Home Page | Rotary Club of Wheaton A.M.

Great start to a great day the Rotary Club of Wheaton A.M. way!

https://www.facebook.com/Rotary-Club-of-Wheaton-AM-108924821423905

1. E-mail: click any of the Executives & Directors listed on the right side of this home screen

2. Mail: P.O. Box 91, Wheaton, IL 60187-0091

DuPage County State's Attorney

11/1/23

Today, our guest speaker was Bob Berlin, the DuPage County State's Attorney. His wide ranging presentation touched on numerous matters, including:

Illinois Cash Bail Law: The SAFE-T Act became effective September 18. Additional information can be found at: https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/hinsdale/ct-dhd-illinois-safe-t-act-pretrial-amendment-dupage-tl-0814-20230815-g7m764qs6rczxpzexjr27magxe-story.html

Schools: DuSmart is a county-wide agreement to expedite and facilitate the development and implementation of programs designed to provide mutual aid in crises in DuPage County school districts and cooperatives which exceed the capacity of an individual school district or cooperative to respond effectively on its own. Additional information can be found at: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/news_detail_T2_R802.php

Child Support Enforcement Unit: Additional information can be found at: https://www.dupagecounty.gov/elected_officials/state_s_attorney/child_support_enforcement.php

Specialty courts: Drug Court, Veterans Court, Mental Illness Court Alternative Plan (MICAP), Juvenile Court Process and the Probation Department, Pre-Trial Diversion Program. Additional information regarding the specialty courts can be found at:

https://www.dupagecounty.gov/elected_officials/state_s_attorney/specialty_courts.php#:~:text=DuPage%20Pre%2DTrial%20Diversion%20Program,permanently%20entered%20on%20their%20record.
https://www.dupagecounty.gov/government/departments/probation_and_court_services/juvenile_services/

Ongoing concerns:

Unlawful possession of firearms
Domestic violence
Illegal drug possession/opioid epidemic
Offender flight when stopped by police

Climbing Kilimanjaro

10/25/23

Today, our guest speaker was Alex Stevens. His is a fascinating presentation of his climb, together with four friends, of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa, and the highest single free-standing mountain in Africa at 19,341 ft above sea level and about 16,100 ft above its plateau base. Below is the link to his slide presentation. While missing his accompanying narrative, it is well worth viewing.

Select salient points:

This is a strenuous ascent and descent, with elevation acclimation and temperature extremes being prime considerations
Sections of the climb are risky. See slides 30 (hug the mountain) and 34 (evacuation helicopter). While rare, there have been deaths, but none on their climb.
Climbs are very well organized with accommodations, meals, guides, and porters provided.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Lhl_qs9dGphnly2zTqwZPvRHTmMtsPh1CHByJm2q9U4/edit?usp=sharing

World Polio Day

It’s Time to Make Polio History

10/16/23: Members of the Wheaton Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Wheaton A.M. attended the City of Wheaton City Council Meeting for the City's World Polio Day Proclamation: "The City does hereby proclaim October 24th, 2023, as World Polio Day in Wheaton, and does hereby encourage all residents to join the Rotarians of our local clubs in the fight for polio free world".

World Polio Day  (October 24) provides an opportunity to highlight global efforts toward a polio-free world and honor the tireless contributions of those on the frontlines in the fight to eradicate polio from every corner of the globe. Through the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), CDC works with partners to eradicate polio and end the suffering from this devastating disease. In 1988, poliovirus was present in 125 countries, paralyzing an estimated 1,000 children per day. That year, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) launched, with a goal of eradicating polio worldwide. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is a public-private partnership led by national governments with six partners – the World Health Organization (WHO), Rotary International, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Gavi, the vaccine alliance. Its goal is to eradicate polio worldwide.

Over the past 35 years, GPEI has made remarkable progress towards this goal. Cases of wild poliovirus have decreased by more than 99% – from 350,000 cases per year to fewer than 10 annual cases of wild polio. The disease remains consistently present in just two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan.

But challenges remain: As long as wild poliovirus continues to circulate in Afghanistan and Pakistan, all countries are at risk of wild poliovirus being imported. Outbreaks of poliovirus variants – which emerge when not enough children are vaccinated against polio – present an additional and pressing challenge in multiple countries.

On World Polio Day, CDC commemorates this progress and joins its GPEI partners in the call to overcome the barriers to Make Polio History once and for all.

Weiss Scholarship Foundation

9/27/23

Today, our guest speaker was Brett Weiss. A member of the Rotary Club of Naperville, Brett exemplifies the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self". The Weiss Scholarship Foundation’s (WSF) mission is to empower children in Kenya with the gift of education believing that a High School education and beyond is the only way to end poverty.

Background:

A retired high school social studies teacher, Brett has five years’ experience running a social services organization and 22 years in the software business .
In 2009, Brett made a volunteer trip to Dago, Kenya, and feeling compelled to encourage positive change in an otherwise poor village, he created the Weiss Scholarship Foundation.
Dago is a tiny village in the far southwestern part of Kenya, not far from the border of Tanzania and Lake Victoria. The residents of Dago are all farmers, raising animals and cultivating plants to sustain their livelihood. The Village is home to around 3,000 people—virtually all of whom are among the poorest on earth with an average family income of less than $2 USD per day. They live in tiny mud huts with no electricity or plumbing. Very few residents are over 40 years old, and only a handful ever receive medical care. Food insecurity and access to safe water sources are major problems. Children also face additional challenges. Other than their school uniforms, children’s clothes largely come from charity. The government does not pay any of the costs to attend high school. For this reason, most children quit school around the fourth grade because they do not see the point in continuing an education that will not extend past primary school. Instead of attending school, they try to get a job working in the fields, making around $1 daily

Operation:

Based in Dago, WSF now has seven trained Kenyan educators in five communities working to increase the # of girls and boys completing primary school. WSF pays all expenses of their high school students. The scholarships cost $875 USD/year or $3,500 for all four years. Some achievements:

182 Scholarships Awarded up from 32 in 2017
101 students currently in high school
54 students have graduated high school.
4 students have graduated university.
16 students have graduated vocational school.
1 of the high school graduates is attending Elmhurst University in the United States

For more information and to support their mission, visit their website: https://weissscholarshipfoundation.org/

Our Club was chartered November 16, 1990, and we currently have two dozen friendly, active members. Our Club is all about fellowship in community service, and members are expected to be involved beyond attending our weekly meetings.

Our club in action: In addition to supporting community service not-for-profit organizations, including those listed in the Community Links, we award collegiate and vocational scholarships to graduates of the Wheaton high schools. Our philanthropy is funded by our annual Poinsettia Sale, the Fun Run in Color (co-sponsored with the Wheaton Park District), and contributions by club members.

Meetings: Our Wednesday morning meetings are an hour's duration and typically feature a guest speaker addressing matters of community interest. See the schedule of upcoming speakers on the right side of this Home Page. Guests are always welcome!

For additional information, please contact any member of the Club Leadership listed on this Home Page simply by clicking one of the names.