Past President Brad Weiss welcomed members to the meeting in President Marv Edelstein’s absence. Marv is undergoing rotator cuff surgery today and we wish him well.    Brad offered a Thought for the Day from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  (via the book Love, Africa by Evanston native Jeffrey Gettleman): “The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people, but the silence over that by the good people.” 

 

 

Brad announced that Saturday, Sept. 16, will be Rotary District 6440 Day at Northwestern.  Interested Rotarians will attend the 6 p.m. football game against Bowling Green State University.  Additional details will be forthcoming.   

 

Brad also revealed the dates for the District’s 2018 Annual Conference. This important event will occur from May 17-20 at the Conference Center in Sheboygan, Wisconsin.  As the event nears, more info will be shared.

 

Ann Searles explained that a Ravinia Fellowship event will be held on Sunday, Aug. 6.   Rotarians and friends are encouraged to meet at Ravinia Park after 3 p.m. for an evening of music and picnicking.  The CSO is performing a Mancini and Moon River concert, featuring flute solos by Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway.    Lawn admission is $10, plus parking or train fare, and the concert is scheduled for 5 p.m.   The Baumbergers and Searles will arrive early to stake out a picnic/listening area on the lawn.  Please plan to bring your own food, drink, and chairs – and let Ann know so that adequate space can be reserved.

 

Ann circulated a card for President Marv who is having rotator cuff surgery.   We hope for his speedy recovery!

 

Ann also reported that Dick Moenning’s wife Margot recently had knee replacement surgery at the Mayo Clinic.  Please keep them in your thoughts.

 

Joan Borg again put out a call for new scribes.  At present, there is no one able to take meeting notes on August 1 or August 29.  If you’re able to help with this important responsibility, please let Joan know.    

 

Susan Prout announced that our club will be packaging diapers for the Bundled Blessings Diaper Pantry (sponsored by First Methodist Church) on Thursday, July 27, at 7 p.m.  Bundled Blessings works with social service agencies to distribute diapers to those experiencing a shortfall.  Please let Susan know if you are able to help with this effort.

 

Gary Peterson noted that last week’s Golf Road Clean-up (cancelled because of rain and humidity) has been rescheduled to this Saturday, July 29, at 8:30 a.m.  Volunteers are asked to meet at the T.J. Maxx parking lot with work gloves.

 

Neil Gambow announced that an Inbound Youth Exchange student has been identified and will be arriving around August 20.  Patida Phanitkullawat is from central Thailand.  She will be living with Cassie Tingley’s parents during the first half of the year, while Cassie is outbound in Finland.  She will then move to another family’s home for the second half of the academic year.

 

Jean Saunders drew club attention to the flyers on the table promoting Rotary’s Woman of Action Series.  Deepa Willingham, founder of PACE (Promise of Assurance to Children Everywhere), will be speaking on August 2, 2 p.m. at One Rotary Center.  Deepa has been recognized at the White House and United Nations for her work educating girls and their mothers to prevent child trafficking and early marriage in rural India.

 

 

Brad Weiss boasted his wife Tiffany for 15 years of marriage.  The Weiss family recently traveled to Paris to visit relatives and Brad and Tiffany were able to spend some time in Aix-en-Provence where they honeymooned.

 

Harold Bauer boasted his wife Karen (author of The Essentials of Beautiful Singing: A Three-Step Kinesthetic Approach) who will be traveling to Stockholm to deliver a session at the International Congress of Voice Teachers. The Bauers will continue their travels in Germany after their time in Sweden.

    

Kathy Tate-Bradish boasted the Taste of Evanston Committee for their efforts on behalf of our three benepartners.  Kathy shared a thank-you letter from a participant in the Evanston Rebuilding Warehouse program.

 

Dale Bradley sought a fourth player for a July 31 Evanston Chamber of Commerce Golf Outing team.  Zbig Skiba volunteered to play, joining John Osterlund, Bill Glader and Chip Uchtman. Dale and the Bradley team will also be playing to win at the Wilmette Golf Course.

