President Linda Gerber welcomed members to the meeting before Steve Steiber led the group in the Why We Are Rotarians statement.  Steve shared a Thought for the Day from The Second Mountain: The Quest for a Moral Life by New York Times editorial columnist David Brooks.

 

 

Vai Ravikumar reported on the success of last Saturday’s Holiday Sale floral distribution effort.  For the first time, the website was used for both order placement and delivery processing.  This Saturday is another major distribution day.  Hams, citrus, nuts, and snacks will be distributed at Evanston Subaru, as in past years.  You will receive additional details via email.  Volunteers (and hand trucks) are still needed to unload hams and citrus on Thursday and Friday afternoons and to help with Rotarian pick-ups on Saturday morning. Please email Don Gwinn if you’re able to help with Thursday or Friday unloading.

 

We have sold roughly $43,000 of products, but still hope to reach our $55,000 goal.  Note: Hams are currently oversold, but the HS Committee is sourcing extra hams to accommodate already placed customer orders and donations to the local community.    Top seller Ann Searles commented that she’s never encountered so many men in their PJ’s when making her deliveries.  (Covid benefit or curse?)

 

Thanks to “Rotary Club magic,” Helen Oloroso reported that reservations for Sunday’s Holiday Party equaled the 50-person limit necessitated by the facility. (At present, there is no waiting list.)  The party will take place from 5 - 8 p.m. in the 3^rd floor Hospitality Room of the Residences of Sherman Plaza, 807 Davis St..   A light dinner buffet from Koi (with desserts from Comfort Desserts Reimagined) will be served and attendees are asked to wear masks except while eating.  It is assumed that all attendees have been vaccinated. Participants will need to check-in at the primary entry door on Davis Street. During the event, member volunteers are asked to help keep food and drinks replenished. 

 

ISC Chair Sue Bova and Linda Gerber recently participated in a Zoom call with the RC of Campinas-Sul, our primary partner for the Smile Train Global Grant project in Brazil.  This important $115,000 grant funds Surgical Fellowship Training for five young surgeons who will provide restorative cleft palate surgeries at no cost to affected families.  The current Fellows, their training surgeons and four different Rotary Clubs, were represented on the call.  Each Fellow had an opportunity to speak on the impact of this work.  It was a terrific example of the projects that we’re able to support.  Please consider attending the next International Service Committee meeting on Monday, Dec. 13, at 7:15 a.m.

 

 

Linda Gerber presented Harold Bauer with his Paul Harris Fellow + 3 pin.  Quoting Harold’s comments of last week, “A family here in Evanston or a small village in Ghana will forever be grateful.”  Not able to provide the requested trumpet fanfare, the Club nonetheless extends its thanks for Harold’s inspiring contributions of service, talent, and treasure.  

 

 

Following up on the slate circulated via email by Chris Joyce and the Nominating Committee, Linda Gerber oversaw a voice vote by the Club to approve the roster of officers for the 2022-2023 club year: 

 

President-Nominee 2023-24 - Bryant Wallace 

Secretary - Clarence Weaver

Club Treasurer - Kate Collinson 

Club Foundation Treasurer - Kristin Brown

Club Service Chair - Joan Borg

Career Service Chair - Charlotta Koppanyi  

Community Service Chair - Myra Janus 

Fundraising Chair - John Osterlund  

Housing Chair - Ann Weatherhead 

International Service Chair - Patrick Mbullo  

Membership Chair - Steve Steiber 

Program Chair - Zbig Skiba 

Public Image Chair - Marisa Naujokas 

Rotary Foundation Chair - Helen Oloroso 

Technology Chair - Bryant Wallace 

Young Leaders Chair - Chris Joyce 

 

Congratulations and thank you to the 2022-2023 Board for stepping up!

 

 

 

 

“Honored and privileged to serve,” President-Elect Kathy Tate-Bradish thanked the Club and expressed her excitement about working with the incoming Board.  Kathy noted that she had learned from every President since her induction to membership by Harold Bauer in 2015.  Her defined goals include continued support of our focus on Affordable Housing, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and Financial Sustainability. In addition, Rotary’s seventh area of focus – the Environment – will be a priority. Personally, Kathy pledged to be a good listener, helping to facilitate our club’s dreams to make the greatest possible impact in Evanston and abroad.

 

As Club Treasurer, Kate Collinson collects dues and meal payments from all members.  These funds support a long list of expenses, including technology, off-site storage, Club-wide events (New Board installation, Holiday Party, Picnic), membership marketing, special workshops, District assemblies, and training events.  

 

Community Service Chair Steve Goranson explained that his committee, meeting virtually, has determined its mission statement for 2021-2022:  To support projects or programs focusing on child and youth development and education. This could span educational, social, emotional, and mental health deficiencies created by the pandemic (social emotional learning). Programs that emphasize child and youth environmental education will be given priority.  In addition, Steve’s committee oversees our ‘hands on’ projects – Bundled Blessings, Beach Clean-up, Golf Road Clean-up, food distributions, environmental projects.  The Committee is pleased to support small but meaningful projects and hopes to partner with other clubs in the future. 

 

Public Image Chair Kathy Tate-Bradish acknowledged the successful TOE social media campaign run by her fellow committee members – Marisa Naujokas, Hillary Hufford-Tucker, and Kelly Fidei.  They are currently working on a strategic plan for the club's overall outward communication/branding so that our public-facing communication reflects our mission and values. New members are welcome and needed!  Enthusiasm is all that’s required, but knowledge of Instagram or Tik Tok would be particularly helpful.  We may collaborate with the Evanston Nouveau club, which offers lots of  "hands on" opportunities. If you are on social media, please read and amplify the Committee’s posts and pass along your suggestions.  Boosting our public image will improve every aspect of the club!

