The Rotary Club of Paradise invites music lovers of all ages to enjoy an evening of bluegrass and storytelling from critically acclaimed Travis Wetzel. Travis can be seen and heard almost every week on the Grand Ole Opry stage, but he’ll be in Lancaster, PA on December 8. Travis will be performing traditional and original music along with a few surprises including audience requests during the second half of the show. It’s a show you won’t want to miss!
With a successful disaster rebuild trip to N. Carolina this past July, we will return to New Bern N.C. Sunday February 23 - Saturday February 29, 2020. This past July seven D7390 Rotarians, along with eleven other folks, travelled free of cost on a Bailey Coach bus for a week of restoring homes severely damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018. No previous skills required, home repair experience helpful. Open to Rotarians and non-Rotarians. Minimum age 16. Volunteer housing cost is $125/person. We will again work with Fuller Center Disaster ReBuilders; they provide volunteer housing/meals, skilled construction leadership, tools and qualified projects.
This trip we will also need a 'scribe', a person to take pictures, talk with home owners, write a story. Interested?
Do you have a passion for serving families in need? Got additional questions? Ready to sign up? Contact Peg Sennett, 717-630-8281, pegsennett@hotmail.com. Registration required no later than January 20th. Space may be limited, indicate your interest promptly.
SIGN UP FOR RETURN DISASTER BUILD IN NEW BERN N.C.
PDG John Kramb (L) and PDG Kevin Cogan (R) flank PDG and Zone 32 Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor Knut Johnsen (D-7210) to announce the results of the Million Dollar Journey at the Annual Foundation Dinner on Nov 6. The one year campaign to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International resulted in $906,742 in cash and $744,000 in Bequests for a total of $1,650,742 for the campaign from District 7390 Rotarians. The District leadership wishes to thank all who gave to the Foundation this year to make the Million Dollar Journey a huge success.
The Annual District 7390 Rotary Foundation dinner was held Wednesday, November 6 with approximately 185 Rotarians and guests in attendance. The Rotary Foundation giving awards from 2018-19 were presented. Congratulations to the following Clubs!!
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg received a Global Grant Service Streamer for their work on Water & Sanitation in India. Pictured L-R: PDG John May, Mike Hansen, DRFC John Kramb.
The following Clubs had the highest annual fund giving during the 2018-2019 Rotary year: York, Harrisburg, Lancaster. Pictured L-R: Joyce Libby (Harrisburg), Tom McCracken (York), PDG Knut Johnsen, Rotary Foundation Trustee Brenda Cressesy, PDG John May.
The following Clubs had the highest total Foundation Giving during the 2018-2019 Rotary year: Mechanicsburg-North, Harrisburg, York. Pictured L-R: Joyce Libby (Harrisburg), Tom McCracken (York), Juliet Altenburg (Mechanicsburg-North), PDG Knut Johnsen, Rotary Trustee Brenda Cressey, PDG John May.
The following Clubs had the highest annual fund per capita giving in the 2018-2019 Rotary year: Harrisburg-Keystone, Harrisburg, Mechanicsburg. Pictured L-R: Joyce Libby (Harrisburg), Sophia Pischnak (Harrisburg-Keystone), PDG Knut Johnsen, Rotary Trustee Brenda Cressey, PDG John May, John Petrie (Mechanicsburg).
The following Clubs achieved an average of $100 in per capita giving and 100% participation, with every dues-paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the Rotary year: Annual fund, Polio Plus fund, approved global grants or the Endowment fund. Carlisle-Sunrise, Eastern York County, Gettysburg, Harrisburg-Keystone, Mount Joy, Northern Lebanon County, Palmyra, Southern York County, West Shore, West York, York-North. Pictured L-R: Greg Sallade (Mount Joy), PDG Knut Johnsen, Nigel Foundling (Northern Lebanon), Rotary Trustee Brenda Cressey, PDG John May, Ed Wagaman (York-North), Kirk Brechbiel (West Shore), Ken Farabaugh (Gettysburg), Phil Lehman (Eastern York County), Sophia Pishnak (Harrisburg-Keystone), Ben Prescott (Carlisle-Sunrise).
The following Clubs achieved a minimum Annual fund contribution of $100 per capita during the Rotary year, with every dues paying member contributing at least $25 to the Annual fund. Harrisburg-Keystone, Mount Joy, Northern Lebanon, Palmyra, West Shore, West York and York-North. Pictured L-R: PDG Knut Johnsen, Kirk Brechbiel (West Shore), Ed Wagaman (York-North), Rotary Trustee Brenda Cressey, Nigel Foundling (Northern Lebanon), PDG John May, Greg Sallade (Mount Joy), Sophia Pishnak (Harrisburg-Keystone).
The following Clubs are received a certificate of appreciation for their financial support to the End Polio Now: Countdown to History Campaign during the 2018-19 Rotary year. Carlisle, Carlisle-Sunrise, Elizabethtown, Harrisburg, Hershey, Lancaster, Lancaster-Sunrise, Lititz, Mechanicsburg-North, Red Lion-Dallastown, Southern York County, Uptown York, York.
PDG John May was presented with certificates from Zone 32 for District giving to the Rotary Foundation during the 2018-19 Rotary year. The certificates were for the 2nd Highest Contribution to End Polio Now, the 2nd Highest Per Capita Giving by District to the Annual Program Fund, and the 2nd Largest Overall Contribution to the Annual Program Fund. Pictured L-R: PDG Knut Johnsen, Rotary Trustee Brenda Cressey, PDG John May.
The Rotary Club of Carlisle and the Rotary Club of Carlisle-Sunrise will host their annual holiday dinner and auction event on Friday, December 6th at the Comfort Suites in Carlisle. Proceeds from previous auctions have benefitted poor communities in Kenya and more recently projects in the local community. Rotary’s goal this year is to raise $15,000 to support much needed facility repairs and upgrades at the Domestic Violence Services of Cumberland and Perry Counties (DVSCP) emergency shelter.
Incorporated in 1990, DVSCP is a private, non-profit organization that has been designated by the Pennsylvania Coalition against Domestic Violence (PCADV) as the sole provider of services to adult victims of domestic violence, their dependent children, and significant others in Cumberland and Perry Counties. All services are provided confidentially and free of charge.
Last year, DVSCP provided services to 1,112 victims. This included providing shelter for 136 adults and children, totaling 4,299 shelter days and filing 323 Protection from Abuse orders in Cumberland County and 79 in Perry County. It also received 1,467 hotline calls, provided 3,071 counseling hours and presented 104 educational/awareness activities to 1,741 people. To prevent future domestic violence incidences, DVSCP also provided services to 104 batterers.
Originally built in the 1930’s, DVSCP’s 30-day Emergency Shelter requires vital structural repairs to remain operable and safe. The project includes updating or replacing all 45 windows in the shelter, as well as replacing all exterior wood to include trim, fascia, eaves, and dormers. The estimated cost for this project is $100,000.
DVSCP has been working very hard to raise funds for this project and Rotarians from District 7390 can now help by supporting this Holiday Auction. Support can be made in one of two ways, either by donating an item to the auction or by being a financial sponsor of the auction. One can be a Gold Level Sponsor by donating $500, a Silver Sponsor by donating $250 and a Bronze Sponsor by donating $100. To date, Carlisle Rotarians have already donated $7,500 in sponsorships alone.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rotary International in 2005, the Youth Community Development Team (YCDT) was created by the Rotary Club of Harrisburg (RCH) in partnership with Leadership Harrisburg Area, The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, The Patriot News, United Way of the Capital Region and many dedicated volunteers in 2004. The initial goals established by the RCH founders were to provide area youth guidance in entrepreneurship, leadership and philanthropy.
The objectives of the YCDT program, to be achieved through a real experience, encourages students:
to identify and focus on an area of community need.
to raise money toward providing a solution for that area of focus.
to select and provide grants to a community organization addressing those needs through community service hours.
The RCH YCDT program is provided for students in the Harrisburg School District and Bishop McDevitt High School. Each year, 30 students are selected for this intensive 9-month leadership and community development program. It is a highly competitive selection process.
RCH’s Youth Community Development Team Continues to Evolve
This year, under the guidance of RCH members Brad Gebhart and Andy Phillips YCDT Co-chairs, the youth combined their love of the arts and the need to address issues of mental health such as anxiety and depression affecting all high school students. The YCDT participants designed a blend of these issues as a solution to allocating their monies.
After interviewing three nonprofits that dealt with art therapy, the YCDT team members determined that a regionally based Bridge of Hope program was the most concise, effective and best return on their investment dollars. Bridge of Hope was awarded the students’ grant of $5,000 to initiate an arts program for children called Art Feeds. The curriculum, training package and art supplies were funded by the students’ grant.
The YCDT Teams’ initiative then came full circle. Once the implementation of the Bridges of Hope’s art therapy program began, the YCDT youth took their financial commitment one step further and gleefully volunteered to participate with the children.
While there are many real outcomes of the YCDT program that increase confidence in the students who participate; transform attitudes, broaden perspectives and plant the seeds of friendship and understanding across cultural and socioeconomic boundaries, measurable outcomes are to:
Increase student exposure to the greater Harrisburg community and their awareness of local resources.
Develop and improve students’ oral communication & presentation skills.
Increase student application of collaboration, negotiation, compromise, and persuasive skills.
Provide students with a forum to serve the community and demonstrate an impact.
On average, YCDT students raise and donate $5,000 per year to a community group. Previous community organizations and recipients of YCDT funding have included: Beautify the Burg, The Silence of Mary, Drug Free PA, The Joshua Group, Channels Food Rescue and Bridge of Hope.
YCDT students are left to right, Hannasy Rodgers, Dean Robbins, Anthony Larry, Mary Parker.
In the front row Sophie Alaniz and J.D. Edwards.
Rotary Club of Harrisburg's Youth Community Development Team and Bridge of Hope Provide Art Therapy Program for Children
York-East members volunteer to pick up trash and litter along Edgewood Road between Prospect Street and Kingston Road twice a year: once in the Spring and once in the Fall, generally to coincide with PennDOT's Road Cleanup Day. (pictured left to right) Todd Kuri, Charles Wurster, Greg Kern, Betsy Buckingham, Sheri Stamm, Tim Koller and Todd Stamm (taking photo).
Looking for a fun way to support the eradication of Polio? Purchase a pair of END POLIO NOW sneakers! Sneakers are a fundraiser for Rotary District 5400 in Idaho. Sneakers are $75 each and $49 of each sale goes directly to END POLIO. Click here to purchase your sneakers today!
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy is sponsoring a breakfast for local veterans on Monday, November 11th at the Gathering Place, 6 Pine Street Mount Joy. Breakfast will be provided free of charge to all veterans and a guest from 7:00 to 8:30 AM.
All Mount Joy residents and local employees, who are veterans, are invited to the breakfast. Greg Sallade, Mount Joy Club Co-President announced, “We want to reach as many veterans as possible to express our appreciation on this Veterans’ Day.”
The Rotary members of the Mount Joy Club wish to honor the veterans who have served their country in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard with this free event. Mount Joy Rotarians will be serving the breakfast.
To attend, veterans should contact Greg Sallade at 717-648-0510 or Mark Rorabaugh at 717-951-8238 by November 6, 2019. When placing your reservations, please let the Club know the branch and years of active service. If the veteran will be accompanied by a non-veteran, please include the non-veteran in the reservation count.
The Short Term Exchange Program year is in Kick-Off season. Last year was a very "low scoring year" for participants with only 5 completing an exchange. I am hoping that together we can "tackle" this problem and really put some points on the scoreboard. It was only 5 or 6 years ago we typically had 15 or so participating.
For new clubs who have not participated in the Short Term Exchange Program before, this is the least expensive way to really " score a touchdown " for Youth Exchange. All information is available on the District website.
Let me give you a few (game) highlights and explanation about the program:
Students have a very high probability of being assigned to the country of choice on the master country list.
Students normally exchange for 3 weeks in each other’s country (total of 6 weeks) If agreed the exchange could be 4 weeks + 4 weeks.
The cost to the club is minimal. 3 or so banners and a few membership meeting meals for the student and then visiting student.
Clubs need to have an assigned counselor.
This program is promoted as a family to family cultural exchange. We encourage parents to communicate with each other, also.
The student has a $125 application fee plus the cost of airfare and travel insurance.
Students can arrange return plane trip so as to travel together.
District interviews & family training take place on January 25, 2020 for exchanges in the summer of 2020.
Language proficiency is not necessary. This is not an academic exchange, it is a cultural exchange.
Please promote your candidates as “student ambassadors for Rotary International”.
It has been proven that STEP is a feeder program to our Long Term Academic Youth Exchange program.
Send all completed applications to the attention of Melissa Kopp at our District 7390 office. Deadline is January 10, 2020.
Please feel free to contact Tom Barton (tbarton@trolaindustries.com or 717-771-4240) if you have any questions. Now let’s get out there and “Score” !
The India Polio National Immunization Day team will be arriving in Delhi, India on January 15, 2020 and will depart on January 27, 2020.
Here are a few highlights of Nancy’s NID Team Trip. Our trip includes visits to the World Health Organization, St. Stephens Hospital, and South Asia Office, among others. We will visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal and Calcutta to see Mother Teresa’s Mission of Charity. Then on to Dhanbad for home stays with Rotarians.
The cost of the trip, in country, is $2795 for double occupancy. If you prefer a single room in the hotels there will be an extra cost of $1195. If you aren’t traveling with a friend or spouse, we will do our best to match you with a roommate if so wanted. You are responsible for your flight to and from Delhi.
The deadline for application with the organizer is November 15th, and must include a $500 deposit.
Anyone interested in participating, contact PDG John Kramb by email at pdgjohn2015@gmail.com.
The Rotary Club of Lebanon and the Northern Tier Steering Committee held a successful RMB networking event on November 13 at the Snitz Brewery in Lebanon with 16 Rotarians and guests attending from the Rotary Clubs of Colonial Park, Hanover, Harrisburg, Hershey, Lebanon, Myerstown-East Lebanon County, Palmyra, Uptown York, and York. Special thanks to our major sponsor Snitz Brewery for providing the excellent venue and appetizers to the Rotary Club of Lebanon for their hard work in organizing the event. Well done all! Clearly many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed by all.
Each October Rotary International kicks off its Foundation Quarter in which we hold up and show our support for the important work that our Foundation does in our communities and around the world. And to help with that effort, our speaker this week will be Dr. Anne Mathews from South Carolina. Anne is an educator by profession, a published author, an education commissioner and a public speaker. If you attended the District Foundation Dinner last November, you might remember her engaging presentation. Anne is a member of the Rotary Club of Columbia East and has served as District Governor, as Rotary International Vice President as a Trustee of the Foundation and as an International Trainer. She has also held numerous other positions in both District and Rotary International. She is the recipient of a number of awards from Rotary and other educational groups. Anne will speak to us of the importance of the Foundation and the work we do together.
The Rotary Club of York East and the Southern Tier Steering Committee hosted a very successful networking event on October 16 at Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. with 17 Rotarians and guests attending from six District 7390 clubs (Eastern York County, Hanover, Harrisburg, Uptown York, York East, and York). Many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed. Thank you Rotary Club of York East and Southern Tier Steering Committee and a special thanks to our Major Sponsor Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. Photos show Rotarians making connections, discussing business, and the Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Inc. sign.
It was in 1988 that Rotary International, an organization comprised of some 1.2 million members throughout the world, turned its attention to the fight against Polio. The plan was to begin by immunizing 6 million children in the Philippines and, after that initial success, to move across the globe in what came to be the largest internationally coordinated private sector support of a public health initiative. Today, working with our partners such as the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation more than 2.5 billion children have been immunized against polio reducing the cases by 99.9% world-wide. What that means is that, through our vaccination program, a disease which at one time paralyzed more than 1,000 people, most of them young children, worldwide every day has now been reduced to less than 100 cases year to date in just two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are not yet Polio free. We are, as we say in Rotary, this close to ending this disease, only the second disease to be eliminated completely in the history of humankind. The battle is not yet completely won, indeed the rates have risen slightly this year due to misinformation being spread about the vaccination program but we in Rotary are committed to seeing it through to the end and so are currently raising some $150 million dollars a year in order to wipe this disease from the face of the earth.
But this work is only the beginning. When we started this effort we worked together with the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) to help found the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and together we put together the world-wide system that has enabled us to tackle this issue of Polio. The battle has almost been won because that system is made up of millions of volunteers and health workers who immunize children in hard-to-reach communities and establish real-time global monitoring and response capacity. The massive infrastructure that's been created, which now encompasses millions of trained health workers as well as best practices and knowledge, is now being used to combat other infectious diseases and to undertake other critical health interventions.
Why tackle other diseases when we have not yet finished the fight against Polio? Because we know that, apart from Polio, there are an estimated 2 to 3 million deaths worldwide from vaccine-preventable diseases that also need to be addressed by closing immunization gaps and that there are some 20 million unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children in our world today.
The extensive polio-eradication infrastructure created by Rotary and its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative provides a model for this effort. If we did it for Polio we can use that same system to address these other vaccine preventable diseases going forward. Rotary and its partners are looking to carry out a legacy health plan which will ensure that the knowledge generated and the lessons learned from years of polio eradication activities are shared with other health initiatives.
In its efforts to deliver the polio vaccine to the hardest-to-reach and most vulnerable populations in the world, Rotary and its partners have learned valuable lessons about overcoming barriers. As a result, polio workers have been able to deliver additional health services, including deworming medication, vitamin A supplements, measles mortality-reduction activities, bednets to prevent malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases and routine immunizations. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s innovative methods include detailed micro-planning and mapping, the tracking of migrant groups, social mobilization programs, and systematic training and deployment of vaccination teams. All of these tactics can be applied to other health initiatives.
Indeed, supporting other health initiatives has been a key component of Rotary's strategy since it launched its PolioPlus program in 1985. Rotary has consistently delivered the "plus" along with polio vaccine, supporting efforts to protect children from other diseases, malnutrition, and other afflictions. In 2017, the number of children immunized was 116.2 million – the highest ever reported. Since 2010, 113 countries have introduced new vaccines and more than 20 million additional children have been vaccinated. But despite gains, all of the targets for disease elimination—including measles, rubella, and maternal and neonatal tetanus—are behind schedule, and over the last two years the world has seen multiple outbreaks of measles, diphtheria and various other vaccine-preventable diseases. Most of the children missing out are those living in the poorest, marginalized and conflict-affected communities.
GPEI receives regular polio reports from its vast surveillance network of laboratories, which identify and investigate reported polio cases anywhere in the world. That network and response system has been tapped to handle outbreaks of other diseases, including measles, tetanus, meningitis, and yellow fever. It also assisted in the global response to the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS; to floods in Pakistan in 2010-11; and to the tsuami in Southeast Asia in 2004. More recently, Nigeria used the infrastructure and surveillance system to end the deadly Ebola outbreak there.
Why does immunization matter? Very simply because expanding access to immunization is vital for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, poverty reduction and universal health coverage throughout the world. Routine immunization provides a point of contact for health care at the beginning of life and offers every child the chance at a healthy life from the earliest beginnings and into old age. Immunization is also a fundamental strategy in achieving other health priorities, from controlling viral hepatitis, to curbing antimicrobial resistance, and providing a platform for adolescent health and improving antenatal and newborn care.
For 30 years, Rotarians have worked tirelessly to eradicate polio from 99 percent of the world. Our efforts have not only ended polio in 122 countries but they've also created a roadmap for the world to tackle a myriad of other health priorities throughout the world. This is something of which all Rotarians can be proud. But the fight is not over. There is more to be done and we pledge to continue working with all our partners until we accomplish our goals.
Eighteen volunteers travelled to New Bern N.C. in August to restore homes damaged by the 2018 Hurricane Florence. We will return to New Bern Feb. 23-29, 2020 to continue the recovery work.
Transportation will again be provided free-of-charge by Rotarian John Bailey through Bailey Coach. We will continue volunteering with Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders and will again stay at the Cornerstone Church offering great accommodations and food at a cost of $125.00pp.
DG Paddy Rooney recently recognized Rotary Club of York member William Hartman as a member of the Paul Harris Society. Bill was presented his Chevron at the October 9, 2019 club meeting. The Paul Harris Society is a formal recognition program to honor generous Rotarians who contribute $1,000 or more annually to The Rotary Foundation.
Congratulations to our Newest Paul Harris Society Member
On Saturday, April 13, 2019, sixteen trees were planted in York City by the Preserve Planet Earth Committee, members of the Rotary Club of York, PA, family, friends, and cadets from the William Penn JROTC unit. The trees included a variety of species ranging from Sunset Maple, Linden, Black Gum, Lilac, and Hornbeam Trees. The planting teams removed stumps, rocks, bricks and concrete in existing tree wells to plant these trees in the areas of George Street, West Market Street, West Princess Street, East Prospect Street, and Williams Park. Special thinks to Rotarian Brian Mummert of W S Landscape Services who procured the trees, provided the mulch and put in a full day delivering, planting and cleaning up. Also, thanks to J T Hand and the York Water Company for the delivery of water for all the trees.
Junior Achievement is looked for volunteers to help with one day events this fall! If you would like to volunteer, please contact Allison Kierce (717-843-8028 or akierce@jascpa.org). Click here to learn more about getting involved with JA!
Having demonstrated the fundamental tenant of Rotary International of service above self, John Kramb was named recipient of the 2019 Dwight D. Eisenhower Humanitarian Award.
Presented by the Rotary Club of Gettysburg, this award is given to residents of Adams County who demonstrate a lifelong commitment to the local community and to the world community.
After retiring from the United States Army in the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1995, he and his wife, Katherine, purchased the Adams County Winery in 1998. Together they built the winery into a thriving tourist attraction and venue for weddings, family gatherings and other events. Kramb’s trusty four-legged friend, Rusty, hosted an open invitation to his birthday party each year benefitting the Adams County SPCA. The winery is currently the fifth oldest winery in Pennsylvania and is home to the award winning wine, Tears of Gettysburg.
John has been a member of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg since 2005 and served as club president during 2009-2010. He also served in a number of district offices, including membership coordinator, assistant governor for Group I, the district budget committee, two district conference planning committees, Rotary UN Day coordinator and chair of the District Grants Committee. He was elected District Governor for 2015-2016. Kramb is a member of Rotary Leadership Institute and has traveled throughout the zone training Rotary leaders. He has attended eight International Conventions, during which he learned of an opportunity to participate in National Immunization Day in Dhanbad, India. He traveled to India in 2012, 2017 and 2018 to participate in the immunization distribution for polio. It is Rotary’s goal to eradicate the world of polio. Having had polio as a child, John knows first-hand the effects of this terrible disease. John has made it his mission to assist in all ways possible in reaching this goal. Also close to John is his desire to see that schoolchildren Vijiyawada, India have sanitary facilities at school. John has participated with Rotary’s partner in Vijiyawada with installing toilets and handwashing facilities in schools. As Americans take this for granted, the young girls see this as a gift as they are now able to continue their education much the same as young boys.
When John is not traveling, he can be found at the Historic Fairfield Inn. In 2013, John became the 27th innkeeper since the Inn’s founding in 1757. First presented to Dwight D. Eisenhower by the Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce, the award was transferred in 2003 to the Rotary Club of Gettysburg because of the club’s links to Eisenhower.
Kramb will be honored at the Rotary’s Luncheon meeting on Oct. 21 at the Gettysburg Hotel, on Lincoln Square, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Reservations for the luncheon and award presentation are $14 and can be made by emailing Chris Kimple at cjaj1984@hotmail.com by Oct. 16. Please include Eisenhower Humanitarian Award in the subject line.
Eisenhower Humanitarian Award Presented to PDG John Kramb
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
The sixth in a series of brief reflections on the Rotary International Vision Statement
To create lasting change
In the last reflection we spoke of taking action because we Rotarians are people of action. But this next phrase is a little more difficult because it contains that O so difficult word “change.” Now I live in South Central Pennsylvania in the USA and around here the word “change” is not one that is easily accepted. I have a neighbor who still refers to the road at the end of the one on which I live as the “new road”… and it has been there now for almost 50 years! Moreover, as a pastor, I live my life in the church and I learned long ago that the word “change” in our congregations is often to be avoided unless you want a mini battle on your hands.
Yet we Rotarians are not called to take action if we are not willing to do it for the sake of making a change…and a change hopefully for the better. When we install a well in some far distant land, we are making a change in the lives of the people who use it and improving their lot. When we sit with children and help them learn to read we are changing their lives for the better. When we undertake a community project, we change that community for the better.
Yes change can be difficult to accept at times in our lives; none of really likes things to change. But, even in this 8th decade of my life, I have come to believe that death and taxes are not the only two confirmable truths in our lives because the reality of change is also true. Change is all around us and it cannot be ignored. We live in a world today which is subject to change not by the decade or the year or the month or even the day but by the minute. To refuse to accept change, deal with change, even embrace change, is to condemn ourselves to living in the shadow of the past which has no meaning or bearing for us. Yes we can hold to our traditions and sometimes to our structures for the mooring they give us in a time of change. But as Rotarians we can both value those traditions and still embrace the change around us.
So let us not be afraid of change. Let us use the change to create something new, something better, something wonderful so that our world, our communities and we ourselves are better for it.
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.
The sixth in a series of brief reflections on the Rotary International Vision Statement
To create lasting change
In the last reflection we spoke of taking action because we Rotarians are people of action. But this next phrase is a little more difficult because it contains that O so difficult word “change.” Now I live in South Central Pennsylvania in the USA and around here the word “change” is not one that is easily accepted. I have a neighbor who still refers to the road at the end of the one on which I live as the “new road”… and it has been there now for almost 50 years! Moreover, as a pastor, I live my life in the church and I learned long ago that the word “change” in our congregations is often to be avoided unless you want a mini battle on your hands.
Yet we Rotarians are not called to take action if we are not willing to do it for the sake of making a change…and a change hopefully for the better. When we install a well in some far distant land, we are making a change in the lives of the people who use it and improving their lot. When we sit with children and help them learn to read we are changing their lives for the better. When we undertake a community project, we change that community for the better.
Yes change can be difficult to accept at times in our lives; none of really likes things to change. But, even in this 8th decade of my life, I have come to believe that death and taxes are not the only two confirmable truths in our lives because the reality of change is also true. Change is all around us and it cannot be ignored. We live in a world today which is subject to change not by the decade or the year or the month or even the day but by the minute. To refuse to accept change, deal with change, even embrace change, is to condemn ourselves to living in the shadow of the past which has no meaning or bearing for us. Yes we can hold to our traditions and sometimes to our structures for the mooring they give us in a time of change. But as Rotarians we can both value those traditions and still embrace the change around us.
So let us not be afraid of change. Let us use the change to create something new, something better, something wonderful so that our world, our communities and we ourselves are better for it.
The recent Littlestown Rotary Back to School Supplies Drive benefits Littlestown students, elementary through high school, and is critical to student success during the school year. Rotary member Wendy Quinley, center, chaired the drive, now in its fifth year. Littlestown School District staff shown with Quinley are Steve McMaster, left, elementary guidance counselor, and Deb Allison, right, middle school guidance. “Each year the outpouring of community donations exceed the prior year,” Quinley said. Supplies collected enable schools to provide students with items that motivate learning. Donations range from pencils, pens, erasers, and book bags, to snacks for the younger students and supplies for the nursing staff. The Littlestown Rotary appreciated the people and businesses who support children and families through the school supplies drive. Learn how you can become a part of the Rotary, a local service organization with a global reach. Meetings are Tuesdays 7-8 a.m. at the Littlestown YMCA, 95 Keystone St. For more information, contact Patricia Green, vice president, at 301-526-1089.
Littlestown Rotary School Supplies Drive Successfull
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy, Milanof-Schock Library and MHA of Lancaster County created three educational events to inspire hope in the fight against the national suicide epidemic. Michael Stevens, from Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital spoke at the regular Tuesday, September 10th luncheon meeting of the Club. Stevens discussed their new, local services for Lancaster County residents with mental health issues.
A suicide awareness and prevention panel discussion and candlelight vigil was held at Milanof-Schock Library, Mount Joy on Wednesday, September 11. On Saturday, September 14 the Club sponsored the Walk to Inspire Hope. Participants strolled through Mount Joy with other concerned community members to learn more about suicide and the warning signs.
The entire community was invited to the Wednesday and Saturday events and encouraged to find information and inspiration to help those struggling with depression, anxiety, stress, and abuse.
Staff and volunteers from Mental Health America of Lancaster, Hospice’s Pathways Center for Grief and Loss, NAMI, the Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Lancaster Compeer participated at both events bringing personal experiences, important information, and realistic suggestions on how to help those in need. The task of those present was to become more aware of the warning signs and resources to help combat this epidemic.
The Walk to Inspire Hope on September 14 began at 9 AM. At Rotary Park, participants bore witness to 67 pairs of empty shoes. The shoes represented the lives lost to completed suicides in Lancaster County in 2018. The Suicide Prevention Empowerment Tree was also present for the community to make personal commitments to reach out to people in need of support and hope.
A suicide awareness and prevention display, and the Empowerment Tree will be at Milanof-Schock Library for the month of September. Find suicide prevention resource materials and be inspired to help those who are struggling.
With Rotarian William Harkey moving to Florida, there is a vacancy on the District Disaster Relief Committee. Do you have an interest in serving with Peg Sennett (Hanover) and Randy Sibert (Colonial Park) on this Committee? Contact Peg Sennett, pegsennett@hotmail.com or 717-630-8281.
Dorian hit Grand Bahama and Abaco Island on Sept 3rd. with devastating 180 mph winds making 70,000 people homeless and creating a death toll that continues to grow. D6990, that includes the Bahamas, established the 501C(3) Robbins Fund twenty years ago to aid in disaster recovery. This Fund will be used for Dorian recovery. Currently the Fund is supporting the delivery of food, toiletries and medical supplies. As the islands move towards recovery, the Fund will purchase fans, generators, trucks, buses, and building supplies. Donations can be made directly to the Robbins Fund Inc. by check sent to RI D6990, 2110 N. Ocean Blvd, #703, Fort Lauderdale FL 33305, or online via Pay Pal or debit/credit card. For further information search rotary6990.org/Bahamas.
In the September 13th mailing of the newsletter, we ran an article “Harrisburg Rotary Club Aims for Higher Public Profile” that appeared in the Central Penn Business Journal on August 1, 2019 by their contributing writer Stephanie Kalina-Metzger. We want to make sure they received the full credit for writing and printing a great article about Rotary. Please feel free to contact Bob Saline (bsaline@prworksinc.com) for a copy of that article.
Rotary Leadership Institute was created in 1992 by then-Director David Linett when he observed that many incoming Club Presidents and District officers lacked sufficient knowledge about leading groups, as well as basic knowledge of Rotary. As he stated, "an effective Rotary leader must also have Rotary knowledge and experience".
Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) is now in 410 of all the Rotary Districts worldwide and in 195 countries. Its courses have been translated into 25 languages.
The largest RLI Division in the world is ours, the Home Division, where it was started. Each year, we hold about 30 full-day RLI seminars throughout New England and the Middle Atlantic States, including ours in Harrisburg in October of each year.
Faculty members must have served in Rotary leadership positions and are trained and observed before approval as faculty. The emphasis is on discussion, not lecture or fact-reciting. Each year, our RLI names the Faculty Member of the Year, chosen by participants and area leaders from observation and participant evaluations. This year, the RLI Faculty Member of the Year was our own DG Patrick Rooney. Paddy helps to lead some 5 or 6 RLI sessions each year, throughout PA and New England. His skill in involving all participants, asking thoughtful questions, and enthusiasm about Rotary and RLI made him an easy first choice. Congratulations, Paddy!
