Events

Aaron Arnold is the Executive Director and Liz Fales is the Director of Development & Community Engagement of Waukegan 2 College (W2C).

W2C began in response to an urgent plea from the Waukegan community: “I don’t want my son to be stuck doing landscaping or my daughter working long, hard hours cleaning hotel rooms because they didn't go to college.”

These Waukegan parents knew they had neither the experience nor expertise to guide their first-generation college bound children on the pathway to college graduation. The school system was equally inadequate to meet their needs.

W2C formed in 2009 as a result of a series of listening sessions in Waukegan churches and other local institutions. The sessions — sponsored by Lake County United — highlighted a universal need and urgent priority to help their sons and daughters get to and through college graduation.

From its 2009 launch with 25 students and one staff member, W2C has grown to 170 scholars, a full-time staff of seven, and 100+ volunteers who work as board members, tutors, and mentors.

Host: Randy Daniel

Larry, who chairs the Fund Raising Committee and the Club's Foundations, will bring us up to speed on the activities and status of the Club's Foundations.

Host:  Larry Kuhl

Host:  Jerry Kelly

Chief Walldorf will give us an update on the SAFE-T act and take questions.

Host: Paul Lemieux

The travel experience in this post-Covid era is a whole new world. From new rules and policies to airline consolidation and the devaluation of reward miles, keeping up with changes and trends can be a challenge for even the most seasoned jetsetter.

Broadcast travel contributor, Jeanenne Tornatore, joins us to share what it takes to travel like a pro in 2022 and beyond. From industry insider advice, her top money-saving hacks and the technology you should be using, she's here to help you travel smarter and make the most of any adventure.

Jeanenne Tornatore is a media and travel expert, seasoned broadcaster, and content creator with a passion for exploring. Over the past 15 years, she has regularly shared her expertise and insights on top TV and radio networks as a travel contributor to the Today Show, Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, CNN, HLN, CNBC, MSNBC, FOX News and many more.

Tornatore's career has followed her passion for travel, from working for one of the world's leading ski resort companies, her 11-year tenure leading consumer brand communications at Orbitz.com, and now, partnering with travel brands and tourism boards to promote new experiences and new places through broadcast programming.

In addition to her work as a travel contributor, Tornatore is also the co-founder of The Broadcast Experts, a broadcast PR firm, specializing in building strategic communications programs that reach top-market TV, radio and podcast audiences for clients in various industries.

 Her website is:  https://www.theoutsideinsider.com/

Host: John Hancir

Not sure where to start with ClubRunner? We’re here to help! Join the Communications Committee as they highlight some of the main reasons to use ClubRunner and how. Don’t worry, this isn’t some long tutorial. You’ll walk away with some useful information that will help you stay connected to all things Rotary at the Club, District and International levels! 

Host: Ron Hirasawa

Nuestro Center is part of Family Service of Lake County.  Nuestro Center offers programs that provide a continuum of educational, mentoring, and family support from childhood through high school graduation and college or vocational school acceptance. Their bi-lingual English/Spanish staff works closely with administrators and faculty at Oak Terrace Elementary School, Northwood Junior High School, and Highland Park High School to ensure all in the community receive the support they need to reach their full potential. Nuestro Center partners with the School District 113 Adult Education program to offer daytime English Language Learning classes to help improve English skills for non-English-speaking adults. The classes are offered by trained District 113 educators and are held at Nuestro Center.

Family Service of Lake County, founded in 1930, delivers proven, high-quality counseling for all ages, senior and caregiver services, and education and mentoring programs. Stronger families make a stronger community.

Host: David Hone

Mike Dorneker, Lake Bluff Brewing Company's brewer and owner, is a rare talent. He left his job as an IT administrator more than twelve years ago to attend the country's oldest commercial brewing school, Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago, to pursue his dream of doing what he loves. We, here at LBBC, are confident that his beer is second to none. His recipes are top-notch, because everything is personally hand-crafted, and he uses only the best, freshest, local ingredients.

Mike is a man of few words, but anyone who has ever had his beer knows that it is truly something special. He has made a deliberate choice to keep everything in-house and local to ensure the quality remains extremely high. He is equal parts artist and mad-scientist. Anytime he enters a competition, his beer tends to win, including multiple national awards at the U.S. Beer Open. 

