Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights Rotary Club celebrating 50 years

By Submitted by Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights Rotary Club

Past and present Rotarians, guests and friends of Rotary will be enjoying a dinner wine pairing evening with specially selected wines to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights on Saturday, Aug. 3.

This year's 50th anniversary, will be highlighted by the installation of the club's 51st president, Wendy R. Morgan; installation of the 2013-2014 officers; and the induction of five new club members.

 

The wine pairing and dinner will be at the Rolling Green Country Club, 2525 E. Rand Road, in Arlington Heights. A variety of sponsorship opportunities are still available. Entertainment will be provided by renowned pianist Tara Singer with vocals by Wendy Morgan and Ellen Young.

Rotary is an international service organization, and both Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights are committed to bringing peace to the local community and on an international level. No politics. No religion. Just "Service Above Self."

Rotary's biggest effort in this regard has been its commitment to the polio immunization program. As a result of Rotary's efforts, polio has been eradicated in all but three countries, and polio's complete eradication from the planet will happen in the next few years.

As the end of polio is in sight, Rotary International is further focusing its efforts on providing clean water, raising literacy and encouraging vocational skills worldwide. In that regard, the Rotary Club of Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights has, in just the past year, provided funds for water filtration devices; funds to support indigenous schools in Guatemala; and joined all 72 other district clubs with a humanitarian literacy related project in Mexico, a hands-on training pilot to teach indigenous female students basic self-defense. The club is also working with other local Rotary clubs in its district to restore a health clinic in Guatemala that services a vocational school and 29 tribal communities; work with vocational female students, in Guatemala, on how to protect themselves when they leave the rain forest to work in urban areas; and work with Rotary Districts from around the country and abroad to send 29 digital X-ray machines to Guatemala.

Over the years, the Rotary Club of Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights and its members have supported the community financially and with hands on efforts, with scholarships, youth leadership training, literacy programs, hosting International Exchange Students, local food pantries and new winter coats for needy children to name a few. The club has worked with many other local charities to include the Boy Scouts, Knights of Columbus, the Lions, Special Leisure Services, CEDA, local park districts and the Lovell Center at Great Lakes that supports Veterans with PTSD.

All this has been achieved through sponsorships and by various fundraisers the club has hosted over the years including its "Classic 5000" which is held every February and is open to the public and various End Polio Now Fundraising Campaigns. Overall, the club has raised over $500,000 to support various humanitarian missions in the local community and abroad, and have dedicated countless hours to doing "Service Above Self". The Rotary Club of Mount Prospect/Prospect Heights is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit club.

For additional information or to join in the 50th anniversary celebration, contact Wendy Morgan at (847) 259-5700 or email her at Rotary@WendyMorgan.com. You can also visit www.MP-PHRotary.org.