President Rich chaired the meeting.

 

Guests:  Liz Taylor introduced her guest Peter Hansen.

 

Rotary Foundation Minute:  Amy described a 2016 Rotary Global Grant to provide drinking water to a Honduras fishing village

 

Happy Bucks: 

Program:  Bill Leske introduced the staff of the Record North Shore: Ryan Osborn, Director of Development; Joe Coughlin, Editor in Chief; and two interns. The Record was launched in 2020 after the Winnetka Current ceased operations due to the pandemic. A new business model was needed, and Joe formed the Record as ‘non-profit journalism.’  Their daily website, weekly newsletters, and podcasts have won awards in the last few years for excellence. 

 

   The meeting was chaired by Bob Baker who started by leading everyone in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.  There were 16 Club members present. Amy’s “thought of the day” was that music is a moral law, it gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.  No one in the Club understands/experiences  all different types of music as much as Amy and we all are fortunate that she shares her musical talents with our Club and community.  As an example, she announced that this evening the WCH is having another Thursday night “rock” event in its garden featuring the band “Dads Band”.

   DIG N GRIN: Liz shared the following little known facts about the banking business: that the life expectancy of a $10 bill in circulation is 15 years before being replaced; that new coins last about 30 years  in circulation before being replaced; that the cost of making a penny is 2.1 cents; that due to passengers having to empty their pockets of coins in airport security lines, there is more than $500,000 unclaimed change at some of our major airports; and there is at least one ATM machine on every continent in the world.

   To further honor our Rotary Club’s 100th anniversary ArLynn Presser (a Club member for over 25 years) was asked to give some little known facts about the start of the first Rotary Clubs in Chicago after the Great Chicago Fire left 7000 residents homeless and without indoor toilet facilities; Rotary founder Paul Harris organized a rotation system where his office and downtown clubs like the University Athletic Club would rotate meetings and share their “indoor facilities” with others—women likewise shared the “comfort stations” at the few department stores that survived the fire.

   HAPPY BUCKS:  Several members gave HB for experiencing recent happy  events such as  the excellent efforts that Rich and Patti put forth in helping our Club celebrate its 100^th birthday; Tony thanked both Robert Mardirossian and Bob Baker for their leadership and contribution to our Club’s activities over the years;   Tony also reported another happy event involving his Mother who was born July 10, 1908 and was baptized the following day since she was very ill and not expected to live.  Not only did she live a fairly long life, but she gave birth to our friend Tony in 1934, and Tony, in turn, gave his Mother 3 grandkids and 4 great grandkids of her own;

 one of the most exciting events that a golfer can experience was reported by Club member Ken Drummet who, after playing golf for 60 years, recently hit a perfect tee shot 168 yards with his 7 iron  and it rolled  in for a “hole in one”—unfortunately he was not in a position to actually see this ball  roll into the cup, but that doesn’t lessen the thrill of putting a “1” on his score card, which I’m sure he has framed at home!! 

   GUEST SPEAKER:  Corey Buchanan, Executive Administrator of Chicagoland Prison Outreach, which is based in South Holland but active throughout the Chicagoland area in  keeping our youth on the right track and administering needed advice and consolation to those youth who have ended up in correctional institutions.   Corey, who is now in his middle 30’s, grew up on the South side of Chicago in the Woodlawn area where his Mother was the sole support of he and his 3 siblings.  Like so many young boys in that area, most of them assumed that their employment opportunities were mostly in the drug dealing business.  And like so many of his friends, Corey was arrested when he was 17 and was sent to what he called an “evil place”

occupied by 11,000 other inmates at 26^th and California—the Cook County Jail.

   Corey soon realized that he had to do something to avoid spending the next 20 or so years in this “evil place”.  Although he did not have much of a Christian experience growing up, he became active in the Prison’s Life Learning Program  which involved Bible study with the goal of returning men and women to society to become leaders in their communities.  Corey soon changed his behavior and his outlook on life and was admitted into the Moody Bible College where he graduated and is now working on his Master’s degree.  He was eventually released from prison, got married, became a father of two children and was appointed Executive Director of CPO.  What a story, what a delightful young man Corey has become, and what a captivating presentation that our Club members were moved by!

   Another very interesting part of the CPO program is what it has done to join forces with local companies and unions in the construction trades to give inspired prisoners (both men and women) training and opportunities to get gainful employment with Chicago based companies.

   CPO has also partnered with local churches to address the needs of families of inmates, especially in providing meals, gifts and hope around holidays, as well as a food pantry of non-perishable items available to families of current inmates. CPO provides these services to over 250 Chicago area families every year.

   Corey supplied us with many brochures and information on the various programs CPO offers.  Needless to say, this presentation and information was very interesting and thought provoking.

    After a short Q and A period, the meeting was adjourned around 1:30 with the reciting of Rotary’s 4 Way Test.