Our club has completed its annual "Operation Warm" coats for kids project. Over 780 children served by eight agencies received coats from our club this year, bring our total to over 3,300 children served since we inititated this project in 2009. This year, we provided coats to children served in Chicago by By the Hand, Asian Youth Services, Holy Family Ministries and St. Malachy School & Church, in Cicero by Inner City Impact, in Lake County by Open Arms Mission and JCYS and locally by Youth Services of Glenview Northbrook. This was our biggest year yet in terms of children impacted and agencies supported. Thank you to all of the Rotarians who supported this project financially and helped with fundraising and coat distributions.
"Football Injuries and Healthcare for Retired Players"
Dennis Lewis McKinnon is a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys. McKinnon played college football at Florida State University and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Bears in 1983. He was the last undrafted free agent to score more than one touchdown for the Bears until Dane Sanzenbacher in 2011.[1] He won Super Bowl XX as a member of the 1985 Chicago Bears. In his eight seasons, McKinnon caught 194 passes for 3,012 yards and 22 touchdowns. He also returned 129 punts for 1,191 yards and three touchdowns, and scored a rushing touchdown. He caught 31 passes for 555 yards and seven touchdowns during the Bears' championship season in 1985. His best season was in 1988, when he caught 45 passes for 704 yards and three touchdowns, while also returning 40 punts for 405 yards and a franchise record two touchdowns (this record was later surpassed by Devin Hester in the 2006 season). He went on to catch four passes for 108 yards and a touchdown in Chicago's 20-12 postseason win in a game known as the Fog Bowl. At the time of his retirement, McKinnon's 1,191 punt return yards were the second highest total in Chicago franchise history. Since his retirement, McKinnon has championed charitable causes and is an advocate for safety in football and for the care of retired players.
Preparations are underway for our 4th Annual Kids Against Hunger food packing event on March 22 in the gymnasium of the Winnetka Community House. Register today at wnrotary-kah-2014.eventbrite.com.
UPDATE: Over 350 participants are now registered. Shift 2 is virtually sold out (floaters are still needed). If you have not registered and plan to participate, do so soon!
We are so grateful to our Event Sponsors who help cover the cost of bulk food, packaging materials and transportation. Let us know if you or your company will become a sponsor.
Please find a substitute if you are unable to fulfill your assignment; Just call or e-mail a fellow member and ask him/her to sub. Tom Evans - tom.evans527@gmail.com- who chairs the service committee, will confirm assignments. Sgt. at arms helps set up and store our stuff, please come 15 minutes early and be prepared to stay a few minutes after the meeting; Greeter greets and announces names of visiting Rotarians and guests; Thought of the Day can be spontaneous or read from a script; Dig 'n Grin can make us laugh or think seriously.
Once again, our club will provide brand new winter coats to hundreds of children living in need in the City of Chicago and Northern suburbs. Coats will be provided to children served by six area organizations:
Each of these organizations is supported by members of our club. Your contribution will allow us to increase the number of children who receive a new winter coat so they will be happy and able to attend school on Chicago's cold winter days. Coats will be acquired at wholesale pricing ($17 per coat) from Operation Warm, a Rotarian founded non-profit that provides over 200,000 children with new coats each year.
Please donate generously. All donations are made to the Winnetka Northfield Rotary Charitable Foundation, a registered 501(c)(3) charity, and are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law. Click to donate or send check to 620 Lincoln Ave, Winnetka IL 60093.
Please help our club support homeless victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
We have already made a contribution to fund two ShelterBoxs, and are still raising funds for more. Thanks to Bob Baker, David Birkenstein, Wes Bauman, Gina DiSandro, Heather Higgins, Ginny Hilton, Tony Kambich, Rich Lalley, Kristen Leahy, Bill Leske, Bernie Michna, Rodger Morris, Joe Nash, Brooke Peppey, Alan Ramsay, Keith Reed, Heidi Sibert, John Stone, Patti Van Cleave and Jean Wright for your contributions! District 6440 has also contributed $200 of its District Desigated Funds from The Rotary Foundation to our efforts.
Make your tax deductible donations to the Winnetka Nothfeild Rotary Charitable Foundation, by check at lunch this week or by PayPal by clicking here.
Here's an update we recently recieved from our former Youth Exchange Student Hideki:
Hi, everybody. How was everyone’s Thanksgiving break? I hope everyone had a good time with people whom you are thankful for.
During my stay in the states, I kept saying that one day I would go back to America. That ‘one day’ is about to come true. Starting from August, 2014, I will be studying a year at Ripon College, Wisconsin. It is a liberal arts college and really small sized, closely related to the community of the town. According to the google map (always useful, by the way), it is a two hours and a half drive away from New Trier, so it may be possible to reunite again! (If you allow me) (Kristen, I am aware that you have moved, but still..)
At my current university, I started playing football, and we finished our season with 5-2, ranked third in our conference. Seniors are gone now, but the rest of our team is back on the field for off-season training and practice to get better each and every day. Academically speaking, I am about to finish my classes in 2013. My major has not decided yet, but
might do psycholinguistics; how the brain processes languages.
I’m finishing off with a picture of mine which was taken during the season. #37 is me.
I hope you all and your family are doing great. Hope to hear from you!
Sincearly,
Hideki Tsuji
P.S. It only takes about an hour to get to the Lambeau Field from Ripon College (yes, you heard it right)! You could imagine how excited I am for this! lol