DG Paddy Rooney Receives RLI Faculty of the Year Award
Tickets include chili sampling, chili contest voting and 4 beer OR wine samples from the Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey. Additional food and drinks will be available for purchase. All proceeds will benefit the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Community Giving Fund.
Do you have a tasty chili recipe? Enter to win up to $1000 in cash prizes. All rules and applications to enter are available at https://www.colonialparkrotary.org.
Want to sponsor this great event? Four levels of sponsorship opportunities are available. Please check out https://www.colonialparkrotary.org for more information.
Bring the family on September 29, 2019 at the Vineyard and Brewery at Hershey from 12-3pm for a fun filled day complete with craft vendors, music and more, while helping to raise money for your community.
Compete or Just Eat to Help Raise Money for Local Community
The Rotary Club of York-East in partnership with the RMB Southern Tier Steering Committee will host the 54th RMB networking event and eighth event of the 2019 RMB season on Wednesday, October 16 at Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 3670 E. Market Street, York, PA. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30 and includes tasty hors d’oeuvres and wine, beer, soft drinks and water. Thanks to our major sponsor Beck Funeral Home and Cremation Service the event will be FREE. RSVP NOW!! Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary.
The time has come to begin the nominating process for our District Governor 2022-23. This will continue our three-year projection for District 7390’s leadership.
Every club has an outstanding leader who could be a potential District Governor. Look around and ask yourself, who is that person in our club? It is the person who is a good leader, interested, involved, gives financially to Rotary and The Rotary Foundation and is helpful to other members. Is it me? We all need to give encouragement and “plant the seed” for others to move forward. I encourage you to think about yourself or other club members that would make a great District Governor! You may suggest a Rotarian from another Club so long as you first obtain agreement from the Club where the candidate is a member.
The District Governor is the officer of RI in the District, functioning under the general control and supervision of the RI Board. The Governor has responsibility for organizing new Clubs; strengthening existing Clubs; promoting membership growth; supporting The Rotary Foundation; planning and presiding at the District Conference, PETS and District Training Assembly; issuing a monthly newsletter; focusing attention on important Rotary issues; motivating Rotarians to participate in service activities; recognizing the outstanding contributions of Rotarians in the District; and many other responsibilities. The candidate should be aware of the qualifications, duties and responsibilities of a District Governor and must demonstrate willingness, commitment and ability (physically and otherwise) to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office of Governor.
Suggestions for District Governor Nominee 2022-23 must be received in the District Office by December 13, 2019 to be considered by the Nominating Committee. Interviews for the 2022-23 District Governor will be held Thursday, January 9, 2020 at the Byrnes Health Education Center in York.
Contact the District Office or DG Paddy Rooney with questions about nominating a candidate for District Governor!
The Rotary Means Business Governing Board recently met and adopted the following changes:
Succession Planning - The Board unanimously elected Scott Stevens of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg and the RMB Northern Tier Director to be the overall District 7390 Chair/Champion and Champion of the Northern Tier effective January 1, 2021
Hosting Club Commitments and Key Hosting Club Information Deadlines - Hosting Clubs in each Tier should commit to hosting by October 15 of the preceding year and provide the date, time and venue location by December 15 of the preceding year so RMB can publish a complete list of RMB networking meeting dates early in the 2020 season so interested Rotarians can put the event on their schedules.
Sponsor Classes - Instead of the existing two classes of sponsors, there will be four classes of sponsors: major, event, special event, and venue. Details regarding each class of sponsors will be provided in a separate fact sheet by the Eastern, Northern, and Southern Tier Steering Committees. The fact sheet will be developed by the current overall RMB Chair/Champion.
Summit topics for the 2020 and 2021 RMB seasons shall be a Leadership-in-Times-of-Crisis Summit at a monthly meeting in 2020 and a Millennial Summit at the April 2021 District Conference at a Waterpark in the Poconos.
Socail Media Expansion - RMB will add in the near future Instagram and Snap Chat to join the existing RMB Facebook and LinkedIn social media platforms.
RMB Governing Board Key Decisions for the 2020 Season
When your motto is “service above self,” you may not always be comfortable touting your accomplishments. But a low profile isn’t necessarily a good thing, according to Andrew Rebuck, who just finished a year as president of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg. “Sometimes you just need to stick your chest out and say, ‘We are rockin’, join our club,’” he said.
According to Rebuck, Rotary International touts 1.2 million members, with approximately 32,000 clubs throughout the world. “It was created in Chicago by networkers who wanted to do good,” said Rebuck, adding that one of their first projects was to build public restrooms. The organization’s motto is “service above self.”
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg has roughly 165 members who meet at the Harrisburg Hilton at noon every Monday for one hour to network, plan philanthropic projects and enjoy lunch while learning about what’s transpiring in the community via various guest speakers.
Raising awareness
Rebuck assumed the Harrisburg chapter’s presidency in July of last year.
Over the last 12 months, he used his position as vice president and general manager of Lemoyne-based Lamar Advertising to raise the profile of Rotary and celebrate new members by posting their photos on billboards around the Harrisburg area.
“One of my favorites was the group photo at a meeting that was featured on 31 billboards on the first day of spring with the message ‘Spring into Rotary,’” said Rebuck, who also used billboards to share various volunteer initiatives, like pictures of Rotarians performing tasks such as separating jewelry at Goodwill and sorting produce at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The billboard initiative didn’t stop there. Rebuck also posted messages that raised awareness about the good that Rotary does on an international level, as well.
Expanding the demographics
Andrew Rebuck, center, is the outgoing president of Rotary Club of Harrisburg. He is being followed by Joyce Libby, right, the incoming president. Addeline Alaniz Edwards, left, is the chapter’s executive administrator. –
In an era when service-club memberships are waning, there is an ongoing effort not only to raise the profile of Rotary, but to also attract new members. According to the Harrisburg chapter’s incoming president Joyce Libby, Rotary is attempting to grow the organization by relaxing some of the rules. “We used to have an attendance policy that required members to show up 80 percent of the time. We no longer require that,” said Libby. Membership dues can also be a deterrent. The Harrisburg Rotary charges $1,000 per year and although that includes what Libby describes as “a very nice lunch” at the Hilton each week, she also wants the public to be aware of a “passport club” option where attendance and dues are minimal and members have the option to attend meetings in areas that are convenient to them.
Still serving
One of the chapter’s more popular annual events, according to Rebuck, is the Pancake Breakfast at Harrisburg High School.
“About 100 Rotarians volunteer to help and the proceeds go right back to the school in support of the student homeless initiatives and needs-based scholarships,” he said. Other local youth programs supported by Rotary are leadership initiatives.
“We invite 30 kids from Harrisburg High, Sci-Tech and Bishop McDevitt and we help them learn how to be philanthropic leaders, to raise money, write a grant and interview nonprofits to decide who will receive their support and cash donation. They raise $2,500 and our Club matches that,” said Libby.
In keeping with the leadership theme, the Harrisburg Rotary Club pays for two students to attend a one-week leadership conference at Messiah each year, where they join in with 60 students from around the Rotary district.
Another local initiative is the youth exchange program. “Every year we sponsor students who travel abroad. They leave not speaking a word of their non-native language and come back fluent due to their immersion into the culture,” said Libby. This year Rotary is sponsoring two incoming students, as well. “The students’ families pay for the tickets and we arrange for housing give them $110 a month to offset expenses,” she said.
A new project that will connect a number of community leaders is the refurbishment of a greenhouse in Reservoir Park. “The aim is to help Harrisburg students learn how to grow healthy food, to provide a resource for neighborhood gardeners and to help the city grow plantings for city parks. The project will partner with the city and the food bank and Rotary will provide the money for raised planters for people with disabilities so they can still participate,” said Libby.
What’s next
As outgoing president, Rebuck intends to continue putting up the occasional billboard message celebrating Rotarians and their accomplishments.
As for Libby, her plans are to build on raising awareness and educating the community and the club. The international theme for her year is ‘Rotary connects the world.’
Rotary International’s initiative is to eradicate polio.
“Today polio is endemic in Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are committed to eradicating the disease everywhere and by partnering with the Gates Foundation, each dollar we raise is matched by two additional dollars by the foundation,” said Libby.
During Rebuck’s tenure as president, members raised $5,000 towards the same initiative, so a total of $15,000 went towards the cause. Starting in 2018, the goal is to raise $50 million a year over a three-year period.
“If we don’t eradicate polio in the next 10 years, we could see 200,000 new cases each year, all over the world, including the U.S. Polio is only a plane ride away” said Libby.
Another health crisis that is particularly prevalent in Pennsylvania is Lyme disease. Libby said she would like to explore ways that Rotary can help raise awareness and combat the disease that affects more people in Pennsylvania than residents of any other state.
Rebuck, who joined rotary in 1992, described the year in which he served as president as “the most fun he ever had” and he hopes that by raising awareness, more people will join the club.
Libby, who joined in 2008, said she is looking forward to the year ahead and connecting people and service projects that keep Rotary exciting and the community engaged.
She is also pretty sure motorists will see lots of billboards this year and most likely a “Fall into Rotary” message on the first day of autumn inviting folks to join Rotary.
Harrisburg Rotary Club Aims for Higher Public Profile
Rotary District 7390 is hosting 8 inbound youth exchange students during the 2019-20 Rotary year. The students are from Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru and are hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Carlisle, Harrisburg, Hershey, Lititz, York and York-North. Welcome our students if you see them!
Would your Club like to be part of Youth Exchange in the 2020-21 Rotary year? You can either sponsor an outbound student to spend a year in a foreign country or you can host an inbound student from another country in your club for a year!
Sponsoring an Outbound Student
Applications for the 2020-21 Outbound Youth Exchange Program are due to the Rotary District Office by October 4, 2019. You can find all forms on the District website by clicking here.
Students and at least one parent will be required to attend the District Interviews on Saturday and Sunday, November 9-10, 2019 at Penn State York (1031 Edgecomb Road, York). If the student passes the initial interview on Saturday morning, they will be invited to stay for the rest of the weekend. The interview weekend will come to an end on Sunday at 3:00 p.m.
Hosting an Inbound Student You'll need to complete a 2020-2021 Commitment to Host an Inbound form. The form is due to the District office on October 4, 2019. Click here for the commitment to host form. Remember - we can only send out as many outbound students as we host inbounds!
We look forward to your participation in the 2020-21 Youth Exchange program!
Rotary strives to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture. Preventing and addressing harassment is everyone's responsibility. Rotary’s new online course, Preventing Harassment, will explain how Rotary defines harassment, how we handle reports of harassment when it occurs, and what you can do to prevent it. Share this new course with club leaders and members so they feel better equipped at preventing and addressing harassment.
New! Corporate Membership Guide
Curious about corporate membership, but not sure if it would be a good membership strategy for your club? Rotary’s new Guide to Corporate Membership includes information about how corporate membership works, the benefits it offers, and how clubs can get started. This guide also includes different models structures, a template that can be used when connecting with local businesses and organizations about this opportunity, and sample bylaws. Be sure to share it with club leaders as they explore ways to engage with new members of their community.
Check out Rotary’s club flexibility webpage for more flexibility options that can help enhance the club experience.
Niagara Falls 2019 Zone Conference
Are you ready for this year’s Zone Conference 2019? Director Jeffry Cadorette has continued the theme, “People Coming Together”, where all Rotarians and our newly expanded former zone 29 family will come together on September 19-21st 2019 at The Sheraton & Crowne Plaza, Niagara Falls. There will be dynamic speakers, empowering facilitators, and energizing sessions - addressing the pressing and pivotal issues that are important to the future of Rotary. This Zone Conference will enlighten, educate, and inform. Here are a few awesome membership sessions each of you should sign up to attend: Membership Matters, Is Your Club Ready for Prime Time , and Membership? Why It's so Critical , along with other great sessions on The Rotary Foundation and Public Image. I’m excited about this year’s conference, where we get the opportunity to see new and familiar faces, share stories, and build relationships. See you all soon!
The Rotary Club of York invites you to participate in our “Love Fore Community” fundraising event on Monday, September 16 at the Country Club of York. It is so much more than a golf outing. Not only does the tennis portion of the event put the ‘serve’ in Service Above Self but the golf portion of the event puts the ‘tee’ in Community. The event also celebrates the stateliness of croquet and the fellowship of our Rotary Club. Where else can you do so many fun things in one day while supporting our Club’s work within the City and County of York?
The Rotary International theme for the 2019-2020 year is Rotary Connects the World. This year, our Club’s two signature fundraising events – Love Fore Community and Give Local York – have been connected to support the efforts of the York Academy Regional Charter School’s new Upper School and to complete our three year commitment to the Reach Out and Read program. Specifically, the biology and chemistry labs at the York Academy Upper School need to be fully fit-out with the supplies that will allow students to perform different experiments.
Recently, while visiting the Long Beach, CA Rotary club, York President Josh George learned that they include a 5th facet to Rotary’s famous 4 Way Test: Have fun while doing it. The Love Fore Community event is a great way to live this so-called 5 Way Test. Please consider supporting our club’s fundraising efforts by having fun golfing, playing croquet or tennis…. or provide support by making a donation. Thank you.
Patrick “ Paddy “ Rooney, the District Governor for Rotary International District 7390, recently made an official visitation and spoke to the membership of the Colonial Park Rotary Club. District Governor Rooney spoke about the many goals and accomplishments of the Rotary International in helping those less fortunate at both the local and international level and Rotary efforts to bring hope for a better world. Rotary International is working on a global effort to completely eradicate polio. On a worldwide basis there were only seventeen reported new cases of polio this past year. There are 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide.
Rotary’s Vision Statement: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves. Governor Rooney also spoke about Rotary Mission Trips, about how we must grow rotary membership, how Rotarians make lasting changes in the world, about global and local district club grants, about how Rotary connects the world, the Rotary Youth Exchange, the Rotary Shelter Box Project used during crisis situations and the work of the Rotary Foundation.
(Pictured L – R) Colonial Park Rotary Club President Aaron Hoke, Rotary District 7390 Governor Patrick “ Paddy” Rooney and Asst. Governor Dan Fuller
Posted by Una Martone & Steve Grubb on Sep 05, 2019
The Four Way Test Essay Contest Chair, Steve Grubb, and Four Way Test Speech Contest Chair, PDG Una Martone, invite you to help students adopt a set a values to live by! The Four Way Test helps young people understand the importance of truth, fairness, building goodwill, and creating benefit. The world needs this level of understanding in our rising leaders.
Please consider adopting the Four Way Test Essay Contest for 9th graders and/or Four Way Test Speech Contest for 10-12 graders this year. It’s absolutely FREE to the student, to the school, and to your club. It’s easy. Here are the details.
The winning essay and the speech contest finalists will make presentations during the District Conference on Saturday, May 2, 2020 at Heritage Hills Resort in York. Wouldn’t you like to see a student from YOUR partner school on the stage? Better yet, wouldn’t you like to see more and more students learn about the Rotary Four Way Test just by participating? One student said: “Rotary’s test showed me that the pressure I put on myself was for no reason. I do not need to be perfect all the time because no one is, and no one expects that of me.”
Four Way Test ESSAY Contest Chair
Steve Grubb, Cell: 717-576-8145, Email: stevengrubb@comcast.net
PRIZE INFO
Monetary awards provided by the District—First Place - $500, Second Place - $300, Third Place - $100
CONTEST INFO
All student essays should be written about this topic: How Rotary’s Four Way Test helps me confront or deal with the issue of failure. Students should write an essay about their personal experiences and attitudes toward failure – whether it be an actual failure or perhaps a fear of failure that stops them from pursuing a goal or dream, how might Rotary’s Four Way Test help you confront or deal with the issue of failure? The club should judge all submitted essays and submit the winning essay to the District Office by March 9, 2020. Find more information at this link: https://rotary7390.org/page/four-way-test-essay-contest
Four Way Test SPEECH Contest Chair
Una Martone, Cell: 717-599-1783, Email: umartone@leadershipharrisburg.org
PRIZE INFO
Monetary awards provided by the District
First Place - $1500, Second Place - $1000, Third Place - $500, Fourth Place—$250,
Fifth Place—$250
CONTEST INFO
Contestants must be 10th, 11th or 12th grade high school students in a public, private or credited home school. Clubs should hold a contest in September or October and advance the top 3 students to the mid-level contests. Mid-levels will be held in November and early December. The winning student from the 5 mid-level contests will compete in the finals at the District Conference. Find more information at this link: https://rotary7390.org/page/four-way-test-speech-contest.
The Mechanicsburg Rotary Club as part of its ongoing support and the Rotary Club of West Shore, presented a new Southbend Heavy Duty Range to the Mechanicsburg Area Meals on Wheels (MAMOW) at its kitchen on August 27th. Funding for the $10,165.00 range was provided by $2,500 from each club plus a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation via the local Rotary District 7390.
(Pictured L to R): Kirk Brechbiel, President Rotary Club of West Shore (RCWS); Tom Burson, Treasurer, Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg (RCM); Esme Goodsir, spouse RCWS; John Mengel, Vice President, MAMOW and member RCM; Graeme Goodsir, member RCWS; Darrell Westby, member RCM; and Rod Hite, President Elect RCWS.
The old range which was replaced was over 20 years old and had operational problems. MAMOW is serving about 160 clients two meals, three days per week. The new range will double their cooking capacity allowing for time savings and serving more clients. The range was purchased from and installed by K&D Factory Services, Inc., Harrisburg, PA.
MAMOW prepares and delivers over 49,000 meals annually to the homebound who are unable to prepare meals for themselves. MAMOW's meals are home-cooked. Each client receives, one hot and one cold meal three times a week. MAMOW has one paid executive director who oversees the meal preparation with over 230 volunteers, cooking, packing, and delivering. The service area includes two Boroughs and six Townships. There are over 160 clients currently, but there is a need to serve more as the populations in the service areas continue to grow. MAMOW does not accept any state or federal funds.
Mechanicsburg & West Shore Donate Range to Meals on Wheels
Since 1977, Rotary Club of Harrisburg (RCH) members have been acknowledged for their community service work not directly connected with Rotary. This year Joe Bedard, a RCH member for six years, was presented the Community Service Award for his work with the Capitol Region Literacy Council.
Since 2004 with his leadership more than 500,000 books have been delivered to more than 125 schools and organizations serving children in low-income areas of South-central PA. The announcement of his award was sent to Club members by a Dr. Seuss-style invitation that follows.
Community Service gives Rotarians purpose. Congratulations to Joe Bedard, I hope he's not nervous!
At our next meeting, we will present Joe with an honor, and it is our intent
To celebrate vigorously Joe's success with children's literacy.
Harrisburg's kids do love to read; however, some are in need. Joe gets them their books. He does this, indeed.
By hook or by crook, Joe told me "Look! There's no expiration on a Dr. Seuss book."
A Dr. Seuss Style Community Tribute to Joe Bedard Of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg
Join Millersburg Rotary Club for a Tasting Tour of Millersburg presented by Mid Penn Bank on Saturday, September 28 from Noon until 4pm!
Participants will stroll through downtown Millersburg experiencing local foods and drinks. Enjoy the historic ambiance of our business district and relax along the scenic river vistas. Your ticket will open up multiple venues within less than one square mile where various local flavors await. Food and drink samples include cheese, meats, chocolates, bakery items, Italian, Chinese, Mexican, PA Dutch, wine, and beer. In addition to the samples, food and beverage products will be available for purchase from most vendors. Your support for this event will raise funds to help Millersburg Rotary Club contribute to Millersburg Borough's MYO Park Centennial Renovation Project. Rotary International supports the eradication of Polio, promotes peace, and strives to make a difference in our local communities and around the world.
Tickets for the United Nations day on November 9th are SOLD OUT! But, we still have a 55 passenger deluxe motorcoach reserved for that day. If you are interested in spending the day in New York City on your own, there are still plenty of seats remaining on the bus! The cost is $50 per person to reserve a seat on the bus. The bus will depart at 4:30 a.m. from the Wyndham Garden Hotel (2000 Loucks Road, York, PA). We will make a fast food stop breakfast stop enroute to NYC and arrive at approximately 8:30 a.m. The bus will depart the UN building at 5:00 p.m. with arrival back to the Wyndham Hotel around 8:00 p.m. Reserve your seats on the bus today!!
September 8-14 is National Suicide Prevention Week. The Rotary Club of Mount Joy seeks to educate and empower the community regarding the national suicide epidemic. Join us for two events designed to inspire hope for ending this important community concern.
A panel discussion and candlelight vigil will be held at Milanof-Schock Library, 1184 Anderson Ferry Road, Mount Joy On Wednesday, September 11. The discussion begins at 6:30. Find information and inspiration at this moderated forum. Mental Health America of Lancaster, Center for Grief and Loss, and Compeer will discuss the impact of suicide and how to help. Become more aware of the signs and resources to combat this epidemic. Q&A will follow. A candlelight vigil at the Library’s Flagpole, will begin at approximately 7:30. Register at mslibrary.org or by calling 717-653-1510.
Saturday, September 14 join the Rotary Club for a Suicide Awareness and Prevention Walk. The Walk will begin at Mount Joy’s Rotary Park Fairview Street entrance. Stroll through Mount Joy with other concerned community members to learn more about suicide and the warning signs.
Stations on the walk route will inspire hope that, through awareness, suicide is preventable. The walk will educate participants about suicide, give us a chance to remember those we have lost, and those they have left behind. Our community will come together to find ways to remove the stigma of asking for help. Walk will be held rain or shine. The route is just under two miles looping back to Rotary Park.
Walk registration begins Saturday, September 14 at 8:30 AM in the Park. The walk starts at 9 AM. Also at the park that day, you will bear witness to 61 pairs of empty shoes. The shoes represent the lives lost to completed suicides in Lancaster County in 2018. The Suicide Prevention Empowerment Tree will also be present for the community to make personal commitments to reach out to people in need of mental health support. Informative booths from Compeer and MHA of Lancaster County will be distributing educational materials.
A suicide awareness and prevention display, and the Empowerment Tree will be at Milanof-Schock Library for the month of September. Find suicide prevention resource materials and be motivated to help those who are struggling with depression or anxiety.
For more information about these events, visit the Rotary Facebook page or the Library’s website at mslibrary.org. For more information about the Rotary Club or its projects contact Greg Sallade at #717-648-0510.
On Friday, August 16, the Rotary Club of Perry County staffed a booth at the Perry County Fair, distributing 150 books, 12 Rotary Baby "Read to Me" T-shirts, 5 America's Promise hats, 1 America's Promise mug, and two membership applications. Thank you to Joe Bedard and Capital Region Literacy Council and Steve Messner and America's Promise for donating books, to the Perry County Chamber of Commerce and UPMC-Pinnacle for donating the booth, and to Frank Campbell, Jairee Counterman, Patti McLaughlin, and Tom O'Connell for volunteering.
Members of The Hershey Rotary Club are thankful for the service and friendship of 79 U.S. Army War College International Fellows who visited their club recently. Members of this class represent 75 different countries but all stand for promoting peace - not war. Like Rotarians, these military leaders model the Rotary theme of "Service Above Self." The fellows who visited the Hershey Rotary Club are part of a nearly year-long program at the Army War College in Carlisle with about 300 military leaders from the United States. Hershey Rotarian Jeff Davis brought the International Fellows program to the club 40 years ago.
Photo by: Doug Nicotera
US Army War College International Fellows attend Hershey Club Meeting
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise supported by the Northern Tier Steering Committee held a super successful RMB networking event, the 53rd in its history in Rotary District 7390, at the Frederick House Event Center with 26-28 Rotarians and guests from the Rotary Clubs of Carlisle, Carlisle Sunrise, Colonial Park, Harrisburg Keystone, and Mechanicsburg North attending. Many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed. Special Kudos go to Chris Hoffman owner of Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory our major sponsor for this event for the past three years and his great caterer, the owner of the new restaurant in Carlisle Spoons for the great Frederick House venue (also owned by Chris Hoffman) and food and drink we enjoyed. Well done all!
Two RYLA students, Bobby Chan and Sophia Shienvold, members of the Susquehanna Township club’s Interact program, and selected by the Rotary Club of Susquehanna Township to attend the June 2019 event at Messiah College, gave a great powerpoint presentation showcasing selected highlights of the event to the Rotary club members on August 8th. Gary Crissman, RYLA District Chair, shared additional information about RYLA and he commended the two students, as to his knowledge, they were the very first RYLA participants to create a powerpoint presentation for their sponsoring club. Also in the picture with the banner is club member and assistant governor Dan Fuller.
Rotary District 7390 now has an instagram account! Check it out at rotarydistrict7390! We are looking for pictures to post w/captions - action shots are the best, as well as followers to help push the info out. Please send all pictures to Mary Brunski (Carlisle Rotary Club) at mbtexaspa@gmail.com.
The "Meet Me in the Middle of the River" meeting was held on the Millersburg Ferryboat on the Susquehanna River. There were 25 people all together, from Perry County, Millersburg, and Susquehanna Township.
At the annual Mount Joy Cruisin’ and Cuisine Car Show, held August 27 in Mount Joy, a new trophy was presented. The Rotary Club of Mount Joy sponsored the trophy at the Main Street Mount Joy program to promote the Rotary value of community service.
The 2019 Rotary trophy winner is Jim Henry’s 1969 Chevrolet Nova SS. Rotarian Brian Ebersole and Rotary Andy John Paulus inspected the car and pronounced it a winner! The Rotary Blue color, it’s many original parts, and the back story that Jim Henry was the original owner impressed them. Jim and his wife were married from the car when it was still Jim’s daily ride more than 40 years ago.
Rotary Club of Mount Joy Announces 1st Car Show Trophy Winner
Part of our mission as members of Rotary is to provide service to others and to promote community leadership. What better way to further those goals than to help the children of the York community learn? We are asking you to do your part towards the Rotary mission by becoming a sponsor of this year's Rotary Fundraising event, the proceeds of which go towards providing equipment for the Chem & Bio labs for the York Academy Regional Charter School, which serves a diverse student body including inner-city children. This is a worthy cause that will enrich the students for years to come.
Please join us on September 16th at the York Country Club for our annual “Love FORE Community” day of golf, tennis, croquette, corn hole, dinner, and fun. If you can't make it that day, we would be grateful if you would become a sponsor of the event. Every amount helps us towards our goal of helping the students.
The Colonial Park Rotary Club recently celebrated its annual Community Giving Day by presenting donation checks totaling $11,150 to the following community organizations:
Shalom House, Dauphin County East Shore Library L.P. Twp. Police Dept. K-9 program, CONTACT Helpline, Linglestown Fire Department, Colonial Park Rotary Foundation, Dauphin County Technical School’s Building Construction Cares Program, Paxtonia Fire Department, Wolverine Pass Fitness Trail, Colonial Park Fire Department, Friendship Community Center, YMCA – More than Just A Game, CD Math Department, Someone To Tell It To, Skills USA- Dauphin County Technical School and the YMCA of Greater Harrisburg.
The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. The purpose of the Paul Harris Society is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of The Rotary Foundation.
Congratulations to our newest Paul Harris Society Member! Welcome Scott Hawk from the Rotary Club of Littlestown!
By giving from your heart each and every year, you’ll support families and change lives. Paul Harris Society gifts have helped provide:
Vocational training for teachers establishing an early childhood education center in South Africa
Water filters, toilets, and hygiene training to prevent fluorosis, diarrhea, and other diseases in India
A scholarship for a medical professional in Italy to research treatments that minimize mortality rates among premature babies
Peace-building seminars for 200 teachers and 1,300 students in Uganda
Treated mosquito nets and medical services that prevent malaria in Mali
Click here to Join the Paul Harris Society Today!!
The Rotary Club of Hanover PA along with Rotary District 7390 sponsored a mission trip to New Bern NC July 14-20, 2019. The group assisted with the rebuilding of 2 homes in the New Bern Area. Over 5,000 homes were flooded after Hurricane Florence hit the area last September. Bailey Coach donated its Rotary themed coach to transport the group and Shipley Energy in York donated the fuel for the trip. Another trip is planned for March 2020.
Please plan to attend the next Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) to be held on Oct. 12, 2019, in the Greater Harrisburg Area.
As you know, RLI is a leadership and development program to strengthen Rotary Clubs through education, collaboration and the exchange of ideas among its future leaders. A three-part curriculum facilitated by experienced, trained faculty members engaging participants through open discussion, problem-solving and creative role-play.
The Rotary Leadership Institute is an opportunity to meet with other Rotarians, share experiences, and learn new skills to take back to your club. You don't have to be in the leadership chain to benefit from this institute. If you want to learn more about this wonderful organization that we call Rotary and find out what you can actually do to start changing the world, PLEASE place this event on your schedule.
Ready to register for an event? Look at the schedule on the left-hand menu and click on "More Info". Then click on Read More below to see the step by step instructions. Dear Presidents, PLEASE bring Rotarians for your club, to learn more about Rotary, engage with other clubs and more importantly help to develop the cadre of leaders that we need to grow Rotary.
When can I attend RLI? Saturday, October 12, 2019, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Central Pennsylvania College (600 Valley Road, Summerdale, PA 17093).
PLEASE register ASAP RSVPs ends 10-4-19. Please encourage other leaders and bring at least one Rotarian(s) from your club(s), committee(s) and register them ASAP
Course Levels: Parts I, II, III, and Graduate (The graduate-level will focus on Fundraising)
Where can I find more information about RLI? www.rlinea.org
Questions? Contact PDG Hector Ortiz, RLI Site Chair at richie1166@msn.com or 717-608-0444.
Please register NOW for the Oct. 12, 2019 Harrisburg Site at www.rlinea.org
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise in partnership with the RMB Northern Tier Steering Committee will host the 53rd RMB networking event and seventh event of the 2019 RMB season on Thursday, August 15 at The Frederick House, 219 North Hanover Street, Carlisle, PA. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30 and includes tasty hors d’oeuvres and wine, beer, soft drinks and water. Thanks to our major sponsor Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory the event will be FREE. RSVP NOW!! Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary!
At the June 17, 2019, Rotary Club of Harrisburg member meeting, Scholarship Committee Chair Curt Stutzman introduced Scholarship winners Bianca Bynoe and Misha Jones, from Harrisburg School District, SciTech Campus; Maria Gontis from Bishop McDevitt High School, and Najmo Mohamad from Steelton Highspire.
Each student took the mic for a minute or two to thank the RCH, introduce their guests and talk about their plans for the future. Stutzman also acknowledged scholarship winner Cierra Richardson from John Harris High School, who was not in attendance.
Special thanks to all Rotary Club of Harrisburg members for their generous support of the pancake breakfast whereby the proceeds provide these scholarships.
Rotary Club of Harrisburg Presents $10,000.00 in Scholarships
At the July 16 meeting of the West York Rotary Club DG Paddy Rooney presented Paul Harris Fellowship awards to Errick Milindi, Olivia Lutambwe and Paul Duryea. Congratulations!!
West York Rotarians Receive Paul Harris Fellowships
The 2019-20 District Installation dinner was held, Thursday, June 27 at Wyndridge Farm in Dallastown. DG Paddy Rooney, DGE John Anthony and DGN Greg Staub were all installed as our District leadership team. Assistant Governors and Club Presidents were also installed. A great time was had by all!
2019-20 District Installation Dinner
PDG Ben Hoover pinning the District Governor pin on DG Paddy Rooney after administering the oath of office.
PDG Kevin Cogan installing DGE John Anthony and DGN Greg Staub.
The Rotary Club of Lancaster-Sunrise is changing their meeting location to Bent Creek Country Club (620 Bent Creek Road, Lititz, PA 17543) effective July 25, 2019.
