Home Page | Rotary District 6440

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Apr 04, 2023
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Quarterly Meeting with Club Rotary Foundation Chairs
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Apr 04, 2023 7:00 PM
Foundation Fundraising Committee Meeting
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Apr 11, 2023 7:00 PM
RYLA Weekend (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards)
Apr 13, 2023 - Apr 16, 2023
Assistant Governors Meeting
TBA

Apr 17, 2023 7:00 PM
Grants Committee Meeting
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Apr 20, 2023 3:30 PM
District 6440 Annual Meeting
Virtual Event

Apr 22, 2023
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

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Ways to Help the Relief Efforts in Turkey & Syria

Here are several options for Clubs and Rotarians looking for opportunities to provide relief to earthquake victims in Turkey and Syria.

Rotary Foundation: Give cash to the Turkey/Syria Disaster Response Fund. The Rotary Foundation Trustees have determined that all donations made from now until March 31 to the Turkey/Syria Disaster Response Fund will be used to aid earthquake relief projects. The Foundation has also made available $125,000 to Rotary Districts affected by the earthquake through Disaster Response Grants.

Club DDF. Clubs can designate available DDF for these disasters using this form. 2023 Club DDF Contribution for Pakistan, Ukraine, Turkey and Syria. Available DDF by Club as of 1/19/23 can be found at this link.

District 2430 in southeast Turkey is seeking contributions to it's Earthquake account. Funds raised will be used to purchase items such as blankets, clothing, hygienic items, food and water, that will be delivered to the affected areas by local Rotarians. You may make a contribution here: Online donations, Club DDF may be transferred to D2430's DDF account using the Club DDF contribution form

Consider a donation to Shelter Box. The emergency response team from Shelter Box is already working in Turkey.

Evanston Lighthouse Club has identified two other groups accepting relief assistance in Turkey:

AFAD (Turkish Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency)

Swift Code: TCZBTR2A

IBAN: TR 46 0001 0017 4555 5555 5552 05

More information on donation options can be found on: https://en.afad.gov.tr/campaigns

More information about their work can be found on: https://en.afad.gov.tr/about-us

-AKUT (Search and Rescue Association), a non-profit organization

Swift Code: TGBATRIS

IBAN: TR83 0006 2000 3570 0009 0813 95

More information on donation options can be found on: https://www.akut.org.tr/en/donation

More information about their work can be found on: https://www.akut.org.tr/en/about-akut

Public Image Grants for 2022-2023 Available

District 6440 is renewing the very popular Public Image Grant Program for 2022-2023 to spur new marketing materials and spread the great Rotary name and logo. About half of all clubs received grants last year and we hope more will now.

The Grant Program provides matching grants (up to $500 per club) for APPROVED new brochures, road signs, banners, inflatable signs, logo wear, Facebook/newspaper/movie theater advertising, member recruiting materials, community fair signage and much more. We want new positive marketing materials that bolster Rotary visibility in each community.

These new Rotary marketing materials can help your club gain positive visibility, recruit new members (a big District priority), strengthen your image and enhance community service projects. And our District could reduce your cost.

To understand and apply for grants, click here.

Celebrating our Rotary Foundation

On Thursday evening November 3, over 170 Rotarians and guests gathered to Celebrate District 6440’s engagement with The Rotary Foundation and the district's impact locally and internationally.

Rotary International Director Pat Merryweather-Arges lauded District 6440’s generous giving to the Foundation. She also recognized our club's participation in meaningful service projects locally and internationally. She made special note of our district’s collaboration with sixteen districts in a recent Disaster Response Grant providing $400,00 in medical supplies to Ukraine.

Other guests included our district's current Global Grant and Peace Fellow Scholars, and Barbara Toney of The Blane Foundation, who announced a $100,000 gift to the PolioPlus fund of The Rotary Foundation.

A highlight of the evening was recognizing our four clubs with total contributions topping $1 Million to The Rotary Foundation: the Rotary Clubs of Highland-Park Highwood, Northbrook, Wheeling and Wilmette, and our Top 3 Giving Clubs in Rotary year 2021-22—Dundee Township, NE Chicagoland Passport and Northbrook.