 

Technology Chair Bryant Wallace thanked his committee (Marv Edelstein, Bruce Baumberger, Don Gwinn, Zbig Skiba, and Chip Uchtman) and cited their efforts to streamline TOE ticket purchases, enhance our hybrid meetings, and support all of our committees by making the best use of technology.

 

After noting that this is typically a quiet time for the committee, Young Leaders Chair Chris Joyce explained that RYLA (district-wide youth leadership weekend at a camp in Southeast Wisconsin) is being planned for March and April 2022.   District leadership is very close to postponing the Youth Exchange Program for another year due to new variants of the Covid virus.  The Committee is hopeful that Youth Leadership Day will be possible in the late spring. Chris thanked Zbig (tree-planting) and Bryant (tech) for promoting ‘hands on’ partnership opportunities. Rebeca Mendoza and Jackie Mack are working on RI President’s Shekhar Mehta’s Empowering Girls initiative. Please let Chris know if you have other ideas for working with youth.

 

Career Service Chair Charlotta Koppanyi and committee member Nick Powers have focused on creating educational opportunities for adults as a stepping stone to affordable housing.  The Committee has been working with member Keith Banks and Martha Burns of Reba Place Development Corp. to identify students who could benefit from education-related funding. Recent success stories include a licensed pharmacist and a business certificate awardee who is now pursuing an education at DePaul. They look forward to continuing the partnership with Reba Place and potentially supporting individuals interested in starting their own businesses. 

 

Membership Chair Ann Searles reported that her committee had hosted several popular, informal get-togethers with new-ish members.  Noting that there’s always attrition in Rotary (due to moves, job and health changes, etc.), Ann asked all members to think about potential individuals who might want to join our group.  Share your great Rotary experience with others!   

 

Club Service Chair Katherine Peterson and her large, fluid committee have been busy during the pandemic. In addition to the mid-summer Leadership Installation, the Committee has organized many walks, excursions, and fellowship opportunities around Evanston, including the upcoming Holiday Party. They also promoted the 21-week United Way Equity Challenge which eight members completed. Plans are under way to offer the Challenge again in 2022.  A Scribe luncheon was recently held at which new protocols were introduced to streamline the workload.   Katherine noted that there are many members who put in time behind the scenes, including The Light editor Chuck Bartling and our crew of Scribes (Neil Gambow, Kathy Tate-Bradish, Kate Collinson, Myra Janus and Katherine Peterson).

 

Club Foundation Chair Helen Oloroso (liaison between our Club and the Rotary Foundation) noted that lots of charities are experiencing reduced donations, while the need continues.  After a busy fund-raising summer and fall with TOE and the Holiday Sale, club members are encouraged to consider a year-end, tax-deductible gift to the Rotary Foundation. If that’s not possible, donations may be made at any time, supporting polio eradication and Rotary’s other areas of focus.   

 

Club Foundation Treasurer Kristin Brown noted that our club has its own 501(c)3 foundation which supports International Service, Community Service, Career Service, and Youth programs.  It’s possible for members to contribute to our Foundation directly (earning a tax deduction) as another way of supporting our efforts.  During the coming year, Willie Steiner will be Kristin’s understudy, learning the ropes of the Foundation Treasurer position.  

 

International Service Chair Sue Bova, with Patrick Mbullo in Kenya, encouraged new members to join the Committee.  Last year, the ISC funded 14 humanitarian projects around the world at a cost of $35,000. You could be a part of this year’s efforts!  

 

By donating through myrotary.org, you have the opportunity to direct your contribution to a variety of projects and/or programs.   You may select Polio Eradication (with a 2:1 Gates Foundation match), a particular Rotary area of focus, or the Annual Fund (which returns funds to our club after three years). 

 

President Gerber explained that members of the Financial Sustainability Committee (Kathy Tate-Bradish, Bryant Wallace, Kate Collinson, Harold Bauer, Chris Joyce , Paul Brown, Kristin Brown, John Osterlund) met via Zoom with Eric Schmelling to learn about the Rotary Foundation’s Donor Advised Funds program.  The Committee looks forward to hearing about the Evanston Community Foundation’s Endowment program at an upcoming FS meeting.  These options – for building financial sustainability – will eventually be presented to the membership.  As many have said, “either choice is a good one.” 

 

The FS committee is also hoping to reduce our club’s dependence (when setting budgets) on current year fundraising by putting aside a percentage of funds raised for several years to build up a cache.  The actual mechanics of this process have not yet been determined.

 

Joint efforts by the three Rotary Clubs in Evanston to promote DEI within our community (in conjunction with the Evanston Community Foundation and Northwestern University) are temporarily on hold. 

 

More details about our Rotary Club’s Health Check will be provided in the weeks to come.  As part of this check, members will have an opportunity to leave feedback on a variety of issues. 

 

 

 

Jose Lopez, Delta-Waverly Rotary Club, Lansing, MI, prospective member   

 

 

Holly Halliday – Dec. 7

 

Scott Kaplan – Dec. 7

 

Pram Chakraborty – Dec. 10

 

Dan Coyne – Dec. 12

 

Chip Uchtman – Dec. 12

 

 

Troy Perkins – Dec. 8, 1 year