President Helen Oloroso called the meeting to order on Zoom at 7:30 a.m. and recited the “Why We Are Rotarians” litany.

 

 

Patrick Mbullo reported about mask making in Kenya.

 

 

Ann Weatherhead reported on the Housing Committee. She would like to assemble a group of members to engage in a conversation about how we can respond to housing issues in Evanston during this current crisis and beyond. She would like to begin a discussion via Zoom meetings within the next week.

 

Bill Glader and Linda Gerber reported that Taste of Evanston has been cancelled for this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of the funding raised at Taste of Evanston has gone toward addressing housing insecurity in Evanston. Connections for the Homeless and Reba Place Development Corp. each received nearly $40.000 the last two years. This year we are supporting the Evanston Community Rapid Response Fund. We will be mounting an online fundraiser. There are several volunteer opportunities at Connections for the Homeless and Reba Place Development.

 

Handmade face masks and gloves were donated to Connections for the Homeless. Taste partners NaKorn and Koi distribute meals to RPDC`s and to Connections. Paul Weber and Malu Simon are coordinating a plan for ELRC to invite friends and family to support two Taste partners each week.

 

 

Hail Khalaf updated us on volunteer opportunities with Connections for the Homeless.

 

 

 

 

Carol Pandak is a member of ELRC and is the Rotary International staff member in charge of the organization’s effort to wipe out polio. Ann Lee Hussey, speaking from her home in Maine, is a polio survivor and a past president of the Rotary Club of Portland Sunrise, Maine. She is a past director of Rotary’s District 7780. John Osterlund is a past president of ELRC and former staff director of The Rotary Foundation at RI’s headquarters in Evanston.

 

We heard a quick history of the PolioPlus campaign and about some of the similarities of the current Covid 19 pandemic with the early Polio pandemic. We also heard about preparations that are under way for the time when polio vaccinations will restart.

 

There was considerable optimism expressed that the worldwide anti-polio infrastructure will be of value to the world in combatting the coronavirus when a vaccine has been developed, tested, and approved for use.

 

 

 

Suzanne Gibson, District 6440 Governor

 

Mary Bak, District 6440 Assistant Governor assigned to our club, among others

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen Oloroso - 11 years

 

Bill Vernon - 17 years