During the evening we paused to recognize how our clubs participate in The Rotary Foundation's mission—Doing Good in the World, and recognizing those who make the world a better place with their time and treasure! Big thanks to all of our Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors, Paul Harris Society, Polio Plus Society, and Bequest Society members, Major Donors, and Arch Klumph Society donors. THANK YOU!


RI Director Pat Merryweather-Arges	Barbara Toney of The Blane Foundation	Clubs with total contributions topping $1 Million to The Rotary Foundation

RYLA Registration Open for December, March, April

District 6440 has the second largest Rotary Youth Leadership Awards - or RYLA - program in the United States, and that's because it changes the lives of the high school students that attend. The outstanding RYLA team led by Chair Sean Nelson delivers a program that, over a weekend, inspires and develops the participants, with lasting impact.

There will be two RYLA sessions this year: March 9-12 and April 13-16 in 2023. Registration is open to those who have displayed leadership skills or potential. The application and information are available here.

Questions? Contact RYLA Chair Sean Nelson.

We hope every Club in the District will identify and sponsor RYLA participants. You won't regret it!

Clubs Supporting World Polio Day

Many District 6440 Clubs are supporting World Polio Day with Community Events. Add you club by submitting your event information here: World Polio Day Event Information

Chicago 2030! Help Bring the RI Convention Home!

Posted by Kevin Stevens on Sep 26, 2022

You may be aware that the three Northern Illinois Rotary Districts (6420, 6440 & 6450) are bidding to host the 2030 International Convention. We need your help impressing the Selection Committee!

On Friday, October 21 from 7am-3pm, at Pioneer Court (Just north of the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue) in Chicago we are holding a special community engagement event - and all Rotarians from our district are invited to participate.

Volunteers will answer questions and help manage the display. We will set up ShelterBoxes, RILEE, a table to talk about Rotary, and other Rotary materials to engage passersby. We will also collect information for potential membership development.

Rotary International Convention 2030 Selection Committee members will “randomly” stop by that morning to see us in action, assess our commitment and visualize what it could look like in 2030. This is a great opportunity to showcase our Northern Illinois Rotary Districts' commitment to community engagement - which is now a part of the evaluation criterion.

Please bring your positive energy, Rotary answers, and can-do attitude to Pioneer Court!

Volunteer below.

Reach out to PDG Lyle Staab with any questions.

District 6440 Aligns with Operation Pollination Partnership

Posted by Kevin Stevens on Sep 25, 2022

Your District 6440 Governor Line was honored to be signors of the Operation Pollination Pollinators Partnership with RI President Jennifer Jones this past Wednesday at the Evanston Ecology Center.

Learn more about Operation Pollination here: https://operationpollination.net/about/

Announcing our District 6440 2021-22 Rotary Citation Honorees!

Posted by Kevin Stevens

Congratulations to our Rotary Citation honorees for the 2021-22 Rotary Year.

The District 6440 Rotary Clubs of Algonquin, Batavia, Carol Stream, Evanston Nouveau, Evanston, Lake Forest-Lake Bluff, Libertyville Sunrise, Northwest Supper, Park Ridge& St. Charles Breakfast set and accomplished goals to engage their members, stay relevant in their communities, and run more efficiently.

Make certain your club has entered this year's goals in Rotary Club Central and use the tools to continue growing as a vibrant club! Information on The Rotary Citation and Club Goal setting can be found here: https://my.rotary.org/.../office-president/rotary-citation

Reach out to your Assistant Governor or any of our Governor Line team if you have questions or need help creating and entering goals!

Marlene Frisbie Named District Governor Nominee Designate for 2025-26

In accordance with all requirements of the District 6440 Manual of Procedure, the District Nominating Committee has designated Marlene Frisbie of the Woodstock Rotary Club as nominee for the position of District 6440 Governor 2025-2026.

