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Russell Hampton
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Upcoming Events
Club Hybrid Meeting - November 9, 2021
Sherman Plaza Hospitality Suite
Nov 09, 2021
7:15 AM – 8:30 AM
 
Community Service Committee Meetings
Vitrual (Zoom)
Nov 09, 2021
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
 
Club Service Committee - Zoom
Zoom
Nov 10, 2021
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
 
Young Leaders Committee
Via Zoom
Nov 17, 2021
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
 
ELRC Board Meeting
NU Ford Building (and Zoom)
Nov 17, 2021
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
 
International Service Committee (ISC)
Via Zoom
Nov 22, 2021
7:15 PM – 8:30 PM
 
Club Service Committee - Zoom
Zoom
Dec 08, 2021
7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
 
Community Service Committee Meetings
Vitrual (Zoom)
Dec 14, 2021
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
 
View entire list
Meeting Notes from November 2, 2021
The Light for November 2, 2021
 
By Kathy Tate-Bradish
 
President Linda Gerber welcomed us and Lesley Peters read Why We Are Rotarians and gave a light Thought for the Day to counterbalance the tough problems the world is facing. A good time for laughing is when you can. According to Phyllis Diller, if you don’t have wrinkles, you haven’t laughed enough.
 
Announcements
 
Steve Steiber: The Taste of Evanston Survey showed the highest positive comments yet. Extremely well organized, volunteers helpful, no negative comments, length just right, the separate tents were popular, people were glad that proof of vaccine was required, the setting was beautiful, and the food was delicious. Comments: do it again next year, hopefully with even more restaurants!
 
Marisa Naujokas: Holiday Sale is starting! Sending out paper forms today, will send info with the forms. There are several options, including a fillable pdf -  send to the committee, they will enter data into website themselves, the website will be launched Friday. Marisa and Bruce Baumberger are the point people, an orientation for new people is coming up which will be recorded.
Katherine Peterson: ELRC hybrid meetings will commence next week and be held on the following dates:  Nov. 9, 16, 30, Dec. 7, 14, Jan. 4, 11, 18, 25, Feb. 1. We expect to return to RI on Feb. 8.
 
The in-person portion of the weekly meetings will be at Sherman Plaza Hospitality Suite, 807 Davis St., 3rd floor.  Greeters will be at the Front Desk to direct you to the 3rd floor. Parking is available in the City of Evanston Parking, Sherman Plaza Garage, 821 Davis St..  First Hour is free; then $3 per hour, and meter parking on the street is also available. Pre-registration is required for in-person meeting, so please use the link to Registration that will be included in the regular meeting invitation sent out by Marv and the Technology Committee.  
 
All who attend MUST be vaccinated. In-person attendees will present a one-time verification of completed vaccine status at the meeting. 
 
Masks are required. There will be no food or beverage service.  However, you may bring a beverage. Capacity will be limited to 25 so that we can provide socially distanced seating.
 
Post meeting Fellowship Breakfast  
 
When you register for the in-person meeting, you will be given the option to join a Fellowship Breakfast at Clark’s Restaurant, 804 Davis St.  In addition to fellowship time, we can also support a local Black-owned restaurant.
 
The Annual ELRC Holiday Party will be held Sunday, Dec. 12, at 5 p.m. at Sherman Plaza.  Details forthcoming very shortly.
 
Club Service meets on Wednesday, Nov. 10, at 7:30 a.m., via Zoom.  Everyone is welcome.
 
Kate Collinson: Dues are being increased to $125/quarter because of our move to a hybrid arrangement and need to rent the room; invoices will be coming soon. If you have any questions contact Kate and it will be worked out.
 
Steve Goranson for Ann Weatherhead – There will be a food drive for C&W Market at Sherman Plaza – drop off Nov. 10 and 11 between 3 and 4 p.m. You can bring to the hybrid meeting on the 9th. Clarence Weaver invited Rotarians Saturday, Nov. 13, at 8 a.m. to join Clarence distributing the food to community members.
 
Harold Bauer: OTR (Over the Rainbow) Gallery Show – Harold is one of 3 three featured artists in the OTR Gallery art show opening Thursday, Nov. 4, 5-8 p.m. Over the Rainbow is at 2040 Brown Ave., Evanston. The show will continue; you can see the exhibition after the opening night.
 
Linda Gerber: We are grateful to receive a $5,000 check from the proceeds of the drive-in movie fundraisers hosted by Evanston Loves Organizations (formerly Evanston Loves Rotary). Thank you to Patrick Hughes and his team. We will put this contribution to good use. 
 
