There were 27 members present. Our guests were Carolyn Kambich (as Tony said--his better ¾); and Mike Waldman (guest of Connie Berman). President Leske presided and started the meeting by having everyone sing Happy Birthday to our long term member Rodg Morris, a veteran of both WWII and the Korean War. Other Rotary anniversaries were Gerry Keenan (1 year) and Marie Kuipers (5 years).
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Heidi Sibert and Ric Borjesson reminded everyone of the upcoming Kids Against Hunger event on both March 15 and 16. We still need volunteers to help set up on the 15th starting at 3:00, as well as people on the 16th to help pack from 8:00 to 4:30—all activity to be at the WCH. Please contact either Heidi or Ric, or just show up at the WCH to help this very important cause. Marie announced that our annual benefit is still being planned for this coming May although it may not be at a Winnetka Park District facility—instead she is looking at Clarkson Park in Northfield and the WCH for the location. Members were reminded of the Winnetka Youth Organization 50th Anniversary Benefit on April 13, 2019 at 7:00 PM at the Sheridan Shore Yacht Club in Wilmette.
HAPPY BUCKS: David Grant contributed for the excellent minutes of the last two meetings done by John and Patti when he was out of town attending his daughter’s Lacrosse game at Wesleyan University, for her team being undefeated thus far, for his inability to attend the Kids Against Hunger event, and for Robert Mardirossian coming back all the way from Hawaii to attend the 125th anniversary of the Counseling Center. Tony gave in honor of his wife Carolyn, Rodg’s birthday, the return of Robert from Hawaii, and the great picture of President Leske recently published in the local paper. Robert gave in celebration of the 3 Rotary meetings he attended while in Hawaii and the fact that our Club (specifically Bob Baker) gave him $10 a meeting as a credit against meals he didn’t have with our Club—which Robert immediately turned back to the Kids Against Hunger campaign. John Thomas gave in honor of Kevin Rutherford, former Recreation Supervisor at the Winnetka Park District who passed the Chicago Fire Department’s entrance exams 4 years ago and was just offered his dream job of being a Chicago fireman—which he accepted. John also donated in celebration of our member, Mary Komlofske (WYO Program Director) who was recently accepted into a social work PHD program at the University of Chicago. President elect Marie donated for the opportunity of attending a training session at Rotary International where she met many interesting and motivated future officers of the Rotary.
DIG AND GRIN: Keith Reed told members about the importance of marriage counselors making their advice crystal clear to “old married guys”!!
SPEAKER CHRISTIE HWANG JORDAN: David Birkenstein introduced the speaker who started practicing Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in 1999 to assist people through health crises often happening with life transitions. Christie realized her passion for the healing arts after she watched her Dad move through the healing process when he was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer. She received a Masters Degree from the Midwest College of Oriental Medicine and her B.A. in History and Literature from the University of Illinois. She also studied acupuncture in Japan and was an apprentice to a well known herbal master in Chicago. She has discussed her professional experience in these areas through several Chicago media outlets. Christie started by commending the Rotary Clubs for being healing organizations—they are holistic on a macro community level trying to achieve peace and harmony.
She described how her Dad battled cancer with a combination of a Japanese diet, fasting, cleansing, meditation, acupuncture and herbs. Within 2 months he experienced a spontaneous remission in his condition. He went back to school to study holisim and acupuncture and practiced these approaches to healing for several years out of his Chicago apartment before he passed. Christie had already established a practice in these medical treatment areas in downtown Chicago, but decided to extend her practice to the North Shore in 2016 by opening an office at 723 Elm in Winnetka (312-335-9330). Her organization is called Source Healing which specializes in acupuncture, bodywork, Chinese Medicine, pain, stress and women’s health. More information is available at
www.sourcehealing.com.
The following points were made by Christie: When unhealthy symptoms appear, there exists a root cause; listen to your body “whisper” before it screams at you with such problems as headaches or back trouble; emotional and mental health problems affect the body; your body is like a tree that needs good soil, strong roots and healthy branches; in Chinese medicine, diagnostic equipment is not used like our American doctors use it, but instead they look at fluids in the body, how blood flows, thickness and color of the tongue and quality of the pulse; infections and inflammations of the body are usually caused by too much heat in the body which can be remedied by certain herbs and food; meditation is an effective treatment; and a healthy digestion system is very important to keep healthy on the outside of the body and to avoid mood disorders. Christie said that initial exams of potential patients will take only about 90 minutes for a doctor to reach some conclusions on the suggested treatment.
During the Q & A, Christie said that the American Medical Association and many states (including Illinois) were slow to accept holism and acupuncture as effective treatments for medical problems. Now there are advanced degrees, Board exams and certifications in this area of treatment. Plus, many treatments are reimbursable under most insurance plans. She also said it was important for people with health problems to discuss their treatment with others to get the benefit of all sort of treatments being used today. She said that nutrition is a very important part of medical treatment—e.g. too much sugar and carbs in a diet can cause many physical problems like bunyons and inflammed spleens. Those interested in further advice on this topic can contact Christie at her website or by calling 312-335-9330.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30.