Marlene has been a member of the Rotary Club of Woodstock since June, 2015. She serves her club as chair of the Public Image Committee, and actively participates on the Christmas Clearinghouse committee, the club’s largest project serving over 1,100 families in the Woodstock school district. She has served as an Assistant Governor for District 6440 since 2020.

Marlene has a B.S. degree in Accountancy from the University of Illinois Urbana, an MBA from DePaul University, and has passed the CPA exam. She began her career in public accounting and then worked in external financial reporting at two different Fortune 500 companies in Chicago, until she transitioned to working as Controller for a local wholesale perennial grower. When the owner decided to relocate that business to South Carolina, Marlene purchased the local operations and moved the business to McHenry County.

Prairie Haven operated for over eight years, employing up to 45 people and serving garden centers and landscapers throughout Illinois and the surrounding area. When Prairie Haven closed, the property was sold to another local grower and Marlene joined them as controller and sales manager. After 14 years there, Marlene reclaimed her gardening season and returned to doing tax and accounting work, working part time for a small local firm as well as serving several personal clients. Never one to miss a cliché, she decided to retire from the local firm in 2020 and now is self-employed, serving a handful of clients.

Marlene has been married to Hugh for 44 years. Hugh is retired from a career in accounting and consulting with RSM International. Their son Brandon is married to Martina and works as a software engineer for Google. They live in Woodstock with their children, Will, age 2 1/2, Emmie, age 1, and a player to be named later in 2023. Their daughter Catherine is Primary Head of Music at the Bangkok International School in Thailand, and she spends her free time traveling all over the world. Marlene and Hugh live on several acres just outside of Woodstock, and when they are not traveling themselves, they enjoy restoring the land and spending time with the grandchildren. Marlene also is an accomplished photographer and has exhibited her photos in the 4^th Friday Art event and other local events.

Join the Nominating Committee in congratulating Marlene!

Partnering for Peace- Rotary & Peace Corps Volunteers

Rotary International collaborates with several organizations, including ShelterBox, Habitat for Humanity, and the Peace Corps. Partnering for Peace works to identify and nurture the relationship between the Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV’s) and Rotary clubs in their home towns in the United States. For the past two years, Partnering for Peace has sponsored a week-long seminar, “Peacemaking on the Ground” during Rotary-Peace Corps week – which this year is September 19-23, 2022.

Partnering for Peace strives to link each Returned Peace Corps Volunteer with a Rotary club near their home community. In addition, as new volunteers are now able to return to service, Rotary helps these new Peace Corps volunteers find and meet with Rotary clubs before they leave for their service – and then meet up with Rotary clubs in the countries where they will serve overseas. This network of Rotarians and Peace Corps volunteers creates the basis for grantmaking and humanitarian service through Rotary. Rotary’s Areas of Focus mirror exactly the areas which Peace Corps volunteers support – creating countless possibilities for collaboration – if we make connections with each other.

Congratulations to our Polio Plus Society Charter Members

Congratulations to our 229 Charter Members of the PolioPlus Society!

And kudos to the fifty clubs represented on the Roster. Every member makes a difference in delivering on the promise of a polio free world.

Membership in the PolioPlus Society is open to all Rotarians. If you haven’t yet joined, you can do so now!

Let’s set a goal of 100% of our clubs represented in the PolioPlus Society. Join the PolioPlus Society. A PolioPlus Society pin awaits you after pledging and donating. Updates to the Society will be made quarterly.

Presenting Rotary District District Governor 2022-23 Bill Kmiecik

At a well attended ceremony on Thursday June 23, Bill Kmiecik of the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights was officially installed as District 6440 Governor for the year beginning July 1.

Bill has been a Rotarian since February 15, 2007. He has served the Rotary Club of Arlington Heights as president, vice president, treasurer, and community service chair. He has also served on numerous committees including chairing the initial Arlington Heights Rotary Santa Run in 2008. He has been a District 6440 Assistant Governor, the District Annual Fund Chair, a member of the District Visioning Team, the District Finance Committee and the Foundation Committee. Bill joined the District 6440 Governor Line in 2019.

