Sharon spent 8 years on Gift of Adoption’s National Board, serving 4 years as president, before rolling off the board to become Gift of Adoption's first Major Gifts officer four years ago. Prior to that, she was the Development Director for the Chicago Chapter of Pratham USA. Sharon began her career as a management consultant with Booz, Allen and Hamilton (now Strategy&) based in Chicago, Tokyo and Hong Kong. She holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Kellogg. Sharon and her husband live in Wilmette where they raised their three children, Mary, Pater and Renuka.
Gift of Adoption is a national nonprofit which provides U.S. parents the final funds needed to complete the adoption of vulnerable children in the U.S. and abroad. Our grants prioritize children facing what might be their only chance of adoption: sibling groups, children with medical needs, older children and children who might otherwise enter the U.S. foster care system.
The meeting in the Winnetka Community House was opened at 12:16 by President Bill Leske. A brief “Thought for the Day” came from Joe Nash quoting JFK’s famous “Ask not what your country can do for you “. It was followed by the pledge of allegiance led by Robert Mardirossian.
Lunch was served at 12:24 and the meeting then started at 12:40. There were 23 of our 51 members in attendance.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Leske reminded us that the 4th of July parade next year will have the W/N Rotary included and volunteers will be needed He also noted a “best kept secret” is that a Rotary Exchange visit from Italy is coming up and we’ll need hosts.
Rich Lalley again noted the end of May is the end of the Rotary year. He urged members to send modest contributions to the RI Foundation so we have a 100% participation as has been the case for some years now.
HAPPY BUCKS: Mr. Mardirossian was pleased to contribute $18 reflecting he has had perfect attendance for that many consecutive years. Rich Lalley said it appears we will have a record year in contributing to the Rotary International Foundation.
DIG & GRIN: Fred Schwimmer favored us with an anecdote about people running for Congess or the Senate which was well received.
SPEAKER : The speaker for the day was Ashwani Gard, MD. Dr. Garg is board certified in both primary care and lifestyle medicine. The latter is a new specialty in the medical arena. He practices as a primary care physician in Lincolnwood, working for Northshore Connect since October 2017. Prior to that, he was in private practice in Hoffman Estates and resides there with his wife and twin boys currently. Dr. Garg’s undergraduate degree was in biomedical engineering and he completed his medical education at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine
His talk centered about lifestyle medicine and the practical health results that come from paying attention to consumption of more fruits, legumes and greens and less starch and protein. A lively Q&A followed for about 20 minutes.
The meeting closed at 1:26 p.m. with a recitation of the Rotary 4-Way Pledge.
Thank you to the 32 members of our club who donated a total of $11,430 to The Rotary Foundation's Annual Program Fund in the 2017-18 Rotary Year, exceeding our goal of $10,000 and setting a record level of giving!
Please thank these Rotarians for making their annual contribution, especially those in bold who are Paul Harris Fellows:
Sam Badger*+, Wes Baumann, Jean Beckman, Mary Lou Bilder Gold, David Birkenstein*+, Laura Cunningham, Joe Fell, David Grant*, Heather Higgins,Tony Kambich*, Gerry Keenan, Mark Kotz, Marie Kuipers,Rich Lalley+, Bill Leske, Robert Mardirossian, Rodger Morris*, Tom Nash, Chuck Norton, Felicia O'Malley, Lee Padgitt, Brooke Peepey, Keith Reed, Randy Reeves, Bob Sanfilippo, Fred Schwimmer+, Heidi Sibert, Peter Skalski, John Thomas,Barb Tubekis, and Patti Van Cleave, Carl Yudell. * signifies a Major Donor+ signifies Paul Harris Society ($1,000 per year)
There are many reasons to give to the The Rotary Foundation:
Contributions support humanitarian and educational projects initiated and run by Rotary Clubs and Districts in six areas of focus- Disease prevention and treatment, maternal & child health, education & literacy, water and sanitation, economic & community development and peace & conflict resolution. Learn more by reviewing the Foundation’s annual report.
Contributions come back to support projects of our club's projects, like our coats for kids, Kids Against Hunger and International grants projects like our breadfruit tree project in Haiti, the water and sanitation project we helped fund for school in Guatemala, and the digital x-ray/community health clinic project organized by District 6440. This year, we received nearly $4,000 for our Kids Against Hunger project! But we must give to receive.
Giving to The Rotary Foundation is an easy way for you to participate in Rotary’s service work beyond our club, providing you a personal connection to this great organization and the good it does throughout the world.
