We continue our weekly meeting virtually! There will not be an in person meeting this week but we sure would love to see your smiling face when you join us online! Stay tuned for updates next week as we prepare to meet in person at Brookside Country Club on Thursday, September 10, 2020. We will be sure to offer our members to join in virtually as well.
Please use the link below to join us this Thursday, September 3, 2020 at 7:30 a.m.
We still encourage you to invite a virtual guest to help introduce Rotary to someone who could make a great Rotarian. Simply share the link provided in the red section below with your guest. Ask them to please sign in as - their name (guest of) - in the name field so we know who they were invited by.
To enter the virtual meeting, just click this link or copy and paste it into your URL Browser. Please note that you will need Firefox or Google Chrome as your browser to join the meetings.
2) Scroll down on the sign in page and you will see the list of recorded meetings under "Public Room Recordings".
3) Click on the blue presentation button of the meeting you'd like to view. 4) Click on the triangle shaped play button at the bottom left of the screen to play the recording.
One of the instructors last February in the PETS-Training* at Valley Forge was talking about ‘being a vibrant club’. He said, “Only 44% of Rotarians would recommend their club.” And I thought that is a crazy low number but the proverbial bell rang before I could get my hand up and everyone rushed the door for lunch!
So what do you think?
Once again, is Emmaus Rotary above average?
I just know that most of us would brag on and recommend our club when talking to a prospective member. Right? We would mention our service projects both locally and around the globe. And the fellowship! We might even go overboard noting how much we liked each other and how much fun we had together. Some of us would remark on personal growth in leadership and as a contributor in the life of our community.
Emmaus Rotary is an embodiment of Rotary International’s current mission statement. I think we could have written it!
Together, we see a world where people
unite and take action to make a lasting
change across the globe, in our communities
and in our selves.
Please re-read that statement.
I plan to find it in a grand graphic format for us to use from time to time as we close our regular Thursday morning meetings.
Last week was a very special Rotary virtual Rotary Meeting. We were joined by Beth Lorah, Director of Groceries PLUS Food Pantry, an outreach ministry of Bethel Bible Fellowship Church in Emmuas. Groceries PLUS is an Emergency Food Pantry serving the Emmaus Community and operates under the direction of the Second Harvest Food Bank of Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania. But what does the PLUS mean to those involved?
Prayer
Love
Understanding
Support
Within just a few minutes of listening to Beth speak about how Groceries PLUS works and her service to the program you can see that SHE embodies the PLUS! Beth cares deeply about the clients Groceries PLUS serves and the long lasting impact the program has in our community. To recognize her dedication to making a difference Bill Erdman virtually presented Beth with a Paul Harris Fellow Award for her outstanding community service. The best part was the surprised smile on Beth's face and the LOVE Mr. Lorah, Ashley (and even the cat) showed for her well deserved recognition. A moment only a virtual presentation could have ever captured! Beth, THANK YOU for all of the work you do day in and day out to help those in need of prayer, love, understanding and support in their most difficult circumstances.
Bethel Bible Fellowship Church and Groceries PLUS has been a tremendous SUPPORT to the ERC Food Packing Program by allowing us to store and pack food at their location and we are ever so grateful. Below is an photo of an impromptu ceremony held to back up our online presentation of a check for $1000.00 from Emmaus Rotary Club to Groceries PLUS Food Pantry. Beth Lorah, Director receives the check from Lexa Shallcross, ERC President.
Pass along to friends, family, business owners and golfers.
Remember that for this year only we’re offering special COVID pricing. Any support will be greatly appreciated.
Raffle tickets are now available! See Eric Loch or Don Blose to purchase yours and/or to help sell tickets.
Raffle tickets are only $50 per ticket! ONLY 300 to be sold! 1st Prize - A solid 14kt Yellow Gold Bangle Bracelet with .50ctw Diamonds! A $4,700 value!
2nd Prize - $1,000 Gift Card for State Store Alcohol!