 

 

Kristin Brown introduced former Rotary employee and friend Amanda Runge.  Kristin and Amanda traveled to Bangkok in 2012 for their first Rotary conventions. Amanda celebrated her birthday during that trip, a highlight of which was singing with a jazz band on her hotel’s rooftop terrace.   A trained opera singer, Amanda is now Strategic Partnership Manager at Shelterbox USA.  A member of the Lakeview Rotary Club, she currently enjoys using the institutional knowledge from eight years at RI with one of its most important partners – ShelterBox.

 

After a brief video, Amanda offered several definitions of ‘home’ and noted its importance as a foundation for families and communities, and a source of hope for the future. She then explained that 85 million people are currently displaced (more than twice the population of California) – 25 million as a result of natural disasters and 60 million as a result of conflict.   The number of displaced individuals is expected to grow to 200 million by 2050.   ShelterBox’s mission is to provide emergency shelter and urgent vital aid to those overwhelmed by disaster or humanitarian crisis. 

 

How did this effort begin?  In 1999, a group of Rotarians in Cornwall, England, saw a gap in disaster relief.  They developed a product (the infamous green ShelterBox) that would hold the practical tools and utensils necessary to creating a framework for everyday life.  In addition to a family-sized protective, safe tent, each 120-pound box provides climate- and disaster-specific items such as solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets, and cooking utensils.

     

ShelterBox, in providing tools to transform lives and rebuild communities, learned that there’s no one solution to every disaster.  ShelterBox has expanded its aid offerings to include four styles of tents, shelter repair kits, and other needed items.  An adaptation of the Standard Relief Tent, the lighter-weight Oase tent was created to extend a porch-like area.  The Flex 3 is a cold weather tent, featuring significant insulation and a chimney that facilitates cooking and heating.  This tent has been deployed in North Korea.  Heavier and more expensive is the Unspec tent, an ‘incognito’ version which is used when normal tent labeling might put its recipients at risk.  ShelterBox is constantly monitoring, evaluating, and improving its response materials and processes.

 

Other important tools are the Luminaid solar light (a lightweight, foldable, chargeable light that provides 8 to 16 hours of safety/protection/normalcy), mosquito nets (to limit malaria and Zika), thirst aid purification stations (to prevent waterborne disease), and shelter repair kits (plastic sheeting, tools, ropes, building materials).  ShelterBox transportation takes any form possible.  Aid is hand-delivered to those needing it most via truck, donkey, bike, catamaran, individual and small well-trained teams.

 

How can you get involved?  ShelterBox is supported by generous donors from around the world -- individuals, foundations, Rotary Clubs, and other organizations.  There are also three volunteer opportunities – ShelterBox ambassadors, Rotary Club Liaisons and Shelter Box Response Team members.  (The latter go through a rigorous training and selection process, with only 1 in 30 selected to join the 200-member response team.)

 

Since 2001, more than 1.1 million people around the world have received shelter from ShelterBox.  The first project partner for Rotary International, ShelterBox builds on the strength of both groups.  Rotarians are significant supporters of ShelterBox and are often a first point of contact when deployment occurs.   Rotary Clubs can become ShelterBox Heros, by making a three-year pledge to support ShelterBox at the $1,000, $3,000, or $5,000 level. 

 

Amanda cited several notable ShelterBox deployments, beginning with the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami in which 230,000 lost their lives and another 230,000+ were left homeless.  In response, ShelterBox delivered 22,000 boxes to four different countries.  ShelterBox has deployed four times in the U.S., providing boxes in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012), and tornados in Arkansas (2011) and Oklahoma (2013).  Within hours after the 2010 Earthquake in Haiti, more than 27,000 boxes and tents were hand-delivered, and shelter kits were sent to Haiti in 2016.  Malawi flooding in 2015 prompted additional action. 

 

ShelterBox partners on the ground with other groups such as the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity, and enjoys two seats on the United Nations Shelter Cluster. 

 

 

 

 

Amanda Runge, Lakeview Rotary Club, speaker

 

 

Steve Torres, brother-in-law of Chris Joyce and prospective member

 

 

John Osterlund – July 29

Eric Schmelling - July 25

 

 

August Team Captain: Barb Miles

August Team Members:Harold Bauer, Gerry Baumann, Bruce Baumberger, Dale Bradley, and Fran Caan