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

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 (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.

Applied Improvisation

10/15/25

Today, our guest speaker was our very own Club member Kathy Zavaleta.

What is Applied Improvisation? Per Wikipedia, Applied Improvisation is the application of improvisational theatrical methods in various non-theatrical fields, including consulting, training, and teaching. It is known to be used as an experiential educational approach which enables participants to explore and improve their leadership, management and interpersonal capabilities in several fields, which include collaboration, communications, creativity, and team-building. Applied improvisation sees use in consulting and corporate training, particularly in the areas of sales and leadership.

Much like theatrical improvisation ("improv") it is a performance invented as it is done rather than using words or music written and practiced in advance.

Financial Scams Targeting the Elderly

10/8/25

Today, our guest speaker was Detective Kayte Witten - Elderly Services Officer with the Wheaton Police Department.

The elderly are particularly susceptible to financial fraud, and in DuPage County crime trends involving the elderly include:

Identity theft and telephone scams
Burglary to motor vehicles and motor vehicle thefts
Ruse burglaries and home repair fraud

Identity Theft

It can take many forms including theft of your wallet or purse
What should you NOT carry in your wallet or purse:
- Social Security card
- Medicare card
- Personal checks
- Numerous credit cards
- Birth certificate
- Bank account numbers
- Large amounts of cash
- Spare keys

Telephone scams are common because they are successful at tricking you into providing information such as Social Security Number, Charge/Debit card details. Examples:

Posing as an attorney or as a police officer, the scammer calls and identifies some one you know as being in trouble, or being hurt, or otherwise needing help requiring immediate financial payment from you.
Posing as a representative of the IRS, the scammer advises that you owe money to the IRS and must pay immediately via charge card or wire transfer.
Posing as a representative of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Service to sell you bogus insurance or claim that you are owed a sizeable refund. To process anything, you are to provide your Medicare Beneficiary Identifier or Social Security Number. With this information the scammers will pretend to be health care providers and submit fraudulent claims to Medicare or to obtain opioid drugs.
Posing as a security expert from Microsoft, the scammer advises that you computer/laptop is infected with a malware virus and that you need to grant them remote access to your device to remove the malware. This requires immediate payment. By granting access, they then install malware and access your personal data.
Foreign Lottery / Prizes / Free Gifts scams: You receive a letter, call or email claiming you won something. To receive it, you need to pay for taxes or a processing fee. You never receive a prize or gift.
What can you do:
- Hang up the phone
- Do NOT give out your personal identifying information.
- Resist the urge to act immediately, no mater how dramatic the story.
- Call a family member at a phone number you know is genuine.
- Check out the story with family or friends even if you have been told to keep it secret.
- Do NOT wire money send a check, or buy a gift card of any kind.

Ruse Burglaries-In Person

Criminals will pose as employees of the city or utility companies and give an excuse to get inside your house. They work in pairs with one stealing your money or valuable items while you are being distracted by the other.
What you can do:
- Never let anyone inside your home without prior notification and identification.
- If anyone claims to need access to your property, tell them to wait outside while you verify with the company they work for. Do NOT use a phone number they provide.
- Keep all your doors and windows locked

Home Repair Fraud-in Person

Common Types of Repair: seal coating, chimney work, car repair, roofing and siding
Always say they are doing work in the neighborhood.
Try to sell you on a cheap price with work to be quickly completed

East Branch DuPage River Trail (EBDRT)

10/1/25: Today, our guest speakers were Ginger Wheeler & Steve Johnson representing Friends of the East Branch DuPage River Trail (www.EastBranchTrail.org)

What is the EBDRT?

The East Branch DuPage River Trail (EBDRT) is a planned 28-mile regional trail in central DuPage County (Trail map: see https://www.ebdrt.com/) This north-south trail was first conceptualized in the 1990s as an off-street non-motorized pathway for DuPage residents west of I-355, connecting isolated pockets of forest preserves with parks, waterways, and several municipalities. Much of the trail's 28 miles of proposed facilities were identified in 2004. That year, two of DuPage County's departments--Economic Development and Planning (now reconstituted), and the Division of Transportation--collaborated to commission a feasibility study of the East Branch Trail. The study served as a guiding document for proposed facilities throughout the corridor. From that feasibility study, multiple engineering studies were embarked upon to begin designing and constructing segments of the East Branch Trail. Many of those segments identified in 2004 have struggled to progress into constructible projects.

In 2019, the County partnered with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County and the Village of Glen Ellyn to undertake a preliminary engineering study, known as the East Branch DuPage River Trail Alignment Study. The purpose of the EBDRT Alignment Study was to identify a feasible alignment to carry forward into future engineering studies and, eventually, construction. The limits of the study area were from the Great Western Trail at St. Charles Road to the Hidden Lake Forest Preserve at Butterfield Road, where vast tracts of public lands are criss-crossed by utility rights of way, state roads, and riverways.

This was the subject of today's presentation.

Issues include:

There currently is no budget or funding in place.
On the north end between the Great Western Trail and the Illinois Prairie Path are the Union Pacific Railroad tracks: need for a crossing.
There are competing EBDRT options south of Roosevelt Road: West/Route 53 trail and the East/Greenway trail. The Friends of the East Branch DuPage River Trail are volunteers advocating for the completion and maintenance of the East/Greenway trail.

Feed My Starving Children

9/24/25

Today, our guest speaker was Tony Bianchi, Development Advisor with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC)