Mike Yesner, Governor of Rotary District 6440 visited the Skokie Valley Rotary Club and their Club President Sam Eckerling.  Each year the newly elected Governor visits all 70 Clubs in Chicagoland within District 6440. The annual visit is an opportunity for Rotarians to learn new ways to enhance and enrich the communities Rotary serves and to share new ideas.  The Skokie Valley Club serves the communities of Lincolnwood, Niles, Morton Grove and Skokie.

The Skokie Valley Rotary Club was Yesner’s 13^th Club he visited since being installed Governor June 29^th.   It was a homecoming for Governor Yesner who is also a member of the Skokie Valley Club.

Yesner,  during his one-year term, wants Rotarians to get "engaged" with service and to build fellowship among members.  Building relationships by being involved with projects and mentoring others is the cornerstone to an “engaged” Rotary, Yesner said.

President Eckerling said he is ready to meet the Governor’s challenge and announced his President’s Project to donate school supplies to a learning center in Monterrey, Mexico.  In conjunction with the Monterrey Rotary Club and the local Tecnologico University.  Eckerling hoped to raise $50,000 for the learning center, just 150 miles from the U.S.  border.

Joaquin Mejia, International Service Chairman, says the Skokie Valley Rotary will help provide computer equipment, desks, reading materials, pens, pencils and paper for men, women and children who attend the learning center.  The learning center offers Monterrey’s poorest people classes in basic reading and mathematics to vocational training for job placement.

Monterrey, Mexico and its citizens need these services,” Eckerling says.    Eckerling recently had a meeting with Rotary members from Monterrey to plan the joint venture.   “Our goal is to raise $50,000 by asking all 70 Clubs in District 6440 to donate.  This fundraising effort involving all 70 Clubs is unprecedented within Rotary and could become part of Rotary’s future, if successful.  If we’re successful we’ll establish a new a more effective method to help others,” Eckerling said.

The Rotary Club of Skokie Valley helps local organizations like, THE ARC, A Just Harvest Soup Kitchen, Niles Township Food Pantry, American Cancer Society, USO of Illinois, Metropolitan Family Service, End Polio Now, Orchard Village, Golf Marine Park District, Summer Foundation, Building Together,  DECA, Skokie NorthShore Hospital, VITA and more locally and internationally.

For information on joining Rotary, visit the Rotary website at http://www.skokierotary.org or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SkokieValleyRotary