Thank you to everyone who assisted in the final push to get the Club and Foundation by-laws updated!  We got our quorum at Wednesday's Noon Meeting and were able to finalize the updates.  The revised by-laws will be available on Club Runner.  It was great to see everyone at the April 23 meeting!

 

                                

 

Our 2025 annual fundraiser, Hope Walk for the Homeless is Saturday, May 3.   Join members from the Winnetka-Northfield, Evanston Lighthouse and Skokie Valley Rotary clubs, friends, and neighbors for a Fun 5k Walk in beautiful Gillson Park.  It will start at 10am in the Wallace Bowl area of the Park. All proceeds will go to organizations that provide services to the homeless in Evanston, Chicago, and the local area (e.g. Connections for the Homeless, La Casa Norte, Fraternite Notre Dame, Interfaith Action of Evanston and others).  Registration fee is $30 per person, $50 for a couple, $100 for a Family, and $25 for Students. Leashed dogs are welcome!

 

REGISTER HERE for the Hope Walk -- tell your friends and neighbors -- this is an easy way to make a difference in your community.  

 

We will need volunteers for the day of the event; click VOLUNTEER  to sign-up for specific tasks.

We were thrilled to have Dick Farkus join us to speak at our April 23 meeting!  He discussed the remarkable story of Hedwig Kiesler, known to all of us as Hedy Lamarr, a pioneering actress and inventor who developed spread spectrum technology in the 1940s. This patented technology is still used today in various forms such as GPS, Bluetooth, and cell phones. Despite her significant contribution to wireless technology, Lamarr never received financial compensation or recognition for her invention. The discussion also touched on the cultural changes for women in the 1940s and how wars can accelerate change.

The Wilmette Rotary Installation Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, June 25 at noon at the Wilmette Golf Club.  We will install our new President, Brian Bradley and the new Directors for Rotary year 2025-2026. The cost will be $30;  you will get your choice of six menu items, iced tea or lemonade, cookie or brownie, tax and tip are all included. Click to  RSVP for this important event.

 

 

 

The Wilmette Rotary Installation Luncheon will take place on Wednesday, June 25 at noon at the Wilmette Golf Club.  We will install our new President, Brian Bradley and the new Directors for Rotary year 2025-2026. The cost will be $30;  you will get your choice of six menu items, iced tea or lemonade, cookie or brownie, tax and tip are all included. Click to  RSVP for this important event.

At our April 23 meeting, Ray Zeiss presented three of our members with a Paul Harris Fellow -- Jim Bowman, John Kay and Tim Frenzer!  Congratulations to all of you!

 

In connection with Project C.U.R.E., we are leading a Global Grant project with District 6440 to send tons of medical equipment to the Chitokoloki Mission Hospital, Zambia. On May 7, from 9am to Noon, volunteers from our District and our club will be able to participate in the loading of this equipment and see first-hand the scope of this Global Grant in action.  Location:  Project CURE, Chicago -  10305 Argonne Dr., Ste. 200, Woodridge, IL 60517 

 

We have committed to provide 30 volunteers in total.  It is hoped that members from all district clubs as well as our own, will participate in this. 

You will need to sign up as a volunteer through the Project CURE link:   https://vhub.at/10PNF9S   Please email Ray Zeiss at crz528@northwestern.edu if you have any questions and/or volunteer to carpool.

Trivia Night is Wednesday, June 4. Join us at our most fun fundraiser!  It will take place from 5:30pm-9:00pm at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Gillson Park. Pizza, salad, dessert and beverages will be provided. Invite your neighbors, friends and associates to join in the fun. Organize a team of 4 or come as a single (we will add you to a group). Cost: $50 per person. Doors open 5:30 pm; dinner at 6:00 pm; Trivia contest starts at 7:00 pm.

We have three new members!

Kari Cremascoli Kari is currently School District Superintendent for Wilmette District 39.  Prior to that she served as  District Superintendent in Downers Grove, when she was also  in the Downers Grove Rotary Club for 7 years up until 2019 when she moved to Winnetka. She has a PhD in educational leadership, an MS and BS from Loyola.  Kari is also an active member in the National Charity League of Wilmette.  Kari lives in Winnetka with her husband, Brian." 

