Tony Duncan, owner of Body Science, a personal training business in Winnetka, related how he grew up and overcame many obstacles to become the owner of a successful business. He shared his family’s struggles including the shooting death of his brother, his own improper arrest by officers who were found guilty of police brutality and false arrest, as well as a devastating personal loss. Through all this he maintained a passion for creating opportunities for all types of people and cultures. Besides operating his personal training business, he has donated time and fitness equipment to underserved communities in Chicago, so members of the community could have a safe place to go and exercise.
The Rotary International Foundation approved our Club's global grant application for funding to provide medical equipment for Chitokoloki mission Hospital in Zambezi, Zambia.  This was a joint submission by the Rotary Club of Solwezi and the Rotary Club of Wilmette. The award is in the amount of $49,525.00. Congratulations to Ray Zeiss for his hard work on this grant application!
Our new meeting schedule is now in effect. Our next Rotary meeting is a Noon meeting on Wednesday, February 12 at the Yacht Club in Gillson Park, Wilmette. We then have a Breakfast meeting on Wednesday, February 19 and a Noon Meeting on Wednesday, February 26, both at the Yacht Club inside of Gillson Park.. Lunch Packing is on Tuesday, March 4 at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph's Church in Wilmette. 
 
Members and guests will be able to park in the Yacht Club parking lot behind the building.  There are stairs leading up to the front entrance from the parking lot. There are also 2-3 parking spots in the curved driveway in front of the Yacht Club that can should be used for handicapped parking only.
 
The January focus for us in Rotary is Vocational Services Month. During this period, clubs highlight the importance of the business and professional life of each Rotarian. Special activities promote the vocational avenue of service.
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.
 
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!
 
Rotary Mental Health Series
Monday, February 3, 2025  -- Noon - 12:30 p.m.
Cassy Horton
Executive Director of Pickles Group
"The Changing Status Quo of Children whose Parents Have Cancer"
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 registration required. Here is the Zoom Link to the presentation.  Click MHSeries for more information.
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.

Subscribe to Weekly Bulletin

Subscribe to our eBulletin and stay up to date on the latest news and events.

 

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

How We Serve and Support:
 
Speakers
Patti Capouch, Executive director
Feb 12, 2025
Impact- Behavioral Health Partners
Impact- Behavioral Health Partners

Patti Capouch, Executive Director, Impact Behavioral Health Partners.  With over 25 years in human services and 20 years in leadership, Patti specializes in innovative, relationship-focused solutions to address mental illness, homelessness, HIV/AIDS, and poverty. 

Patti will provide an overview of Impact Behavioral Health Partners work in empowering individuals living with mental illness, by providing ndividualized support through housing, employment services, and clinical care. Patti will also share inspiring success stories and emphasize the critical role of permanent supportive housing in transforming lives.

 

Moha Bouacha
Feb 19, 2025 7:30 AM
Global Grant Project- Women’s Cooperative in Timoulilt Morocco
Dr. Yashar Taheri-Karamati
Feb 26, 2025 12:00 PM
Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Krista Gallagher
Mar 12, 2025 12:00 PM
Regina Dominican High School
Lisa Torem and John Philip Shenale
Mar 26, 2025 12:00 PM
Influential Female Artists/Entrepreneurs
Capt. William Shehan
Apr 09, 2025 12:00 PM
No Salt Sailing
Ben Ivory and Beth Drucker
Apr 16, 2025 7:30 AM
2025 Environmental Commitments and GoGreen Wilmette Partnership.
Club Executives & Directors
Co-President
Co-President
Immediate Past President
President Elect
Club Foundation Treasurer
Secretary
Treasurer
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Director
Membership Chair
Public Image
COMMUNITY SERVICE CHAIR
YOUTH SERVICE CHAIR
CLUB SERVICE CHAIR
Web Site Coordinator
Program Chair
Co-Bulletin Editor
Co -Bulletin Editor
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE CHAIR
Rotary Foundation
Finance Chair
Upcoming Events
Club Links