Your Foundation needs your help! This continuing shelter-at-home and virtual meeting society has adversely impacted our lives in numerous ways. It has also impacted our Club support of The Foundation. The virtual meetings have undercut our EREY cash program as well as eliminate the convenience of members bringing checks to the meetings.
I am here to assist you in this regard so we can continue support of the Foundation. Whether you made weekly cash contributions or provided checks in the past, you can maintain your support by simply mailing a check payable to The Rotary Foundation to me at: 5533 Heather Lane, Orefield, PA 18069. For example, if you typically donated $5 per week in cash, a check inthe amount of $30.00 will bring you up to date for the new fiscal year.
I can be reached at: 484-239-3412 with any questions. I look forward to your assistance in supporting your Foundation.
69,000 of our neighbors in the Lehigh Valley are predicted to go hungry this year. Help them with your garden, one pound at a time!
It is almost the end of the growing season in our gardens. Tony Moyer continues to collect your Plant A Row produce donations on Thursdays. You can drop off your donations at Willow Lane Elementary School by 4:00 pm. (6135 Sauerkraut Lane, Macungie, PA 18062) Please simply leave your bagged and freshly washed veggies at the front door of the school. All of food collected goes to the 6th St. Shelter.
If you'd like to bring your donations to our in person meetings, Sue Wenner has volunteered to serve with Tony on the Plan A Row Collection Committee and would be happy to drop off our weekly collections to the school after our meeting. If you have any questions please contact Tony at anmoyer1229@yahoo.com
Thank you Tony and Sue for volunteering!
To learn more about Plant A Row continue reading...
It is time to reserve your bottle for the Fellowship Virtual Wine Tasting Night.
Friday, August 28th at 7:00 p.m.
BE SURE TO PICK YOU BOTTLES UP BY FRIDAY AT 6PM. READ BELOW.
The Emmaus Rotary Fellowship Committee will be hosting another Virtual Wine Tasting featuring our favorite wine experts, Joe Pugliese, Alicia Ruiz-Orbin, Mike Orbin and Dina Zayaitz.
They will coach us on how to taste the wine, we will score it, and compare our evaluation of the wine as a group using the American Wine Society scoring sheet. Please use the score sheet pdf link here.
This will be simple tasting focusing on a specific wine from Scout & Cellar.
The wine of choice for the tasting is: 2019 Gallivant Bubbly White Wine, North Coast California.
(A refreshing choice for this time of year.)
Reserve your bottle today to participate!
We have pre-ordered 24 bottles for sign ups to this tasting.
The cost is only $24.00 a bottle (cash or check written to Emmaus Rotary Club)
To sign up to reserve your bottle and participate in this Fellowship Event you must email Meghan Reed at MeghanReed517@gmail.com.
Those who have reserved bottles can pick them up at Eric J. Loch Diamond Jewelers August 24th-28th between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Please have your payment ready at time of pick up.
A Zoom Meeting Link will be sent out to those who have signed up prior to the event. If you've already signed up no need to email again. We have you confirmed.
Many Thanks to Dina as the commission she makes from our purchase of this wine and commission from future wine sales through this event will be donated back to The Emmaus Rotary East Penn Food Packing Program.
Our last virtual tasting was a ton of fun! It was a great way to catch up with friends and have a lot of laughs together.
Thank you to Ai Orthodontics for their absolutely incredible generosity! Dr. Aejaaz A. Issa and his team have donated $3,000 to the Emmaus Rotary Club, East Penn Food Program, Go Fund Me campaign. This kindness has brought us to 25% of our current fundraising goal for the program. Many thanks to Karen Hobson for sharing the Go Fund Me campaign with Dr. Issa. Ai Orthodontics has been a huge supporter of Emmaus Rotary. We are very grateful for community business partners like Ai Orthodontics who lead through service above self.