At a lunch meeting on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 the Rotary Club of Mount Joy announced the Co-Presidents for the upcoming Club year. President Mark Rorabaugh and President Greg Sallade will chair the Tuesday lunch meetings at the Gathering Place in Mount Joy. Dave Christian and Gary Ebersole will lead Thursday’s meeting at Bube’s Brewery. Decisions which affect the entire Club will be shared.
Also announced were the future club leaders: President-Elect Randy Wolgemuth, First Vice President Leonard Nolt and Christopher Silvestri, Second-Vice President. Special recognition was also given to new Paul Harris Fellow Joel Hughes and to Lowell Fry who received his fourth Paul Harris pin.
The theme for the upcoming year is Rotary Connects the World. The Club’s many activities and charitable donations will reflect that motto. Activities include several fundraisers at which the Rotary Fry wagon will be present, the Whittel Farm harvest project, the REYS Backpack project, and the second annual Pints for Polio week.
The week of September 10-15 the Club will focus on Suicide prevention. The Tuesday and Thursday will have awareness programs and will be open to the public, (normal meal and beverage charges will apply). Other activities will include a panel forum and vigil at the Milanof-Schock Library on Wednesday evening, September 11 and an awareness walk of just under two miles on Saturday, September 15, beginning at Rotary Park in Mount Joy.
The picture shows: Co-Presidents, Mark Rorabaugh and Greg Sallade with President-Elect Randy Wolgemuth, First VP Leonard Nolt and Second VP Christopher Silvestri.
From July 1 to July 31, 2019, five of our district’s Inbound Exchange students will be with students from 19 different countries from around the world enjoying the most beautiful natural and man-made points of interest from the East Coast to the West Coast (Pacific Ocean in Southern California).
Our Inbounds with close to 35 other exchange students will be visiting places such as Washington DC, Dollywood Park, Graceland, New Orleans, San Antonio, Houston Space Center, The Grand Canyon, The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, Disneyland, LA, Hollywood, , Salt Lake City, Lake Tahoe, Yellowstone National Park, Mt. Rushmore, Chicago (tour of Rotary International Headquarters), and Niagara Falls plus a Rotary picnic along the way hosted by other Rotary club(s).
This is the 43rd Discover America USA trip that Mike Wilcox, D7170 has coordinated and our district’s Inbounds have been participating in the trip since 2000. It is the least expensive trip of its kind for 31 days for our exchange students and the cost is less than some of the 14 day trips offered by for-profit organizations.
We are very fortunate that 2 of the chaperones on this bus trip include former Rotary Youth Exchange student (Rotex) Jill Tenny who went to France in the 80’s and also serves as our Rotex Chair for our District’s Youth Exchange Program, and her husband Matt, who are both newly minted Rotarians.
Thank you Jill and Matt. Check out the pictures that Jill will be regularly posting when she has free time on our districts YE facebook that was created and is being managed by Jill - https://www.facebook.com/D7390YEP/
Youth Exchange Students Embark on Bus Trip Across the USA
Each year the world of Rotary goes through its annual change of leadership all across the globe. From the International President, through the International Board of Directors, to the District Governors and on to Club Presidents, individuals who have been trained and prepared take up their new duties and responsibilities on 1 July. For the next 365 days it is these leaders, along with their own teams of assistants and helpers, who will help move our organization forward and make our motto of service above self an even stronger reality in the lives of many across the street and around the world.
So I want to begin my year as District Governor for District 7390 with both a word of welcome and a word of thanks. First the welcome.
Welcome to all the new Club Presidents. Without you and the work you do none of this vision we share would become a reality in the lives of so many.
Welcome to the new and returning Assistant Governors who work so diligently with the clubs in their areas, helping them to become better and stronger and vital resources to serve as people of action.
Welcome to District Governor Elect John Anthony and District Governor Nominee Greg Staub who take up their new duties this year and who will help mold and shape our vision for the future as we move ahead.
Welcome to the new members who have recently joined Rotary or who will join at some point in this new Rotary year. Each of you will bring a gift to Rotary in terms of the skills, ideas, commitment and passion you have for making our communities and our world better than before we joined.
And a special word of welcome to all those who share our passion for service in Interact and Rotaract. You are vital parts of our identity as Rotarians and the service you offer to your communities is highly valued by all.
And my word of thanks then goes to all those who are noted above and to all the members of our clubs whose excitement, enthusiasm and yes passion for Rotary has helped lead us to become THE preeminent service organization in the world. Thank you for stepping up and for your willingness to be counted as People of Action. Thank you for the difference you make in our world each and every day. Thank you for being passionate about Rotary.
And a very special word of thanks go to Past District Governor John May who served us so well last year as our Governor. I was proud to serve as part of his team and grateful for all I learned from him about this role. Thank you John!
I will share more thoughts on a regular basis through this Newsletter and I very much look forward to visiting each of our clubs, meeting our members and sharing with you my passion for Rotary. Don’t hesitate to be in contact if you need anything or want me to make a special visit for awards, presentations or activities. If I can, I will be there.
The RMB Southern Tier Steering Committee held a very lively and valuable event last night at Peoples Bank Park in York despite the severe thunderstorm warning and baseball game cancellation both of which hurt actual attendance. Some 16 Rotarians and guests from the Rotary Clubs of Carlisle, Hanover, Harrisburg, and York attended the networking event of the 36 originally registered. The baseball park was beautiful and the Solomon Room perfect for the occasion. Thank you to the York Revolution and thank you to our event sponsors Wealth Development Council, Etzweiler Funeral Home, and Encompass Health and major sponsor Bailey Coach. Many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed. Thank you to the Southern Tier Steering Committee led by John Bailey and Courtney Bailey. Well done all!
Youth Exchange Inbound Bruno Scheavolin (hosted by the Lebanon Rotary Club), made a Rotary table during a shop class at school. Bruno wanted to raffle off the table to pay for the Discover America Bus trip. Charles Hildebrand of the Lebanon Rotary Club won the table. Bruno is pictured presenting his famous table to Charles. Charles (as you can see) is delighted with his prize! Bruno estimates he earned around $500 in ticket sales which will go towards the 30 day bus trip! SO A BIG THANK YOU AND "SHOUT OUT" TO THE ROTARIANS WHO SUPPORTED HIM! Bruno is so excited and really looking forward to the trip which leaves on July 1st!
The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg invites students from six schools to attend club meetings for a month during the school year. Each month a new group of students is invited. At the end of the school year, the club awards $2,000 scholarships to a student from each school based on an application which they submit and the interactions that occur at the meetings. Students who continue their education in Pennsylvania also have an opportunity to receive a $2,000 matching grant from PHEAA (Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency) based on need.
The scholarship winners presentation was held during an evening Student Scholarship Recognition Dinner at Messiah College on June 5th. Along with the student were their family members.
Past District 7390 Governor, Una Martone, who is also President and CEO of Leadership Harrisburg Area, attended the event and gave the keynote address. She spoke to the group with remarks addressed mostly to the students. She made three points titled history, current, and future with advice on how to be successful in life. The history piece was based on a 1899 essay titled "A Message to Garcia" with the main point being "do what you agree to do, do it with enthusiasm, and do even more than you have been asked." The current piece talked about attitude and showing courtesy toward others and the importance of things like smiling and greeting. The future piece addressed a person's digital ID and how it is as permanent as an ink tattoo on the body.
We congratulate the students and their families and wish them the best as they pursue further education.
Pictured: Left to right, front row, scholarship winners: Madison Scialanca - Messiah College; Horia Tagouma - Mechanicsburg High School; Michael Ginder - Northern High School; Christopher Lehigh - West Shore Christian Academy; Lauren Seubert - Trinity High School; and Hailey Ott - Cumberland Perry Area Vocational Technical School. Back row: Mike McConahy, Club President; and Amy Bockis and John Petrie, Scholarship Committee.
138 High School seniors attended the 59th annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Conference held from June 9 to 13, 2019 at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Rotary District 7390 holds this annual conference for seniors who are selected and interviewed by the 42 Rotary Clubs in the District. Rotary District 7390 encompasses 7 counties: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York.
The 5 day conference is filled with interesting speakers, team building activities and fun. At the end of the conference, the students vote on the top 8 conferees. Seven of the students receive the Lloyd Bollinger Award which is a $500 cash award. Those students were: Ian Mills (Hershey High School), Cody Perrin (East Pennsboro High School) Angelina Torres (Middletown High School), Erin Williams (Palmyra High School), Matt Keebler (Lancaster Catholic High School), Frankie White (Dover High School), Lucas Winslow (Annville-Cleona High School). The top Conferee is awarded the William E. and Violet W. Nitrauer Leadership Award which is a $750 cash award. The recipient this year was Lindsay Aluquin (Hershey High School).
Planting flowers and smiling at the Peace Garden on a recent Saturday morning, a great group of volunteers from the Rotary Club of Harrisburg loved getting dirty hands and sweat on the brow planting flowers. They also had a grand time smiling at the Peace Garden located on Front Street in the capital city.
Thanks a bunch to RCH members and friends Marti and Jack Detweiler, Bruce Grossman, Ann Marie and PDG Dr. Judson, Karen Good, Corinne Sheridan, President Andy Rebuck, Marion C. Alexander, Dave and Gwen Lehman and Beth Mihmet and Sarah Myers.
RCH members have been helping with this beautification for approximately 5 years working with Gwen and Dave Lehman from the Physicians for Social Responsibility group who initiated the project. RCH Ecology Committee Chair John “Jack” Detweiler, a 24-year Club member demonstrates his ecological passion by also serving on the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay Board and as its current Treasurer.
When traveling to Harrisburg, we hope you all get a chance to stop and smell the flowers.
Stop and Smell the Flowers! RCH Volunteers Also Plant Them.
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg superbly led by President Andy Rebuck hosted yet another great RMB networking event at the Capital Blue Cross Retail Store in Enola last night with roughly 38 Rotarians and guests attending out of over 50 that signed up from 12 district clubs. Event sponsor Capital Blue Cross made this FREE event possible and provided an amazing array of delicious hors d’oeuvres and fine wine and beer. The venue itself was beyond impressive. Scott Stevens, the Circle Master, made the Circle exercise fun and worthwhile for all that participated. Many great connections were made and fun and fellowship enjoyed. Special thanks go to the Rotary Club of Harrisburg and Capital Blue Cross for their strong support for RMB throughout the years. Well done all!
Paul Harris paid a visit to the Rotary Club of Harrisburg recently. (Well, truth be told, it was Rotarian Ralph Detrick beautifully portraying the founder of our wonderful organization.)
The Club was celebrating their membership support of the Rotary International Foundation. Fifty-seven members contributed more than $11,000. District Governor John May joined the party to honor twenty-two members receiving a Paul Harris Fellow pin. Five of these members received their first pin while others moved to multiple levels including one member who was honored with a Paul Harris plus six pin.
Club President Andy Rebuck once again leveraged his billboard connections to spread the word in Harrisburg of this great support. This past month, ten members could be seen proudly smiling and letting motorists know that Rotary is doing good in the world.
Rotary Club of Harrisburg celebrates with Paul Harris
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy assembled 50 Birthday Gift Bags to local needy families at a recent meeting. The Gift Bags will be distributed by the Mount Joy Helping Service’s Community Food Bank. Each gift bag contains a cake mix, a can of frosting, and party supplies such as colorful plates, napkins and cups to help celebrate a loved one’s birthday.
Pictured holding bags are Jerry Berrier, Joanne Pinkerton, Paul Rouse, Mark Rorabaugh, Linda Gonya Hartman, and Denny Brandt.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2019 over 100 Rotarians and educators gathered at WITF in Harrisburg to recognize 7 Outstanding Teachers in South Central PA. The banquet's program included videos featuring the stories of the seven Teacher Impact Award recipients. Look for an upcoming special highlighting these teachers on June 20 At 8:00 p.m. on WITF-TV.
Congratutions to the 2019 Teacher Impact Award Recipients:
Mary Canedo - Vida Charter School
Lexy Morrow - Valley View Elementary (York Suburban School District)
Rick Phoenix - Susquenita Elementary School (Susquenita School District)
Lynn Stover - Garden Spot Middle School (Eastern Lancaster County School District)
Gregory Underkoffler - Eastern Lebanon County Middle School (Eastern Lebanon County School District)
Kevin Wagner - Carlisle High School (Carlisle Area School District)
Jennifer Willard - Middletown Area Middle School (Middletown Area School District)
Uptown York Rotary Club awarded a total of $3,500 in grants to four nonprofit organizations to help support the York community. This is the first time in the club’s eight-year history that grant applications were solicited from the public, and the Community Giving Committee is excited to announce the results.
Susquehanna Service Dogs (SSD) was awarded $500 towards the education of trainers and handlers in York County. SSD provides service dogs for mobility, autism, post-traumatic stress, seizure response, hearing impairment, facilities, in-home service and companionship.
Bell Socialization Services was the recipient of a $1,000 grant to stock over-the-counter medications and diabetes monitoring kits to help alleviate general physical ailments for adults, children and infants in residence at Bell Family Shelter. Having cough or cold medicine available for an adult going to a job or housing interview can make a huge difference for these families.
Edgar Fahs Smith STEAM Academy, part of York City School District, received $1,000 towards an outdoor classroom designed by the students, filled with native plants that will be transferred to community gardens in York City. Students who attend the STEAM Academy live in urban settings with limited access to hands-on gardening and sustainable living opportunities. Participating in this project will educate the students on creating and maintaining a healthy community for both the native wildlife and residents of the City of York.
York County Literacy Council (YCLC) was awarded a $1,000 grant for materials and supplies for their Partners in Conversation class. The class gives an opportunity for individuals to improve their English-speaking skills and build their confidence in daily interactions. The materials include an English Ready newspaper and app for tablets that YCLC uses in the class. With significant changes in the demographics of York County, more individuals have been seeking YCLC’s services.
All grants approved by the Uptown York Rotary Club support programs that service York and the York County community. Many of the funded initiatives support Rotary’s Six Areas of Focus: Maternal and Child Health, Basic Education and Literacy, Economic and Community Development, Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Water and Sanitation.
Uptown York Rotary Club attracts a diverse group of professionals who share a passion for giving back to our community and making a difference in the world. Our service focus areas are downtown revitalization, environmental sustainability, and community and youth development.
Although we are serious about our service, we are a fun-loving and welcoming group! As a happy hour club, we gather weekly to celebrate our service, share professional and personal successes, and learn about businesses, organizations and programs that impact the quality of life in York City, York County and the global community. Uptown York Rotary Club meets at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays on the second floor of Rockfish Public House, 110 N. George Street, York, Pennsylvania 17401.
From L to R: David Corman, UYRC President; Judy Chambers, UYRC Community Giving Co-Chair; representative from Edgar Fahs Smith STEAM Academy.
From L to R: David Corman, UYRC President; Marcella Kinard, Bell Socialization Shelter Services; Judy Chambers, UYRC Community Giving Co-Chair; Patricia Graham, Bell Socialization Shelter Services.
From L to R: David Corman, UYRC President; Bobbi Anne DeLeo, Executive Director of York County Literacy Council; Judy Chambers, UYRC Community Giving Co-Chair
From L to R: David Corman, UYRC President; Judy Chambers, UYRC Community Giving Co-Chair; Kerry Wevodau, Susquehanna Service Dogs; SSD Philly and SSD Nellie.
On Friday, 5/17/2019 as part of the Rotary Club of York America's Promise initiative, three 2nd grade classes from Alexander Goode Elementary school enjoyed a field trip to the Wrightsville Municipal Authority Water & Wastewater plants. They learned how water taken from the Susquehanna river is made safe to drink and how wastewater from the town is treated so that it can be safely put back into the river. To cap off the day, the students were treated to lunch at the Wrightsville Fire & Rescue Company 41 and a tour of fire trucks.
Former Rotarian Philip Landis, Chairman of the Wrightsville Municipal Authority, and Rotarian Ken Cooper have done this yearly for at least 8 years. The authority employees and volunteer fire fighters organize and do all the presentations. It is not clear whether the children or the employees have the most fun - probably a toss-up.
Rotarians Eric Holmes, York City School Superintendent, and John Klinedinst, Authority engineer were among the guests who enjoyed the day.
The photo shows one of the classes getting educated on how potable water is 'rescued' from the Susquehanna river.
Since 2002, the Rotary Club of Colonial Park has awarded $441,708 to students for scholarships and adding the amount of money the club has donated to local organizations in the community the total reaches $640,658.
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation announced the winners of the 2019 Rotary Foundation Scholarships at a recent luncheon of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park. The winners are: Theresa Nguyen, Bishop McDevitt High School, Nursing Scholarship for $21,000; Luke Fox, Central Dauphin Hight School, Engineering Scholarship for $10,000; Emily Foltz, Delaney Lackner, Alice Onyango-Opiyo, Central Dauphin High School, Daegan Fuss, Dauphin County Technical School and Maria Gontis, Bishop McDevitt High School, winner of the Norman P. Hetrick Scholarship at $5,000 each; Arjun Ray, Central Dauphin High School, winner of the Hoachlander Family Scholarship at $1,250; Zachary Szekeres, Central Dauphin High School, winner of the McManamon Family Scholarship at $1,250; Jeevan Siwakoti, Dauphin County Technical School, winner of the James D. and Susan Ebersole Novinger Scholarship at $1,250; Lydia Kessler, Central Dauphin High School, winner of the Gary C. Clemens Scholarship at $1,250; and Joshua Adams, Central Dauphin High School, winner of the Madden Physical Therapy Rebecca Engle Scholarship at $1,000, for a total of $66,000.
The Rotary Club of Colonial Park awarded the following students $1,000 each: Arjun Ray - Central Dauphin High School; Cristina Marie Medina-Rosado - Dauphin County Technical School and Justin Dinh - Central Dauphin East High School, for a total of $3,000.
Do you know someone who wanted to join Rotary but could not make the commitment to make the meetings?
Do you know someone who was a Rotarian but their life changed in such a way that they could no longer make the meetings?
Do you know someone who would rather be regionally vs. locally active?
A NEW CONCEPT in Rotary!
Introducing: DISTRICT 7390 ROTARY PASSPORT CLUB
We are pleased to announce the opportunity to participate in the organization of the new District 7390 Rotary Passport Club. A passport club is technically a club in Rotary District 7390, but its members attend meetings of other clubs, help in their service projects and fundraisers, and do all the things club based Rotarians do, except on their own schedule. Passport Clubs are a perfect solution for people who wish to be Rotarians but do not have the flexible schedule to permit attendance at regular meetings. While the focus of membership recruitment for the club is on new members, the Passport Club is also suitable for Rotarians who would otherwise leave a club due to time commitments.
Members of the District 7390 Rotary Passport Club are people living or working in our District who want to make a difference in their communities locally and globally in a way that fits within their time, talent, and finances, as well as with their family, work, and life commitments.
To facilitate this, the District 7390 Rotary Passport Club only holds a few in-person meetings a year. In lieu of weekly meetings, members are encouraged to engage in humanitarian service projects with other Rotary clubs, and attend other Rotary club meetings and events, in times and locations that works best for them and their families! Club business will be handled electronically and/or by video or teleconferences.
District 7390 Rotary Passport Club members are full Rotary members, with the same privileges and rights as Rotarians who are members of traditional clubs.
Membership in our club provides you with a passport to visit and work with any other Rotary Club in the world, and to take part in activities, programs, and projects that interest and engage you. Everyone who has a connection with District 7390 and wants to enjoy service is welcome to apply!
Contact: John Anthony, District Governor Nominee 2018 / 2019 Tel: 610-587-1358 EMail: Rotary7390DG2020@gmail.com
WITF is proud to partner with Rotary District 7390 to present the Teacher Impact Awards supported by Franklin & Marshall College. The Teacher Impact Awards are designed to celebrate all the great teachers in our region and share the stories of extraordinary educators.
Join us at a banquet on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at the WITF Public Media Center to honor this year's Teacher Impact Award recipients:
Mary Canedo - Vida Charter School
Lexy Morrow - Valley View Elementary (York Suburban School District)
Rick Phoenix - Susquenita Elementary School (Susquenita School District)
Lynn Stover - Garden Spot Middle School (Eastern Lancaster County School District)
Gregory Underkoffler - Eastern Lebanon County Middle School (Eastern Lebanon County School District)
Kevin Wagner - Carlisle High School (Carlisle Area School District)
Jennifer Willard - Middletown Area Middle School (Middletown Area School District)
For more details about the banquet and to register click here.
The banquet's program will include videos featuring the stories of the seven Teacher Impact Award recipients. Look for an upcoming special highlighting these teachers on June 20 At 8pm on WITF-TV.
You Never forget the Teacher who Makes a Difference
The Hummelstown Rotary Club is proud to announce that the 27th Annual Golf Tournament, which supports the Herbert A. Schaffner Scholarship Fund benefitting seniors at Lower Dauphin High School, will be held this year on Friday, June 21, 2019 at the Sunset Golf Club, Middletown, PA. There will be a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m.
The cost per golfer is $80 which includes green fees, cart, and dinner. Hole sponsorships are $100. Again, this year we are offering a discount for any combination of a hole sponsorship and a foursome of golfers. Hole sponsor signs will be posted on the golf course and recognized at dinner.
In the past twenty-five years,contributions have raised more than $240,000 toward the scholarship fund. As a result of contributions from last year’s tournament, the Hummelstown Rotary Club will be able to award scholarships totaling up to $10,000 this year to seniors graduating from Lower Dauphin High School.
The Hummelstown Rotary Club and our scholarship recipients invite you to participate in this worthy cause by sponsoring a hole, playing in the tournament or taking advantage of our new combination package. Forms are included for registering golfers and hole sponsors.
On behalf of Hummelstown Rotary Club and the past and future recipients of the Herbert A. Schaffner Memorial Scholarships, we appreciate your consideration and hope that we can count on your support this year.
Rotary District 7490, located in northern New Jersey, visited Gettysburg the weekend of May 3 for its district conference. Rotarians generously donated many personal items for residents of Gettysburg’s domestic violence shelter, Survivors Inc. - enough to fill a Ford Escape and a pickup truck. Rotary Club of Gettysburg members Alex Hayes and Ashley Andyshak Hayes picked up the items and delivered them to Survivors. The Hayeses are pictured with New Jersey Rotarians and Survivors staff members.
Visiting Rotarians Donation to Domestic Violence Shelter
Calling all cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, AND runners...
Join us for the Annual Rotary Wheels and Winds Festival & 5K on Saturday, June 22nd at the Lancaster Airport!
This is a FREE EVENT to the public! No registration necessary to attend - just come on out for the fun of it! Suggested donation for onsite parking is $5.00 per car.
Registration is required for all vehicles and runner participants.
Last year there was over $500 in cash prizes and lots of door prizes such as Intel Laptop, 40" computer screen, airline flights, and a 50/50 Raffle. Expect similar prizes for 2019!
To round out the Festival, there will be food vendors onsite. No Festival would be complete without live music which will be playing throughout the day.
All proceeds will be designated primarily to support the Rotary Club of Lancaster Summer Youth Experience/A United Way Partnership which keeps city youth engaged and productive during summer thereby reducing school dropouts and improving children's lives.
PDG John Kramb is conducting a motorcycle ride in late June in order to raise money for Polio Plus. Riders from across the East and into Canada are participating. He is asking that your club donate at least $1000 to Polio Plus in support of this event.
The Rotary Club of Eastern York County has changed their meeting place to Cool Creek Golf Club and their meeting day to Wednesdays. The meeting will start with social time from 5:30 to 6:00 p.m., followed by the meeting from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
These are Mrs. Sherry Chroniger’s two 6th grades classes at St. Teresa of Calcutta in McSherrystown. They both competed the Junior Achievement Program, Our Nation which consisted of 5 classes taught by Ralph Jodice as a JA volunteer.
The purpose of this award is to recognize those Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary continuing humanitarian service, in any form and at any level with emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary
This is Rotary International’s highest honor for individual Rotarians and only a maximum of 150 recipients worldwide may be selected each year.
The individual receiving this award has served as an Assistant Pastor or Pastor at numerous churches and was actively involved in those communities.
He has participated in 20 mission trips with World Blindness Outreach to seven different countries. Many of these trips were made possible through the assistance of District and Global Grants via Rotary International.
He joined the Rotary Club of Palmyra and served as its President in 1999. He jointed the Lancaster Sunrise Club in 2005 where he has been an active member and currently serves the District as an Assistant Governor.
Throughout the years with World Blindness Outreach, Dr. Alley has come to rely on him to gather, inventory, ship and maintain instruments needed as well as overseeing a smooth running operating room.
Some of his community service activities include:
Board Member of Luthercare
Member of the Columbia School District Dropout Prevention Team
President of Columbia Area Churches United
Member of the Palmyra Interfaith Housing Board
Board member of the Palmyra Counseling Center
Founder of the Campbelltown Disaster Office
And many more
Please join me in welcoming and honoring Rev. William Cluley, the 2018/19 recipient of the Rotary Service Above Self Award.
The Rotary Club of Hanover and the Southern Tier Steering Committee held a superbly done RMB Leadership Summit networking event at the NEW Bailey Coach offices and maintenance building in Spring Grove on April 24 with 24 Rotarians and guests attending from at least seven Rotary clubs representing all areas of Rotary District 7390. PDG Una Martone gave a 30 minute presentation on Servant Leadership that passed on to those attending some priceless advice regarding Servant Leadership and what effectively practicing it can do to make businesses more successful. After the Circle and Cocktail part exercises, Bailey Coach conducted a tour of their beautiful and well thought out new facilities and everyone came away impressed by the excellent planning and execution that made it happen. Many great connections were made and fun and fellowship enjoyed. Thank you Bailey Coach and PDG Una Martone for helping make this 50th Golden Anniversary RMB Leadership Summit networking event such a great success. Well done all!!
Join us for the installation of the 2019-20 District Leadership Team, Assistant Governors and Club Presidents!
Thursday, June 27, 2019
Wyndridge Farm (885 S. Pleasant Ave, Dallastown)
5:30 p.m. Cocktails & Hors D'Oeuvres
6:30 p.m. Dinner & Program
Dinner will consist of slow cooked herbed roast of beef with dijon glaze and oven roasted salmon with grilled pineapple chutney. Both will be served on the same plate with creamy risotto and brussel sprouts.
At the District Conference we had the pleasure to listening to the five finalists in the 4-Way Speech Contest and the winner of the 4-Way Essay Contest. I have always been amazed at how the students weave the 4-Way Test into the topic of their presentation.
We also witnessed the transition of the District Leadership for the 4-Way Speech Contest from PDG Ken Roberts to PDG Una Martone.
On behalf of the District, I want to express our heartfelt appreciation to PDG Ken Roberts for shepherding this program for District 7390. It was at the 2009/10 joint District Conference that we heard our partner district present the finalists for their 4-Way Speech Contest. We were so impressed with the program that we decided to start it in our District.
Ken Roberts has provided the leadership and has been the driving force for the past nine years. I would also like to express our appreciation to be Jeni Roberts for all that she has done for she has been Ken’s right arm throughout these years. Ken and Jeni have the support of a dedicated group of Mid-Level Coordinators who are responsible for organizing the regional competition.
Ken and Jeni, you truly embody Rotary’s Service Above Self.
Thanks go out to all of our clubs who sponsor the 4-Way Speech and Essay Contests. For those clubs who currently don’t participate, I encourage you to consider offering this program in your local school district.
While I am talking about youth, I would like to give a shout out to this year’s Youth Exchange students. They created cultural theme baskets that were raffled off at the District Conference and raised $1503 for the Youth Exchange program. Thanks go out to the students and their counselors who prepared the baskets.
Congratulations to Gary Crissman (Rotary club of colonial park) on receiving the District 7390 Dogged Pursuit award for his passion for the District RYLA program.
Congratulations to Past District Governor Hector Ortiz (Rotary Club of Harrisburg-Keystone) on receiving the District 7390 Outstanding Service Award. Hector was District Governor in 2013-14, served as District membership chair, PDG engagement chair and RLI chair. His dedication to Rotary and District 7390 is evident in all that he does!!
Congratulations to Past District Governor Dick Brown (Rotary Club of York) on receiving the District 7390 Lifetime Achievement Award. Dick has been a member of Rotary for 44 years. He was responsible for researching and establishing the Rotary District 7390 office and was instrumental in hiring both District Executive Secretaries. Dick served as District Rotary Foundation chair and consistently increased giving to the Foundation in his 8 year term and he's done much, much more!! Congratulations Dick!!!
Congratulations to the following Rotarians who Received Awards at the District Conference
Please join us for our 51st annual charitable fundraiser on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the Hershey Lodge in support of donations to over twenty-five community organizations and others programs. This event starts at 5:00 PM registration, a cash bar and a silent auction with scores of donated items. Dinner starts at 6:30 which is followed by a live auction. Please contact Amy Norris at 717 520-5643 or annoris@bmtc.com for additional information.
Join Rotary Club of York by participating in Give Local York on May 3rd and inspire the innovators of tomorrow! York Rotary has partnered with the York Academy and is raising funds to equip the Academy’s STEM Program with chemistry, physics, biology and robotics equipment. Founded in 2011, the York Academy is the most diverse school in our community, with 63% of its students coming from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods in the City of York and surrounding communities. STEM is a critical component of the International Baccalaureate curriculum offered at the York Academy. Success in these courses will translate to receiving college credits and scholarships and put students on the path to college careers rewarding them with promising futures in the STEM workforce. Good for these students AND good for our local businesses.
The Rotaract Club of Lancaster met with students that are part of AFH’s Access Connect Empower (ACE) Mentoring program. The ACE Mentoring Program works with high school and college students of refugee and immigrant families in Lancaster, PA to support them in achieving their vision of success after they complete high school. The program links these students with college student coaches and with expertise in the community in order to provide ongoing training and support in academic, leadership and life skills.
Rotaract is an organization of young adults (between the age of 18 and 30) of different professional and educational backgrounds that is defined neither by religious nor political motives. Rotaract is one of the largest youth organizations in the world with around 175000 members in about 7500 clubs in 156 countries of the world. The Rotaract Club of Lancaster meets at F & M College in Lancaster, PA. They are Sponsored by The Rotary Clubs of Lancaster Sunrise and The Rotary Club of Lancaster.
The Rotaract Club of Lancaster welcomes Members of theAFH’S Access Connect Empower Mentoring Program
On Saturday, April 13, 2019, sixteen trees were planted in York City by the Preserve Planet Earth Committee, members of the Rotary Club of York, PA, family, friends, and cadets from the William Penn JROTC unit. The trees included a variety of species ranging from Sunset Maple, Linden, Black Gum, Lilac, and Hornbeam Trees. The planting teams removed stumps, rocks, bricks and concrete in existing tree wells to plant these trees in the areas of George Street, West Market Street, West Princess Street, East Prospect Street, and Williams Park. Special thinks to Rotarian Brian Mummert of W S Landscape Services who procured the trees, provided the mulch and put in a full day delivering, planting and cleaning up. Also, thanks to J T Hand and the York Water Company for the delivery of water for all the trees.
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg and the Northern Tier Steering Committee will host the 51st RMB event in Rotary District 7390's history and the fifth event of the 2019 RMB season on Thursday, June 6 at the Capital Blue Cross Retail Store, 4500 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30. The cost of the event is FREE thanks to our major sponsor Capital Blue Cross and will feature great hors d'oeuvres and wine, beer and soft beverages. RSVP now!!
Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary.
More than 40 Rotary Club of Harrisburg members engaged in fellowship with a unique service project to sort donated jewelry at the Goodwill Keystone regional headquarters in Harrisburg.