Bill is a CPA and holds a Master’s degree in Taxation. He is the Founder and Retired President of Wisdom Investments, a boutique, fee only, financial planning, investment management and tax firm in Rolling Meadows. Bill has also worked in Corporate America as a Tax and Finance professional and began his career as an Internal Revenue Agent. Bill taught accounting and finance classes at Harper College and in the MBA program at Northern Illinois University for over 10 years. He subsequently worked as a consultant for Harper College and the College of Lake County teaching insurance and finance classes at local companies.

Bill has been married to Betsy, who is also a Rotarian, for 42 years. Betsy is a retired Human Resources executive, most recently with Paddock Publications. Bill and Betsy met while working as auditors for the Internal Revenue Service, where they frequently smiled at one another, but not in front of taxpayers so as not to jeopardize their G-Man and G-Lady scowl (just kidding, most if not all IRS personnel are really nice people). They have 2 children, Brian who is married to Stephanie and Emily, a nurse and the prettiest single girl in the world. Both children live in the Chicago area.

Bill and Betsy are passionate about Rotary, the projects, the causes and the enthusiasm of the members. They have been to Guatemala, Peru and Uganda on Rotary Service trips and those trips as well as the people they have traveled with and the natives they have met fires their enthusiasm for the needs around the world and the ways in which we as Rotarians can help meet those needs.

Bill and Betsy are Paul Harris Fellows, members of the Paul Harris Society, Major Donors and members of the Bequest Society.

21 District 6440 Rotary Clubs Named ShelterBox HEROes

A ShelterBox HERO is a Rotary Club that has committed to making an impact in worldwide disaster response by donating at least $1,000 (Bronze), $3,000 (Silver), or $5,000 (Gold) within the Rotary year to ShelterBox.

HERO Clubs enable ShelterBox to have the resources and time to be ready when disaster strikes by allowing ShelterBox to purchase and pre-position aid in or near countries where we respond often, resulting in a more efficient and timely response.

The District 6440 HERO LIST for Rotary Year 2021-22, as of 6/20/22

GOLD - $5,000.00 +

Libertyville Sunrise

Northbrook

Wheaton

SILVER - $3,000.00+

Glen Ellyn

Lake Forest-Lake Bluff

McHenry Area

Winnetka Northfield

BRONZE - $1,000.00+

Arlington Heights

Bartlett

Carol Stream

Elk Grove Village

Fox Valley Sunset

Glenview Sunrise

Grayslake

Mundelein-Vernon Hills

Richmond Spring Grove Area

Wheeling

Wilmette

Wilmette Harbor

Huntley

Skokie Valley

Congratulations to all!

Congratulations District Leadership Academy 2022 Graduates!

Posted by Lyle Staab on May 29, 2022

District Governor Kevin Stevens and PDG Lyle Staab, Dean, are honored to announce the 2022 graduating class of the District Leadership Academy.

The DLA is an online program, lasting just over six months, giving the participants a broad understanding of how Rotary works and how they can be more effective in their Club and in the District. Modules on Orientation, Membership, Public Image, Youth Service, Organization, and The Rotary Foundation are facilitated by experts from D6440, most of whom are DLA grads.

We welcome the following into the Society of the Academy.

Thor Davidson - Wheaton

Christina Ferraro – River Cities

Tom Hatting - Wheaton

Charlotta Koppanyi – Evanston Lighthouse

Jonathan Lavin – Skokie Valley

Evelyn Lee - Evanston

Sonja Martin – North Chicago

John Mulherin – Glen Ellyn

Dee Santucci – Glenview Sunrise

Kathy Tate-Bradish – Evanston Lighthouse

Alex Todd – River Cities

Tom Von Lunen - Batavia

Carol Williams – Northwest Supper

Tony Winter - Batavia

This year's graduating class of 14 is the largest since the first commencement in 2015. Like the 47 previous graduates, they will use the knowledge they acquired to make a substantial difference in their clubs, in the district, and around the world.

Applications for the 2022-23 program will open in July. Questions can be directed to Lyle Staab at gov.lyle@rotary6440.org.