News Story for November 29, 2021

December 1, 2021 Evening Zoom Event -- Gillson Beach Clean-Up Discussion

Sarah Murphy, ambassador for the Alliance for the Great Lakes and founder of toesnwater, will lead a discussion of the Gillson Beach clean-up the Club has participated in in 2021 and prior years. The discussion will include information about the trash found on the beach, the impacts of litter on the Great Lakes, and how plastics impacts wildlife.

The discussion has been organized by the Club's Environmental Committee. 

The meeting will be held from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm and will be in Zoom-only.  The Zoom link will be forwarded to members and others interested in participating.

Other Club Activities Scheduled for December
 

December 6, 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm.  Special Board of Directors Meeting.

District Governor Kevin Stevens will attend the Board meeting.  The meeting will be held in Zoom-only.

December 8, 7:30 am to 8:30 am.  Harbor Club.  Club Meeting with District Governor Kevin Stevens.

Club members are particularly encouraged to participate in this important Club meeting.  Club members reminded that they are invited to raise questions and discussion topics in advance of Kevin's discussion with the Club.

The meeting will be held in hybrid form, so that members and guests can participate either in person and 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.  
 

December 9, 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm.  Harbor Club.  Club Holiday Party.

The holiday party will be in part conducted in a hybrid manner, so that as many Club members as possible can participate in the event either in person or by Zoom.  In the first half of the meeting, Club members are invited to offer brief holiday stories, anecdotes, poems or other readings, or jokes (only those in good taste, please).  We will target about one or two minutes for each of the member presentations.  Please seek inspiration from your muses!
 
The second half of the part will be only in-person.  Wine, beer and some holiday refreshments will be available.

December 15, 2021, 7:30 am to 8:30 am, Harbor Club.  Club Annual Meeting.

No other meetings or events are scheduled until January 5, 2022.

November 24, 2021 Meeting -- Club Forum

On Wednesday, November 24, 2021 meeting was Club Forum focused in particular on membership and planning and follow-up for Community Conversations.

November 17, 2021 Meeting -- Bill Selonick, Teatro ZinZanni

The November 17, 2021 meeting of the Club featured Bill Selonick, producer, Teatro ZinZanni.  Teatro Zinzanni is a theater production now running in downtown Chicago with Cirque, Clowning and Broadway quality vocals.  Bill Selonick offered an engaging presentation detailing the origins of Teatro ZinZanni and the work required to navigate the Payroll Protection Program and Shuttered Venues Program that ensured the show's survival.  Bill also offered an informative discussion of Teatro ZinZanni's efforts to further diversity, inclusion and equity.

November 10, 2021 Meeting -- Amy Torf, Executive Director, Noggin Builders and Noggin Builders Foundation

The November 10, 2021 meeting of the Club featured a presentation by Amy Torf, Executive Director of Noggin Builders and Noggin Builders Foundation. 

Noggin Builders Foundation’s mission is to develop and enhance the creative problem solving skills of youth through unique, hands-on STEM experiences.  Noggin Builders Foundation provides low-cost or no-cost STEM programming to children who do not have ongoing access to STEM.

November 3, 2021 Community Conversation on Race: A Welcoming Community

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

Making this event a success was truly a team effort of many Club members. Special thanks to Susan Fisher and George Pearce for organizing this event (and special thanks to the wonderful panelists for the event).  The event was recorded on Zoom.  Please contact Mike Bailey at mike@mbaileylaw.com if you would like to view the recorded program.
 
Fundraising  to Support Refugees at Camp Atterbury
 
Over the past month the Club has completed a very successful fundraising efforts to support refugees at Camp Atterbury in Southern Indiana.  Special thanks to Sue Watson for her service volunteering at Camp Atterbury, providing information about the refugee needs at Camp Atterbury and leading our Club's special fundraising efforts. Thanks also to the other local Rotary Clubs who joined us in this effort.
 
 
The Club's Holiday Fundraiser is Now a Focus of the Club
 
The Club is now well into its annual Holiday Fundraiser. Funds and contributions raised in this fundraiser enable the Club, through its Foundation, to support a wide range of charitable and other community organizations and programs. The fundraiser includes a variety of gifts for purchase, a raffle and ways to contribute to the Club's Foundation. Please consider submitting orders before Thanksgiving. Please see
 
www.rotarygifts.com
 
for more information or to order online. Thanks to Jim Waite, Jim Pockcross and the entire Fundraising Committee for their great work on this Club effort.  Please contact Jim Waite with any questions.
 
Club Member Jim Pockross Hosted a Thanksgiving Ceremony of Gratitude
 
Club Member Jim Pockross hosted a Ceremony of Gratitude on Thanksgiving morning. During the event, participants shared with others what people and things they are grateful for in their lives. We all thank Jim for inviting members to participate in this ceremony.
 

More About the Club's Community Conversation Series

Each Community Conversation provides an opportunity for one or more community leaders to discuss important developments the community.  The Community Conversations also present an opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions and offer comments.  Interested members of the community are invited to join us.
 
The Club usually will be holding Community Conversations on the last Wednesday of certain months at 7:30 am at the Harbor Club in Gillson Park, and also usually be available by Zoom in hybrid meeting form (although please note that some events in our Community Conversation series may be held in the evening on the first Wednesday of a month).  
 
Our first Community Conversation was held on June 30, and featured Steve Wilson, Executive Director of the Wilmette Park District.   Our second Community Conversation, held on July 28, 2021, featured Anthony Austin, Director of the Wilmette Public Library.   Our third Community Conversation was held on August 25, 2021, and featured John Jacoby with an interesting presentation about his new book Wilmette at 150.  Our fourth Community Conversation, held on September 29, 2021 featured Julie Wolf, Chair of the Wilmette Environmental Commission.  Julie offered an enlightening description of the development of the Village of Wilmette's Sustainability Plan.
 
Please contact Mike Bailey at Mike@mbaileylaw.com if you would like to obtain a copy of Julie's PowerPoint presentation.
 
The fifth Community Conversation in our series was the "A Conversation on Race:  A Welcoming Community." held on the  evening of Wednesday, November 3, 2021.  
 
Community Conversation meetings generally will continue to be held in hybrid form, so that members and guests can participate either in person and 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.  
 
 
Environmental Committee News:
 
Book Drive -- Open Books
The Environmental Committee is organizing a book drive this year with Open Books, following the successful book drive last year.  The book drive is tentatively scheduled for the morning of Saturday, January 29, 2022.
 
 
Elmwood Dunes Volunteer Opportunity
The Wilmette lunch club After Dark (RAD) group has a project to help preserve the native plants at Elmwood Dunes Preserve by pulling out the choke weeks that threaten the natural plants in the upper garden.
 
They will be scheduling Saturday 10:30 am volunteer days and will welcome our club's support.  Ben Ivory will share details of their next volunteer day.
 
Environmental Book Selection
Based on the success of the DEI book discussion, the Environmental Committee is in the process of finalizing a selection for an environmental book for the Club to read.  If you have a suggestion, please send to Ben Ivory or Maureen Barry.   The Club tentatively plans to set aside one of our "first Wednesday" evening events for discussion of the book selected.