Remember to sign up for lunch packing on May 6 at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph's Church located at Lake Avenue and Ridge Road in Wilmette. We have created a Sign-up for future Lunch-packing to include help with buying supplies, preparing sandwiches and bags, completing the bags and delivering them to Connections for the Homeless in Evanston. There is limited space in the room where the sandwiches and bags are prepared, so we are limiting the number of volunteers to 15. Sign-up HERE to volunteer for the next Lunch-packing on May 6.
FOR MEMBERS ONLY: On Wednesday, April 23 at our Noon meeting at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club, we have very important club business to handle which will only take about 30 minutes. We must amend our by-laws, and our current by-laws state that 2/3 of the members must be present to vote on the by-laws. This means we need 51 members in attendance, either via Zoom or in-person. (If these amendments are passed, we will have a lower threshold in the future for this type of vote, which will better reflect our typical attendance). We sent the by-laws revisions out to members on April 9 and a Zoom link was sent last week; if you need additional copies or the Zoom link, contact Heidi Voorhees. We cannot stress enough how important it is that members come to this meeting. In addition, we will conduct a brief annual meeting. We also have a terrific Speaker that day -- Dick Farkus, who will talk to us about "The Most Famous Woman You Never Heard Of."
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.
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.
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.
Gabriell Doyle Gabe is a real estate broker at Dream Town Real Estate, specializing in transitions and downsizing. He is active in a non-profit for pancreatic cancer prevention, volunteers at the Wilmette Public Library, and has participated in several of our club’s activities. Gabe is single and enjoys playing ice hockey, reading about alchemy and psychology, and participating in community events.
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.
Purchase Raffle Tickets one for $10, five for $30 or ten for $50. Raffle winners will be drawn during the Trivia contest; winners need not be present Raffle prizes will include a gift card to a local restaurant or retailer! . Buy event and raffle tickets, and/or make a donation HERE
Proceeds support our local, international, and End Polio Now projects. Recent grant recipients include: Building Peaceful Bridges, Connections for the Homeless, Go Green Wilmette, Family Promise, Meals on Wheels, Our Place, Lawrence hall, Lemons of Love, Family Service Center, Alliance for the Great Lakes.
Volunteers are needed for setup and cleanup. Sign-up to Volunteer
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.
The family of our beloved member, John Kessler, who passed away last month will be having a memorial service on Thursday, April 17 from 10 am to Noon at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club. His wife Brenda is putting a program together and has asked if any Rotarians want to speak at the memorial, they should contact her at bkess58493@aol.com . RSVP at JOHNK , so they can plan for attendance.
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
1 Duck - $10 Donation; Quack Pack of 3 ducks - $25 Donation; Flock of 15 ducks - $100 Donation
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
Charity Golf Event Supporting Veterans -- On September 12, Wilmette Rotary Member William Shehan's organization, No Salt Sailing, is holding a fundraiser to help veterans learn to sail and to provide Sailing Adventure Therapy to veterans. For more information, CLICK VETERAN
Acoustics on the Corner - Rotating performers will provide a fun summer vibe to downtown Wilmette every Friday and Saturday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., June - September, on the Village Green. Visit www.wilmette.gov/SummerMusic for the performance lineup.
Wilmette Artisan Market - September 13 and 14, Wilmette Metra Station (722 Green Bay Rd.) Meet and shop 100 talented local and Midwest artisans in food, fashion, home goods, and art at this delightful outdoor market. Admission to the market is free. Visit www.NorthShoreArtisanMarket.com for more information.
TEDxWilmette - On Saturday, October 4, 2025, 1pm-3pm, an extraordinary event at the Wilmette Community Recreation Center Auditorium, featuring six inspiring speakers who will share their transformative ideas under the theme: “Actually, You Can” Tickets Here
In February, Moha Bouacha of the Winnetka-Northfield Rotary gave a presentation about a project in Morocco, which will be applying for a Global Grant. The project involves a training program to teach women to sew, weave and embroider to empower them to create marketable goods; thereby, improving the economics of their community. To learn more or donate click Morocco
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
Big Book Drive - Member Maurice Sullivan is resurrecting our Big Book Drive, which was indefinitely suspended during Covid. This year we are partnering with Bernie's Book Bank to collect books from local schools and libraries. Volunteers are needed to assist Maurice in publicizing the event. We still need a few more volunteers! Contact Maurice at mauricewsullivan@aol.com
Beach Sweep (NEW DATE)- Saturday, September 20, 9:00am . We will partner with Go Green Wilmette as we did last year. We (Rotary and Go Green Wilmette) will base ourselves at the Wilmette Beach Building structure and welcome both Springman School students and the public. One of the unique features is completing the Alliance for the Great Lakes collection form and our sorting process to show what was collected. We will need volunteers; sign-up HERE
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
Our Place, is a safe haven for teens and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities where they can develop meaningful relationships, engage in productive activities, and grow through life experiences. This transforms them into contributing members of their community and makes the community stronger.