HRC President Rebuck says, “Kudos to John McHenry, Goodwill Keystone’s President and his entire staff for hosting a wonderful and impactful meeting.” Tours were conducted of the facility demonstrating the multitude of services provided.
According to McHenry donor contributions of unwanted jewelry can range from inexpensive costume jewelry up to items of finer jewelry. While much of the donated jewelry is offered for sale at the retail outlets of the organization within the Keystone service area, more valuable items are displayed at silent acutions at Goodwill events.
Retired jeweler Barry Landis, who is also a Goodwill board member, evaluates the finer items to suggest retail pricing. RCH member Marion Alexander is also on the Goodwill board.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg cleaned up litter along a two mile section of Rt 30 on Saturday, April 13. The club has been cleaning this section of roadway for over 20 years with two cleanup events held each year. Joining the Rotarians this time was Gettysburg College Senior Edith Tea. Edith is a native of the Ivory Coast and has been selected by the District for a two year District Global Grants Scholarship. She will be doing graduate work in environmental issues in the Netherlands.
Officers of the Dallastown Area High School Rotary Interact Club recently visited the club and presented a $170.00 check to be used by the Rotary Foundation in the area of Women and Children.
Pictured from left to right are Club members Vernon Tyson, George Flickinger and Joellen Hynson. Interact officers Hanna Lancaster, President, Taylor Edwards, Vice President, and Emily Dias, Secretary and Club Advisor Kathryn Fiocchi.
Interact Club Presents Check to The Rotary Foundation
Many of us take for granted that there will be food on the table every day; however, one out of every five PA households with children struggle with food insecurity. None of us likes to think that children go to bed hungry in the midst of Adams County’s agricultural abundance, but far too many children depend on free or reduced-price school lunches and breakfasts for nutrition. When those meals are not available, these children can go hungry.
Ruth’s Harvest Littlestown is a supplemental food backpack program for elementary children in the Littlestown Area School District. The program, funded entirely by donations, is offered to children in grades K through 5 who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Backpacks or plastic bags are packed and sent home each Friday with individual serving sized, shelf-stable breakfast and lunch items; fresh items are offered when available. The program is actually twofold: it meets the needs of children who are food-insecure each weekend and it offers items that are microwavable so that even children can prepare the meals.
This year, RH Littlestown serves 142 children each and every weekend and for all extended holiday breaks. In our fourth year, RH Littlestown will provide meals for approximately 96 days during this school year. So how does that add up? Last year, we supplied approximately 13,200 breakfast items, 13,200 lunch items, at least 20,000 fruits and vegetable servings, plus over 25,000 snacks and treats. That adds up to approximately 72,000 food items that went home with Littlestown students last school year. We also give away non-food items such as notebooks and pencils, winter gloves, chap stick, and Kleenex.
Ruth’s Harvest is 100% volunteer-operated. Local churches and service organizations such as Rotary come to organize and pack bags each week. The program’s success rests on their generous help.
The Rotary Club of Paradise is changing their meeting day from Thursday to Monday. The first Monday meeting will be held April 22. The meetings will be still be held at 12:15 p.m. at Bird-In-Hand Restaurant.
In March the Lancaster Sunrise Rotary Club donated books to Mrs. Corrigan’s third grade class at Carter and MacRae Elementary School in Lancaster. The club has been tutoring and donating books to this school for over eleven years. The students are always excited to receive these books that were signed with words of encouragement by the club’s weekly speakers. Ten members of the Sunrise Club tutor at the school on a regular basis and host an annual Christmas party for the class.
The Rotary Club of Lancaster Sunrise Donates books to 3rd Grade class at Carter MacRae Elementary
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg proudly announces the official charter and presents the certificate of organization of the Rotaract Club of Harrisburg University.
Rotary Club of Harrisburg member and Rotaract Chair, Mike Jaeger (Left back row) presented Niya and Diamond their Rotaract Certificate of Organization dated Febraury 08, 2019.
In the year that Rotaract celebrates its 50th anniversary, Club President, Andy Rebuck, was all smiles in fully appreciating that these connections to youth today will produce great rewards in years to follow.
The seeds for this Rotaract Club began in 2015-16 under the leadership of then President Betty Hungerford so it was especially fitting that she join in this celebration.
President Elect, Joyce Libby, notes that our Club is fully committed to sponsoring, guiding and mentoring these wonderful young leaders.
With wonderful meetings at the University, there is a lot of energy generated to impact our local community and specifically to dedicate time and resources to assist the needy.
Club Administrator Addeline Alaniz Edwards and President Elect Joyce Libby enjoy a hot cocoa and supporting a fundraising effort on a cold winter day in the halls at Harrisburg University.
All Rotary Club of Harrisburg members are looking forward to a fabulous relationship with these students.
Rotary Club of Harrisburg Celebrated Establishment of HU DELTA Rotaract Club at Harrisburg University
The Rotary Club of Lancaster Penn Square and the Eastern Tier Steering Committee hosted and ran respectively another great RMB event in Lancaster at the Groff Event Center on March 20. This was the 49th event in the history of RMB in District 7390 and had about 30 Rotarians and guests attending from nine clubs representing all parts of our district. Rotarians described the event as spectacular and super fun given the facilitator's quirky ways to run the Circle-networking-30 second elevator speech exercise. Kudos to Lancaster Penn Square and to the RMB Steering Committee for planning and organizing the event so well and to the Groff Event Center Leadership for providing such a perfect venue for the event at which many great connections were made. Thanks to event sponsors Groff Funeral Home and Cremation Services and Renovations by Garman attendees enjoyed some great food and drink FREE. Well done all!!
The Rotary Club of York’s America’s Promise donated wood chips for the playground at Rotary Fields at Allen Park and volunteers from the America’s Promise, Little League, and Preserve Planet Earth Committees, with help from the York City Parks and Recreation Department, spread the mulch on Saturday, March 23. The America’s Promise Committee had specifically chosen that park to enhance and provide additional safety for children playing there during York City Little League games because the York Club had been instrumental in building the fields in honor of Rotary International’s 100th anniversary in 2005.
The Rotary Club of Hanover and the Southern Tier RMB Steering Committee will host the 50th networking event in the history of RMB in District 7390 and the fourth of the 2019 RMB season as a Leadership Summit featuring PDG Una Martone speaking on Servant Leadership on Wednesday, April 24 at the new offices of Bailey Coach at 1708 Route 116, Spring Grove, PA. The event cost is FREE thanks to major sponsor Bailey Coach and will include hearty hors d’oeuvres along with wine, beer, and soft beverages to include water. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 8:00 pm, which will allow time for Una’s talk and all the normal networking exercises. Click here to RSVP NOW!
Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary!
The International Skiing Federation of Rotarians (North American chapter) supports “adaptive skiing”, making skiing and snowboarding available to physically and cognitively challenged people.
At its 2019 Annual Ski Week in Telluride, Colorado, Rotary Club of Harrisburg skiing member Bruce Grossman met with previously wounded veterans who were at Telluride Adaptive Sports. For the wounded warriors this is an all-expense paid week of ski training.
Rotarian Skiing Fellows were all very impressive with the wounded warriors’ determination to conquer another challenge. The young lady shown above had been in the Air Force for 15 years when her body was exploded by an IED in Iraq.
After her multi-year recovery, which included multiple replacements and reconstruction, she now uses her Masters’ degree in chemistry to treat skin disorders in chemotherapy patients. She’s learning to snowboard for the fun and the challenge.
This year the Davis Boyd Memorial Foundation, a 501 C 3 charity, was established by the ISFR to support adaptive ski programs. The ISFR raised $12,000 for Telluride Adaptive Sports.
To continue this good work, tax deductible contributions can be made to: DAVIS BOYD MEMORIAL FOUNDATION, 401 Woodbourbe Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21212.
Picture: Harrisburg Rotarian Bruce Grossman with Wounded Veteran at Telluride Adaptive Sports
RCH of Harrisburg Member Participates in Rotarian Fellowship Philanthropic Mission
Rotary Club of Lancaster South presented checks in the amount of $5000 each to the West Lampeter Township Community Foundation’s “We’re Taking the Field Capital Campaign” to improve Village Park in West Lampeter Township, and to the Southern End Community Association’s “Jump Into Local Recreation” Capital Campaign to significantly improve and renovate the outdoor swimming pool in Quarryville, PA.
Village Park is used by hundreds of children and families on any given night to participate in sports and recreation activities. The current fields were not designed or graded for organized sports and so several of the teams are unable to hold home games due to inadequate field conditions. The total project budget is $2.5 million, with a DCNR grant of $250,000 and a matching grant of $250,000 from West Lampeter Township already having been secured. Also, George and Pat Desmond have issued a $250,000 leadership challenge grant which will be matched dollar for dollar in the early stages of the campaign.
After 25 years of operation, the SECA pool has reached the end of its life. Each summer the pool is used by hundreds of children, families and adults from the Solanco School District and beyond for water safety, competitive swimming, recreation and family fun. Anyone can use the pool on a daily basis without having to pay an initiation fee or membership dues making it an affordable and convenient option for many in the community. The pool annually employs about 27 teens and young adults as swim instructors, life guards and front desk personnel. The total project budget is $650,000 with $428,000 raised so far by volunteers, area businesses, individuals and service organizations.
Pictured: Rotary Club of Lancaster South President, Charity Welch, presents a $5,000 check to West Lampeter Township Community Foundation’s Dee Dee McGuire with, from left, Ray D’Agostino (Philanthropy Chair), Randy Moyer, and George Desmond
Rotary Club of Lancaster South Contributes $10,000 to Two Capital Campaigns
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg is holding its fourth annual Lobster Dinner on Saturday May 4 from 5 to 8 PM at the Gettysburg Fire Hall on North Stratton Street in Gettysburg. Tickets are $45 each and are available through the club's website at www.gettysburgrotary.org. New this year is that the sponsor dollars collected are being used dollar for dollar to fund scholarships to be awarded in May of this year, 2019. These extra dollars allow the club to award $7,500 in scholarships this year. In addition, all other funds raised through this event will benefit the club's Community Fund.
"Mt. Joy Rotary to Defend Their Rotary Cup Title From Last Year” - Get your club to put together a team for June 13 to see who can capture the prize this year!
In October of 1998, Hurricane Mitch, the strongest storm of the 1998 Atlantic hurricane season devastated the country of Honduras killing over 7000 people, leaving 1.5 million people homeless, and caused an estimated 2 billion dollars in damage. The President of Honduras said the storm set the country back 50 years in economic development. Because of that storm, for the past 17 years, Rotary district 7870 partnered with a small Rotary club in Danli, Honduras to provide humanitarian aid by sending teams to provide various services. This year, Dena and Dave Ament and Dave Lawrence from Lancaster Sunrise joined eighteen others and traveled to Honduras.
This project, named Amigos De Honduras has constructed eight schools, expanded 3 schools, converted 2 buildings into schools, painted and repaired 18 schools and worked on a youth center. They also have repaired hospitals and constructed a dental clinic. They have served an estimated 27,000 people with 23 medical and dental missions. Finally, they have installed more than 11,000 water filters.
We had three projects for the week. We painted the interior and exterior of a new elementary school in a remote village. That cement block school was constructed from Rotary funds in the last 8 months. We also installed electrical work.
At another school our teams installed a portable water filter system, so the students could finally access to clean water. They were drinking contaminated well water.
Also, for five days we had a medical and dental team at various locations about an hours drive from Danli.
Lancaster Sunrise and District 7870 JoinedAmigos De Honduras
Three D-7390 Rotarians, (Right to Left) Dr Bob Davis, PDG Tom Davis, and PDG John Judson, meet in Sarasota, Florida for an unofficial Rotary meeting. The trio had lively discussion of District and Club issues.
3 D7390 Rotarians Hold Unofficial Meeting in Florida
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy is delighted with the success of its Thursday Night Alternate meeting. Under the leadership of Greg Sallade, the membership has grown and hosted several unique activities. This young, fun group celebrated its 1st anniversary on Thursday, March 7 with a cake and power point show commemorating some of the year’s highlights. If you care to join the gang – Find us at Bube’s Brewery on North Market Street in Mount Joy on Thursdays form 5-6:30. The Biergarten will be open soon!
Left to right: Chris Brandt, Denny Brandt, John Coleman, Jack Garner, Kevin Engle, Randy Wolgemuth, Rose Madar, Dave Christian, Gary Ebersole, Greg Sallade, Mark Rorabaugh, John May, Jerry Hawn, Joanne Pinkerton
Ten members of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg gathered at Lincoln Elementary School in Gettysburg on March 7 to assemble meals for Ruth's Harvest. The Ruth's Harvest program sends food home on Fridays to the homes of needy children so that they have nutritious food over the weekend. Club members work two times each school year to help with the program.
Please join us for a re-invented 2019 District 7390 Conference – "Rotary: Unwrapping the Inspiration"
Find out how Ann Brinkerhoff has led the development of several premium products for the Hershey Company. You’ll participate in wine parings with various Hershey’s chocolate products. It’s a great way to wrap up your conference experience!
Detailed information on the District Conference is available on District 7390 web page. Click here!
We look forward to seeing you again in Hershey where we will be Unwrapping the Inspiration.
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy invites our friends and neighbors in the Mount Joy area to volunteer a little time at Rotary Park. If you enjoy playing in the dirt, Spring Clean-up Day is scheduled on Saturday, April 6 from dawn until 1:00 pm (drizzle or shine).
Do you or your family members enjoy time at one of the ball fields? Rotary Park in Mount Joy is the home of Hotchkiss, Merchandiser, and Don Pop Staley Fields. Do you let the kids run the bases or climb on the tot lot playground while you lounge at the picnic tables? Then bring your family to the park to help perk it up after a long winter.
Bring your gardening tools to the park entrance on Fairview Street across from the former Lion’s Club Swimming Pool. Come when you can, leave when you must. Lunch will be provided by the Rotary Club. RSVPs are requested but not necessary. For questions or to sign-up, contact Dave Christian at dave@dcalarch.com.
Volunteers may also help keep the park beautiful all summer long. Contact Dave for ideas which can be completed at the park any time. Get your family, team, or club involved in this opportunity to help make the community the best it can be. Inspire those you know by mentioning Rotary’s commitment to “Service Above Self”, and support us in our efforts to help Mount Joy shine.
Mark your calendar now. Step-up to the challenge on Saturday, April 6 or for our summer Cleanup Day scheduled for Saturday, June 15. We will be there from dawn until 1 PM. Participants will be invited to attend a pool party at Dave and Sandy Christian's home later this summer.
For more details and additional photos, review the Mount Joy Rotary Club’s Facebook page. If you are interested in being a guest at either the Tuesday noon or Thursday evening meetings, call Mark Rorabaugh at 717-653-4717 or send an email at mountjoypres@gmail.com.
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg is giving a paperback dictionary to more than 650 third grade students in Harrisburg area schools.
The Dictionary Project was launched at our Club when Steve Feinour was president 2016-2017, using a matching District 7390 Grant, and continues this year under the guidance of chairs Ashley Tedor and Wendell Hoover. A District Matching Grant made this project possible again.
Current President Andy Rebuck says, “We’ve completed distribution to four of the six area elementary schools—and only a snow storm prevented us from completing the distributions.
One of my biggest joys is seeing these little folks smile ear to ear when they receive their dictionary and the pride of ownership they take in it. Thanks again to all RCH members for supporting our local foundation, as their support fuels many such efforts like this enriching program.”
RCH members volunteer to distribute the dictionaries and interact with the children.
Rotary Club of West Shore President, Kirk Brechbiel, presents a $2,000 check to David Harrison, Director of Elementary Education with the West Shore School District. The money will pay for a new Kindergarten reading program. Each new incoming Kindergarten student will receive the book "The Duck Rides a Bike" courtesy of our Rotary Club. Club members will be invited back in the fall for opportunities to be reading partners with the students. This continues are role in encouraging reading and literacy in young people, along with providing a book for them to hold and enjoy.
West Shore Helps Fund Kindergarten Reading Program
Members of the Rotary Club of Red Lion - Dallastown recently delivered and assembled several pieces of play equipment to the students of the Windsor Manor Elementary School in the Red Lion Area School District. The Club used Club generated funds from various fundraising activities and funds from a Rotary District Grant to purchase the items.
students Jelena Jones (left) and Dakota Pipher try out the Connect 4 game.
Club members along with students and school staff look over all the donated items. From left to right are: Club President, Frank Herron; Club members Del McChalicher and Lori Polakoff, Windsor Manor Teachers Julie Brunetto and Levi Myers, Club member Kim McChalicher, and WIndsor Manor Principal Sheila Hughes. Students from left to right are: Christy Whitcraft, Alaina Guzman, and J'Maani Markline.
Red Lion/Dallastown Donates Play Equipment to School
The hosting Rotary Clubs of Mechanicsburg, Mechanicsburg North, and West Shore and the Northern Tier Steering Committee along with principal organizer DGN John Anthony deserve great credit for having one of the most successful RMB events in its six year history on February 26, 2019 at the offices of Classic Rock Fabrication. Our 48th networking event since July 2014 had 50 or more Rotarians and potential Rotarian guests from 13 Rotary clubs from all areas of our district. Many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed as the photos below show. Thank you to Classic Rock Fabrication for a great venue. Well done all!
Successful Rotary Means Business Held February 26th!
The Colonial Park Club meetings are going to be held at Colonial Golf & Tennis (4901 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112) on April 3, April 10 and April 24. The meetings still officially begin at 12:15 p.m. and the price for lunch is $17. The Colonial Park Club will meet at the Best Western Premiere on all other dates.
The 19th Annual Comedy and Magic Spectacular on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. features four national acts including: one of the great innovators in magic Tony Chapek; Central Pa’s very own Brett Myers, a rising star in the world of illusion based magic; Jarol Martin, born in Cuba, who was selected at age 13 to train at the House of Culture where he began his career; and the popular R.G. Smith as Master of Ceremonies. Held at Lampeter-Strasburg High School’s Performing Arts Center, the show is the largest annual fundraiser hosted by Rotary Club of Lancaster South. Show proceeds fund scholarships awarded to graduating seniors at three local high schools (Solanco, Penn Manor, and Lampeter-Strasburg), toward youth programming at the L-S YMCA, and to other community needs.
For more information and to purchase tickets ! Tickets may also be purchased at the L-S YMCA location. Tickets are $17 for adults and $11 for children age 12 and under.
One of the great innovators in magic, Tony Chapek is a unique performer who has been delighting audiences for years with his innovative blend of magic, technology and humor. He has performed for millions of people from the showrooms of Las Vegas to the TV studios of Europe and Asia. Tony has obtained some of the most prestigious awards in magic that include 1st Place at the International Brotherhood of Magicians International competition, the Society of American Magicians’ People’s Choice Award, and the rarely presented National Award for Originality from both organizations.
In addition to touring the world, Tony has appeared on two network television specials: “Masters of Illusion” and “World Magic Awards” where he was named “World’s Most Original Act.”
One of the rising stars in the world of magic, Brett A. Myers is an illusionist who has taken his talents around the world, performing over 140 shows on military bases, in theaters, at colleges, for conferences as well as countless churches. Born in central PA, he began touring and entertaining at an early age. Brett and his lovely bride, Labrina, present a variety of amazing effects. Their desire is to create environments that inspire positive life change; and to challenge each person’s perception of reality via their world of illusion. Most recently, Brett Myers and his entourage have taken summer and Christmas residence at the popular Bird-in-Hand Stage in Lancaster, PA. Brett is ready for the start of a 4th successful season in Lancaster with an all new “MAGIC AND WONDER” review.
Born in Cuba, Jarol Martin felt a great interest in the secrets of illusion and the performance of magic. At the age of thirteen, he was accepted in “La Casa de la Cultura,” (The House of Culture) that is a place where talent is nurtured. He then began his career as a magician. A credit to his skills, he was selected for a cultural project/tour that would take him all over his native country. On this tour, he was selected as the “Artist of the Year.” From there, he created and performed in variety shows all over Central and South America. With great acclaim, he was chosen to appear in Las Vegas in a show called “Tropiclaisimo.” Once discovered there, he has been ever so busy in the USA and Europe.
RG Smith
For the “umpteenth time” producer and director RG Smith will be the Master of Ceremonies and tour guide for the show. In addition to keeping things moving and bringing old jokes back to our stage, he will give you a chance to win at a quick game of BINGO. Make sure you get your free BINGO cards----1 each, please----and let’s have fun. The game starts right after intermission.
For more information contact Martha MacAdam at 717-333-0559 or email at marthamacadam@gmail.com.
Annual Comedy & Magic Show to Feature Four National Acts
The Rotary Club of Lancaster Penn Square and the Eastern Tier RMB Steering Committee will host the 49th RMB networking event in District 7390's RMB history and the third event of the 2019 season at the Groff Event Center, 234 West Orange Street, Lancaster, PA on Wednesday, March 20. The event cost will be FREE thanks to the Rotary Club of Lancaster Penn Square, Groff Funeral Home and Cremation Services and Renovations by Garman who are providing the venue, hors d'oeuvres and the beverages (wine, beer and soft drinks). The event will start at 5:30 and end at 7:30 pm. MARK YOUR CALENDARS to attend this event so that you can make great connections and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarians and family of Rotary! RSVP Here!!
At their February 7, 2019 meeting, members of the Rotary Club of Red Lion - Dallastown, presented 11 new Apple iPads to representatives of The Den After School Program which operates within the Red Lion Area School District. With the assistance of a Rotary District Grant, the Club purchased the iPads to allow students to work on homework and other educational activities while taking part in the after school program. Those in the attached photograph are Club members Del McChalicher and George Flickinger, Andrea Rider, Director of The Den program, Reverend Tim Funk, Pastor at St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Pastor Jay McWilliams, Senior Pastor at Pleasant View Church
A Rotary volunteer work crew will be traveling to New Bern N.C. for the week of Sunday July 14 – Saturday July 20 to work with Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders (FCDR) restoring the interior of homes badly damaged by both high winds and torrential flooding caused by Hurricane Florence in September 2018.
We have worked with FCDR over the years in hurricane damaged areas from New York, down the east coast, and west to Texas. FCDR provides volunteer housing/meals, skilled construction leadership, tools and qualified projects.
Rotarian John Bailey, Bailey Coach, is providing – free of charge – his Rotary bus to transport the volunteers to New Bern and to/from the work site daily. Volunteer housing cost is $125/person. Minimum age 16. No previous skills required, home repair experience helpful. Open to Rotarians and non-Rotarians.
We will be joined by experienced Crew Chiefs Rotarian Phil Lehman and Chris Erickson. Bob Brightbill and his team of students from Dauphin County Technical School will be joining us. DCTS has participated in eleven of our previous Joining Hands disaster rebuilds.
Do you have the passion for serving families in need? Sign up by contacting: Peg Sennett, 717-630-8281, pegsennett@hotmail.com.
District Governor John May, with the help of PDG Dick Brown (at the podium), surprised former Youth Exchange Inbound student, David Gbogboade from Nigeria, with a Paul Harris Fellow Award, at the club’s meeting on Nov. 28. David’s counselor, and District Youth Exchange Chair Walt Tilley, donated the funds to The Rotary Foundation to name David as a PHF. David was an Inbound for the 2017-18 Rotary year, and returned to attend York College of PA, to study engineering. David was planning to return to Nigeria after the Spring 2019 semester due to financial difficulties, but the college, individual Rotarians, community members, and the York club’s Student Education Fund and Youth Exchange Committees have now stepped up to help David obtain his Bachelor’s Degree and graduate in May 2021. It certainly DOES take a village to raise a child…..and David will make York, York College, and Rotary proud when he returns to Nigeria with his degree in hand.
A Very Special Paul Harris Fellow Presentation to a Very Special Young Man
People Coming Together Zone Conference September 19-21, 2019 Sheraton on the Falls and Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls – Fallsview Niagara Falls, Canada
YOU need to be a part of this amazing experience!
Get inspired and learn from motivating speakers, empowering facilitators, & energizing sessions - addressing the pressing and pivotal issues that are important to the future of Rotary. Zone Conference will enlighten, educate, and inform.
Connect with Rotarians from all strata of our Rotary world to build a new future together. Get to know other Rotarians from across Zones 24 and 32 and our new colleagues from Zone 29 who share a passion for service through leadership.
Enjoy Niagara Falls! All of this will be taking place in two of the most beautiful hotels in Niagara Falls – Sheraton on the Falls and the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls - Fallsview Hotel, connected by a walkway, and offering world-class accommodations, outstanding restaurants, and most importantly, breath-taking views of both the Canadian and American falls. The Niagara region also offers a multitude of entertainment, adventure and culinary experiences. There truly is something for everyone!
Bring your partner, family, Rotarian friends and colleagues for a conference that promises to be an experience that will inspire and empower you, an experience you will remember for years to come.
On Saturday, January 26, five students were interviewed and selected to participate in the Rotary Youth Exchange Short Term Exchange Program. The students are sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Harrisburg, Harrisburg-Keystone and Susquehanna Township. Their top country choices for exchange are Italy, Japan, Spain and France. The students will be notified in a few months regarding the country they will be exchanging with.
A big thank you to District Youth Exchange Chair Linda Spotts (Susquehanna Township), District Short-Term Exchange Chair Tom Barton (York) and other Youth Exchange volunteers for conducting the interviews and orientation program for the students.
Short-Term Exchange Students Selected for Summer 2019
Rotary District 7390 is pleased to report that the District Governor Nominating Committee has met and recommended Gregory C. Staub, Rotary Club of Hanover, to serve as your District Governor for the 2021-2022 Rotary year.
Greg is a native of Hanover, PA. He graduated from Delone Catholic High School and holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Temple University and Ph.D. from Tulane University. He is a graduate of the American Bankers Association National Trust School and in 1993 was awarded the designation Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Greg is very active in the Hanover community, having served on the boards of several local non-profits. He is currently serving as the President of the Hanover Area Historical Society. He is a past president and board member of the Hanover Rotary Club and is currently serving as the Group D Assistant Governor. Greg and his wife, Edie reside in Hanover and are the proud parents of four children and grandparents of 4 grandchildren.
District 7390 Governor Nominee John Anthony , the past president and a member of the Mechanicsburg North Rotary Club was a recent speaker at the Colonial Park Rotary Club. He spoke about a very special fundraising effort that is currently underway in Rotary District 7390 which is comprised of 43 Rotary Clubs located in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties. This fundraiser which is named the Million Dollar Journey plans to raise one million dollars to benefit the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian, educational and goodwill on a global basis to areas of the world that need help with providing such things as clean safe water, sanitation systems, hygiene education, medical supplies, disaster recovery, medical, eye and dental clinics and the eradication of polio. Pictured L-R: District Governor Nominee John Anthony and Colonial Park Rotary Club President Dave White
District Governor John May presented District Governor-Elect Patrick J. “Paddy” Rooney with a Major Donor Level 1 pin and crystal piece, at the Rotary Club of York’s meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 at the Country Club of York. Paddy has been a member of the Rotary Club of York for 12 years, served as President for the 2016-17 Rotary year, chaired the Student Education Committee and served on 9 other committees. Paddy will be inducted as District 7390 Governor for the 2019-2020 Rotary year on June 27, 2019 at Wyndridge Farm.
The Rotary Club of York East hosted an absolutely great RMB networking event - the 47 in Rotary District 7390 RMB history - on January 15 at the Springettsbury Township's police department with over 30 Rotarians and guests attending from over 10 district clubs from every part of the district. Kudos and thanks go to President Ben Marchant of the Rotary Club of York East for hosting the event so effectively and to the event sponsors Dan Stump, police Chief of the Springettsbury Police Department, and to Dan Calloway of Edward Jones. Kudos also to the Southern Tier Steering Committee for making this event happen. Well done all!
Photos show Rotarians making connections, the fun & fellowship of RMB and Heather Steavens-Jones explaining during the Circle Exercise what makes her all-ininsulation business unique selling proposition.
The world is tantalizingly close to being free of polio. From 350,000 wild poliovirus cases every year in 1988, in 2018 the world reported just 29 cases of this devastating disabling disease because of extraordinary global efforts. Wild poliovirus transmission is endemic in only a handful of districts worldwide. The aim of the 2013-2018 Endgame Plan had been to be finished with this job by end 2018. This is not the case, and the Plan has to now be revised and extended through 2023.
This is an effort that cannot be sustained indefinitely: 31 years is long enough. It is resource intensive. It is intensive on the countries affected. It is intensive on donors. It is intensive on health services. It is intensive on communities. Most of all, it is intensive on those children and their families who bear the burden of this terrible disease, needlessly.
There is no reason why polio should persist anywhere in the world. To succeed by 2023, all involved in this effort must find ways to excel in their roles. If this happens, success will follow.
This means stepping up the level of performance even further. It means using the proven tools of eradication and building blocks that have been established in parts of the world that have been free of polio for years. The vaccines, the cold chains, the networks of vaccinators, the surveillance capacity, the governance, policy, financing and oversight structures must be at peak levels of performance. There must be an unrelenting focus to tighten the management of the effort at all levels.
It also means looking for opportunities to innovate, using local knowledge and insights to overcome obstacles that in the past have seemed insurmountable. It means looking at new and different ways to reach children. It means really understanding the views of parents, and communities, who are unwilling to accept the vaccine and finding ways to address their concerns and come together with them. It means more effectively engaging with communities and better serving their needs than we have been doing thus far. Each person must dedicate themselves to one clear objective - to reach that very last child with polio vaccine.
Please commit to finding that very last child first, before the poliovirus does. Give the poliovirus nowhere to hide. Whatever barrier to reaching that very last child, the programme has the expertise and experience to overcome it. Let everyone perfect what we know works. Let everyone free their mind to come up with new ideas and transformative solutions. We must all treat this as the public health emergency that it is.
As a global community, we have stood before where we stand today, with smallpox. The scourge of smallpox is gone, for which the world is a much better place. Let us make history again. It is time to finish the job of polio eradication now. The philosopher, poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson said: “To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived – this is to have succeeded.”
Eradicate polio, and make the world a better place for future generations.
The Global Polio Eradication Effort is 31 Years Old
The Rotary Club of Motorcycling Rotarians has access to, by actual count, a gazillion or so used books. These books are available free of charge, and are written for grade school and middle school children. If your club is interested in obtaining any of them, please contact PDG John Kramb at pdgjohn2015@gmail.com. Your club will likely have to pay for the shipping from Chicago. Books are free, shipping ain't.
Thank you for your support of our programs! Listed below are the Red Zone events for February, 2019. This school year we will reach over 100,000 students and will need to fill 8,000 volunteer opportunities!
When we are looking at the one day events scheduled within the next 30 days, we consider those events in the “Red Zone”. At this point we are looking for the “Volunteers Needed” number to be on a solid descending glide path. With 127 one day events this school year we know we are going to end up with some events that, even after all of our recruiting efforts, are posing a challenge. The following one day events in the Red Zone are in need of many more volunteers! If you are already signed up for some of these events, thank you! If not, I hope you will consider joining us and as always, please share these opportunities with your colleagues, friends and neighbors. You are the BEST ADVOCATES we have and we cannot do this without you!
