During 2022, the program received 513 referrals connecting residents with resources.  Almost 85% of those residents accepted the information provided to them.  Those who identified as female accounted for 58% of all referrals and those who identified as male accounted for 42%.  Those aged 60-89 accounted for 58% of the total referrals.  The top 6 categories for referrals/services included mental health, senior resources, housing/shelter, transportation, county related services, and medical resources.  Senior resources include county related services, transportation, and legal services.  

Bryan grew up on the south side of Chicago and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa.   Before joining DGEDC, Bryan was President and CEO of Invest Aurora.

Diveheart has a new location, 5147 Main Street. We will hold our 28-Feb, evening meeting there.  2023 will be another exciting year for Diveheart with programs in Chicagoland, Atlanta, Florida and Malaysia.  Jim is also working with Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago to build a deep pool.  The compression created in deep pool has many therapeutic benefits.  One example is PTSD  sufferers being pain free for two weeks after submerging in a 66' deep pool.  

Interested in helping or learning more about Diveheart, visit their website.  And look out for Scuba Yeti (formerly Scuba Santa) on Main Street on February 4th and 5th! The Diveheart Outreach Center will have free balloon art on Sunday, 5-Feb.

Botanic gardens are critical to the effort to minimize the loss. They provide science, collections, conservation, breeding and public outreach and education. Rare species can be sustained and protected in a botanic garden even if lost in the wild.

Oaks are of particular importance to Morton Arboretum’s work.  They are a keystone species in many forests in the Northern hemisphere and have economic and cultural importance. Over 20% of oak species worldwide are critically endangered or endangered. 50% are threatened or vulnerable.

The Arboretum works with partners globally doing conservation planning, conservation research with a goal of population recovery and restoration. If is critical they work with the local populations to maintain their economies while finding ways to protect vulnerable trees.

Dads of Steele is now a 501(c)3 non-profit with the motto “Committed, Connected, Courageous”. They have grown to 6000 followers on Instagram and they have a podcast.

Grieving dads find them via postcards at hospitals, word-of-mouth and Google searches. They offer various opportunities for grieving dads to find support, such as a support group phone call every Sunday morning. Their events have included a 3- on-3 basketball tourney, Christmas Karaoke, and organizing to send pencils to Kenya.

Their website is dadsofsteele.org 

• Advocate Charitable Foundation
• Brendan's Smile Foundation
• Catholic Charities
• Community Adult Day Center
• DuPage Habitat For Humanity
• Family Shelter Service
• FISH Food Pantry
• From Walls to Wages
• grit2
• Hope's Front Door
• Navigate Adolescence
• Sharing Connections
• The Backpack Project
• Watts of Love

On December 1st, we had a scavenger hunt to collect items for Family Shelter Service.

With the $22,000 we presented to the non-profits for Rotary GroveFest and the community grants we have awarded since July 1st, we have given $35,500 back to our community!  Great job fellow Rotarians!

I look forward to celebrating with you at our holiday party on December 12th.


 

Thank you Slav Polinski for the great pictures, more of which are on our FaceBook page. And thank you to The Baked Apple for their very generous donation of 45 pounds of bacon which helped in serving a total of 4500 pieces of bacon!

Our Rotary theme this year is Imagine Rotary.  The focus is on advancing commitment to DEI, creating a welcoming club experience, expanding service projects and empowering girls (60 million girls are still denied an education throughout the world),

Locally, District 6450 goals are retaining members, growing Rotaract clubs, reaching out to young people, supporting mental health initiatives, showcasing Rotary and supporting DEI initiatives.

Lois presented the “A, B, C’s of Downers Grove History Facts and Trivia” which went through each letter of the alphabet and gave highlights of the founder, event or place associated with that letter.  Much of the DG history is tied to Native Americans and many familiar names - Blodgett, Carpenter, Pierce Downer, Blanchard, Rogers, Stanley - were part of the alphabet - see attached.

The DG Historical Society is adding new lighting to the Main Street Cemetery.  Events they have throughout the year include: Founders Day, Golf Outing, Living Cemetery, Educational Events, Tivoli Tour, History on Tap and Recognition Programs.  They are documenting information from anyone who has history/information on Downers Grove.  If you know of someone they should talk to, please let them know.

Donna Foyle left her school secretary role and joined Serenity House 18 years ago when her son had addiction issues in high school.  Co-speaker Jarrett Burton is 4yrs recovered from a 10yr history of drug and alcohol abuse.  Donna and Jarrett told powerful, positive stories of the recovery homes and the level of care individuals receive to overcome their addictions.  Donna and Jarret offered our club to visit anytime to see the "Hope and Miracles" that come from living sober and drug-free.

1) Reduce Access to Drugs;  2) Reduce Opiod Use and Misue;  3) Increase Overdose Response;  4) Integrated Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery;  5) Substance Use and Prevention.  It is expected that drug companies will provide $10M in funding over the next 3yrs to support DuPage County action.  

Tragically, Dr. Lanny Wilson lost his daughter in 1994 at a railroad crossing.  The group he started from this led to other roles with the county health department leading to his current position.  Dr. Lanny Wilson is a retired ob/gyn doctor and we learned that he delivered babies for several members and relatives.  In retirement he joined the Hinsdale Rotary Club and has a farm in Kentucky, where he grew up.