Dave Fielder Dave has attended our Lunch-packing and a couple of Rotary meetings. His background includes managing high-level matters at the US Security and Exchange Commission, and then the World Bank’s integrity unit.  Dave enjoys fishing, skiing and whitewater kayaking.  He lives in Glencoe with his wife Mary.

 

        

 

 

A collaboration between Barrington Rotary and Barrington Area Library Sunday, May 18, 2 – 4 PM at Barrington Area Library  505 N. Northwest Highway, Barrington, IL 60010.  Join them for a conversation with: award-winning journalist Meg Kissinger, author of While You Were Out: an Intimate Family Portrait of Mental Illness in an Era of Silence; a representative from NAMI Illinois; and a licensed clinical social worker. Then explore a showcase of local non-profit mental health resources. Call the Library to register at 847-382-1300 or register online at balibrary.librarycalendar.com.

 

World Immunization Week is April 24-30. Rotary made a promise to the children of the world with the launch of the PolioPlus program in 1985 that we would eradicate polio from the world. Thanks to vaccines and the incredible support of Rotary members like you, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9%.

But we aren’t done yet.  As we continue our work to eradicate polio worldwide, we need to remain vigilant so that we don’t lose the progress we’ve made. No child should suffer from diseases like polio that a vaccine can prevent. 

 Taste of Evanston - The Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club is excited to announce the 11th Taste of Evanston, September 21 from 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. on the lakeside lawn of the historic Charles Gates Dawes House. A wonderful opportunity for food lovers and civic-minded sponsors, Taste of Evanston offers delicious appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks from our city’s most popular restaurants, breweries, and wine shops. It raises much-needed funds for two respected local non-profits (Reba Place Development and Connections for the Homeless) as well as supporting the ongoing philanthropic projects of the Lighthouse Club. Click TASTE for tickets and more information.  

 

Northbrook Rotary’s Annual Ducky Race  September 21, 2025 3:00 pm, at Village Green Park in Northbrook.  Sponsor a duck and watch your ducks as they race down the river to the finish line.  Join the fun on Sunday, September 21st, at 3:00 pm at Village Green Park during Shermerfest.  Win cash and support the thousands of people and organizations, locally and globally, who benefit from grants, scholarships, and other support from The Rotary Club of Northbrook. Click DUCK

 

St. John's Good Fest - Saturday, Sept 20, 5:30pm- 10:00pm. Good music, good BBQ, good cause.  Fundraiser to support Family Promise North Shore. Location: St. John's 1235 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette. Tickets $39.19 per person (kids under 10 are free). Tunes by Tributosaurus and Antler Chandelier, and BBQ from the Backyard Barbeque.

 

Go Green Wilmette - EV & Bike Show. September 20, 9am-1pm.  Metra parking lot by the Bensidoun French Market (Wilmette). Come learn about many different electric vehicle (EV) models available from your friends and neighbors at our local EV exhibit. Check out the Rivian truck and SUV, and a variety of EVs from Hyundai, Chevrolet, Volkswagen, Nissan and more. Learn more about at-home, local and road-trip charging options. This event will also display a small number of electric bikes.

 

Blood Drives  - The Wilmette Fire Department and the Winnetka Fire Department are sponsoring several upcoming blood drives with the goal of collecting 600 units of blood that can help to save 1,800 lives. Vitalant Bloodmobiles will be at various locations. Call 877-258-4825 or visit Vitalant.org for appointment.  Use Code ORD0132D   November 12 -  9am-1pm; Wilmette - 1304 lake Avenue.   Sept 12 - Winnetka - 428 Green Bay Rd

 

Japanese Art of Flower Arranging Workshop -  two-day event featuring workshops and demonstrations led by Master Instructor Misei Ishikawa. The event takes place on October 4th at Wilmette Lakeview Center at Gillson Park and October 5th at Michigan Shores Club. You can register for entire event or just certain classes. To register FLOWERS

 

Monthly Lunch-packing on October 7,  6pm -  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.   Sign-up