Event
Date
School
Volunteers Needed
YES
Friday, January 25, 2019
Landisville Middle School (Lancaster-Hempfield)
4
STEM
Friday, January 25, 2019
Susquehannock High School (York)
5
BizTown
Friday, February 8, 2019
At BizTown York for McKinley & Devers Elementary Schools (York)
10
STEM
Tuesday, February 12, 2019
Pequea Valley High School (Lancaster)
22
STEM
Thursday, February 21, 2019
McCaskey High School (Lancaster)
22
STEM
Friday, February 22, 2019
McCaskey High School (Lancaster)
26
STEM
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
South Western High School (York)
14
* this is not a complete listing of all events in the next 30 days…only the schools where we need the extra recruiting efforts
STEM = Science Technology Engineering and Math focused Summit for 9th and/or 10th graders
REAL Life= Financial Literacy focused Forum for 11th and/or 12th graders
YES = Career Readiness, Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship for 6th, 7th and 8th graders
BizTown = Career Readiness, Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship, STEM for 5th and 6th graders
At the January 15th meeting of the Rotary Club of Mount Joy held at the Gathering Place, an International array of guests held the group in thrall. Guest Speaker: Bianca Neff, discussed the Rotary Peace Fellowship. Neff is a 2010-11 Peace Fellowship recipient attending University of Bradford in Bradford U.K. to earn her Rotary sponsored master’s degree in Conflict Resolution.
Throughout the world, there are six Rotary Peace Centers which have had 1200 graduates since its inception in 2002. Graduates are in strategic positions of leadership around the globe providing peacebuilding services. Neff founded an organization dedicated to providing mental health services to NGO workers who have experienced job related trauma and stress. Additional professional and personal interests include: Central Asia; Islam & the West; Ethnic Conflict Intervention; Justice and Reconciliation; Poverty & Radical Islam.
Ms. Neff, the daughter of a Basque mother (Spain) and an American father, now lives in Spain. Her Basque heritage gives her the unique perspective of what it means to be a minority struggling through issues of ethnic conflict. Having been active in global humanitarian work for over 15 years. She has lived in Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Spain, and Kenya.
The Club also received an up-date from Freddy Tuyizere. Mr. Tuyizere, from Burundi, Africa, spoke about a water distribution project the boys at his school for street children have developed. The Bururndi project has been one of special interest for the Rotary Club during the past two years. With him was Ms. Keren Korineza. She is a graduate of his school in Burundi and is currently attending college in the United States.
You never forget the teacher who makes a difference...
Do you know a math teacher who has a special way of making learning numbers fun for students? Or a science teacher who opened a new world for your child? Nominate an extraordinary teacher for the 2019 Teacher Impact Awards!
WITF is proud to partner with Rotary District 7390 to present the Teacher Impact Awards supported by Franklin & Marshall College.
The Rotary clubs of Mechanicsburg, Mechanicsburg North, and West Shore along with the Northern Tier Steering Committee will host the 48th RMB networking event in its history in Rotary District 7390 on Tuesday, February 26 at the Classic Rock Fabrication, 135 W Allen Street, Mechanicsburg, PA. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30 pm. The cost of this event will be FREE thanks to generous sponsors. Click here to RSVP!
Dr. Alan Peterson is a friend of Past District Governor John Judson and a fellow member of Physicians For Social Responsibility. He has offered to serve as a speaker for one of your upcoming meetings. I highly recommend him as a speaker due to his expertise on this timely subject and his presentation style.
Dr. Peterson is a family medicine doctor having seen patients and taught resident physicians for over 40 years at Lancaster General Hospital. His title is Emeritus Director of Environmental and Community Health at LGH. He have been giving free talks for several years at service groups, church groups, medical groups, etc., on Climate and Health, including to other Rotary Clubs. His talk has been well received from the discussion that ensued. Please contact Dr. Peterson at alan.peterson@pennmedicine.upenn.edu or 717-413-0486.
Members of the Rotary Club of Hanover braved 23 degree temperatures to take down Christmas decorations in the Hanover Town Square. Pictured in front of the Rotary gazebo are Ralph, Karen, Walt, Holly, Jason, Bob and Paul.
Rotary International President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney explained his vision for building a stronger Rotary, calling on leaders to expand connections to their communities and to embrace innovative membership models.
RI President-elect Mark Daniel Maloney announces the 2019-20 presidential theme, Rotary Connects the World, to incoming district governors in San Diego, California, USA. Watch the video of his speech.
Maloney, a member of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama, USA, unveiled the 2019-20 presidential theme, Rotary Connects the World, to incoming district governors at Rotary’s annual training event, the International Assembly, in San Diego, California, USA, on Monday. “The first emphasis is to grow Rotary — to grow our service, to grow the impact of our projects, but most importantly, to grow our membership so that we can achieve more,” Maloney said. Maloney believes that connection is at the heart of the Rotary experience. “(Rotary) allows us to connect with each other, in deep and meaningful ways, across our differences,” Maloney said. “It connects us to people we would never otherwise have met, who are more like us than we ever could have known. It connects us to our communities, to professional opportunities, and to the people who need our help.” Maloney also called on every Rotary and Rotaract club to identify segments of their community not represented in their club by creating a membership committee with diverse members. “Through Rotary, we connect to the incredible diversity of humanity on a truly unique footing, forging deep and lasting ties in pursuit of a common goal,” he added. “In this ever more divided world, Rotary connects us all.” Maloney urged leaders to offer alternative meeting experiences and service opportunities to make it easier for busy professionals and people with many family obligations to serve in leadership roles. “We need to foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with the family, but rather complements it,” Maloney said. “That means taking real, practical steps to change the existing culture: being realistic in our expectations, considerate in our scheduling, and welcoming of children at Rotary events on every level.” Maloney said many of the barriers that prevent people from serving as leaders in Rotary are based on expectations that are no longer relevant. “It is time to adapt, to change our culture, and to convey the message that you can be a great district governor without visiting every club individually, and a great president without doing everything yourself.”
2019-20 RI president announces his presidential theme
The Rotary Club of Red Lion-Dallastown presents "The York Area Keyway to Dining Guide", our new club fundraiser! Our club has partnered with local restaurants to provide a dining guide to some of the best culinary treasures in our area. This York Area Keyway to Dining Guide offers a tour of 9 fantastic participating restaurants:
Bring your York Area Keyway to Dining Guide with you when eating at a restaurant for validation. Each restaurant has specific guidelines based on their unique menu offerings. Each offer is valid in each restaurant only once and may not be duplicated. Enjoy using your York Area Keyway to Dining Guide knowing you are helping provide funds for local high school scholarships.
Please secure your own York Area Keyway to Dining Guide for just $40 and support these local businesses who support our Rotary Vision! Contact Ashleigh Fishel at lauraashleigh67@gmail.com to purchase yours today!
The Interact Club at Myerstown-ELCO High School helped with an angel tree to distribute Christmas gifts to families. Each family received at least two outfits, winter boots, hats, gloves and scarves, plus a fun present! There were about 100 angel gifts collected at the High School.
The Interact students made cutouts of angels and placed them as ornaments on a Christmas tree in the school office. Each angel had an item written on it that a family in need had requested. ELCO students were asked to pick an angel from the tree and buy what was written on it and return the angel with the gift. From there, the Interact Club organized the presents and had them picked up to be given to the families!
Election to the Hall of Fame is the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ most auspicious honor conferred upon an individual for monumental achievements to the DMVA or the Pennsylvania National Guard.
Mrs. Helen Sajer co-founder of the Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors received that award for her decades of service to PA wounded warriors and their families. Mrs. Sajer and her husband, former Adjutant General of the Commonwealth and U.S. Army Major General, founded the organization in 2007 after numerous previous years of service to service men and women returning to civilian life.
Invited to the awards ceremony at Fort Indiantown Gap were our Rotary Club of Harrisburg’s Chair of the Veterans Committee Joan Prescott, committee chair for the last 5 years, and Rotary Past President Bob Saline. For more than 25 years, their Club’s members have raised and contributed thousands of dollars to veterans’ needs and most recently to the PA Wounded Warriors.
Contributions continue a tradition initiated by our member and long-time HRC Committee Chair John Smither, himself a military veteran. Contributions to this year’s PAWW campaign can be made via a check to the Harrisburg Rotary Foundation with a notion of PAWW.
Harrisburg Rotary Club Supports Organization of Award-Winning PA Wounded Warriors
On 1 January 2019, Torren Ecker, the President of the Hanover Rotary Club, was sworn-in as State Representative of the 193rd District. Many of his family and friends attended the ceremony at the State Capital Building. Pictured with Torren Hanover’s Past President, Ralph Jodice, who along with his wife, Judy, also attended the ceremony. The entire Hanover Club is very proud of State Representative and Rotarian President, Torren Ecker. We wish him much success!
Hanover President Sworn-In as State Representative
The goal was $15,000. The final tally was over $16,000.
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise held their annual holiday dinner and fundraising event on Friday, December 7th at the Comfort Suites in Carlisle. The theme was “Home for the Holidays,” and proceeds will benefit Safe Harbour and Community CARES.
At the end of the evening, between sponsorships and silent and live auctions, the event raised just over $16,100.
Rotarians Brad Griffie, Board President of Community CARES, and Scott Shewell, President & CEO, Safe Harbour, briefed attendees at the dinner on the current needs of both organizations and exactly how the money would be spent. Shewell told how a recent plumbing repair in the Safe Harbour building cost the organization over $3,000. Griffie spoke of CARES partnerships with local churches to provide sleeping space – on mats on the floor -- for homeless guests, including mothers and children. Both expressed deep gratitude to the Rotary Clubs for their generous support.
Rotarian Bill Blankmeyer thanked the over 30 local and regional businesses for their generous donations and sponsorships for the evening and encouraged attendees to patronize those businesses and thank them for their continued support. “Our success depends on the generosity of our businesses and sponsors. We couldn’t do this without them,” Blankmeyer said.
Picture Caption: Rotary Clubs present check. L to R: Fred Gellert, President, Rotary Club of Carlisle Sunrise; Brad Griffie, Board President, Community CARES; Beth Kempf, Executive Director, Community Cares; Scott Shewell, President & CEO, Safe Harbour; Mary Brunski, President, Rotary Club of Carlisle.
Rotary Auction Exceeds Goal for Safe Harbour, Community CARES
The Rotary Club of York East and the RMB Southern Tier Steering Committee will host the first event of the 2019 RMB season and the 47th RMB event in Rotary District 7390 history on Tuesday, January 15 at the Springettsbury Police Department, 1501 Mt. Zion Road, York, PA. The event will be FREE thanks to Police Chief Dan Stump whose police department is hosting the event and providing light refreshments and Dan Calloway of Edward Jones who is providing the wine and beer. Thank you event sponsors! The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30 pm. Click here to RSVP now!!
Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Also bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary!
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation presented the 2018 President’s Award to Brian Deal, facility at Dauphin County Technical School and Celina Bertovic, facility at Central Dauphin High School, in recognition of their significant leadership to ensure that students at Dauphin County Technical School and Central Dauphin High School have the maximum opportunity to obtain scholarships. The Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation will award $63,000 in ten different scholarships to graduation seniors in five area schools in May 2019.
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation and Brian Deal, facility at Dauphin County Technical School
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation, Celina Bertovic, facility at Central Dauphin High School and Ken Miller, Principal of Central Dauphin High School
MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The Rotary Club of York East and the Southern Tier Steering Committee will host the first event of the sixth RMB season on Tuesday, January 15 at the Springettsbury Police Department, 1501 Mt. Zion Road, York, PA. Dan Stump of the Rotary Club of York East will be taking the lead in organizing this event. Next week we should have a RSVP link and a cost. Hopefully event sponsors will be found to keep event costs as low as possible. You can become an event sponsor for $100, and you will be mentioned in all event promotions both local and district wide leading up to the event date. For $500 you can become a major sponsor and receive mention in local and district wide RMB promotions for one year. Sponsors should provide their logos to Melissa in the District office at office@rotary7390.org.
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy spread some Christmas cheer by going Christmas Caroling along Main Street, Mount Joy. Eight members of the club plus friends and family, dressed in their best holiday apparel, stopped at houses and local businesses to sing songs and celebrate the season. The stops included friends, family and pubs where they were greeted with applause. Happy Holidays to all.
The Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation presented their annual report to the Rotary Club of Colonial Park at a recent meeting. In 2018 the Foundation awarded $49,000 is scholarships and in 2019 the Foundation will award $63,000 for ten different types of scholarships. The 2019 Foundation scholarships are available to students in their senior year at Dauphin County Technical School, Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg Christian School, Central Dauphin East High School and Central Dauphin High School. For additional information go to the Rotary Club website at www.colonialparkrotary.org
Pictured L-R: Colonial Park Rotary Club President Dave White and The Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation President Randy Sibert
The Rotary Club of Lancaster hosted a great RMB networking event on December 12, 2018 at the beautiful and spacious offices of EZ Marketing in Lancaster with roughly 35 Rotarians and guests attending from nine clubs representing all areas of District 7390. Catering was provided by Joanne Pinkerton’s Gathering Place Caterers and the heavy hors d’oeuvres were delicious and more than ample. The event was FREE thanks to event sponsors Anonymous, DeBord Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, EZ Marketing, Edward Jones Investments and Renovation by Garman. Thank you sponsors! Thank you also to the Rotary Club of Lancaster for hosting this wonderful networking event, to Rob Gallagher and the Eastern Tier Steering Committee for the great job they did in organizing the event, and to the Rotarians and guests that attended the event and made it such a worthwhile and fun connection-making opportunity. Kudos to all!
As I have been getting ready for this holiday season, I took some time to reflect on Rotary’s six areas of focus and the impact that we, as Rotarians, have had around the world. I specifically focused on peace and conflict prevention and resolution. During the holiday season it seems that it is a time when conflicts cease for a few hours.
I picked up David Forward’s book, “A String of Pearls” which gives a history of how Rotary’s passion for peace became a reality and tells inspiring stories of how Rotary peace fellows are serving humanity and changing the world. The following are just two of the stories in his book.
Kevin Melton
Kevin Melton, a native of Fairfax County, Virginia was involved in a peer-to-peer mediation program in high school, which was where the seed for conflict resolution was planted. In college, following the attack on the World Trade Center, he wanted to understand why it had happened. Following graduation he went to work with the Institute for Mediation and Conflict Resolution and began building skills and designing training programs with people from other countries. He then went to work with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). With them, he spent time is South Sudan and then eventually in Afghanistan where he helped support a program to persuade farmers to grow crops other than poppies.
A friend he had meet at USAID told him about the Rotary Peace Fellows program and he was accepted at the Rotary Peace Center is the University of Queensland in Australia. After completing the Peace Fellowship, he joined the USAID’s Office of Transition Initiatives and was sent to the Arghandab District in Southern Afghanistan where he was stationed with a Stryker Brigade of the US Army. His charge was to “stabilize the area”. In the first 10 days, 10 men from the unit were killed. He was now on the front line. His tour of duty lasted 18 months and he was using the skills he learned to help stabilize the area. Kevin returned again to Arghandab for another 11 months and today, the area is one of the safest places in Afghanistan.
Kevin acted as a catalyst for the local people to rebuild their own society. He said that “it is by no means perfect, but this little piece of Afghanistan has learned the value of community and social cohesion and what they can do together”.
Path Heang
Path Heang was born in Cambodia and in the early part of his life knew nothing but conflict. As the Vietnam War was ending, the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and began a reign of terror that became known as the Killing Fields. In 1975, an estimated 2 million Cambodians were forced into labor camps in rural areas where they basically became slaves. At the age of 6, the Khmer Rouge came into Path’s village and split his family up with each going to a different labor camp. He recalls his experience in the labor camp where there were no human rights and the living conditions that they were forced to endure. Violation of any of their many rules resulted in severe punishment, torture and even execution. During this period of time, as a young boy, he witnessed many executions and saw bodies lying in open graves. In 1979 the Vietnamese Army invaded Cambodia and the United Nations brokered a coalition government in which the Khmer Rouge had a seat but no power. He returned to his village and was reunited with his family. He finished his schooling and followed in his father’s footsteps and became a teacher.
Even though the Khmer Rouge had no political power, it continued to wage a guerilla war until 1998 and there were many guns and weapons in the hands of many people. Robbery, domestic violence and deadly conflict were a daily occurrence.
Path felt a strong influence to leave teaching and wanted to do something related to humanitarian service. He joined a non-governmental organization whose mission was to encourage people to surrender their guns. During this time he learned that removing the tools of violence is only the beginning of a post-conflict society. Removing violence from the mindset and mentality of the people is more promising and lasting to restoring peace.
In 2001, as Path was thinking more about becoming a peacemaker, he was reunited with a couple from Australia who had helped him through college and he shared with them his desire to study more about peace and conflict resolution. They shared his story with a Rotarian friend of theirs in Australia and the connection to the Rotary Peace Fellow program was made.
Today, Path works for UNICEF and serves as the Chief of the Central and Southern Zone Office in Phenom Penh, Cambodia. He says, “I see my job as building a more equitable society for marginalized people. I have the ability to influence the law, policy formulation and resource allocation for some of the most disregarded people in our country. Every child should have access to an education, to clean drinking water, to safe sanitation. Those sub populations who live in remote mountain villages, or border refugee camps or city slums may think that nobody speaks out for them. But they are wrong. I am their voice.”
There are many other amazing stories of Rotary Peace Fellows and the impact that they are making everyday to make this world a better and more peaceful place to live. If you are interested in reading more of their stories, the book may be ordered via this website: http://www.rotarystringofpearls.com
Wishing you a joyous Holiday Season and a Happy New Year filled with Peace, Good Health and Happiness
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me
District Club Grant projects support short-term, humanitarian projects that benefit local or foreign communities. Once a year, a club may request grant funds for a project or may collaborate with another club's project. There is a maximum of five clubs per project.
You are encouraged to be creative and select projects that meet special needs in your local or global community. Some projects done in the past include: refurbishing playgrounds and parks, books for literacy projects, supporting youth development projects, assisting with a family health festival, collecting and purchasing food for a food bank, providing dental care in Honduras, and providing clean water to foreign villages.
The District Grants Committee reviews each grant application for the appropriateness of the project based on Rotary International's humanitarian guidelines. Upon approval, clubs will be matched on a dollar for dollar basis up to $2,500, based on the amount of funds available and the number of grant requests.
Please adhere to the following deadlines when applying for a District Club Grant:
March 15, 2019 - Grant Intention Forms Due (Must be signed by 2019-20 Club President)
April 30, 2019 - Full DCG Application Due
Your Club MUST also be qualified to request a grant. Please follow these steps for qualification:
Complete a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This form MUST be signed by the 2019-20 and 2020-21 Club Presidents.
Complete the On-line Grant Training found here. You must watch all 5 videos and complete the assessment tests.
Once the grant training is completed by at least one member of the Club and the MOU has been submitted to the District office, the Club will be qualified to participate in a grant until June 30, 2020.
All Grant Forms and more information regarding Grants can be found here.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary's leadership training program for young people. RYLA Emphasizes Leadership, Citizenship and Personal Growth.
Do you know an outstanding Junior that has what it takes to become a dynamic leader and change not only themself but the world?
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary District 7390 (South Central PA) where students develop their skills as leaders while having fun and making connections. The 2019 RYLA Conference will be held June 9-13, 2019. This will be the 59th Consecutive RYLA in Rotary District 7390.
Students must be between their Junior and Senior year in high school to attend. Approximately 140 High School youth attend annually.
The schedule includes various speakers, career seminars, a challenge course, team building activities, a conference band and chorus and much, much more.
What are the benefits?
Students will connect with leaders in their communities and around the world to:
Build communication and problem-solving skills
Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in their school or community
Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors
Unlock their potential to turn motivation into action
During the Mount Joy Borough Winterfest on Saturday, December 1, the Rotary Clock was rededicated to the community. At 6:45, the Rotary Club of Mount Joy, led by Randy Wolgemuth, dedicated the Clock to the people of Mount Joy. Mayor Timothy Bradley Jr. acknowledged the importance of the clock as a centerpiece of Borough life and community events.
Throughout the year, the Rotarian’s in Mount Joy sought funding to refurbish the clock and restore the outer case. It once again stands proudly at the corner of Main Street and Marietta Avenue. Clockmaker, Bob Durochers of Lititz did the work on the clock updating the interior workings and ensuring the decorative paint work would stand the test of time.
For more details and pictures, review the Mount Joy Rotary Club’s Facebook page. If you are interested in being a guest at either the Tuesday noon or Thursday evening meetings call Mark Rorabaugh at 717-653-4717.
Is your Club or changing meetings due to Christmas and New Years? If they are, please email office@rotary7390.org with the changes. A list will be published in the weekly newsletter!
Carlisle-Sunrise – No Meeting December 25 or January 1
Denver-Ephrata - No Meeting December 27 or January 3
Hanover - No Meeting December 25 and January 1
Lancaster-South - No Meeting December 26 or January 2
Lancaster-Sunrise - No Meeting December 27
Northern Lebanon County - No Meeting December 25 & January 1
Working with the Adams County United Way, ten members of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg and many other volunteers served Breakfast with Santa at the Gettysburg Hotel on December 1. The Gettysburg Rotarians were joined by four international students from Gettysburg College. Over 1,200 meals were served to the hungry crowd.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg took part on November 30 in the community effort in Gettysburg sponsored by the Sgt. Mac Foundation to place wreathes on the graves of Veterans. The National Wreath Project has evolved to placing wreaths at the graves of Veterans at Quantico National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 2017, over 11,000 wreaths were placed at both cemeteries. This year, a similar number were placed.
In a Summer Cultural Exchange, students spend three to six weeks in their host country visiting with another family and seeing another part of the world. The Short-term Exchange Program arranges for the student's family to host a matching student from another country in return. This program provides an excellent opportunity to experience a new culture in a brief period of time. Like the long-term exchange, the short-term exchange requires a sponsoring Rotary Club in each country, and students are selected on the basis of a written application and interview process.
Parents should be prepared to cover the cost of travel, health insurance and a few other costs for the STEP student. Candidates should complete an application and submit it their sponsoring Rotary Club. Remember - all applications MUST BE TYPED and signatures on the application MUST be in BLUE INK. The sponsoring Rotary Club will hold an interview and, if appropriate, send the student to the District Interviews/training session on January 26, 2019.
You can find more information regarding the Short-Term Exchange Program, please click here!
A supporter of Rotary and the efforts to end polio, York, Pennsylvania-based Bailey Trailways is creating awareness by dedicating themed graphics on its new 2018 Van Hool CX45. Since 1985, Rotary has contributed nearly $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries. The disease remains endemic in three countries including Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Other countries remain at risk for imported cases.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that causes paralysis and is sometimes fatal. As there is no cure, the best protection is prevention. For as little as 60-cents-worth of vaccine, a child can be protected against this crippling disease for life. After an international investment of more than $9 billion, and the successful engagement of over 200 countries and 20 million volunteers, polio could be the first human disease of the 21st century to be eradicated.
To help create awareness of this need, John Bailey, President of Bailey Coach and a Hanover Rotarian, created a Rotary Coach with his newest Van Hool CX45 coach that he took delivery of this year from ABC Companies, the exclusive distributor of Van Hool coaches in the U.S. Bailey has also donated four weeks use of this coach to do humanitarian work in the eastern U.S. with Rotarians assisting in the efforts.
The coach has been showcased at several events including the Hanover, Pennsylvania Rotary Club luncheon event in October with special guest speaker, John Nanni, a 64-year polio survivor and Rotarian. Nanni, who chairs the Delaware district 7630 Rotary spoke of his experience to continue efforts of building awareness that this disease remains an endemic throughout the world.
Bailey Trailways is no stranger to designing theme coaches or sharing its resources for charity. Bailey themed his first to honor the military and dedicated it to his father, WWII veteran, Captain J. Bailey. They have also themed coaches for York County Visitors Bureau, Rotary Club and one for Gold Star Families. The company believes highly in giving back to the community and to those in need. They operate an annual veterans trip where they transport 425-plus veterans on eight coaches to Gettysburg for a museum and tour experience as well as to participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the Eternal Light Peace Memorial. They also played a very active role in hurricane relief efforts in Texas and Florida in which they sent nearly one million pounds of supplies that they collected.
Bailey Trailways creates polio awareness with new Van Hool CX45
Rotary Global Grants Scholarships fund graduate students who are interested in studying abroad in one of the six Areas of Focus for Rotary. Candidates must live in or attend college in District 7390, which encompasses Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York counties.
Scholarship highlights…
Graduate studies abroad
Plan to pursue career in field of study
1 to 2 year scholarship
Minimum of $30,000 per year
Must be proficient in language of country
Based on…
Academic merit
Studying a Rotary Area of Focus
Residence in or attendance at a college in District 7390
Rotary’s Areas of Focus are…
Peace and Conflict Prevention/Resolution
Disease Prevention and Treatment
Water and Sanitation
Maternal and Child Health
Basic Education and Literacy
Economic and Community Development.
The deadline to apply for a Global Grant Scholarship is January 12, 2019. The interviews will be held February 16, 2019 and applicants MUST be available for the interviews on that date. Successful applicants can begin their studies as early as the fall of 2019.
The Paul Harris Society designation was recently bestowed upon two members of the Colonial Park Rotary Club. The Paul Harris Society designation is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The award is named for Paul Harris, who founded Rotary International in 1905.
The membership of the Colonial Park Rotary Club are very proud to award this special honor to Genevieve Peters and her daughter Marianne Flickinger. Genevieve is the widow of and Marianne is the daughter of William H. Peters, Jr. who was a charter member and the first president of the Colonial Park Rotary Club when it was started back in 1951.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg is taking part again this year in the Gettysburg Community Breakfast with Santa, sponsored by the Adams County United Way. The breakfast will be held on December 1 and serves over 700 local people. The Rotary Club of Gettysburg is one of the sponsors and this year is sponsoring low income families so they can attend the event. Families from the local homeless shelter and the local shelter for abused family members are being sponsored by Rotary.
District 7390 Disaster Relief Committee is supporting hurricane relief in New Bern, North Carolina through financial support and a volunteer work crew.
Tax deductible donations can be sent to Carlisle Rotary Foundation with a notation for ‘FCDR, New Bern N.C.’ Send your donation to Carlisle Rotary Club Foundation, PO Box 301, Carlisle PA 17013. Donations will be accepted through January 15, 2019. Donations will be sent to Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders, a 501C3 non-profit, who has made a commitment to assist the people of North Carolina rebuild their homes. The donations will be used for materials and supplies as volunteer crews rebuild the homes of qualified home owners.
A Rotary volunteer work crew will be traveling to New Bern N.C. for the week of Sunday July 14 – Saturday July 20 to work with Full Center Disaster Rebuilders. Rotarian John Bailey, Bailey Coach, is providing – free of charge - his Rotary bus to transport the volunteers to New Bern and to/from the work site daily. Would you like to volunteer? No previous skills required, home repair experience helpful. Experienced Crew Chiefs Rotarian Phil Lehman and Chris Erickson will be leading the week. Volunteer housing will be at Cornerstone Church, cost is $100.00 pp for weekly accommodations/meals. Minimum age 18. Open to Rotarians and non-Rotarians. Mark your calendar. More information to follow as we get closer to the date.
Forest Fire damage – Paradise California
Rotary Club of Paradise California is collecting tax deductible donations. Donations will provide gift cards to fire victims and first responders. Send donations directly to Paradise Rotary Foundation, c/o Scheer Memorial Chapel, 2410 Foothill Blvd, Oroville CA 95966.
Here in D7390 we gathered around the Thanksgiving table to give thanks for all of our blessings -- including the ability to live in this beautiful, safe section of our country. Hurricanes, major flooding, forest fires do not haunt us; we are surely blessed. And now we move on to the Christmas season, unscathed by concerns about where to live and how to rebuild. Can we share some of our good fortune with fellow countrymen not so fortunate? Make your donation today.
The Youth Exchange students from Districts 7390 & 7620 spent the weekend together in Washington DC. They visited the Capitol, American Indian museum, National Gallery of Art, Air & Space Museum, Smithsonian, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, the Mall and more. The students all had a great time!
Every club has an outstanding leader who could be a potential District Governor. Is that person you? Are you a good leader, interested, involved, give financially to Rotary and The Rotary Foundation and helpful to other members?
The District Governor is the officer of RI in the District, functioning under the general control and supervision of the RI Board. The Governor has responsibility for organizing new Clubs; strengthening existing Clubs; promoting membership growth; supporting The Rotary Foundation; planning and presiding at the District Conference, PETS and District Training Assembly; issuing a monthly newsletter; focusing attention on important Rotary issues; motivating Rotarians to participate in service activities; recognizing the outstanding contributions of Rotarians in the District; and many other responsibilities. The candidate should be aware of the qualifications, duties and responsibilities of a District Governor and must demonstrate willingness, commitment and ability (physically and otherwise) to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office of Governor.
Qualifications for a District Governor are specified in detail in the Bylaws of Rotary International as published in the Rotary Manual of Procedure. These qualifications should be studied carefully before you decide to become a candidate. Interviews for the 2021-22 District Governor will be held Thursday, January 10, 2019 at the Byrnes Health Education Center in York.
The Rotary Club of Lancaster will host the 47th RMB networking event in the history of RMB in Rotary District 7390 and the 11th event of the 2018 RMB season at EZ Marketing, 111 Centerville Road, Lancaster, PA on Wednesday, December 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The event will be FREE thanks to the following event sponsors: EZ Marketing, Renovations by Garman, Anonymous, Lee Horn – Edward Jones, and DeBord-Snyder Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc and will include tasty hors d’oeuvres and wine, beer and soft beverages. RSVP NOW!
Make many great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary!
On Saturday, October 20, 2018, twenty two trees were planted in York City by the Preserve Planet Earth Committee and members of the Rotary Club of York, PA. The trees included a variety of species ranging from Cleveland Pear, Lilac, Hornbeam, and Linden Trees. Members of the Preserve Planet Earth Committee, members and family members of the Rotary Club of York, PA and cadets from the Bearcat Battalion of York High's JROTC troop removed stumps, rocks, bricks and concrete in existing tree wells to plant 22 trees in downtown York. Special thinks to Rotarian Brian Mummert of W S Landscape Services who procured the trees, provided the mulch and put in a full day delivering, planting and cleaning up. Also, thanks to J T Hand and the York Water Company for free direct delivery of water for all the trees. Finally a BOO-RA gung-ho award to Dennis Baughman and John Klinedinst who actually removed a dead tree by hand in order to plant a new live one at the York Academy.
The blue blob has been revealed. Re-installed on November 12, 2018 the lovely centerpiece on Mount Joy’s Town Square has been refurbished and is again counting the hours of our days. In 2002, in honor of Mount Joy’s Sesquicentennial the original Mount Joy Rotary Club Clock was installed.
This summer our town clock was whisked away to be completely updated, repaired, and repainted. Thanks to the many sponsors and loads of French fry enthusiasts for helping to give her a tune-up and facelift.
During the Mount Joy Winterfest on Saturday, December 1, the clock will be dedicated to the community. At 6:45, the Rotary Club of Mount Joy, Mayor Tim Bradley, and Santa Claus himself will reveal the new face of time in Mount Joy.
I want to thank all of you who organized and participated in our Pints for Polio events. There were 27 events held throughout the District and many clubs partnered together. This provided an opportunity to socialize with other Rotarians, introduce community members to Rotary and to raise money for polio eradication.
I had the pleasure to attend several of the events and enjoyed the fellowship and fun! I wish I could have attended all of them. When the results are in, I will let you know how much we raised for polio eradication. The funds will go towards Rotary’s commitment to raise $50 million annually.
November is Rotary Foundation month. The Rotary Foundation is OUR Foundation. It is supported by the Rotary family and supports the work that we do. The Foundation continues to be the engine that drives Rotary, allowing clubs and districts to aspire to do larger, more ambitious projects with transformative and sustainable impact.
YOU are making a difference in your community and around the world. I am pleased to say that we approved 27 District Club Grants this year. This was an increase of 4 from last year. In some of the District Grants, multiple clubs came together to fund a community-based project. Examples of the grants are:
Repairing equipment at a scout camp.