Does this inspire you to give? Start YOUR team! Since we started in July we have raised $4,255 of our $10,000 Go Fund Me Campaign goal to support The Emmaus Rotary Club, East Penn Food Program. As I have written before, it is important that our Club Members get involved in sharing this campaign so that we can reach our goal of $10,000. Donating and sharing is VERY easy and with just a few seconds a week, together we will make our goal! (If you need instructions on how to donate follow the steps in the read more section on how you can donate and share)
SHARING IS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THIS CAMPAIGN TO GAIN MOMENTUM. Creating your own fundraising page as part of the campaign is a great way to invite your family, friends, co-workers, clients, and others to join you in our mission to help feed hungry children!
How to do it:
1) Click the blue JOIN button.
2) Sign in - follow the prompts to create an account or log in with Facebook if you have one.
3) Click the blue JOIN THE TEAM button. This will automatically make you a member of the team. Regardless of donation amount. You can donate whatever amount you'd like even $10 puts us closer to our goal. EVERY single dollar matters! You can create a team without donating (I tested this on my husband's cell phone to join the team it took 5 second to do) The goal here is create a page to engage your network and share the information to attract donors.
4) Now share your link! You can share multiple ways. Facebook, Twitter or copy your link and past it into an email to go out to your clients, workplace, family, friends, and other organizations your a member of. Remember to share often on your social media pages! Please consider creating a team for your business.
It's that simple. An easy way for "People of Action" like us to....well...take action!
If you need help with how to share you may reach out to me and I will do my very best to walk you through it or think of some creative ways you can help spread the word.
I have included an email that I sent out to another board that I sit on. Feel free to use it! Just click "read more" below.
If you have questions on how to use Go Fund Me please contact Meghan Reed 610-797-5942 / meghanreed517@gmail.com THANK YOU!!
The Feed East Penn Students Food Packing Program has continued to help many families. Each week Emmaus Rotarians mask up and pack up food to make a difference. Thank you all so very much for putting service above self! Here is a fun collage of pictures from July 30th packing.
The 3rd Annual Motorcycle Poker Run is postponed until next year. Our Hope was to raise $7500 to give to Tails of Valor, a 501c3 organization which raises and trains dogs for veterans suffering from PTSD or other service-related illnesses or injuries.
Although the event is not happening this year, several donors and sponsors have elected to make a donation anyway. If you would like to make a donation, please send a check made payable to “Emmaus Rotary Club Foundation”, add a memo of “Tails of Valor”, and mail it to the following address. We will present a single check to Tails of Valor in late August.
ERCF c/o Joe Pugliese P.O. Box 98 East Texas, PA 18046-0098
Many thanks so all who came to honor Rotarian Jerry Friedman at the Emmaus Remembrance Garden. Emmaus Rotarians were joined by Jerry's family members to lay a brick in his memory and in gratitude of his many years of service to the community.
COVID-19 is impacting us all in our personal, professional and Rotary lives. We must base our decisions about Rotary activities on the health and safety of our members and compliance with government and health regulations. Even though we may not be able to conduct the usual weekly in person meetings, many of our clubs are leading or participating in food and other relief programs in their communities. These efforts will likely be continuing through the balance of this Rotary year and into the future.
With this in mind, the following are guidelines for all Rotary District 7430 activities:
All guidelines set forth by the Governor, counties and other authorized persons in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the CDC should be followed.
Should any Rotarian be diagnosed with or have symptoms that they suspect to be consistent with COVID-19, that Rotarian shall:
Not participate in any Rotary event that involves a personal appearance at the event.
Report their diagnoses or symptoms to the Rotarian supervising any program in which they have participated in-person within fourteen (14) days before the diagnoses or occurrence of symptoms.
We also suggest that you adopt guidelines for your clubs that reflect the current health crisis.
Welcome to the Emmaus Rotary Club!
We meet at 7:30 AM on Thursday mornings
at Brookside Country Club, 901 Willow Lane, Macungie, PA 18062
