We are excited to announce that we will once again have a float in the Emmaus Halloween Parade on Saturday, October 17, 2026, continuing the celebration of our Centennial year! We need people to walk in the group or to ride (or both). We could also use a little help setting up the float.
WHEN: Saturday at Noon: We will meet at Michael Irwin's home to prepare the float (1755 Ehret Lane, Allentown). Saturday at 6:15pm: Line up for the parade (expect to be done around 8:30ish)
WHERE: Join the float on Ridge street, entering from State Street (next to the library) and walk up ridge to the float. Our fload position is Slot 4.We were given the same instructions last year and most people were dropped off next to the library parking lot and walked up to the float.
DRESS CODE: Wear period costumes (from 1926) if you like or just show up with a Rotary shirt. It may be a cool evening so dress warmly.
What to bring: family, friends are welcome and if you like you can bring some food/beverages to pass, and candy (not necessary).
Get ready for a fun night!
DID YOU KNOW?
Rotary has been working to eradicate polio for more than 45 years. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever.
Rotary's first polio project was to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. Inspired by that successful vaccination campaign, Rotary went on to become a founding partner of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, which has reduced polio cases around the world by 99.9 percent.
Thanks to the generosity and commitment of our members, Rotary has contributed more than US$2.9 billion in PolioPlus grants and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 3 billion children in 122 countries from this disease. Rotary’s advocacy efforts have played a role in decisions by governments to contribute more than $11 billion to the effort.
Today, polio remains endemic only in Afghanistan and Pakistan. But it’s crucial to continue working to keep other countries polio-free. If all eradication efforts stopped today, within 10 years, polio could paralyze as many as 200,000 children each year.
Service Opportunities Ralph Lewis Food Collection Food Collection will happen the first of the month: see Joanne's email for details. Tree Planting October 17 9am-12pm - Planting 50 trees opposite 1676 Keystone Rd. Allentown, PA (https://www.google.com/maps/search/1676+Keystone+Rd.+Allentown,+PA?entry=gmail&source=g) upstream from the Fish Hatchery. This is funded by a Lehigh Valley Greenways grant from Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, Inc.
Stream Cleanup November 14 9am-12pm at Trout Creek Park in Allentown.
Thanks to Joe Pugliese who kindly volunteered on Sat 10th to plant trees!
Club Assembly Recap: Celebrating Our Progress and Looking Ahead
At last week’s Club Assembly, President Val Deneen shared an update on the exciting progress our club has made since July and outlined priorities for the months ahead. With 68 members, 34 guests welcomed, 36 members participating in volunteer activities, and approximately $23,000 raised through recent fundraisers, there’s plenty to celebrate! Members also learned about upcoming opportunities to strengthen connections, including our Rotary Means Business Emmaus Main Street Walk on November 5. The message for the year remains simple: Create connection that leads to impact. Thank you to everyone who continues to make Emmaus Rotary a welcoming, active, and impactful part of our community!
As Rotarians, our ability to make a difference begins with understanding the needs of the community we serve. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) has developed a Housing Data Dashboard that provides insights into housing affordability, availability, and projected needs across our region, including Emmaus. Housing challenges affect our neighbors, businesses, and the overall well-being of our community. I encourage our members to explore this resource and think about how we can use this information to guide our future initiatives. Explore the LVPC Housing Data Dashboard - https://housinglv.org/
Come join us at Interact: EHS Meeting Dates: September 29, October 6, November 3, December 1, January 12, February 6. All meetings will be held at 2:30 PM in the EHS Cafeteria. Please RSVP with Tony if you plan to attend any or all of the meetings (610-295-7691). All welcome! 80 - 100 students expected to join the EHS Interact Club this year! December 1 meeting will include a community service activity led by ERC. Other community service activities that Interact is planning include writing letters to active armed service members, filling Easter Eggs with candy for Kalmbach Park Egg Hunt, EHS Campus cleanup, and filling Trick or Treat candy bags,
Join our first book club - hosted by Sue Straeter Interested in participating in an ERC Book Club? Contact Sue Straeter 610-762-5833
Upcoming events:
Saturday October 17, 2026: Polio Race to Zero Contact Cindy Hornaman ( 610) 360-4875 or hornamca@ptd.net for our Emmaus Team
Wednesday, November 18, 2026: Our Rotary Foundation Legacy Dinner
Aster Event Center at Hyatt Place Allentown 621 Grange Rd Allentown, PA 18106 United States of America 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Featuring our Rotary International Director, Mary Hellman CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Emmaus Rotary Happenings (to appear in the Emmaus Borough News):
2026 has been a service-packed year for the Emmaus Rotary.
We celebrated our 100 years Centennial serving the East Penn Community and having an impact on our community needs.
Our local signature project is the East Penn Feeding Program. We work with other local service organizations including the Lions, Lionesses, Kiwanis, Lower Macungie Township, Faith Presbyterian Church, Angel Network, Grace Lutheran Church as well as Bethel Pantry and Mack Trucks. The project works closely with the East Penn School District in helping to identify the food insecure children in our District. To date, we have now distributed over 31,000 bags of food to our children. We need financial support as we sustain this program.
Please consider donating by going to www.emmausrotary.org: East Penn Feeding Program
We also supported the local community this year by supplying equipment to the Emmaus Ambulance Department and WildLands Conservancy. There have been numerous volunteer opportunities including pollinator boxes, stream clean up, Wheels of Time—just to name a few. We have worked with the Emmaus Public Library.
We have more upcoming activities including our Annual festival at community park on June 19, 2027.
Do you want to join us in supporting the community and providing service?—Come visit us—we meet each week at Brookside Country Club in Macungie at 7:30 am for breakfast..
Meeting Roles
October 15, 2026
Greeter
Graham, Diane
Sign In
Guthrie, Gary
Invocation
Hobson, Karen
October 22, 2026
Greeter
Hornaman, Cynthia
Sign In
Irwin, Michael
Invocation
Hornaman, Chris
October 29, 2026
Greeter
Johnson, Ken
Sign in
Kabiru, Nelly
Invocation
Keister, Irvin
If you will not be at the meeting when you have an assignment, please arrange for another member to swap or cover for you.
Speaker Recommendations Do you know someone who would be a great speaker for one of our upcoming Thursday morning meetings? If so, please contact Anthony Moyer: anmoyer1229@gmail.com 610-295-7691.
Have something to announce in the Trumpet? We are always happy to receive information to include in the Trumpet. If you have additions, please email ckennedy@emmausrotary.org and include the word "Trumpet" in the email.
Happy Birthday!
Mike Waddell - October 4 Bob Goehler - October 11 Rick Zayaitz - October 13 Gary Rohrbach - October 15 Len Reed - October 16 Don Blose - October 17 Mike Epperly - October 22
Weather Policy
Our weather policy is to cancel our meeting whenever East Penn has a weather cancellation or whenever there is a 2-hour weather delay (or is virtual). EPSD's process for determining safety is robust, beginning the night before when they consult with Accuweather, PennDot, and other officials. Please sign up for weather alerts by going to the following link, entering your information and searching for East Penn School district. https://asa.textcaster.com/asa/ba251a36-ebf8-4c1a-8247-4becb2e26e07
