President Brad Weiss presided over the meeting of the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse.  The Thought for the Day was presented by John Heimbaugh, reminding us that the water in our bodies is made up of ancient water molecules which have their origins in interstellar space.  If we feel old, it’s because we are.

 

 

Harold Bauer read excerpts from an email he received from Robin Willis regarding her travels and work since her time as an Ambassadorial Scholar sponsored by the club in 2008-09.  She had previously given a presentation to our club on her work in street theater with children in South Africa. Robin is doing well and continues to thank the club for having made such a tremendous experience possible.

 

Brad Weiss showed the club the certificates that will be awarded to the 31 high school student participants in the first RI Youth Leadership Day on March 3, 2017.  Marv Edelstein explained that the students were given their choice of three service projects to support and they unanimously chose Haiti Outreach.  As a result, the Young Leaders Committee of ELRC gave the International Service Committee $250 from its budget. The funds were matched by a Global Grant, bringing the total contribution to $500.

 

Brad reminded members of the District 6440 Conference, to be held from April 28 to 30 at the Lincolnshire Marriott.  The conference will include a 3K Walk for Peace.  Registration details are on the district’s website.

 

Brad also announced that the district is selling tickets to the July 29 Cubs game against the Milwaukee Brewers.  If you cannot attend, you can still purchase tickets to be donated to veterans.

 

Brad showed a short video, produced by Bill Glader of ELRC, which urges support of the District 65 “Save Our Schools” referendum.  The referendum is needed to avoid a large shortfall in the district’s annual budget which would close many programs and services for children.

 

Ann Searles reminded the club of the upcoming annual Aging Well conference on May 5.  Information is on the club’s website. “Sunshine Lady,” Ann Searles also gave an update on the continued recovery of  Dale Bradley from a serious bout of pneumonia.

 

Elaine Clemens reminded the club of the deadline for submitting nominations for the 2017 ELRC Ethics Award; forms were placed on the tables.  Nominations would be accepted through Tuesday, March 28.  The Vocational Service Committee will be meeting at Elaine’s home at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 29, to consider the nominations for both the Ethics Award and the Vocational Service Award.

 

Kristin Brown announced that the Membership Committee will be meeting at her home at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 3, to discuss new goals in light of the club’s visioning process.

 

Although no announcement was made, Helen Oloroso is including this announcement:  Club Service will have its next monthly meeting at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, April 6, at the lower level RI cafeteria.  Committee members will discuss activities and anticipated costs for next year.

 

Joan Borg gave a moving presentation on her experiences while on a district service project in Guatemala recently.  Joan recounted how another member of the trip became seriously ill and how fellow Rotarians throughout the country came to her aid during every step of the journey through the medical system in Guatemala and back to the U.S.  Joan described it as Rotary being there for Rotarians in their time of need.  Lesley Peters pointed out that Joan was also there for her fellow Rotarian, accompanying her every step of the way back to Chicago.  Don Gwinn and his wife, Joanna, are in Guatemala currently and Joan indicated that they would present more about their two trips when Don returns.

 

 

Jean Saunders boasted Jackie Mack for having established a series of weekly emails that are now automatically sent to new members during their first six months in the club.  The emails contain specific information on various topics that are designed to help new members understand the organizational structure of Rotary and its mission, the history and practices of our club, and inform them on ways to become involved.  Jackie’s work has recently been featured in an internal RI e-publication called, “Rotary Leader.”

 

Brad Weiss boasted his wife, Tiffany, for having led the effort to double the amount of money raised in her school’s fundraiser over the goal that had been set.

 

Katherine Adams boasted herself for being able to return to participation in the club after passing the first trimester of her pregnancy.

 

 

Dave Simmons and Kea Gordon were each presented with their new blue badge by Brad Weiss, signaling their full membership in the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club.

 

 

 

 

Northlight Theatre is a professional, non-profit theater company currently located in Skokie, at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. Northlight produces five mainstage productions each year with a spectrum of work ranging from timely world premieres to refreshed classics. It is one of the largest nonprofit theatres in the Chicago area with more than 6,000 subscribers, serving audiences totaling in excess of 50,000 each season.

 

In addition to the mainstage season, programming includes workshops and readings of new works, audience outreach to veterans and many other groups, a summer performing arts camp, and a comprehensive arts education program for underserved middle and high school students.

 

Jones gave a description of the plays that will be presented in the 2017-18 season, featuring the return of five of the company’s most popular productions.  The final presentation this season will be the world premiere of “Relativity,” by Mark St. Germain and starring 93-year-old Mike Nussbaum as Albert Einstein.  The play will be directed by Jones himself.

 

Jones described the company’s mission as, “Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences.” During the Q&A period, he also addressed the company’s desire to return to its Evanston birthplace, although the exact location and timetable for a move is still being studied.

 

Jones then introduced Amanda Dunn Acevedo, Director of Education, who provided a great deal of information about the wide range of educational programming available to the schools and to the public. “Northlight On Campus” is a residency program that allows students to explore the fundamentals of acting through a curriculum emphasizing collaboration and play. 

 

“Speak Up” is a residency program offered to students through the Theatre for Social Change, which brings current events into the classroom and fosters social responsibility. “Season Access” is a program that allows students to attend mainstage productions which are then supplemented with in-school workshops, study guides and post-show productions. 

 

“Master Class” is a residency program which integrates core curriculum with advanced theatre arts through the instruction by a Northlight Teaching Artist who comes to the school classroom to lead a more in-depth experience with overall stagecraft. 

 

 

 

 

B. J. Jones, Northlight Theater, speaker
Amanda Dunn Acevedo, Northlight, speaker
Kim Hoopiman, Northlight
Debi Genthe, guest of Ann Searles, prospective member
Holly Halliday, guest of Joan Borg, prospective member
Amanda Ohman, Haiti Outreach, guest of Yves Lassare
Julia Burri, exchange student from Lucerne 

 

 

Dave Simmons, March 31

Helen Oloroso, April 2

 

 

Bruce Baumberger, 31 years

 

 

Set up: Bill Vernon and Ann Weatherhead   

Greeters:  Kia Gordon and Ira Graham

Break down:  Marcia Kazurinsky and Horton Kellogg