It’s easy to give. You can donate with a check or credit card at lunch; you can send a check to “WNRCF” (mark TRF in the memo line) to our club at 620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka; you can donate via PayPal by clicking here, or you can donate directly to The Rotary Foundation at www.rotary.org or by calling 866-976-8279. One very convenient way to give is by making a recurring monthly gift on your credit card, which you can set up on Rotary’s website.
If you have not already supported The Rotary Foundation this year, please do so now.
If you have any questions about The Rotary Foundation or how to give, contact Rich Lalley.
As the 2017-18 Rotary Year nears its conclusion, please join the millions of beneficiaries of projects funded by The Rotary Foundation in thanking our members who have honored their commitment of Every Rotarian, Every Year, contribute to The Rotary Foundation's Annual Programs Fund.
With three weeks to go, our club members have donated a total of $11,030 in the 2017-18 Rotary Year, reaching our goal of $10,000!
Please thank these 31 Rotarians for making their annual contribution, especially those in bold who are Paul Harris Fellows:
Sam Badger*+, Wes Baumann, Jean Beckman, Mary Lou Bilder Gold, David Birkenstein*+, Laura Cunningham, Joe Fell, David Grant*, Tony Kambich*, Gerry Keenan, Mark Kotz, Marie Kuipers,Rich Lalley+, Bill Leske, Robert Mardirossian, Rodger Morris*, Tom Nash, Chuck Norton, Felicia O'Malley, Lee Padgitt, Brooke Peepey, Keith Reed, Randy Reeves, Bob Sanfilippo, Fred Schwimmer+, Heidi Sibert, Peter Skalski, John Thomas,Barb Tubekis, and Patti Van Cleave, Carl Yudell. * signifies a Major Donor+ signifies Paul Harris Society ($1,000 per year)
There are many reasons to give to the The Rotary Foundation:
Contributions support humanitarian and educational projects initiated and run by Rotary Clubs and Districts in six areas of focus- Disease prevention and treatment, maternal & child health, education & literacy, water and sanitation, economic & community development and peace & conflict resolution. Learn more by reviewing the Foundation’s annual report.
Contributions come back to support projects of our club's projects, like our coats for kids, Kids Against Hunger and International grants projects like our breadfruit tree project in Haiti, the water and sanitation project we helped fund for school in Guatemala, and the digital x-ray/community health clinic project organized by District 6440. This year, we received nearly $4,000 for our Kids Against Hunger project! But we must give to receive.
Giving to The Rotary Foundation is an easy way for you to participate in Rotary’s service work beyond our club, providing you a personal connection to this great organization and the good it does throughout the world.
It’s easy to give. You can donate with a check or credit card at lunch; you can send a check to “WNRCF” (mark TRF in the memo line) to our club at 620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka; you can donate via PayPal by clicking here, or you can donate directly to The Rotary Foundation at www.rotary.org or by calling 866-976-8279. One very convenient way to give is by making a recurring monthly gift on your credit card, which you can set up on Rotary’s website.
If you have not already supported The Rotary Foundation this year, please do so now.
If you have any questions about The Rotary Foundation or how to give, contact Rich Lalley.
We are pleased to announce our formal agreement with the Rotary Club of Les Cayes, District 7020, Haiti, to partner on a Global Grant project that will bring sustainable jobs and locally grown protein rich food to the Jeremie region of Haiti.
We are looking to raise approximately $20,000 for this project, which when matched $2.50 to $1 by The Rotary Foundation, will provide $70,000 in funding for this project. Rotary Clubs interested in participating should email info@wnrotary.org.
Areas of Focus
¨ Economic & Community Development
¨ Maternal & Child Health
¨ Bonus: Positive Environmental Impact
Project Objectives
¨ Restore and expand breadfruit production in Jeremie region of Haiti that was devastated by Hurricane Matthew
¨ Create a local, solar-powered breadfruit processing facility
¨ Provide vocational training to farmers, facility workers
¨ Develop the domestic and export market for breadfruit products
Planned Activities
¨ Propagate and grow 5,000 breadfruit saplings
¨ Provide ready-to-produce tress to small holder farmers and coop orchards
¨ Fund processing equipment for new facility (building funded by cooperating NGO)
¨ Provide packaged breadfruit breakfast meals to local schools
¨ Provide vocational training to farmers and workers
Expected Outcomes
¨ Produce 2.5 - 5 million lbs. of breadfruit annually
¨ Economic impact on region- $470,000 - $900,000 annually
¨ Good jobs and businesses for local population in poorest region of Haiti
¨ Provide nutritious meals to school children
¨ Develop an export industry for Haiti
Contribute to this project with the button below. Donations will be matched 2.5 to 1 by The Rotary Foundation.
Areas of Focus