Ann Searles: The fund to supply coats through Operation Warm for the Afghan children now at Campo Atterbury in Indiana has surpassed its goal of $36,000 with $36,187 received. It was a great pleasure for our club to be a cosponsor and thanks to all members who donated.
 
The Exercise Trail on the Lakefront was the centennial project in 2005, commemorating the 100th anniversary of Rotary. It was reported to Ann that there was some graffiti and a need for some other minor repairs, and one station had been removed due to remodeling of the park. She filed a complaint via Evanston 311. A year later she received an email confirmation that the needed repairs had been made. She also received another email message that the one station could not be located! Roast the city for losing it! And we now have a nine-station exercise trail in good condition along the lakefront.
 
New-Member Installation
 
Myra Janus has been an associate member for several years. Her late husband, Linc, encouraged her to be part of Rotary, and she has participated fully. Two years ago, Linc and Myra were host parents for Potter, our Rotary exchange student from Thailand. Myra has also been an active member of the Community Service Committee, where she has shared her interest in and knowledge of the Evanston community. She has been a member of the Peace Corps, a teacher, and a grant writer for District 65. She is a gifted quilter who will have at least two pieces on display at the upcoming Fine Art of Fiber SHOW at the Chicago Botanic Garden (if they find her registration form!!). Her classification is educational grant writing and management.
 
Brien Johnson is a new resident of Evanston, or will be when the total renovation of his 99-year-old house in Northeast Evanston is completed! His father-in-law is active in Rotary in Sarasota, Fla. He recommended that Brien look into Rotary, and Brien contacted us through our website. Brien is a semi-retired, semi-self-employed pharmaceutical consultant, having retired not long ago from Baxter International. He feels fortunate that he and his wife, Lauri, and their children, have been able to live in wonderful communities in several states, as well as in Germany, and they are excited to be settling in Evanston. Already a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity Restore, Cradles to Crayons, Bernie’s Books, and Chicago Canine Rescue, Brien has also mentored Industrial Engineering students at Purdue University, from which he earned his BS and MS degrees. His classification is consulting pharmaceutical industry.
 
Program
 
Topic: How to Experience Explosive Growth in Your Organization
 
Speaker: Talei Thompson, past president, Rotary Club of Maywood-Proviso
 
President Linda explained that members of the Evanston Community Rotaries DEI group from the Evanston, Evanston Nouveau, and Evanston Lighthouse met Talei Thompson online at a District 6450 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion presentation that was perhaps the strongest DEI conversation that we have heard in the Rotary space. She invited him to speak at one of the DEI meetings and he was inspiring again.
 
Talei is a member and past president of the Maywood-Proviso Rotary Club. He serves as a D6450 Assistant District Governor and is active in the district's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. He is a keynote speaker, leadership coach, and trainer.
 
Talei started us off by asking for two volunteers to envision our Rotary club in two years. Where is our club now, what do we do and what don’t we do, how effective are we? How impactful are we and aren’t we?
 
Rebeca Mendoza volunteered that she would love to see us better known among youth, for youth to make more use of our amazing programs. And she’d like to see more of her friends become part of the club. Harold Bauer agreed and added that we need to learn about what we need to reach into the general community, to have people see and understand what we are doing, and how they themselves can fulfil their desires to do good in the world through Rotary. And perhaps become Rotarians!
 
Talei said that those visions are both possible. As the club expands and grows, friends will want to be part of it, youth will want to be part of it, people will be clamoring to be part of it. There’s a tried-and-true formula, and when he was club president they had the fastest growing club in their District.
 
He suggested these tools:
 
Tool #1: Create and maintain a culture of excellence; it is our foundation. If we don’t use that tool, the others will be irrelevant because people will join and then leave. Make sure everything is in order and that guests feel welcome.
 
Tool #2: Continue using Zoom. Invite people from all over the world. Talei’s club even has members from other states.
 
Tool #3: Have entertaining events, memorable moments, and powerful programming. Find speakers that command attention and draw crowds, and invite them to speak.
 
Tool #4: Exercise the law of explosive growth. Talei is influenced by leadership expert John C. Maxwell’s The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth, who said “To add growth, lead followers—to multiply, lead the leaders.” Talei advises clubs to invite leaders to join.
 
The Q&A was lively, with a lot more advice and input.
 
Guests and Milestones
 
Visiting Rotarians
 
Talei Thompson, Maywood-Proviso Rotary Club, speaker
 
Other Guests
 
Dan Coyne, about to be inducted as a member
 
Birthdays
 
Kelly Fidei, November 5
 
Club Anniversaries
 
Michael Merdinger, 6 years
 
 
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