For much of its history, Rotary did not admit women. While the wives of Rotarians certainly played important roles at the local club level, they were referred to as “Rotary Anns.” That changed after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that service clubs could not discriminate based on gender. The admission of women in Rotary has dramatically changed for the better
the character and impact of Rotary throughout the world. The first woman
admitted to the ERC was Marge Geosits in 1990. Marge was a principal in the Emmaus School District. Since that time, we have had seven female club presidents—Ceil Birdsell, Rosenia Devine, Cindy Hornaman, Sue Straeter, Lexa Shallcross, Meghan Reed and now Nelly Kabiru. Valerie Deneen will become our eighth club president on July 1, 2026.
Roger Whitcomb
NO ZOOM OPTION FOR OUR 9/18/25 MEETING THIS WEEK!
Here is the Zoom info for our weekly Rotary meetings:
As you as shopping, please consider the Grocery-PLUS Pantry
needs for our collection on Thursday, September 4th.
Current needs for September 2025
• Canned Mandarin oranges
• Crackers, such as saltines, Triscuits, wheat thins,
Cheese-its, etc.; 10-16 oz boxes)
• Ketchup, BBQ sauce (plastic bottles)
• Deodorant
• Napkins (small or medium packages)
Ongoing needs
Gift cards from Aldi, Giant, Wegmans or Weis
(which we use to buy food)
Any non-perishable food within its “use by/best by” date
NOTE FROM
Bethel Church and Groceries-PLUS Choice Food Pantry
(PLUS = Prayer, Love, Understanding, Support)
Thank you to Rotarians and Friends who contribute
126 households served last month
246 different households received food in 2024
Ups and downs in the food supply:
• Second Harvest, the regional food
warehouse, is doing everything they can to offer a wide variety of non-perishable and perishable foods. However, the supply is much more variable than it was in the past. Some weeks, they have a lovely selection of frozen meats, but no fresh produce. Another
week, there’s nothing for our refrigerator but lots of beverages. Your financial donations allow us to purchase food to fill some of the gaps.
• On the “rejoicing” side, the farmer who was providing fresh milk under a grant program has agreed to give us milk for the next two months, at just the cost of the cartons.
THANK YOU, JOANNE
To celebrate our Centennial, Emmaus Rotary will have a float in the Halloween parade on Saturday October 18th in the evening. This will be a fun way to advertise our club. Please mark your calendars and join us! The more the better. We will have float riders, walkers and folks who both walk and ride. More information to come!
EHS Interact Club is now meeting for the 25/26 School Year!
Meetings will take place at 2:30 PM in the EHS Cafeteria on the following dates:
October 14
November 18
December 2
January 6
February 3
March 5
April 21
A special end of year celebration with ERC and EHS Interact will take place on May 12 at 2:30 PM at EHS!
All ERC members are welcome at all Interact meetings! Just let me know in advance if you plan to attend.
Tony
anmoyer1229@gmail.com
610-295-7691
Dear Fellow Rotarian,
You know that I am deeply committed to Rotary Youth Services. The STEM Academy (STEM YEA), introduced for the first time in July 2022, serves a younger set of students who are still exploring what educational path they wish to pursue. The 2025 STEM YEA will be held July 10-13, 2025 on the Kutztown University campus. The Fourth STEM YEA Big Ticket Reverse Raffle fundraiser is only 3 months away. This is an important function to bring visibility to the Rotary STEM Youth Explorer Academy and also raise funds to help offset costs in order to make tuition affordable for all clubs wishing to sponsor students.
The guest speaker is Dhruv Seshadri, a member of Allentown West Rotary Club and an assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering at Lehigh University. He received his B.S. in polymers science and engineering in 2014, M.S. and PhD degrees in biomedical engineering in 2018 and 2022 respectively from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His research involves the development, validation, and translation of wearable technology, bioelectronic devices and therapeutics targeting human health and performance. In addition to his academic achievements, Dhruv has been a member of an International Rotaplast team.
The 2025 “STEM YEA Big Ticket Reverse Raffle Night” is scheduled for September 27, 2025 at the Franconia Heritage Banquet & Conference Center, 508 Harleysville Pike, Unit A, Telford, PA. Tickets can be purchased in advance through August 1, 2025 to take advantage of a 10% discount. Total ticket sales are limited to 150. Your ticket helps to fund the operational costs of the STEM YEA program for middle schoolers, especially under-resourced students, to make it affordable for all our clubs to sponsor students, The ticket entitles you to a fun evening including hors d’oeuvres, drinks, dinner, a Caricatures by Emily Byrne, and a lottery ticket with a chance to win one of numerous prizes totaling $5,000 when 150 tickets are sold. Organize your group and act now to purchase your tickets. We are also looking for sponsorships from businesses and individuals along with contributions of silent auction items. Please reach out to Darlene Scott with any questions.
I'm planning to arrange an Emmaus Rotary Club table of 8 for us at the "STEM YEA Reverse Raffle Big Ticket Night" at a discounted ticket rate. If interested in joining us at our table, please let me know by September 18, 2025! Tony
610-295-7691
anmoyer1229@gmail.com
Also, I'm planning to create a wine basket on behalf of our Emmaus Rotary Club that will be raffled at the "STEM YEA Reverse Raffle Big Ticket Night" on 9/27/25. If you're willing and able, please bring a bottle of wine to an ERC Breakfast Meeting through September 18, 2025 for the basket raffle donation.
Speaker Recommendations
Now booking for October and November 2025 BACKUP SPEAKERS for last-minute cancellations.
Do you know someone who would be a great speaker for one of our upcoming Thursday morning meetings? If so, please contact Valerie Deneen.
Meeting Roles
September 18, 2025
Greeter
McElhaney, Jr., Jeffrey
Sign In
McNealis, Patrick
Invocation
Modrick, Sarah
September 25, 2025
Greeter
Newhart, Barry
Sign In
Omondi, Tom
Invocation
Phillips, Cynthia
October 2, 2025
Greeter
Prokop, Eileen
Sign In
Pugliese, Joseph
Invocation
Raynock, J. P.
October 9, 2025
Greeter
Reber, Craig
Sign In
Reed, Meghan
Invocation
Reese, Gordon
If you will not be at the meeting when you have an assignment, please arrange for another member to swap or cover for you.