Host: Drew Irvin

Rick Telander is the senior sports columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.  He is the author of nine books and was previously a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and ESPN, the Magazine. An original member of "The Sportswriters on TV,’’ Telander has been named Illinois Sportswriter of the Year nine times, and his work has been collected in over a dozen anthologies.  He has been awarded the Sigma Delta Chi Award by the Society of Professional Journalists and recently received the Dan Jenkins Lifetime Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting from the University of Texas,  Moody of College of Communications.  In 2021 he was inducted into the National Sportswriters Hall of Fame in Winston-Salem, N.C.  He is married with four adult children and lives in Highwood, Ill. 

Host: Fred Jackson

In his memoir, William Taylor reveals the story of his 13-month tour of duty with Special Landing Force Alpha, one of the most active Marine combat units of the Vietnam War.  The story emerges from his personal experience and the accounts of other veterans who served with him during the heavy combat of 1967 and 1968.

Host: Carl Marcyan

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Reach out to Mark Dewart for more information.

Dressed in Renaissance-era costumes and equipped with their singing voices, the Lake Forest High School Madrigal Singers spread holiday spirit throughout our community.

Host: John Johnson "JJ"

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Host:  Social Committee

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Join us for our club holiday party at Conway Farms Golf Club. Cocktails & appetizers start at 5:30pm with dinner starting at 6pm. The cost is approximately $85.00 per person. Please RSVP to John Looby if you will be attending. Spouses/Partners are welcome. 

We are scheduled to ring in hourly shifts between 10:00am and 4:00pm on Saturday, Dec 17. Generally we’ve had two ringers for each shift. We’ll be ringing again at the Lake Forest Jewel.

There are many mysteries surrounding college athletics. How good do your grades need to be to get looked at by college coaches? What should my stats look like to be recruited? What are the differences between divisions? From starting the recruiting process to getting there and trying to figure out how to balance sports, academics, other extracurriculars, and a social life, the whole process of college athletics is undeniably daunting. I will address these topics as well as touch on my experience and what I learned from playing a college sport. 

My name is Audrey Kaus and I’m 22 years old. I graduated early from the University of Chicago in March of 2022 with a double major in Business-Economics and Spanish, while playing on the varsity women’s lacrosse team for four years and being captain for two. I went to LFHS and graduated in 2018, while there I played varsity basketball and varsity lacrosse for four years and was in leadership positions for both teams. I currently live in NYC and work for JP Morgan.

Host: Jayson Kaus

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Host:  Jerry Kelly

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Hello,

Please join us for the Bocce Event on XX at YY. Please RSVP at the link attached.  

Regards,
Steve

From LF-LB Patch on Oct 31, 2022.

Larry Farmer experienced great collegiate success as a member of the three-time NCAA national champion UCLA Bruins basketball team coached by the legendary John Wooden in the early 1970s. During Farmer’s years at UCLA, the Bruins had an 89-1 record. Next, he was drafted by the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and the ABA (at the time) Denver Nuggets before concluding his professional playing career in Germany. There, he transitioned to the sidelines setting the stage for a nearly 40-year coaching career at both the NBA (Golden State Warriors assistant) and collegiate levels.

Farmer returned to his alma mater, UCLA, as its head basketball coach. He also served as head coach at Weber State and Loyola University/Chicago as well as an assistant coach at the University of Hawaii, North Carolina State and Western Michigan.

But when Farmer decided to retire to spend more time with family, his lifelong dream to coach high school basketball remained unfulfilled. That dream has now come true as Farmer assumes leadership of the Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart basketball program this season. And Interim Athletic Director Sierra Leigh says the all-girls college-prep high school in Lake Forest could not be more excited to have him there.

“Coach Farmer brings a philosophy that I have carried on through my years of coaching that I truly believe our student-athletes will strive and grow with,” Leigh said. “His personality shaped by his journey, willingness for opportunity, and understanding of the Sacred Heart have brought him into our organization with open arms. He exemplifies many qualities and will be a shining light for the entire Woodlands Academy community as we look forward to a very exciting 2022-23 basketball season.”

Farmer, who currently resides in Gurnee, says he is excited about this opportunity to coach at the high school level and can’t wait to start the season. “There is a level of enthusiasm and excitement surrounding Woodlands’ program that definitely got my attention,” he added.

