I was never given a choice about joining Rotary. My Father in Law was President at the time I finished my residency. During my residency he had taken me to lunch with George Witte to help get me interested in practicing in the area. They said to me, "Of course you will join Rotary." My response was, "of course". As a new resident of the community I immediately enjoyed meeting and becoming friends with so many varied and interesting people. It took a while to fully appreciate what being in a service club really meant and how being a small part could make a difference. I enjoy the sense of community, the lunches, and the avenue for giving back. People like Herb Hillman, Karl Hertz, Stan Smith, Tim Carr and Dan Gannon have been huge influences, mostly good.
Our speaker on Tuesday, November 15 was Cori Guerin, CEO of Family Promise of Ozaukee County, Inc. The YouTube video link she referenced can be found here: https://youtu.be/c8ElkbE46Ao.
Cori is the newly appointed CEO of Family Promise of Ozaukee County and the current 2022/2023 President of the Mequon Thiensville Sunrise Rotary club. Family Promise is currently building a static homeless shelter, known as the Portlight Shelter, at the corner of Sunset and LL in Port Washington. The agency works with currently homeless individuals and families but spends a majority of their work helping people remain in their homes by providing access to rent assistance, section 8 vouchers and other forms of state and local assistance. Family Promise also helps connect those in need to access to energy assistance, food share, job search assistance, credit repair, educational resources and many other resources available in the community. Family Promise is making a difference in the lives of families and individuals who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Ozaukee County. Prior to taking on her leadership role at Family Promise, Cori worked as a Director of Donor Relations at Concordia University. She worked with major donors, foundations, corporate partners and others to create a robust portfolio of fundraising experience. While at Concordia she obtained her MBA with a concentration in Strategic Communications and Public Relations. She is currently in pursuit of her CFRE certification and hopes to obtain it by the end of 2023. Cori has been happily married to Brian Guerin for over 5 years and they are delighted to be the proud parents and step-parents of 8 children; 5 daughters and 3 sons, with the oldest son expecting their first grandchild in May. Cori and Brian love to travel, be outdoors, exercise, bike, golf and hunt. They also spend many volunteer hours working with the Riverwest Food Pantry, St. Ben’s, Family Promise, Globall Giving, LLS, the Alzheimer’s Association and the many service projects that both of their Rotary clubs are involved with.
The 9th Annual Winter Wonderland will take place on Sunday, December 11 from 3:30 P.M. - 6:30 P.M. in front of City Hall on Cedarburg Road. Santa will arrive by a horse-drawn wagon and children can have their picture taken with him inside the Isham Day House. Judah the Maccabee will also be at the festival to have pictures taken in front of a giant Menorah. There will be numerous activities for children to take part in including ornament making, cookie decorating, wagon rides, and a Gingerbread Bounce House. Holiday music will be provided by the MTSD Elementary & Middle School Orchestra from 3:30 - 4:30 P.M., the Christ Alone Choirs from 4:30 - 5:00 P.M., the Lakeshore & Steffen Choirs from 5:00 - 5:30 P.M., and the Homestead H.S. Choir from 5:30 - 6:00 P.M. Mr. P's Grilled Cheese and Ruby Tap will be providing food and beverages.