Our largest fundraiser of the year is in full swing and should be on all members' To Do lists. Our Holiday Gift Fundraiser deadline for ordering products is December 7, and December 18 for Raffle Tickets. Monies raised will fund local and international projects and become part of the 2025-2026 budget process. Rotary members will also be at Panera in Wilmette on Saturday morning (December 7) from 9 - 10 a.m. to collect last minute orders.
Order pick up will be on Saturday morning from 9 - 10:30 a.m., December 14 at Carol Wells home (same as last year), located at 822 Chestnut in Wilmette. Please make arrangements for someone to pick up your orders if you are unable to do so.
The gift items this year include wines, chocolates, cheese, smoked salmon, olive oils, and more. Members are expected to purchase, sell, or donate to this fundraiser. It will be easy to attract friends and relatives to purchase holiday gift items, as the the list is extensive and tempting, AND they will be supporting a good cause. Wines were taste-tested by members who are wine lovers, and they are especially excited by the wine choices this year.
Great Raffle Prizes this year include $500 cash, Goodman theater tickets for "The Color Purple", Lake Geneva Private Boat Tour, and Cubs tickets.
Click on www.rotarygifts.com to order gift items, purchase raffle tickets and/or donate. Or use the QR code for easy access to our Holiday Fundraiser options.
There will be NO Happy Hour on December 4. Starting in January 2025, we will have Happy Hour on the 5th Wednesday whenever that occurs. The first Happy Hour will be on January 29. Thereafter on April 30, July 30 and October 29. All Happy Hours will be at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club starting at 6pm.
Every year on Thanksgiving day, I, Jim Pockross, conduct a Ceremony of Gratitude. This year will be its 49th year. The ceremony is simple. A group of people get together and simply say what they are grateful for in their lives when their turn comes. I have done this many times with the morning group, and participants feel the event is meaningful for them given that the day is Thanksgiving. For many of us the Thanksgiving holiday is one of family, food, fun and football. The Ceremony of Gratitude connects us to being thankful on the special day.
All members and Spoke readers are welcome to join in. This will be done over ZOOM on Thursday, November 28 at 10:00 a.m., so it doesn’t interfere with the day or watching all the football games. A ZOOM link can be obtained by contacting me mpockross@comcast.net . I hope you can join in.
Come and celebrate the holiday season by coming to our annual Holiday Party! Bring your friends and family. Our festive event will be at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Gillson Park. Parking is available in the Yacht Club parking lot adjacent to the building, and anywhere along the inner drive and Michigan Avenue.
Beginning at 6 pm, you will enjoy a dinner of Italian specialties (not pizza) catered by Napolita in Wilmette. Wine, beer and soft drinks will be provided. At 7 pm, the New TrierSwing Choir will be coming to perform traditional holiday songs along with some original arrangements. Following their performance, we will have a Raffle drawing and then continue to mingle and have dessert. Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased by clicking PARTY. Please RSVP by Monday morning, December 16.
**Members who would like to help with set up, clean-up or bring a dessert, should sign up HERE. Hope to see you there!
Our next Rotary gathering is a NOON meeting on Wednesday, March 26 at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club.Then Lunch-packing followed by a club meeting on Tuesday, April 1 at St. Joseph Church at Lake and Ridge, Wilmette. On April 1, we will be joined by members of the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary which has committed to collaborate with us on this project.
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 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.
Monthly Lunch-packing on April 1 - 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. 175 lunches were made on March 4. A good turnout included guests Kara and David Kosloskus, and Julie Treumann.
Connections for the Homeless
Our Club partners with Connections for the Homeless in a variety of ways including the monthly sandwich packing, the Hope Walk for the Homeless and some of their summer activities. There are several volunteer opportunities available to help Connections in their important work.
Some examples include: hosting a drive for winter clothing, hosting holiday celebrations, planting vegetables and herbs in community garden, cook and service meals, sort and stock donations. For further information contact Ashli Wade, Associate Director for Development at awade@connect2home.org
Trinity Wilmette 2025 Community Conversations— Welcoming the Stranger - a multi-week series that will explore the complex dynamics of immigration through diverse perspectives. Trinity United Methodist Church at 1024 Lake Avenue in Wilmette. 3:30 p.m. with presentations at 4 p.m. For more information and to register https://trinitywilmette.com/immigration/
Local Elections Now through April 1 - Vote for open positions on the Wilmette Village Board, Avoca School District 37 School Board, and Wilmette Park Board - Early voting has begun and election day is April 1. click here for the Wilmette Voter Guide from the League of Women Voters,
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 2, July 16, November 12 - Wilmette - 1304 lake Avenue
Sept 12 - Winnetka - 428 Green Bay Rd
John Thomson Blood Drive and Memorial - John Thomson was best known as the New Trier HS Band Director for 25 years. He passed away recently and his family has set up a Blood Drive in his memory for March 28 from 9am-3pm at New Trier High School Northfield, Bldg C. For more information visit RedCrossBlood.org Memorial service will be March 29 in Kenilworth.
Wilmette Mental Health Fair - Saturday, April 5 at First Presbyterian Church, 600 9th St., Wilmette; 3pm-4pm. Topic "Navigating the Anxious Generation: How We Can Empower Our Kids". Listen to an expert panel of physicians and educators. Mingle with local mental help agencies and neighbors.
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
New member, Willam Shehan will tell us about No Salt Sailing: Sailing Adventure Therapy. They create a learning environment for wounded, disabled, andfor wounded, disabled, and transitioning Veterans and their families to learn to sail, explore the Great Lakes around Chicago, and develop maritime skills, all while promoting veteran well-being, both physical and mental.
Connections for the Homeless