Woodlands Academy is a member of the Independent School League, an Illinois High School Association affiliate comprising nine Chicago area private secondary schools.

In addition to his new coaching duties at Woodlands Academy, Farmer has kept busy during retirement writing a book titled “Role of A Lifetime,” due to be released Feb. 21, 2023.

Host: Jerry Kelly

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Jan Roessler was a 2014 LFLB Rotary Inbound Student

Host:  Bob Kenehan

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Rev. Dr. Thomas Dickelman is the Founder & Minister and Rev. Sean Miller is a Minister of the Community Church of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.

Host: Cliff Kiehl 

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

The information below is from the Crushing Classical Podcast by Jennet Ingle on Sep 29, 2022:

Deb Stevenson is an oboist, teacher, musician contractor, and founding member of Rendezvous Arts.  The organization she created hosts events that offer  something for EVERYONE and is a triumph of win win for musicians, visual artists, and audiences alike. 

Deb has had a career in music for 35 years. She has  seen all sides of the music profession - from orchestra to Broadway shows and even playing with rock bands!  She teaches  at the high school and college level and contracts musicians for concerts. “I love to play the oboe, but even more than that - I love to create work for music and visual artists - and to make connections between these people and their audiences.” 

Host: Megan Morris

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Midwest Veterans Closet is a super spreader of food, goods, and dignity for our military heroes. Many of whom are experiencing or are at risk of homelessness.  They also provide for active-duty service members, many of who are newly stationed at Great Lakes, the only Naval Recruit Training Center in the country.  Mary will provide an update on the organization and progress on a new facility in North Chicago.

Host:  Cliff Kiehl

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

A 2012 Graduate of Commercial Photography from the Art Institute of Seattle. Ajla began her career working at a cannabis dispensary garden in Washington state. In 2014, Ajla acquired a grower's license in Olympia, WA and started her first recreational cannabis company. In 2017, Ajla expanded into Portland, OR as a recreational grower. During the previous 5 years, she also worked as a Cannabis Photographer for many different clients, including dispensaries, culture magazines, growers, etc. By the end of 2019, she stepped back from the cannabis industry. In 2020, Ajla knew she wanted to be a Mortician but before she enrolled in a mortuary science program, she started yoga training and by 2021 completed a 200-hour certified yoga program. It was always a dream of hers to be able to expand her yoga practice. Today, you can find Ajla living locally and working at Wenban Funeral Home.

Host: Tim Larkowski

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Dr. Montgomery, the Superintendent of Lake Forest Schools, will provide and update on the $105.7M referendum that the Lake Forest Community High School District 115, is pursuing on the April 4, 2023 Lake County election ballot.

The Superintendent’s office is responsible for overseeing the efficient operation of Lake Forest Community High School District 115 and Lake Forest Elementary School District 67. The Superintendent is the Districts' chief executive officer, reporting directly to the Boards of Education, and is responsible for the administration and management of the Districts' schools, educational programs, fiscal matters, and all matters related to personnel in accordance with Board of Education policies, directives, and state and federal law.

Dr. Montgomery began his career at Waterloo Local School District in Atwater, Ohio as a science teacher, and later, as principal of Waterloo Middle School and Waterloo High School. After working in the school buildings, he became the Superintendent of Waterloo Local School District in July 2013 and focused heavily on enhancing STEM curriculum. The position of Superintendent of Waterloo Local School District led Dr. Montgomery to Revere Local School District in Bath, OH where he served as Superintendent beginning in July 2015. There, he successfully led the development of a five-year strategic plan, created the “Vision of a Minuteman” in partnership with the community, and increased the District’s state ranking on the Ohio School Report Card Performance Index. 

Dr. Montgomery is a lifelong learner and educational leader. He serves as the Co-Chair of the The School Superintendents Association (AASA) STEM Leadership Consortia and as a Steering Committee member of the National Superintendents Roundtable. He also serves on the Superintendent Advisory Board of JASON Learning. In addition, Dr. Montgomery is an instructor in the Department of Leadership and Administration at the American College of Education, facilitating professional coursework for graduate students. 

Dr. Montgomery is also a passionate reader and author. You can learn more by following his blog, Basics of Leadership.

Dr. Montgomery lives in Lake Forest, with his wife, Blayna, and his four children, Elizabeth, Jacquelyn, Everett, and Avery. In his spare time, Dr. Montgomery enjoys running, exercising, listening to a wide range of music, reading, and spending time with family.

