Co-President Moha Bouacha opened the meeting and welcomed everyone; he shared an inspiring statement from Rotary International as the thought of the day. Terry Dason led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and lunch was served.
Several announcements and updates were shared:
- Moha, along with Ken Drummet, provided an update on the work in progress to prepare for our global grant application, which will provide funding to support an existing women’s cooperative in Timoulilt, Morocco which is currently very limited due to lack of equipment, supplies, and training. The goal is to supply equipment for knitting, embroidery, and sewing, along with a heat press. He anticipates the grant will also include funding for training women to use the equipment as well as in business management, financial management, sales, and marketing. Moha anticipates the total grant amount will be between $30,000 and $60,000. Recent activity included a planning meeting with the host Rotary club in Morocco.
- Rich Lalley shared an update on the District Conference, which he attended along with co-President Moha Bouacha. He noted that about 200 Rotarians attended, and there were two especially interesting speakers, Tony Bridwell (who spoke about leadership and followership), and Eve Gomez, who spoke about the work of Rahab’s Daughters, an organization based in Barrington that works to address human trafficking right here in the Chicago area. He also reported that there were three breakout sessions on various topics. Moha shared that he really enjoyed the networking at the conference as well. All are encouraged to attend future conferences.
- Rich announced that fellow Rotarian Marie Kuipers has published a memoir, titled We’re All Mad Here and is hosting a launch party on Thursday, October 24, 7pm at The Green Post, 4749 North Rockwell in Chicago. Rich plans to attend and others are encouraged to join him – reach out to Rich (or Marie!) for more details.
- David Grant announced that next week’s meeting will be “Members’ Day” – meaning that all Rotarians are invited to bring a topic that you want to discuss. He also noted that committee chairs could provide an update on the work of their committee as well.
- Amy reminded everyone about the Rock the House: Woodstock show at the Community House on October 18, an immersive, multi-media, live music experience that will take you back to that iconic weekend! Tickets are available here.
- Rich reminded everyone about the Operation Warm benefit happening tomorrow night – even if you can’t attend, you can still bid on auction items. Rich also noted that there will be an opportunity for Rotarians to participate in giving out coats at the Rogers Park Library on Saturday, November 23 in the afternoon, more details to come.
Greeter Terry Dason introduced Michael Ambrose who is here for the 2nd time as a guest today. Ken Drummet offered an entertaining story / joke for Dig N Grin. Moha shared Happy Bucks – he was happy the international meeting about the proposed global grant went well.
Bob Baker introduced Elise Larsen (Executive Director) and Elise Steffe (Development Director), our guest speakers from Special Gifts Theatre. Bob noted that our Club has supported Special Gifts Theatre through our community grants for several years.
They shared their updated mission and vision statements and highlighted how transformative the experience of performing is both for those with disabilities and their peer mentors. Special Gifts Theatre is the only organization in the area providing education and theatre arts programming for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The presentation included an excellent overview of their programs along with their impact. More information about Special Gifts Theatre is available on their website.
The meeting adjourned with our usual recitation of the 4-Way Test.