As the East Coast continues to recover from Superstorm Sandy, The Rotary Club of Winnetka Northfield, in conjunction with other Rotary Clubs in Northern Illinois Districts  6420, 6440 and 6450, effortlessly responded to the emergency needs of men, women and children in crisis. 

During the Rotary District 6440 Fall Training Seminar held on Saturday, November 10th at Medinah Banquets in Addison, Illinois approximately 300 members of suburban Rotary clubs gathered to assemble donated relief supplies for Hurricane Sandy victims. 

A 1400-cu.ft transport truck, donated by John Glueckert, president of the Arlington Heights Sunset Rotary Club was filled with individual club donations with over 1,000 blankets and comforters, 500 toiletry and amenity kits, several hundred winter coats, hundreds of wool socks, furniture donated by a Rotary furniture dealer.  Other donations included clothing, underwear, cots, pillows, bedding, towels, bottled watered, cleaning supplies, batteries, disposable diapers, non-perishable food, coats, sweaters, paper plates, cups and other sorely needed relief supplies. 

In addition to sending goods, many clubs are contributing financially to the relief effort, including the Winnetka-Northfield club who collected donations well over $1,000 at last week’s meeting.  Members of the community may add their tax deductible contributions at http://tinyurl.com/wnrotary-sandy. 

This major relief effort is part of a joint campaign by 7 New York/New Jersey Rotary Districts.  The truck delivered the donated goods to The Rotary Club of Wall Street in New York City and Rotary District 7490, serving Paramus and the surrounding areas in New Jersey. 

Rotary District 6440 spans the north, northwest and west suburbs of Chicago with 72 clubs and 2460 members.  Rotary is the world’s oldest and largest service organization with the signature motto, “Service Above Self”. Rotary District 6420 covers the Northwest part of Illinois, while District 6450 includes the city of Chicago, as well as the near west and southern suburbs. 

The Rotary Club of Winnetka-Northfield meets Thursdays from 12:15 to 1:30 at the Winnetka Community House for lunch and a speaker.  Membership is open to service oriented residents and workers of the area.  Guests are welcome to attend.  To learn more about the club, its schedule of lunch programs and its charitable and service programs, visit www.wnrotary.org or email info@wnrotary.org.