April meetings begin with Lunch-packing on Tuesday, April 7 at St. Joseph Church. Club meetingsfollow witha Noon Meeting on Wednesday, April 8, a Morning Meeting at 7:30am on Wednesday, April 15, a Noon Meeting on Wednesday, April 22and Happy Hour on Wednesday, April 29 at 6pm. All April club meetings are at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club. Beginning in May the Noon Meetings will be at St. John's Church and continue through October.
TIP: Be sure to click on "View entire message" at the bottom of the page to see the whole issue.
The deadline for ordering gift items was Friday, December 5. However, you can still purchase Raffle Tickets and/or make a Donation using this link HOLIDAY All members should participate in some way, and we hope some Spoke readers will also choose to participate. Raffle tickets may be purchased through December 17 when the winners will be drawn during our Club meeting. Gift item orders will be delivered by Rotarians after December 14.
Raffle Prize detail below. Raffle Tickets - One for $25. Five for $100. Ten for $150
All net proceeds will be used to fund local and international projects and become part of the 2026-2027 budget process. Thank you in advance for helping our club to raise funds to support our local and international humanitarian efforts.
PRIZE DETAILS
4-NIGHT STAY for 2 IN SAN FRANCISCO LUXURY CONDO (subject to availability). 733 Front Street located in San Francisco, it is part of the city's historic and vibrant waterfront area, often associated with the Embarcadero district. The building is known for its proximity to key locations such as Pier 39, the Financial District, and other landmarks. Estimated Value $3800. (Contact debora@pftl.net for photos.)
$500 CASH
BEARS TICKETS- Two tickets to Detroit Lions game at Soldier Field. Date will be determined later (probably early January) Est. Value $500
DINNER AND THEATER – Dinner and 4 theater tickets included in prize. Est. value $600.
4-Course Dinner for Two with beverage pairings at Sophia Steak or other Ballyhoo restaurants. (e.g. Pomeroy, DeNuccis, Gemini, Coda di Volpe)
Two Tickets to any Northlight Theater production in Skokie (subject to availability) Expires 4/30/26.
Two tickets to March 19th, 2026 Gregorian's Pure Chants World Tour, an immersive, genre-blending musical experience. This unforgettable live performance blends ancient Gregorian chant with modern pop and rock. With over 11 million albums sold and more than 2,000 shows worldwide, Gregorian has captivated audiences in over 36 countries.
MIDDLE EASTERN DINNER FOR 12 – prepared by Mariana Alfar and Brian Bradley, at Mariana and Kurt Zoller's Evanston mansion.
CUBS TICKETS – Three tickets. Section 214 Row 3; 3 tickets—Seat 12, 13, 14; No parking pass. Mutually agreed upon date during 2026 Cubs season. Est. value $450
Co-president Elect Frank Candioto presented three nominated candidates for next year's Board of Directors, Bob Taylor, Mike Harper and Tom Ryan. With no other nominations from the floor, the membership present voted unanimously in favor of the board nominees. The new board members will serve for a three year term ending in 2029. Additionally, the members voted unanimously for next year's Nominating Committee to be Alice Chow, Maurice Sullivan and Tim Frenzer.
Our Amazon Homeless Project for unhoused clients of The Sisters of Fraternite Notre Dame is underway and the need is great this year, especially with the early cold and snow we have received. Basic needs for socks, hats, gloves and toiletries are all available to easily purchase on line and they will be delivered directly to the convent. Please select Sister Valerie Marie as the recipient when you check out. It is hoped to have the gifts delivered by Christmas. There are still some items left on our Amazon wishlist. Here is the link: HOMELESS
Chairperson Maurice Sullivan announced that the book drive (coordinated with Bernie's Book Bank) collected over 17,000 books! Maurice wanted to thank the members of her committee who were actively involved in making the Big Book Drive a success. This included the ongoing support of the District 39 Superintendent of Schools (and member) Kari Cremascoli and 13 area schools These books will be given to underserved children who have few books at home. These books will help build early literacy, the love of reading and support academic success.
Our Holiday Party at The Lawn restaurant at the Wilmette Golf Clublast Wednesday, was well attended and enjoyed by many members and their guests. The New Trier Swing Choir performed for us and they were amazing as in past years. It was a great way to enter into a positive holiday spirit!
Our health is everything. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care. As the year winds down, December serves as a time to reflect on one of Rotary’s core causes: Disease Prevention and Treatment. From eradicating polio to supporting mental health initiatives, Rotarians worldwide work tirelessly to improve health outcomes and build resilient communities. Disease prevention is about more than healthcare—it's about education, access, and empowerment. Whether it’s funding vaccines, providing clean water to prevent disease, or offering medical training in underserved areas, our collective efforts save lives and restore dignity.
Monthly Lunch-packing on April 7, 6pm - The 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 LUNCHES
Connections for the Homeless/Hilda's Place - Volunteers needed to sort clothing and other donations. Monday, March 30, 1458 Chicago Ave. Evanston. 4:30pm-6:00pm Sign-up
New Trier Township Food Pantry -- The following items are needed at the New Trier Township Food Pantry: pancake mix and flour, spices and condiments, SPAM/canned tuna in oil, beef ravioli, and shampoo and conditioner. They currently have a surplus of other items.
Dine Local During North Shore Restaurant Month. March is the perfect time to dine local and discover (or rediscover) the amazing restaurants right here in Wilmette. As part of North Shore Restaurant Month (March 1–31), several of our local favorites are offering special promotions and menus throughout the month. Be sure to support these participating Wilmette restaurants and enjoy their Restaurant Month specials! View full details and additional offers here.
Our Place –“Better Together”: Annual Benefit, April 18- 5:30- 9:30pm: Takiff Center, 999 Green Bay Rd, Glencoe. Dancing, Dinner, Raffle, Silent Auction. Supporting programs that help intellectually and developmentally disabled participants lead full, engaged lives. Tickets $85 pp. Click for Tickets
Club Information
Welcome!
Our Motto: Service Above Self
Wednesdays at 12:00 p.m.
Sheridan Shore Yacht Club
20 Harbor Drive
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 and the 3rd Wednesday at 7:30am both at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Gillson Park. Mailing address: PO Box 111, Wilmette, IL 60091
Mary Beth Schaye is a zero waste consultant and worked for Collective Resource Compost Cooperative, food scrap hauling cooperative based in Evanston, Illinois for 14 years. She continues this work after their recent merger with The Urban Canopy. Their Compost Club is one branch of this unique, Chicago-based business, which has 7 branches, all related to keeping food production and food waste management local and sustainable.
Mary Beth will give an overview about how diverting food scraps from landfills helps to mitigate climate change and explains how the container-swap commercial composting service her company provides helps both residential and commercial customers to be a part of the solution. Other related services of facilitating zero waste events and recycling of hard-to-recycle items are also covered.
St Joseph Church