Ken Green stood in for Zbig Skiba.
Gary Peterson told us his house in Wisconsin has been sold and is under contract.
Bob Teska mentioned whoever set up the sound system today (Marv Edelstein) did a great job.
Eric Schmelling told us his son is looking for car license plates from all 50 states. He is still looking for plates from North and South Dakota. If you see any, please let Eric know.
MaLu Simon said that the District 65 video was done with Susan and is excellent.
Harold Bauer roasted himself, and apologized about his comments about Charlotta.
Helen Oloroso boasted Bill Vernon helping find someone to help a person looking for a job who has mental problems. Bill went out of his way to introduce people to Helen’s sister, and is trying very hard to find her a position.
Ken Green boasted Bill Vernon for delivering meals for Campus Kitchens.
Harold Bauer asked if the Community Service Committee has informed Susan Resco (last week’s speaker) about grants that are available.
Ken Green asked questions and stumped us, as he always does.
Raissa shared with our group that she grew up in Evanston and went to St. Joan of Arc Catholic school. She grew up in a loving Catholic Community. Her mom is an ex-Dominican nun, and Raissa has two uncles who were priests. Her mother married a man in a second marriage who had been a priest for 20 years.
Raissa showed us pictures of her family and herself as a little girl. One picture is of her sitting on her father’s lap in a beautiful antique chair, which is hundreds of years old. She just inherited the chair from her grandmother.
She loved Charlotta’s Thought for the Day because she is an artist, and creativity has always been important in her life. She went to Evanston Township High School, and loved art. She studied art, theater, and photography there.
After high school, Raissa went to Indiana University (which she did not like). She returned to Chicago and went to DePaul University. She had a scholarship to the Art Institute for her art classes, which she combined with regular studies at DePaul.
Right after college, she got married and had a son. Subsequently, she got divorced. Marissa was a single mom for many years, and did not remarry until she was 38. When she was a single mom, she wanted a job, and got one at the Bradford Exchange, as an entry level artist. In the 1970’s, the Exchange wanted to make art accessible to everyone. They were famous for artistic plates, as well as wall hangings. Today, the Bradford Exchange sells exclusive, limited-edition collectibles, fine jewelry, artistic apparel, and home décor.
Raissa is now a Creative Director at the Exchange. In addition to her work at the Exchange, she has her own creative business, and does paintings. For several years, she traveled to a different country each year to see art, take pictures, and return to create her own designs here. She visited Spain, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Greece, and India. All of these trips affected her personal and professional life as an artist.
One of the types of art that is particularly interesting to her is I-Ching and abstractions. I-Ching is an ancient form of divination, which has both Ying and Yang as a part of it. She was looking for a committed partnership with a man, and found one when she re-met her cousin’s best friend (someone she had known for a long time). He has a daughter and with her son they have a blended family.
She joined Rotary because of Kristin Brown and feels it is time in her life to give back. Her travels showed her that volunteering is so important. She has wanted to be part of Rotary for five years. Kristin invited her to one of our meetings, and she is now a proud member.
She told us her name, Raissa, is based on a Russian Jewish woman, Raissa Maritain: a philosopher, poet, and mystic, who wrote about God and Truth.
She paints in her basement with oils.
Marv Edelstein told us she is a tremendous force in the Young Leaders committee. Her son, Cyrus, has applied to be part of the group.
