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 New Trier Food Pantry is in crisis mode. They need volunteers to help organize the new donations that are coming in. The Food Pantry is located at 739 Elm Street, Winnetka. Please sign-up HERE to volunteer to help.
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!
Join District 6440 each month for an engaging 30-minute, lunchtime learning session by Zoom focused on mental health awareness, resources, and advocacy. Free and open to all. Next Session: Supporting Youth in These Times, Monday, November 3 at Noon. Two therapists from Youth Services of Glenview/Northbrook will discuss the struggles of LGTBQ and Latino youth in today’s world. This monthly series highlights expert voices and practical insights to help individuals, families, and communities thrive. JOIN by Zoom
Our club delivered and handed out 120 coats to children at St. Thomas School in Chicago. We've done this for several years and it is always a wonderful event!
If you missed the St. Thomas event, you can still participate in gifting warm coats for the upcoming winter. Operation Warm is a non-profit that our club has supported for years; they provide new winter coats and boots to children in need. They are holding a coat distribution event next Wednesday, November 5. The event is at Admiral Byrd Elementary School, 265 Wellington Avenue, Elk Grove Village. Volunteers arrive at 8am. Bring a state ID. Gifting will probably commence around 9. Anyone interested in assisting the children to pick out coats at this event, should contact Rich Lalley 224-305-3684 or richlalley@gmail.com
Volunteers are needed for a few events to provide warm winter clothing to the over 500 individuals (adults and children) that Connections for the Homeless serves every year.
On November 6, collections for adult hats, scarves and gloves/mittens, and separately, children’s hats, scarves and mittens/gloves will be delivered to Connections. You can SIGN-UP to collect 50 or more of each type of item before November 6. Or, you can bring these items (new or gently used) to a club meeting and Debora will take them to Connections.
ON NOVEMBER 8 , our club has committed 10 volunteer slots to assist participants in the winter clothing and gear room where they will pick out a coat, boots, and other essential winter items. Location: Lake Street Church. 1458 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60201. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. Specific duties and roles will be assigned when you arrive. Please sign up to volunteer HERE or contact Brian Bradley right away.
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
Our Rotary Club worked closely with North Shore Neighbors to support the migrants coming via bus to the Wilmette Metra Station. We provided backpacks of essential items as they transferred from the buses to the metra train into Chicago. Many Rotarians also attended an educational event at St. Francis Church. North Shore Neighbors is co-hosting another educational, nonpartisan event in partnership with Onward House, a trusted Chicago nonprofit with over 130 years of experience supporting immigrant and working families on Thursday, November 6 from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at St. Francis Church. Where We Are Now: Meeting the Moment. Our Wilmette Rotary Club is a co-sponsor of this event.
This year we are partnering with Bernie's Book Bank to collect books from local schools and libraries. The Big Book Drive was launched on October 1; this great community activity covers all Wilmette private and public elementary schools plus Regina Dominican High School. Literacy leading to self-fulfillment and success in learning is the goal for ALL children! This activity closes on November 14. For more information, contact Maurice at mauricewsullivan@aol.com Photo below is from the Big Book Drive in the past.
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