Announcements – March 10, 2015
- President-Elect Steve Goranson called the meeting to order. Pinch hitting for Harold on the 69th day of the year, Steve noted that March 10, 1940, was the first live telecast of the opera Pagliacci (from Radio City).
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Invocation/Words of Inspiration:Charlotta Koppanyi offered some relevant words of inspiration-- “The foundation of every state is the education of its youth." (Diogenes Laertius)
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Ann Searles modeled the BLACK coat that she took home from the Holiday Party when her own GRAY coat was not there. PLEASE check your closet (or your spouse’s) to see if you mistakenly went home in Ann’s winter coat.
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Acting as Sunshine Lady, Ann reported that John Wold fell recently, while hanging a picture.He suffered several broken ribs and subsequently contracted pneumonia.John expects to be released from the hospital very soon and may be spending a few days in rehab.
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Julianne Dieterich announced that there will be a Community Service meeting next Wednesday, March 18, at 7 p.m .at her home (2734 Noyes St., Evanston). The committee will be discussing local volunteer opportunities. All members are welcome!
- Steve announced that the next ELRC Board meeting will be Monday, March 16, 7 p.m., at Harold’s home (1215 Greenwood St., Evanston). New members, in particular, may want to attend in order to meet their membership requirement. Steve thanked the club for sending him to PETS (Presidents-Elect Training Seminar). He returned with passion and lots of good ideas gleaned from other clubs. Steve approached incoming RI President Ravi Ravindran of Sri Lanka about visiting our club during this summer. We’ll hope to see him!
Steve also thanked club members for donating more than 250 items to the recent clothing drive for the homeless. District-wide donations of socks and underwear filled an entire room at PETS, he said. In addition, a raffle raised $7,500 for Polio Plus.
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Please put/keep The Rotary Foundation in your gifting plans! In Steve’s words, “a $1 donation to TRF is like giving $3.50 to the best charity in the world.” The current donation year ends on June 30.
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The 6440 District Conference will be held on April 10-12 at The Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca. Attendance is free, online registration is easy, and you will learn a great deal about Rotary…. perfect for new members!
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With the help of Secretary Ilana Seligman, banners were exchanged with Shakuntala Raha of the Rotary Club of Delhi South Metropolitan.
Sergeant at Arms: Boasts & Roasts
Sergeant Ken Green quizzed the membership before encouraging Roasts & Boasts:
- Albert Menard boasted his grandson Russell McGrath who was part of a team that recently won the state chess championship.
- Noting “what they lack in quantity, they make up in quality,” Helen Oloroso boasted her original Rotary Club in Chicago on the occasion of its 30th anniversary. Unsure that she would ever find the same Rotary “fit,” she commended our club, citing its strength, spirit, and camaraderie.
- Paul Brown pointed out that our club is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of its 1985 founding.
- Ken Green reminded members of tonight’s Rotaract Meet & Greet in the first floor Conference Room at RI.
Program: Mark Dennis of the McGaw YMCA, Building Community Leadership
Citing his vision, leadership, and love for all (especially youth), Charlotta Koppanyi introduced Rev. Mark A. Dennis, Jr., the new President and CEO of the McGaw YMCA.
Visiting our club for the third time in five years, Mark commended the membership on its decision to meet for fellowship each week, even subjecting ourselves to 7:30 a.m. quizzes. (Mark’s prior visits were with former ELRC member Matt Johnson, currently CEO of Chicagoland Habitat for Humanity.) Mark praised Rotary’s ability to build leaders and fund projects effectively. Mark also introduced Cherita Ellens, Marketing and Communications Director of the McGaw Y.
Visionary leaders need to be able to articulate with passion what can be, opening doors and sometimes being pulled back down to reality, he said.
The McGaw YMCA got its start in 1882 in a room at the First Presbyterian Church. The Evanston community needed leadership that even its churches could not provide. The Y was envisioned as a neutral organization that could bring people and groups together, as a center of civility and citizenship, always working for the betterment of the community.
While YMCAs are commonly known for their gyms and pools, they are much more than that, he declared. They are educational institutions, as well. They are the conscience of the community.
Drawing the audience’s attention to the handout on the table, Mark briefly summarized the Y’s Strategic Focus for the coming three years:
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Strengthen membership (with more ‘value added’)
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Develop cause-driven leaders and organizational capacity (hopefully reducing staff turnover)
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Enhance program impact (demonstrating that impact, both quantitatively and qualitatively)
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Grow philanthropy (despite the large number of area non-profits and philanthropic "drain")
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Create facilities master plan
Housed in a nearly 100-year old building, the McGaw YMCA faces significant maintenance challenges that must be addressed. Mark invited participation in an upcoming campus planning session. On July 15, 2015, in the Sebring-Lewis Gym at 5:30 pm, the board and interested community members will engage in a facilities planning discussion for the next 50 years.
The McGaw YMCA administers a growing list of important programs, including (but not limited to):
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Camp Echo – 500 acre camp in Michigan, serving 2,500 youth/year, with related adventure trips around the country
- MetaMedia – exciting new initiative that combines youth interests and production-centered learning experiences with instructional adult support; free after-school digital media lab and hang out space open only to middle school students
- Achievers -- career exploration and college readiness program targeted to struggling ETHS freshmen & sophomores
Project SOAR —youth mentoring program that pairs Northwestern University students with middle school students/families
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Summer Learning Program – Learn to Read program designed to prevent summer learning loss and strengthen literacy skills
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Residence Program – McGaw Y houses 172 men with few housing options and limited income
The McGaw Y continues to be a much-needed center of the community. With no space available for “extras,” operating hours have been expanded (now open 5 a.m. – 10 p.m., with only rare weather closures). Long waiting lists exist for many key programs. Membership and activity fees don’t cover the budget, and state support is so unpredictable that alternative funding sources must be developed. Leaving children “out in the cold” in terms of learning is just not an option!
Creative partnerships hold promise for the future. What can Rotary do for the Y? We can be advocates in the community, mentors, and financial supporters, he said.
Visitors and Milestones
Birthdays:
Jon Carlisle - March 14
Club Anniversaries:
Dale Bradley -13 years (5 yrs: 1991-1996, 8 years: 2007-present)
Visiting Rotarians:
Elizabeth Lamberti, Rotary Europe/Africa
Patricia Avila, Rotary Brazil
Shakuntala Raha, Rotary India, member of RC of Delhi South Metropolitan
Sung Hyun Kim, Rotary Korea
Mark Anderson, RC of Beecroft, NSW, Australia
Maria Molina, Rotary Mexico
Guests:
Mike Messini, prospective member and guest of John Osterlund
Lincoln Janus, prospective member
Cherita Ellens, McGaw YMCA
Mark Dennis, speaker, McGaw YWCA
Prospective member:
The club's Board of Directors has approved Lincoln V. Janus for membership. In accordance with the Bylaws, any club member with objections should file his/her objections with the Board within seven days of publication.
Lincoln (Linc) Janus has been a resident of Evanston with his wife, Myra, since 1975.
He is a 1966 graduate of New Trier High School and a 1970 graduate of Harvard College. He holds post-graduate degrees from IIT-Chicago Kent College of Law (1978), and Northwestern University (Masters of Education in 2005).
After college, he became a high school English and social studies teacher. As an attorney, he worked for AT&T for nearly 20 years.
Currently retired, he and his wife have three children and two grandchildren.