Host:  Jim Gregory

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Information will be shared regarding Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital’s current service offerings as well as plans for a new parking structure and two new pavilions on the Lake Forest campus.  Healthcare workforce environment and challenges will also be highlighted.

Marsha Oberrieder is President of Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital (NMLFH), a 114-bed academic community hospital in Lake Forest serving patients throughout Lake and northern Cook Counties. Since 2015 Ms. Oberrieder served as Senior Vice President, Operations at NMLFH supporting the design and activation of the new hospital opening in 2018, the development of the Northwestern Medical Group ambulatory clinic platform in the northern suburbs and oversight of the hospital Imaging operations.

Her previous Vice President of Operations responsibilities at NMLFH have included the development and operations of the Northwestern Medicine Grayslake Outpatient Center, the hospital Rehabilitation and Laboratory services and the development of the Cancer and Cardiology service lines. Ms. Oberrieder has been a member of the management team at NMLFH since 1980, serving in other past positions including Vice President, Human Resources and Professional Services, Controller and Budget Manager.

Ms. Oberrieder received her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from DePauw University and completed Cornell University’s Core Human Resources Executive Development Program. In addition to her work at NMLFH, Marsha has been involved in her community having served on the High School District 128 School Board for Libertyville and Vernon Hills High Schools and the Governing Board of the Special Education District of Lake County.

Host: Drew Irvin

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Jeff will discuss how elderly people become victims of financial exploitation and the remedies available.

Jeff is a partner at Lesser Lutrey Pasquesi & Howe, LLP specializing in estate and trust litigation. He is also the president of the Lake County Estate Planning Council, a Board Member of the Lake County Bar Association, and former lead chair of the Lake County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Committee. Mr. O'Kelley specializes in estate and trust disputes such as will and trust contests, claims for financial exploitation of the elderly and disabled, will and trust construction cases, complex fiduciary litigation and contested guardianship proceedings. In addition, Jeff has extensive appellate litigation experience, including the published decisions of In re Estate of Walsh (2012 IL App (2d) 110938) and In re Estate of LaPlume (2014 IL App (2d) 130945). Jeff also practices in the fields of estate planning and commercial litigation, as well as estate and trust administration. He has lectured at Loyola University School of Law, and he has written for the Illinois Bar Journal, the Illinois State Bar Association Trusts & Estates Newsletter, and the Lake County Bar Association Docket.

Host: Rick Lesser

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Eunice will also be joined by Bill Kashul, Director of Development for Habitat for Humanity Lake County.

About Habitat for Humanity Lake County
Habitat for Humanity Lake County (HFHLC) is an affiliate of Habitat International. Established in 1989, the sole purpose of Habitat for Humanity Lake County is to provide simple, decent and affordable homes that hard-working, low-income families can own.

We have provided homes for over 200 families in Lake County providing permanent housing for over 600 people. Habitat for Humanity Lake County also tithes 10% of our undesignated funds to build homes internationally. We have built over 300 homes in the Philippines housing over 1000 people.

Every night over 1700 people sleep in a safe, clean, decent and affordable home through the efforts of Habitat for Humanity Lake County.  Habitat in Lake County has also served 20+ families through our Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative program, which includes rehabilitation, weatherization, and A Brush with Kindness.

Habitat for Humanity Lake County is part of a global, nonprofit housing organization operated on Christian principles that seeks to put God’s love into action by building homes, communities and hope. Habitat Lake County is dedicated to eliminating substandard housing locally and worldwide through constructing, rehabilitating and preserving homes; by advocating for fair and just housing policies; and by providing training and access to resources to help families improve their shelter conditions. Habitat for Humanity was founded on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a simple, durable place to live in dignity and safety, and that decent shelter in decent communities should be a matter of conscience and action for all.

How the Habitat program operates in Lake County

Using Donations and volunteer labor, Habitat for Humanity Lake County partners with low-income, hard-working Habitat Partner Families to serve Habitat Partner Families Lake County.  Partner Families fall within certain income guidelines, complete 500 hours of sweat equity, attend 30+ financial education classes /budget counseling.  Partner Families then purchase a Habitat home with an interest-free, no-profit mortgage.

Host:  JJ