Our next Rotary gathering is a Noon Meeting on May 28 at St. John's Church, 1235 Wilmette Ave, Wilmette. Our monthly Lunch-packing follows on June 3 (Sign-ups will be open on May 31).
St. John's Parking - parking lots are entered from Wilmette Avenue (large lot) or Park Avenue (small lot).
Yacht Club Parking - Members and guests cannot park in the Yacht Club lot. Parking along the Upper Drive in Gillson and Michigan Ave. are the best choices
Patti Capouch, Executive Director, Impact Behavioral Health Partners described the amazing work her organization is doing to assist individuals living with mental illness (many of which were homeless) to prepare for and find jobs, secure permanent residences and receive therapeutic care. She related some success stories of individuals whose lives were positively turned around when they were able to have a permanent home and gainful employment. Impact owns several buildings with apartments, some single family hones, and leases other apartments, where residents can get help 24/7 as needed and have regular health and safety inspections.
At the last club meeting on February 12, nominations for three new board Directors were announced. As there were no nominations from the floor, the membership unanimously voted for Ben Ivory, John Kay and Karl Behrend to be our next board Directors for three-year terms starting in Rotary year 2025-2026. They will replace Directors (Laurie Cavalier and Tim Frenzer) whose terms will expire as of this Rotary year,
These new Directors will meet with the future 2025-2026 Board to nominate a President-elect (or Co-presidents Elect) who will serve as president(s) starting 2026-2027. A Nominating Committee will be formed to nominate Directors in November for the Rotary year beginning 2026-2027.
For this Rotary year, George Pearce and Jackie Granat, submitted the following fund allocations for the Youth Services Committee. The Board approved the submission. Five high school scholarships of $2K each for worthy students identified by their school; $2K to the Karen Kline vocational scholarship at Oakton; sponsoring 2 Regina students to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) $800; and potentially 2 additional students to RYLA $800.
The Friedman Foundation is offering fifteen $1500 scholarships this spring to support students pursuing vocational and trade careers! Applicants can be working toward an associate degree, diploma, or certificate in fields like welding, auto mechanics, business administration, HVAC, computer tech, law enforcement, elder care, or many others. Must be sponsored by a local Rotary Club. Deadline: March 1, 2025 – Apply through our Rotary Club or any Club in Chicago’s north, northwest and many western suburbs! Details & Application:https://www.rotary6440.org/sitepage/vocational-service
The Wilmette Rotary Club Board has agreed to use Fun and Frolic Funds to donate to disaster relief efforts in both North Carolina and California -- if you are interested in additional donations to these efforts, you can donate directly during Fun and Frolic at the meetings or to any of the following Rotary donation sites:
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.
Go Green Wilmette (https://gogreenwilmette.org/) - Sustainable Yard Tour by Go Green Wilmette! The tour will highlight several private yards to learn how gardeners make attractive, pesticide-free and insect friendly spaces using green practices such as composting, rain barrels and native plant species. July 20, 9am-noon.
Wilmette’s Finest and Bravest - Thanks to a community effort, members of the Wilmette Police and Wilmette Fire departments will compete in a charitable softball game at 5 p.m. on Thursday, June 12, at West Park in Wilmette. Proceeds benefit two causes: Burn Camp, selected by the fire department, and Special Olympics Illinois, the police department’s choice.
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
May 21, July 16, November 12 - 9am-1pm; Wilmette - 1304 lake Avenue
Sept 12 - Winnetka - 428 Green Bay Rd
Trinity United Methodist Church Wilmettehas an exceptional series of music programs coming in May and June. The "Connecting through Music" series includes very diverse types of music and performing groups. Below is more information about the Connecting through Music series, including how to submit your RSVP. Concert location: Trinity Wilmette at 1024 Lake Avenue Wilmette IL 60091
Constellations Men's Ensemble June 6th 7pm - Performing world premiere choral works exploring Chicago's landscapes. The Constellations Men's Ensemble (CME) is a Chicago based vocal group dedicated to creating distinct performances. To RSVP: www.trinitywilmette.com/constellation
The Rotary Clubs of Evanston Lighthouse, Glenview, Glenview Sunrise, and Wilmetteinvite you to join fellow members and friends of Rotary for a “Rotary Day of Restoration”— a community-driven effort to help restore and revitalize one of our treasured local natural areas in the Cook County Forest Preserves specifically St. Paul Woods, Morton Grove. May 31, 9am-1pm. This will be hands-on restoration activities such as removing invasive species like garlic mustard and torilis, sowing seeds of native plants, cleanup, and other activities. Limit 50 volunteers. REGISTER
Pollination Project with Village of Wilmette - June 6 10:00am .Volunteers needed to plant native species that will attract pollinators in open areas near the expressway, Glenview Rd. and Long Ave. SIGN-UP
Monthly Lunch-packing on June 3 - Winnetka-Northfield Rotary will be organizing this month and has first choice for sign-ups. Check availability on May 31 and 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.
Housing Opportunity Development Corporation (HODC) - Zion Woods Home Coming This is a community event to welcome the new residents of Zion Woods, a brand new 25-unit affordable housing development in Deerfield. Volunteers are needed for specific dates May-July to help assemble furniture ahead of resident move-in, as well as to welcome residents in person on behalf of Rotary at the inaugural on July 12th. The Deerfield and Wilmette Rotary clubs are also invited to donate linen sets and gift cards (through linked registry) for the new residents. Please SIGN UP TO VOLUNTEER and/or MAKE A DONATION.
Please contact Sarah Homan at sarah.homan@ymail.com with any questions.
NV5 Invitational - July 11 – July 17, The Glen Club, Glenview . This is a professional golf tournament on the Korn Ferry Tour and they are looking for volunteers to work during the event. They have multiple committees that you can volunteer for and if you work 4 shifts throughout the week you get a free round of golf at The Glen Club. https://trusteventsolutions.com/event/149/home
Connections for the Homeless - Six volunteers needed to help with the Connections Block Party, July 26 from 11:30am-2:00pm. Last year several members were there and it was a lot of fun; we helped with the pony rides and ice cream freebies. Contact Brian Bradley brad.b@comcast.net if you want to volunteer.
Beach Cleanups by Go Green Wilmette! Join them for beach cleanups. Bring a bucket and meet at Gillson South Beach. Every other Saturday, April 26-Oct 18 (except May 24), 9:00-11:00am. https://gogreenwilmette.org/
Club Information
Welcome!
Our Motto: Service Above Self
Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m.
St. John's Church
1235 Wilmette Avenue
Wilmette, IL 60091 United States of America
We meet monthly on the 1st Tuesday at 6pm at St Joseph Church, the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at Noon at St. John's Church, Wilmette and the 3rd Wednesday at 7:30am at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in . Mailing address: PO Box 111, Wilmette, IL 60091
Don Crost is a ShelterBox Ambassador Team Member for District 6440. Shelterbox celebrates its 25th anniversary. in April. For a long time, ShelterBox only shipped out aid items inside their iconic green Shelterboxes. However, as they have evolved, aid is now tailored to better meet the different needs of each community impacted by a disaster. As a result, they’ve gone beyond the box – and no longer use it Don will tell us the reasons why they no longer use it:
