President Marv Edelstein convened the meeting and Steve Goranson gave us the Thought for the Day. Due to the unavailability of sufficient space at the Hilton Garden Inn, the meeting was held at the Holiday Inn Chicago North—Evanston.
Announcements
Charlotta Koppanyi announced that one item left over from the auction at the Taste of Evanston are four tickets for a Walking Tour of sites and restaurants in Evanston, valued at $60 each. Please contact Charlotta if you are interested in purchasing any of the tickets.
Gary Peterson announced that the next Golf Road Clean-up will take place at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday, July 22, and will take approximately an hour. Volunteers will meet at TJ Maxx, located just west of McCormick Blvd. and Golf Rd. Bring work gloves. When Saturday came, however, the project was canceled due to inclement weather.
Zbig Skiba gave an update on the activities of the club committee that is interested in RI President Ian Riseley’s challenge to Rotarians to plant a tree for every member in the organization worldwide. The committee met for the first time on Monday, July 17, and agreed on two objectives: to engage with the community and to use this project as a pilot for future plantings. Mike Merdinger added that the Interact Clubs at ETHS and Beacon Academy are interested in participating, as well as students in the ETHS Service Club. It is hoped that the NU Rotaract Club can be engaged as well.
Elaine Clemens announced that the next meeting of the Community Service Committee will take place from 7 to 8:30 p.m. on July 27 at the First Methodist Church (Church St. & Hinman Ave.). The activity will be the bundling of diapers for “Bundled Blessings,” a project led by Susan Prout.
Marisa Naujokas reported that the Taste of Evanston will have met its goal of raising $50,000 if all outstanding commitments are paid.
Marv Edelstein announced that the club meeting on July 25 will be presided over by Past President Brad Weiss due to Marv’s surgery that day.
Roasts & Boasts
Charlotta Koppanyi boasted Bill Glader for his outstanding leadership of the team that worked on the Taste of Evanston fundraiser.
Steve Steiber boasted his wife for the publication of her first book, written for those who provide care to persons with dementia.
Kathy Tate-Bradish boasted Luiz Abrev for his participation in a bike tour of some neighborhoods in Chicago. We got the entire tour group to do that thumb and forefinger thing that means "this close" to eradicating polio. This was Luiz’s final meeting with our club as he
headed off to the airport and back to Brazil.
That's Luiz in the dark shirt and blue shorts, about five persons from the right.
Special Presentation
Bill Glader showed a video that he created with images taken during the Taste of Evanston. It was an impressive, high energy, and professionally produced video that showed the outcome of all of the hard work that went into developing that fundraiser.
Program
2017-18 Rotary International President
Ian Riseley, Australia
President Riseley gave a warm, witty, and inspiring account of his 39-year life in Rotary, coming from a professional background in accounting and tax consultancy with his own firm in Australia. He has visited the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club a number of times because of his previous meetings at RI. He shared with us his own personal reflections on how he came to the presidential year motto of “Rotary Making a Difference.” This is due to his personal observation that Rotary has made a difference in ourselves, as well as in the lives of our beneficiaries.
Mr. Riseley has four goals for his presidential year:
- To quantify the money spent collectively each year by all the clubs worldwide to benefit others, as well as the collective number of hours spent in improving lives;
- To encourage clubs around the world to plant trees equal to the number of their members in order to create a more sustainable environment;
- To revise the requirements of the Presidential Citation in order to give clubs a wider variety of ways in which to achieve this recognition;
- To hold six presidential conferences on building peace including one on peace through environmental sustainability and a second on peace through literacy (to take place in Chicago).
President Riseley and his wife have committed to travel to those regions of the world to which previous RI presidents have not gone. He also stated his firm belief that one of the women who are rising through the ranks of Rotary International leadership will “soon” assume the role of President.
Rotary International President Ian Riseley
Guests and Milestones
Visiting Rotarians
D Paolo Pasini, Italy;
Ravi Raman, India;
Sergio Romero Barradas, Mexico;
Marcelo Demetrio Haick, Brazil;
Estela del Carmen Gambelin, Argentina/Uruguay;
Chehab H. El Awar, USA/CA;
Craig F. Leiser, MN/WI (USA);
Adeniji Y. Ragi, Nigeria;
David P. Alexander, Australia;
Sarah K. Odougo, Uganda;
Jeanette A. Drysdale, New Zealand/Samoa;
J. Candia, Mexico;
Ellina Kusheur, RI (no country listed)
John Michael Kingdon, England
Larry Shawver Harbor Country, Michigan (past president, ELRC)
Dan Melous, Rotary International
Bonnie Davis, Harbor Country, Mi Rotary
Leslie Fabian, Evanston noon club;
Luis Abrev, Rotary exchange student
David Grant, Winnetka Northfield Club
Patti Van Cleave, Winnetka Northfield Club
Mark Maloney, Decatur Alabama, guest of John Osterlund
Other Guests
Carol Busam, wife of Marv Edelstein
Paul Weber, husband of MaLu Simon
Allyn Rawling, Berkshire Hathaway, guest of Steve Seiber and prospective member
Birthdays
Ann Searles, July 16
Karena Bierman, July 17
Albert Menard, July 17
Sri Sakthivel, July 20
Club Anniversaries
Linda Gerber, 2 years
Ken Green, 4 years
Jackie Mack, 5 years