Providing new and used farm equipment at the Wittel Farm. Which is dedicated to growing fresh vegetables to help feed the hungry.
Medical supplies.
Equipment for schools and parks.
And many more.
Recently we had two vocational training teams that went to Malawai to provide treatment and train health care workers. Dr. Bob McClenathan led the Eye Care Team and PDG Connie Spark led the Medical Team. Several Rotarians from our District joined Rotarians from other countries on these trips. Currently we are supporting a global grant in the Philippines which provides cardiac surgery for children born with congenital heart defects. And, another grant in Ecuador to provide detection of hearing loss in children from newborn to 5 years of age. This grant also provides training to their families and health professionals.
As I've made my visits to clubs in the District, I have been pleased to hear that several clubs are in the process of developing global grant proposals for the first time.
Have you made your donation to the Rotary Foundation yet? If not, I am asking you to consider making a donation during Rotary Foundation Month. Rotary makes it easy for you to make your donation in a way that fits your financial needs. You can make a one-time donation or a recurring donation on your credit card. To do this, go to https://www.rotary.org/en/donate.
BE THE INSPIRATION IN SUPPORTING OUR ROTARY FOUNDATION
When we are looking at the one day events scheduled within the next 30 days that still need more than 10 volunteers, we consider those events in the “Red Zone”. With 129 one day events this school year we know we are going to end up with some events that, even after all of our recruiting efforts, are posing a challenge. The following one day events in the November Red Zone are in need of many more volunteers! If you are already signed up for some of these events, thank you! If not, I hope you will consider joining us and as always, please share these opportunities with your colleagues, friends and neighbors. You are the BEST ADVOCATES we have and we cannot do this without you!
* this is not a complete listing of all events in the next 30 days…only the schools where over 10 volunteers are still needed
STEM = Science Technology Engineering and Math focused Summit for 9th and/or 10th graders
REAL Life= Financial Literacy focused Forum for 11th and/or 12th graders
YES = Career Readiness, Financial Literacy and Entrepreneurship for 6th, 7th and 8th graders
BizTown = Career Readiness, Financial Literacy, Entrepreneurship, STEM for 5th and 6th graders
If you would like to volunteer, please contact JA at 717-843-8028. Find more information by clicking here!
The Colonial Park Rotary Club recently honored ten students from Central Dauphin High School, Central Dauphin East High School, Bishop McDevitt High School and the Dauphin County Technical School that attended the 58th annual “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference” known as RYLA that was held June 10th – 14th at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Representing Central Dauphin High School were Arjun Ray, Rosa Azzato and Taylor Brown. Representing Central Dauphin East High School were: Matthew “Matt” Egner and Judith “Judy” Kyei-Poku. Representing the Dauphin County Technical School were: Polina Rosas and Letrele Roberts. Representing Bishop McDevitt were: Luke Lombardi and Samantha “Sam” Knipple. Also honored was Lower Paxton Township resident Patrick Elter from Trinity High School. The five day RYLA Conference provides an intense leadership training program for outstanding young men and women from public and non-public secondary schools in Rotary District 7390 from the counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York, Pennsylvania. The program focus was on the development of moral courage, the disposal and concentration of effort, a sense of priority, humor, good judgement and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.
John Nanni visited the Rotary Club of Hanover on October 29 to make a presentation Polio, Post-Polio Syndrome & Polio Plus. John is an active member of the Rotary Club of Middletown-Odessa, Delaware. He's served as Club Secretary, Website Committee Chair, served on the District PolioPlus Committee and is Club President Elect for 2019-20. He's given over 150 Polio Talks from Rhode Island to North Carolina. “The 3 P’s in my Life: Polio, Post-Polio Syndrome and Rotary’s PolioPlus”. John is a polio survivor (Class of 1953), paralyzed from his neck down for 6 months just prior to the Salk Vaccine distribution. He now uses a wheelchair for most of his daily mobility due to severe Post-Polio Syndrome issues.
John is pictured with the Rotary Club of Hanover and the Rotary wrapped bus from Bailey Coach.
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg will host the 46th RMB networking event of Rotary District 7390’s RMB history and the 10th event of the 2018 RMB season on Thursday, November 15 at the Capitol Blue Cross Retail Store 4500 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA. The event is FREE thanks to major sponsor Capitol Blue Cross and tasty hors d’oeuvres and adult (wine/beer) and soft beverages will be served. The event begins at 5:30 and ends at 7:30 pm. Click here to RSVP now! Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and family of Rotary!
Harrisburg Hosts Rotary Means Business on November 15
The Rotary Club of Hanover hosted a wonderful RMB networking event on October 11 at Elsner Engineering Works, Hanover, PA with 27 Rotarians and guests attending from seven clubs representing all areas of District 7390. The event was FREE thanks to event sponsors Elsner Engineering Works; ASIX Quality; Ledge, Inc.; Traditions Mortgage; and York Traditions Bank. Many young Rotarians enlivened the event which enjoyed much fun/fellowship and many great connections were made. Thank you to the Rotary Club of Hanover for making this networking event so worthwhile for all concerned and to Elsner Engineering Works for providing such an interesting venue. Well done all!!
Thank you to the Hanover Event Sponsors and RMB Major Sponsors Hoffman Funeral Home and Capital Blue Cross.
This past spring, the Rotary Club of Shippensburg lost one of our most dedicated members, Ra Kligge, who passed away on May 11, 2018. Ra was a passionate and devoted Rotarian and a lead volunteer and inspiration for many of our projects and programs. He is and will continue to be greatly missed by the members of our club and other Rotarians, his family, friends and community.
To honor and remember Ra Kligge, the Rotary Club of Shippensburg Foundation has set up a separate fund dedicated to Ra’s memory. The money raised in this fund will be used to start and continue projects that were a part of Ra’s vision while he was with us. We would like to carry on these activities and programs that Ra was so zealous about. To do so, we are asking that anyone who is able to, please consider making a donation towards this fund. Your contributions will be used to carry out Ra’s ideas and to make our community a better place.
If you would like to contribute, checks can be made payable to The Rotary Club of Shippensburg Foundation. Please include “In Memory of Ra Kligge” on the memo line so we can be sure to allocate your contribution to this fund. All contributions can be mailed to the following address: Rotary Club of Shippensburg Foundation (PO Box 572, Shippensburg, PA 17257).
Thank you for your consideration and help in keeping Ra’s spirits alive.
Shippensburg Foundation Sets Up Fund in Memory of Ra Kligge
The Rotary Club of Harrisburg is going BIG this year! Sure, this Club continues to do big things in their community, but this year they are letting everyone in town know about it with a big billboard initiative.
President, Andy Rebuck, accepted the gavel in July promising the membership lots of complimentary billboards with three neat strategies.
First, each week a member is invited to give a 120 second update on their role in the Club. Then they receive a Service Above Self coffee mug, and as Andy would say, “their mug (photo) is proudly displayed on a People of Action billboard.”
Second, the Club hosts “Good News Reporting” with a goal of raising $5,000 total this year for the Polio Plus funds and members who report are entered into a drawing and are featured on End Polio Now billboards.
Third, everyone loves new members and wants to jump up and down to shout hooray and welcome, and this year Harrisburg is featuring new members on a billboard.
If you are reading this note and wondering how this is possible, please note that the Club President also happens to be VP/GM of a local billboard company. His advice is if you like this idea, you might want to send a note to your local billboard company asking them to consider similar support—and of course invite them to join your Club.
We certainly hope you are all having a big year in Rotary and if we can provide any more information or assistance with this idea, please contact our Club Administrator, Addeline Alaniz-Edwards, info@hbgrotary.org.
During my DG John May's visit to the Rotary Club of Paradise he met Robert (Bob) Espenshade who has achieved 62 years of perfect attendance. Visiting that day was Orville Lauver from the Rotary Club of Red Lion-Dallastown who completed his 54th year of perfect attendance in September. Mr. Espenshade was on the Pequea Valley school board when PDG Ann Keim was hired as the school superintendent.
This year, clubs across our district are hosting 25 Pints for Polio events to raise money for END POLIO NOW! Rotary International committed to raise $50 million a year for three years towards eradicating polio. The money we raise will be matched 2-1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Last year we raised $9000 and our goal is to increase that by 25%.
I encourage you to attend one or more of the events and support our initiative. If you are not able to attend one of the events, I am asking that you make a donation to The Rotary Foundation Polio Plus Fund. Donations can be made online at www.endpolionow.org Your donations can be made in honor of someone, such as your children or grandchildren or in memory of someone.
As I have traveled around the district I've been asked questions about Rotary’s Global Polio Eradication Initiative and I am sure some of you have been asked questions also. I wanted to share with you this document that Rotary International prepared with simple answers to some common questions from Rotarians. Click here to view the article. I found it very interesting and helpful.
On October 24, Rotary will be hosting a live stream event from the College of Physicians in Philadelphia, known as the birthplace of American Medicine. The event starts at 6:30 p.m. Information on how to live stream the event can be found here. This event will be recorded to be viewed later.
We all have a part to play in the eradication of polio. This is the time for us to raise awareness of what Rotary is doing, to raise the needed funds and TO BE THE INSPIRATION TO END POLIO NOW.
In early October of 2018, the York-East Rotary Club participated in a road clean-up crew. One of the group found a $1 bill and gave it as a Happy Dollar at the next club meeting!
One small part of the recent Eye Care Vocational Training Team to Malawi was providing low vision care to people with albinism. Here are photos of a few of our patients who received photochromatic spectacles, sunglasses with a unique tint just for them, sunscreen, and a telescope to improve distance vision. Rotary Club of Lancaster, with partner clubs Elizabethtown, Mechanicsburg North, Lancaster Penn Square, and Northern Lebanon County, sponsored this Global Grant project that included training of local eyecare practitioners in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, strabismus, albinism, diabetes, and a few other maladies. Ten Rotarians from our district, or friends of Rotary, were joined by Danish colleagues to complete this amazing project.
Hershey Rotary Club held its annual 4-Way Test Speech Contest on October 10. 1st place was awarded to Jose Mendez; 2nd place to Ty’Jhon Hall; 3rd Place to Desmond Primus. Jose and Ty’Jhon will be participants in the Rotary District 7390 Midlevel contest, to be held on November 10 in Harrisburg.
Pictured L to R: Elisabeth Milligan, Tori Wentland, Njambi Womak, 3rd Place Winner Desmond Primus, 2nd Place Winner Ty’Jhon Hull, and 1st Place Winner Jose Mendez.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg participated in the United Way of Adams County Day of Caring on Saturday, Sept. 29. A team of Rotarians canvassed the community looking for homes that could use free smoke detectors. The detectors were installed Saturday, Oct. 6 and Rotarians were there to help. The event was sponsored by the American Red Cross who will supply the detectors. Pictured, from left, are: Peter Lagerberger, Martha Lagerberger, Scott Wehler, Bill Braun, and Bonnie Braun.
Carlisle Rotarians had a friendly wager on the football game between Penn State and Ohio State on September 29: The losing fans would wear the winning team's colors at the next Rotary meeting. It was a heartbreaker, but the Buckeyes were victorious and the Nittany Lion fans good-naturedly donned the Ohio State garb for the meeting. And the shout of "Just wait 'til next year!" echoed throughout the room!
Lancaster-South Rotarian Chuck Sawicki is overjoyed to announce the launch of his new book “On Mentoring: Lessons Learned During an 80-Year Journey”. In this book , Chuck shares his intuitive personal mentoring style that goes beyond the old “one size fits all” model. It demonstrates the benefits of connecting people and communities.
Most of of us want to help our community, most of us want to create meaningful change, and most of us want to teach those around us the skills we have picked up along the way. But sadly, most of us aren’t quite sure where to start. Chuck is certain this book will assist you in that effort.
For over 20 years, the Rotary Club of Gettysburg has cleared trash along a two mile section of Route 30 just east of Gettysburg. The club clears trash two times each year, spring and fall. On Saturday, September 22, 2018, the club again cleared trash as part of its commitment to the Gettysburg community.
Join the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North, Mechanicsburg Rotary Club, West Shore Rotary Club, Hampden Township Veterans Recognition Committee and other community partners in planting trees at the Hampden Township Veterans Park in honor of veterans. Even one hour of support will be greatly appreciated since every hour counts as a match toward the grant that purchased the trees!
Date: Saturday, October 6th
Time: 8 AM – 1 PM
Location: Hampden Township Veterans Park, 4345 Marketplace Way, Enola, PA
The Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg North has created a Meetup group called Service Above Self to engage the community in supporting fundraisers and service activities with their club. There is no fee for joining the group and membership is open to anyone. Check out the Service Above Self Meetup by going to: https://www.meetup.com/Service-Above-Self/
There are lots of fun events planned for Pints for Polio! Here is a list of what is scheduled so far! If your club is planning to host a polio fundraiser in October, please contact Melissa in the District office at office@rotary7390.org so it can be added!
York-North
October 3
6:00 - 8:00
Wyndridge Farm (885 S. Pleasant Ave, Dallastown)
Uptown York
October 4
5:30 - 8:30
Collusion Tapworks (105 S. Howard St, York)
York-East
October 5
6:00 - 8:00
Mexitaly (2440 E. Market St, York)
Lancaster
October 10
Stoner Grille (605 Granite Run Dr, Lancaster)
Perry County
October 11
5:00 - 8:00
River Bend Hop Farm & Brewery (1800 Lower Bailey Rd, Newport)
Harrisburg-Keystone
October 16
Appalachian Brewing Company (50 N. Cameron St, Harrisburg)
Lebanon
October 17
Snitz Creek Brewery (7 N. 9th Street, Lebanon)
York-East
October 20
6:00 - 8:00
Mexitaly (2440 E. Market St, York)
New Holland
October 23
5:00 - 9:00
Brady's Pub (856 W. Main St, New Holland)
Elizabethtown
October 23
6:00 - 9:00
Funk Brewing (28 S. Market St, Elizabethtown)
Northern Lebanon
October 23
6:00 - 7:00
Eagle Hotel (101 E. Main St, Fredericksburg)
Carlisle-Sunrise
October 24
5:00 - 11:00
Market Cross Pub (113 N. Hanover St, Carlisle)
Elizabethtown
October 24
6:00 - 9:00
Cox Brewing (276 Heisey Quarry Rd, Elizabethtown)
Lancaster Penn Square
October 24
6:00 - 8:00
Federal TapHouse (201 N. Queen St., Lancaster)
Mech, Mech-North & West Shore
October 24
Appalachian Brewing Co (6462 Carlisle Pike, Mechanicsburg)
Red Lion/Dallastown
October 24
6:00 - 9:00
Great America Saloon (20 Dairyland Sq, Red Lion)
October 25
October 25
6:00 - 9:00
Moo Duck Brewery (79 S. Wilson Ave, Elizabethtown)
York
October 27
Downtown York Brew Pub Tour
York
October 28
Downtown York Brew Pub Tour
Mount Joy
October 30
5:00 - 8:00
Rosie's Tavola (114 E. Main St, Mount Joy)
Mount Joy
November 1
11:00 - 9:00
Harvey's Main Street BBQ (304 E. Main St, Mount Joy)
Mount Joy
November 1
4:00 - 8:00
Twisted Bine (93 E. Main St, Mount Joy)
Mount Joy
November 5
5:00 - 8:00
Bube's Brewery (102 N. Market St, Mount Joy)
Thank you to all the establishments that are participating!
The Rotary Club of Hanover and the District 7390 Southern Tier RMB Steering Committee will host the ninth RMB networking event of the 2018 season and the 45th in its history on Thursday, October 11 at Elsner Engineer Works, Inc, 475 Fame Ave, Hanover, PA. The event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 with dinner and drinks included. The event is free for those who RSVP. Thank you to the following sponsors: Elsner Engineering Works, Inc., ASIX Quality, LLC, Ledge Inc, Traditions Mortgage, and York Traditions Bank!
Contact Craig Aiello of the Rotary Club of Hanover at craig@asixquality.com or call him at 717-451-0568 for more information. Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests!
Thank you to our Hanover event sponsors!
Thank you to our 2018-19 RMB Major Sponsor!
Rotary Means Business Hosted by Hanover on October 11
As Rotarians, we are all committed to the Rotary ideal of Service Above Self. It’s great to see that we are not alone. To that end, I thought you might be interested in attending an upcoming breakfast event on Sept 27 featuring Lloyd Reeb, of the Halftime Institute, titled “Get Going on Your Transition from Success to Significance.” The attached flyer provides detailed information on the event and a link to register. The Halftime Institute was founded by Bob Buford after he authored the well-known book, Halftime. Lloyd Reeb, an accomplished business leader himself and author of the book, From Success to Significance, took the reins at Halftime when Bob retired about 15 years ago. Lloyd is sharp and engaging, and his work with various Lancaster groups, including LBC and LCBC, has been very well-received and impactful. His presentation on 9/27 is geared toward people who have experienced success in business, yet also possess a dose of selflessness that drives them to make a meaningful impact for the good of others.
The September 27 event is put on by The Business Exit Advisors of Central PA, a local group of business advisors (of which Rotarians Steve Bell and Frank Arcoleo, both past Club Presidents, are members) that was formed in 2008 for the purpose of positioning businesses and their owners for the eventual/inevitable sale, transition, or merger. They are essentially an affiliation of professionals (attorneys, CPAs, financial planners, mergers and acquisitions advisors, management consultants, etc.) who work in concert to help business owners plan and execute the transition process in a well-considered and coordinated fashion. The group’s web address is: https://paexitadvisors.com/v2/.
Inviting Rotary Club members and prospective members to this event would be a great way to reinforce the kinds of values that are near and dear to all Rotarians. Seating is limited to somewhere around 200-240 people, so if you are interested, you may want to sign up fairly soon. They’re not at capacity yet, but often registrations flood in at the last minute. Click here for a printable flier.
DG John May reserved a block of 15 rooms for the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany. The date of the reservations are from May 31 to June 5, 2019 and the rate is $248 euros ($287.34 dollars current exchange rate). The rooms are "standard" rooms. If you are interested in one of the rooms, please contact DG John May at johhmay3@gmail.com. Please view the rooms on the hotel website at www.nh-hotels.com/hotel/nh-hamburg-mitte
Reserved Block of Rooms at the International Convention 2019
Rotarians around the world are creating educational opportunities for our youth. Many of the Rotary Clubs in District 7390 are involved in their local school districts. They support educational programs and provide scholarships for post-secondary education. Some even provide student loans to assist with college education.
We are fortunate in the United States that public education is available to all children.
I would like to share with you what one Rotarian in our District has done to provide an education and a future for children in his native country. Dr. Rodrique Mortel is a member of the Rotary Club of Hershey. I met Dr. Mortel when I worked at the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Motel was a professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He served as Chairman of the Department for 13 years before becoming Associate Dean and the first director of the Penn State Cancer Center. Dr. Motel had a very distinguished career but never forgot where he came from.
Dr. Mortel grew up in extreme poverty in Haiti. His family was evicted from their house because they could not pay $4 a month in rent. His mother said this would not have happened if she had been educated. The words she spoke were etched in his heart and he was determined to get an education and someday build a house for her.
In 1997, Dr. Mortel established the Mortel Family Charitable Foundation to educate economically, socially and intellectually deprived children in Haiti. They select the poorest of the poor to participate in an educational system that now ranges from pre-school to adult literacy. The pre-school opened in 2001 in Saint Marc, Haiti and had 508 students enrolled in 2017-18. The secondary school opened in 2011 and had an enrollment of 585 students in 2017-18. A pre-school was opened in 2015 for 3 and 4 year olds and had an enrollment of 191 students last year.
In 2016, The Mortel High Hopes for Haiti Foundation was established and the operation of the schools was transferred to this foundation. For more information about the school, visit the website at https://www.highhopesforhaiti.org
The Mortel Family Charitable Foundation continues to thrive. You can read about its current and future programs at http://mortelfoundation.org
Both foundations continue to work towards the same goal of empowering Haitians through education and forming competent and compassionate future leaders of the country.
Rotary’s theme this year, BE THE INSPIRATION definitely describes Dr. Mortel and the work that he has done and is doing in Haiti.
At the Rotary Foundation dinner on Thursday, November 8, several Clubs were recognized for their generous giving to the Rotary Foundation during the 2017-18 Rotary year.
Global Grant Streamers
Just like the military services launch campaigns on the battlefield, Rotary International has launched campaigns for which global grants are made available and applied in six areas of focus. The military services are awarded varying color streamers for successful campaigns. District 7390 is proud to award streamers to Rotary clubs which successfully apply their time, talent, and resources in support of the areas of focus. Each focus area has an identifiable colored streamer on which the country and year of execution is embroidered. The Rotary Clubs of Hanover (Philippines 2018), Harrisburg-Keystone (Ecuador 2018), Lancaster (Malawi 2018) and York-East (Malawi 2018) each received a Green streamer for Disease Prevention and Treatment.
Highest Annual Fund Giving
York
Hanover
Lancaster
Highest TOTAL Foundation Giving
York
Lancaster
Hanover
Highest Annual Fund Per Capita Giving
Hanover ($378.57)
Mechanicsburg-North ($342.66)
Colonial Park ($319.75)
100% Foundation Giving Clubs
The Rotary Clubs of Eastern York County, Hanover, Mount Joy, Northern Lebanon County, Palmyra, Southern York County and West York all achieved an average of $100 in per capita giving and 100% participation, with every dues-paying member contributing at least $25 to any or all of the following during the 2017-18 Rotary year: Annual fund, Polio Plus fund, approved global grants or the Endowment fund.
EVERY ROTARIAN, EVERY YEAR CLUBS (EREY)
This recognition is given to clubs that achieve a minimum Annual fund contribution of $100 per capita during the Rotary year, with every dues paying member contributing at least $25 to the Annual fund. Congratulations to Hanover, Mount Joy, Northern Lebanon County, Palmyra and West York!
END POLIO NOW
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle, Elizabethtown, Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Hershey, Lancaster, Lancaster-Sunrise, Lititz, Mechanicsburg-North, Perry County, Southern York County, Uptown York and York are received a certificate of appreciation for their financial support to the End Polio Now: Countdown to History Campaign during the 2017-18 Rotary year.
2017-18 Presidential Citations
2017-18 RI President Ian Riseley said that Rotary is defined not by who we are, but by what we do. He said we answer the question “What is Rotary?” with our actions, by making a difference through our service. However each of us chooses to serve, we do it because we know our service makes a difference in the lives of others. Whether we are building a new playground or a new school, improving medical care or sanitation, training conflict mediators or midwives, we know that the work we do will change people’s lives – in ways large and small – for the better. Whatever motivation each of us had for joining Rotary, it is the satisfaction we find in Rotary that causes us to remain, the satisfaction of knowing that week by week, year by year, we are part of Rotary: Making a Difference. In 2017-18, the Rotary Clubs of Elizabethtown, Hanover, Harrisburg-Keystone, Mechanicsburg, Mechanicsburg-North and Shippensburg made a strong and positive difference in their communities. They achieved goals related to Rotary’s three strategic priorities: to support and strengthen clubs, focus and increase humanitarian service and enhance Rotary’s public image and awareness.
Join the Rotary Club of Myerstown-ELCO on a trip to The Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. on Friday, November 16th. The bus will depart from Wengers (251 S. Race St, Myerstown) at 7:00 a.m. and return to the same location at approximately 9:30 p.m. The cost is $45 per person (Includes transportation and gratuity). Your lunch in DC and a dinner stop on the way home will be at your own expense. During our journey Tom Maiello will share his expertise regarding the Holocaust and information regarding the museum and exhibits.
RSVP to Rose Walmer - 717-866-8403 or rose@wengers.com Checks may be made payable to Myerstown-ELCO Rotary and mailed to: Rose Walmer – 310 W Park Ave., Myerstown, PA 17067 Proceeds benefit the Myerstown-ELCO Rotary Club.
Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested. Gupta wants to increase Rotary’s humanitarian impact as well as the diversity of its membership. “As individuals, we can only do so much,” Gupta said in a statement. “But when 1.2 million Rotarians work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve, and in the process, we can truly change the world.” Gupta has been a Rotarian since 1977 and has served Rotary as district governor, training leader, and resource group adviser, and as a member, vice chair, or chair of several committees.
Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the IIS University, Jaipur, in recognition of his contributions to water conservation. He has also received the coveted Padma Shri Award, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, conferred by the president of India for distinguished service to tourism and social work. Gupta has also received the Distinguished Service Award from The Rotary Foundation for his support of its humanitarian and educational programs.
He and his wife, Vinita, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Arch Klumph Society. Gupta is chair and managing director of Asian Hotels (West) Ltd., and owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai and JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He has served as president of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India and on the board of directors of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. He is the president of Experience India Society, a public-private partnership between the tourism industry and the government of India that promotes India as a tourist destination. He is also vice chair of the Himalayan Environment Trust and serves on the board of Operation Eyesight Universal in India.
To learn more about Sushil Gupta, read this interview and vision statement outlining his goals for Rotary.
Sushil Kumar Gupta selected to be 2020-21 Rotary president
Rotary Day at the United Nations celebrates two organizations’ shared vision for peace and highlights the critical humanitarian activities that Rotary and the UN lead around the world.
The event also honors people who make a positive difference in their community, their country, or around the world. Each year, about 1,000 guests attend.
Who attends?
Rotary Day at the United Nations is open to the public. The audience includes:
Rotary International president and Board of Directors, Rotary Foundation Trustees, other Rotary leaders, and Rotary club members
Leaders from the United Nations
Experts from other nongovernmental agencies
Renowned humanitarians
Young leaders who attend to exchange ideas, learn about the UN, and meet international leaders
Rotary Day at the UN 2018
Under this year’s theme of “Youth Innovation: Crafting Solutions to Emerging Challenges,” Rotary will honor six innovators who are under age 35. More than 750 participants will attend the event on Saturday, 10 November, at the United Nations Information Centre in Nairobi, Kenya. Rotary leaders, UN officials, and humanitarian experts will educate and inspire participants to find innovative strategies for addressing humanitarian challenges at local, regional, and global levels.
General and breakout sessions will address the UN Sustainable Development Goals and how to harness the technological revolution for good, as well as young people’s role in creating change. A special session on the environment will highlight the importance of environmentally sustainable development and offer concrete actions that everyone can take to ensure a clean and healthy world.
The event will feature an Innovation Fair where Rotary clubs, businesses, and other organizations will exhibit humanitarian projects and cutting-edge technology that can help address the challenges we face.
The event is open to Rotary members and guests. REGISTER HERE!!
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg will host A Rotary Oktoberfest on Oct. 13 at Battlefield Brew Works, 248 Hunterstown Road, Gettysburg.
Music will be provided by the nine-piece German band Egerlander from 2 to 6 p.m. Ticket includes meal of a German Beer Brat or hamburger, kraut, potato salad and more served by Rotarians. All food sales will benefit The Rotary Club of Gettysburg. Beer, wine and liquor will be available for purchase separately at the event.
All proceeds benefit the Rotary Benevolent Fund at the Adams County Community Foundation in memory of John W. "Jack" Phillips, a 46-year Rotarian and Community Foundation founder who died Aug. 18, 2018. Advanced tickets will be available at the Gettysburg Times, Battlefield Brew Works or by clicking here. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Strap on your lederhosen and get ready to dance the afternoon away!
The Boy Scouts from BSA Troop 39 introduced the Rotary Club of Mount Joy to Peach Dump Cake during the regular Rotary meeting on Tuesday, August 21. Troop 39 Scouts also conducted a knot training demonstration for the members. President Mark Rorabaugh opened the program with a quote from Boy Scout founder Robert Baden-Powel, “The spirit is there in every boy; it just has to be discovered and brought to light.”
The delicious peach dump cakes were made in traditional Dutch Ovens on the Gathering Place grounds. Assisting in the preparation and serving the cakes were Ross Cray, Kyle Klink, Jordan Echterling, Nick Golden, Dillon Greenig and Liam Laffey. The Scouts were under the direction of Scoutmaster Clay Golden.
For more details and pictures, review the Mount Joy Rotary Club’s Facebook page. If you are interested in being a guest at a Rotary Club meeting call Mark Rorabaugh at 717-653-4717.
The Colonial Park Rotary Club awarded its annual Colonial Award to Rex Rothrock. The Colonial Award is given each year to a member of the community that has done an outstanding job of volunteerism and has made a major commitment to the betterment of our community. (Pictured L-R) Colonial Park Rotary Club Immediate Past President Melanie Walderon, Rex Rothrock, Deanna Rothrock and Colonial Park Rotary Club Foundation President Randy Sibert
Arch Klumpf, considered to be the father of The Rotary Foundation, said in 1930: "Money alone does little good; Individual service is helpless without money; The two together can be a godsend to civilization." Service to our local and global communities is our mission as Rotarians. Financial support for service projects is available to Rotary clubs through grants directly from the District (District Club Grants) and from The Rotary Foundation (Global Grants). Generally speaking District Club Grant projects are for smaller, usually local, projects whereas Global Grants are for larger international projects. All clubs are encouraged to make use of these grants and the Foundation Coordinators as well as members of the Grant Committee stand ready to answer questions and assist as needed.
Clubs requesting grants must meet two basic requirements. First, the club must have a current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by the club president and president elect. Secondly, at least one, and preferably two or three, club members must complete the on-line grant training within the current or past Rotary year and must appear as one or more of the contact persons for the grant.
District Club Grants
District Club Grant projects support short-term, humanitarian projects that benefit local or foreign communities. Once a year, a club may request grant funds for a project or may collaborate with another club's project. There is a maximum of five clubs per project.
You are encouraged to be creative and select projects that meet special needs in your local or global community. Some projects done in the past include: refurbishing playgrounds and parks, books for literacy projects, supporting youth development projects, assisting with a family health festival, collecting and purchasing food for a food bank, providing dental care in Honduras, and providing clean water to foreign villages.
The District Grants Committee reviews each grant application for the appropriateness of the project based on Rotary International's humanitarian guidelines. Upon approval, clubs will be matched on a dollar for dollar basis up to $2,500, based on the amount of funds available and the number of grant requests. Clubs must submit a grant intention form by March 15, 2019 for a grant in the 2019-20 Rotary year. The full application will be due April 30, 2019.
Global Grants
International projects with budgets exceeding $35,000 are best served with a Global Grant (GG). Due to District and Rotary International matching, properly qualified clubs may have the money raised for a project multiplied by 3.5 - i.e. A club raises $10,000 and can then do a project with budget of $35,000. This requires a strong relationship with a Rotary club (known as the host club) in the country where the project is to be done, a needs assessment, and documentation that the project is sustainable. The project must fit into one of Rotary International's six areas of focus.
Our goal is for all Clubs to participate in Rotary Grant projects for international or local community service. Grant seminars are provided by the District throughout the year to help Rotarians better understand the grant process.
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise hosted a tremendously successful RMB networking event on Tuesday, August 14 at the Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory in Carlisle with 49 Rotarians and guests attending from nine district clubs (Carlisle, Carlisle Sunrise, Colonial Park, Hanover, Harrisburg, Harrisburg Keystone, Mechanicsburg North, Uptown York, and York). Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory became a major sponsor by providing not only a great venue but also handling all the catering and beverage needs. Chris Hoffman and his able staff did a great job for RMB for the second consecutive year. Thank you Chris. Thanks also to the Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise for being great hosts for the event. Clearly, many excellent connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed by everyone.
