Carbs for a Cause: PizzaFest Tuesday, May 16

It's May, so it's PizzaFest time.

Always a lot of fun, the Rotary Club of Evanston has organized this annual all-you-can-eat pizza and pop extravaganza for more than 30 years. Proceeds will be spent on projects and initiatives vital to the well-being of Evanstonians and other neighbors, especially kids.

Tickets are on sale at Dick Peach’s Dempster Auto Rebuilders, Gail Jones’ Saville Flowers, Elio Romero’s Chef's Station, online and at the door. (Getting tickets before you get to the door will save you a few bucks, but given that proceeds are going to some worthy non-profits, maybe paying more is okay.)

This year's servers will include Evanston Mayor Steve Hagerty; Alderman Peter Braithwaite, Evanston Community Foundation's Monique Burson Jones, possibly some NU coaches and a lot of Rotarians.

This year’s PizzaFest collaborators include:

The Moran Center - Formally called the James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy, the Center provides Evanston youth and their families with integrated legal and social work services to improve their quality of life at home, at school, and within the Evanston community.

The Ridgeville Foundation - The foundation supports participation in Ridgeville Park District’s camps and classes and provides free and accessible cultural programming such as Shakespeare on the Ridge and the annual 4-on-4 soccer festival.

Mudlark Theater - The theater takes children seriously as artists and creates vibrant, funny, compelling theatre that blurs the line between youth and professional theater.

It's always a good time. I hope to see you there. I'll be making pictures.

The Rotary Club of Evanston, informally called Evanston Rotary, is kind of special. Besides bringing together some of the most interesting, civic-minded and generous people in the area under the banner of "Service Above Self", our club is unique for a couple other reasons. We meet at Rotary International's headquarter's conference center, a perk for both our club and RI. On any given Thursday, we serve as host to many Rotarians coming from out-of-town to do business at RI.

If you'd like to know more about our club, you can check us out online or club president Dave Stumpf before June 30. As of July 1, Dick Peach will serve as president again.

More about this year's PizzaFest is up on Facebook.

Tickets. Get your tickets here --> TICKETS.

——————————

Heck, yeah. I’m a Rotarian. Since 2010.

PizzaFest at Gigio's Tuesday, May 19.

Heck, yeah, I'm a Rotarian.

It's that time of the year again: PIZZA FEST!
The Rotary Club of Evanston has put on all-you-can-eat fun for more than 30 years. Proceeds continue to benefit area organization and projects focused on kids and their needs.

See you there? Tickets are on sale at Dempster Auto Rebuilders, Saville Flowers, Chef's Station, all the Duxler locations and at Downtown Evanston's office, plus online and at the door. Psst...getting tickets before you get to the door will save you a few bucks, but given that proceeds are going to some worthy non-profits, maybe paying more is okay. 

The Rotary Club of Evanston, informally called Evanston Rotary, is kind of special. Besides bringing together some of the most interesting, civic-minded and generous people in the area under the banner of "Service Above Self", our club is unique for a couple other reasons. We meet at Rotary International's headquarter's conference center, which mutually beneficial perks to our club and RI. On any given Thursday, we serve as host to other clubs coming to tour RI, as well as many Rotarians coming from out-of-town to do business at RI.

If you'd like to know more about our club, you can contact me or club president Paul Larson before June 30.

For a Peaceful Evanston: Rotary's Holiday Benefit December 11

Evanston Rotary's Annual PizzaFest to Benefit Youth May 29

This in from Rotary Club of Evanston...

Neighbors near and far are invited to our annual

PizzaFest

When: 4:30 - 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 29

Where: Giordano's, 1527 Chicago Ave., Evanston, IL 60201

Featuring: all the cheese, veggie, and cheese and sausage thin crust pizza you can eat, plus soft drinks and beer.

Ticket Price: $20/adult and $10/child at the door or find an Evanston Rotarian to buy tickets from in advance for a better deal.

This year proceeds benefit: First United Methodist Church Appalachian Service Project, McGaw YMCA, Northwestern University Rotaract, YWCA Evanston/North Shore and Y.O.U. of Evanston.

Organized by our club for more than 30 years, PizzaFest is just one of the ways the club and our charitable fund raises money to support youth-focused projects and non-profits in Evanston.

To learn more about who is expected, see the event's Facebook page.

About Evanston Rotary: Founded in 1920, the Rotary Club of Evanston provides service to the community via hands-on volunteer projects and fundraising to help worthy causes. It has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for not-for-profit organizations, helping Evanston cope with pressing issues ranging from HIV/AIDS and literacy to homelessness and poverty.

The club also provides scholarships, supports international aid projects and maintains the Friendship Garden in Evanston’s Ladd Arboretum for public use.

Local Rotarians are part of a global network of more than 1 million Rotarians who work together in
providing local, national and international service projects. Since the 1980s, Rotary International has played a major role as a partner in worldwide polio eradication efforts. The organization’s global headquarters are in Evanston.

The club’s weekly luncheon meeting is held Thursdays from 12 to 1:15 p.m. at the North Shore Retirement Hotel. To learn more about becoming a member, visit www.evanstonrotary.org.



 
Pictures above from last year's PizzaFest were made by me. In the name of full disclosure, Joel and I are Rotarians.

Support Power Paws for Kids in the Pepsi Refresh Project with a click

$5,000 grant to help expand Read to the Dogs program

This in from our neighbors Lida Liu and Bella...

Please vote for Power Paws for Kids in the Pepsi Refresh Project.

PPK provides animal-assisted therapy programs in the NW Indiana area. Pepsi's grant will help us expand our "Read to the Dogs" programs in the NW Indiana area and possibly to the greater Chicagoland area. 

Many kids struggle with reading and find that reading to a dog is much less intimidating and more relaxing than reading to their peers.  Power Paws has had much success in helping children improve their reading skills through participation in these programs.  The kids really enjoy reading to the dogs and the dogs love being read to as well.  Many of these dogs were rescued and are now proud therapy dogs making a difference in the community. 
   
Please help a great cause and remember you can vote everyday through July 31st! 

Please click here to vote: http://www.refresheverything.com/powerpaws.

You may also Text 107162 to Pepsi (73774) to vote from your mobile.

..........................................................

Power Paws for Kids, Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization.

Lida Liu is the Manager of Social Media for Power Paws for Kids, a rock climbing instructor at the Evanston Athletic Club and, with her dog Bella (above), is a Coworking Evanston denizen.

.