The 4-Way Essay Contest, open to 9th Grade Students in District 7390, has undergone some major modifications for 2018-19. First, the topic of the essay has changed. The Four-Way Test originated when Herbert J. Taylor wrote the four familiar questions in the course of transforming a failing aluminum company to a thriving, profitable one. Seizing upon this history, this year we will ask 9th Graders to write an essay on How Rotary’s Four Way Test helps me confront or deal with the issue of failure? We felt this topic was particularly appropriate as recent studies are showing that the younger generation is experiencing spikes in anxiety and depression stemming from difficulty in handling adverse situations. We are hoping the Four-Way Test can be a resource for students as they confront these issues in the coming years. We are also planning to change the essay prompt on a yearly or bi-yearly basis to keep the contest fresh and relevant to students.
Second, over the past several years, clubs were asked to coordinate with 9th Grade English teachers who would do an initial screen of the essays prior to submitting the best ones to the sponsoring club for evaluation. If this works for you – great! No need to change. Some clubs, however, expressed that teachers were losing interest in the contest and burning out after several years of participation. No knock against these hard-working teachers, but giving them, essentially, another set of papers to “grade” is a lot to ask. We are now encouraging clubs to think of creative ways to receive entries to the contest. For example, you may choose to coordinate with a teacher to offer the contest at schools in your service area, but instead of having the students submit their entries through the teacher, have the students mail or e-mail the essays directly to your club for review. How you receive the entries is now up to your Club. We are hoping that flexibility in this area will make the contest more attractive to local Rotary clubs, and will generate many more entries.
Finally, we are stressing that you make the contest available to ALL ninth-grade students in your service area. This includes public and private schools, as well as home schooled students. Many home-schoolers have parent groups that may allow you to reach out to a number of home school students through one communication. Also, don’t forget about cyber schools. If you have a contact with a cyber school, see if they might consider offering the contest to their students. Please be cognizant, however, that the contest is limited to cyber school students who physically reside in our district.
The new, revamped Essay Contest rules and critical dates are available here! It is time to start organizing! We hope that you will consider getting involved in this exciting new chapter for the essay contest.
The Rotary Club of New Holland will hold its 3rd annual Rotary Rocks community benefit concert on September 14, 7-10 PM, at Funck's Restaurant in Leola (365 W Main St, Leola). Join us for an evening of live music and fun to benefit those in need in New Holland and surrounding communities. Proceeds from the event will be used to help support the expansion of the CrossNet Food Pantry. Entertainment will be provided by the classic rock and alternative rock sounds of the Slack Adjusters and the rock/funk/blues mix of The Reed Brothers Band. Both bands feature Rotarians from the New Holland club.
The Rotary Leadership Institute is an opportunity to meet with other Rotarians, share experiences, and learn new skills to take back to your club. It's amazing what informed and enthusiastic Rotarians can do to improve their clubs, their communities, and the world.
You don't have to be in the leadership chain to benefit from this institute. If you want to learn more about this wonderful organization that we call Rotary, and find out what you can actually do to start changing the world, put attendance on your schedule. Join us Saturday, October 13, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Central Pennsylvania College (600 Valley Road, Summerdale). Register HERE!!
What is RLI? A leadership and development program to strengthen Rotary Clubs through education, collaboration and the exchange of ideas among its future Leaders. A three-part curriculum facilitated by experienced, trained faculty members engaging participants through open discussion, problem solving and creative role-play.
When can I attend RLI? Saturday, October 13, 2018 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Central Pennsylvania College (600 Valley Road, Summerdale, PA 17093).
What will I learn at RLI? More about Rotary, The Rotary Foundation, Membership, Ethics, Service Projects, Communications, Strategic Planning and Analysis. You’ll also make new friends, and enjoy fellowship and networking opportunities.
Course Levels: Parts I, II, III and Graduate
Where can I find more information about RLI? www.rlinea.org
Posted by District Governor John May on Aug 10, 2018
As a membership driven organization, members are the lifeblood of Rotary and our clubs. As of July 1, 2018 our District membership was 2313. We ended last year with only one less member than when we started July 1, 2017. Kudos to all of you for your hard work this past year. However, I believe we can reverse the trend that our district and many others have experienced with either declining membership or no growth. I believe that if we work together and think creatively, we can accomplish this.
There is an article in the August issue of The Rotarian magazine, “Step Right Up!” - by Geoffrey Johnson. The article shares 10 tips that one Rotary Club in Edina, MN did to increase their membership. In addition, the article highlights five suggestions for increasing membership that I feel are worthy of considering. They are:
Look to young Rotarians for fresh perspectives
Appeal to local volunteers
Emphasize service
Embrace diversity
Get them in the door
I recently spoke with a young professional in their mid 20’s who had been a Rotarian but left because his job was relocated to another community. I asked him if he had joined another Rotary Club and he said no. When I asked why, he told me many of the same things mentioned in the above article – the cost, doesn’t want to commit to a weekly meeting, etc. However, he is interested in the networking and service aspects of Rotary without the structure that seems to come along with most clubs.
I think this information presents us with the opportunity to develop new clubs that address the needs of this segment of our community.
I found the section, Appeal to Local Volunteers, interesting. The Roc City Rotary Club in Rochester, New York developed a creative way to showcase Rotary to non-profit organizations in their community. They describe this as a “service oriented dating game”. This reminded me of the networking that is developed through Rotary Means Business.
For the past several years we have talked about making our clubs more diverse – increasing membership of people of color/ethnicities and women. RI President Barry Rassin said that for Rotary to serve our communities well, we need to represent our community in terms of age, gender, ethnicity and background. Recently District 5150 reached out to their LGBTQ community since they were under-represented and created a new club. The Rotary Board also approved an LGBTQ Fellowship Group at their June Board meeting. https://rotaryserviceblog.org/2018/08/01/new-rotary-fellowship-brings-together-lgbt-community/
We need to start reaching out to people who might not know about Rotary or who feel they wouldn’t fit in. We need to become a more inclusive organization.
Membership recruitment is two pronged:
To continue recruiting new members to keep our clubs vibrant and relevant.
Establish new clubs utilizing new models that attract individuals who don’t fit into our legacy clubs.
Expanding locations of Rotary clubs is how our district grew in the past and how Rotary International grew and reached into all the corners of the world.
Resources are available to you from the District Membership Committee.
August is Rotary Membership and New Club Development month
The purpose of the Rotary District 7390 awards committee is to ensure all deserving Rotarians and clubs in D7390 receive the awards/recognition they merit each Rotary year. The committee will make district and club leaders aware of available awards; as a rule, district and club leaders must be the ones to ensure the purpose of the committee is fulfilled each Rotary year. Leaders lead!!!
There are many awards available from either Rotary International or the District. Click here to view the complete list and nominate a deserving Rotarian!
We are coming up on the first anniversary of Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. Texas has made strides in restoring homes and communities impacted by a Category 4 hurricane on August 25th 2017. As previously reported, D7390 sent $10,000 to Fuller Center Disaster Rebuilders to assist with the set-up of the volunteer camp. Later, $6,500.00 was sent to round-off the $36,000 needed to purchase materials for a home adopted by the Rotary Club of Space Center in Houston. The family story is typical of those served with disaster relief. Cody and Maxine married in 1948; Cody served in WWII. They bought a home on Neil Street in 1963 and adopted two infants, a boy and a girl. The daughter is now the live-in caretaker for her parents. Disaster rebuilds are often directed to the elderly. With homes destroyed and limited resources, all too often the elderly are in poor health and, consequently, do not have the resources to rebuild or to move to a safe, accommodating environment. Your donation dollars were well spent in completing a rebuild that was both safe and secure for this husband and wife.
The $27,016.00 collected for Puerto Rico remains in the Rotary Club of Carlisle Foundation account. Hurricane Maria was so totally and invasively destructive that the island is struggling to recover. We have not been successful in finding a project, but will keep our avenues of contact open and will report back to our district Rotarians when a decision is made.
The Rotary Club of Perry County sponsored Annaka (Annie) Wolfe to spend the 2017-18 Rotary year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student ambassador in Peru. Annie recently made a presentation to the Club about her experience. Annie is pictured with Exchange Program Liaison, Patti McLaughlin, and one of this year's co-Presidents, Tom O'Connell.
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise recently celebrated Christmas in July with the residents of One and Two West Penn. With help from members of Carlisle Victory Circle and the Carlisle High School Cheer Leaders, the residents enjoyed snacks, singing, door prizes and a visit from Santa (aka Dan Monken) himself. Each resident was then given a gift bag of goodies provided the Rotary Clubs. Here, Santa participates in a cheer with the Carlisle High School Cheer Leaders during the party at One West Penn.
During the Christmas in July celebration at Two West Penn, a fire alarm sounded, so the party was moved outside while members of Carlisle Fire and Rescue secured the building. Here Santa kicks up his heels with the Carlisle High School Cheer Leaders.
Bob and Kay McClenathan, from the Rotary Clubs of Lancaster and Lancaster Penn Square, hosted an African themed dinner event in July to raise money for the Rotary Foundation’s PolioPlus Campaign. They invited 27 Rotarians from around District 7390, and friends of Rotary, to enjoy an event with an array of decorative items recalling the Dark Continent, from wooden carvings, fabrics with African themes or the patterns of indigenous critters, to artistic representations of tribal masks and shields. The dinner meal was copied from a White House dinner reminiscent of the high quality food served in 4 and 5 Star lodges of the best Game Parks of East Africa, and included ostrich donated by a generous Rotarian in Illinois and seafood donated by a Rotarian here! The guests were entertained with a storyline right out of history books, with a few games, puzzles and twists. It was a memorable evening that raised over $6200 for our fight against the crippling disease.
The Rotary Club of York, Southern Tier Steering Committee, and hosting venue the York Revolution Stadium along with sponsors such as Bailey Coach, Exit Strategy Solutions, the York County Economic Alliance, Kelley Payroll, Etzweiler Family Funeral Services, and Bartlett Tree Experts held a dynamic and very fruitful RMB networking event on July 26 at the York Revolution Stadium. An estimated 40 Rotarians and guests (potential Rotarians and family of Rotary) from at least nine Rotary clubs (Carlisle, Gettysburg, Hanover, Harrisburg, Harrisburg Keystone, Uptown York, York-East, York, and West Shore) attended the event. Many great connections were made and much fun and fellowship enjoyed enhanced even more by the baseball game being played and the great food. The event organizers, Rebecca Hanlon and John Bailey, really hit a walk-off home run with this great event. Well done all!!
Active shooter incidents can happen anywhere at any time. First responders must prepare. Proper response requires equipment to ensure responder safety.
Brian Wasylyk, deputy chief of Gettysburg Fire Department, discussed this recently at a Rotary Club of Gettysburg meeting. The all-volunteer, donor-funded department already finds budgeting a challenge. New needs add to the burden.
Two Rotarians, Jody Dickey, owner of Confederate Woods Veterinary Hospital, and Jane Hyde, president of Gettysburg Hospital, listened carefully to Wasylyk and stepped up to help. Confederate Woods and Wellspan donated funds so the department could purchase six sets of ballistic vests and helmets and first aid equipment such a tourniquets.
Pictured with some of the equipment are, from left: Rotarian Jane Hyde, Gettysburg Hospital president; Russell McCutcheon, Gettysburg Fire Department public information officer; Rotarian Jody Dickey, owner of Confederate Woods Veterinary Hospital; Brian Wasylyk, Gettysburg Fire Department deputy chief.
The Rotary Club of York was pleased to honor Rotarian Marsha Bornt at the club meeting on July 18, with a 3-diamond pin and crystal piece for her support of The Rotary Foundation annual fund. Marsha has been a member of the club for 10 years, and has served as chair of the Global Grants Committee and President for the 2016-17 Rotary year. She has secured funding for grants for toilets in India and Ghana, a Fish Freezer and sanitation systems in Ghana, and needed items for orphanages and schools in these areas. Marsha has also shared her gifts as a medical doctor by providing gynecological surgical services while on medical missions to these and other parts of the world, to improve maternal health care in those countries. Congratulations, Rotarian Marsha Bornt, who is living this year’s motto “Be the Inspiration”.
The Colonial Park Rotary Club awarded its annual Colonial Award to Rick Zeiders. The Colonial Award is given each year to a member of the community that has done an outstanding job of volunteerism and has made a major commitment to the betterment of our community.
Colonial Park Rotary Club Presents the Annual Colonial Award
(front row/ far left/ seated) Colonial Park Rotary Club Immediate Past President Melanie Waldron joined by volunteers from community organizations
The Colonial Park Rotary Club recently celebrated its annual Community Giving Day by presenting donation checks totaling $13,060 to the following community organizations: Shalom House, Dauphin County East Shore Library, Boys & Girls Club, Panther Ram Nutrition Program, Someone To Tell It To, St. Pauls- St. Barnabus Program, Underground Skate Park Ministry, CONTACT Helpline, Linglestown Fire Department, Owen’s Foundation, Colonial Park Rotary Foundation, Lower Paxton District Grant Petanque Courts Project, Dauphin County Technical School’s Building Construction Cares Program, Paxtonia Fire Department, Girls on the Run Program, Colonial Park Fire Department, Friendship Community Center, Natalie Cribari Drug Awareness Program, Cupboard of Calvary Food Pantry, Pan Ram Field Day, Team Scott Inspire Foundation, Junior Achievement Program, Lawton Elementary Playground Reconstruction Project, and the YMCA of Greater Harrisburg.
We all get many, many, emails from Rotary and on Rotary related topics. I’m respectfully requesting you give your attention to this one. Our topic is the upcoming event planned from September 20-22 in Montreal.
Formerly known as the Zone Institute, we have renamed it the Zone Conference. So, what’s the same, and what’s different. The Institute was originally designed to motivate, inspire, and educate past, current and incoming district governors. That has not changed. We want and need as many past governors in attendance because we know there is a critical mass of that talent and leadership that can make an event magical. The pledge of the entire planning team is that the event will be worthy of your time and resources.
What has changed. Historically attendance at a Zone Institute was restricted to those in the Governor line. If that wasn’t you, you weren’t allowed to register for the entire event. What we know though, and there are examples repeated over and over again, is that club and district Rotarians who have been able to interact with District Governors (past, present, and future) they get inspired by them and become more engaged in our organization. They get more involved. They aspire to higher levels of leadership, some of them even getting on the Governor track. (Our organization and our Zones need more of that engagement NOW)
We decided to facilitate that process and open up Montreal to ALL Rotarians. We want to facilitate and be a catalyst for that engagement between our Governors (and their knowledge, leadership skills, and commitment) and club and district Rotarians. The goal is that it will be meaningful for all. The goal is that the event will speak to all who attend.
Share the link with Rotarians in your club and in your area. (please)
Register! (please)
Come and enjoy the wonderful city of Montreal.
Come and renew old friendships, and create new ones.
Mingle with RI President Barry Rassin and his wife Esther and other Rotary leaders from around North America.
Participate in the facilitated discussion group breakouts. Share your knowledge. Glean new morsels to take back home with you.
Be inspired by world class speakers.
On behalf of the entire Montreal planning team, we look forward to being with you in September. We appreciate you. Thanks for your consideration. Reach out to me personally with any questions.
The Family of Rotary Committee of the Elizabethtown Rotary Club has scheduled a bus trip to Washington DC on Thursday August 23rd to see the Phillies vs. Nationals baseball game. Utilizing the National's "Strike Out Polio" program, $5 of every ticket will be donated to Rotary's PolioPlus . We will be traveling in style using the themed "End Polio Now:" motorcoach from Bailey Coach. The bus will leave Elizabethtown at 8:45 am for the 1 pm game. Tickets are $75 each.
Join Millersburg Rotary Club for the 2018 Tasting Tour of Millersburg presented by Mid Penn Bank on Saturday August 11 from Noon until 4pm. Participants will stroll through downtown Millersburg savoring local food and drink. Enjoy the historic ambiance of our business district and relax along the scenic vistas of River Front Park.
Your ticket will unlock multiple venues within one square mile where various locally produced food and drink flavors await. In addition to the samples, food and beverage products will be available for purchase from most vendors.
Your support for this event will raise funds to help Millersburg Rotary Club install a Fossil & Prints Dig Pit in the Ned Smith Center's Nature's Discovery Play Area and to support Millersburg Rotary Club's youth programs including: Rotary Youth Leadership Training, Drug Prevention Education Field Trip to the Byrnes Health Education Center, Earth Day Seedling Distribution, Rotary Student of the Month, Millersburg Boy Scout Troop #151. Rotary International supports the eradication of Polio, promotes peace, and strives to make a difference in our local communities and around the world.
Tickets are $25 in advance and if there are any tickets left (only 200 tickets will be sold), they will be available for $30, cash only, on the day of the event at Mid Penn Bank's Union St Millersburg Branch.
Sponsors include: Mid Penn Bank MI Metals, Inc Thermo Fisher Scientific American Legion Post 326 Millersburg Moose Lodge 59 Ketner Law Office Virginia Lee Embroidery Polly Rubendall JCT Realty Boligs Propane Coleman’s Military Surplus Chris Dietz Scott Meckley Deibler, Straub, and Troutman Insurance
Venues & Food Producers: Mid Penn Bank (Swing @ Lykens Valley & Rachel’s Soft Pretzels) Millersburg Hardware Company (River Bend Hop Farm and Brewery) Burrell’s Florist (Lykens Valley Creamery) Gallery on the Square (Broad Mountain Vineyard) The Furniture Center (The Winery at Hunters Valley) Special Moments Bridal (Wanda’s Heavenly Cupcakes) Everyday Blessings Gift Shoppe (TBD) Millersburg Historical Society (Jacob Light’s National Clock) Millersburg Passenger Train Station (Shaffer Venison Farms & Indian Trail Country Market) Manor House Gifts (Riverview Candies) TVP Colonnade Theater (Movie Popcorn) Schiano’s Italian Restaurant & Pizzeria Max’s Grille & Sports Bar 717 Pizzeria Wooden Nickel China Star
The 38th Annual Carlisle Rotary Golf will be held Monday, September 10, 2018 at the Carlisle Country Club. The event’s registration is 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM with a Shotgun start at 12:30 PM. Complimentary range balls are provided to our players. Soft spikes & proper golf attire required.
A fun filled four person scramble will be played to allow players of all skill levels a chance to join in the event. Team awards will be presented. Players may assemble their own foursome or request individual placement. Also awarding prices for longest drive and closest to the pin. Mulligans will also be sold at registration and there will be additional CASH games on the course.
At approximately 5:00 pm there will be a cash bar, awards ceremony and dinner along with a sports memorabilia silent auction.
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle, Carlisle Sunrise and the Northern Tier Steering Committee will host the eighth RMB networking event of the 2018 season and 44th in its history on Tuesday, August 14 at the Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory, 2020 W. Trindle Road, Carlisle, PA. The event will run from 5:30 to 7:30 with heavy hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer, and soft beverages. The networking event will be FREE thanks to the event sponsor Hoffman Funeral Home and Crematory.RSVP Now!! Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and invite family of Rotary!
Northern Lebanon Rotary Club President Melanie Ann Schaeffer M.F.A. handed over the gavel to incoming president Nigel Foundling. As Melanie began her year as President, she announced that she would dedicate the 2017-18 Rotary year and our service to Charter member Ruth Deitz who served as an inspiration and role model to all. Ruth exemplified “Service Above Self”. We must ask ourselves if we took up the mantel. As Melanie reviewed her year, she saw much the Northern Lebanon Rotary Club did to serve the Community and the world at large.
I am honored to serve as your District Governor for the 2018/19 Rotary year. I look forward to working with you and being an inspiration through Rotary.
Let's thank Immediate Past District Governor Una Martone for her leadership during the 2017-18 Rotary year. What an outstanding year it was!
Many of us recently returned from the International Convention in Toronto where we heard many inspirational speakers and met Rotarian friends from all over the globe. A number of the keynote speakers’ presentations were recorded and are available by clicking here. I encourage you to take time to watch the videos. They are informative and inspirational. One, which I found very interesting, was a presentation by Marie-Paule Attema, a Rotary Peace Scholar who was a young girl in Rwanda during the time of the genocide. This is an example of Rotary Foundation dollars at work.
There was also an update on the eradication of polio from Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General World Health Organization. He reported that last year there were 22 cases of polio in 2 countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This year the work will continue in Nigeria and hopefully it will be the next country declared polio free.
In the closing session, Barry Raskin, 2018/19 RI President, said the beginning of everything in Rotary is INSPIRATION. INSPIRATION to make the world a better place, to make the future better for our children and to give hope to those we will never meet.
Each of us needs to be INSPIRED by what we can accomplish together and be the agent for change in our clubs, our communities and around the world.
The Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club largely focuses on service projects in the Allison Hill, Steelton and Highspire areas, and we appreciate Marci’s history of leadership on our service committee in these efforts. During the 2017-2018 Rotary Year, Marci also was instrumental in organizing and carrying out a successful fundraiser to contribute to disaster relief in Puerto Rico. Our club is proud of our contributions to our local and global communities, which cannot be accomplished without the efforts of Rotarians like Marci who emulate Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.” On behalf of the board, I am honored to name Marci Mowery Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club’s Rotarian of the Year. ~Addeline Alaniz Edwards, outgoing president
Pictured L-R: Addeline Alaniz Edwards, outgoing president (left), and Marci Mongeau Mowery, Keystone's Rotarian of the Year
Mount Joy’s Rotary Clock has been removed from its downtown location. Where did it go? Off to Lititz where watch and clockmaker Bob Desrochers is currently refurbishing it. The timepiece will be returned in good working order by the end of summer. Look for a special ceremony bringing this landmark back to the hub of Mount Joy.
Taking advantage of the clock’s temporary vacancy, the corner of Marietta Avenue and Main Street has been re-landscaped by the Rotarians who regularly meet at Bube’s Brewery on Thursday evening, the Club’s new alternate meeting site. Pictured above are Rotarians: Greg Sallade, Jack Garner, Dave Christian, Gary Ebersole (special guest), Cris Rhyner and Tim Melhorn.
While most of the funds for cleaning, repairing, and repainting the clock were raised this spring under the direction of Randy Wolgemuth, the Club needs an additional $2,500 to meet the refurbishment costs.
To address the shortfall, the Rotary Club of Mount Joy will be offering hot, delicious fries, hot dogs and cold beverages at Mount Joy Chamber of Commerce’s Music in the Park events on July 29 and August 5. Find the Fry Wagon at the corner of Delta and Marietta Avenue and help bring back the clock!
For more details and additional pictures, check out the Rotary’s Facebook page. Interested in being a guest at either our Tuesday afternoon or Thursday meetings? Call Joanne Pinkerton at 717-653-5911
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy ably led by President Joanne Pinkerton hosted a wonderful RMB networking event on Thursday, June 28 at the Gathering Place, Caterers, Mount Joy, PA with 24 Rotarians and guests attending from the following 10 clubs: Carlisle, Colonial Park, Elizabethtown, Hanover, Harrisburg, Harrisburg Keystone, Hershey, Lancaster, Lancaster Penn Square, Mount Joy. Event sponsors included District 7390 RMB (provided a dollar grant), Randy Wolgemuth of Koser Jewelers (provided the adult and soft beverages), and Joanne Pinkerton of The Gathering Place Caterers (provided the best spread of delicious foods ever). All of these sponsors made possible a free event. Thank you sponsors! Another noteworthy aspect of the event was the number of young Rotarians or young about-to-be Rotarians that attended and made the event even more friendly and full of fun and fellowship. Additionally, many great connections were made.
The Rotary Club of Lancaster will host the sixth RMB networking event of the 2018 season and the 42nd in its history on Wednesday, June 27 at the Stoner Grille, 605 Granite Run Drive, Lancaster, PA. The event is free with a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres/snacks will be available and Rotarians and guests might consider dining at the Stoner Grille after the event. The event will begin at 5:00 and end at 7:00 pm. RSVP Now!! Make great connections for your business or project and enjoy the fun and fellowship of RMB. Bring potential Rotarian guests and invite family of Rotary!
The Rotary Club of Red Lion - Dallastown is proud to recognize long-time Club member Vernon Tyson for achieving the Paul Harris +3 award. Pictured is Vernon Tyson on the left and District 7390 Group Area Foundation Coordinator, Lew Elicker.
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation announced the winners of the 2018 Rotary Foundation Scholarships at a recent luncheon of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park. The winners are: Cecilia Acri, Central Dauphin High School, Nursing Scholarship for $21,000; Peace Okiye, Central Dauphin East Hight School, Engineering Scholarship for $10,000; Jocelyn Fleisher, Central Dauphin High School; Chanel Dingle, Dauphin County Technical School and Agatha Chmielewski, Bishop McDevitt High School were the winners of the Norman P. Hetrick Scholarship at $5,000 each; Sydney Breen, Central Dauphin High School, Act of Kindness Scholarship for $1,000 and Tyler Villegas and Ally Yoder, Central Dauphin High School were winners of the Gary C. Clemens Scholarship at $1,000 each for a total of $49,000.
The Rotary Club of Colonial Park awarded the following students $1,000 each; Peace Okiye, Central Dauphin East; Alassandra Avril Valdez, Central Dauphin; Arrietta Janai Putnam, DCTS; Alexandria Cristian Baez Ferrers, Harrisburg Christian and Daley Ryan, Bishop McDevitt.
Since 2002, the Rotary Club of Colonial Park has awarded $372,708 to students for scholarships and adding the amount of money the club has donated to local organizations in the community the total reaches $571,658.
Applications for the 2018/19 school year scholarships will be available at the guidance office of each of the above listed schools at the beginning of the school year in September.
Hanover Rotary Club President Ralph Jodice was recently the speaker at a Memorial Day service in East Berlin, PA. Ralph is a retired US Air Force Lieutenant General. He spoke about the importance of Memorial day and how special hometown remembrance services are. Pictured with Ralph is Rotary Executive Secretary Melissa Bruck. Melissa also served as emcee for the East Berlin service.
Hanover President Ralph Jodice Speaker at Memorial Day Service
It’s certainly not a headline that Paul Harris and his contemporaries would have ever imagined. But it’s true. The Business Woman of the Year award was presented to District Governor Una Martone during the 24th Annual Business Women’s Forum on May 23 at Messiah College’s new state-of-the-art High Center.
The award was presented by the Carlisle Area Chamber, Harrisburg Regional Chamber & CREDC, and West Shore Chamber to honor one inspirational woman from our region based on the criteria of professional leadership, community leadership, and personal leadership.
In her acceptance remarks, Una acknowledged fellow Rotarian, Karen Snider, who passed away last year. Karen challenged Una to extend her leadership capacity within Rotary and is the person who nominated her for the role of District Governor. Una then encouraged other women, in the over 200-person audience, to accept leadership roles when they are presented. She went on to say: “If my experience can set an example for any other woman to believe in herself and LEAD, then I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome! My purpose has always been to support those around me in being the best they can possibly be. It applies to my work at Leadership Harrisburg Area; my service in Rotary District 7390; and in every aspect of my personal life.”
Past Business Woman of the Year honorees are: 2017 Dr. Karen Scolforo, Castleton University 2016 Patricia Husic, Centric Bank 2015 Lisa Stokes, BRP Entertainment 2014 Sr. Romaine Niemeyer, Holy Spirit Hospital 2013 Donna Schankweiler, Journal Multimedia 2012 Debra Pierson, Pierson Computing Connection
Rotary District Governor Una Martone Named Business Woman of the Year
The Rotary Club of Paradise invites music lovers of all ages to enjoy an evening of bluegrass and storytelling from critically acclaimed Travis Wetzel. Travis can be seen and heard almost every week on the Grand Ole Opry stage, but he’ll be in Lancaster, PA on December 8. Travis will be performing traditional and original music along with a few surprises including audience requests during the second half of the show. It’s a show you won’t want to miss!
PDG John Kramb (L) and PDG Kevin Cogan (R) flank PDG and Zone 32 Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor Knut Johnsen (D-7210) to announce the results of the Million Dollar Journey at the Annual Foundation Dinner on Nov 6. The one year campaign to raise funds for the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International resulted in $906,742 in cash and $744,000 in Bequests for a total of $1,650,742 for the campaign from District 7390 Rotarians. The District leadership wishes to thank all who gave to the Foundation this year to make the Million Dollar Journey a huge success.
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To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Rotary International in 2005, the Youth Community Development Team (YCDT) was created by the Rotary Club of Harrisburg (RCH) in partnership with Leadership Harrisburg Area, The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, The Patriot News, United Way of the Capital Region and many dedicated volunteers in 2004. The initial goals established by the RCH founders were to provide area youth guidance in entrepreneurship, leadership and philanthropy.
York-East members volunteer to pick up trash and litter along Edgewood Road between Prospect Street and Kingston Road twice a year: once in the Spring and once in the Fall, generally to coincide with PennDOT's Road Cleanup Day. (pictured left to right) Todd Kuri, Charles Wurster, Greg Kern, Betsy Buckingham, Sheri Stamm, Tim Koller and Todd Stamm (taking photo).
Looking for a fun way to support the eradication of Polio? Purchase a pair of END POLIO NOW sneakers! Sneakers are a fundraiser for Rotary District 5400 in Idaho. Sneakers are $75 each and $49 of each sale goes directly to END POLIO. 
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy is sponsoring a breakfast for local veterans on Monday, November 11th at the Gathering Place, 6 Pine Street Mount Joy. Breakfast will be provided free of charge to all veterans and a guest from 7:00 to 8:30 AM.
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Each October Rotary International kicks off its Foundation Quarter in which we hold up and show our support for the important work that our Foundation does in our communities and around the world. And to help with that effort, our speaker this week will be Dr. Anne Mathews from South Carolina. Anne is an educator by profession, a published author, an education commissioner and a public speaker. If you attended the District Foundation Dinner last November, you might remember her engaging presentation. Anne is a member of the Rotary Club of Columbia East and has served as District Governor, as Rotary International Vice President as a Trustee of the Foundation and as an International Trainer. She has also held numerous other positions in both District and Rotary International. She is the recipient of a number of awards from Rotary and other educational groups. Anne will speak to us of the importance of the Foundation and the work we do together..JPG)
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DG Paddy Rooney recently recognized Rotary Club of York member William Hartman as a member of the Paul Harris Society. Bill was presented his Chevron at the October 9, 2019 club meeting. The Paul Harris Society is a formal recognition program to honor generous Rotarians who contribute $1,000 or more annually to The Rotary Foundation.
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Having demonstrated the fundamental tenant of Rotary International of service above self, John Kramb was named recipient of the 2019 Dwight D. Eisenhower Humanitarian Award..png)
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The recent Littlestown Rotary Back to School Supplies Drive benefits Littlestown students, elementary through high school, and is critical to student success during the school year. Rotary member Wendy Quinley, center, chaired the drive, now in its fifth year. Littlestown School District staff shown with Quinley are Steve McMaster, left, elementary guidance counselor, and Deb Allison, right, middle school guidance. “Each year the outpouring of community donations exceed the prior year,” Quinley said. Supplies collected enable schools to provide students with items that motivate learning. Donations range from pencils, pens, erasers, and book bags, to snacks for the younger students and supplies for the nursing staff. The Littlestown Rotary appreciated the people and businesses who support children and families through the school supplies drive. Learn how you can become a part of the Rotary, a local service organization with a global reach. Meetings are Tuesdays 7-8 a.m. at the Littlestown YMCA, 95 Keystone St. For more information, contact Patricia Green, vice president, at 301-526-1089.
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Rotary Leadership Institute was created in 1992 by then-Director David Linett when he observed that many incoming Club Presidents and District officers lacked sufficient knowledge about leading groups, as well as basic knowledge of Rotary. As he stated, "an effective Rotary leader must also have Rotary knowledge and experience".
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When your motto is “service above self,” you may not always be comfortable touting your accomplishments. But a low profile isn’t necessarily a good thing, according to Andrew Rebuck, who just finished a year as president of the Rotary Club of Harrisburg. “Sometimes you just need to stick your chest out and say, ‘We are rockin’, join our club,’” he said.
Patrick “ Paddy “ Rooney, the District Governor for Rotary International District 7390, recently made an official visitation and spoke to the membership of the Colonial Park Rotary Club. District Governor Rooney spoke about the many goals and accomplishments of the Rotary International in helping those less fortunate at both the local and international level and Rotary efforts to bring hope for a better world. Rotary International is working on a global effort to completely eradicate polio. On a worldwide basis there were only seventeen reported new cases of polio this past year. There are 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide..png)
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Please consider adopting the Four Way Test Essay Contest for 9th graders and/or Four Way Test Speech Contest for 10-12 graders this year. It’s absolutely FREE to the student, to the school, and to your club. It’s easy. Here are the details..png)
Four Way Test SPEECH Contest Chair
L to R): Kirk Brechbiel, President Rotary Club of West Shore (RCWS); Tom Burson, Treasurer, Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg (RCM); Esme Goodsir, spouse RCWS; John Mengel, Vice President, MAMOW and member RCM; Graeme Goodsir, member RCWS; Darrell Westby, member RCM; and Rod Hite, President Elect RCWS.
Since 1977, Rotary Club of Harrisburg (RCH) members have been acknowledged for their community service work not directly connected with Rotary. This year Joe Bedard, a RCH member for six years, was presented the Community Service Award for his work with the Capitol Region Literacy Council.
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On Friday, August 16, the Rotary Club of Perry County staffed a booth at the Perry County Fair, distributing 150 books, 12 Rotary Baby "Read to Me" T-shirts, 5 America's Promise hats, 1 America's Promise mug, and two membership applications. Thank you to Joe Bedard and Capital Region Literacy Council and Steve Messner and America's Promise for donating books, to the Perry County Chamber of Commerce and UPMC-Pinnacle for donating the booth, and to Frank Campbell, Jairee Counterman, Patti McLaughlin, and Tom O'Connell for volunteering. 
Members of The Hershey Rotary Club are thankful for the service and friendship of 79 U.S. Army War College International Fellows who visited their club recently. Members of this class represent 75 different countries but all stand for promoting peace - not war. Like Rotarians, these military leaders model the Rotary theme of "Service Above Self." The fellows who visited the Hershey Rotary Club are part of a nearly year-long program at the Army War College in Carlisle with about 300 military leaders from the United States. Hershey Rotarian Jeff Davis brought the International Fellows program to the club 40 years ago. 
Two RYLA students, Bobby Chan and Sophia Shienvold, members of the Susquehanna Township club’s Interact program, and selected by the Rotary Club of Susquehanna Township to attend the June 2019 event at Messiah College, gave a great powerpoint presentation showcasing selected highlights of the event to the Rotary club members on August 8th. Gary Crissman, RYLA District Chair, shared additional information about RYLA and he commended the two students, as to his knowledge, they were the very first RYLA participants to create a powerpoint presentation for their sponsoring club. Also in the picture with the banner is club member and assistant governor Dan Fuller. 
The "Meet Me in the Middle of the River" meeting was held on the Millersburg Ferryboat on the Susquehanna River. There were 25 people all together, from Perry County, Millersburg, and Susquehanna Township. 
At the annual Mount Joy Cruisin’ and Cuisine Car Show, held August 27 in Mount Joy, a new trophy was presented. The Rotary Club of Mount Joy sponsored the trophy at the Main Street Mount Joy program to promote the Rotary value of community service..jpg)
The Colonial Park Rotary Club recently celebrated its annual Community Giving Day by presenting donation checks totaling $11,150 to the following community organizations:
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The Rotary Club of Hanover PA along with Rotary District 7390 sponsored a mission trip to New Bern NC July 14-20, 2019. The group assisted with the rebuilding of 2 homes in the New Bern Area. Over 5,000 homes were flooded after Hurricane Florence hit the area last September. Bailey Coach donated its Rotary themed coach to transport the group and Shipley Energy in York donated the fuel for the trip. Another trip is planned for March 2020..jpg)
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At the June 17, 2019, Rotary Club of Harrisburg member meeting, Scholarship Committee Chair Curt Stutzman introduced Scholarship winners Bianca Bynoe and Misha Jones, from Harrisburg School District, SciTech Campus; Maria Gontis from Bishop McDevitt High School, and Najmo Mohamad from Steelton Highspire.
At a lunch meeting on Tuesday, July 2, 2019 the Rotary Club of Mount Joy announced the Co-Presidents for the upcoming Club year. President Mark Rorabaugh and President Greg Sallade will chair the Tuesday lunch meetings at the Gathering Place in Mount Joy. Dave Christian and Gary Ebersole will lead Thursday’s meeting at Bube’s Brewery. Decisions which affect the entire Club will be shared.
From July 1 to July 31, 2019, five of our district’s Inbound Exchange students will be with students from 19 different countries from around the world enjoying the most beautiful natural and man-made points of interest from the East Coast to the West Coast (Pacific Ocean in Southern California). 
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Youth Exchange Inbound Bruno Scheavolin (hosted by the Lebanon Rotary Club), made a Rotary table during a shop class at school. Bruno wanted to raffle off the table to pay for the Discover America Bus trip. Charles Hildebrand of the Lebanon Rotary Club won the table. Bruno is pictured presenting his famous table to Charles. Charles (as you can see) is delighted with his prize! Bruno estimates he earned around $500 in ticket sales which will go towards the 30 day bus trip! SO A BIG THANK YOU AND "SHOUT OUT" TO THE ROTARIANS WHO SUPPORTED HIM! Bruno is so excited and really looking forward to the trip which leaves on July 1st!
138 High School seniors attended the 59th annual Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Conference held from June 9 to 13, 2019 at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Rotary District 7390 holds this annual conference for seniors who are selected and interviewed by the 42 Rotary Clubs in the District. Rotary District 7390 encompasses 7 counties: Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York..jpg)
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The Rotary Club of Mount Joy assembled 50 Birthday Gift Bags to local needy families at a recent meeting. The Gift Bags will be distributed by the Mount Joy Helping Service’s Community Food Bank. Each gift bag contains a cake mix, a can of frosting, and party supplies such as colorful plates, napkins and cups to help celebrate a loved one’s birthday..png)
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On Friday, 5/17/2019 as part of the Rotary Club of York America's Promise initiative, three 2nd grade classes from Alexander Goode Elementary school enjoyed a field trip to the Wrightsville Municipal Authority Water & Wastewater plants. They learned how water taken from the Susquehanna river is made safe to drink and how wastewater from the town is treated so that it can be safely put back into the river. To cap off the day, the students were treated to lunch at the Wrightsville Fire & Rescue Company 41 and a tour of fire trucks..jpg)
Rotary District 7490, located in northern New Jersey, visited Gettysburg the weekend of May 3 for its district conference. Rotarians generously donated many personal items for residents of Gettysburg’s domestic violence shelter, Survivors Inc. - enough to fill a Ford Escape and a pickup truck. Rotary Club of Gettysburg members Alex Hayes and Ashley Andyshak Hayes picked up the items and delivered them to Survivors. The Hayeses are pictured with New Jersey Rotarians and Survivors staff members.
These are Mrs. Sherry Chroniger’s two 6th grades classes at St. Teresa of Calcutta in McSherrystown. They both competed the Junior Achievement Program, Our Nation which consisted of 5 classes taught by Ralph Jodice as a JA volunteer.
The purpose of this award is to recognize those Rotarians who have demonstrated exemplary continuing humanitarian service, in any form and at any level with emphasis on personal volunteer efforts and active involvement in helping others through Rotary
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The Rotaract Club of Lancaster met with students that are part of AFH’s Access Connect Empower (ACE) Mentoring program. The ACE Mentoring Program works with high school and college students of refugee and immigrant families in Lancaster, PA to support them in achieving their vision of success after they complete high school. The program links these students with college student coaches and with expertise in the community in order to provide ongoing training and support in academic, leadership and life skills..jpg)
On Saturday, April 13, 2019, sixteen trees were planted in York City by the Preserve Planet Earth Committee, members of the Rotary Club of York, PA, family, friends, and cadets from the William Penn JROTC unit. The trees included a variety of species ranging from Sunset Maple, Linden, Black Gum, Lilac, and Hornbeam Trees. The planting teams removed stumps, rocks, bricks and concrete in existing tree wells to plant these trees in the areas of George Street, West Market Street, West Princess Street, East Prospect Street, and Williams Park. Special thinks to Rotarian Brian Mummert of W S Landscape Services who procured the trees, provided the mulch and put in a full day delivering, planting and cleaning up. Also, thanks to J T Hand and the York Water Company for the delivery of water for all the trees. .jpg)
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The Rotary Club of Gettysburg cleaned up litter along a two mile section of Rt 30 on Saturday, April 13. The club has been cleaning this section of roadway for over 20 years with two cleanup events held each year. Joining the Rotarians this time was Gettysburg College Senior Edith Tea. Edith is a native of the Ivory Coast and has been selected by the District for a two year District Global Grants Scholarship. She will be doing graduate work in environmental issues in the Netherlands.
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In March the Lancaster Sunrise Rotary Club donated books to Mrs. Corrigan’s third grade class at Carter and MacRae Elementary School in Lancaster. The club has been tutoring and donating books to this school for over eleven years. The students are always excited to receive these books that were signed with words of encouragement by the club’s weekly speakers. Ten members of the Sunrise Club tutor at the school on a regular basis and host an annual Christmas party for the class.
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The International Skiing Federation of Rotarians (North American chapter) supports “adaptive skiing”, making skiing and snowboarding available to physically and cognitively challenged people..jpg)
Village Park is used by hundreds of children and families on any given night to participate in sports and recreation activities. The current fields were not designed or graded for organized sports and so several of the teams are unable to hold home games due to inadequate field conditions. The total project budget is $2.5 million, with a DCNR grant of $250,000 and a matching grant of $250,000 from West Lampeter Township already having been secured. Also, George and Pat Desmond have issued a $250,000 leadership challenge grant which will be matched dollar for dollar in the early stages of the campaign.
Three D-7390 Rotarians, (Right to Left) Dr Bob Davis, PDG Tom Davis, and PDG John Judson, meet in Sarasota, Florida for an unofficial Rotary meeting. The trio had lively discussion of District and Club issues.
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy is delighted with the success of its Thursday Night Alternate meeting. Under the leadership of Greg Sallade, the membership has grown and hosted several unique activities. This young, fun group celebrated its 1st anniversary on Thursday, March 7 with a cake and power point show commemorating some of the year’s highlights. If you care to join the gang – Find us at Bube’s Brewery on North Market Street in Mount Joy on Thursdays form 5-6:30. The Biergarten will be open soon!
Ten members of the Rotary Club of Gettysburg gathered at Lincoln Elementary School in Gettysburg on March 7 to assemble meals for Ruth's Harvest. The Ruth's Harvest program sends food home on Fridays to the homes of needy children so that they have nutritious food over the weekend. Club members work two times each school year to help with the program. 
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Find out how Ann Brinkerhoff has led the development of several premium products for the Hershey Company. You’ll participate in wine parings with various Hershey’s chocolate products. It’s a great way to wrap up your conference experience!.jpg)
The Rotary Club of Mount Joy invites our friends and neighbors in the Mount Joy area to volunteer a little time at Rotary Park. If you enjoy playing in the dirt, Spring Clean-up Day is scheduled on Saturday, April 6 from dawn until 1:00 pm (drizzle or shine)..jpg)
The Dictionary Project was launched at our Club when Steve Feinour was president 2016-2017, using a matching District 7390 Grant, and continues this year under the guidance of chairs Ashley Tedor and Wendell Hoover. A District Matching Grant made this project possible again. 
Current President Andy Rebuck says, “We’ve completed distribution to four of the six area elementary schools—and only a snow storm prevented us from completing the distributions.
Rotary Club of West Shore President, Kirk Brechbiel, presents a $2,000 check to David Harrison, Director of Elementary Education with the West Shore School District. The money will pay for a new Kindergarten reading program. Each new incoming Kindergarten student will receive the book "The Duck Rides a Bike" courtesy of our Rotary Club. Club members will be invited back in the fall for opportunities to be reading partners with the students. This continues are role in encouraging reading and literacy in young people, along with providing a book for them to hold and enjoy.
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al Comedy and Magic Spectacular on Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. features four national acts including: one of the great innovators in magic Tony Chapek; Central Pa’s very own Brett Myers, a rising star in the world of illusion based magic; Jarol Martin, born in Cuba, who was selected at age 13 to train at the House of Culture where he began his career; and the popular R.G. Smith as Master of Ceremonies. Held at Lampeter-Strasburg High School’s Performing Arts Center, the show is the largest annual fundraiser hosted by Rotary Club of Lancaster South. Show proceeds fund scholarships awarded to graduating seniors at three local high schools (Solanco, Penn Manor, and Lampeter-Strasburg), toward youth programming at the L-S YMCA, and to other community needs. 
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At their February 7, 2019 meeting, members of the Rotary Club of Red Lion - Dallastown, presented 11 new Apple iPads to representatives of The Den After School Program which operates within the Red Lion Area School District. With the assistance of a Rotary District Grant, the Club purchased the iPads to allow students to work on homework and other educational activities while taking part in the after school program. Those in the attached photograph are Club members Del McChalicher and George Flickinger, Andrea Rider, Director of The Den program, Reverend Tim Funk, Pastor at St. Paul's United Methodist Church and Pastor Jay McWilliams, Senior Pastor at Pleasant View Church.png)
District Governor John May, with the help of PDG Dick Brown (at the podium), surprised former Youth Exchange Inbound student, David Gbogboade from Nigeria, with a Paul Harris Fellow Award, at the club’s meeting on Nov. 28. David’s counselor, and District Youth Exchange Chair Walt Tilley, donated the funds to The Rotary Foundation to name David as a PHF. David was an Inbound for the 2017-18 Rotary year, and returned to attend York College of PA, to study engineering. David was planning to return to Nigeria after the Spring 2019 semester due to financial difficulties, but the college, individual Rotarians, community members, and the York club’s Student Education Fund and Youth Exchange Committees have now stepped up to help David obtain his Bachelor’s Degree and graduate in May 2021. It certainly DOES take a village to raise a child…..and David will make York, York College, and Rotary proud when he returns to Nigeria with his degree in hand.
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Rotary District 7390 is pleased to report that the District Governor Nominating Committee has met and recommended Gregory C. Staub, Rotary Club of Hanover, to serve as your District Governor for the 2021-2022 Rotary year. .jpg)
District 7390 Governor Nominee John Anthony , the past president and a member of the Mechanicsburg North Rotary Club was a recent speaker at the Colonial Park Rotary Club. He spoke about a very special fundraising effort that is currently underway in Rotary District 7390 which is comprised of 43 Rotary Clubs located in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York Counties. This fundraiser which is named the Million Dollar Journey plans to raise one million dollars to benefit the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian, educational and goodwill on a global basis to areas of the world that need help with providing such things as clean safe water, sanitation systems, hygiene education, medical supplies, disaster recovery, medical, eye and dental clinics and the eradication of polio. Pictured L-R: District Governor Nominee John Anthony and Colonial Park Rotary Club President Dave White 
District Governor John May presented District Governor-Elect Patrick J. “Paddy” Rooney with a Major Donor Level 1 pin and crystal piece, at the Rotary Club of York’s meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019 at the Country Club of York. Paddy has been a member of the Rotary Club of York for 12 years, served as President for the 2016-17 Rotary year, chaired the Student Education Committee and served on 9 other committees. Paddy will be inducted as District 7390 Governor for the 2019-2020 Rotary year on June 27, 2019 at Wyndridge Farm..JPG)
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The Rotary Club of York East hosted an absolutely great RMB networking event - the 47 in Rotary District 7390 RMB history - on January 15 at the Springettsbury Township's police department with over 30 Rotarians and guests attending from over 10 district clubs from every part of the district. Kudos and thanks go to President Ben Marchant of the Rotary Club of York East for hosting the event so effectively and to the event sponsors Dan Stump, police Chief of the Springettsbury Police Department, and to Dan Calloway of Edward Jones. Kudos also to the Southern Tier Steering Committee for making this event happen. Well done all!.JPG)
The world is tantalizingly close to being free of polio. From 350,000 wild poliovirus cases every year in 1988, in 2018 the world reported just 29 cases of this devastating disabling disease because of extraordinary global efforts. Wild poliovirus transmission is endemic in only a handful of districts worldwide. The aim of the 2013-2018 Endgame Plan had been to be finished with this job by end 2018. This is not the case, and the Plan has to now be revised and extended through 2023. 
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The Rotary clubs of Mechanicsburg, Mechanicsburg North, and West Shore along with the Northern Tier Steering Committee will host the 48th RMB networking event in its history in Rotary District 7390 on Tuesday, February 26 at the Classic Rock Fabrication, 135 W Allen Street, Mechanicsburg, PA. The event will begin at 5:30 and end at 7:30 pm. The cost of this event will be FREE thanks to generous sponsors. 
Dr. Alan Peterson is a friend of Past District Governor John Judson and a fellow member of Physicians For Social Responsibility. He has offered to serve as a speaker for one of your upcoming meetings. I highly recommend him as a speaker due to his expertise on this timely subject and his presentation style..jpg)
Members of the Rotary Club of Hanover braved 23 degree temperatures to take down Christmas decorations in the Hanover Town Square. Pictured in front of the Rotary gazebo are Ralph, Karen, Walt, Holly, Jason, Bob and Paul.
Election to the Hall of Fame is the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs’ most auspicious honor conferred upon an individual for monumental achievements to the DMVA or the Pennsylvania National Guard. .jpg)
On 1 January 2019, Torren Ecker, the President of the Hanover Rotary Club, was sworn-in as State Representative of the 193rd District. Many of his family and friends attended the ceremony at the State Capital Building. Pictured with Torren Hanover’s Past President, Ralph Jodice, who along with his wife, Judy, also attended the ceremony. The entire Hanover Club is very proud of State Representative and Rotarian President, Torren Ecker. We wish him much success!
The Rotary Clubs of Carlisle and Carlisle Sunrise held their annual holiday dinner and fundraising event on Friday, December 7th at the Comfort Suites in Carlisle. The theme was “Home for the Holidays,” and proceeds will benefit Safe Harbour and Community CARES.
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friends and family, dressed in their best holiday apparel, stopped at houses and local businesses to sing songs and celebrate the season. The stops included friends, family and pubs where they were greeted with applause. Happy Holidays to all.
The Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation presented their annual report to the Rotary Club of Colonial Park at a recent meeting. In 2018 the Foundation awarded $49,000 is scholarships and in 2019 the Foundation will award $63,000 for ten different types of scholarships. The 2019 Foundation scholarships are available to students in their senior year at Dauphin County Technical School, Bishop McDevitt High School, Harrisburg Christian School, Central Dauphin East High School and Central Dauphin High School. For additional information go to the Rotary Club website at 
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District Club Grant projects support short-term, humanitarian projects that benefit local or foreign communities. Once a year, a club may request grant funds for a project or may collaborate with another club's project. There is a maximum of five clubs per project.
During the Mount Joy Borough Winterfest on Saturday, December 1, the Rotary Clock was rededicated to the community. At 6:45, the Rotary Club of Mount Joy, led by Randy Wolgemuth, dedicated the Clock to the people of Mount Joy. Mayor Timothy Bradley Jr. acknowledged the importance of the clock as a centerpiece of Borough life and community events.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg took part on November 30 in the community effort in Gettysburg sponsored by the Sgt. Mac Foundation to place wreathes on the graves of Veterans. The National Wreath Project has evolved to placing wreaths at the graves of Veterans at Quantico National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. In 2017, over 11,000 wreaths were placed at both cemeteries. This year, a similar number were placed.
In a Summer Cultural Exchange, students spend three to six weeks in their host country visiting with another family and seeing another part of the world. The Short-term Exchange Program arranges for the student's family to host a matching student from another country in return. This program provides an excellent opportunity to experience a new culture in a brief period of time. Like the long-term exchange, the short-term exchange requires a sponsoring Rotary Club in each country, and students are selected on the basis of a written application and interview process.
A supporter of Rotary and the efforts to end polio, York, Pennsylvania-based Bailey Trailways is creating awareness by dedicating themed graphics on its new 2018 Van Hool CX45. Since 1985, Rotary has contributed nearly $1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries. The disease remains endemic in three countries including Afghanistan, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Other countries remain at risk for imported cases..png)
The Paul Harris Society designation was recently bestowed upon two members of the Colonial Park Rotary Club. The Paul Harris Society designation is to honor and thank individuals for their generous, ongoing support of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. The award is named for Paul Harris, who founded Rotary International in 1905.
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The Rotary Club of York was recently featured in YRK magazine.
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The Colonial Park Rotary Club recently honored ten students from Central Dauphin High School, Central Dauphin East High School, Bishop McDevitt High School and the Dauphin County Technical School that attended the 58th annual “Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Conference” known as RYLA that was held June 10th – 14th at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Representing Central Dauphin High School were Arjun Ray, Rosa Azzato and Taylor Brown. Representing Central Dauphin East High School were: Matthew “Matt” Egner and Judith “Judy” Kyei-Poku. Representing the Dauphin County Technical School were: Polina Rosas and Letrele Roberts. Representing Bishop McDevitt were: Luke Lombardi and Samantha “Sam” Knipple. Also honored was Lower Paxton Township resident Patrick Elter from Trinity High School. The five day RYLA Conference provides an intense leadership training program for outstanding young men and women from public and non-public secondary schools in Rotary District 7390 from the counties of Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon, Perry and York, Pennsylvania. The program focus was on the development of moral courage, the disposal and concentration of effort, a sense of priority, humor, good judgement and The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership..jpg)
John Nanni visited the Rotary Club of Hanover on October 29 to make a presentation Polio, Post-Polio Syndrome & Polio Plus. John is an active member of the Rotary Club of Middletown-Odessa, Delaware. He's served as Club Secretary, Website Committee Chair, served on the District PolioPlus Committee and is Club President Elect for 2019-20. He's given over 150 Polio Talks from Rhode Island to North Carolina. “The 3 P’s in my Life: Polio, Post-Polio Syndrome and Rotary’s PolioPlus”. John is a polio survivor (Class of 1953), paralyzed from his neck down for 6 months just prior to the Salk Vaccine distribution. He now uses a wheelchair for most of his daily mobility due to severe Post-Polio Syndrome issues..jpg)
This past spring, the Rotary Club of Shippensburg lost one of our most dedicated members, Ra Kligge, who passed away on May 11, 2018. Ra was a passionate and devoted Rotarian and a lead volunteer and inspiration for many of our projects and programs. He is and will continue to be greatly missed by the members of our club and other Rotarians, his family, friends and community.
r making a donation towards this fund. Your contributions will be used to carry out Ra’s ideas and to make our community a better place.
During my DG John May's visit to the Rotary Club of Paradise he met Robert (Bob) Espenshade who has achieved 62 years of perfect attendance. Visiting that day was Orville Lauver from the Rotary Club of Red Lion-Dallastown who completed his 54th year of perfect attendance in September. Mr. Espenshade was on the Pequea Valley school board when PDG Ann Keim was hired as the school superintendent.
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VISIT THE GOOD SAMARITAN SCHOOL AND JAMES STINE COLLEGE* SPONSORED BY THE HERSHEY ROTARY CLUB
In early October of 2018, the York-East Rotary Club participated in a road clean-up crew. One of the group found a $1 bill and gave it as a Happy Dollar at the next club meeting! 
Hershey Rotary Club held its annual 4-Way Test Speech Contest on October 10. 1st place was awarded to Jose Mendez; 2nd place to Ty’Jhon Hall; 3rd Place to Desmond Primus. Jose and Ty’Jhon will be participants in the Rotary District 7390 Midlevel contest, to be held on November 10 in Harrisburg.
The Rotary Club of Gettysburg participated in the United Way of Adams County Day of Caring on Saturday, Sept. 29. A team of Rotarians canvassed the community looking for homes that could use free smoke detectors. The detectors were installed Saturday, Oct. 6 and Rotarians were there to help. The event was sponsored by the American Red Cross who will supply the detectors. Pictured, from left, are: Peter Lagerberger, Martha Lagerberger, Scott Wehler, Bill Braun, and Bonnie Braun.
Carlisle Rotarians had a friendly wager on the football game between Penn State and Ohio State on September 29: The losing fans would wear the winning team's colors at the next Rotary meeting. It was a heartbreaker, but the Buckeyes were victorious and the Nittany Lion fans good-naturedly donned the Ohio State garb for the meeting. And the shout of "Just wait 'til next year!" echoed throughout the room!.jpg)
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pact as well as the diversity of its membership. “As individuals, we can only do so much,” Gupta said in a statement. “But when 1.2 million Rotarians work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve, and in the process, we can truly change the world.” Gupta has been a Rotarian since 1977 and has served Rotary as district governor, training leader, and resource group adviser, and as a member, vice chair, or chair of several committees.
The Boy Scouts from BSA Troop 39 introduced the Rotary Club of Mount Joy to Peach Dump Cake during the regular Rotary meeting on Tuesday, August 21. Troop 39 Scouts also conducted a knot training demonstration for the members. President Mark Rorabaugh opened the program with a quote from Boy Scout founder Robert Baden-Powel, “The spirit is there in every boy; it just has to be discovered and brought to light.”
The Colonial Park Rotary Club awarded its annual Colonial Award to Rex Rothrock. The Colonial Award is given each year to a member of the community that has done an outstanding job of volunteerism and has made a major commitment to the betterment of our community. (Pictured L-R) Colonial Park Rotary Club Immediate Past President Melanie Walderon, Rex Rothrock, Deanna Rothrock and Colonial Park Rotary Club Foundation President Randy Sibert
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The Rotary Club of New Holland will hold its 3rd annual Rotary Rocks community benefit concert on September 14, 7-10 PM, at Funck's Restaurant in Leola (365 W Main St, Leola). Join us for an evening of live music and fun to benefit those in need in New Holland and surrounding communities. Proceeds from the event will be used to help support the expansion of the CrossNet Food Pantry. Entertainment will be provided by the classic rock and alternative rock sounds of the Slack Adjusters and the rock/funk/blues mix of The Reed Brothers Band. Both bands feature Rotarians from the New Holland club.
As a membership driven organization, members are the lifeblood of Rotary and our clubs. As of July 1, 2018 our District membership was 2313. We ended last year with only one less member than when we started July 1, 2017. Kudos to all of you for your hard work this past year. However, I believe we can reverse the trend that our district and many others have experienced with either declining membership or no growth. I believe that if we work together and think creatively, we can accomplish this.
The Rotary Club of Perry County sponsored Annaka (Annie) Wolfe to spend the 2017-18 Rotary year as a Rotary Youth Exchange student ambassador in Peru. Annie recently made a presentation to the Club about her experience. Annie is pictured with Exchange Program Liaison, Patti McLaughlin, and one of this year's co-Presidents, Tom O'Connell.
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Active shooter incidents can happen anywhere at any time. First responders must prepare. Proper response requires equipment to ensure responder safety.
The Rotary Club of York was pleased to honor Rotarian Marsha Bornt at the club meeting on July 18, with a 3-diamond pin and crystal piece for her support of The Rotary Foundation annual fund. Marsha has been a member of the club for 10 years, and has served as chair of the Global Grants Committee and President for the 2016-17 Rotary year. She has secured funding for grants for toilets in India and Ghana, a Fish Freezer and sanitation systems in Ghana, and needed items for orphanages and schools in these areas. Marsha has also shared her gifts as a medical doctor by providing gynecological surgical services while on medical missions to these and other parts of the world, to improve maternal health care in those countries. Congratulations, Rotarian Marsha Bornt, who is living this year’s motto “Be the Inspiration”. 
The Colonial Park Rotary Club awarded its annual Colonial Award to Rick Zeiders. The Colonial Award is given each year to a member of the community that has done an outstanding job of volunteerism and has made a major commitment to the betterment of our community.
The Family of Rotary Committee of the Elizabethtown Rotary Club has scheduled a bus trip to Washington DC on Thursday August 23rd to see the Phillies vs. Nationals baseball game. Utilizing the National's "Strike Out Polio" program, $5 of every ticket will be donated to Rotary's PolioPlus . We will be traveling in style using the themed "End Polio Now:" motorcoach from Bailey Coach. The bus will leave Elizabethtown at 8:45 am for the 1 pm game. Tickets are $75 each..jpg)
Join Millersburg Rotary Club for the 2018 Tasting Tour of Millersburg presented by Mid Penn Bank on Saturday August 11 from Noon until 4pm. Participants will stroll through downtown Millersburg savoring local food and drink. Enjoy the historic ambiance of our business district and relax along the scenic vistas of River Front Park.
Northern Lebanon Rotary Club President Melanie Ann Schaeffer M.F.A. handed over the gavel to incoming president Nigel Foundling. As Melanie began her year as President, she announced that she would dedicate the 2017-18 Rotary year and our service to Charter member Ruth Deitz who served as an inspiration and role model to all. Ruth exemplified “Service Above Self”. We must ask ourselves if we took up the mantel. As Melanie reviewed her year, she saw much the Northern Lebanon Rotary Club did to serve the Community and the world at large..jpg)
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urg Keystone Rotary Club largely focuses on service projects in the Allison Hill, Steelton and Highspire areas, and we appreciate Marci’s history of leadership on our service committee in these efforts. During the 2017-2018 Rotary Year, Marci also was instrumental in organizing and carrying out a successful fundraiser to contribute to disaster relief in Puerto Rico. Our club is proud of our contributions to our local and global communities, which cannot be accomplished without the efforts of Rotarians like Marci who emulate Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.” On behalf of the board, I am honored to name Marci Mowery Harrisburg Keystone Rotary Club’s Rotarian of the Year. ~Addeline Alaniz Edwards, outgoing president.jpg)
Mount Joy’s Rotary Clock has been removed from its downtown location. Where did it go? Off to Lititz where watch and clockmaker Bob Desrochers is currently refurbishing it. The timepiece will be returned in good working order by the end of summer. Look for a special ceremony bringing this landmark back to the hub of Mount Joy..jpg)
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The Rotary Club of Red Lion - Dallastown is proud to recognize long-time Club member Vernon Tyson for achieving the Paul Harris +3 award. Pictured is Vernon Tyson on the left and District 7390 Group Area Foundation Coordinator, Lew Elicker. 
Randy Sibert, President of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park Foundation announced the winners of the 2018 Rotary Foundation Scholarships at a recent luncheon of the Rotary Club of Colonial Park. The winners are: Cecilia Acri, Central Dauphin High School, Nursing Scholarship for $21,000; Peace Okiye, Central Dauphin East Hight School, Engineering Scholarship for $10,000; Jocelyn Fleisher, Central Dauphin High School; Chanel Dingle, Dauphin County Technical School and Agatha Chmielewski, Bishop McDevitt High School were the winners of the Norman P. Hetrick Scholarship at $5,000 each; Sydney Breen, Central Dauphin High School, Act of Kindness Scholarship for $1,000 and Tyler Villegas and Ally Yoder, Central Dauphin High School were winners of the Gary C. Clemens Scholarship at $1,000 each for a total of $49,000.
Hanover Rotary Club President Ralph Jodice was recently the speaker at a Memorial Day service in East Berlin, PA. Ralph is a retired US Air.png)
Force Lieutenant General. He spoke about the importance of Memorial day and how special hometown remembrance services are. Pictured with Ralph is Rotary Executive Secretary Melissa Bruck. Melissa also served as emcee for the East Berlin service. 